Sunday, October 13, 2013 - Litany Lane Blog:
Consecration, Psalms 98:1-4, Second Kings 5:14-17, Luke 17:11-19, Pope Francis Daily - Marian Day, St Edward the Confessor, 96th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima Miracle of the Sun , Alliance of Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Catholic Catechism Part Three: Life In Christ - Chapter 3: Gods Salvation Law and Grace - Article 2:4 Christian Holiness
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. The Seven Gifts of
the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the
Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun
the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and
gluttony...Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...~ Zarya Parx 2013
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Prayers for Today: Sunday in Ordinary Time
Rosary - Glorious Mysteries
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis October 12 and 13 Daily:
Marian Day
In response to the desire of Holy
Father Francis, the Statue of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima,
venerated in the Little Chapel of Apparitions, will be brought to Rome
on October 12/13 to be present at the Marian Day promoted by the
Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
On October 13, next to the Statue of Our Lady, Pope Francis will make
the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Marian Day is one of the great
pontifical events marked down on the calendar of celebrations of the
Year of Faith which will bring to Rome hundreds of movements and
institutions connoted with Marian devotion.
In a letter addressed to Bishop
Antonio Marto, of Leiria-Fatima, the President of the Pontifical Council
for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, Cardinal Rino Fisichella,
informs that “all ecclesial entities of Marian spirituality” are invited
to take part in this Marian day, a gathering which includes, on the
12th, a pilgrimage to the tomb of Apostle St. Peter and other moments of
prayer and meditation and, on the 13th, a Mass presided over by Pope
Francis, in St. Peter’s Square.
In that letter, Cardinal Fisichella
wrote: “The Holy Father strongly desires that the Marian Day may have
present, as a special sign, one of the most significant Marian icons for
Christians throughout the world and, for that reason, we thought of the
beloved original Statue of Our Lady of Fatima”.
Therefore, the Statue of Our Lady will
depart from the Shrine of Fatima on the morning of October 12 and
return on the afternoon of October 13. Scheduled to take its place in
the Little Chapel of Apparitions is the first Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady
of Fatima, which is enthroned in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary
since December 8, 2003.
Leopol Dina Simões, Fatima
Blessed are you because you believed!
On the occasion of the anniversary of the final apparition of the
Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima (October 13, 1917), the faithful belonging
to diverse associations of Marian spirituality will gather for a Marian Day. For this occasion, the original Statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be brought to Rome.
Saturday, October 12
7.45 – 12.00
Pilgrimages to the tomb of the Apostle Peter will be led by guides
according to particular language groups which are assigned the following
times:
7.45 – 8.00 English speaking pilgrims;
8.00 – 8.15 Spanish, German and Polish speaking pilgrims;
8.15 – 8.30 French and Portuguese speaking pilgirms;
ore 8.30 – 12.00 Italian speaking pilgrims.
N.B.: At 12:00 St. Peter’s Square will be closed to the public and,
thus, all must exit the Square so that the necessary security checks can
be made for the gathering with Pope Francis in the afternoon.
9.00 – 12.00
Eucharistic Adoration and the celebration of the Sacrament of
Reconciliation will be held in the following churches, all of which are
located near to St. Peter’s Square:
San Giovanni dei Fiorentini (Via Acciaioli, 2) – CONFESSIONS in Italian, English, Spanish;
S. Maria in Traspontina (Borgo Sant’Angelo, 15) (a partire dalle 9.30) – CONFESSIONS in Italian, English, Spanish, French, German, Polish, Portuguese;
Cappella di Santa Monica (Piazza del Sant’Uffizio) – EUCHARISTIC ADORATION.
14.30
The opening of the entrance gates to St. Peter’s Square.
16.00
The procession of the original Statue of Our Lady of Fatima in St. Peter’s Square.
All of the pilgrims are invited to bring with them a white
handkerchief in order to welcome with the tradition salute the Statue of
the Madonna.
17.00
Pope Francis welcomes the Statue of the Madonna of Fatima.
Via Matris and Marian catechesis.
19.00
The Statue of Our Lady of Fatima will arrive at the Sanctuary of
Divino Amore* and the prayer vigil “With Mary through the night” will
begin:
a) Recitation of the Holy Rosary united with those in Marian sanctuaries throughout the world (19.00);
b) Prayer Vigil (from 22.00).
The vigil, “With Mary through the night” is being organized by the
Vicariate of Rome and sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the
Promotion of the New Evangelization.
Sunday, October 13
7.30
The opening of the entrance gates to St. Peter’s Square.
9.45
The entrance procession of the Statue of Our Lady of Fatima and the recitation of the Holy Rosary.
10.30
Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Square presided by Pope Francis.
At the end of the Mass, the act of entrustment by the Pope to the Madonna.
* The Sanctuary of Divino Amore, via del Santuario, Roma –
For more information: www.santuariodivinoamore.it.
For more information: www.santuariodivinoamore.it.
(2013-10-13 Vatican Radio)
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Pope: Guard against deceit of the devil
Christians must always guard against the deceit of the devil, said Pope
Francis at Friday’s morning Mass in Casa Santa Marta. The Pope
underlined that Christians cannot follow the victory of Jesus over evil
“halfway”, nor confuse or relativize truth in the battle against the
devil.
Jesus casts out demons, and then someone offers explanations “to diminish the power of the Lord,” he said. The Pope focused his homily on the day’s Gospel and immediately underlined that there is always the temptation to want to diminish the figure of Jesus, as if he were “a healer at most” and so as not to take him “so seriously”. It is an attitude, he observed, that has “reached our present day”.
“There are some priests who, when they read this Gospel passage, this and others, say: ‘But, Jesus healed a person with a mental illness’. They do not read this, no? It is true that at that time, they could confuse epilepsy with demonic possession; but it is also true that there was the devil! And we do not have the right to simplify the matter, as if to say: ‘All of these (people) were not possessed; they were mentally ill’. No! The presence of the devil is on the first page of the Bible, and the Bible ends as well with the presence of the devil, with the victory of God over the devil.”
For this reason, he warned, “we should not be naïve”. The Pope observed that the Lord gave us certain criteria to “discern” the presence of evil and to follow “the Christian way when there are temptations”. One of the criteria is “not to follow the victory of Jesus” only “halfway”.
“Either you are with me, says the Lord, or you are against me,” the Pope said. Jesus, he added, came to destroy the devil, “to give us the freedom” from “the enslavement the devil has over us”. And, he cautioned, this is not “exaggerating”.
“On this point,” he said, “there are no nuances. There is a battle and a battle where salvation is at play, eternal salvation; eternal salvation” of us all.
There is criteria for watchfulness. “We must always be on guard,” exhorted the Pope, “on guard against deceit, against the seduction of evil”.
“And we can ask ourselves the question: Do I guard myself, my heart, my feelings, my thoughts? Do I guard the treasure of grace? Do I guard the presence of the Holy Spirit in me? Or do I let go, feeling secure, believing that all is going well? But if you do not guard yourself, he who is stronger than you will come. But if someone stronger comes and overcomes, he takes away the weapons in which one trusted, and he shall divide the spoil. Vigilance! Three criteria! Do not confuse the truth. Jesus fights the devil: first criterion. Second criterion: he who is not with Jesus is against Jesus. There are no attitudes in the middle. Third criterion: vigilance over our hearts because the devil is astute. He is never cast out forever. It will only be so on the last day.”
When the impure spirit leaves man, the Pope pointed out, “it wanders in deserted places, and seeking rest and finding none, says: ‘I will return to my house, from which I left’.”
And when he finds it “swept clean and adorned”, then he goes, “takes another seven spirits worse than he, who come and make their homes”. And, this way, “the last state of man becomes worse than the first”.
“Vigilance,” he said, “because his strategy is this: ‘You became Christian. Advance in your faith. I will leave you. I will leave you tranquil. But then when you are used to not being so watchful and you feel secure, I will come back’. The Gospel today begins with the devil being cast out and ends with the devil coming back! St. Peter would say: ‘It is like a fierce lion that circles us’. It is like that. ‘But, Father, you a little ancient. You are frightening us with these things…’ No, not me! It is the Gospel! And these are not lies: it is the Word of the Lord!
“Let us ask the Lord for the grace to take these things seriously. He came to fight for our salvation. He won against the devil! Please, let us not do business with the devil! He seeks to return home, to take possession of us… Do not relativize; be vigilant! And always with Jesus!”
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General Prayer Intentions by Pope: October
Vatican City, October 2013 (VIS)
The Holy Father's general prayer intention for October is: "That those feeling so crushed by life that they wish to end it may sense the nearness of God's love."
His mission intention is: "That the celebration of World Mission Day may help all Christians realise that we are not only receivers but proclaimers of God's word."
October 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: Dear children, I love you with a motherly love and with a motherly patience I wait for your love and unity. I pray that you may be a community of God’s children, of my children. I pray that as a community you may joyfully come back to life in the faith and in the love of my Son. My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son. Give me your open, purified hearts and I will fill them with the love for my Son. His love will give meaning to your life and I will walk with you. I will be with you until the meeting with the Heavenly Father. My children, it is those who walk towards the Heavenly Father with love and faith who will be saved. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Put your trust in your shepherds as my Son trusted when he chose them, and pray that they may have the strength and the love to lead you. Thank you.
September 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. May your relationship with prayer be a daily one. Prayer works miracles in you and through you, therefore, little children, may prayer be a joy for you. Then your relationship with life will be deeper and more open and you will comprehend that life is a gift for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
September 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children, I love you all. All of you, all of my children, all of you are in my heart. All of you have my motherly love and I desire to lead all of you to come to know God’s joy. This is why I am calling you. I need humble apostles who, with an open heart, will accept the Word of God and help others to comprehend the meaning of their life along side God’s word. To be able to do this, my children, through prayer and fasting you must learn to listen with the heart and to learn to keep submitting yourselves. You must learn to keep rejecting everything that distances you from God’s word and to yearn only for that which draws you closer to it. Do not be afraid. I am here. You are not alone. I am imploring the Holy Spirit to renew and strengthen you. I am imploring the Holy Spirit that, as you help others, you too may be healed. I am imploring Him that, through Him, you may be God’s children and my apostles. For the sake of Jesus, for the sake of my Son, love those whom He has called and long for the blessing only from the hands which He has consecrated. Do not permit evil to come to reign. Anew I repeat – only along side your shepherds will my heart triumph. Do not permit evil to separate you from your shepherds. Thank you.”
The Holy Father's general prayer intention for October is: "That those feeling so crushed by life that they wish to end it may sense the nearness of God's love."
His mission intention is: "That the celebration of World Mission Day may help all Christians realise that we are not only receivers but proclaimers of God's word."
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2013 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 10/13/2013.
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October 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: Dear children, I love you with a motherly love and with a motherly patience I wait for your love and unity. I pray that you may be a community of God’s children, of my children. I pray that as a community you may joyfully come back to life in the faith and in the love of my Son. My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son. Give me your open, purified hearts and I will fill them with the love for my Son. His love will give meaning to your life and I will walk with you. I will be with you until the meeting with the Heavenly Father. My children, it is those who walk towards the Heavenly Father with love and faith who will be saved. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Put your trust in your shepherds as my Son trusted when he chose them, and pray that they may have the strength and the love to lead you. Thank you.
September 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. May your relationship with prayer be a daily one. Prayer works miracles in you and through you, therefore, little children, may prayer be a joy for you. Then your relationship with life will be deeper and more open and you will comprehend that life is a gift for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
September 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children, I love you all. All of you, all of my children, all of you are in my heart. All of you have my motherly love and I desire to lead all of you to come to know God’s joy. This is why I am calling you. I need humble apostles who, with an open heart, will accept the Word of God and help others to comprehend the meaning of their life along side God’s word. To be able to do this, my children, through prayer and fasting you must learn to listen with the heart and to learn to keep submitting yourselves. You must learn to keep rejecting everything that distances you from God’s word and to yearn only for that which draws you closer to it. Do not be afraid. I am here. You are not alone. I am imploring the Holy Spirit to renew and strengthen you. I am imploring the Holy Spirit that, as you help others, you too may be healed. I am imploring Him that, through Him, you may be God’s children and my apostles. For the sake of Jesus, for the sake of my Son, love those whom He has called and long for the blessing only from the hands which He has consecrated. Do not permit evil to come to reign. Anew I repeat – only along side your shepherds will my heart triumph. Do not permit evil to separate you from your shepherds. Thank you.”
