Friday, February 20, 2015 - Litany Lane Blog:
Forgive, Psalms 51:3-19, Isaiah 58:1-9 , Matthew 9:14-15, Pope Francis's Daily Catechesis, Saint of the Day - Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto, Way of the Cross, Catholic Catechism - The Profession of Faith Chapter One - I Believe In God The Father - Paragraph One - I Believe in One God, RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
"Where there is a Will, With God, There is a Way", "There is always a ray of sunshine amongst the darkest Clouds, the name of that ray is Jesus" ~ Zarya Parx 2014
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: Friday in Lent
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis Daily Catechesis:
February 20, 2015
(2015-02-20 Vatican Radio)
In the hustle and bustle of life, it is
important to have the courage to stop and choose. The season of Lent serves
this very purpose. During Mass at Santa Marta on Thursday morning, 19 February,
Pope Francis placed emphasis on the need to ask those questions, important for
Christian life and to know how to make the right choices.
Interpreting
the Readings for the day after Ash Wednesday (Deut 30: 15-20; Ps 1; Lk
9:22-25), the Pontiff explained that “at the beginning of the Lenten journey,
the Church makes us reflect on the words of Moses and of Jesus: “You have to
choose”. It is thus a reflection on the need we all have, to make choices in
life. And Moses, Francis underscored, “is clear: ‘See, I have set before you this
day life and good, death and evil’: choose”. Indeed “the Lord gave us freedom,
the freedom to love, to walk on his streets”. We are free and we can choose.
However, the Pope indicated, “it’s not easy to choose”. It’s more comfortable
“to live by letting ourselves be carried by the inertia of life, of situations,
of habits”. This is why “today the Church tells us: ‘You are responsible; you
have to choose’”. And thus the Pontiff raised some questions: “Have you chosen?
How do you live? What is your lifestyle, your way of living, like? Is it on the
side of life or on the side of death?”.
Naturally
the response should be to “choose the way of the Lord. ‘I command you to love
the Lord’. This is how Moses shows us the path of the Lord: ‘If your heart
turns back and if you do not listen and you let yourself be drawn to prostrate
yourself before other gods and serve them, you will perish’. Choose between God
and the other gods, those who do not have the power to give us anything, only
little things that pass”.
Returning
to the difficulty of choosing, Francis said he was aware that “we always have
this habit of going where the people go, somewhat like everyone”. But, he
continued, “today the Church is telling us: ‘stop and choose’. It’s good
advice. And today”, the Pope continued, “it will do us good to stop during the
day and think: what is my lifestyle like? Which road am I taking?”.
After
all, in everyday life we tend to take the opposite approach. Many times, he
said, “we live in a rush, we on the run, without noticing what the path is
like; and we let ourselves be carried along by the needs, by the necessities of
the days, but without thinking”. And thus came the invitation to stop: “Begin
Lent like this, with small questions that will help one to consider: ‘What is
my life like?’”. The first thing to ask ourselves, the Pope explained, is: “who
is God for me? Do I choose the Lord? How is my relationship with Jesus?”. And
the second: “How is your relationship with your family: with your parents; with
your siblings; with your wife; with your husband; with your children?”. In
fact, these two series of questions are enough, “and we will surely things that
we need to correct”.
The
Pontiff then asked “why we hurry so much in life, without knowing which path we
are on”. He was explicit about this:
“because we want to win, we want to earn, we want to be successful”. But Jesus
makes us think: “What advantage does a man have who wins the whole world, but
loses or destroys himself?”. Indeed, “the wrong road”, the Pope said, is that
of always seeking success, one’s own riches, without thinking about the Lord,
without thinking about family”. Returning to the two series of questions on
one’s relationship with God and with those who are dear, seeing that “one can
win everything, yet become a failure in the end. He has failed. That life is a
failure”. So are those who seem to have had success, those women and men for
whom “they’ve made a monument” or
“they’ve dedicated a portrait”, but didn’t “know how to make the right choice
between life and death”.
And
to emphasize the concept, Francis explained that “it will do us good to stop
for a bit — five, ten minutes — and ask ourselves the question: what is the
speed of my life? Do I reflect on my actions? How is my relationship with God
and with my family?”. The Pope indicated that we can find help in “that really
beautiful advice of the Psalm: ‘Blessed are they who trust in the Lord’”. And
“when the Lord gives us this advice — ‘Stop! Choose today, choose’ — He doesn’t
leave us on our own; He is with us and wants to help us”. And we, for our part,
need “only to trust, to have faith in Him”.
Repeating
the words of the Psalm, “Blessed are they who trust in the Lord”, the Pope then
urged that we be aware that God does not abandon us. “Today, at the moment in
which we stop to think about these things and to take decisions, to choose
something, we know that the Lord is with us, is beside us, to help us. He never
lets us go alone. He is always with us. Even in the moment of choosing”. And he
concluded with these instructions: “let us have faith in this Lord, who is with
us, and when He tells us: ‘choose between good and evil’ helps us to choose
good”. And above all “let us ask Him for the grace to be courageous”, because
“it takes a bit of courage” to “stop and ask myself how I am before God, how my
relationships with family are, what I have to change, what I have to choose.
And”, Francis guaranteed, “He is with us”.
Reference: Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2015 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 02/20/2015
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Liturgical Celebrations to be presided over by Pope: 2015
Vatican City, Spring 2015 (VIS)
The following is the English text of the intentions –
both universal and for evangelization – that, as is customary, the Pope
entrusted to the Apostleship of Prayer for 2015.
January
Universal: That those from diverse religious traditions
and all people of good will work together for peace.
Evangelization: That in this year
dedicated to consecrated life, religious men and women may rediscover the joy
of following Christ and strive to serve the poor with zeal.
February
Universal: That prisoners, especially the young, may be
able to rebuild lives of dignity.
Evangelization: That married people who are separated may
find welcome and support in the Christian community.
March
Universal: That those involved in
scientific research may serve the well-being of the whole human person.
Evangelization: That the unique
contribution of women to the life of the Church may be recognized always.
April
Universal: That people may learn to respect creation and
care for it as a gift of God.
Evangelization: That persecuted
Christians may feel the consoling presence of the Risen Lord and the solidarity
of all the Church.
May
Universal: That, rejecting the culture of indifference,
we may care for our neighbours who suffer, especially the sick and the poor.
Evangelization: That Mary’s
intercession may help Christians in secularized cultures be ready to proclaim
Jesus.
June
Universal: That immigrants and refugees may find welcome
and respect in the countries to which they come.
Evangelization: That the personal
encounter with Jesus may arouse in many young people the desire to offer their
own lives in priesthood or consecrated life.
July
Universal: That political responsibility may be lived at
all levels as a high form of charity.
Evangelization: That, amid social
inequalities, Latin American Christians may bear witness to love for the poor
and contribute to a more fraternal society.
August
Universal: That volunteers may
give themselves generously to the service of the needy.
Evangelization: That setting aside
our very selves we may learn to be neighbours to those who find themselves on
the margins of human life and society.
September
Universal: That
opportunities for education and employment may increase for all young people.
Evangelization: That catechists may
give witness by living in a way consistent with the faith they proclaim.
October
Universal: That human trafficking, the modern form of
slavery, may be eradicated.
Evangelization: That with a
missionary spirit the Christian communities of Asia may announce the Gospel to
those who are still awaiting it.
November
Universal: That we may be open to
personal encounter and dialogue with all, even those whose convictions differ
from our own.
Evangelization: That pastors of the
Church, with profound love for their flocks, may accompany them and enliven
their hope.
December
Universal: That all may experience the mercy of God, who
never tires of forgiving.
Evangelization: That families,
especially those who suffer, may find in the birth of Jesus a sign of certain
hope.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2014 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 02/20/2015.
