Empathy, Deuteronomy 30:10-14, Psalms 32:1-11, Luke 10:25-37, Pope Francis's Angelus, Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants, Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Message, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Our Lady of Prompt Succor Novena for World Peace, Mystical City of God Book 7 Chapter 2 Sermon of the Apostles and Mary's Care for Converts, Catholic Catechism - Part Three - The Life of the Christ - Article 8 Mercy and Sin, RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy). "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds" ~ Zarya Parx 2016
JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy). "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds" ~ Zarya Parx 2016
"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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2016 - YEAR OF MERCY
Pope Francis has declared an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. This Holy Year of Mercy began December 8, 2015, the feast of the Immaculate Conception and the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council. It will close November 20, 2016, the Feast of Christ the King. This year’s motto is “Merciful Like the Father.”
Sometimes, when we think of the word mercy, we picture someone throwing themselves on their knees before a cruel villain, pleading to be spared some punishment. This is not our understanding of God’s mercy. We do not ask for God’s mercy because we are afraid of incurring his wrath as punishment for our sins. Rather, when we call on God to have mercy, we are calling on God in the only way we know him—as one who responds with compassion to those in need. When we show mercy to others, we are responding as God responds, with compassion.
Liturgical Cycle: C - Gospel of Luke - 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daily Rosary
(MON, SAT) - Joyful Mysteries
(TUES, FRI) - Sorrowful Mysteries
(WED,SUN) - Glorious Mysteries
(THURS) - Luminous Mysteries
(MON, SAT) - Joyful Mysteries
(TUES, FRI) - Sorrowful Mysteries
(WED,SUN) - Glorious Mysteries
(THURS) - Luminous Mysteries
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Inspirational Hymns
Contents
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Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages
July 2, 2016 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:
Dear children,
My real, living presence among you should make you happy because this is the great love of my Son. He is sending me among you so that, with a motherly love, I may grant you safety; that you may comprehend that pain and joy, suffering and love, make your soul live intensely; that I may call you anew to glorify the Heart of Jesus, the heart of faith, the Eucharist. From day to day through the centuries, my Son, alive, returns among you - He returns to you, though He has never left you. When one of you, my children, returns to Him, my motherly heart leaps with joy. Therefore, my children, return to the Eucharist, to my Son. The way to my Son is difficult, full of renunciations, but at the end, there is always the light. I understand your pains and sufferings, and with motherly love I wipe your tears. Trust in my Son, because He will do for you what you would not even know how to ask for. You, my children, you should be concerned only for your soul, because it is the only thing on earth that belongs to you. You will bring it, dirty or clean, before the Heavenly Father. Remember, faith in the love of my Son will always be rewarded. I implore you, in a special way, to pray for those whom my Son called to live according to Him and to love their flock. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis Angelus:
July 3, 2016
2016-07-03 Vatican Radio
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!
Today’s Gospel passage, taken from the tenth Chapter of the Gospel of Luke (vv. 1-12, 17-20), makes us consider how necessary it is to invoke God, “the Lord of harvest to send out laborers” (v. 2). The “laborers” whom Jesus speaks of are the missionaries of the Kingdom of God, whom he himself calls and sends on “ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come” (v. 1). Their task is to proclaim a message of salvation addressed to everyone. Missionaries always proclaim a message of salvation to everyone; not only those missionaries who go afar, but we too, [are] Christian missionaries who express a good word of salvation. This is the gift that Jesus gives us with the Holy Spirit. This message is to say: “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (v. 9), because God has “come near” to us through Jesus; God became one of us; in Jesus, God reigns in our midst, his merciful love overcomes sin and human misery.
This is the Good News that the “laborers” must bring to everyone: a message of hope and comfort, of peace and charity. When Jesus sends the disciples ahead of him into the villages, he tells them: “first, say ‘Peace be to this house!’ [...]; heal the sick in it” (vv. 5, 9). All of this signifies that the Kingdom of God is built day by day and already offers on this earth its fruits of conversion, of purification, of love and of comfort among men. It is a beautiful thing! Building day by day this Kingdom of God that is to be made. Do not destroy, build!
With what spirit must disciples of Jesus carry out this mission? First of all they must be aware of the difficult and sometimes hostile reality that awaits them. Jesus minces no words about this! Jesus says: “I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves” (v. 3). This is very clear. Hostility is always at the beginning of persecutions of Christians; because Jesus knows that the mission is blocked by the work of evil. For this reason, the laborer of the Gospel will strive to be free from every kind of human conditioning, carrying neither purse nor bag nor sandals (cf. v. 4), as Jesus counseled, so as to place reliance solely in the power of the Cross of Jesus Christ. This means abandoning every motive of personal advantage, careerism or hunger for power, and humbly making ourselves instruments of the salvation carried out by Jesus’ sacrifice.
A Christian’s mission in the world is splendid, it is a mission intended for everyone, it is a mission of service, excluding no one; it requires a great deal of generosity and above all setting one’s gaze and heart facing on High, to invoke the Lord’s help. There is a great need for Christians who joyfully witness to the Gospel in everyday life. The disciples, sent out by Jesus, “returned with joy” (v. 17). When we do this, our heart fills with joy. This expression makes me think of how much the Church rejoices, she revels when her children receive the Good News thanks to the dedication of so many men and women who daily proclaim the Gospel: priests — those brave parish priests whom we all know —, nuns, consecrated women, missionary men and women.... I ask myself — listen to the question —: how many of you young people who are now present today in the Square, hear the Lord’s call to follow him? Fear not! Be courageous and bring to others this guiding light of apostolic zeal that these exemplary disciples have given to us.
Let us pray to the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, that the Church may never lack generous hearts that work to bring everyone the love and kindness of our heavenly Father.
After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters, I express my closeness to the families of the victims and those injured in the attack that happened yesterday in Dhaka, and also in that which happened in Baghdad. Let us pray together. Let us pray together for them, for the deceased and let us ask the Lord to convert the hearts of the violent blinded by hate. Hail Mary....
I greet all of you, faithful of Rome and pilgrims coming from all over Italy and from other countries.
In the Holy Year of Mercy I dearly recall that next Wednesday we will celebrate the memory of St Maria Goretti, the young martyr who forgave her murderer before she died. This courageous young lady deserves a round of applause from the entire Square!
And I wish everyone a happy Sunday. Please, do not forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2016 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 07/03/2016
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Today's Word - empathy em·pa·thy [em-puh-thee]
Origin: 1900-05; < Greek empátheia affection, equivalent to em- em-2+ path- (base of páschein to suffer) + -eia -ia; present meaning translates German Einfühlung
1. the psychological identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.
2. the imaginative ascribing to an object, as a natural object or work of art, feelings or attitudes present in oneself: By means of empathy, a great painting becomes a mirror of the self.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 69:14 - 37
14 Rescue me from the mire before I sink in; so I shall be saved from those who hate me, from the watery depths.17 do not turn away from your servant, be quick to answer me, for I am in trouble.
30 I will praise God's name in song, I will extol him by thanksgiving,
31 for this will please Yahweh more than an ox, than a bullock horned and hoofed.
32 The humble have seen and are glad. Let your courage revive, you who seek God.
33 For God listens to the poor, he has never scorned his captive people.
34 Let heaven and earth and seas, and all that stirs in them, acclaim him!
35 For God will save Zion, and rebuild the cities of Judah, and people will live there on their own land;
36 the descendants of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.
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Today's Epistle - Deuteronomy 30:10-14
10 if you obey the voice of Yahweh your God, by keeping his commandments and decrees written in the book of this Law, and if you return to Yahweh your God with all your heart and soul.11 'For this Law which I am laying down for you today is neither obscure for you nor beyond your reach.
12 It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder, "Who will go up to heaven for us and bring it down to us, so that we can hear and practice it?"
13 Nor is it beyond the seas, so that you need to wonder, "Who will cross the seas for us and bring it back to us, so that we can hear and practice it?"
14 No, the word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to put into practice
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Today's Gospel Reading - Luke 10:25-37
The parable of the Good Samaritan
Who is my neighbor?
Luke 10:25-37
Who is my neighbor?
Luke 10:25-37
1. LECTIO
a) Opening prayer:
a) Opening prayer:
Prayers of Blessed Giorgio Preca in Il Sacrario dello spirito di Cristo
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Give me wisdom to know your spirit.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Grant me the gift of the spirit of the Master, my Christ Jesus.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Guide my every way with your light.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Teach me to do your will at all times.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Do not let me stray from your Spirit, the Spirit of love.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Do not abandon me when my strength fails.
Give me wisdom to know your spirit.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Grant me the gift of the spirit of the Master, my Christ Jesus.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Guide my every way with your light.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Teach me to do your will at all times.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Do not let me stray from your Spirit, the Spirit of love.
Lord God, you are present and I am in you:
Do not abandon me when my strength fails.
b) Gospel reading:
25
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying,
"Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Picture) 26 He
said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" 27 And he
answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind;
and your neighbour as yourself." 28 And he said to him, "You have
answered right; do this, and you will live."
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbour?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, 34 and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.' 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbour to the man who fell among the robbers?" 37 He said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
c) Prayerful silent time:
that the Word of God may enter into our hearts and enlighten our life.
2. MEDITATIO
a) A key to the reading:
This is chapter 10 of Luke’s Gospel. It
is the central part of Luke’s Gospel and it follows Jesus’ journey to
Jerusalem: «Now as the time drew near for him to be taken up to heaven,
he resolutely took the road for Jerusalem» (Lk 9: 51). We know that for
Luke, Jerusalem is the city where salvation will take place, and
Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem forms a central theme. Luke’s story begins
in the holy city (Lk 1: 5) and ends in the same city (Lk 24: 52). In
this middle section, Luke will repeatedly insist on the fact that Jesus
is going towards Jerusalem (for instance in Lk 13: 22; 17: 11). In
this text, which tells the parable of the good Samaritan in the context
of a discussion with a doctor of the law concerning the greatest
commandment, we again find the theme of a journey, this time from
Jerusalem to Jericho (Lk 10: 30). The parable is part of this middle
section of the Gospel that begins with Jesus, a pilgrim together with
his disciples on their way to Jerusalem. He sends them ahead to prepare
for him to stop at a Samaritan village and there they only find
hostility precisely because they were on their way to Jerusalem (Lk 9:
51-53). The Samaritans avoided pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and
were hostile to them. “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others
and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs, to all the towns and places
he himself was to visit” (Lk 10: 1). Seventy-two is the traditional
number of pagan nations.