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Today's Word: consecration con·se·cra·tion [kon-si-krey-shuh
n]
Origin: 1350–1400; Middle English consecracio ( u ) n (< Anglo-French ) < Latin consecrātiōn- (stem of consecrātiō ). See consecrate, -ion
noun
1. the act of consecrating; dedication to the service and worship of a deity.
2. the act of giving the sacramental character to the Eucharistic elements of bread and wine, especially in the Roman Catholic Church.
3. ordination to a sacred office, especially to the episcopate.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 98:1-4
1 [Psalm] Sing a new song to Yahweh, for he has performed wonders, his saving power is in his right hand and his holy arm.
2 Yahweh has made known his saving power, revealed his saving justice for the nations to see,
3 mindful of his faithful love and his
constancy to the House of Israel. The whole wide world has seen the
saving power of our God.
4 Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth, burst into shouts of joy!
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Today's Epistle - Second Kings 5:14-17
14 So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, as Elisha had told him to do. And his flesh became clean once more like the flesh of a little child.
15 Returning to Elisha with his whole escort, he went in and, presenting himself, said, 'Now I know that there is no God anywhere on earth except in Israel. Now, please, accept a present from your servant.'
16 But Elisha replied, 'As Yahweh lives, whom I serve, I will accept nothing.' Naaman pressed him to accept, but he refused.
17 Then Naaman said, 'Since your answer
is "No," allow your servant to be given as much earth as two mules may
carry, since your servant will no longer make burnt offerings or sacrifice to any god except Yahweh.
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Today's Gospel Reading - Luke 17, 11-19
The ten lepers:
Gratitude for the gratuitous gift of salvation
Luke 17, 11-19
Gratitude for the gratuitous gift of salvation
Luke 17, 11-19
Opening prayer
Lord, while you are still crossing our land, today you have stopped here and have entered in my village, into my house, in my life. You have not been afraid, you have not disdained the profound illness of my sin; rather, you have even loved me more. Oh Master, I stop at a distance, together with my brothers and sisters who are walking together with me in this world. I raise my voice and I call you; I show you the wound of my soul. I beg you, heal me with the good ointment of your Holy Spirit, give me the true medicine of your Word; there is nothing else which can cure me, but only You, who are Love…
1. I read the Word
a) Text:
11
Now it happened that on the way to Jerusalem he was travelling in the
borderlands of Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered one of the
villages, ten men suffering from a virulent skin-disease came to meet
him. They stood some way off 13 and called to him, 'Jesus! Master! Take
pity on us.' 14 When he saw them he said, 'Go and show yourselves to the
priests.' Now as they were going away they were cleansed. 15 Finding
himself cured, one of them turned back praising God at the top of his
voice 16 and threw himself prostrate at the feet of Jesus and thanked
him. The man was a Samaritan. 17 This led Jesus to say, 'Were not all
ten made clean? The other nine, where are they? 18 It seems that no one
has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner.' 19 And he
said to the man, 'Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved
you.'
b) The context
This passage places us
within the third stage of the road which Jesus is following toward
Jerusalem; by now the goal is close at hand and the Master calls his
disciples even with greater intensity, that is, us, to follow him to the
holy city, in the mystery of salvation, of love. The passage is
fulfilled only through faith, nourished by an intense, unceasing,
insistent, trusting prayer; we see this when we go over the chapters
which precede and follow this account (17, 6; 17, 19; 18, 7-8; 42).
These words invite us to identify ourselves with the lepers, who become
children (cf. Lk 18, 15-17) and with the rich man who is converted and
accepts salvation in his home (Lk 18, 18 ff); if we truly accept them
and guard them in such a way as to put them into practice, we will
finally be able also to arrive to Jericho (19, 1) and from there to
begin to go up with Jesus (19, 28), up to the joyful embrace with the
Father.
c) The structure:
v. 11: Jesus is
travelling and crossed Samaria and Galilee; little by little, he is
getting close to Jerusalem, there is nothing which He does not visit,
does not touch with his look of love and of mercy.
vv. 12 – 14a: Jesus enters one of the villages, which does not have a name, because it is the place, it is the life of all and here he encounters the ten lepers, sick men, already eaten up by death, excluded and at a distance, marginalized and despised. Immediately He accepts their prayer, which is a cry coming from the heart and invites them to enter into Jerusalem and no longer to be at a distance, but to join the Heart of the Holy City, the temple, the priests. He invites them to go back to the Father’s house.
v. 14b: The lepers had just begun the holy trip to Jerusalem, and they were healed, they become new men.
vv. 15-16: But only one of them turned back to thank Jesus: it seems that we can almost see him running and jumping with joy. He praises the Lord in a loud voice, and throws himself prostrate in adoration and make Eucharist.
vv. 17-19: Jesus sees that of ten, only one turns back, a Samaritan, one who does not belong to the chosen People: salvation, in fact, is for all, also for those who are far away, the strangers. No one is excluded from the love of the Father, who saves thanks to faith.
vv. 12 – 14a: Jesus enters one of the villages, which does not have a name, because it is the place, it is the life of all and here he encounters the ten lepers, sick men, already eaten up by death, excluded and at a distance, marginalized and despised. Immediately He accepts their prayer, which is a cry coming from the heart and invites them to enter into Jerusalem and no longer to be at a distance, but to join the Heart of the Holy City, the temple, the priests. He invites them to go back to the Father’s house.
v. 14b: The lepers had just begun the holy trip to Jerusalem, and they were healed, they become new men.
vv. 15-16: But only one of them turned back to thank Jesus: it seems that we can almost see him running and jumping with joy. He praises the Lord in a loud voice, and throws himself prostrate in adoration and make Eucharist.
vv. 17-19: Jesus sees that of ten, only one turns back, a Samaritan, one who does not belong to the chosen People: salvation, in fact, is for all, also for those who are far away, the strangers. No one is excluded from the love of the Father, who saves thanks to faith.
2. Meditate on the Word
a) I enter into silence:
This invitation is
already clear to my heart: The Love of the Father is waiting for me,
like that only Samaritan who turned back, full of joy and of gratitude.
The Eucharist of my healing is ready; the room in the upper room is
already adorned, the table is set, the calf has been killed, the wine
has been poured… my place is already prepared. I reread attentively the
passage, slowly, stopping on the words, on the verbs; I look at the
movement of the lepers, I repeat them, make them my own, I also move,
toward the encounter with the Lord Jesus. And I allow myself to be
guided by Him, I listen to His voice, to His command. I also go toward
Jerusalem, toward the temple, which is my heart and I in making this
holy trip I think over all the love that the Father has had for me. I
allow myself to be wrapped up by his embrace, I feel the healing of my
soul… And because of this, full of joy, I rise, turn back, run toward
the source of true happiness which is the Lord. I prepare myself to
thank Him, to sing to Him the new canticle of my love for Him. What will
I give to the Lord for all He has given me?…
b) I consider more deeply some terms:
During the
travelling: Using his beautiful Greek, Luke tells us that Jesus is
continuing his way toward Jerusalem and uses a very beautiful and
intense verb, even if very common and very much used. In this pericope
or passage alone, it appears three times:
v. 11: in the travelling
v. 14: go
v. 19. going
It is a verb of very strong movement, which fully expresses all the dynamic proper of the travelling; it can be translated with all these different nuances or tones: I go, I go to, I leave, I go from one part to the other, I go through, I follow. And even more, within it has the meaning of crossing over, of wading, of going beyond, overcoming the obstacles. And Jesus, the great traveller, the tireless pilgrim: He was the first one to leave His dwelling in the bosom of the Father, and descended down to us, fulfilling the eternal exodus of our salvation and liberation. He knows every path, every route of human experience; no part of the road remains hidden or impassable for Him. This is why He can invite us also to walk, to move ourselves, to cross, to place ourselves in a continuous situation of exodus. So that finally, we can also come back, together to Him, and in this way go to the Father.
v. 11: in the travelling
v. 14: go
v. 19. going
It is a verb of very strong movement, which fully expresses all the dynamic proper of the travelling; it can be translated with all these different nuances or tones: I go, I go to, I leave, I go from one part to the other, I go through, I follow. And even more, within it has the meaning of crossing over, of wading, of going beyond, overcoming the obstacles. And Jesus, the great traveller, the tireless pilgrim: He was the first one to leave His dwelling in the bosom of the Father, and descended down to us, fulfilling the eternal exodus of our salvation and liberation. He knows every path, every route of human experience; no part of the road remains hidden or impassable for Him. This is why He can invite us also to walk, to move ourselves, to cross, to place ourselves in a continuous situation of exodus. So that finally, we can also come back, together to Him, and in this way go to the Father.
Entering one of the
villages: Jesus passes by, crosses, walks through, moves and reaches us;
some times, then, He decides to enter, to stop for a longer time. As it
happens in the account. Luke stops on some details and writes that
Jesus entered a village. To enter, in the Biblical sense, is to
penetrate, it is the entrance into the depth, which implies sharing and
participation. Once more, we find ourselves before a very common and
very much used verb; in the Gospel of Luke alone it appears very many
times and indicates clearly the intention of Jesus to get close to us,
to become a friend and to show his love. He does not despise or spurn
any entrance, any communion. He enters the house of Simon the leper (4,
38), goes into the house of the Pharisee (7, 36 and 11, 37), then in the
house of the president of the Synagogue (8, 51) and of Zacchaeus the
Publican (19,7). He continually enters into the history of man and
participates, eats together, suffers, weeps and rejoices, sharing
everything. As He himself says, it is sufficient to open the door to let
Him in (Ap 3, 20), for him to remain (Lk 24, 29)
Ten Lepers: I ask
myself what this human condition really means, this sickness which is
called leprosy. I begin with the text itself of Scripture which
describes the statute of the leper in Israel. It says: “Anyone with a
contagious skin disease will wear torn clothing and disordered hair; and
will cover the upper lip and shout: ‘Unclean, unclean! As long as the
disease lasts, such a person will be unclean and, being unclean, will
live alone and live outside the camp”. (Lev 13, 45-46). Therefore, I
understand that the leper is a person struck, wounded, beaten: something
has struck him with violence, with force and has left in him a sign of
pain, a wound. He is a person in mourning, in great pain, as it is shown
by his torn clothing and disordered hair; he is one who has to cover
his mouth, because he has no right to speak, neither almost to breathe
in the midst of others: he is like a dead person. He is one who cannot
worship God, he cannot enter into the Temple, nor touch the holy things.
He is a person profoundly wounded, a marginalized person, excluded, one
left aside, in solitude. Because of all this, the ten lepers who go to
meet Jesus, stop at a distance and speak to him from far, shouting out
their pain, their despair.
Jesus, the
Master: This exclamation, this prayer of the lepers is beautiful. Above
all, they call the Lord by name, as it is done with friends. It seems
that they have known one another for some time, that they know about one
another, that they have met before at the level of the heart. These
lepers have already been admitted into the banquet of Jesus’ intimacy,
to the wedding feast of salvation. After them, only the blind man of
Jericho (Lk 18, 38) and the thief on the Cross (Lk 23, 42) will repeat
this invocation with the same familiarity, the same love: Jesus! Only
the one who recognizes himself to be sick, in need, poor, evil-doer,
becomes favourite of God. Then they call Him ‘Master’, using a term
which means more properly ‘the one who is on high’ and which Peter also
used, when on the boat, he was called by Jesus to follow Him (Lk 5, 8)
and he recognizes himself a sinner. And here we find ourselves in the
very heart of truth, here the mystery of leprosy is revealed, as a
sickness of the soul: that is sin, it is to live far away from God, the
lack of friendship, of communion with Him. This dries up our soul and
makes it die little by little.
He turned back: It is
not a simple physical movement, a change of direction and of walking,
but rather a true interior, profound upheaval or revolution. ‘To turn
back’ is the verb of conversion, of going back to God. It is to change
something into something else (Ap 11, 6); it is returning home (Lk 1,
56; 2, 43), after having gone away, like the prodigal son did, lost in
sin. This is what this leper does: he changes his sickness into a
blessing, his being a stranger, a foreigner, being far away from God
into friendship, into a relationship of intimacy, like between father
and son. He changes, because he allows himself to be changed by Jesus
himself, he allows himself to be reached by His love.