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November 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you to love; to
continually pray for the gift of love; to love the Heavenly Father above
everything. When you love Him you will love yourself and your neighbor.
This cannot be separated. The Heavenly Father is in each person. He
loves each person and calls each person by his name. Therefore, my
children, through prayer hearken to the will of the Heavenly Father.
Converse with Him. Have a personal relationship with the Father which
will deepen even more your relationship as a community of my children –
of my apostles. As a mother I desire that, through the love for the
Heavenly Father, you may be raised above earthly vanities and may help
others to gradually come to know and come closer to the Heavenly Father.
My children, pray, pray, pray for the gift of love because 'love' is my
Son. Pray for your shepherds that they may always have love for you as
my Son had and showed by giving His life for your salvation. Thank you."
October 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
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." - See more at: http://litanylane.blogspot.com/2013/11/tuesday-november-12-2013-litany-lane.html#sthash.1QAVruYo.bk3E9rXR.dpuf
October 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
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." - See more at: http://litanylane.blogspot.com/2013/11/tuesday-november-12-2013-litany-lane.html#sthash.1QAVruYo.bk3E9rXR.dpuf
Today's Word: forgive for-give [fer-giv]
Origin: before 900; for- + give; replacing Middle English foryiven, Old English forgiefan
1. to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve.
2. to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.).
3. to grant pardon to (a person).
4. to cease to feel resentment against: to forgive one's enemies.
5. to cancel an indebtedness or liability of:
to forgive the interest owed on a loan.
6. to pardon an offense or an offender.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 51:3-6, 18-19
3 For I am well aware of my offences, my sin is constantly in mind.4 Against you, you alone, I have sinned, I have done what you see to be wrong, that you may show your saving justice when you pass sentence, and your victory may appear when you give judgement,
5 remember, I was born guilty, a sinner from the moment of conception.
6 But you delight in sincerity of heart, and in secret you teach me wisdom.
18 In your graciousness do good to Zion, rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in upright sacrifices,-burnt offerings and whole oblations -- and young bulls will be offered on your altar.
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Today's Epistle - Isaiah 58:1-9
1 Shout for all you are worth, do not hold back, raise your voice like a trumpet. To my people proclaim their rebellious acts, to the House of Jacob, their sins.2 They seek for me day after day, they long to know my ways, like a nation that has acted uprightly and not forsaken the law of its God. They ask me for laws that are upright, they long to be near God:
3 'Why have we fasted, if you do not see, why mortify ourselves if you never notice?' Look, you seek your own pleasure on your fastdays and you exploit all your workmen;
4 look, the only purpose of your fasting is to quarrel and squabble and strike viciously with your fist. Fasting like yours today will never make your voice heard on high.
5 Is that the sort of fast that pleases me, a day when a person inflicts pain on himself? Hanging your head like a reed, spreading out sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call fasting, a day acceptable to Yahweh?
6 Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me: to break unjust fetters, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break all yokes?
7 Is it not sharing your food with the hungry, and sheltering the homeless poor; if you see someone lacking clothes, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own kin?
8 Then your light will blaze out like the dawn and your wound be quickly healed over. Saving justice will go ahead of you and Yahweh's glory come behind you.
9 Then you will cry for help and Yahweh will answer; you will call and he will say, 'I am here.' If you do away with the yoke, the clenched fist and malicious words,
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Today's Gospel Reading - Matthew 9:14-15
1) Opening prayer
Lord of the Covenant,
we have not to fear your judgment
if like you we become rich in mercy
and full of compassion for our neighbour.
May we not only know that you ask us
but practice with sincere hearts
to share our food with the hungry
and to loosen the bonds of injustice,
that through us your light may shine
and your healing spread far and wide.
Be with us in your goodness.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
we have not to fear your judgment
if like you we become rich in mercy
and full of compassion for our neighbour.
May we not only know that you ask us
but practice with sincere hearts
to share our food with the hungry
and to loosen the bonds of injustice,
that through us your light may shine
and your healing spread far and wide.
Be with us in your goodness.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 9, 14-15
Then John's disciples came to him and said, 'Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?'
Jesus replied, 'Surely the bridegroom's
attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is still with them?
But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and
then they will fast.
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel is a brief version of
the Gospel on which we already meditated in January, when the same theme
of fasting was proposed to us (Mk 2, 18-22), but there is a small
difference. Today, the Liturgy omits the whole discourse of the new
piece of cloth on an old cloak and the new wine in an old skin (Mt 9,
16-17), and concentrates its attention on fasting.
• Jesus does not insist on the practice
of fasting. Fasting is a very ancient use, practiced in almost all
religions. Jesus himself practiced it during forty days (Mt 4, 2). But
he did not insist with the disciples to do the same. He leaves them
free. For this reason, the disciples of John the Baptist and of the
Pharisees, who were obliged to fast, want to know why Jesus does not
insist on fasting.
• While the bridegroom is with them,
therefore, they do not need to fast. Jesus responds with a comparison.
When the bridegroom is with the friends of the spouse, that is, during
the wedding feast, it is not necessary for them to fast. Jesus considers
himself the spouse. The disciples are the friends of the spouse. During
the time in which Jesus was with the disciples, is the wedding feast.
One day will come in which the spouse will no longer be there. Then,
they can fast if they so desire. In this phrase Jesus refers to his
death. He knows and he becomes aware that if he continues along this
path of freedom, of liberty, the religious authority will want to kill
him.
• Fasting and abstinence from meat are
universal practices which are actual. The Muslims have the fasting of
the Ramadan, during which they neither eat, nor should they eat until
the rising of the sun. Always more and for diverse reasons, persons
impose upon themselves some form of fasting. Fasting is an important
means to control oneself, and to dominate oneself, and this exists in
almost all religions. It is also appreciated by sportsmen.
• The Bible has many reference to
fasting. It was a way of making penance and of attaining conversion.
Through the practice of fasting, Christians imitated Jesus who fasted
during forty days. Fasting tends to attain the freedom of mind,
self-control, a critical vision of reality. It is an instrument to
maintain our mind free and not allow oneself to be transported by any
breeze. Thanks to fasting, it increases the clearness of mind. It is a
means that helps to take a better care of health. Fasting can be a form
of identification with the poor who are obliged to fast the whole year
and eat meat very rarely. There are also those who fast in order to
protest.
• Even if fasting and abstinence are no
longer observed today, the basic objective of this practice continues to
remain unchanged and is a force which should animate our life: to
participate in the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Surrender
one’s own life in order to be able to possess it in God. Become aware or
conscious of the fact that the commitment with the Gospel is a one way
journey, without returning, which demands losing one’s life in order to
be able to possess and to find all things in full liberty.
4) Personal questions
• Which is the form of fasting which you practice? And if you do not practice any, which is the form which you could practice?
• How can fasting help me to prepare better for the celebration of Easter?
5) Concluding Prayer
Have mercy on me, O God, in your faithful love,
in your great tenderness wipe away my offences;
wash me clean from my guilt,
purify me from my sin. (Ps 51,1-2)
in your great tenderness wipe away my offences;
wash me clean from my guilt,
purify me from my sin. (Ps 51,1-2)
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: Blessed Jacinto and Francisco Marto
Feast Day: February 20
Patron Saint: bodily ills; captives; people ridiculed for their piety; prisoners; sick people; against sickness
Attributes: May 13, 2000, Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, Fátima, Portugal, by Pope John Paul II
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| (l to r)Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta |
The youngest children of Manuel and Olimpia Marto, Francisco and Jacinta were typical of Portuguese village children of that time. They were illiterate but had a rich oral tradition on which to rely, and they worked with their cousin Lúcia, taking care of the family's sheep. According to Lúcia's memoirs, Francisco had a placid disposition, was somewhat musically inclined, and liked to be by himself to think. Jacinta was affectionate if a bit spoiled, and emotionally labile. She had a sweet singing voice and a gift for dancing. All three children gave up music and dancing after the visions began, believing that these and other recreational activities led to occasions of sin.