The Fathers of the Church (Ambrose,
Augustine, Jerome and others), keeping in mind all the symbolism
associated with Jerusalem, the holy city of salvation, interpret this
parable in a particular way. In the man who goes from Jerusalem to
Jericho they see Adam who represents the whole human race expelled from
Eden, the celestial paradise, because of sin. The Fathers of the Church
see the thieves as the tempter who takes us away from God’s friendship
with his wiles and who holds us slaves in our humanity wounded by sin.
In the priest and the Levite they see the insufficiency of the old law
for our salvation that will be accomplished by our Good Samaritan,
Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, who, leaving the celestial
Jerusalem, comes to the aid of our sinful condition and heals us with
the oil of grace and the wine of the Spirit. In the inn, the Fathers
see and image of the Church and in the inn-keeper they see the pastors
into whose hands Jesus entrusts the care of his people, The departure
of the Samaritan from the inn is seen by the Fathers as the
resurrection and ascension of Jesus to sit at the right hand of the
Father, but who promises to come back to reward each person according
to his or her merit. Jesus then leaves the two denarii to the Church
for our salvation, the two denarii that are the Sacred Scriptures and
the Sacraments that help us on our way to holiness.
This allegorical and mystical
interpretation of the text helps us to accept well the message of this
parable. The text of the parable begins with a dialogue between a
doctor of the law who stands to put the Lord to the test by asking:
«Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?» (Lk 10: 25). Jesus
replies with another question: «What is written in the law? What do you
read there?» (Lk 10: 26). We must see this dialogue as a confrontation
between two masters, a thing quite common in those days as a system of
clarifying and deepening points of law. The polemical tone prevailing
here is different from that in Mark where the question is asked by a
Scribe who «had listened to them debating (Jesus and the Sadducees),
and had observed how well Jesus had answered them» (Mk 12: 28) then
puts the question to Jesus. This Scribe is well disposed to listen to
Jesus, so much so that Jesus ends the dialogue with: «You are not far
from the kingdom of God» (Mk 12: 34). Matthew, however, places this
question in the context of a debate between Jesus and the Sadducees
with the Pharisees present who when they “heard that he had silenced
the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put
a question…” (Mt 22:34-35). Jesus gives an immediate reply quoting the
commandment of love as found in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.
Only in Luke’s text is the question not
about which is the greatest commandment but about how to inherit
eternal life, a question dealt with again in the Synoptic Gospels on
the lips of the rich young man (Mt 19: 16; Mk 10: 17; Lk 18: 18). As in
Mark, so also here, Jesus praises the doctor of the law: «You have
answered right… do this and life is yours» (Lk 1:, 28). But the doctor
of the law was not yet satisfied with Jesus’ answer and wanting «to
justify himself» (Lk 10: 28) for having asked the question asks again
“and who is my neighbour”! This second question introduces and connects
the following parable with the dialogue between Jesus and the doctor
of the law. We also notice an inclusion between verse 26 that ends the
debate and leads us to the tale of the parable in verse 37, which ends
definitively the dialogue and the parable. In this verse, Jesus repeats
to the doctor of the law that he had defined the neighbour as one who
was compassionate: «Go and do the same yourself». This phrase of Jesus
reminds us of the words at the last supper as recorded in John, when,
after the washing of the feet, Jesus invites his disciples to follow his
example (Jn 13: 12-15). At the last supper, Jesus bequeaths to his
disciples the commandment of love understood as willingness “to give
one’s life” in love for each other as the Lord has loved us (Jn 15:
12-14).
This commandment goes beyond the
observance of the law. The priest and the Levite have kept the law by
not approaching the poor wounded man who is left half dead, so as not
to defile themselves (Lev 21: 1). Jesus goes beyond the law and desires
his disciples to do as he does. «By this love you have for one
another, everyone will know that you are my disciples» (Jn 13: 35). For
the disciple of Jesus mere philanthropy is not enough. The Christian
is called to something more, which he or she accomplishes in imitation
of the Master, as the Apostle Paul said: «We are those who have the
mind of Christ» (1 Cor 2: 16) «Because the love of Christ overwhelms us
when we reflect that one man has died for all» (2 Cor 5, 14).
b) Some questions to direct our meditation and practice:
* What touched you most in the parable?
* With whom in the story do you identify?
* Have you ever thought of Jesus as the Good Samaritan?
* Do you feel the need for salvation in your life?
* Can you say with the apostle Paul that you have the mind of Christ?
* What urges you to love your neighbour? Is it the need to love and be loved, or is it compassion and the love of Christ?
* Who is your neighbour?
* With whom in the story do you identify?
* Have you ever thought of Jesus as the Good Samaritan?
* Do you feel the need for salvation in your life?
* Can you say with the apostle Paul that you have the mind of Christ?
* What urges you to love your neighbour? Is it the need to love and be loved, or is it compassion and the love of Christ?
* Who is your neighbour?
3. ORATIO
Canticle - 1Pt 2, 21-24
21 Christ also suffered for you, leaving
you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 He committed
no sin; no guile was found on his lips. 23 When he was reviled, he did
not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he
trusted to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his
body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed.
4. CONTEMPLATIO
Contemplation is knowing how to adhere
with one’s mind and heart to the Lord who by his Word transforms us
into new beings who always do his will. “Knowing these things, you will
be blessed if you do them.” (Jn 13: 17)
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: St Kateri Tekawitha
Feast Day: July 14
Patron Saint: environment and ecology
Attributes: lily, turtle, rosary
Statue of Kateri Tekakwitha by Joseph-Émile Brunet at the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, near Quebec City.
Tekakwitha professed a vow of virginity until her death at the age of 24. Known for her virtue of chastity and corporal mortification of the flesh, as well as being shunned by her tribe for her religious conversion to Catholicism, she is the fourth Native American to be venerated in the Roman Catholic Church (after Juan Diego, the Mexican Indian of the Virgin of Guadalupe apparitions, and two other Oaxacan Indians).[4] She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peter's Basilica on October 21, 2012.[4][5] Various miracles and supernatural events are attributed to her intercession.
Early life and education
Kateri Tekakwitha (the name "Kateri" is derived from the French Catherine, her baptismal name) was born around 1656 in the Mohawk village of Ossernenon near present-day Auriesville, New York. She was the daughter of a Mohawk chief, and Tagaskouita, a Roman Catholic Algonquin who had been adopted into the tribe after capture. Her mother Tagaskouita had been baptized and educated by French missionaries in Trois-Rivières, east of Montreal. Mohawk warriors captured her and took her to their homeland.[6] Tagaskouita eventually married Kenneronkwa.[7]Tekakwitha's village was highly diverse, as the Mohawk were absorbing many captured natives of other tribes, particularly their competitors the Huron, to replace people who died from European diseases or warfare. She was most likely born into the Turtle Clan. (The Mohawk and other Iroquois have a matrilineal kinship system, in which children are born into the mother's clan and take their status from her. However, since her mother was an Algonquin woman captured and brought into the Mohawk community, Tekakwitha was born into her father's clan.)
The Mohawks suffered a smallpox epidemic from 1661 to 1663. When Tekakwitha was around four years old, her baby brother and both her parents died of smallpox. She survived the disease, but was left with facial scars and impaired eyesight.[8] She was adopted by her father's sister and her husband, a chief of the Turtle Clan. Shortly afterwards, the survivors of Ossernenon built a new village at the top of a hill, a mile or two west up the Mohawk River along its southern bank. They called their new village Caughnawaga ("at the wild water" in the Mohawk language).[9]
The Jesuits’ account of Tekakwitha said that she was a modest girl who avoided social gatherings; she covered much of her head with a blanket because of the smallpox scars. They told that, as an orphan, she was under the care of uninterested relatives. According to Mohawk practices, she was probably well taken care of by her clan, her mother and uncle's extended family, with whom she lived in the longhouse. She became skilled at traditional women’s arts, which included making clothing and belts from animal skins; weaving mats, baskets and boxes from reeds and grasses; and preparing food from game, crops and gathered produce. She took part in the women's seasonal planting and intermittent weeding. She was pressured to consider marriage around age thirteen, but she refused.[7]
Upheaval and invasions
Tekakwitha grew up in a period of upheaval, as the Mohawk interacted with French and Dutch colonists. In the fur trade, the Mohawk originally traded with the Dutch, who had settled in Albany and Schenectady. The French traded with and were allied with the Huron. Trying to make inroads in Iroquois territory, the French attacked the Mohawk in present-day central New York in 1666. After driving the people from their homes, the French burned all three Mohawk villages, destroying the longhouses, wigwams and the women's corn and squash fields. Tekakwitha, now around ten years old, fled with her new family into a cold October forest.[10]After the defeat by the French forces, the Mohawk were forced into a peace treaty that required them to accept Jesuit missionaries in their villages. While there, the Jesuits studied Mohawk and other native languages in order to reach the people. They spoke of Christianity in terms with which the Mohawk could identify. In his work on Tekakwitha, Darren Bonaparte notes the parallels between some elements of Mohawk and Christian belief. For instance, the Jesuits used the word Karonhià:ke, the Mohawk name for Sky World, as the word for heaven in the Lord’s Prayer in Mohawk. "This was not just a linguistic shortcut, but a conceptual bridge from one cosmology to another."[8]
The Mohawk crossed their river to rebuild Caughnawaga on the north bank, west of the present-day town of Fonda, New York. In 1667, when Tekakwitha was 11 years old, she met the Jesuits Jacques Frémin, Jacques Bruyas, and Jean Pierron, who had come to the village.[11] Her uncle opposed any contact with them because he did not want her to convert to Christianity. One of his older daughters had already left Caughnawaga to go to the Iroquois Catholic mission village near Montreal.
In the summer of 1669, several hundred Mohican warriors, advancing from the east, launched a dawn attack on Caughnawaga. Rousing quickly to the defense, Mohawk villagers fought off the invaders, who kept Caughnawaga under siege for three days. Tekakwitha, now around 13 years old, joined other girls to help priest Jean Pierron tend to the wounded, bury the dead and carry food and water to the defending warriors on the palisades.
