Reverence, Exodus 22:20-26, Psalms 18, First Thessalonians:1:5-10, Matthew 5:1-12; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; All Saints Day; All Souls Day: Beatitudes; Purgatory; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First fridat and First Saturday Deviotions); Mystical City of God - Book 2 Chapter 3 Virtue of Faith - Instructions given to the Most Holy Mother Mary; Catholic Catechism - Part Four - The Christian Prayer - Section One - Prayer in the Christian Life - Chapter 1 The Revelation of Prayer - Article 3 Guides for Prayer; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ Zarya Parx 2017
JESUS I TRUST IN YOU (Year of Mercy). "Always Trust in Jesus, He the beacon of light amongst the darkest clouds" ~ Zarya Parx 2016
Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ Zarya Parx 2017
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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Liturgical Cycle: A - Gospel of Matthew - 30th 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
Illumination: Peaceful Gregorian Chants
**Copyright Disclaimer - Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research under the term "fair use", which is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, and personal use also tips the balance in favor of fair use.
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Our Lady of Medjugorje Monthly Messages
October 25, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:
“Dear children! I am calling you to be prayer in this time of grace. You all have problems, afflictions, sufferings and lack of peace. May saints be models to you and an encouragement for holiness; God will be near you and you will be renewed in seeking through your personal conversion. Faith will be hope to you and joy will begin to reign in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my call.” ~ Blessed Mother Mary
October 2, 2017 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:
"Dear children, I am speaking to you as a mother - with simple words, but words filled with much love and concern for my children who, through my Son, are entrusted to me. And my Son, who is of the eternal now, He is speaking to you with words of life and is sowing love in open hearts. Therefore, I am imploring you, apostles of my love, have open hearts always ready for mercy and forgiveness. According to my Son, always forgive your neighbors, because in that way peace will be in you. My children, care for your soul, because it alone is what truly belongs to you. You are forgetting the importance of family. A family does not need to be a place of suffering and pain, but a place of understanding and tenderness. Families who strive to live according to my Son live in mutual love. While He was still little, my Son would say to me that all people are His brothers. Therefore, remember, apostles of my love, that all people whom you meet are family to you - brothers according to my Son. My children, do not waste time thinking about the future, worrying. May your only concern be how to live well every moment according to my Son. And there it is - peace for you! My children, do not ever forget to pray for your shepherds. Pray that they can accept all people as their children; that, according to my Son, they may be spiritual fathers to them. Thank you!" ~ Most Holy Blessed Mother Mary
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
THE ANGELUS
(Vatican Radio)
Pope Francis during the Angelus on Wednesday marked the feast of All Saints, telling the faithful in St Peter’s Square that it was a celebration of the many simple and hidden people who help God to push the world forward.
“Saints are not perfect models, but people marked by God. We can compare them to church stained-glass windows, which bring light into different shades of color.”
Those were Pope Francis’ words on Wednesday on the Solemnity of All Saints, during his Angelus address from St Peter’s Square.
The Pope explained that “Saints are our brothers and sisters who have received the light of God in their hearts and have transmitted it to the world, each according to their own "tonality". This is the purpose of life, continued Pope Francis, to pass on the light of God; and also the purpose of our lives....”
Referring to Wednesday’s Gospel reading, the Holy Father said, “Jesus speaks to his own, to all of us, saying "Blessed".
“Whoever is with Jesus is blessed, he is happy, noted the Pope, adding that happiness is not in having something or becoming someone, “no, the real happiness is to be with the Lord and to live for love, he said.”
The Beatitudes
The Pope told those gathered in St Peter’s Square that, “the ingredients for a happy life are called the beatitudes”.
They do not require tremendous gestures, he said, “they are not for supermen, but for those who live through daily trials and struggles. They are for us.”
Returning to the Saints, the Holy Father described how “they too have breathed in all the air polluted by the evil that is in the world, but on the journey they never lose sight of the path of Jesus, that is indicated in the beatitudes, which, he said, are like the map of Christian life.