Following their experiences, their fundamental personalities remained the same. Francisco preferred to pray alone, as he said "to console Jesus for the sins of the world". Jacinta was deeply affected by a terrifying vision of Hell reportedly shown to the children at the third apparition. She became deeply convinced of the need to save sinners through penance and sacrifice as the Virgin had reportedly instructed the children to do. All three children, but particularly Francisco and Jacinta, practiced stringent self-mortifications to this end.[1]
Apparitions
The brother and sister, who tended to their families’ sheep with their cousin Lucia in the fields of Fatima, Portugal, are said to have witnessed several apparitions of an angel in 1916. Lucia later recorded the words of several prayers she said they learned from this angel.Lucia wrote in her memoirs that she and her cousins saw the first apparition of Mary on May 13, 1917. At the time of the apparition, Francisco was 9 years old, and Jacinta was 7.[2]
During the first apparition, Mary is said to have asked the three children to say the Rosary and to make sacrifices, offering them for the conversion of sinners.[3] She also asked them to return to that spot on the thirteenth of each month for the next six months.[4]
Illness and death
The siblings were victims of the great 1918 influenza epidemic that swept through Europe that year. Both lingered for many months, insisting on walking to church to make Eucharistic devotions and prostrating themselves to pray for hours, kneeling with their heads on the ground as instructed by the angel who had first appeared to them.Francisco declined hospital treatment on April 3, 1919, and the next day died peacefully at home, while Jacinta was moved from one hospital to another in an attempt to save her life, which she insisted was futile. She developed purulent pleurisy and endured an operation in which two of her ribs were removed. Because of the condition of her heart, she could not be anesthetized and suffered terrible pain, which she said would help to convert many sinners. On February 19 1920, Jacinta asked the hospital chaplain who heard her confession to bring her Holy Communion and give her the Anointing of the Sick because she was going to die "the next night". He told her that her condition was not that serious and that he would return the next day. The next day Jacinta was dead. She had died, as she had often said she would, alone: not even a nurse was with her.[2]
In 1920, shortly before her death at age nine, Jacinta Marto reportedly discussed the Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary with a then 12 year old Lúcia Santos and said:
When you are to say this, don't go and hide. Tell everybody that God grants us graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary; that people are to ask her for them; and that the Heart of Jesus wants the Immaculate Heart of Mary to be venerated at his side. Tell them also to pray to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for peace, since God entrusted it to her.[3]Jacinta and Francisco are both buried at the Our Lady of Fátima Basilica.[4]
Beatification
From left to right, Jacinta Marto, Lúcia dos Santos and Francisco Marto, holding their rosaries in 1917.
In 1937 Pope Pius XI decided that causes for minors should not be accepted as they could not fully understand heroic virtue or practice it repeatedly, both of which are essential for canonization. For the next four decades, no sainthood processes for children were pursued. In 1979 the bishop of Leiria-Fatima asked all the world's bishops to write to the Pope, petitioning him to make an exception for Francisco, who had died at age 11, and Jacinta, who had died at age 10. More than 300 bishops sent letters to the Pope, writing that “the children were known, admired and attracted people to the way of sanctity. Favors were received through their intercession.” The bishops also said that the children's canonization was a pastoral necessity for the children and teenagers of the day.[10]
In 1979 the Congregation for the Causes of Saints convened a general assembly. Cardinals, bishops, theologians and other experts debated whether it was possible for children to display heroic virtue. Eventually, they decided that, like the very few children who have a genius for music or mathematics, "in some supernatural way, some children could be spiritual prodigies." They were declared venerable by Pope John Paul II in 1989.[10]
On May 13, 2000, they were declared "blessed" in a decree from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Jacinta is the youngest non-martyred child ever to be beatified.[3]
In her biography of Jacinta, Lúcia said that Jacinta had told her of having had many personal visions outside of the Marian visitations; one involved a pope who prayed alone in a room while people outside shouted ugly things and threw rocks through the window. At another time, Jacinta said she saw a pope who had gathered a huge number of people together to pray to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
When Pope John Paul II arrived in Fatima for the first time, in 1982, he said that he had come "because, on this exact date last year in St. Peter's Square, in Rome, there was an attempt on the life of your Pope, which mysteriously coincided with the anniversary of the first vision at Fatima, that of 13 May 1917. The coincidence of these dates was so great that it seemed to be a special invitation for me to come here."[10]
Sister Lúcia, when questioned about the Third Secret, said that the three of them had been very sad about the suffering of the Pope, and that Jacinta kept saying: Coitadinho do Santo Padre, tenho muita pena dos pecadores! ("Poor Holy Father, I feel a lot of pity for the sinners!")
References
- ^ Lucia Santos, Memoir 2, p. 94 in Fatima in Lucia's Own Words, entire text online, page found 2011-06-21.
- ^ A detailed account of the lives, illnesses and deaths of both children is given in de Marchi, John, The True Story of Fatima, 1950 edition, entire text on line, found 2007-10-19.
- ^ The children of Fatima: Blessed Francisco & Blessed Jacinta Marto by Leo Madigan 2003 OSV Press ISBN 1-931709-57-2 page 248
- ^ Leo Madigan, 2003, The Children of Fatima, OSV Press ISBN 978-1-931709-57-6 page 271
- ^ "On September 12, 1935, the mortal remains of Jacinta, who died in 1920, were exhumed. Her face was found to be incorrupt." Solimeo, Luiz. Fatima: A Message More Urgent Than Ever. (2008) pg. 97. "Today, the remnants of both Francisco and Jacinta rest at the Basilica of Fátima." pg. 99.
- ^ Jacinta's exhumation photo at Catholic Counter-Reformation, and Jacinta's reburial photo at escuelacima.com. Pages found 2010-05-13.
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Today's Snippet I: Way of the Cross
Stations of The Cross
'Do not imagine that I have come to
abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come NOT to abolish but to
complete them. In truth I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not
one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all
its purpose is achieved. Therefore, anyone who infringes even one of
the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will
be considered the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but the person who
keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of
Heaven. ~ Matthew 5:17-19
History of the Way of The Cross
As early as the 4th c., Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land would walk the
route that Our Lord walked as He made His way to Golgotha for our salvation.
When Muslims captured Jerusalem and it became too dangerous to make this
pilgrimage, Christians replicated the sites
back home in Europe, and there developed the "Stations of the Cross" devotion
(also known as "Way of the Cross," "Via Dolorosa," or "Via Crucis").
The devotion consists of meditating on 14 events -- that number being fixed in 1731 by Pope Clement XII -- which took place during Christ's Passion, from His being condemned to His burial. Franciscans popularized the devotion, which was originally made outside, often along roads to shrines or churches. The Way of the Cross can still be made outside, of course -- a perfect idea for a Mary Garden -- but is usually made inside nowadays, especially during the Season of Lent and most especially on Good Friday.
If you enter a Catholic Church and look along the walls of the nave (where the parishioners sit), you should see 14 representations on the walls which depict 14 events of Christ's Passion that have been singled out for contemplation. It is at these blessed artistic representations, these "stations" -- which can be painted, carved, engraved, of wood, metal, paint on canvas, etc., topped with a wooden Cross -- that the Way of the Cross is made during public liturgy.
The devotion consists of meditating on 14 events -- that number being fixed in 1731 by Pope Clement XII -- which took place during Christ's Passion, from His being condemned to His burial. Franciscans popularized the devotion, which was originally made outside, often along roads to shrines or churches. The Way of the Cross can still be made outside, of course -- a perfect idea for a Mary Garden -- but is usually made inside nowadays, especially during the Season of Lent and most especially on Good Friday.