When reinforcements arrived from other Mohawk villages, the defenders drove the Mohican warriors into retreat. The victorious Mohawks then pursued the Mohicans and attacked them in the forest, killing over 80 and capturing several others. Returning to Caughnawaga amidst widespread celebration, the victors tortured the captive Mohicans—thirteen men and four women—for two afternoons in succession, planning to execute them on the third. Pierron, now tending to the captives, implored the torturers to stop, but they paid him no heed. Pierron then instructed the captives in Catholic doctrine as best he could and baptized them before they died under torture.[12]
Feast of the Dead
Later in 1669, the Iroquois Feast of the Dead, held every ten years, was convened at Caughnawaga. Some Oneidas came, along with Onondagas led by their famous sachem Garakontié. Tekakwitha's parents, along with others who had died in the previous decade, were to be carefully exhumed, so that their souls could be released to wander to the spirit land to the west.[13]Father Pierron, in a bold and provocative speech, attacked the beliefs and logic of the Feast of the Dead. The assembled Iroquois, upset over his remarks, ordered him to be silent. But Pierron continued, exhorting the Iroquois to give up their “superstitious” rites. Still pressured, Pierron departed from the Feast but returned along with the Onondaga sachem Garakontié. Under Garakontié's protection Pierron finished his speech. He demanded that, to secure continued friendship with the French, the Iroquois give up their Feast of the Dead, their faith in dreams as a guide to action, and the worship of their war god. At length, the assembled Iroquois relented. Exchanging gifts with priest Pierron, they promised to give up the customs and rituals he had denounced.[14] Garakontié himself later became a Christian.
A chief converts
In 1671, Mohawk chief Ganeagowa, who had led his warriors to victory against the Mohicans, returned from a long hunting trip in the north to announce he had become a Christian. Traveling through the forests along the southern bank of the St. Lawrence River, he had discovered a Catholic Iroquois village set up by Jesuits a few years earlier at La Prairie, southeast of Montreal. There he made friendly contact with priest Jacques Frémin, who had served as a missionary in Mohawk country. Influenced by the Catholic faith of the Iroquois villagers and of his own wife Satékon, Ganeagowa received instruction for several months from Father Frémin, who then accepted him into the Church.[15]Family pressures
By the time Tekakwitha turned 17 around 1673, her adoptive mother (her father's sister) and aunt (uncle's sister) had become concerned over her lack of interest in young men as romantic partners or potential husbands. They tried to arrange her marriage to a young Mohawk man. Tekakwitha fled the cabin after the young man had entered and sat down beside her. For this bold rebuff of their marriage scheme, Tekakwitha's aunts punished her with ridicule, threats, and harsh workloads. While submitting to their work demands, Tekakwitha stayed firm in her resistance to marriage.[16] Eventually, her aunts gave up their attempts to get her to marry.In the spring of 1675 at age eighteen, Tekakwitha met the Jesuit Father Jacques de Lamberville and started studying the catechism with him.[7]
Conversion and Kahnawake
Judging her ready for true conversion, Lamberville baptized Tekakwitha at the age of 20, on Easter Sunday, April 18, 1676.[17] This is significant because, according to Jesuit policy, baptism was usually withheld for new converts until one was on his deathbed or until the missionaries could be certain that the convert would be committed.[11]After Catherine was baptized, she remained in Caughnawauga for only another 6 months. Some Mohawks opposed her conversion and accused her of sorcery and sexual promiscuity.[11] Lamberville suggested that she go to the Jesuit mission of Kahnawake, located south of Montreal on the St. Lawrence River, where other native converts had gathered. Catherine joined them in 1677.[18]
The historian Allan Greer notes that most of these early converts to Christianity were women. They lived in a way which they thought was integral to Christianity, dependent on charity. They devoted their bodies and souls to God and participated in mortification of the flesh. There were similar practices among Mohawk traditions, usually carried out by warriors.[7] Despite opposition from the Jesuits, the women of the village continued to practice mortification, usually in groups, claiming it was needed to relieve their people of their past sins.[7] The people of Kahnawake usually followed the directions of the Jesuits; at other times, they evaded their control. On the whole, they wanted to experience the sacred and spiritual life, and they were determined to do this with or without the Jesuits.[7]
Tekakwitha was said to have put thorns on her sleeping mat and to have lain on them while praying for the conversion and forgiveness of her kinsmen. Piercing the body to draw blood was a traditional practice of the Mohawk and other Iroquois nations. She lived at Kahnawake the remaining two years of her life. She learned more about Christianity under her mentor Anastasia, who taught her about the practice of repenting for one’s sins. When the women learned of nuns and female convents, they wanted to form their own and created an informal association of devout women.
Father Cholonec wrote that Tekakwitha said,
“I have deliberated enough. For a long time my decision on what I will do has been made. I have consecrated myself entirely to Jesus, son of Mary, I have chosen Him for husband and He alone will take me for wife”.[11]The Church considers that in 1679, with her decision on the Feast of the Annunciation, her conversion was truly completed and she became the “first virgin” among the Mohawk.[11]
Mission du Sault St. Louis: Kahnawake
The Jesuits had founded Kahnawake for the religious conversion of the natives. When it began, the natives built longhouses for residences. They also built a longhouse to be used as a chapel by the Jesuits. As a missionary settlement, Kahnawake was at risk of being attacked by nations of the Iroquois Confederacy.[7] (While it attracted other Iroquois, it was predominately Mohawks.)After Catherine's arrival, she shared the longhouse of her older sister and her husband. She would have known other people in the longhouse who had migrated from their former village of Gandaouagué (also spelled Caughnawaga). Her mother’s close friend, Anastasia Tegonhatsiongo, was clan matron of the longhouse. Anastasia and other Mohawk women introduced Tekakwitha to the regular practices of Christianity.[7]
Chauchetière and Cholenec
Claude Chauchetière and Pierre Cholenec were Jesuit priests who played important roles in Tekakwitha’s life. Both were based in New France and in Kahnawake. Chauchetière was the first to write a biography of Tekakwitha’s life, followed by Cholenec, in 1695 and 1696, respectively.[7] Cholenec arrived in New France in 1672, before Chauchetière.[19] Father Cholenec introduced whips, hair shirts and iron girdles, traditional items of Catholic mortification, to the converts at Kahnawake so they would adopt these rather than use Mohawk practices.[7]Both Chauchetière and Tekakwitha arrived in Kahnawake the same year, in 1677. He later wrote about having been very impressed by her, as he had not expected a native to be so pious.[20] Chauchetière came to believe that Catherine Tekakwitha was a saint. Jesuits generally thought that the natives needed Christian guidance to be set on the right path. Chauchetière acknowledged that close contact with and deeper knowledge of the natives in Kahnawake changed some of his set notions about the people and about differences among human cultures.[7] In his biography of her, he stressed her "charity, industry, purity, and fortitude."[21] In contrast, Cholenec stressed her virginity, perhaps to counter stereotypes of promiscuous Indian women.[21]
Corporal mortification
The Jesuits wanted to guide natives and share their Catholic religion, but at this time, they did not provide for natives to be trained or ordained as clergy or religious. The most devout of the natives wanted full access to the religion and believed that some secrets were being held from them. As most converts to Catholicism were women, they comprised the majority of the devout.[7]Tekakwitha met Marie-Thérèse Tegaiaguenta for the first time in the spring of 1678. Aspiring to devotion, they began to practice mutual flagellation in secret. Cholenec wrote that Catherine could flog herself between one thousand and twelve hundred blows in one session. Tekakwitha's dedication to ritual mortification became more intense and consuming over the remainder of her life; she included prolonged fasting, flogging, cutting, sleeping on a bed of thorns, and burning herself with hot coals.[22]
Her spiritual directors became concerned that Tekakwitha's mortifications were impacting her health and encouraged her to lighten them on occasion. At one time when her health was particularly poor, Fr. Cholonec suggested to Tekakwitha that she retire to the wilderness with her relations who were engaging in the winter hunt. This was to restore her strength, given that diet and the air in the forest was more conducive to health than life in the village. Fr. Cholonec reported that Tekakwitha said in reply:
"It is true, my Father, that my body is served most luxuriously in the forest, but the soul languishes there, and is not able to satisfy its hunger. On the contrary, in the village the body suffers; I am contented that it should be so, but the soul finds its delight in being near to Jesus Christ. Well then, I will willingly abandon this miserable body to hunger and suffering, provided that my soul may have its ordinary nourishment.[23]Marie Skarichions told Catherine and Marie-Thérèse about nuns, female religious, and their role in the Catholic religion. Through their mutual quest, the two women had a strong "spiritual friendship," as described by the Jesuits.[7] The two women influenced a circle of associates. When they asked the Jesuits for permission to form a group of native disciples, they were told they were too "young in faith" for such a group.The women continued to practice together, including mortification of the flesh. Marie-Thérèse eventually left the group, supposedly due to personal issues. Catherine tried to reintegrate her into the group until her death. She had often given her guidance. Examples recorded by the priests were the following:
- "Take courage, despite the words of those who have no faith."
- "Be assured that you are pleasing in the sight of God and that I shall help you when I am with Him."
- "Never give up mortification."[7]
Death and appearances
Around the period of Holy Week 1680, friends noted that Tekakwitha was failing. When people knew she had but a few hours left, villagers gathered together, accompanied by the priests Chauchetière and Cholenec. Cholenec provided the last rites.[7] Catherine Tekakwitha died on Wednesday in the Holy Week, April 17, 1680, at around 15:00 (3 PM), at the age of 23 or 24, in the arms of her friend Marie-Therèse. Chauchetière reports her final words were, "Jesus, I love you."[24]After her death, the people noticed a physical change. Cholenec later wrote, “This face, so marked and swarthy, suddenly changed about a quarter of an hour after her death, and became in a moment so beautiful and so white that I observed it immediately.”Tekakwitha is said to have appeared before three individuals in the weeks after her death; Anastasia Tegonhatsiongo (her mentor), Marie-Therèse Tegaiaguenta (her companion) and Father Chauchetière. Anastasia said that, while crying over the death of her daughter, she looked up to see Catherine "kneeling at the foot" of her mattress, "holding a wooden cross that shone like the sun". Marie-Thérèse reported that she was awakened at night by a knocking on her wall, and a voice asked if she were awake, adding, "I’ve come to say good-bye; I’m on my way to heaven." Marie-Thérèse went outside but saw no one; she heard a voice murmur, "Adieu, Adieu, go tell the father that I’m going to heaven." Chauchetière reported seeing Catherine at her grave; he said she appeared in "baroque splendour; for 2 hours he gazed upon her" and "her face lifted toward heaven as if in ecstasy."[7]
Chauchetière had a chapel built near her gravesite. By 1684, pilgrimages had begun to honour her there. The Jesuits turned her bones to dust and set the ashes within the "newly rebuilt mission chapel." This symbolized her presence on earth. Her physical remains were sometimes used as relics for healing.