Saints of Today
The Pope went on to say that the feast of All Saints is a celebration of all those who have “reached the goal indicated by this map: not only the saints of the calendar, but so many brothers and sisters "next door" that we may have met and known.”
This day, Pope Francis said, “is a family celebration of many simple and hidden people who actually help God to push the world forward.”
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2017 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 11/01/2017
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Today's Word - reverence [rev-er-uh ns]
Origin: 250-1300; Middle English < Latin reverentia respect, fear, awe.
1. a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration.
2. the outward manifestation of this feeling: to pay reverence.
3. a gesture indicative of deep respect; an obeisance, bow, or curtsy.
4. the state of being revered, or treated with respect tinged with awe.
5. (initial capital letter) a title used in addressing or mentioning a member of the clergy (usually preceded by your or his).
6. to regard or treat with reverence; venerate: One should reverence God and His laws.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Exodus 22:20-26
20 'You will not molest or oppress aliens, for you yourselves were once aliens in Egypt.21 You will not ill-treat widows or orphans;
22 if you ill-treat them in any way and they make an appeal to me for help, I shall certainly hear their appeal,
23 my anger will be roused and I shall put you to the sword; then your own wives will be widows and your own children orphans.
24 'If you lend money to any of my people, to anyone poor among you, you will not play the usurer with him: you will not demand interest from him.
25 'If you take someone's cloak in pledge, you will return it to him at sunset.
26 It is all the covering he has; it is the cloak he wraps his body in; what else will he sleep in? If he appeals to me, I shall listen. At least with me he will find compassion
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Today's Psalms - Psalms 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
2 Yahweh is my rock and my fortress, my deliverer is my God. I take refuge in him, my rock, my shield, my saving strength, my stronghold, my place of refuge.3 I call to Yahweh who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my foes.
4 With Death's breakers closing in on me, Belial's torrents ready to swallow me,
47 the God who gives me vengeance, and subjects whole peoples to me,
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Today's New Testament Reading - First Thessalonians 1:5-10
5 because our gospel came to you not only in words, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with great effect. And you observed the sort of life we lived when we were with you, which was for your sake.6 You took us and the Lord as your model, welcoming the word with the joy of the Holy Spirit in spite of great hardship.
7 And so you became an example to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia
8 since it was from you that the word of the Lord rang out -- and not only throughout Macedonia and Achaia, for your faith in God has spread everywhere. We do not need to tell other people about it:
9 other people tell us how we started the work among you, how you broke with the worship of false gods when you were converted to God and became servants of the living and true God;
10 and how you are now waiting for Jesus, his Son, whom he raised from the dead, to come from heaven. It is he who saves us from the Retribution which is coming.
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Today's Gospel Reading - Matthew 5: 1-12
The Beatitudes
Matthew 5:1-12
Matthew 5:1-12
1. Listening to the text
a) Opening prayer:
Lord, the meaning of our life is to seek
your Word, which came to us in the person of Christ. Make me capable of
welcoming what is new in the Gospel of the Beatitudes, so that I may
change my life. I would know nothing about you were it not for the light
of the words spoken by your Son Jesus, who came to tell us of your
marvels. When I am weak, if I go to Him, the Word of God, then I become
strong. When I act foolishly, the wisdom of His Gospel restores me to
relish God and the kindness of His love. He guides me to the paths of
life. When some deformity appears in me, I reflect on His Word and the
image of my personality becomes beautiful. When solitude tries to make
me dry, my spiritual marriage to Him makes my life fruitful. When I
discover some sadness or unhappiness in myself, the thought of Him, my
only good, opens the way to joy. Therese of the Child Jesus has a saying
that sums up the desire for holiness as an intense search for God and a
listening to others: "If you are nothing, remember that Jesus is all.
You must therefore lose your little nothing into His infinite all and
think of nothing else but this uniquely lovable all…" (Letters, 87, to
Marie Guérin).
1 Seeing the crowds, He went onto the
mountain. And when He was seated His disciples came to him. 2 Then He
began to speak. This is what He taught them:
3 How blessed are the poor in spirit:
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 Blessed are the gentle:
they shall have the earth as inheritance.