If you enter a Catholic Church and look along the walls of the nave (where the parishioners sit), you should see 14 representations on the walls which depict 14 events of Christ's Passion that have been singled out for contemplation. It is at these blessed artistic representations, these "stations" -- which can be painted, carved, engraved, of wood, metal, paint on canvas, etc., topped with a wooden Cross -- that the Way of the Cross is made during public liturgy.
When the Way of the Cross is made in groups, each person first makes the Sign of the Cross, makes an Act of Contrition (i.e., expresses penitence through prayer) and mentally intends to gain indulgences, for himself or another. Then, typically, at each station:
- the leader will announce the name of the station
- the leader will lead with a statement of praise, such as "We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee"
- the people will respond, with, for example, using the above acclamation, "Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world."
- the leader will read a meditative reading, upon which all should meditate in penitence, thanking God for His sacrifice and uniting himself with that sacrifice (often by identifying with Mary)
- all pray an Our Father
- all pray a Hail Mary
- all pray a Glory Be
- traditionally, between the stations, successive stanzas of the hymn called Stabat Mater are sung -- a hymn known since at least 1388 A.D. and possibly written by Pope Innocent III who died in 1216 A.D.
The main objective of the Stations is to help the faithful to make in spirit, as
it were, a pilgrimage to the chief scenes of Christ's sufferings and
death, and this has become one of the most popular of Catholic
devotions. It is carried out by passing from Station to Station, with
certain prayers at each and devout meditation on the various incidents
in turn.
The Way of the Cross can also be made privately, even at
home, with or without "visual aids."
Praying The Stations of The Cross
Sign Of the Cross and Formation of Intentions:
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end.
Forms the intention
of gaining indulgences, either for one's self or for others and for the souls in Purgatory.
Act Of Contrition:
O most
merciful Jesus, with a contrite heart and penitent spirit, I bow down in
profound humility before Thy divine majesty. I adore Thee, I hope in Thee, I
love Thee above all things. I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, my
Supreme and Only God. I resolve to amend my life, and although I am unworthy to
obtain mercy, yet the sight of Thy cross, on which Thou didst die, inspires me
with hope and consolation. I will, therefore, meditate on Thy Passion in company
with Thy sorrowful Mother and my guardian angel, with the intention of promoting
Thy honor and saving my soul.
I
desire to gain all the indulgences granted for for this holy exercise for myself
and for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. O merciful Redeemer, who has said, "And I,
if I be lifted from the earth, will draw all things to Myself", draw my heart
and my love to Thee, that I may perform this devotion as perfectly as possible,
and that I may live and die in union with Thee.
Amen.
Opening Prayer:
Look down upon me, good and gently Jesus, while before Thy face I
humbly kneel; and with burning soul pray and beseech Thee to fix deep in my heart lively
sentiments of faith, hope and charity, true contrition for my sins and a firm purpose of
amendment. While with great love and tender pity I contemplate Thy five wounds, pondering
over them within me, calling to mind the words which David, Thy prophet, said of Thee, my
Jesus: "They have pierced My hands and My feet; they have numbered all My
bones."
First Station: Jesus is condemned to death
(John 3:16, Isaiah 53:7, John 18:33-John 19:1-16)
Leader: We adore Thee, O Christ, and bless Thee.All: Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Jesus, you stand all alone before Pilate. Nobody speaks up for you. Nobody helps defend you. You devoted your entire life to helping others, listening to the smallest ones, caring for those who were ignored by others. They don't seem to remember that as they prepare to put you to death.
As a child, sometimes I feel alone. Sometimes I feel that others don't stand up for me and defend me when I am afraid. Sometimes I don't feel like I am treated fairly, especially if I am scolded or corrected.
As an adult, sometimes I feel abandoned and afraid as well. Sometimes I too, feel like I am treated unfairly or blamed for things unfairly. I have a hard time when people criticize me at home or at work.
Help me be grateful for what you did for me. Help me to accept criticism and unfairness as you did, and not complain. Help me pray for those who have hurt me.
My Jesus, often have I signed the death warrant by my sins; save me by Thy death from that eternal death which I have so often deserved.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory Be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater
Stanza:
Stabat Mater dolorosa (At the cross her station keeping)
Juxta crucem lacrymosa (Stood the mournful Mother weeping)
Dum pendebat Filius (Close to Jesus to the last)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Stabat Mater dolorosa (At the cross her station keeping)
Juxta crucem lacrymosa (Stood the mournful Mother weeping)
Dum pendebat Filius (Close to Jesus to the last)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Second Station: Jesus carries His cross
(Isaiah 53:4-6, Matthew 27:31, Luke 9:23)
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, as you accepted your cross, you knew you would carry it to your death on Calvary. You knew it wouldn't be easy, but you accepted it and carried it just the same.
As a child, sometimes I don't like the problems that come my way. Sometimes I try to get others to take care of them or solve them for me. Sometimes I become upset and crabby when I'm asked to do even the smallest thing to help others.
As an adult I sometimes feel like I'm not appreciated. Sometimes I feel as if I accept more responsibility that I need to. I can feel sorry for myself, even though the crosses others carry are much larger than my own. In my self-pity, I don't reach out to help.
My Jesus, Who by Thine own will didst take on Thee the most heavy cross I made for Thee by my sins, oh, make me feel their heavy weight, and weep for them ever while I live.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory Be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater
Stanza:
Cujus animan gementem (Through her heart, His sorrow sharing)
Contristatam, et dolentem (All His bitter anguish bearing)
Pertransivit gladius (Now at length the sword had passed)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Cujus animan gementem (Through her heart, His sorrow sharing)
Contristatam, et dolentem (All His bitter anguish bearing)
Pertransivit gladius (Now at length the sword had passed)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Third Station: Jesus falls the first time
(Isaiah 53:6)
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, the cross you have been carrying is very heavy. You are becoming weak and almost ready to faint, and you fall down. Nobody seems to want to help you. The soldiers are interested in getting home, so they yell at you and try to get you up and moving again.
As a child, sometimes I start to do something, but then get tired of it. I hurry to get finished and sometimes don't do my work well. Sometimes I don't pay attention to what I should be doing. When things get hard for me, sometimes I give up.
As an adult, I sometimes put things off. I give up too easily, and sometimes don't do my work as well as I know I can.
My Jesus, the heavy burden of my sins is on Thee, and bears Thee down beneath the cross. I loathe them, I detest them; I call on Thee to pardon them; may Thy grace aid me never more to commit them.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory Be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, the cross you have been carrying is very heavy. You are becoming weak and almost ready to faint, and you fall down. Nobody seems to want to help you. The soldiers are interested in getting home, so they yell at you and try to get you up and moving again.
As a child, sometimes I start to do something, but then get tired of it. I hurry to get finished and sometimes don't do my work well. Sometimes I don't pay attention to what I should be doing. When things get hard for me, sometimes I give up.
As an adult, I sometimes put things off. I give up too easily, and sometimes don't do my work as well as I know I can.
My Jesus, the heavy burden of my sins is on Thee, and bears Thee down beneath the cross. I loathe them, I detest them; I call on Thee to pardon them; may Thy grace aid me never more to commit them.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory Be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater
Stanza:
O quam tristis et afflicta (Oh, how sad and sore distressed)
Fuit illa benedicta (Was that Mother highly blessed)
Mater Unigeniti (Of the sole-begotten One!)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
O quam tristis et afflicta (Oh, how sad and sore distressed)
Fuit illa benedicta (Was that Mother highly blessed)
Mater Unigeniti (Of the sole-begotten One!)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Fourth Station: Jesus meets his mother
(John 19:25-27, John 16:22)
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, you feel so alone with all those people yelling and screaming at you. You don't like the words they are saying about you, and you look for a friendly face in the crowd. You see your mother. She can't make the hurting stop, but it helps to see that she is on your side, that she is suffering with you. She does understand and care.