To thank him: This
verb is beautiful, in all languages, but in a particular way in Greek,
because it bears within the meaning ofEucharist. Yes, it is exactly like
that: the leper ‘does Eucharist’! He sits at the table of mercy, where
Jesus allowed himself to be hurt, wounded even before him; where he
became the cursed one, the excluded, the one thrown out of the camp in
order to gather us all together in His Heart. He receives the bread and
the wine of love gratuitously, of salvation, of forgiveness, of the new
life; finally he can once again enter into the temple and participate in
the Liturgy, in the worship. Finally, he can pray, getting close to God
with full trust. He no longer wears torn clothing, but the feast dress,
the wedding dress; now he wears sandals on his feet, is shod and wears a
ring on his finger. He no longer has to cover his mouth, but from now
he can sing and praise God, he can smile and speak openly; he can get
close to Jesus and kiss Him, like a friend does with a friend. The feast
is complete, the joy overflowing.
Rise and go!: This is
Jesus’ invitation, the invitation of the Lord. Rise, that is,
‘Resurrect’ come back to life! It is the new life after death, the day
after the night. For Saul also, on the road to Damascus, this same
invitation was heard, this commandment of love: “Rise!” (Acts 22, 10,
16) and he was born anew, from the womb of the Holy Spirit; he recovered
his sight and could see once again, he began to eat, he received
Baptism and a new name. His leprosy had disappeared.
Your faith has saved
you: I reread this expression of Jesus, I listen to it in his dialogues
with the persons whom He meets, with the sinner woman, the woman with
the haemorrhage, the blind man…
• Jesus, turning around, saw her and said, “Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you”. And from that moment the woman was saved (Mt 9, 22; Lk 8, 48).
• And Jesus said: “Go, your faith has saved you” and immediately he regained his sight and he followed him along the road (Mk 10, 52).
• He said to the woman: “Your faith has saved you, go in peace” (Lk 7, 50).
• And Jesus said to him: “Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you” (Lk 18, 42).
Now I pray together with the apostles and I also say: “Lord, increase my faith!” (cf. Lk 17, 6); “Help my lack of faith!” (Mk 9, 24).
• Jesus, turning around, saw her and said, “Courage, my daughter, your faith has saved you”. And from that moment the woman was saved (Mt 9, 22; Lk 8, 48).
• And Jesus said: “Go, your faith has saved you” and immediately he regained his sight and he followed him along the road (Mk 10, 52).
• He said to the woman: “Your faith has saved you, go in peace” (Lk 7, 50).
• And Jesus said to him: “Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you” (Lk 18, 42).
Now I pray together with the apostles and I also say: “Lord, increase my faith!” (cf. Lk 17, 6); “Help my lack of faith!” (Mk 9, 24).
3. I pray with the Word
a) Confronting with life:
Lord, I have gathered
the good honey of your Words from the divine Scripture; You have given
me light, you have nourished my heart, you have shown me the truth. I
know that in the number of those lepers, of those sick persons, I am
also there and I know that you are waiting for me, so that I come back,
full of joy, to make the Eucharist with You, in your merciful love. I
also ask you for the light of your Spirit in order to be able to see
well, to know and to allow You to change me. Behold, Lord, I open my
heart, my life, before you… look at me, question me, heal me.
b) Some questions:
• If at this moment,
Jesus, passing by and crossing my life, would stop to enter into my
village, would I be ready to welcome, to accept Him? Would I be happy to
let him come in? Would I invite Him, would I insist, like the disciples
of Emmaus? Behold, He is at the door and knocks… Will I get up to open
the door to my Beloved? (Cant 5, 5)
• How is my
relationship with Him? Am I able to call Him by name, as the lepers have
done, even if from a distance, but with all the strength of their
faith? Does the invocation of the name of Jesus always springs from my
heart, from my lips? When I am in danger, in suffering, weeping, which
exclamation comes spontaneously from me? Could I not try and be more
attentive to this aspect, which seems to be secondary, worth little, but
which, instead reveals a very strong and profound reality? Why do I not
begin to repeat the name of Jesus in my heart, even if only with my
lips, like a prayer, or like a hymn? This could be my companion while I
go to work, while I walk, while I do this or that…
• Do I have the
courage to sincerely present my evil, my sin, which is the true
sickness? Jesus invites the ten lepers to go to the priests, according
to the Hebrew law, but also for me, today, it is important,
indispensable to live this passage: to tell myself, tobring out to
light what hurts me inside and prevents me from being serene, happy, in
peace. If it is not before the priest, at least it is necessary that I
place myself before the Lord, face to face with Him, without any masks,
without hiding anything and to tell him all the truth about me. It is
only in this way that it will be possible to really heal.
• The salvation of the
Lord is for all; He loves all with an immense love. But few are those
who open themselves to accept His presence in their life. One on ten. On
which side do I place myself? Am I able to recognize all the good that
the Lord has done to me in my life? Or do I continue only to complain,
to always expect something more, to reproach and accuse, to protest, to
threaten? Do I really know how to say thank you, sincerely, with
gratitude, convinced that I have received everything, that the Lord
always gives me a surplus? It would really be very nice to take some
time to thank the Lord for all the benefits which He has showered in my
life, since I can remember up until now. I think that I would never be
able to finish, because something else would always come to my mind,
Then, the only thing I can do is like the leper, the only one among the
ten: to turn back, to run up to the Lord and to throw myself at His
feet, and praise Him in a loud voice. I can do it by singing a hymn, or
only repeating my thanksgiving, or perhaps weeping for joy.
• And now I listen to
Jesus’ invitation: “Rise and set out on the road” After this experience I
cannot remain without moving, closing myself in my own world, in my
peaceful beatitude and forget everything. I must rise, go out, and set
out on the road. If the Lord has blessed me, it is in order that I may
take His love to my brothers. The joy of the encounter with Him and of
having been healed in my soul will never be true, if it is not shared
and placed at the service of others. An instant is sufficient, to bring
to my mind so many friends, so many persons, more or less close to me,
who need some joy and hope. Then, why do I not start moving immediately?
I can make a phone call, send a message, write if even just a brief
note, or perhaps I can go and visit someone, keep him company and find
the courage to announce the beauty and the joy of having Jesus as my
friend, as doctor, as Saviour. Now is the moment to do it.
c) I pray with a Psalm
I called out to you, Lord, and you healed me.
How blessed are those to whom
Yahweh imputes no guilt,
whose spirit harbours no deceit.
I said not a word,
but my bones wasted away from groaning all the day;
I made my sin known to you,
did not conceal my guilt. I said,
'I shall confess my offence to Yahweh.'
And you, for your part,
took away my guilt, forgave my sin.
Yahweh imputes no guilt,
whose spirit harbours no deceit.
I said not a word,
but my bones wasted away from groaning all the day;
I made my sin known to you,
did not conceal my guilt. I said,
'I shall confess my offence to Yahweh.'
And you, for your part,
took away my guilt, forgave my sin.
That is why each of your faithful ones
prays to you in time of distress.
Even if great floods overflow,
they will never reach your faithful.
You are a refuge for me,
you guard me in trouble,
with songs of deliverance you surround me.
prays to you in time of distress.
Even if great floods overflow,
they will never reach your faithful.
You are a refuge for me,
you guard me in trouble,
with songs of deliverance you surround me.
I shall instruct you and teach you the way to go;
I shall not take my eyes off you.
I shall not take my eyes off you.
Rejoice in Yahweh, exult all you upright,
shout for joy, you honest of heart.
shout for joy, you honest of heart.
4. I contemplate and I praise
Lord, I have come to
you from solitude and isolation, with all the weight and the shame of my
sin, of my sickness. I have cried out, I have confessed, I have asked
you for mercy, you, who are Love. You have heard me even before I could
finish my poor prayer; even from far you have known me and listened to
me. You know everything about me, but you are not scandalized, you do
not despise, you do not draw back. You have told me only not to fear,
not to hide myself. And it has been sufficient to trust you, to open the
heart and your salvation has already reached me. I have already felt
the balm of your presence. I have understood that you have healed me.
Then, Lord, I could not do any other thing than to turn back to you, to
tell you at least thank you, to weep with joy at your feet. I thought I
did not have anyone, not to be able to bear it, not to come out any more
and, instead, you have saved me, you have given me another possibility
to begin anew.
Lord, thanks to you I am no longer a leper! I have thrown away my torn clothing and I have put on my feast dress. I have broken the isolation of shame, of harshness and I have begun to get out from myself, leaving behind my prison. I have risen, I have resurrected. Today, with you, I begin to live again.
Lord, thanks to you I am no longer a leper! I have thrown away my torn clothing and I have put on my feast dress. I have broken the isolation of shame, of harshness and I have begun to get out from myself, leaving behind my prison. I have risen, I have resurrected. Today, with you, I begin to live again.
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: St. Edward The Confessor
Feast Day: October 13
Patron Saint:
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| St Edward the Confessor |
He has traditionally been seen as unworldly and pious, and his reign as notable for the disintegration of royal power in England and the advance in power of the Godwin family. His biographers, Frank Barlow and Peter Rex, dispute this, picturing him as a successful king, who was energetic, resourceful and sometimes ruthless, but whose reputation has been unfairly tarnished by the Norman conquest shortly after his death. Other historians regard this picture as only partly true, and not at all in the later part of his reign. In the view of Richard Mortimer, the return of the Godwins from exile in 1052 "meant the effective end of his exercise of power". The difference in his level of activity from the earlier part of his reign "implies a withdrawal from affairs".
He had succeeded Cnut the Great's son Harthacnut, restoring the rule of the House of Wessex after the period of Danish rule since Cnut had conquered England in 1016. When Edward died in 1066 he was succeeded by Harold Godwinson, who was defeated and killed in the same year by the Normans under William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings.
Edward was canonized in 1161 by Pope Alexander III, and is commemorated on 13 October by the Catholic Church of England and Wales and the Church of England. He was regarded as one of the national saints of England until King Edward III adopted Saint George as patron saint in about 1350.
Early years and exile
Edward the Confessor was the seventh son of Æthelred the Unready, and the first by his second wife Emma, sister of Richard, Duke of Normandy. Edward was born between 1003 and 1005 in Islip, Oxfordshire, and is first recorded as a 'witness' to two charters in 1005. He had one full brother, Alfred, and a sister, Godgifu. In charters he was always listed behind his older half-brothers, showing that he ranked behind them.During his childhood aliens were the target of Viking raids and invasions under Sweyn Forkbeard and his son, Cnut. Following Sweyn's seizure of the throne in 1013, Emma fled to Normandy, followed by Edward and Alfred, and then by Æthelred. Sweyn died in February 1014, and leading Englishmen invited Æthelred back on condition that he promised to rule 'more justly' than before. Æthelred agreed, sending Edward back with his ambassadors.[8] Æthelred died in April 1016, and he was succeeded by Edward's older half brother Edmund Ironside, who carried on the fight against Sweyn's son, Cnut. According to Scandinavian tradition, Edward fought alongside Edmund; as Edward was at most thirteen years old at the time, the story is disputed. Edmund died in November 1016, and Cnut became undisputed king. Edward then again went into exile with his brother and sister, but his mother had no taste for the sidelines, and in 1017 she married Cnut. In the same year Cnut had Edward's last surviving elder half-brother, Eadwig, executed, leaving Edward as the leading Anglo-Saxon claimant to the throne.
Edward spent a quarter of a century in exile, probably mainly in Normandy, although there is no evidence of his location until the early 1030s. He probably received support from his sister Godgifu, who married Drogo of Mantes, count of Vexin in about 1024. In the early 1030s Edward witnessed four charters in Normandy, signing two of them as king of England. According to the Norman chronicler, William of Jumièges, Robert I, Duke of Normandy attempted an invasion of England to place Edward on the throne in about 1034, but it was blown off course to Jersey. He also received support for his claim to the throne from a number of continental abbots, particularly Robert, abbot of the Norman abbey of Jumièges, who was later to become Edward's Archbishop of Canterbury. Edward was said to have developed an intense personal piety during this period, but modern historians regard this as a product of the later medieval campaign for his canonisation. In Frank Barlow's view "in his lifestyle would seem to have been that of a typical member of the rustic nobility". He appeared to have a slim prospect of acceding to the English throne during this period, and his ambitious mother was more interested in supporting Harthacnut, her son by Cnut.
Cnut died in 1035, and Harthacnut succeeded as king of Denmark. It is unclear whether he was intended to have England as well, but he was too much occupied in defending his position there to come to England to make good any claim. It was therefore decided that his elder half-brother, Harold Harefoot should act as regent, while Emma held Wessex on Harthacnut's behalf. In 1036 Edward and his brother Alfred separately came to England. Emma later claimed that they came in response to a letter inviting them to visit her which had been forged by Harold, but historians believe that she probably did invite them in an effort to counter Harold's growing popularity. Alfred was captured by Godwin, Earl of Wessex who turned him over to Harold Harefoot. He had Alfred blinded by forcing red hot pokers into his eyes to make him unsuitable for kingship, and Alfred died soon after as a result of his wounds. The murder is thought to be the source of much of Edward's later hatred for the Earl and one of the primary reasons for Godwin's banishment in autumn 1051. Edward is said to have fought a successful skirmish near Southampton, and then retreated back to Normandy. He thus showed his prudence, but he had some reputation as a soldier in Normandy and Scandinavia.