5 Blessed are those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness:
they shall have their fill.
7 Blessed are the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers:
they shall be recognized as children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness:
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 'Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.
3 How blessed are the poor in spirit:
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
4 Blessed are the gentle:
they shall have the earth as inheritance.
5 Blessed are those who mourn:
they shall be comforted.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness:
they shall have their fill.
7 Blessed are the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart:
they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers:
they shall be recognized as children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness:
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
11 'Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.
c) A moment of prayerful silence:
It is important to be able to listen in
deep silence so that the word of Christ may speak to us and so that the
Word made flesh may dwell in us and us in him. It is only in silent
hearts that the Word of God can take root and, on this Solemnity of All
Saints, become flesh in us.
2. Light shed on the Word (lectio)
a) The context:
Jesus’ words on the Beatitudes that
Matthew drew from his sources were condensed in short and isolated
phrases, and The Evangelist has placed them in a broader context which
Biblical scholars call the “sermon on the mount” (chapters 5-7). This sermon is considered to be like the statutes or Magna Carta that Jesus gave to the community as a normative and binding word that defines a Christian.
The many themes contained in this long
sermon are not to be seen as collection of exhortations, but rather as a
clear and radical indication of the new attitude of the disciples
towards God, oneself, and the brothers and sisters. Some expressions
used by Jesus may seem exaggerated, but they are used to stress reality
and thus are realistic in the context, although not so in a literary
sense. For instance in vv.29-30: "If your right eye should be your
downfall, tear it out and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to
lose one part of yourself than to have your whole body thrown into
hell. And if your right hand should be your downfall, cut it off and
throw it away, for it will do you less harm to lose one part of yourself
than to have your whole body go to hell". This manner of speaking
indicates the effect to be created in the reader, who must understand
Jesus’ words correctly and not distort their meaning.
Our focus, for liturgical reasons, will be on the first part of the “sermon on the mount”. That is the part dealing with the proclamation of the beatitudes (Mt 5:1-12).
b) Some details:
Matthew invites the reader to listen to
the beatitudes proclaimed by Jesus with a rich concentration of details.
First he indicates the place where Jesus proclaims His sermon: “Jesus went onto the mountain” (5:1). That is why exegetes call this the “sermon on the mount” even though Luke places this sermon on level ground (Lk 6:20-26). The geographic location of the “mountain”
could be a veiled reference to an episode in the OT quite like this,
when Moses proclaims the Decalogue on mount Sinai. It is possible that
Matthew wishes to present Jesus as the new Moses who proclaims the new
law.
Another detail that strikes us is the physical posture of Jesus who proclaims His words: “when He was seated”.
This posture confers upon Him a note of authority in the legislative
sense. The disciples and the “crowd” gather around him. This detail
shows what Jesus had to say was for all to hear. We note that Jesus’
words do not present impossible matters, nor are they addressed to a
special group of people, nor do they mean to establish a code of ethics
exclusively for His inner circle. Jesus’ demands are concrete, binding
and decisively radical.
Someone branded Jesus’ sermon as follows: "For
me, this is the most important text in the history of humankind. It is
addressed to all, believers and non, and after twenty centuries it is
still the only light still shining in the darkness of violence, fear and
solitude in which the West finds itself because of its pride and
selfishness" (Gilbert Cesbron).
The word “blessed” (in Greek makarioi)
in our context does not say “softly” but cries out happiness found
throughout the Bible. For instance, in the OT, those called “blessed” are those who live out the precepts of Wisdom (Sir 25,7-10). The prayerful person of the Psalms defines “blessed” as those who “fear”,
or more precisely those who love the Lord, expressing this love in the
observance of the precepts contained in the word of God (Sal 1,1;
128,1).
Matthew’s originality lies in adding a secondary phrase that specifies each beatitude. For instance, the main assertion “blessed are the poor in spirit” is clarified by an added phrase “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
Another difference with the OT is that Jesus’ words proclaim a saving
blessedness here and now and without any limitations. For Jesus, all can
attain happiness on condition that they remain united to Him.
c) The first three beatitudes:
i) The first cry concerns the poor: “How blessed are the poor in spirit, the kingdom of heaven is theirs”.