As a child, sometimes I feel like too many things are going on. Sometimes other kids pick on me and call me names. I need to look around me for a friendly face, and for the help I need. I need to share my troubles with those who truly care about me.
As an adult I sometimes feel overwhelmed by many things. Life is so competitive, and I worry so much about my future and those who have some control over it. I need to remember that being an adult does not mean having to solve every problem all by myself. I need to look around me for a friendly face, for the help I need.
Jesus most suffering, Mary Mother most sorrowful, if, by my sins, I caused you pain and anguish in the past, by God's assisting grace it shall be so no more; rather be you my love henceforth till death.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, you feel so alone with all those people yelling and screaming at you. You don't like the words they are saying about you, and you look for a friendly face in the crowd. You see your mother. She can't make the hurting stop, but it helps to see that she is on your side, that she is suffering with you. She does understand and care.
As a child, sometimes I feel like too many things are going on. Sometimes other kids pick on me and call me names. I need to look around me for a friendly face, and for the help I need. I need to share my troubles with those who truly care about me.
As an adult I sometimes feel overwhelmed by many things. Life is so competitive, and I worry so much about my future and those who have some control over it. I need to remember that being an adult does not mean having to solve every problem all by myself. I need to look around me for a friendly face, for the help I need.
Jesus most suffering, Mary Mother most sorrowful, if, by my sins, I caused you pain and anguish in the past, by God's assisting grace it shall be so no more; rather be you my love henceforth till death.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater
Stanza:
Quae moerebat, et dolebat (Christ above in torment hangs)
Pia Mater, dum videbat (She beneath beholds the pangs)
Nati poenas inclyti (Of her dying, glorious Son)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Quae moerebat, et dolebat (Christ above in torment hangs)
Pia Mater, dum videbat (She beneath beholds the pangs)
Nati poenas inclyti (Of her dying, glorious Son)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross
(Matthew 27:30-32, Matthew 25:40, Galatians 6:2)
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, the soldiers are becoming impatient. This is taking longer than they wanted it to. They are afraid you won't make it to the hill where you will be crucified. As you grow weaker, they grab a man out of the crowd and make him help carry your cross. He was just watching what was happening, but all of a sudden he is helping you carry your cross.
As a child, sometimes I see people who need my help. Sometimes I pretend not to hear when my parents call me. I disappear when I know others could use my help.
As an adult, sometimes I try to do as little as I can and still get by. Others might need my help, but I ignore their needs. Even when I'm asked to help, I sometimes claim to be too busy.
My Jesus, blest, thrice blest was he who aided Thee to bear the cross. Blest too shall I be if I aid Thee to bear the cross, by patiently bowing my neck to the crosses Thou shalt send me during life. My Jesus, give me grace to do so.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, the soldiers are becoming impatient. This is taking longer than they wanted it to. They are afraid you won't make it to the hill where you will be crucified. As you grow weaker, they grab a man out of the crowd and make him help carry your cross. He was just watching what was happening, but all of a sudden he is helping you carry your cross.
As a child, sometimes I see people who need my help. Sometimes I pretend not to hear when my parents call me. I disappear when I know others could use my help.
As an adult, sometimes I try to do as little as I can and still get by. Others might need my help, but I ignore their needs. Even when I'm asked to help, I sometimes claim to be too busy.
My Jesus, blest, thrice blest was he who aided Thee to bear the cross. Blest too shall I be if I aid Thee to bear the cross, by patiently bowing my neck to the crosses Thou shalt send me during life. My Jesus, give me grace to do so.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater
Stanza:
Quis est homo qui non flerent (Is there one who would not weep)
Matrem Christi si videret (Whelmed in miseries so deep)
In tanto supplicio? (Christ's dear Mother to behold?)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Quis est homo qui non flerent (Is there one who would not weep)
Matrem Christi si videret (Whelmed in miseries so deep)
In tanto supplicio? (Christ's dear Mother to behold?)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
(Isaiah 52:14, John 14:9)
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, suddenly a woman comes out of the crowd. Her name is Veronica. You can see how she cares for you as she takes a cloth and begins to wipe the blood and sweat from your face. She can't do much, but she offers what little help she can.
As a child, sometimes I know someone could use a little help and understanding. They may be picked on or teased by others, or just sad or lonely. Sometimes I feel bad that others don't step in to help, but I don't help either.
As an adult, I notice the needs around me. Sometimes my own family members crave my attention, and I don't even seem to notice. Sometimes a co-worker, friend, or family member could use help or understanding, but I don't reach out to help lest I be criticized, or that they demand more of me than I'd like to give.
My tender Jesus, Who didst deign to print Thy sacred face upon the cloth with which Veronica wiped the sweat from off Thy brow, print in my soul deep, I pray Thee, the lasting memory of Thy bitter pains.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, suddenly a woman comes out of the crowd. Her name is Veronica. You can see how she cares for you as she takes a cloth and begins to wipe the blood and sweat from your face. She can't do much, but she offers what little help she can.
As a child, sometimes I know someone could use a little help and understanding. They may be picked on or teased by others, or just sad or lonely. Sometimes I feel bad that others don't step in to help, but I don't help either.
As an adult, I notice the needs around me. Sometimes my own family members crave my attention, and I don't even seem to notice. Sometimes a co-worker, friend, or family member could use help or understanding, but I don't reach out to help lest I be criticized, or that they demand more of me than I'd like to give.
My tender Jesus, Who didst deign to print Thy sacred face upon the cloth with which Veronica wiped the sweat from off Thy brow, print in my soul deep, I pray Thee, the lasting memory of Thy bitter pains.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater
Stanza:
Quis non posset contristari (Can the human heart refrain)
Christi Matrem contemplari (From partaking in her pain)
Dolentem cum Filio? (In that Mother's pain untold?)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Quis non posset contristari (Can the human heart refrain)
Christi Matrem contemplari (From partaking in her pain)
Dolentem cum Filio? (In that Mother's pain untold?)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time
(Hebrews 4:15)
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
This is the second time you have fallen on the road. As the cross grows heavier and heavier it becomes more difficult to get up. But you continue to struggle and try until you're up and walking again. You don't give up.
As a child, sometimes things get me down. Others seem to find things easier to do or to learn. Each time I fail, I find it harder to keep trying.
As an adult, sometimes I think I should know more than I do. I become impatient with myself and find it hard to believe in myself when I fail. It is easy to despair over small things, and sometimes I do.
Help me when things seem difficult for me. Even when it's hard, help me get up and keep trying as you did. Help me do my best without comparing myself with others.
My Jesus, often have I sinned and often, by sin, beaten Thee to the ground beneath the cross. Help me to use the efficacious means of grace that I may never fall again.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have Mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
This is the second time you have fallen on the road. As the cross grows heavier and heavier it becomes more difficult to get up. But you continue to struggle and try until you're up and walking again. You don't give up.
As a child, sometimes things get me down. Others seem to find things easier to do or to learn. Each time I fail, I find it harder to keep trying.
As an adult, sometimes I think I should know more than I do. I become impatient with myself and find it hard to believe in myself when I fail. It is easy to despair over small things, and sometimes I do.
Help me when things seem difficult for me. Even when it's hard, help me get up and keep trying as you did. Help me do my best without comparing myself with others.