Epitaph
Tekakwitha's grave stone reads:Because of Tekakwitha's notable path to chastity, she is often referred to as a lily, a traditional symbol of purity among Roman Catholics and one often used for the Virgin Mary. Religious images of Tekakwitha are often decorated with a lily and cross, with feathers or turtle as cultural accessories. Colloquial terms for Tekakwitha are The Lily of the Mohawks (most notable), the Mohawk Maiden, the Pure and Tender Lily, the Flower among True Men, the Lily of Purity and The New Star of the New World. Her tribal neighbors referred to her as "the fairest flower that ever bloomed among the redmen."'[25] Her virtues are considered an ecumenical bridge between Mohawk and European cultures.
Religious veneration
 |
| Statue of Tekakwitha at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico |
The process for Tekakwitha's canonization was initiated by United States Catholics in 1884, followed by Canadian Catholics. In January 3, 1943, Pope Pius XII declared her venerable. She was beatified as Catherine Tekakwitha on June 22, 1980, by Pope John Paul II.[26]
On December 19, 2011, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints certified a second miracle through her intercession, signed by Pope Benedict XVI, which paved the way for pending canonization.[27] On February 18, 2012, Pope Benedict XVI decreed that Tekakwitha be canonized. Speaking in Latin, he used the form "Catharina Tekakwitha"; the official booklet of the ceremony referred to her in English and Italian, as "Kateri Tekakwitha".[28] She was canonized on October 21, 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.[24] In the official canonization rite booklet, "Catherine" is used in the English and French biographies and "Kateri" in the translation of the rite itself.[29] She is the first North American Native American woman to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
Tekakwitha is featured in four national shrines in the United States: the National Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in Fonda, New York; the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York; the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and The National Shrine of the Cross in the Woods, an open air sanctuary in Indian River, Michigan, was inspired by Kateri's habit of placing small wooden crossed throughout the woods. One statue on the grounds shows her cradling a cross in her arms, surrounded by turtles. [3]
A statue of Tekakwitha is installed outside the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in Quebec, Canada. Another is installed at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Tekakwitha has been featured in recently created religious works. In 2007, the Grand Retablo, a 40-foot-high work by Spanish artisans, was installed behind the main altar of the Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, California. It features Catherine Tekakwitha, Junipero Serra, St. Joseph, and Francis of Assisi.[30][31]
A bronze statue of Kateri kneeling in prayer was installed in 2008, created by artist Cynthia Hitschler,[32] along the devotional walkway leading to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, La Crosse, Wisconsin.[33] Another life-size statue of Kateri is located at the National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima in Lewiston, New York. A bronze figure of Kateri is included on the bronze front doors of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.[34] The Maryknoll Sisters at 10 Pinesbridge Rd, Ossening, NY have had a statue of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha on their grounds since 1939. It was a gift of the family of Maryknoll Sister Mary Theodore Farley. The statue honors the Maryknoll Sisters' origins as a U.S. mission congregation.[35]
Miracles
 |
| Bronze statue of Kateri Tekakwitha, by Jemez Pueblo artist Estella Loretto. Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi Santa Fe, New Mexico |
Other alleged miracles were attributed to Kateri: Father Rémy recovered his hearing and a nun in Montreal was cured by using items formerly belonging to Catherine. In those times, such incidents were evidence that Catherine was possibly a saint. Following the death of a person, sainthood is symbolized by events that show the rejection of death. It is also represented by a duality of pain and a neutralisation of the other’s pain (all shown by her reputed miracles in New France).[7] Father Chauchetière told settlers in La Prairie to pray to Catherine for intercession with illnesses. His words and Catherine’s fame were said to reach even Jesuits in China and their converts.[7]
As people believed in her healing powers, some collected earth from her gravesite and wore it in bags as a relic. One woman said she was saved from pneumonia ("grande maladie du rhume"), and gave the pendant to her husband, who was healed from his disease.[7]
Tradition holds that Tekakwitha's smallpox scars vanished at the time of her death in 1680. Pope Pius XII declared her "Venerable" in 1943.[36] Pilgrims who attended her funeral reported healings.
On December 19, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI approved the second miracle needed for Kateri's canonization.[37] The authorized miracle dates from 2006, when a young boy in Washington state survived a severe flesh-eating bacterium. Doctors had been unable to stop the progress of the disease by surgery and advised his parents he was likely to die. The boy received the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick from a Catholic priest. As the boy is half Lummi Indian, the parents said they prayed through Tekakwitha for divine intercession, as did their family and friends, and an extended network contacted through their son's classmates.[38] A Catholic nun, Sister Kateri Mitchell visited the boy's bedside and placed a relic of Tekakwitha, a bone fragment, against his body and prayed together with his parents.[39] The next day, the infection stopped its progression.[40]
Controversy
Mohawk scholar Orenda Boucher noted that despite extensive support for Tekakwitha's canonization, there continued to exist some controversy around her relationship with the local population of Kahnawake. For many Mohawk people in the community, Tekakwitha is seen as a connection to colonialism, and does not embody or reflect Mohawk womanhood. [41]Cultural references
The historian K. I. Koppedrayer has suggested that the Catholic Church fathers' hagiography of Tekakwitha reflected "some of the trials and rewards of the European presence in the New World."[11] Based on accounts from two Jesuit priests who knew her, at least 300 books have been published in more than 20 languages on the life of Kateri Tekakwitha.[8]In addition, Tekakwitha has been featured in novels:
- Leonard Cohen, Beautiful Losers (1966);
- William Vollman, Fathers and Crows (1992), second novel of the Seven Dreams: A Book of North American Landscapes series, includes her as a character, together with French colonists and priests.
Legacy
There are several elementary schools named after Kateri Tekakwitha in Ontario, including Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Elementary School in Toronto[42] and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic School in Orléans. The St. Kateri Tekakwitha School in Schenectady, New York was so named on the canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012. The St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish, also located in Schenectady, was founded by merging the Our Lady of Fatima and St. Helen's churches.A cluster parish was formed in Irondequoit, NY in 2010 taking the name Blessed Kateri Parish; later changing the name to Saint Kateri after her canonization.
"Kateri Residence", an Archdiocese of New York's Catholic Charities nursing home at 150 Riverside Drive in Manhattan, New York 10024 is named after her.
Saint Kateri is the patron saint of John Cabot Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga.
There is also the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church in Valencia California, which houses a statue of Kateri inside the church - http://www.blessedkateriparish.org/ (contribution:[43]
References
- ^ Pierre Cholence, S.J., "Catharinae Tekakwitha, Virginis" (1696), Acta Apostolica Sedis, January 30, 1961
- ^ Pierre Cholenec, S.J. (1696). The Life of Catherine Tekakwitha, First Iroquois Virgin. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
- ^ Claude Chauchetiere, S.J. (1695). "The Life of the Good Catherine Tekakwitha, said now Saint Catherine Tekakwitha". Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
- ^ a b Pope Canonizes 7 Saints, Including 2 With New York Ties, The New York Times, 22 October 2012.
- ^ EWTN Televised Broadcast: "Public Consistory for the Creation of New Cardinals", Rome, February 18, 2012. Saint Peter's Basilica. Closing remarks before recession preceded by Cardinal Agostino Vallini.
- ^ Juliette Lavergne, La Vie gracieuse de Catherine Tekakwitha, Editions A.C.F., Montreal, 1934, pp. 13-43
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Greer, Allan (2005). Mohawk Saint: Catherine Tekakwitha and the Jesuits. Oxford University Press. pp. 3–205.
- ^ a b c Darren Bonaparte (Mohawk), "A Lily Among Thorns: The Mohawk Repatriation of Káteri Tekahkwí:tha", presented at 30th Conference on New York State History, 5 June 2009, Plattsburgh, New York, accessed 25 July 2012
- ^ Francis X. Weiser, S.J. Kateri Tekakwitha, Kateri Center, Caughnawaga, Canada, 1972, p. 34.
- ^ Daniel Sargent, Catherine Tekakwitha, Longmans, Green & Co., New York, 1936, p. 164.
- ^ a b c d e f Koppedrayer, K. I. "The Making of the First Iroquois Virgin: Early Jesuit Biographies of the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha". Ethnohistory (Duke University Press): 277–306.
- ^ Francis X. Weiser, S.J. Kateri Tekakwitha, Kateri Center, Caughnawaga, Canada, 1972, pp. 50-2.
- ^ Daniel Sargent, Catherine Tekakwitha, Longmans, Green & Co., New York, 1936, p. 167. Also, J.N.B. Hewitt, “The Iroquoian Concept of the Soul,” Journal of American Folk-Lore, vol. 8, Boston, 1895, p. 109.
- ^ Daniel Sargent, Catherine Tekakwitha, Longmans, Green & Co., New York, 1936, pp. 167-8.
- ^ Francis X. Weiser, S.J. Kateri Tekakwitha, Kateri Center, Caughnawaga, Canada, 1972, p. 61.
- ^ Edward Lecompte, S.J., Glory of the Mohawks: The Life of the Venerable Catherine Tekakwitha, translated by Florence Ralston Werum, FRSA, Bruce Publishing Co., Milwaukee, 1944, p. 28; Francis X. Weiser, S.J., Kateri Tekakwitha, Kateri Center, Caughnawaga, Canada, 1972, pp. 65-8.
- ^ Lodi, Enzo (1992). Saints of the Roman Calendar (Eng. Trans.). New York: Alba House. p. 419. ISBN 0-8189-0652-9.