The reader may be shocked. How can the poor be happy? In the Bible, the
poor are those who empty themselves of themselves and, above all,
renounce the presumption of building their own present and future alone.
They leave room for, and focus on, God’s project and His Word. The
poor, always in the biblical sense, is not someone closed in on himself,
miserable and negative, but someone who nurtures being open to God and
to others. God is all his/her treasure. We could say with St.Teresa of
Avila that “God alone suffices!”,.
A great modern spiritual author described poverty as follows: "As long as one does not empty one’s heart, God cannot fill it with Himself. As you empty your heart, so does the Lord fill it. Poverty is emptiness, not only in what concerns the future but also the past. Not a regret or memory, not a worry or wish! God is not in the past, God is not in the future: He is in the present! Leave your past to God, leave your future to God. Your poverty is to live the present, the Presence of God who is Eternity” (Divo Barsotti).
This is the first beatitude, not just because it is the first of many, but because it seems to encapsulate all the others in their diversity.
ii) ”Blessed are those who mourn; they shall be comforted”.
One can mourn because of great pain or suffering. This underlines the
fact that we are dealing with a serious situation even though the
motives or the cause are not mentioned. If we wish to identify today
“those who mourn”, we could think of all the Christians who hold dear
the demands of the kingdom and suffer because of many negative stories
in the Church rather than focus on holiness. For them, the Church
seems to present divisions and lacerations. They may also be those who
suffer because of their sins and inconsistencies and who, in some way,
slow down their conversion. To these, only God can bring the news of
“consolation”.
iii) ”Blessed are the gentle, they shall inherit the earth”.
The third beatitude is about gentleness. This is a quality that is not
popular today. For many it has a negative connotation and is taken for
weakness or the kind of imperturbability that knows how to calculatingly
control one’s emotions. What does the word “gentle” mean in the Bible?
The gentle are remembered as those who enjoy great peace (Ps 37:10), are
happy, blessed, and loved by God. They are also contrasted with
evildoers, the ungodly, and sinners. Thus the OT gives us a wealth of
meanings that do not allow for one single definition.
In the NT, the first time we meet the word is in Mt 11:29: “Learn from me because I am gentle and humble of heart”. A second time is in Mt 21:5, when Matthew describes Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and cites the prophet Zechariah in 2:9: “Behold your servant comes to you, meek [gentle]”. Truly, Matthew’s Gospel may be described as the Gospel of gentleness.
Paul also says that gentleness is an identifying quality of the Christian. In 2 Corinthians 10:1 he exhorts believers “I urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ”. In Galatians 5:22 gentleness is considered one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in the heart of believers and consists in being meek, moderate, slow to punish, kind and patient towards others. Again in Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:12 gentleness is an attitude that is part of the Christian and a sign of the new man in Christ.
Finally, an eloquent witness comes from 1 Peter 3:3-4: “Whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”.
How does Jesus use the word “gentle”? A truly enlightening definition is the one given by the gentle person of Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini: “The gentle person, according to the beatitudes, is one who, in spite of the fervor of his/her feelings, remains docile and calm, not possessive, interiorly free, always extremely respectful of the mystery of freedom, imitating God in this respect who does everything with respect for the person, and urges the person to obedience without ever using violence. Gentleness is opposed to all forms of material or moral arrogance, it gains the victory of peace over war, of dialogue over imposition”.
To this wise interpretation we add that of another famous exegete: “The gentleness spoken of in the beatitudes is none other than that aspect of humility that manifests itself in practical affability in one’s dealings with the other. Such gentleness finds its image and its perfect model in the person of Jesus, gentle and humble of heart. Truly, such gentleness seems to us like a form of charity, patient and delicately attentive towards others” (Jacques Dupont).