My Jesus, often have I sinned and often, by sin, beaten Thee to the ground beneath the cross. Help me to use the efficacious means of grace that I may never fall again.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have Mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater
Stanza:
Pro peccatis Suae gentis (Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled)
Vidit Jesum in tormentis (She beheld her tender Child)
Et flagellis subditum (All with bloody scourges rent)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Pro peccatis Suae gentis (Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled)
Vidit Jesum in tormentis (She beheld her tender Child)
Et flagellis subditum (All with bloody scourges rent)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
(Luke 23:27-31, John 15:6)
Leader: We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, as you carry your cross you see a group of women along the road. As you pass by you see they are sad. You stop to spend a moment with them, to offer them some encouragement. Although you are have been abandoned by your friends and are in pain, you stop and try to help them.
As a child, sometimes I think a lot about myself. I think about what I want and would like people to spend their lives pleasing me.
As an adult, sometimes I act like a child. I become so absorbed in myself and what I'd like that I forget about the needs of others. I take them for granted, and often ignore their needs.
Help me think more about others. Help me remembers that others have problems, too. Help me respond to them even when I'm busy or preoccupied with my own problems.
My Jesus, Who didst comfort the pious women of Jerusalem who wept to see Thee bruised and torn, comfort my soul with Thy tender pity, for in Thy pity lies my trust. May my heart ever answer Thine.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have Mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, as you carry your cross you see a group of women along the road. As you pass by you see they are sad. You stop to spend a moment with them, to offer them some encouragement. Although you are have been abandoned by your friends and are in pain, you stop and try to help them.
As a child, sometimes I think a lot about myself. I think about what I want and would like people to spend their lives pleasing me.
As an adult, sometimes I act like a child. I become so absorbed in myself and what I'd like that I forget about the needs of others. I take them for granted, and often ignore their needs.
Help me think more about others. Help me remembers that others have problems, too. Help me respond to them even when I'm busy or preoccupied with my own problems.
My Jesus, Who didst comfort the pious women of Jerusalem who wept to see Thee bruised and torn, comfort my soul with Thy tender pity, for in Thy pity lies my trust. May my heart ever answer Thine.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have Mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater
Stanza:
Vidit suum dulcem Natum (For the sins of His own nation)
Moriendo desolatum (Saw Him hang in desolation)
Dum emisit spiritum (Till His spirit forth He sent)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Vidit suum dulcem Natum (For the sins of His own nation)
Moriendo desolatum (Saw Him hang in desolation)
Dum emisit spiritum (Till His spirit forth He sent)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Ninth Station: Jesus falls a third time
(Philippians 2:5-7, Luke 14:11)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, your journey has been long. You fall again, beneath your cross. You know your journey is coming to an end. You struggle and struggle. You get up and keep going.
As a child, sometimes I fail time and time again. I find it hard to get along with my sisters and brothers, sometimes I'm not honest, sometimes I'm lazy. I'm tempted to stop trying. It's just too hard sometimes.
As an adult, I often feel I should have conquered my weaknesses by now. I become discouraged when I'm confronted by the same problems over and over again. Sometimes I get weary. When I have health problems, I can become discouraged and depressed.
Help me think of the cross you carried. Help me continue to hope that I can make the changes in my life I need to. You didn't give up. I can have the strength to get up again as well.
My Jesus, by all the bitter woes Thou didst endure when for the third time the heavy cross bowed Thee to the earth, never, I beseech Thee, let me fall again into sin. Ah, my Jesus, rather let me die than ever offend Thee again.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in Peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater Stanza:
Eia Mater, fons amoris (Ah Mother, fountain of love)
Me sentire vim doloris (make me feel the force of the sorrow)
Fac, ut tecum lugeam (so that I may mourn with you)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
(John 19:23-25, Luke 14:33)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
The soldiers notice you have something of value. They remove your cloak and throw dice for it. Your wounds are torn open once again. Some of the people in the crowd make fun of you. They tease you and challenge you to perform a miracle for them to see. They're not aware that you'll perform the greatest miracle of all!
As a child, sometimes I'm tempted to repeat stories I know are unclean and disrespectful. I sometimes try to act grown up by using crude and bad words.
As an adult, sometimes I repeat stories that are disrespectful of others. I can entertain thoughts that are not clean. Sometimes I give the young people around me a bad example to follow.
Help me to keep myself pure and clean. Help me say things that build up the people around me. Help me overcome worldly desires that I may become more like Jesus. Help me set a good example for others to follow.
My Jesus, stripped of Thy garments and drenched with gall, strip me of love for things of earth, and make me loathe all that savors of the world and sin.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater Stanza:
Fac ut ardeat cor meum (Make me feel as thou hast felt)
In amando Christum Deum (Make my soul to glow and melt)
Ut sibi complaceam (With the love of Christ, my Lord)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross
(Psalm 22:17-18, Zechariah 12:10, Luke 23:33)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
You are stretched out on the cross you have carried so far. The soldiers take big nails and drive them into your hands and feet. You feel abandoned by the people you loved so much. People seem to have gone mad. You have done nothing but good, yet they drive nails through your hands and feet.
As a child, sometimes I hurt others. Sometimes I join with friends and decide not to like another. We gang up against another and cause them hurt and pain. Sometimes I say or do hurtful things to my brothers and sisters. I can wonder what they'd think about themselves if they believed everything I told them about themselves.
As and adult, sometimes I discriminate against others. Even without thinking, I judge others because of their color, intelligence, income level or name. I forget that I am to live as a brother or sister to all people. Sometimes I use harsh words when I speak to my children and family members. I can find it easy to look for something that isn't very important and make it very important.
Help me look again at the people around me. Help me see the hurt and pain I have caused in others. Be with me to help me make amends for the harm I have done.
My Jesus, by Thine agony when the cruel nails pierced Thy tender hands and feet and fixed them to the cross, make me crucify my flesh by Christian penance.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater Stanza:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross
(Luke 23:46, John 19:30, Philippians 2:8-9)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
As Jesus hung on the cross, he forgave the soldiers who had crucified him, and prayed for his mother and friends. Jesus wanted all of us to be able to live forever with God, so he gave all he had for us.
Jesus, let me take a few moments now to consider your love for me. Help me thank you for your willingness to go to your death for me. Help me express my love for you!
My Jesus, three hours didst Thou hang in agony, and then die for me; let me die before I sin, and if I live, live for Thy love and faithful service.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater Stanza:
Tui Nati vulnerati (Let me share with thee His pain)
Tam dignati pro me pati (Who for all our sins was slain)
Poenas mecum divide (Who for me in torments died)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Thirteenth Station: The body of Jesus is taken down from the cross
(Luke 23:50-53, John 19:31-37, Luke 24:26)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, how brutally you were put to death. How gently your are taken from the cross. Your suffering and pain are ended, and you are put in the lap of your mother. The dirt and blood are wiped away. You are treated with love.
As a child, sometimes I treat others better when they're sad or in pain. When somebody dies, I become very gentle and kind. I notice the good and kind things people say about those who have died.
As an adult, I seem to be kinder when someone dies. If only I could learn to see the good things about them while they were alive. If only I would tell those around me how much I love them, while I still have the opportunity to do so.
Help me look for the good in those around me, especially those I love the most. Help me live this day as if it were the last. Help me become a more gentle and loving person through my greater appreciation for those around me.
O Mary, Mother most sorrowful, the sword of grief pierced thy soul when thou didst see Jesus lying lifeless on thy bosom; obtain for me hatred of sin because sin slew thy Son and wounded thine own heart, and grace to live a Christian life and save my soul.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: Have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater Stanza:
Fac me tecum pie flere (Let me mingle tears with thee)
Crucifixo condolere (Mourning Him Who mourned for me)
Donec ego vixero (All the days that I may live)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb
(Luke 23:50-56, John 19:38-42, John 12:24-25, Romans 6:10-11)
All: Because by your holy cross You have redeemed the world.
Jesus, your body is prepared for burial. Joseph gave you his own tomb. He laid your body there and rolled a large stone in front of it, then went home. What a sad day it has been for so many people.