- ^ Je Me Souviens: Histoire du Québec et du Canada. Ottawa: Éditions du Renouveau Pédagogique Inc. 1995. p. 32.
- ^ Béchard, Henri. "Cholenec, Pierre". Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ Jaenen, C. J. "Chauchetière, Claude". Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ^ a b Leslie Choquette, Review: Allan Greer, Mohawk Saint, H-France Review, Vol. 5 (October 2005), No. 109; accessed 25 July 2012
- ^ Bill Donahue, "The Secret World of Saints: Inside the Catholic Church and the Mysterious Process of Anointing the Holy Dead;" Byliner Original, (single), December 21, 2011;ASIN: B006P2X86U
- ^ Cholonec, Rev. Pierre (2012). Kateri Tekakwitha: The Iroquois Saint. Merchantville, NJ: Evolution Publishing. p. 53. ISBN 978-1-935228-09-7.
- ^ a b Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
- ^ Bunson, Margaret and Stephen, "Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of this Mohawks," Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions brochure, p. 1
- ^ Acta Apostolicae Sedis LIII (1961), p. 82. Note: The official beatification register postulated by Rev. Anton Witwer, S.J. to the Roman Catholic Church bears her name as Catherine. The 1961 edition of Acta Apostolicae Sedis refers in Latin to her cause of beatification as that of "Ven. Catharinae Tekakwitha, virginis".
- ^ "Pope OKs 7 New Saints, Including Hawaii’s Marianne". Salon. December 19, 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
- ^ Concistoro Ordinario Pubblico ... Basilica Vaticana, 18 febbraio 2012, pp. 33–39
- ^ [1]
- ^ Ignatin, Heather (April 19, 2007). "Retablo draws crowds at Mission Basilica". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^ Mission San Juan Capistrano: Grand Retablo en Route to San Juan Capistrano, Installation expected March 19, February 9, 2007
- ^ "Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks: Bronze, Height 55". Celstumo.com. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
- ^ "Mohawk Woman Enshrined at Shrine" (Orso, Joe), La Crosse Tribune, 31 July 2008:[2]
- ^ Reports, Staff. "Lewiston: Statue Dedication at Fatima". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
- ^ http://www.maryknollsisters.org/catholic-mission/index.php/resources/videos?vid=105. Article entitled Lily of the Mohawks, pgs 31,32, Maryknoll Magazine, Sept/Oct 2012. Vol 106. Number 5.
- ^ "Tekakwitha, Kateri", The Canadian Encyclopedia
- ^ "PROMULGAZIONE DI DECRETI DELLA CONGREGAZIONE DELLE CAUSE DEI SANTI". catholica.va. December 19, 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
- ^ Discepolo, John (December 20, 2011). "Vatican calls Whatcom boy's survival a miracle". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
- ^ "Kateri Tekakwitha: First Catholic Native American saint". BBC News. October 19, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ "Boy's miracle cure makes first Native American saint". Associated Press. October 20, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-20.
- ^ 1st
Native American saint stirs pride, skepticism
http://news.yahoo.com/1st-native-american-saint-stirs-pride-skepticism-164656143.html
1st Native American saint stirs pride, skepticism. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ^ http://york.cioc.ca/record/MKM1867
- ^ http://www.nodeju.com/2950/us-has-new-native-american-saint.html
Further reading
- Cholonec, Rev. Pierre. "Kateri Tekakwitha: The Iroquois Saint". (Merchantville, NJ: Evolution Publishing, 2012) ISBN 978-1935228097.
- Lecompte, Edward, S.J. Glory of the Mohawks: The Life of the Venerable Catherine Tekakwitha, translated by Florence Ralston Werum, FRSA. Milwaukee: Bruce Publishing Co., 1944.
- Litkowski, Mary Pelagia, O.P. Kateri Tekakwitha: Joyful Lover. Battle Creek, Michigan: Growth Unlimited Inc., 1989.
- Sargent, Daniel. Catherine Tekakwitha. New York and Toronto: Longmans, Green and Co., 1936.
- Shoemaker, Nancy. "Kateri Tekakwitha's Tortuous Path to Sainthood," in Nancy Shoemaker, ed. Negotiators of Change: Historical Perspectives on Native American Women (New York: Routledge, 1995), p. 49–71.
- Steckley, John. Beyond their Years: Five Native Women's Stories, Canadian Scholars Press 1999 ISBN 978-1551301501
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Featured Item from Litany Lane
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Today's Snippet I: Nine Day Novena to Our Lady of Prompt Succor
FOR PEACE ON EARTH, PROTECTION AGAINST NATURAL DISASTERS, ATROCITIES OF WAR, AND INJUSTICES OF SOCIETY, PROTECTION OF ALL LIFE, HEALING OF ALL HEARTS, AND CONVERSION OF HUMANITY
(This novena will cycle every nine days, it will not cease until there is peace on earth)
We ask to everyone to join, post and share, united worldwide in the prayer and trust of GOD, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, Our Blessed Mother Mary and all the angels and saints in heaven.
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Opening Prayer to Our Lady:
Oh, Immaculate Heart! Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths towards the future!
From famine and war, deliver us.
From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us.
From sins against the life of man from its very beginning, deliver us.
From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us.
From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us.
From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us.
From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us, deliver us.
Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings, laden with the sufferings of whole societies. Let there be revealed, once more, in the history of the world your infinite power of merciful Love. May it put a stop to evil. May it transform consciences. May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of Hope.
~ FIRST DAY
When we wish to obtain some special favor through the intercession of Our Blessed Lady, the first disposition to bring to prayer is the humble recognition of our unworthiness, for it is the prayer of the contrite and humble heart that rises to the very throne of God.
PRAYER
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, you are after Jesus our only hope. O Most Holy Virgin, whose merits have raised you high above angel choirs to the very throne of the Eternal and whose foot crushed the head of the infernal serpent, you are strong against the enemies of our salvation. O Mother of God, you are our Mediatrix most kind and loving. Hasten, then, to our help, and as you did once save your beloved City from ravaging flames and our Country from an alien foe, do now have pity on our misery, and obtain for us the graces we beg of you. Deliver us from the wiles of Satan, assist us in the many trials which beset our path in this valley of tears, and be to us truly Our Lady of Prompt Succor now and especially at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. (Three times.)
Recite: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be with the Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the prayer "O Mary, Mother of God".
~ SECOND DAY
Filial resignation to God's Holy Will is the second disposition required for the obtaining of special graces. This disposition is especially necessary when we ask for temporal favors, for we cannot be certain whether they are conducive to our salvation or not.
PRAYER
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, O Virgin most pure and Mother of the Word Incarnate, you are the dispenser of all graces and the refuge of poor sinners. With lively faith and unbounded confidence we have recourse to your maternal love and we beg you to obtain from your Divine Son the favors we now implore (here name the special favor desired). With filial trust we place our hearts under your motherly care beseeching you to obtain for us the all-important grace of perfect conformity to God's Will, and, O Mary, show yourself to be OUR LADY OF PROMPT SUCCOR, especially at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. (Three times.)
Recite: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be with the Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the prayer "O Mary, Mother of God".
~ THIRD DAY
A profound respect for the exalted dignity and sublime prerogatives of Mary is an excellent means to draw down upon us Heaven's choicest blessings.
PRAYER
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, O Mary Immaculate, you are the model of all virtues, the path by which we go to Jesus, the mysterious channel through which divine favors are imparted to us. You have such power over the Heart of Jesus, hasten to our assistance and obtain our earnest request (here name the favor desired). In you, O Mary, we put our trust, let it not be said that our hopes have been frustrated. O Mother most chaste, be our strength against temptation, our help in danger, our consolation in sorrow, but especially be OUR LADY OF PROMPT SUCCOR at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. (Three times.)
Recite: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be with the Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the prayer "O Mary, Mother of God".
~ FOURTH DAY
A filial eagerness in striving to fathom the treasures of holiness contained in the heart of Mary, the most loving and lovable of mothers, is another means of obtaining Our Lady's special protection.
PRAYER
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, living temple of the Holy Spirit and Queen of Heaven and earth, behold us prostrate at your feet to offer you the filial homage of our hearts, to thank you for the innumerable favors you have obtained for us, and to implore, through your all-powerful intercession, the graces we need, especially (here specify the favor desired). O Mary, be truly to us "Mary," that is, our shield against the darts of temptation, our solace in the midst of trials and afflictions, our firm hope, sweet consolation, and PROMPT SUCCOR at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. (Three times.)
Recite: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be to the Father may be added,with the Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the prayer "O Mary, Mother of God".
~ FIFTH DAY
One of the surest means to acquire a special right to the protection of Mary is to keep ourselves in the state of grace and endeavor to please her by imitating her virtues.
PRAYER
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Virgin most powerful and Mirror of Justice, who offered yourself totally to God for the perfect accomplishment of His Holy Will, make us generous in sacrifice. We have recourse to you to obtain the graces we need, especially (here name the favor desired). O Mary, Our Lady of Prompt Succor, heavenly protectress of souls devoted to your Divine Son, deign to bless us each day of our mortal pilgrimage, cast upon us your eyes of mercy, and after our exile, show unto us Jesus, your Son and our Brother. Amen.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. (Three times.)
Recite: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory be with the Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the prayer "O Mary, Mother of God".
~ SIXTH DAY
A tender love for Mary is another efficacious means of obtaining her favors. Since love can be requited only by love, what should not be our sentiments of filial affection for so generous and loving a Mother?
PRAYER
O Mary, Our Lady of Prompt Succor, bright Star of the Sea shining upon life's stormy ocean, we implore your speedy help especially to obtain (here specify the desired favor). Shining Star of our tempest-tossed souls, lovingly guide us among temptation's heaving billows and treacherous shoals, and lead us safely into eternity's peaceful harbor. O sweetest of mothers, we seek your PROMPT SUCCOR now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. (Three times.)
Recite: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be with the Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the prayer "O Mary, Mother of God".
~ SEVENTH DAY
Mary's love for us is tender and generous. Our love for her should be characterized by deep gratitude, filial confidence, and ardent zeal. We should endeavor, by good example and the spirit of sacrifice, to propagate devotion to her under her sweet title of PROMPT SUCCOR.