3. The word enlightens me (to meditate)
a) Am I able to accept those little
signs of poverty in my regard? For instance, the poverty of poor health
and little indispositions? Do I make exorbitant demands?
b) Am I able to accept my poverty and fragility?
c) Do I pray like a poor person, as one who asks with humility the grace of God, His pardon and His mercy?
d) Inspired by Jesus’ message concerning gentleness, do I renounce violence, vengeance and a vengeful spirit?
e) Do I encourage, in families and in my place of work, a spirit of kindness, gentleness and peace?
f) Do I pay back malice and insults with evil?
g) Do I look after the weakest who cannot defend themselves? Am I patient with old people? Do I welcome lonely strangers who are often exploited at work?
b) Am I able to accept my poverty and fragility?
c) Do I pray like a poor person, as one who asks with humility the grace of God, His pardon and His mercy?
d) Inspired by Jesus’ message concerning gentleness, do I renounce violence, vengeance and a vengeful spirit?
e) Do I encourage, in families and in my place of work, a spirit of kindness, gentleness and peace?
f) Do I pay back malice and insults with evil?
g) Do I look after the weakest who cannot defend themselves? Am I patient with old people? Do I welcome lonely strangers who are often exploited at work?
a) Psalm 23:
The Psalm seems to rotate around the
title “The Lord is my shepherd”. The saints are the image of the flock
on the way: they are accompanied by the goodness and loyalty of God,
until they finally reach the house of the Father (L.Alonso Schökel, I salmi della fiducia, Dehoniana libri, Bologna 2006, 54)
Yahweh is my shepherd,
I lack nothing.
I lack nothing.
In grassy meadows He lets me lie.
By tranquil streams He leads me
to restore my spirit.
He guides me in paths of saving justice as befits His name.
By tranquil streams He leads me
to restore my spirit.
He guides me in paths of saving justice as befits His name.
Even were I to walk in a ravine as dark as death
I should fear no danger,
for you are at my side.
Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me.
I should fear no danger,
for you are at my side.
Your staff and your crook are there to soothe me.
You prepare a table for me under the eyes of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup brims over.
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup brims over.
Kindness and faithful love pursue me every day of my life.
I make my home in the house of Yahweh
for all time to come.
I make my home in the house of Yahweh
for all time to come.
(The common translation of psalm 23:
b) Closing prayer:
Lord Jesus, you show us the way of the
beatitudes so that we may come to that happiness that is fullness of
life and thus holiness. We are all called to holiness, but the only
treasure of the saints is God. Your Word, Lord, calls saints all those
who in baptism were chosen by your love of a Father, to be conformed to
Christ. Grant, Lord, that by your grace we may achieve this conformity
to Jesus Christ. We thank you, Lord, for the saints you have placed on
our way and who manifest your love. We ask for your pardon if we have
tarnished your face in us and denied our calling to be saints.
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item from Litany Lane
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Feast Day : All Saints Day
Feast Day: November 1Patron Saint: varied
 |
| All Saints |
In Western Christian theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries. In the Catholic Church and many Anglican churches, the next day specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. Christians who celebrate All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day do so in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual bond between those in purgatory (the 'Church Suffering'), those in heaven (the 'Church triumphant'), and the living (the 'Church militant'). Other Christian traditions define, remember and respond to the saints in different ways; for example, in the Methodist Church, the word "saints" refers to all Christians and therefore, on All Saints' Day, the Church Universal, as well as the deceased members of a local congregation, are honoured and remembered.
In the East
Eastern Christians of the Byzantine Tradition commemorate all saints collectively on the first Sunday after Pentecost, All Saints' Sunday (Greek: Αγίων Πάντων, Agiōn Pantōn).The feast of All Saints achieved great prominence in the ninth century, in the reign of the Byzantine Emperor, Leo VI "the Wise" (886–911). His wife, Empress Theophano—commemorated on 16 December—lived a devout life. After her death in 893, her husband built a church, intending to dedicate it to her. When he was forbidden to do so, he decided to dedicate it to "All Saints", so that if his wife were in fact one of the righteous, she would also be honored whenever the feast was celebrated. According to tradition, it was Leo who expanded the feast from a commemoration of All Martyrs to a general commemoration of All Saints, whether martyrs or not.