As a child, sometimes I try to keep everything for myself. I find it hard to share my things with my brothers or sisters and with my friends.
As an adult, I can be selfish too. I can accumulate things and keep them for myself. I try to make sure I have what I want before I share what I have with anybody else.
Help me think of Joseph of Arimathea, who risked his own life as he accepted Jesus' body for burial. Help me think of how Joseph loved Jesus so much that he gave him his own tomb.
My Jesus, beside Thy body in the tomb I, too, would lie dead; but if I live, let it be for Thee, so as one day to enjoy with Thee in heaven the fruits of Thy passion and Thy bitter death.
Our Father.... Hail Mary.... Glory be to the Father....
Leader: Jesus Christ Crucified.
All: have mercy on Us.
Leader: May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in peace.
All: Amen.
Stabat Mater Stanza:
Juxta Crucem tecum stare (By the cross with thee to stay)
Et me tibi sociare (There with thee to weep and pray)
In plactu desidero (Is all I ask of thee to give)
Response:
Sancta Mater, istud agas ( Holy Mother! pierce me through)
Crucifixi fige plagas (In my heart each wound renew)
Cordi meo valide (Of my Saviour crucified)
Closing Prayer:
CLOSING PRAYER TO JESUS
CHRIST CRUCIFIED
Behold, O kind and most sweet
Jesus, I cast myself on my knees in Thy sight, and with the most fervent
desire of my soul, I pray and beg Thee to impress upon my heart lively sentiments
of faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins, and a firm
desire of amendment, while with deep affection and grief of soul I contemplate
Thy five most precious Wounds, having before my eyes that which David spoke
in prophecy: "They pierced My hands and My feet; they have numbered all My
bones." God has loved us from all eternity. So He says: "Remember I first
loved you. You had not come to be, nor did the world yet exist, but I loved
you already. From all eternity I have loved you."
PRAYERS FOR THE INTENTIONS
OF THE HOLY FATHER
O, my Lord Jesus, I offer
the following prayers as my petition for this month's intentions of our Holy
Father, the Pope:
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. And give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Litany:
Blessed be God.Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus!
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart!
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar!
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy!
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception!
Blessed be her glorious Assumption!
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother!
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse!
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints!
Indulgences:
Indulgences are:
- A plenary indulgence every time the devotion is completed.
- An additional plenary indulgence if one receives Holy Communion on the day.
- Also an additional plenary indulgence if one performs the devotion ten times and receives Holy Communion within a month after so doing.
- A partial indulgence of ten years for every Station made if one was not able to finish the Stations.
To gain a plenary indulgence, the following norms must
be followed, in addition to the usual conditions:
- The pious exercise must be made before stations of the Way of the Cross legitimately erected.
- For the erection of the Way of the Cross fourteen crosses are required, to which it is customary to add fourteen pictures or images, which represent the stations of Jerusalem.
- According to the more common practice, the pious exercise consists of fourteen pious readings, to which some vocal prayers are added. However, nothing more is required than a pious meditation on the Passion and Death of the Lord, which need not be a particular consideration of the individual mysteries of the stations.
- A movement from one station to the next is required. But if the pious exercise is made publicly and if it is not possible for all taking part to go in an orderly way from station to station, it suffices if at least the one conducting the exercise goes from station to station, the others remaining in their place.
Those who are "impeded" can
gain the same indulgence if they spend at least one half an hour in pious
reading and meditation on the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Reference:
The meditations and prayers may vary, but the general outline above is pretty standard. The most popular way of making the Stations of the Cross is to use the meditations written by St. Alphonsus Liguori (A.D. 1696-1787); that method including meditations, prayers and the Stabat Mater stanzas with Scriptural references added.
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Catholic Catechism
PART ONE - THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
SECTION TWO -THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
CHAPTER ONE - I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER
198 Our profession of faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last,1 the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the Father,
for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our
Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the
beginning and the foundation of all God's works.ARTICLE I - "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH
Paragraph 1. I Believe in God
199 "I believe in God": this first affirmation of the Apostles' Creed is also the most fundamental. The whole Creed speaks of God, and when it also speaks of man and of the world it does so in relation to God. The other articles of the Creed all depend on the first, just as the remaining Commandments make the first explicit. The other articles help us to know God better as he revealed himself progressively to men. "The faithful first profess their belief in God."2I. "I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD"
200 These are the words with which the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed begins. The confession of God's oneness, which has its roots in the divine revelation of the Old Covenant, is inseparable from the profession of God's existence and is equally fundamental. God is unique; there is only one God: "The Christian faith confesses that God is one in nature, substance and essence."3
201 To Israel, his chosen, God revealed himself as the only One: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD; and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might."4 Through the prophets, God calls Israel and all nations to turn to him, the one and only God: "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.. . To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 'Only in the LORD, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength.'"5
202 Jesus himself affirms that God is "the one Lord" whom you must love "with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength".6 At the same time Jesus gives us to understand that he himself is "the Lord".7 To confess that Jesus is Lord is distinctive of Christian faith. This is not contrary to belief in the One God. Nor does believing in the Holy Spirit as "Lord and giver of life" introduce any division into the One God:
- We firmly believe and confess without reservation that there is only one true God, eternal infinite (immensus) and unchangeable, incomprehensible, almighty and ineffable, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; three persons indeed, but one essence, substance or nature entirely simple.8
203 God revealed himself to his people Israel by making his name known to them. A name expresses a person's essence and identity and the meaning of this person's life. God has a name; he is not an anonymous force. To disclose one's name is to make oneself known to others; in a way it is to hand oneself over by becoming accessible, capable of being known more intimately and addressed personally.
204 God revealed himself progressively and under different names to his people, but the revelation that proved to be the fundamental one for both the Old and the New Covenants was the revelation of the divine name to Moses in the theophany of the burning bush, on the threshold of the Exodus and of the covenant on Sinai.
The living God
205 God calls Moses from the midst of a bush that burns without being consumed: "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."9 God is the God of the fathers, the One who had called and guided the patriarchs in their wanderings. He is the faithful and compassionate God who remembers them and his promises; he comes to free their descendants from slavery. He is the God who, from beyond space and time, can do this and wills to do it, the God who will put his almighty power to work for this plan.
"I Am who I Am"
- Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you', and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you'. . . this is my name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations."10
207 By revealing his name God at the same time reveals his faithfulness which is from everlasting to everlasting, valid for the past ("I am the God of your father"), as for the future ("I will be with you").12 God, who reveals his name as "I AM", reveals himself as the God who is always there, present to his people in order to save them.
208 Faced with God's fascinating and mysterious presence, man discovers his own insignificance. Before the burning bush, Moses takes off his sandals and veils his face in the presence of God's holiness.13 Before the glory of the thrice-holy God, Isaiah cries out: "Woe is me! I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips."14 Before the divine signs wrought by Jesus, Peter exclaims: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."15 But because God is holy, he can forgive the man who realizes that he is a sinner before him: "I will not execute my fierce anger. . . for I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst."16 The apostle John says likewise: "We shall. . . reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."17
209 Out of respect for the holiness of God, the people of Israel do not pronounce his name. In the reading of Sacred Scripture, the revealed name (YHWH) is replaced by the divine title "LORD" (in Hebrew Adonai, in Greek Kyrios). It is under this title that the divinity of Jesus will be acclaimed: "Jesus is LORD."