PRAYER
O Mary, Our Lady of Prompt Succor, whose protection is so powerful and whose help is so prompt and efficacious, we come to lay at your feet all our cares and sorrows, to place into your hands all our hopes, to entrust to you all our interest both spiritual and temporal. Deign, O Most Holy Virgin, to assist us and obtain the graces we now ask, especially (here mention the favor desired). O Mother of PROMPT SUCCOR, close not
your ears to our earnest supplications; rather hasten to our help now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. (Three times.)
Recite: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be with the Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the prayer "O Mary, Mother of God".
~ EIGHTH DAY
Confidence is an excellent and necessary means for obtaining Mary's protection. Our Lady of Prompt Succor will bestow favors upon us in proportion to our filial trust in her all-powerful intercession.
PRAYER
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, sanctuary of every virtue, who was chosen among all women to be the Mother of our Redeemer, be our advocate and protectress. To you do we raise our hearts and hands imploring your powerful intercession to obtain the favors we ask, especially (here mention the favor desired). Assist us by your mediation, O Mary, that your Divine Son may shower His blessings upon us now and at the moment of our death. Amen.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. (Three times.)
Recite: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be with the Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the prayer "O Mary, Mother of God".
~ NINTH DAY
Mary became our Mother on Calvary's crest. We are the children of her tears and sorrows. On this last day of our novena, let us take the resolution ever to foster a true and tender devotion to our Immaculate Mother of Prompt Succor, to cast all our cares and anxieties into her maternal heart. Our confidence will not remain unrewarded.
PRAYER
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Queen of the Universe and Sovereign full of kindness, you are the advocate of sinners, a haven of safety to the shipwrecked, the health of the sick and infirm, the consolation of the afflicted, the refuge and salvation of all on earth. O Mary, grant us, we beseech you, the help of your prayers to obtain the graces we implore, and in particular (here name the favor desired). Let your maternal heart be touched by our misery; hasten to our assistance and be to us, now and at the hour of our death, OUR LADY OF PROMPT SUCCOR. Amen.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. (Three times.)
Recite: One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be with the Litany of Our Lady of Prompt Succor and the prayer "O Mary, Mother of God".
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LITANY of Our Lady of Prompt Succor
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Mother of the Infant Jesus, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor of all who invoke you with confidence, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor of all who are devout toward the Infant Jesus, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor for obtaining a lively faith, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor for sustaining the hope of Christians, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor for obtaining and persevering in charity, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor for observing the law of God, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor for observing perseverance in virtue and good works, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor in every spiritual necessity, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor against the revolt of self-will, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor in the occasion of sin, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor in every temptation, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor against the evil spirit, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor for obtaining contrition, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor of those wishing to re-enter the path of salvation, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor for the conversion of sinners, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor in every temporal necessity, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor in every affliction, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor of afflicted families, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor of the sick and the poor, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor against contagious diseases and epidemics, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor in every accident, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor against destruction by fire, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor against lightning and tempest, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor against destruction by flood, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor of travelers, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor of navigators, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor of the shipwrecked, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor against the enemies of our country, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor in time of war, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor of those aspiring to the Holy Priesthood and the religious life, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor of laborers in the Lord's vineyard, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor of missionaries who spread the faith, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor of our Holy Father the Pope, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor for those searching for the faith, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor against the enemies of the Church, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor at the hour of death, pray for us.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor for the deliverance of the souls in Purgatory, pray for us.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
V. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, pray for us.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let there Be Peace on Earth
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Featured Item from Litany Lane
St Anne and St Joachim Education of Mary Notebooks
by LitanyLane
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FEATURED BOOK
THE MYSTICAL CITY OF GOD
Mystical City of God, the miracle of His omnipotence and the abyss of His grace the divine history and life of the Virgin Mother of God our Queen and our Lady, most holy Mary expiatrix of the fault of eve and mediatrix of grace. Manifested to Sister Mary of Jesus, Prioress of the convent of the Immaculate Conception in Agreda, Spain. For new enlightenment of the world, for rejoicing of the Catholic Church, and encouragement of men. Completed in 1665.
THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD
Venerable Mary of Agreda
Translated from the Spanish by Reverend George J. Blatter
1914, So. Chicago, Ill., The Theopolitan; Hammond, Ind., W.B. Conkey Co., US..
IMPRIMATUR: +H.J. Alerding Bishop of Fort Wayne
Translation from the Original Authorized Spanish Edition by Fiscar Marison (George J. Blatter). Begun on the Feast of the Assumption 1902, completed 1912.
This work is published for the greater Glory of Jesus Christ through His most Holy Mother Mary and for the sanctification of the Church and her members.
Book 7, Chapter 2
SERMON OF THE APOSTLES. MARY’S CARE FOR THE CONVERTS
On account of the visible and open
signs, by which the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles, the whole
city of Jerusalem with its inhabitants was stirred to wonder. When
the news of the astounding events at the house of the Cenacle spread
about, the multitude of the people gathered in crowds to know more of
the happenings (Acts 2, 6). On that day was being celebrated one of
the paschs or feasts of the Jews; and as well on this account, as on
account of the special dispensation of heaven, the city was crowded
with foreigners and strangers from all parts of the world. For to
them the Most High wished to manifest the wonders of the first
preaching and spreading of the new law of grace, which the incarnate
Word, our Redeemer and Master, had ordained for the salvation of men.
The sacred Apostles, who were filled
with charity by the plenitude of the gifts of the Holy Ghost and who
knew that all Jerusalem was gathering at the doors of the Cenacle,
asked permission of their Mistress and Queen to go forth and preach
to them; in order that such great graces might not even for a moment
fail to redound to the benefit of souls and to new glory of their
Author. They all left the house of the Cenacle and, placing
themselves before the multitudes, began to preach the mysteries of
the faith and of eternal life. Though until then they had been so shy
and seclusive, they now stepped forth with unhesitating boldness and
poured forth burning words, that like a flashing fire penetrated to
the souls of their hearers.
This miracle, that all the men of so
many different tongues then assembled in Jerusalem should hear the
Apostles in their own language, joined to the doctrine which they
preached, caused great astonishment. Yet I wish to remark, that
though all the Apostles, on account of the plenitude of science and
of gifts gratuitously received, were able to speak in the languages
of all nations, because that was necessary for the preaching of the
Gospel, yet on that occasion they all spoke the language of
Palestine. Using only this idiom they were understood by all the
different nationalities there present, as if they had spoken in the
several idioms. This miracle the Lord wrought at the time in order
that they might be understood and believed by those different
nations, and in order that saint Peter might not be obliged to repeat
in the different languages of those present, what he preached to them
concerning the mysteries of faith. He preached only once and all
heard and understood him, each in his own language, and so it
happened also with the other Apostles. For if each one had spoken in
the language of those who heard them, and which they knew as their
mother tongue, it would have been necessary for them to repeat what
they said at least seven or eight times according to the different
nationalities mentioned by saint Luke (Acts 2, 9). This would have
consumed a longer time than is intimated by the sacred text, and it
would have caused great confusion and trouble to repeat the same
doctrines over and over again or to speak so many languages on one
occasion; nor would the miracle be so intelligible to us as the one
mentioned.
The people who heard the Apostles did
not understand the miracle, although they wondered at hearing each
their own idiom. What saint Luke says about their speaking different
languages, must be understood as meaning, that the Apostles were then
and there able to understand them, as I shall mention later on (Acts
2, 4), because on that day, those that came to the Cenacle understood
them all speaking in their own language. But this miracle and
wonderment caused in their hearers different effects and opinions,
according to the dispositions of each one. Those that listened
piously received deep understanding of the Divinity and of the
Redemption of man, now so eloquently and fervently propounded to
them. They were moved eagerly to desire the knowledge of the truth;
by the divine light they were filled with compunction and sorrow for
their sins and with desire of divine mercy and forgiveness. With
tears in their eyes they cried out to the Apostles and asked what
they must do to gain eternal life. Others, who hardened their hearts,
altogether untouched by the divine truths preached by them, became
indignant at the Apostles, and instead of yielding to them, called
them innovators and adventurers. Many of the Jews, more impious in
their perfidy and envy, inveighed against the Apostles, saying they
were drunk and insane (Acts 2, 13). Among these were some of those
who had again come to their senses after having fallen to the ground
at the thunder caused by the coming of the Holy Ghost;
The three thousand, who were
converted by the first sermon of saint Peter, were from all the
nations then gathered in Jerusalem, so that forthwith all nations,
without excluding any, might partake of the fruits of the Redemption,
all might be gathered to the Church, and all might experience the
grace of the Holy Spirit; for the holy Church was to be composed of
all nations and tribes. Many were Jews, who had followed Christ our
Savior with kindly feelings and witnessed his sufferings and Death
with compassion, as I said above. Some also of those, who had
concurred in his Passion were converted, though these were few,
because many would not alter their disposition; for, if they had done
so, all of them would have been admitted to mercy and received pardon
for their error. After their preaching the Apostles retired that
evening within the Cenacle, in order to give an account to the Mother
of mercy, the purest Mary. With them also entered a great number of
the new children of the Church, in order that they might come to know
and venerate the Mother of mercy.
But the great Queen of the angels was
ignorant of nothing that had happened; for from her retreat She had
heard the preaching of the Apostles and She knew the secret hearts
and thoughts of all the hearers. The tenderest Mother remained
prostrate with her face upon the ground during the whole time,
tearfully praying for the conversion of all that subjected themselves
to the faith of the Savior, and for all the rest, if they should
consent to cooperate with the helps and the graces of the Lord. In
order to help the Apostles in their great work of beginning to
preach, and the bystanders in properly listening to them, the most
holy Mary sent many of her accompanying angels with holy
inspirations, encouraging the sacred Apostles and giving them
strength to inquire and to manifest more explicitly the hidden
mysteries of the humanity and Divinity of Christ our Redeemer. The
angels fulfilled all the commands of their Queen, while She Herself
exercised her own power and gifts according to the circumstances of
the occasion. When the Apostles came to Her with those copious
first–fruits of their preaching and of the Holy Ghost, She
received them with incredible joy and sweetness and with the most
loving kindness of a true Mother.