In 1037 Harold was accepted as king, and the following year he expelled Emma, who retreated to Bruges. She then summoned Edward and demanded his help for Harthacnut, but he refused as he had no resources to launch an invasion, and disclaimed any interest for himself in the throne. Harthacnut, his position in Denmark now secure, did plan an invasion, but Harold died in 1040, and Harthacnut was able to cross unopposed with his mother to take the English throne.
In 1041, Harthacnut invited Edward back to England, probably as heir because he knew he had not long to live. The 12th century Quadripartitus, in an account regarded as convincing by historian John Maddicott, states that he was recalled by the intervention of Bishop Ælfwine of Winchester and Earl Godwin. Edward met "the thegns of all England" at Hursteshever, probably Hurst Head, a shingle spit opposite the Isle of Wight which was the site of the later Hurst Castle. There he was received as king in return for his oath that he would continue the laws of Cnut. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Edward was sworn in as king alongside Harthacnut, but a diploma issued by Harthacnut in 1042 describes him as the king's brother.
Early reign
Following Harthacnut's death on 8 June 1042, Godwin, the most powerful of the English earls, supported Edward, who succeeded to the throne. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describes the popularity he enjoyed at his accession — "before he [Harthacnut] was buried, all the people chose Edward as king in London." Edward was crowned at the cathedral of Winchester, the royal seat of the West Saxons, on 3 April 1043.Edward's position when he came to the throne was weak. Effective rule required keeping on terms with the three leading earls, but loyalty to the ancient house of Wessex had been eroded by the period of Danish rule, and only Leofric was descended from a family which had served Æthelred. Siward was probably Danish, and although Godwin was English, he was one of Cnut's new men, married to Cnut's former sister-in-law. However, in his early years Edward restored the traditional strong monarchy, showing himself, in Frank Barlow's view, "a vigorous and ambitious man, a true son of the impetuous Æthelred and the formidable Emma."
In 1043 Godwin's eldest son Sweyn was appointed to an earldom in the south-west midlands, and on 23 January 1045 Edward married Godwin's daughter Edith. Soon afterwards, her brother Harold and her Danish cousin Beorn Estrithson, were also given earldoms in southern England. Godwin and his family now ruled subordinately all of Southern England. However, in 1047 Sweyn was banished for abducting the Abbess of Leominster. In 1049 he returned to try to regain his earldom, but this was said to have been opposed by Harold and Beorn, probably because they had been given Sweyn's land in his absence. Sweyn murdered his cousin Beorn and went again into exile, and Edward's nephew, Ralph was given Beorn's earldom, but the following year Sweyn's father was able to secure his reinstatement.
The wealth of Edward's lands exceeded that of the greatest earls, but they were scattered among the southern earldoms. He had no personal powerbase, and he does not seem to have attempted to build one. In 1050–51 he even paid off the fourteen foreign ships which constituted his standing navy and abolished the tax raised to pay for it. However in ecclesiastical and foreign affairs he was able to follow his own policy. King Magnus of Norway aspired to the English throne, and in 1045 and 1046, fearing an invasion, Edward took command of the fleet at Sandwich. Beorn's elder brother, Sweyn of Denmark "submitted himself to Edward as a son", hoping for his help in his battle with Magnus for control of Denmark, but in 1047 Edward rejected Godwin's demand that he send aid to Sweyn, and it was only Magnus's death in October that saved England from attack and allowed Sweyn to take the Danish throne.
Modern historians reject the traditional view that Edward mainly employed Norman favourites, but he did have foreigners in his household, including a few Normans, who became unpopular. Chief among them was Robert, abbot of the Norman abbey of Jumièges, who had known Edward from the 1030s and came to England with him in 1041, becoming bishop of London in 1043. According to the Vita Edwardi, he became "always the most powerful confidential adviser to the king".
The crisis of 1051–1052
In ecclesiastical appointments, Edward and his advisers showed a bias against candidates with local connections, and when the clergy and monks of Canterbury elected a relative of Godwin as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1051, Edward rejected him and appointed Robert of Jumièges, who claimed that Godwin was in illegal possession of some archiepiscopal estates. In September Edward was visited by his brother-in-law, Godgifu's second husband, Eustace, count of Boulogne. His men caused an affray in Dover, and Edward ordered Godwin as earl of Kent to punish the town's burgesses, but he took their side and refused. Edward seized the chance to bring his over-mighty earl to heel. Archbishop Robert accused Godwin of plotting to kill the king, just as he had killed his brother Alfred in 1036, while Leofric and Siward supported the king and called up their vassals. Sweyn and Harold called up their own vassals, but neither side wanted a fight, and Godwin and Sweyn appear to have each given a son as hostage, who were sent to Normandy. The Godwins' position disintegrated as their men were not willing to fight the king. When Stigand, who was acting as intermediary, conveyed the king's jest that Godwin could have his peace if he could restore Alfred and his companions alive and well, Godwin and his sons fled, going to Flanders and Ireland. Edward repudiated Edith and sent her to a nunnery, perhaps because she was childless, and Archbishop Robert urged her divorce.Sweyn went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem (dying on his way back), but Godwin and his other sons returned with an army following a year later, and received considerable support, while Leofric and Siward failed to support the king. Both sides were concerned that a civil war would leave the country open to foreign invasion. The king was furious, but he was forced to give way and restore Godwin and Harold to their earldoms, while Robert of Jumierges and other Frenchmen fled, fearing Godwin's vengeance. Edith was restored as queen, and Stigand, who had again acted as an intermediary between the two sides in the crisis, was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury in Robert's place. Stigand retained his existing bishopric of Winchester, and his pluralism was to be a continuing source of dispute with the pope. Edward's nephew, Earl Ralph, who had been one of his chief supporters in the crisis of 1051–52, may have received Sweyn's marcher earldom of Hereford at this time.
Later reign
Until the mid-1050s Edward was able to structure his earldoms so as to prevent the Godwins becoming dominant. Godwin himself died in 1053 and although Harold succeeded to his earldom of Wessex, none of his other brothers were earls at this date. His house was then weaker than it had been since Edward's succession, but a succession of deaths in 1055–57 completely changed the picture. In 1055 Siward died but his son was considered too young to command Northumbria, and Harold's brother, Tostig was appointed. In 1057 Leofric and Ralph died, and Leofric's son Ælfgar succeeded as Earl of Mercia, while Harold's brother Gyrth succeeded Ælfgar as Earl of East Anglia. The fourth surviving Godwin brother, Leofwine, was given an earldom in the south-east carved out of Harold's territory, and Harold received Ralph's territory in compensation. Thus by 1057 the Godwin brothers controlled all of England subordinately apart from Mercia. It is not known whether Edward approved of this transformation or whether he had to accept it, but from this time he seems to have begun to withdraw from active politics, devoting himself to hunting, which he pursued each day after attending church.In the 1050s, Edward pursued an aggressive, and generally successful, policy in dealing with Scotland and Wales. Malcolm Canmore was an exile at Edward's court after Macbeth killed his father, Duncan I, and seized the Scottish throne. In 1054 Edward sent Siward to invade Scotland. He defeated Macbeth, and Malcolm, who had accompanied the expedition, gained control of southern Scotland. By 1058 Malcolm had killed Macbeth in battle and taken the Scottish throne. In 1059 he visited Edward, but in 1061 he started raiding Northumbria with the aim of adding it to his territory.
In 1053 Edward ordered the assassination of the south Welsh prince, Rhys ap Rhydderch in reprisal for a raid on England, and Rhys's head was delivered to him. In 1055 Gruffydd ap Llywelyn established himself as the ruler of all Wales, and allied himself with Ælfgar of Mercia, who had been outlawed for treason. They defeated Earl Ralph at Hereford, and Harold had to collect forces from nearly all of England to drive the invaders back into Wales. Peace was concluded with the reinstatement of Ælfgar, who was able to succeed as Earl of Mercia on his father's death in 1057. Gruffydd swore an oath to be a faithful under-king of Edward. Ælfgar appears to have died in 1062 and his young son Edwin was allowed to succeed as Earl of Mercia, but Harold then launched a surprise attack on Gruffydd. He escaped, but when Harold and Tostig attacked again the following year, he retreated and was killed by Welsh enemies. Edward and Harold were then able to impose vassallage on some Welsh princes.
In October 1065 Harold's brother, Tostig, the earl of Northumbria, was hunting with the king when his thegns in Northumbria rebelled against his rule, which they claimed was oppressive, and killed some 200 of his followers. They nominated Morcar, the brother of Edwin of Mercia, as earl, and invited the brothers to join them in marching south. They met Harold at Northampton, and Tostig accused Harold before the king of conspiring with the rebels. Tostig seems to have been a favourite with the king and queen, who demanded that the revolt be suppressed, but neither Harold nor anyone else would fight to support Tostig. Edward was forced to submit to his banishment, and the humiliation may have caused a series of strokes which led to his death. He was too weak to attend the dedication of his new church at Westminster, which was then still incomplete, on 28 December.
Edward probably entrusted the kingdom to Harold and Edith shortly before he died on 4 or 5 January 1066. On 6 January he was buried in Westminster Abbey, and Harold was crowned on the same day.
The succession
Historians have puzzled over Edward's intentions for the succession since William of Malmesbury in the early 12th century. One school of thought supports the Norman case that Edward always intended William the Conqueror to be his heir, accepting the medieval claim that Edward had already decided to be celibate before he married, but most historians believe that he hoped to have an heir by Edith at least until his quarrel with Godwin in 1051. William may have visited Edward during Godwin's exile, and he is thought to have promised William the succession at this time, but historians disagree how seriously he meant the promise, and whether he later changed his mind.Edmund Ironside's son, Edward Ætheling, had the best claim to be considered Edward's heir. He had been taken as a young child to Hungary, and in 1054 Bishop Ealdred of Worcester visited the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry III to secure his return, probably with a view to becoming Edward's heir. The exile returned to England in 1057 with his family, but died almost immediately. His son Edgar, who was then about five years old, was brought up at the English court. He was given the designation Ætheling, meaning throneworthy, which may mean that Edward considered making him his heir, and he was briefly declared king after Harold's death in 1066. However, Edgar was absent from witness lists of Edward's diplomas, and there is no evidence in the Domesday Book that he was a substantial landowner, which suggests that he was marginalised at the end of Edward's reign.
After the mid-1050s, Edward seems to have withdrawn from affairs as he became increasingly dependent on the Godwins, and may have become reconciled to the idea that one of them would succeed him. The Normans claimed that Edward sent Harold to Normandy in about 1064 to confirm the promise of the succession to William. The strongest evidence comes from a Norman apologist, William of Poitiers. According to his account, shortly before the Battle of Hastings, Harold sent William an envoy who admitted that Edward had promised the throne to William but argued that this was overridden by his deathbed promise to Harold. In reply, William did not dispute the deathbed promise, but argued that Edward's prior promise to him took precedence.
In Richard Baxter's view, Edward's "handling of the succession issue was dangerously indecisive, and contributed to one of the greatest catastrophes to which the English have ever succumbed."
Westminster Abbey
Edward's Norman sympathies are most clearly seen in the major building project of his reign, Westminster Abbey, the first Norman Romanesque church in England. This was commenced between 1042 and 1052 as a royal burial church, consecrated on 28 December 1065, completed after his death in about 1090, and demolished in 1245 to make way for Henry III's new building, which still stands. It was very similar to Jumièges Abbey, which was built at the same time. Robert of Jumièges must have been closely involved in both buildings, although it is not clear which is the original and which the copy.Edward does not appear to have been interested in books and its associated arts, but his Abbey played a vital role in the development of English Romanesque architecture, and shows that he was an innovating and generous patron of the church.