"A God merciful and gracious"
210 After Israel's sin, when the people had turned away from God to worship the golden calf, God hears Moses' prayer of intercession and agrees to walk in the midst of an unfaithful people, thus demonstrating his love.18 When Moses asks to see his glory, God responds "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name 'the LORD' [YHWH]."19 Then the LORD passes before Moses and proclaims, "YHWH, YHWH, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness"; Moses then confesses that the LORD is a forgiving God.20
211 The divine name, "I Am" or "He Is", expresses God's faithfulness: despite the faithlessness of men's sin and the punishment it deserves, he keeps "steadfast love for thousands".21 By going so far as to give up his own Son for us, God reveals that he is "rich in mercy".22 By giving his life to free us from sin, Jesus reveals that he himself bears the divine name: "When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will realize that "I AM"."23
God alone IS
212 Over the centuries, Israel's faith was able to manifest and deepen realization of the riches contained in the revelation of the divine name. God is unique; there are no other gods besides him.24 He transcends the world and history. He made heaven and earth: "They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. . . .but you are the same, and your years have no end."25 In God "there is no variation or shadow due to change."26 God is "HE WHO IS",
from everlasting to everlasting, and as such remains ever faithful to himself and to his promises.
213 The revelation of the ineffable name "I AM WHO AM" contains then the truth that God alone IS. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, and following it the Church's Tradition, understood the divine name in this sense: God is the fullness of Being and of every perfection, without origin and without end. All creatures receive all that they are and have from him; but he alone is his very being, and he is of himself everything that he is.
III. GOD, "HE WHO IS", IS TRUTH AND LOVE
214 God, "HE WHO IS", revealed himself to Israel as the one "abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness".27 These two terms express summarily the riches of the divine name. In all his works God displays, not only his kindness, goodness, grace and steadfast love, but also his trustworthiness, constancy, faithfulness and truth. "I give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness."28 He is the Truth, for "God is light and in him there is no darkness"; "God is love", as the apostle John teaches.29
God is Truth
215 "The sum of your word is truth; and every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever."30 "And now, O LORD God, you are God, and your words are true";31 this is why God's promises always come true.32 God is Truth itself, whose words cannot deceive. This is why one can abandon oneself in full trust to the truth and faithfulness of his word in all things. The beginning of sin and of man's fall was due to a lie of the tempter who induced doubt of God's word, kindness and faithfulness.
216 God's truth is his wisdom, which commands the whole created order and governs the world.33 God, who alone made heaven and earth, can alone impart true knowledge of every created thing in relation to himself.34
217 God is also truthful when he reveals himself - the teaching that comes from God is "true instruction".35 When he sends his Son into the world it will be "to bear witness to the truth":36 "We know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true."37
God is Love
218 In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had only one reason to reveal himself to them, a single motive for choosing them from among all peoples as his special possession: his sheer gratuitous love.38 And thanks to the prophets Israel understood that it was again out of love that God never stopped saving them and pardoning their unfaithfulness and sins.39
219 God's love for Israel is compared to a father's love for his son. His love for his people is stronger than a mother's for her children. God loves his people more than a bridegroom his beloved; his love will be victorious over even the worst infidelities and will extend to his most precious gift: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son."40
220 God's love is "everlasting":41 "For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you."42 Through Jeremiah, God declares to his people, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."43
221 But St. John goes even further when he affirms that "God is love":44 God's very being is love. By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret:45 God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange.
IV. THE IMPLICATIONS OF FAITH IN ONE GOD
222 Believing in God, the only One, and loving him with all our being has enormous consequences for our whole life.
223 It means coming to know God's greatness and majesty: "Behold, God is great, and we know him not."46 Therefore, we must "serve God first".47
224 It means living in thanksgiving: if God is the only One, everything we are and have comes from him: "What have you that you did not receive?"48 "What shall I render to the LORD for all his bounty to me?"49
225 It means knowing the unity and true dignity of all men: everyone is made in the image and likeness of God.50
226 It means making good use of created things: faith in God, the only One, leads us to use everything that is not God only insofar as it brings us closer to him, and to detach ourselves from it insofar as it turns us away from him:
- My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you.
My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you.
My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you.51
- Let nothing trouble you / Let nothing frighten you
Everything passes / God never changes
Patience / Obtains all
Whoever has God / Wants for nothing
God alone is enough.52
IN BRIEF
228 "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD. . ." (Dt 6:4; Mk 12:29). "The supreme being must be unique, without equal. . . If God is not one, he is not God" (Tertullian, Adv. Marc., 1, 3, 5: PL 2, 274).
229 Faith in God leads us to turn to him alone as our first origin and our ultimate goal, and neither to prefer anything to him nor to substitute anything for him.
230 Even when he reveals himself, God remains a mystery beyond words: "If you understood him, it would not be God" (St. Augustine, Sermo 52, 6, 16: PL 38, 360 and Sermo 117, 3, 5: PL 38, 663).
231 The God of our faith has revealed himself as HE WHO IS; and he has made himself known as "abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Ex 34:6). God's very being is Truth and Love.
1 Cf. Isa 44:6.
2 Roman Catechism I,2,2.
3 Roman Catechism I,2,2.
4 Deut 6:45.
5 Isa 45:22-24; cf. Phil 2:10-11.
6 Mk 12:29-30
7 Cf. Mk 12:35-37.
8 Lateran Council IV: DS 800.
9 Ex 3:6.
10 Ex 3:13-15.
11 Cf. Isa 45:15; Judg 13:18.
12 Ex 3:6,12.
13 Cf. Ex 3:5-6.
14 Isa 6:5.
15 Lk 5:8.
16 Hos 11:9.
17 1 Jn 3:19-20.
18 Cf. Ex 32; 33:12-17.
19 Ex 33:18-19.
20 Ex 34:5-6; cf. 34:9.
21 Ex 34:7.
22 Eph 2:4.
23 Jn 8:28 (Gk.).
24 Cf. Isa 44:6.
25 Ps 102:26-27.
26 Jas 1:17.
27 Ex 34:6.
28 Ps 138:2; cf. Ps 85:11.
29 1 Jn 1:5; 4:8.
30 Ps 119:160.
31 2 Sam 7:28.
32 Cf. Deut 7:9.
33 Cf. Wis 13:1-9.
34 Cf. Ps 115:15; Wis 7:17-21.
35 Mal 2:6.
36 Jn 18:37.
37 1 Jn 5:20; cf. Jn 17:3.
38 Cf. Deut 4:37; 7:8; 10:15.
39 Cf. Isa 43:1-7; Hos 2.
40 Jn 3:16; cf. Hos 11:1; Isa 49:14-15; 62:4-5; Ezek 16; Hos 11.
41 Isa 54:8.
42 Isa 54:10; cf. 54:8.
43 Jer 31:3.
44 l Jn 4:8,16.
45 Cf. 1 Cor 2:7-16; Eph 3:9-12.
46 Job 36:26.
47 St. Joan of Arc.
48 1 Cor 4:7.
49 Ps 116:12.
50 Gen 1:26.
51 St. Nicholas of Flüe; cf. Mt 5:29-30; 16:24-26.
52 St. Teresa of Jesus, Poesías 30, in The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila, vol. III, tr. K. Kavanaugh, OCD, and O. Rodriguez, OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1985), 386 no. 9, tr. by John Wall.
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RE-CHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
To all tween, teens and young adults, A Message from Jesus: "Through you I will flow powerful conversion
graces to draw other young souls from darkness. My plan for young men
and women is immense. Truly, the renewal will leap forward with the assistance
of these individuals. Am I calling you? Yes. I am calling you. You feel
the stirring in your soul as you read these words. I am with you. I
will never leave you. Join My band of young apostles and I will give you
joy and peace that you have never known. All courage, all strength will
be yours. Together, we will reclaim this world for the Father. I will
bless your families and all of your relationships. I will lead you to
your place in the Kingdom. Only you can complete the tasks I have set
out for you. Do not reject Me. I am your Jesus. I love you...Read this
book, upload to your phones/ipads.computers and read a few pages everyday...and then Pay
It Forward...
Reference
- Recharge: Directions For Our Times. Heaven Speaks to Young Adults. recharge.cc.
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