The Apostle saint Peter spoke to the
recently converted and said to them: “My brethren, and servants
of the Most High, this is the Mother of our Redeemer and Master,
Jesus Christ, whose faith you have received in acknowledging Him as
true God and man. She has given Him the human form, conceiving Him in
her womb, and She bore Him, remaining a Virgin before, during and
after his birth. Receive Her as your Mother, our Refuge and
Intercessor, for through Her you and we shall receive light,
direction, and release from our sins and miseries.” At these
words of the Apostle and at the sight of most holy Mary these new
adherents of the faith were filled with admirable light and
consolation; for this privilege of conferring great interior
blessings and of giving light to those who looked upon Her with pious
veneration, was renewed and extended in Her time when She was at the
right hand of her divine Son in heaven. As all of those faithful
partook of these blessings in the presence of their Queen, they
prostrated themselves at her feet and with tears besought her
assistance and blessing. But the humble and prudent Queen evaded this
latter, because of the presence of the Apostles, who were priests,
and of saint Peter, the Vicar of Christ. Then this Apostle said to
Her “Lady, do not refuse to these faithful what they piously
ask for the consolation their souls.” The blessed Mary obeyed
the head of the Church and in humble serenity of a Queen She gave her
blessing to the newly converted.
The love which filled their hearts
made them desire to hear from their heavenly Mother some words of
consolation; yet their humility and reverence prevented them from
asking for this favor. As they perceived how obediently She had
yielded to saint Peter, they turned to him and begged him to ask Her
not to send them away without some word of encouragement. Saint Peter
though he considered this favor very proper for the souls who had
been born again to Christ by his preaching and that of the other
Apostles, nevertheless, aware that the Mother of Wisdom knew well
what was to be done, presumed to say no more than these words; “Lady,
listen to the petitions of thy servants and children.” Then the
great Lady obeyed and said to the converts: “My dearest
brethren in the Lord, give thanks and praise with your whole hearts
to the Almighty God, because from among all men He has called and
drawn you to the sure path of eternal life in the knowledge of the
holy faith you have received. Be firm in your confession of it from
all your hearts and in hearing and believing all that the law of
grace contains as preached and ordained by its true Teacher Jesus, my
Son and your Redeemer. Be eager to hear and obey his Apostles, who
teach and instruct you, so that you may be signed and marked by
Baptism in the character of children of the Most High. I offer myself
as your handmaid to assist you in all that serves toward your
consolation, and I shall ask Him to look upon you as a kind Father
and to manifest to you the true joy of his countenance, communicating
to you also his grace.”
By this sweetest of exhortations
those new Children of the Church were filled with consolation, light,
veneration and admiration of what they saw of the Mistress of the
world; asking again for her blessing, they for that day left her
presence, renewed and replete with the wonderful gifts of the Most
High. The Apostles and disciples from that day on continued without
intermission their preaching and their miracles, and through the
entire octave they instructed not only the three thousand, who had
been converted on Pentecost day, but multitudes of others, who day by
day accepted the faith. Since they came from all parts of the world,
they conversed and spoke with each one in his own language; for as I
have said above, they spoke in various languages from that time on.
This grace was given not only to the Apostles, although it was more
complete and noticeable in them; also the disciples and all the one
hundred and twenty, who were in the Cenacle at the time, and also the
holy women, who received the Holy Ghost, were thus favored. This was
really necessary at the time on account of the great multitudes, who
came to the faith. Although all the men and many of the women came to
the Apostles, yet many, after having heard them, went to Magdalen and
her companions, who catechized, instructed and converted them and
others that came at the report of the miracles they performed. For
this gift was also conferred on the women, who, by the imposition of
hands, cured all the sicknesses, gave sight to the blind, tongue to
the mute, motion to the lame, and life to many of the dead. These and
other wonders were principally wrought by the Apostles, nevertheless
both their miracles and those of the women excited the wonder and
astonishment of all Jerusalem; so that nothing else was talked about
except the prodigies and the preaching of the Apostles of Jesus, of
his disciples, and followers of his doctrine.
This was the happy beginning and the
golden age of the evangelical Church, where the rushing of the stream
rejoiced the city of God (Ps. 45, 5) and the current of grace and the
gifts of the Holy Ghost fertilized this new paradise recently planted
by the hands of the Savior Jesus, while in its midst stood the tree
of life, most holy Mary. Then was faith alive, hope firm, charity
ardent, sincerity pure, humility true, justice most equitable, when
the faithful neither knew avarice nor followed vanity, when they trod
under foot vain pomp, were free from covetousness, pride, ambition,
which later prevailed among the professors of the faith, who while
confessing themselves followers of Christ, denied Him in their works.
It will be possible in this third
part to describe only a minute portion of the wonderful and great
works accomplished by the mighty Queen in the primitive Church; but
from those which I will describe, and from her life in this world
after the Ascension, much can be inferred. For She did not rest or
lose one moment or occasion of conferring some singular favor either
upon the whole Church or some of its members. For She consumed
Herself either in praying and beseeching her divine Son, without ever
experiencing a refusal; or in exhorting, instructing, counseling,
and, as Treasurer and Dispenser of the divine favors, distributing
graces in diverse manners among the children of the Gospel. Among the
hidden mysteries, which were made known to me concerning this power
of the blessed Mary, was also this, that in those first ages, during
which She lived in the holy Church, the number of the damned was
proportionately very small; and that, comparatively, in those few
years a greater number were saved than in many succeeding ages.
I acknowledge, that, if the lapse of
time had decreased the power, the charity and clemency of that
highest Sovereign, the good fortune of those living in that happy
time might cause a holy envy in those living by the light of faith in
our more protracted and less favored times. It is true we have not
the happiness of seeing Her, conversing with Her and listening to Her
with bodily senses; and in this respect those first children of the
Church were more fortunate. But let us all remember, that in the
heavenly knowledge and charity of this most loving Mother we were all
present to Her, also during those times (Vol. III, 78); for She saw
and knew us all in the order and succession in which we were be born
in the Church; and She prayed and interceded for us no less than for
those who lived in her times. Nor is She at present less powerful in
heaven, than She was then upon earth; nor less our Mother, than of
those first children; and She held us as her own, just as well them.
But alas! that our faith and our fervor and devotion should be so
very different! Not She has changed, nor is her love less ardent, nor
would we experience less of her intercession and protection, if in
troubled times we would hasten to her with the same sentiments of
humility and fervor, asking for her prayers and trustfully relying
upon Her for help, as was the case with those devoted Christians in
the first beginning. Without a doubt the whole Catholic Church would
then immediately experience the same assistance of the Queen
throughout the whole world.
Many of those new faithful, highly
impressed with her greatness by their conversation with the heavenly
Mistress, returned to present to Her jewels and the richest gifts;
especially the women despoiled themselves of fineries to lay them at
her feet. But She would receive or permit none of these gifts. When
it seemed to her appropriate not to refuse entirely, She secretly
inspired the minds of the givers to bring them to the Apostles, in
order that they might be equitably and justly distributed in charity
among the most poor and needy of the faithful. But the humble Mother
gratefully acknowledged them as if they had been given to Her. The
poor and the sick She received with ineffable kindness, and many of
them she cured of inveterate and long–standing infirmities.
Through the hands of saint John She supplied many secret wants, never
omitting the least point of virtue. As the Apostles and disciples
were engaged all day in preaching the faith and in converting those
that came, the great Queen busied Herself in preparing their food and
attending to their comfort; and at stated times She served the
priests on her knees and with incredible humility and reverence asked
to kiss their hands. This She observed especially with the Apostles,
knowing and beholding their souls confirmed in grace, endowed with
all that the Holy Ghost had wrought in them and exalted by their
dignity of being the high priests and the founders of the Church (Eph.
2, 20). Sometimes She saw them clothed in great splendor, which
elicited from Her increased reverence and veneration.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN
The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain
My daughter, in what thou hast come
to know of the events related in this chapter, thou wilt find a great
deal that points to the mystery of the predestination of souls. Be
convinced that, since the Redemption was so overflowing and copious,
it was sufficient for the salvation of all men (Rom. 5, 20). The
divine truth was made known to all, whoever heard its preaching or
who saw the effects of the coming of the Godman into the world.
Besides the outward preaching and knowledge of the remedy, all
received interior inspirations and helps in order to seek and accept
the means. You are surprised that, in spite of all this, only three
thousand were converted by the first sermon of the Apostle among all
that great multitude then in Jerusalem. It should cause a greater
surprise that in our times so few are converted to the way of eternal
life, as the Gospel is more widespread, its preaching is frequent,
its ministers numerous, the light of the Church clearer and the
knowledge of the divine mysteries more definite. With all this men
are blinder, the hearts more hardened, pride more inflated, avarice
more bold, and all the vices are practiced without fear of God and
without consideration.
In this most perverse and unhappy
state mortals cannot complain of the most high and equitable
providence of the Lord, who offers to all and every one his fatherly
mercy, and points out to them both the way of life and the way of
death; so that if any man hardens his heart, God can permit it in
strictest justice. The reprobate will have none but themselves to
blame, if afterwards, when there is no more time, they shall be
uselessly dismayed with what in opportune time they could and should
have known. If in the short and transient life, which is given to
them in order to merit the eternal, they close their eyes and ears to
the truth and to the light, and if they listen to the demon, giving
themselves up to all the promptings of his malice; if they thus abuse
the goodness and clemency of the Lord, what can they then allege as
their excuse? If they do not know how to pardon an injury and for the
slightest offense meditate the direst vengeance; if, for the sake of
increasing their property, they pervert the entire order of reason
and of natural brotherhood; if for a passing delight they forget the
eternal pains, and if, in addition to all this, they despise the
warnings, helps and admonitions sent to them by God to inspire them
with the fear of perdition and induce them to avoid it, how shall
they afterwards find fault with the divine clemency? Let then
mortals, who have sinned against God, undeceive themselves: without
penance there shall be no grace, without reform no pardon, without
pardon no glory. But just as these are not conceded to those that are
unworthy, so they are also never denied to those that are worthy; nor
is ever the mercy of God withheld from any one who seeks to obtain
it.