Canonisation
Edward the Confessor was the first Anglo-Saxon and the only king of England to be canonised, but he was part of a tradition of (uncanonised) English royal saints, such as Eadburh of Winchester, a daughter of Edward the Elder, Edith of Wilton, a daughter of Edgar the Peaceful, and King Edward the Martyr. With his proneness to fits of rage and love of hunting Edward is regarded by most historians as an unlikely saint, and his canonisation as political, although some argue that his cult started so early that it must have had something credible to build on.Edward displayed a worldly attitude in his church appointments. When he appointed Robert of Jumièges as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1051, he chose the leading craftsman Spearhafoc to replace Robert as Bishop of London. Robert refused to consecrate him, saying that the pope had forbidden it, but Spearhafoc occupied the bishopric for several months with Edward's support. After the Godwins fled the country, Edward expelled Spearhafoc, who fled with a large store of gold and gems which he had been given to make Edward a crown. Stigand was the first archbishop of Canterbury not to be a monk in almost a hundred years, and he was said to have been excommunicated by several popes because he held Canterbury and Winchester in plurality. Several bishops sought consecration abroad because of the irregularity of Stigand's position. Edward usually preferred clerks to monks for the most important and richest bishoprics, and he probably accepted gifts from candidates for bishoprics and abbacies. However, his appointments were generally respectable.
After 1066 there was a subdued cult of Edward as a saint, possibly discouraged by the early Norman abbots of Westminster, which gradually increased in the early twelfth century. Osbert of Clare, the prior of Westminster Abbey, then started to campaign for Edward's canonization, aiming to increase the wealth and power of the Abbey. By 1138, he had converted the Vita Ædwardi, the life of Edward commissioned by his widow, into a conventional saint's life. He seized on an ambiguous passage which might have meant that their marriage was chaste, perhaps to give the idea that Edith's childlessness was not her fault, to claim that Edward had been celibate. In 1139 Osbert went to Rome to petition for Edward's canonisation with the support of King Stephen, but he lacked the full support of the English hierarchy and Stephen had quarrelled with the church, so Pope Innocent II postponed a decision, declaring that Osbert lacked sufficient testimonials of Edward's holiness.
In 1159 there was a disputed election to the papacy, and Henry II's support helped to secure recognition of Pope Alexander III. In 1160 a new abbot of Westminster, Laurence, seized the opportunity to renew Edward's claim. This time, it had the full support of the king and the English hierarchy, and a grateful pope issued the bull of canonization on 7 February 1161, the result of a conjunction of the interests of Westminster Abbey, King Henry II and Pope Alexander III He was called 'Confessor' as the name for someone who was believed to have lived a saintly life but was not a martyr or churchman. In the 1230s King Henry III became attached to the cult of Saint Edward, and he commissioned a new life by Matthew Paris. Henry also constructed a grand new tomb for Edward in a rebuilt Westminster Abbey in 1269.
Until about 1350, Edmund the Martyr, Gregory the Great and Edward the Confessor were regarded as English national saints, but Edward III preferred the more war-like figure of St George, and in 1348 he established the Order of the Garter with St George as its patron. It was located at Windsor Castle, and its chapel of St Edward the Confessor was re-dedicated to St George, who was acclaimed in 1351 as patron of the English race. Edward was never a popular saint, but he was important to the Norman dynasty, which claimed to be the successor of Edward as the last legitimate Anglo-Saxon king.
The shrine of Saint Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey remains where it was after the final translation of his body to a chapel east of the sanctuary on 13 October 1269 by Henry III. The day of his translation, 13 October (his first translation had also been on that date in 1163), is regarded as his feast day, and each October the Abbey holds a week of festivities and prayer in his honour. For some time the Abbey had claimed that it possessed a set of coronation regalia that Edward had left for use in all future coronations. Following Edward's canonisation, these were regarded as holy relics, and thereafter they were used at all English coronations from the 13th century until the destruction of the regalia by Oliver Cromwell in 1649.
13 October is an optional feast day for Edward the Confessor for the Catholic Church of England and Wales, and the Church of England's calendar of saints designates it as a Lesser Festival. He is regarded as one of the patron saints of difficult marriages.
In popular culture
Edward is depicted as the central saint of the Wilton Diptych (c. 1395–99), a devotional piece made for Richard II, but now in the collection of the National Gallery. The reverse of the piece carries Edward's arms; and Richard's badge of a white hart. The panel painting dates from the end of the 14th century.In Act 3, Scene VI of Shakespeare's Macbeth (c. 1603–06) Lennox refers to Edward as "the most pious Edward," and in Act 4, Scene III, Malcolm describes his powers of healing those afflicted with "the evil", or scrofula. He is the central figure in Alfred Duggan's 1960 historical novel The Cunning of the Dove.
He is featured in Sara Douglass' novel God's Concubine.
On screen he has been portrayed by Eduard Franz in the film Lady Godiva of Coventry (1955), George Howe in the BBC TV drama series Hereward the Wake (1965), Donald Eccles in the two-part BBC TV play Conquest (1966; part of the series Theatre 625), Brian Blessed in Macbeth (1997), based on the Shakespeare play (although he does not appear in the play itself), and Adam Woodroffe in an episode of the British TV series Historyonics entitled "1066" (2004). In 2002, he was portrayed by Lennox Greaves in the Doctor Who audio adventure Seasons of Fear
References
- Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, tr. Michael Swanton, The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles. 2nd ed. London, 2000.
- Aelred of Rievaulx, Life of St. Edward the Confessor, translated Fr. Jerome Bertram (first English translation) St. Austin Press ISBN 1-901157-75-X
- Barlow, Frank, Edward the Confessor, Oxford University Press, 1997
- Barlow, Frank, Edward (St Edward; known as Edward the Confessor), Oxford Online Dictionary of National Biography, 2004
- Maddicott, J. R. (2004). "Edward the Confessor's Return to England in 1041". English Historical Review (Oxford University Press) CXIX (482): 650–666. http://ehr.oxfordjournals.org.ezproxy.londonlibrary.co.uk/content/119/482/650.full.pdf+html.
- Mortimer, Richard ed., Edward the Confessor: The Man and the Legend, The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 2009 ISBN 978-1-84383-436-6
- O'Brien, Bruce R.: God's peace and king's peace : the laws of Edward the Confessor, Philadelphia, Pa. : University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8122-3461-8
- The Life of King Edward who rests at Westminster (Vita Ædwardi Regis) ed. and trans. Frank Barlow, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1992
- Rex, Peter, King & Saint: The Life of Edward the Confessor, The History Press, Stroud, 2008
- The Waltham Chronicle ed. and trans. Leslie Watkiss and Marjorie Chibnall, Oxford Medieval Texts, OUP, 1994
- William of Malmesbury, The History of the English Kings, i, ed.and trans. R.A.B. Mynors, R.M.Thomson and M.Winterbottom, Oxford Medieval Texts, OUP 1998
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Today's Snippet I:
96th Anniversary of Our Lady of Fátima
Miracle of the Sun on Oct 13, 1917
Our Lady of Fátima (Portuguese: Nossa Senhora de Fátima, European Portuguese: [ˈnɔsɐ sɨˈɲoɾɐ dɨ ˈfatimɐ])
is a title for the Virgin Mary due to her reputed apparitions to three
shepherd children at Fátima, Portugal on the thirteenth day of six
consecutive months in 1917, beginning on May 13. The three children were
Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto.
The title of Our Lady of the Rosary
is also sometimes used to refer to the same apparition (although it was
first used in 1208 for the reputed apparition in the church of Prouille),
because the children related that the apparition called herself the
"Lady of the Rosary". It is also common to see a combination of these
titles, i.e.
Our Lady of the Rosary of Fátima (Portuguese: Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima). The
events at Fátima gained particular fame due to their elements of
prophecy and eschatology, particularly with regard to possible world war
and the conversion of Soviet Russia. The reported apparitions at Fátima were officially declared "worthy of belief" by the Catholic Church.
History
Page from Ilustração Portuguesa,
29 October 1917, showing the people looking at the miracle of the sun
during the Fátima apparitions attributed to the Virgin Mary.
On
May 13, 1917, ten year old Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and
Francisco Marto were herding sheep at a location known as the Cova da
Iria
near their home village of Fátima, Portugal. Lúcia described seeing a
woman "brighter than the sun, shedding rays of light clearer and
stronger than a crystal ball filled with the most sparkling water and
pierced by the burning rays of the sun."
Further appearances were reported to have taken place on the thirteenth
day of the month in June and July. In these, the woman exhorted the
children to do penance and Acts of Reparation
as well as making personal sacrifices to save sinners. The children
subsequently wore tight cords around their waists to cause themselves
pain, performed self-flagellation using stinging nettles,
abstained from drinking water on hot days, and performed other works of
penance. According to Lúcia's account, in the course of her
appearances, the woman confided to the children three secrets, now known
as the Three Secrets of Fátima.
Thousands of people flocked to Fátima and Aljustrel in the following
months, drawn by reports of visions and miracles. On August 19, 1917,
the provincial administrator and anticlerical Freemason, Artur Santos
(no relation to Lúcia Santos), believing that the events were
politically disruptive, intercepted and jailed the children before they
could reach the Cova da Iria that day. Prisoners held with them in the
provincial jail later testified that the children, while upset, were
first consoled by the inmates, and later led them in praying the rosary.
The administrator interrogated the children and tried unsuccessfully to
get them to divulge the contents of the secrets. In the process, he
threatened the children, saying he would boil them in a pot of oil, one
by one unless they confessed. The children refused, but Lúcia told him
everything short of the secrets, and offered to ask the Lady for
permission to tell the Administrator the secrets.
That month, instead of the usual apparition in the Cova da Iria on the
13th, the children reported that they saw the Virgin Mary on 15 August,
the Feast of the Assumption, at nearby Valinhos.
Photograph taken during the reputed "Dance of the Sun" at Fátima on 13 October 1917.
As
early as July 1917 it was claimed that the Virgin Mary had
promised a miracle for the last of her apparitions on October 13, so
that all would believe. What happened then became known as "Miracle of
the Sun". A crowd believed to number approximately 70,000,
including newspaper reporters and photographers, gathered at the Cova
da Iria. The incessant rain had finally ceased and a thin layer of
clouds cloaked the silver disc of the sun. Witnesses said later it could
be looked upon without hurting the eyes.
Lúcia, moved by what she said was an interior impulse, called out to
the crowd to look at the sun. Witnesses later spoke of the sun appearing
to change colors and rotate like a wheel. Not everyone saw the same
things, and witnesses gave widely varying descriptions of the "sun's
dance". The phenomenon is claimed to have been witnessed by most people
in the crowd as well as people many miles away.
While the crowd was staring at the sun, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta
said later they were seeing lovely images of the Holy Family, Our Lady
of Sorrows with Jesus Christ, and then Our Lady of Mount Carmel. They
said they saw Saint Joseph and Jesus bless the people. The children were aged 10, 9, and 7 at the time.
Columnist Avelino de Almeida of O Século (Portugal's most influential newspaper, which was pro-government in policy and avowedly anti-clerical),
reported the following: "Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, whose
aspect was biblical as they stood bare-headed, eagerly searching the
sky, the sun trembled, made sudden incredible movements outside all
cosmic laws - the sun 'danced' according to the typical expression of
the people." Eye specialist Dr. Domingos Pinto Coelho, writing for the newspaper Ordem
reported "The sun, at one moment surrounded with scarlet flame, at
another aureoled in yellow and deep purple, seemed to be in an exceeding
fast and whirling movement, at times appearing to be loosened from the
sky and to be approaching the earth, strongly radiating heat". The special reporter for the October 17, 1917 edition of the Lisbon daily, O Dia,
reported the following, "...the silver sun, enveloped in the same gauzy
purple light was seen to whirl and turn in the circle of broken
clouds...The light turned a beautiful blue, as if it had come through
the stained-glass windows of a cathedral, and spread itself over the
people who knelt with outstretched hands...people wept and prayed with
uncovered heads, in the presence of a miracle they had awaited. The
seconds seemed like hours, so vivid were they."
Chapel of Apparitions, built at the place where the Fátima apparitions were reported
No movement or other phenomenon of the sun was registered by scientists at the time.
According to contemporary reports from poet Afonso Lopes Vieira and
schoolteacher Delfina Lopes with her students and other witnesses in the
town of Alburita, the solar phenomenon was visible from up to forty
kilometers away. Not all witnesses reported seeing the sun "dance". Some
people only saw the radiant colors, and others, including some
believers, saw nothing at all.
Since no scientifically verifiable physical cause can be adduced to
support the phenomenon of the sun, various explanations have been
advanced to explain the descriptions given by numerous witnesses. A
leading conjecture is a mass hallucination possibly stimulated by the
religious fervor of the crowds expectantly waiting for a predicted sign.