This Sunday marks the close of the Paschal season. To the normal Sunday services are added special scriptural readings and hymns to all the saints (known and unknown) from the Pentecostarion.
In the late spring, the Sunday following Pentecost Sunday (50 days after Easter) is set aside as a commemoration of all locally venerated saints, such as "All Saints of America", "All Saints of Mount Athos", etc. The third Sunday after Pentecost may be observed for even more localized saints, such as "All Saints of St. Petersburg", or for saints of a particular type, such as "New Martyrs of the Turkish Yoke."
In addition to the Sundays mentioned above, Saturdays throughout the year are days for general commemoration of all saints, and special hymns to all saints are chanted from the Octoechos. In the Maronite Catholic Church, the Sunday of the Righteous and Just is the traditional Maronite feast in honor of all saints.
In the West
The Western Christian holiday of All Saints' Day falls on 1 November, followed by All Souls' Day on 2 November, and is a Holy Day of Obligation in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church.The origin of the festival of All Saints celebrated in the West dates to 13 May 609 or 610, when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs; the feast of the dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Martyres has been celebrated at Rome ever since. There is evidence that from the fifth through the seventh centuries there existed in certain places and at sporadic intervals a feast date on 13 May to celebrate the holy martyrs. The origin of All Saints' Day cannot be traced with certainty, and it has been observed on various days in different places. However, there are some who maintain the belief that it has origins in the pagan observation of 13 May, the Feast of the Lemures, in which the malevolent and restless spirits of the dead were propitiated. Liturgiologists base the idea that this Lemuria festival was the origin of that of All Saints on their identical dates and on the similar theme of "all the dead".
The feast of All Saints, on its current date, is traced to the foundation by Pope Gregory III (731–741) of an oratory in St. Peter's for the relics "of the holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors, of all the just made perfect who are at rest throughout the world", with the day moved to 1 November and the 13 May feast suppressed.
This fell on the Celtic holiday of Samhain, which had a theme similar to the Roman festival of Lemuria, but which was also a harvest festival. The Irish, having celebrated Samhain in the past, did not celebrate All Hallows Day on this 1 November date, as extant historical documents attest that the celebration in Ireland took place in the spring: "...the Felire of Oengus and the Martyrology of Tallaght prove that the early medieval churches [in Ireland] celebrated the feast of All Saints on April 20."
A November festival of all the saints was already widely celebrated on 1 November in the days of Charlemagne. It was made a day of obligation throughout the Frankish empire in 835, by a decree of Louis the Pious, issued "at the instance of Pope Gregory IV and with the assent of all the bishops", which confirmed its celebration on 1 November. The octave was added by Pope Sixtus IV (1471–1484).
The festival was retained after the Reformation in the calendar of the Anglican Church and in many Lutheran churches. In the Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden, it assumes a role of general commemoration of the dead. In the Swedish calendar, the observance takes place on the Saturday between 31 October and 6 November. In many Lutheran Churches, it is moved to the first Sunday of November. In the Church of England it may be celebrated either on 1 November or on the Sunday between 30 October and 5 November. It is also celebrated by other Protestants of the English tradition, such as the United Church of Canada, the Methodist churches, and the Wesleyan Church.
Protestants generally regard all true Christian believers as saints and if they observe All Saints Day at all they use it to remember all Christians both past and present. In the United Methodist Church, All Saints' Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in November. It is held, not only to remember Saints, but also to remember all those who have died who were members of the local church congregation. In some congregations, a candle is lit by the Acolyte as each person's name is called out by the clergy. Prayers and responsive readings may accompany the event. Often, the names of those who have died in the past year are affixed to a memorial plaque.
In many Lutheran churches, All Saints' Day and Reformation Day are observed concurrently on the Sunday before or after those dates, given Reformation Day is observed in Protestant Churches on 31 October. Typically, Martin Luther's "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" is sung during the service. Besides discussing Luther's role in the Protestant Reformation, some recognition of the prominent early leaders of the Reformed tradition, such as John Calvin and John Knox, occurs. The observance of Reformation Day may be immediately followed by a reading of those members of the local congregation who have died in the past year in observance of All Saints' Day. Otherwise, the recognition of deceased church members occurs at another designated portion of the service.