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Catholic Catechism
PART THREE - THE LIFE OF THE CHRIST
SECTION ONE - MAN'S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
CHAPTER ONE - THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
ARTICLE EIGHT - MERCY AND SIN
1846 The Gospel is the revelation in Jesus Christ of God's mercy to sinners.113 The angel announced to Joseph: "You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."114
The same is true of the Eucharist, the sacrament of redemption: "This
is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins."115
1847 "God created us without us: but he did not will to save us without us."116
To receive his mercy, we must admit our faults. "If we say we have no
sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our
sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us
from all unrighteousness."117
1848 As St. Paul affirms, "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more."118
But to do its work grace must uncover sin so as to convert our hearts
and bestow on us "righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord."119 Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it, God, by his Word and by his Spirit, casts a living light on sin:
- Conversion requires convincing of sin; it includes the interior judgment of conscience, and this, being a proof of the action of the Spirit of truth in man's inmost being, becomes at the same time the start of a new grant of grace and love: "Receive the Holy Spirit." Thus in this "convincing concerning sin" we discover a double gift: the gift of the truth of conscience and the gift of the certainty of redemption. The Spirit of truth is the Consoler.120
II. THE DEFINITION OF SIN
1849
Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is
failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse
attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures
human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a
desire contrary to the eternal law."121
1850 Sin is an offense against God: "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight."122
Sin sets itself against God's love for us and turns our hearts away
from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God
through the will to become "like gods,"123 knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus "love of oneself even to contempt of God."124 In this proud self- exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation.125
1851
It is precisely in the Passion, when the mercy of Christ is about to
vanquish it, that sin most clearly manifests its violence and its many
forms: unbelief, murderous hatred, shunning and mockery by the leaders
and the people, Pilate's cowardice and the cruelty of the soldiers,
Judas' betrayal - so bitter to Jesus, Peter's denial and the disciples'
flight. However, at the very hour of darkness, the hour of the prince of
this world,126 the sacrifice of Christ secretly becomes the source from which the forgiveness of our sins will pour forth inexhaustibly.
III. THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SINS
1852 There are a great many kinds of sins. Scripture provides several lists of them. The Letter to the Galatians
contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit: "Now the
works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness,
idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness,
dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn
you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not
inherit the Kingdom of God."127
1853 Sins
can be distinguished according to their objects, as can every human
act; or according to the virtues they oppose, by excess or defect; or
according to the commandments they violate. They can also be classed
according to whether they concern God, neighbor, or oneself; they can be
divided into spiritual and carnal sins, or again as sins in thought,
word, deed, or omission. The root of sin is in the heart of man, in his
free will, according to the teaching of the Lord: "For out of the heart
come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness,
slander. These are what defile a man."128 But in the heart also resides charity, the source of the good and pure works, which sin wounds.
IV. THE GRAVITY OF SIN: MORTAL AND VENIAL SIN
1854 Sins are rightly evaluated according to
their gravity. The distinction between mortal and venial sin, already
evident in Scripture,129 became part of the tradition of the Church. It is corroborated by human experience.
1855 Mortal sin
destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law;
it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude,
by preferring an inferior good to him.
Venial sin allows charity to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.
1856
Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us - that is,
charity - necessitates a new initiative of God's mercy and a conversion
of heart which is normally accomplished within the setting of the
sacrament of reconciliation:
- When the will sets itself upon something that is of its nature incompatible with the charity that orients man toward his ultimate end, then the sin is mortal by its very object . . . whether it contradicts the love of God, such as blasphemy or perjury, or the love of neighbor, such as homicide or adultery. . . . But when the sinner's will is set upon something that of its nature involves a disorder, but is not opposed to the love of God and neighbor, such as thoughtless chatter or immoderate laughter and the like, such sins are venial.130
1857 For a sin to be mortal,
three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object
is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and
deliberate consent."131
1858 Grave matter
is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of
Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do
not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father
and your mother."132 The gravity of sins is more or less
great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who
is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence
against a stranger.
1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent.
It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its
opposition to God's law. It also implies a consent sufficiently
deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of
heart133 do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.
1860 Unintentional ignorance
can diminish or even remove the imputability of a grave offense. But no
one is deemed to be ignorant of the principles of the moral law, which
are written in the conscience of every man. The promptings of feelings
and passions can also diminish the voluntary and free character of the
offense, as can external pressures or pathological disorders. Sin
committed through malice, by deliberate choice of evil, is the gravest.
1861
Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love
itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of
sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed
by repentance and God's forgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's
kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to
make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can
judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment
of persons to the justice and mercy of God.
1862 One commits venial sin when, in a
less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the
moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but
without full knowledge or without complete consent.
1863
Venial sin weakens charity; it manifests a disordered affection for
created goods; it impedes the soul's progress in the exercise of the
virtues and the practice of the moral good; it merits temporal
punishment. Deliberate and unrepented venial sin disposes us little by
little to commit mortal sin. However venial sin does not break the
covenant with God. With God's grace it is humanly reparable. "Venial sin
does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God,
charity, and consequently eternal happiness."134
- While he is in the flesh, man cannot help but have at least some light sins. But do not despise these sins which we call "light": if you take them for light when you weigh them, tremble when you count them. A number of light objects makes a great mass; a number of drops fills a river; a number of grains makes a heap. What then is our hope? Above all, confession.135
1864
"Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men,
but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven."136
There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately
refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his
sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit.137 Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss.
V. THE PROLIFERATION OF SIN
1865
Sin creates a proclivity to sin; it engenders vice by repetition of the
same acts. This results in perverse inclinations which cloud conscience
and corrupt the concrete judgment of good and evil. Thus sin tends to
reproduce itself and reinforce itself, but it cannot destroy the moral
sense at its root.
1866 Vices can be classified according to the virtues they oppose, or also be linked to the capital sins
which Christian experience has distinguished, following St. John
Cassian and St. Gregory the Great. They are called "capital" because
they engender other sins, other vices.138 They are pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia.
1867 The catechetical tradition also recalls that there are "sins that cry to heaven": the blood of Abel,139 the sin of the Sodomites,140 the cry of the people oppressed in Egypt,141 the cry of the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan,142 injustice to the wage earner.143
1868 Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them:
- by participating directly and voluntarily in them;
- by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them;
- by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so;
- by protecting evil-doers.
1869
Thus sin makes men accomplices of one another and causes concupiscence,
violence, and injustice to reign among them. Sins give rise to social
situations and institutions that are contrary to the divine goodness.
"Structures of sin" are the expression and effect of personal sins. They
lead their victims to do evil in their turn. In an analogous sense,
they constitute a "social sin."144
IN BRIEF
1871 Sin is an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law (St. Augustine, Faust 22:PL 42, 418). It is an offense against God. It rises up against God in a disobedience contrary to the obedience of Christ.
1873 The root of all sins lies in man's heart. The kinds and the gravity of sins are determined principally by their objects.
1874 To choose deliberately - that is, both
knowing it and willing it - something gravely contrary to the divine law
and to the ultimate end of man is to commit a mortal sin. This destroys
in us the charity without which eternal beatitude is impossible.
Unrepented, it brings eternal death.
1875 Venial sin constitutes a moral disorder that is reparable by charity, which it allows to subsist in us.
113 Cf. Lk 15.
114 Mt 1:21.
115 Mt 26:28.
116 St. Augustine, Sermo 169,11,13:PL 38,923.
117 1 Jn 8-9.
118 Rom 5:20.
119 Rom 5:21.
120 John Paul II, DeV 31 § 2.
121 St. Augustine, Contra Faustum 22:PL 42,418; St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I-II,71,6.
122 Ps 51:4.
123 Gen 3:5.
124 St. Augustine, De civ. Dei 14,28:PL 41,436.
125 Cf. Phil 2:6-9.
126 Cf. Jn 14:30.
127 Gal 5:19-21; cf. Rom 1:28-32; 1 Cor 9-10; Eph 5:3-5; Col 3:5-8; 1 Tim 9-10; 2 Tim 2-5.
128 Mt 15:19-20.
129 Cf. 1 Jn 16-17.
130 St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I-II,88,2, corp. art.
131 RP 17 § 12.
132 Mk 10:19.
133 Cf. Mk 3:5-6; Lk 16:19-31.
134 John Paul II, RP 17 § 9.
135 St. Augustine, In ep. Jo. 1,6:PL 35,1982.
136 Mt 12:31; cf. Mk 3:29; Lk 12:10.
137 Cf. John Paul II, DeV 46.
138 Cf. St. Gregory the Great, Moralia in Job, 31,45:PL 76,621A.
139 Cf. Gen 4:10.
140 Cf. Gen 18:20; 19:13.
141 Cf. Ex 3:7-10.
142 Cf. Ex 20:20-22.
143 Cf. Deut 24:14-15; Jas 5:4.
144 John Paul II, RP 16.
114 Mt 1:21.
115 Mt 26:28.
116 St. Augustine, Sermo 169,11,13:PL 38,923.
117 1 Jn 8-9.
118 Rom 5:20.
119 Rom 5:21.
120 John Paul II, DeV 31 § 2.
121 St. Augustine, Contra Faustum 22:PL 42,418; St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I-II,71,6.
122 Ps 51:4.
123 Gen 3:5.
124 St. Augustine, De civ. Dei 14,28:PL 41,436.
125 Cf. Phil 2:6-9.
126 Cf. Jn 14:30.
127 Gal 5:19-21; cf. Rom 1:28-32; 1 Cor 9-10; Eph 5:3-5; Col 3:5-8; 1 Tim 9-10; 2 Tim 2-5.
128 Mt 15:19-20.
129 Cf. 1 Jn 16-17.
130 St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I-II,88,2, corp. art.
131 RP 17 § 12.
132 Mk 10:19.
133 Cf. Mk 3:5-6; Lk 16:19-31.
134 John Paul II, RP 17 § 9.
135 St. Augustine, In ep. Jo. 1,6:PL 35,1982.
136 Mt 12:31; cf. Mk 3:29; Lk 12:10.
137 Cf. John Paul II, DeV 46.
138 Cf. St. Gregory the Great, Moralia in Job, 31,45:PL 76,621A.
139 Cf. Gen 4:10.
140 Cf. Gen 18:20; 19:13.
141 Cf. Ex 3:7-10.
142 Cf. Ex 20:20-22.
143 Cf. Deut 24:14-15; Jas 5:4.
144 John Paul II, RP 16.
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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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