Another conjecture is a possible visual artifact caused by looking at
the sun for a prolonged period. As noted by Auguste Meessen, a professor
at the Institute of Physics, Catholic University of Leuven, looking directly at the Sun can cause phosphene
visual artifacts and temporary partial blindness. He has proposed that
the reported observations were optical effects caused by prolonged
staring at the sun. Meessen contends that retinal after-images produced
after brief periods of sun gazing are a likely cause of the observed
dancing effects. Similarly Meessen states that the colour changes
witnessed were most likely caused by the bleaching of photosensitive
retinal cells.
Meessen observes that solar miracles have been witnessed in many places
where religiously charged pilgrims have been encouraged to stare at the
sun. He cites the apparitions at Heroldsbach in Germany (1949) as an
example where exactly the same optical effects as at Fátima were
witnessed by more than 10,000 people.
There is no evidence that people who came to Fátima, even those
expecting a miracle, were staring at the sun before Lúcia spoke. Most
would have been focused on the tree where the children said the
apparition appeared. Some onlookers reported other phenomena, including
luminous mist and the showers of flower petals seen around and above the
tree during previous visitations.
In addition to the Miracle of the Sun, the seers at Fátima indicated
that the apparition prophesied a great sign in the night sky which would
precede a second great war.
On January 25, 1938, bright lights, an aurora borealis appeared all
over the northern hemisphere, including in places as far south as North
Africa, Bermuda and California. It was the widest occurrence of the
aurora since 1709 and people in Paris and elsewhere believed a great fire was burning and fire departments were called.
Lúcia, the sole surviving seer at the time, indicated that it was the
sign foretold and so apprised her superior and the bishop in letters the
following day. Just over a month later, Hitler seized Austria and eight months later invaded Czechoslovakia.
Three Secrets of Fátima
First two secrets
The first secret was a vision of hell, which Lúcia describes in her Third Memoir, as follows:
- "Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died of fear and terror."[20]
The second secret included Mary's instructions on how to save souls
from hell and convert the world to the Christian faith, also revealed by
Lúcia in her Third Memoir:
- "I
have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them,
God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If
what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be
peace. The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending
God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI.
When you see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know that this is
the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world
for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church
and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the
consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of
reparation on the First Saturdays.
If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be
peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing
wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy
Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated.
In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will
consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of
peace will be granted to the world."
Third Secret
The third secret, a vision of the death of the Pope and other religious figures, was transcribed by the Bishop of Leiria and reads:
- "After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of
Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his
left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they
would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the
splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand:
pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud
voice: ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!' And we saw in an immense light that
is God: ‘something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they
pass in front of it' a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression
that it was the Holy Father'. Other Bishops, Priests, Religious men and
women going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big
Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before
reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins
and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he
prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached
the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he
was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him,
and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops,
Priests, Religious men and women, and various lay people of different
ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two
Angels each with a crystal aspersorium
in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and
with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God."
Controversy around the Third Secret
The Vatican
withheld the Third Secret until 26 June 2000, despite Lúcia's
declaration that it could be released to the public after 1960. Some
sources, including Canon Barthas and Cardinal Ottaviani,
said that Lúcia insisted to them it must be released by 1960, saying
that, "by that time, it will be more clearly understood", and, "because
the Blessed Virgin wishes it so."
When 1960 arrived, rather than releasing the Third Secret, the Vatican
published an official press release stating that it was "most probable
the Secret would remain, forever, under absolute seal." After this announcement, immense speculation over the content of the secret materialized. According to the New York Times,
speculation over the content of the secret ranged from "worldwide
nuclear annihilation to deep rifts in the Roman Catholic Church that
lead to rival papacies."
Some sources claim that the four-page, handwritten text of the Third Secret released by the Vatican in the year 2000 is not the real secret, or at least not the full secret. In particular, it is alleged that Cardinals Bertone, Ratzinger and Sodano
engaged in a systematic deception to cover-up the existence of a
one-page document containing the so-called words of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, which some believe contains information about the Apocalypse and a
great apostasy. These sources contend that the Third Secret actually
comprises two texts, where one of these texts is the published four-page
vision, and the other is a single-page letter allegedly containing the
words of the Virgin Mary which has been concealed.
The Vatican has maintained its position that the full text of the
Third Secret was published in June 2000. According to a December 2001
Vatican press release (subsequently published in L'Osservatore Romano),
Lúcia told then Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone in an interview that the
secret had been completely revealed and published - that no secrets
remained. Bertone, along with Cardinal Ratzinger, co-authored The Message of Fátima,
the document published in June 2000 by the Vatican that allegedly
contains a scanned copy of the original text of the Third Secret.
During
his apostolic visit to Portugal between May 11 and 14, 2010 on the
occasion of the 10th anniversary of the beatification of Jacinta and
Francisco Marto, Pope Benedict XVI
explained in a rare conversation with reporters that the interpretation
of the third secret did not stop with the interpretation of a
prediction of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square in 1981. The Third Secret of Fátima,
said Benedict XVI, "has a permanent and ongoing significance" and that
"its significance could even be extended to include the suffering the
Church is going through today as a result of the recent reports of
sexual abuse involving the clergy".
Fate of the three children
Sister
Lúcia reported seeing the Virgin Mary again in 1925 at the Dorothean
convent at Pontevedra, Galicia (Spain). This time she said she was asked
to convey the message of the First Saturday Devotions. By her account a
subsequent vision of Christ as a child reiterated this request.
Sister
Lúcia was transferred to another convent in Tui or Tuy, Galicia in
1928. In 1929, Sister Lúcia reported that Mary returned and repeated her
request for the Consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart.
Sister
Lúcia reportedly saw Mary in private visions periodically throughout
her life. Most significant was the apparition in Rianxo, Galicia,
in 1931, in which she said that Jesus visited her, taught her two
prayers and delivered a message to give to the church's hierarchy.
In
1947, Sister Lúcia left the Dorothean order and joined the Discalced
Carmelite order in a monastery in Coimbra, Portugal. Lúcia died on
February 13, 2005, at the age of 97. After her death, the Vatican,
specifically Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (at that time, still head of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith),
ordered her cell sealed off. It is believed this was because Sister
Lúcia had continued to receive more revelations and the evidence needed
to be examined in the course of proceedings for her possible
canonization.
Sister
Lúcia's cousins, the siblings Francisco (1908–1919) and Jacinta Marto
(1910–1920), were both victims of the Great Spanish Flu Epidemic of
1918-20. Francisco and Jacinta were declared venerable by Pope John Paul
II in a public ceremony at Fátima on May 13, 1989. He returned there on
May 13, 2000 to declare them 'blessed' (a title of veneration below
that of sainthood; see Canonization). Jacinta is the youngest
non-martyred child ever to be beatified.
In 1936 and again in 1941, Sister Lúcia claimed that the Virgin Mary
had predicted the deaths of two of the children during the second
apparition on June 13, 1917. Besides Lúcia's account, the testimony of
Olímpia Marto (mother of the two younger children) and several others
state that her children did not keep this information secret and
ecstatically predicted their own deaths many times to her and to curious
pilgrims.
In fact, it was the first thing Jacinta told her mother when she spoke to her after the initial apparition.According to the 1941 account, on 13 June, Lúcia asked the Virgin if
the three children would go to heaven when they died. She said that she
heard Mary reply, "Yes, I shall take Francisco and Jacinta soon, but you
will remain a little longer, since Jesus wishes you to make me known
and loved on Earth. He wishes also for you to establish devotion in the
world to my Immaculate Heart."
Exhumed
in 1935 and again in 1951, Jacinta's face was found incorrupt or immune
to decay. Francisco's body, however, had decomposed.
Consecration of Russia
Statue of Pope Pius XII in Fátima, Portugal.
According
to Sister Lúcia, the Virgin Mary promised that the Consecration of
Russia would lead to Russia's conversion and an era of peace.
Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter Sacro Vergente of 7 July 1952, consecrated Russia to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pius XII wrote,
- Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...
In
1952 the Pope said to the Russian people and the Stalinist regime that
the Virgin Mary was always victorious. "The gates of hell
will never prevail, where she offers her protection. She is the good
mother, the mother of all, and it has never been heard, that those who
seek her protection, will not receive it. With this certainty, the Pope
dedicates all people of Russia to the immaculate heart of the Virgin.
She will help! Error and atheism will be overcome with her assistance
and divine grace."
Popes
Pius XII and John Paul II both had special relations to Our Lady of
Fátima. Pope Benedict XV began Pacelli's church career, elevating him to
archbishop in the Sistine Chapel
on May 13, 1917, the date of the first reported apparition. Pius XII
was laid to rest in the crypt of Saint Peter's Basilica on October 13,
1958, the Feast of Our Lady of Fátima.
Pope
John Paul II again consecrated the entire world to the Virgin
Mary in 1984, without explicitly mentioning Russia. Some believe that
Sister Lúcia verified that this ceremony fulfilled the requests of the
Virgin Mary. However, in the Blue Army's Spanish magazine, Sol de Fátima,
in the September 1985 issue, Sister Lúcia said that the ceremony did
not fulfill the Virgin Mary's request, as there was no specific mention
of Russia, and "many bishops attached no importance to it." In 2001,
Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone issued a statement, claiming that he had met
with Sister Lúcia, who reportedly told him, "I have already said that
the consecration desired by Our Lady was made in 1984, and has been
accepted in Heaven." Sister Lúcia died on February 13, 2005, without
making any public statement of her own to settle the issue.
Some maintain that, according to Lúcia and Fátima advocates such as Abbe Georges de Nantes, Fr. Paul Kramer and Nicholas Gruner,
Russia has never been specifically consecrated to the Immaculate Heart
of Mary by any Pope simultaneously with all the world's bishops, which
is what Lúcia in the 1985 interview had said Mary had asked for.
However, by letters of August 29, 1989 and July 3, 1990, she stated
that the consecration had been completed; indeed in the 1990 letter in
response to a question by Rev. Father Robert J. Fox, she confirmed:
I come to answer your question, "If the consecration made by Pope John Paul II on March 25, 1984 in union with all the bishops of the world, accomplished the conditions for the consecration of Russia according to the request of Our Lady in Tuy on June 13 of 1929?" Yes, it was accomplished, and since then I have said that it was made. And I say that no other person responds for me, it is I who receive and open all letters and respond to them.
In the meantime, the conception of
Theotokos Derzhavnaya Orthodox Christian venerated icon points out that
Virgin Mary is considered actual Tsarina of Russia by the religious
appeal of Nicholas II thus Consecration of Russia may refer to return of
Russian monarchy.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima is one of the largest Marian shrines in the world. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima (also known as the Fátima Shrine, the Sanctuary of Fátima or Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary)
is a Roman Catholic Marian basilica in Fátima, Portugal. Its
construction began in 1928 and it was consecrated in October 1953.
The basilica is built at the site of the
Marian apparitions reported by three Portuguese children in 1917 and
known as Our Lady of Fátima. The tombs of Blessed Francisco Marto,
Blessed Jacinta Marto and Sister Lúcia, the three children, are in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. Scenes of the Marian apparitions are shown in stained glass.
The fifteen church altars are dedicated to the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.
The large church organ was installed in 1952 and has about twelve
thousand pipes. Four statues of the four great apostles of the Rosary
and to the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary are at the four
corners of the Basilica: Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Saint Dominic, Saint John Eudes and Saint Stephen, King of Hungary.
The shrine attracts a large number of Roman Catholics,
and every year pilgrims fill the country road that leads to the shrine
with crowds that approach one million on May 13 and October 13, the
significant dates of the Fátima apparitions. Overall, about four million pilgrims visit the basilica every year.
The Chapel of Apparitions is at the very heart of the
basilica. The exact location of the apparitions is marked by a marble
pillar which holds a statue of the Virgin Mary.
The Paul VI Pastoral Center was inaugurated on May 13, 1982, by Pope John Paul II,
as a center for study and reflection on the message of Fátima. It can
seat over two thousand people and has accommodation for four hundred
pilgrims.
The treasury of the sanctuary holds the Irish Monstrance
considered to be one of the most significant works of religious art
from Ireland. The monstrance was gifted to the basilica in 1949.
The entrance to the Fátima Sanctuary,
which is to the south of the rectory, is a segment of the Berlin Wall
intended to emphasize the belief that the Rosary prayers influenced the
fall of the Berlin Wall related to the Consecration of Russia based on
the Our Lady of Fátima messages.
The large statue of Our Lady of Fatima, which stands in the niche
above the main entrance of the basilica, was sculpted by American priest
Thomas McGlynn, O.P. Father McGlynn spent considerable time with the
visionary Sister Lúcia
as she described for him in detail how Mary looked during her
appearances to the children. The statue is not what Father McGlynn had
in mind when he approached Sister Lúcia, but is more accurately
described as a collaboration between visionary and sculptor, producing
perhaps the most accurate representation of Our Lady of Fátima ever to
be sculpted. The statue was presented as a gift from the Catholic people
of the United States to the Sanctuary of Fátima in 1958.