Roman Catholic Obligation
In Catholicism, All Saints' Day is a Holy Day of Obligation in many (but not all) countries, meaning going to Mass on the date is required unless one has a good reason to be excused, such as illness. However, in a number of countries that do list All Saints' Day as a Holy Day of Obligation, including England and Wales, the solemnity of All Saints' Day is transferred to the adjacent Sunday, if 1 November falls on a Monday or a Saturday, while in the same circumstances in the United States the Solemnity is still celebrated on 1 November but the obligation to attend Mass is abrogated.Customs
In Mexico, Portugal and Spain, offerings (Portuguese: oferendas, Spanish: ofrendas) are made on this day. In Spain, the play Don Juan Tenorio is traditionally performed. All Saints' Day in Mexico, coincides with the first day of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebration. Known as "Día de los Inocentes" (Day of the Innocents), it honours deceased children and infants. Portuguese children celebrate the Pão-por-Deus tradition, going door-to-door where they receive cakes, nuts and pomegranates. This only occurs in central Portugal.Hallowmas in the Philippines is variously called "Undas" (based on the word for "[the] first"), "Todós los Santos" (literally "All Saints"), and sometimes "Áraw ng mga Patáy" (lit. "Day of the Dead"), which refers to the following day of All Souls' Day but includes it. While traditionally, Filipinos observed this day solemnly by visiting the graves of deceased relatives, offering prayers and flowers, lighting candles, cleaning and repairing the graves, this tradition is slowly dying. Instead it has been replaced by Filipinos spending the day, and often the entire night, picnicking and holding reunions at the cemetery near their loved ones. Many sing, bring Karaoke TV sets and musical instruments, and even burst fire crackers. In fact, for the past few years, the government has banned bringing of liquor, sharp instruments and guns due to incidents of drunkenness and resulting violence during the festival.
In Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Chile, France, Hungary, Italy, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malta, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, and American cities such as New Orleans, people take flowers to the graves of dead relatives. In Portugal people also light candles in the graves. In Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Catholic parts of Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden, the tradition is to light candles and visit the graves of deceased relatives. In English-speaking countries, the festival is traditionally celebrated with the hymn "For All the Saints" by William Walsham How. The most familiar tune for this hymn is Sine Nomine by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Catholics generally celebrate with a day of rest consisting of avoiding physical exertion
References
- Glanville, Downey (1956). "The Church of All Saints (Church of St. Theophano) near the Church of the Holy Apostles at Constantinople". Dumbarton Oaks Papers 9/10: 301-305.
- Mershman, Francis (1913). "All Saints' Day". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "All Saints, Festival of". Encyclopædia Britannica. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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Saint of the Day: All Souls DayFeast Day: November 2Patron Saint: n/a  The Western celebration of All Souls' Day is on 2 November and follows All Saints' Day. In the ordinary form of the Roman Rite, if 2 November falls on a Sunday, the Mass is of All Souls, but the Liturgy of the Hours is that of the Sunday, though Lauds and Vespers for the Dead in which the people participate may be said. In the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite and in the Anglican Communion, All Souls Day is instead transferred, whenever 2 November falls on a Sunday, to the next day, 3 November. The Eastern Orthodox Church dedicates several days throughout the year to the dead, mostly on Saturdays, because of Jesus' resting in the Holy Sepulchre on that day. In the Methodist Church, saints refer to all Christians and therefore, on All Saint's Day, the Church Universal, as well as the deceased members of a local congregation are honoured and remembered. Roman CatholicismBackgroundThe Catholic Church teaches that the fate of those in purgatory can be affected by the actions of the faithful on earth. Its teaching is based also on the practice of prayer for the dead mentioned as far back as 2 Maccabees 12:42–46. In the West there is ample evidence of the custom of praying for the dead in the inscriptions of the catacombs, with their constant prayers for the peace of the souls of the departed and in the early liturgies, which commonly contain commemorations of the dead. Tertullian, Cyprian