Fátima Prayers and Reparations
Many Roman Catholics
recite prayers based on Our Lady of Fátima. Lúcia later said that, in
1916, she and her cousins had several visions of an angel calling
himself the "Angel of Portugal" and the "Angel of Peace" who taught them
to bow with their heads to the ground
and to say "O God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love you. I ask
pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do
not love you." Lúcia later set this prayer to music and a recording
exists of her singing it. It was also said that sometime later the angel returned and taught them a eucharistic devotion now known as the Angel Prayer.
Lúcia said that the Lady emphasized Acts of Reparation
and prayers to console Jesus for the sins of the world. Lúcia said that
Mary's words were "When you make some sacrifice, say 'O Jesus, it is
for your love, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for sins
committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.'" At the first
apparition, Lúcia wrote, the children were so moved by the radiance they
perceived that they involuntarily said "Most Holy Trinity, I adore you!
My God, my God, I love you in the Most Blessed Sacrament."
Lúcia also said that she heard Mary ask for these words to be added to
the Rosary after the Gloria Patri prayer: "O my Jesus, pardon us, save
us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in
most need."
In
the tradition of Marian visitations, the "conversion of sinners" is not
necessarily religious conversion to the Roman Catholic Church,
for that would be the "conversion of heretics or apostates who are
'outside the church and alien to the Christian Faith' according to Pope
Leo XIII in his encyclical on the Unity of the Church, Satis Cognitum".
Conversion of sinners refers to general repentance and attempt to amend
one's life according to the teachings of Jesus for those True Catholics
who do profess the faith truly, but are fallen into sins. Lúcia wrote
that she and her cousins defined "sinners" not as non-Catholics but as
those who had fallen away from the church or, more specifically,
willfully indulged in sinful activity, particularly "sins of the flesh"[53]
and "acts of injustice and a lack of charity towards the poor, widows
and orphans, the ignorant and the helpless" which she said were even
worse than sins of impurity.
Pilgrimage
Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lúcia of Fátima.
An estimated 70,000 people assembled to witness the last of the promised appearances of the Lady in the Cova da Iria
on October 13, 1917. The widely reported miracle of the sun was a
factor that led to Fátima quickly becoming a major centre of pilgrimage.
Two million pilgrims visited the site in the decade following the
events of 1917. A small chapel - the Capelinha
- was built by local people on the site of the apparitions. The
construction was neither encouraged nor hindered by the Catholic Church
authorities. On May 13, 1920, pilgrims defied government troops to
install a statue of the Virgin Mary in the chapel,
and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
was first officially celebrated there in January 1924. A hostel for the
sick was begun in that year. In 1927 the first rector of the sanctuary
was appointed and a set of Stations of the Cross were erected on the
mountain road. The foundation stone for the present basilica was laid
the next year.
1930 was the year both of official church recognition of the
apparition events as "worthy of belief" and the granting of a papal indulgence to pilgrims visiting Fátima.
In 1935 the bodies of the visionaries Jacinta and Francisco were
reinterred in the basilica. The coronation of the statue of Our Lady of
Fátima there in 1946 drew such large crowds that the entrance to the
site had to be barred.
Today pilgrimage to the site goes on all year round and additional
chapels, hospitals and other facilities have been constructed. The
principal pilgrimage festivals take place on the thirteenth day of each
month, from May to October, on the anniversaries of the original
appearances. The largest crowds gather on 13 May and 13 October, when up
to a million
pilgrims have attended to pray and witness processions of the statue of
Our Lady of Fátima, both during the day and by the light of tens of
thousands of candles at night.
Political aspects
From
the French Revolution onwards the Catholic Church had adopted an
increasingly embattled world view and from the pontificate of Pius IX
the Church had been waging war against the so-called twin enemies of
liberalism and socialism. At the same time religion had become
predominantly a female activity by the early twentieth century.
The
numerical predominance of women within the Catholic Church went
alongside a corresponding development of female divine symbols. Dramatic
affirmations of feminine power were given in the apparitions of the
Virgin Mary which occurred all over Western Europe from the 1840s. The
Virgin, usually in the form of the Immaculate Conception, revealed
herself to female seers, often children. When Our Lady appeared to
Catherine Labouré, Bernadette Soubirous, Lúcia Santos at Fátima, or to
the children at Beauraing later, in 1932, and Mariette Beco in 1933,
these dramatic affirmations of divine power in an increasingly
irreligious/secular age, a transformation more strongly felt in the
Western world, offered 'proof' of the power of heaven against "the
onslaughts of secularizing governments".
"The Marian militancy of the Jesuit congregations divided the world
into two camps, those who would defend the Virgin and those who would
defile her. In the wake of the apparitions at Fatima in Portugal such a
view of the world appeared to be shared by the Virgin herself. The
'secrets of Fatima' revealed periodically by the seer Lucia showed
Mary's concern with the apostacy of Soviet Russia and the threat of communist anticlericalism.
Our
Lady of Fatima presented a vision of a world divided. Rome, and
Mary, were ranged against the Soviet Union in a struggle between the
redeemed and the fallen. With the advent of the Spanish Second Republic,
the Virgin Mary [would be] seen on Spanish soil at Ezquioga. Ramona
Olazabal insisted Mary had marked the palms of her hands with a sword.
Seers gained much credence in Integrist and Carlist
circles. The visions at Ezquioga were widely covered in the press, as
were the sixteen other visitations of the Virgin to Spain in 1931. There
was also the Fatima story, an officially sanctioned apparition, the
cult of which, far from being condemned, was actively encouraged by the
Church. As the forces of the Republic gathered strength in Spain, the
Virgin Mary was to be found leading the armies of the faithful ranged
against the Godless."
The
Blue Army of Our Lady is made up of Catholics and non-Catholics who
believe that by dedicating themselves to daily prayer (specifically, of
the Rosary) they can help to achieve world peace and put an end to the
error of communism. In 1952, a feature film, The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima, was released. Critics held that the film overplayed the role of socialist
and other leftist elements in Portuguese government as the
"adversaries" of the visions. They state that since the government was
controlled not by socialists but by Freemasons at the time,
most government opposition to the visions would have been motivated by
concern for separation of church and state, not by atheistic,
antitheistic or Communistic ideology. Other critics have stated that
only the enemies of the message propose such a belief.
Official position of the Catholic Church
Inside the Basilica of the Rosary
Private revelations do not form part of the deposit of faith of the Catholic Church,
and its members are not bound to believe in any of them. However, as a
matter of prudence, assent would normally be expected of a Catholic
based on the discernment of the Church and its judgment that an
apparition is worthy of belief.
After a canonical enquiry, the visions of Fátima were officially
declared "worthy of belief" in October 1930 by the Bishop of
Leiria-Fátima.
Ecclesiastical
approbation does not imply that the Church provides an
infallible guarantee on the supernatural nature of the event.
Theologians like Karl Rahner argued however, that Popes, by
authoritatively fostering the Marian veneration in places as Fátima and
Lourdes, motivate the faithful into an acceptance of divine faith.[65] Popes Pius XII, Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI
all voiced their acceptance of the supernatural origin of the Fátima
events in unusually clear and strong terms. After the local bishop had
declared that (1) the visions of the three children are credible and (2)
the veneration of the Blessed Virgin is permitted, the Portuguese
bishops approved and declared the genuine supernatural nature of the
event. The Vatican responded with granting indulgences and permitting
special Liturgies of the Mass to be celebrated in Fátima.[15]
In 1939, Eugenio Pacelli, who was consecrated bishop on May 13,
1917—the day of the first apparition—was elected to the papacy as Pius
XII, and became the Pope of Fátima.
One year after World War II had started, Sister Lúcia asked Pope Pius
XII to consecrate the world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
She repeated this request on December 2, 1940, stating in the year 1929,
the Blessed Lady requested in another apparition the consecration of
Russia to her Immaculate Heart. She promised the conversion of Russia
from its errors.
On May 13, 1942, the 25th anniversary of the first apparition and the
silver jubilee of the episcopal consecration of Pope Pius XII, the
Vatican published the Message and Secret of Fátima. On October 31, 1942,
Pope Pius XII,
in a radio address, informed the people of Portugal about the
apparitions of Fátima, consecrating the human race to the Immaculate
Heart of the Virgin with specific mention of Russia. On December 8, 1942, the Pontiff officially and solemnly declared this
consecration in a ceremony in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome. On May 13,
1946, Cardinal Masalla, the personal delegate of Pius XII, crowned in
his name Our Lady of Fátima, as the Pope issued a second message about
Fátima:
- "The faithful virgin never disappointed the trust, put on her. She will transform into a fountain of graces, physical and spiritual graces, over all of Portugal, and from there, breaking all frontiers, over the whole Church and the entire world".
On 1 May 1948, in
Auspicia Quaedam, Pope Pius XII requested the consecration to the
Immaculate Heart of every Catholic family, parish and diocese.
- "It is our wish, consequently, that wherever the opportunity suggests itself, this consecration be made in the various dioceses as well as in each of the parishes and families."
On May 18, 1950, the Pope again sent a message to the people of
Portugal regarding Fátima: "May Portugal never forget the heavenly
message of Fátima, which, before anybody else she was blessed to hear.
To keep Fátima in your heart and to translate Fátima into deeds, is the
best guarantee for ever more graces". In numerous additional messages, and in his encyclicals Fulgens Corona (1953), and Ad Caeli Reginam (1954), Pius XII encouraged the veneration of the Virgin in Fátima.
At the end of the Second Vatican Council Pope Paul VI
renewed the consecration of Pius XII to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
and, in an unusual gesture, announced his own pilgrimage to the
sanctuary on the fiftieth anniversary of the first apparition. On May
13, 1967, he prayed at the shrine together with Sister Lúcia. This
historic gesture further cemented the official support for Fátima. Pope John Paul II
credited Our Lady of Fátima with saving his life following the
assassination attempt on Wednesday, May 13, the Feast of Our Lady of
Fátima, in 1981.
He followed the footsteps of Paul VI, on May 12, 1987, to express his
gratitude to the Virgin Mary for saving his life. The following day, he
renewed the consecration of Pius XII to the Immaculate Heart of the
Virgin.
On May 12 and 13, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima
and strongly stated his acceptance of the supernatural origin of the
Fátima apparitions. On the first day, the Pope arrived at the Chapel of
Apparitions to pray and gave a Golden Rose to Our Lady of Fátima "as
a homage of gratitude from the Pope for the marvels that the Almighty
has worked through you in the hearts of so many who come as pilgrims to
this your maternal home". The Pope also recalled the "invisible hand" that saved John Paul II and said in a prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary that "it
is a profound consolation to know that you are crowned not only with
the silver and gold of our joys and hopes, but also with the 'bullet' of
our anxieties and sufferings".
On the second day, Pope Benedict's homily pronounced in front of more
than 500,000 pilgrims a reference to the Fátima prophecy about the
triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and related it to the final
"glory of the Most Holy Trinity".
References
- Alonso, Joaquín María (1976) (in Spanish). La verdad sobre el secreto de Fatima: Fátima sin mitos. Centro Mariano "Cor Mariae Centrum". ISBN 978-84-85167-02-9. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- Alonso, Joaquin Maria; Kondor, Luis (1998). Fátima in Lucia's own words: sister Lucia's memoirs. Secretariado dos Pastorinhos. ISBN 978-972-8524-00-5. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- Cuneo, Michael. The Vengeful Virgin: Studies in Contemporary Catholic Apocalypticism. in Robbins, Thomas; Palmer, Susan J. (1997). Millennium, messiahs, and mayhem: contemporary apocalyptic movements. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-415-91649-3. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- De Marchi, John (1952). The Immaculate Heart. New York: Farrar, Straus and Young
- Ferrara, Christopher (2008). The Secret Still Hidden. Good Counsel Publications Inc.. ISBN 978-0-9815357-0-8
- Frère François de Marie des Anges (1994). Fatima: Tragedy and Triumph. New York, U.S.A
- Frere Michel de la Sainte Trinite (1990). The Whole Truth About Fatima, Volume III. New York, U.S.A.
- Kramer, Father Paul (2002). The Devil's Final Battle. Good Counsel Publications Inc.. ISBN 978-0-9663046-5-7
- Joe Nickell: Looking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions & Healing Cures: Prometheus Books: 1998: ISBN 1-57392-680-9
- Nick Perry and Loreto Echevarria: Under the Heel of Mary: New York: Routledge: 1988: ISBN 0-415-01296-1
- Sandra Zimdars-Swartz: Encountering Mary: Princeton: Princeton University Press: 1991: ISBN 0-691-07371-6
- Walsh, William:Our Lady of Fatima: Image: Reissue edition (October 1, 1954): 240 pp: ISBN 978-0385028691
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Snippet II:
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
 |
| Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular |
The Sacred Heart (also known as Most Sacred Heart of Jesus) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.
This
devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some
high-church Anglicans and Lutherans.
The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion,
and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin
of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman
Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the
devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the
modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets
of Catholic mysticism.
In
the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely
associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor, Pope Pius XI stated: "the
spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost
place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus". The Golden Arrow Prayer
directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is
sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a
point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical
Latinisation.
The Sacred Heart is often depicted in
Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by
the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns,
surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining
within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart.
The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death,
while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.
The
Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical
calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As
Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart
always falls on a Friday.
History of Devotion
Early devotion
 |
| Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 |
From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus
there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love
of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten
centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart
of Jesus.
It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications
of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent
atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine
thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say
positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It
was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the Vitis mystica (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).
From
the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was
propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was
everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious
congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians,
etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the
mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated,
except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the
Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most
prominently.
In the sixteenth century, the devotion
passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism.
It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and
special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the
Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a
Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569)
and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth
century.
The historical record from that time shows an
early bringing to light
of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the
Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere
in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds
and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their
title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.
Nevertheless,
the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion.
Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and
established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of
Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart
there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the
devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31,
1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand
Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with
which the Eudist
feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other
dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious
communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at
Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.
Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
 |
| St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765 |
The most significant source for the devotion to the
Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint
Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions
of Jesus Christ.
There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to
the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The
revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially
remarkable:
- On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work.
- In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour.
- During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.
A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported
everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the
vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the
Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He
also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account,
discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15,
1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his
own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary,
together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This
journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in
which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684.
The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary
reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but
resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading
of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests,
religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins,
Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father
Croiset wrote a book called The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to
write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the
devotion.
Papal Approvals
The Blessed
Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd
Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo
XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The
death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not
dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of
her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his
book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In
spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See,
which in 1693 imparted indulgences
to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the
feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a
feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread,
particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague,
1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration
and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the
South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a
popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune
Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome
again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year,
at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by
the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained,
and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops,
Pope Pius IX
extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of
double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the
double rite of first class.
After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII
consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy
Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the
basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was
positive. And so in the encyclical letter Annum Sacrum
(on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the
entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June
11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo
XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the
devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month
of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.
Pope
Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by
Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical
letter Miserentissimus Redemptor (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the
Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus
Christ by stating that Jesus had "manifested Himself" to Saint Margaret and had "promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times[2] and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII,
on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution
of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on
the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter Haurietis aquas
(on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a
letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the
Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical Haurietis Aquas,
about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father
Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Worship and Devotion
The
Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were
introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal
Bull Auctorem Fidei, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical Annum Sacrum
(May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to
the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great
act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman
of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since c.
1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to
the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García
Moreno, Ecuador
was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred
Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred
years later.
Peter Coudrin of France founded the
Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24,
1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best
known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from
Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred
Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred
Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman
Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic
liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As
Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart
always falls on a Friday.
The Enthronement
of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or
head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the
Sacred Heart. A blessed image
of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned"
in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the
house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the
Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's
declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on
which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals,
families, and nations..."
Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The
Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical,
theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes
who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources
relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church,
prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.
In
the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and
individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de
Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's
Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the
Heart of Mary pierced with a sword.
The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th
century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in
the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart
of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.
Popes
supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the
centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII
encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical
Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of
Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.
The Miraculous Medal
 |
| The Miraculous Medal |
The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been
depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine
Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.
On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary
also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a
sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal
signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.
Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured
in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes
images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that
the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred
Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are
sought. The prayer "O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee"
is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set,
along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too
was shown pointing to her Immaculate Heart,
expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ.
The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.
The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.
In Eastern Catholicism
Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches,
but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed
to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it
as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.
Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque,
promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred
Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary
or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American
businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout
the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890,
Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the
tabular form which were different from the words and even from the
meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the
promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the
writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:
- I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
- I will give peace in their families.
- I will console them in all their troubles.
- I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.
- I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.
- Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
- Tepid souls shall become fervent.
- Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
- I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.
- I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
- Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.
- In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.
The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice
of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first
Friday of each month.
Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.
"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.'
Scapular of the Sacred Heart
The
devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the
Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be
traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and
distributed badges similar to it.
In 1872 Pope Pius IX
granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was
approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the
representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the
Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other
side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy
well-beloved
Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto
Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant
pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son,
Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.
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Immaculate Heart of Mary
 |
| Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular |
The Immaculate Heart of Mary (also known as The Sacred Heart of Mary)
is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections,
and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love
for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons.
The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul,
without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the
traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of
the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the Mass of the Most Pure Heart
formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are
essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic
theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.
Eastern
Catholic Churches
occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with
the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some
controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The
Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John
Paul II's Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae which builds on the total Marian devotion pioneered by Louis de Montfort.
Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary.
Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion.
Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart
Veneration and devotion
 |
| Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors |
Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this
analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion
to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas
others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is
especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for
humanity, presented as "despised and outraged".
In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the
love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not
overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.
A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense
of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation
hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the
object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus
better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating
her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the
Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible
object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the
Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the
love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.
The
Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in
saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in
1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus
also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned
with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal
signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.
Our
Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her
Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the
Catholic:
- Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)
- Receive Holy Communion
- Recite five decades of the Rosary
- Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary
She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.
History of devotion
The
history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many
points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was
early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The
gospels
recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the
temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the
pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate
Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart
with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus'
crucifixion. St. Augustine
said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross;
"she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".
Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.
Another
Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the
twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke,
that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that
there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's
sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the
words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being
pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some
of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for
instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he
holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he
poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them
by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are
interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her
gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the
mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the
New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed
the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with
Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat
is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people,
who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus
himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and
keep it." The Church Fathers
understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so
endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of
Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo
said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even
before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she
was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having
conceived him in the flesh.
It is only in the twelfth,
or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a
regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (De duodecim stellis), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the Offices of the Compassion and of the Seven Dolours. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the Ave Maria and the Salve Regina,
usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca
(d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B.
Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary
of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St.
Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little
earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the
joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first
spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary,
and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations".
Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul,
just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St.
Bernardine of Siena
(d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart,
and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the
second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales
speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and
dedicated to it his "Theotimus."
During this same
period one finds occasional mention of devotional
practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas
du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II,
and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the
sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors
dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved
to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it
public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary,
first at Autun
in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established
several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the
devotion, of which his large book on the Coeur Admirable (Admirable Heart), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes'
efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome,
but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of
Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian
a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet
combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus
in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the
institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in
1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the
principal one.
Alliance with the Sacred Heart
The
Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical,
theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes
who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources
relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church,
prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.
In
the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and
individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de
Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's
Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the
Heart of Mary pierced with a sword.
The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th
century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in
the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart
of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.
Popes
supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the
centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII
encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical
Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of
Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.
Feast days
Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: Just
as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the
Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We
consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of
Russia to this Immaculate Heart...
In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the Most Pure Heart of Mary
for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII
made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely
observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement,
started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of
this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous
medal"
in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment
at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate
Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the
world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855,
the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the
Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the
Universal Church.
During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the
Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world
devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into
the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for
the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, Sacro Vergente consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.
On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again,
when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly
Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of
the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the
Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD,
then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request
of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October
2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.
Roman Catholic feast days
Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption.
In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day
before the third Sunday after Pentecost.
At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI
moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August,
bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.
Those
who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not
more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius
XII.
References:
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part Three: Life in Christ
SECTION ONE: Man's Vocation Life in the Spirit
CHAPTER THREE : GODS SALVATION LAW AND GRACE
Article 2:4 Christian Holiness
SECTION ONE
ONE MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
1699 Life in the Holy Spirit fulfills the vocation of man (chapter one). This life is made up of divine charity and human solidarity (chapter two). It is graciously offered as salvation (chapter three).
1699 Life in the Holy Spirit fulfills the vocation of man (chapter one). This life is made up of divine charity and human solidarity (chapter two). It is graciously offered as salvation (chapter three).
CHAPTER THREE
GOD'S SALVATION: LAW AND GRACE
1949
Called to beatitude but wounded by sin, man stands in need of salvation from
God. Divine help comes to him in Christ through the law that guides him and the
grace that sustains him:
Work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work
for his good pleasure.Phil 2:12-13
Article 2
GRACE AND JUSTIFICATION
IV. Christian Holiness
2012
"We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him . .
. For those whom he fore knew he also predestined to be conformed to the image
of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren. and
those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also
justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified."Rom 8:28-30
2013
"All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of
Christian life and to the perfection of charity."LG 40 # 2 All are called
to holiness: "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is
perfect."Mt 5:48
In order to reach this
perfection the faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ's
gift, so that . . . doing the will of the Father in everything, they may
wholeheartedly devote themselves to the glory of God and to the service of
their neighbor. Thus the holiness of the People of God will grow in fruitful
abundance, as is clearly shown in the history of the Church through the lives
of so many saints.LG 40 # 2
2014
Spiritual progress tends toward ever more intimate union with Christ. This
union is called "mystical" because it participates in the mystery of
Christ through the sacraments - "the holy mysteries" - and, in him,
in the mystery of the Holy Trinity. God calls us all to this intimate union
with him, even if the special graces or extraordinary signs of this mystical
life are granted only to some for the sake of manifesting the gratuitous gift
given to all.
2015
The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without
renunciation and spiritual battle.Cf. 2 Tim 4 Spiritual progress entails the
ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of
the Beatitudes:
He who climbs never stops
going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He
never stops desiring what he already knows.St.
Gregory of Nyssa, Hom. in Cant. 8: PG 44, 941C
2016
The children of our holy mother the Church rightly hope for the grace of final
perseverance and the recompense of God their Father for the good works
accomplished with his grace in communion with Jesus.Council of Trent (1547): DS 1576 Keeping the same
rule of life, believers share the "blessed hope" of those whom the
divine mercy gathers into the "holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down
out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband."Rev 21:2
IN BRIEF
2017 The grace of the Holy
Spirit confers upon us the righteousness of God. Uniting us by faith and
Baptism to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, the Spirit makes us sharers
in his life.
2018 Like conversion,
justification has two aspects. Moved by grace, man turns toward God and away
from sin, and so accepts forgiveness and righteousness from on high.
2019 Justification includes
the remission of sins, sanctification, and the renewal of the inner man.
2020 Justification has been
merited for us by the Passion of Christ. It is granted us through Baptism. It
conforms us to the righteousness of God, who justifies us. It has for its goal
the glory of God and of Christ, and the gift of eternal life. It is the most
excellent work of God's mercy.
2021 Grace is the help God
gives us to respond to our vocation of becoming his adopted sons. It introduces
us into the intimacy of the Trinitarian life.
2022 The divine initiative in
the work of grace precedes, prepares, and elicits the free response of man.
Grace responds to the deepest yearnings of human freedom, calls freedom to
cooperate with it, and perfects freedom.
2023 Sanctifying grace is the
gratuitous gift of his life that God makes to us; it is infused by the Holy
Spirit into the soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it.
2024 Sanctifying grace makes
us "pleasing to God." Charisms, special graces of the Holy Spirit,
are oriented to sanctifying grace and are intended for the common good of the
Church. God also acts through many actual graces, to be distinguished from
habitual grace which is permanent in us.
2025 We can have merit in
God's sight only because of God's free plan to associate man with the work of
his grace. Merit is to be ascribed in the first place to the grace of God, and
secondly to man's collaboration. Man's merit is due to God.
2026 The grace of the Holy
Spirit can confer true merit on us, by virtue of our adoptive filiation, and in
accordance with God's gratuitous justice. Charity is the principal source of
merit in us before God.
2027 No one can merit the
initial grace which is at the origin of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit,
we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain
eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods.
2028 "All Christians . .
. are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of
charity" (LG 40 # 2). "Christian perfection has but one limit, that
of having none" (St. Gregory of Nyssa, De vita Mos.: PG 44, 300D).
2029 "If any man would
come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me"
(⇒ Mt 16:24).
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