and other early Western Fathers witness to the regular practice of praying for the dead among the early Christians. The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine that the souls which, on departing from the body, are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for past transgressions, are debarred from the Beatific Vision, and that the faithful on earth can help them by prayers, alms deeds and especially by the sacrifice of the Mass. Because Purgatory is outside created time and space, it is not necessarily accurate to speak of a location or duration in Purgatory.HistoryIn the sixth century, it was customary in Benedictine monasteries to hold a commemoration of the deceased members at Whitsuntide. According to Widukind of Corvey (c. 975), in Saxony, there existed a time-honoured ceremony of praying to the dead on 1 October. The Diocese of Liège was the first diocese to adopt the practice under Bishop Notger (d. 1008). The day after All Saints' Day, was that which Saint Odilo of Cluny chose in the 11th century for all the monasteries dependent on the Abbey of Cluny. Odilo instituted the annual commemoration of all the faithful departed, to be observed by the members of his community with alms, prayers, and sacrifices, for the relief of the suffering souls in purgatory. Odilo decreed that that those requesting a Mass be offered for the departed should make an offering for the poor, thus linking almsgiving with fasting and prayer for the dead. From there the 2 November custom spread to other Benedictine monasteries and thence to the Western Church in general.In the 15th century the Dominicans instituted a custom of each priest offering three Masses on the Feast of All Souls. During World War I, given the great number of war dead and the many destroyed churches where mass could no longer be said, Pope Benedict XV, granted all priests the privilege of offering three Masses on All Souls Day, a permission that still stands. Known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, in some countries the celebration is known as the "Day of the Dead". Liturgical practiceIn the Roman Rite as revised in 1969, if 2 November falls on a Sunday, the Mass is of All Souls, but the Liturgy of the Hours is that of the Sunday. However, public celebration of Lauds and Vespers of the Dead with the people participating is permitted. While celebration of a Sunday, a solemnity or a feast of the Lord replacing a Sunday begins on the previous evening with Vespers and perhaps evening Mass, the general norms do not allow for anticipation on Saturday evening of the liturgy of All Souls' Day falling on a Sunday, and so they suggest that the formula of the Mass on that Saturday evening is that of the solemnity of All Saints, which outranks the Sunday of Ordinary Time whose Mass would be celebrated on that evening. However, in 2014, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops decided that for that year the Saturday evening (Sunday vigil) Mass in that country was to be that of All Souls; in countries such as Italy the situation was less clear.In countries where All Saints' Day is not a holy day of obligation attendance at an evening Mass of All Saints on Saturday 1 November satisfies the Sunday obligation. In England and Wales, where holy days of obligation that fall on a Saturday are transferred to the following day, if 2 November is a Sunday, the solemnity of All Saints is transferred to that date, and All Souls Day is transferred to 3 November. In pre-1970 forms of the Roman Rite, still observed by some, if All Souls Day falls on a Sunday, it is always transferred to 3 November. In Divine Worship: The Missal the minor propers (Introit, Gradual, Tract, Sequence, Offertory, and Communion) are those used for Renaissance and Classical musical requiem settings, including the Dies Irae. This permits the performance of traditional requiem settings in the context of the Divine Worship Form of the Roman Rite on All Souls Day as well as at funerals, votive celebrations of all faithful departed, and anniversaries of deaths. All Souls' indulgenceAccording to The Enchiridion of Indulgences, An indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who devoutly visit a cemetery and pray for the departed. The indulgence is plenary, under the usual conditions, each day from the first to the eighth of November; a partial indulgence is granted on any other days of the year."Visit to a Church or Oratory on All Souls Day. PLENARY INDULGENCE. A plenary indulgence, applicable ONLY to the souls in purgatory, may be obtained by those who, on All Souls Day, piously visit a church, public oratory, or -for those entitled to use it, a semi public oratory. It may be acquired either on the day designated as All Souls Day or, with the consent of the bishop, on the preceding or following Sunday or the feast of All Saints. On visiting the church or oratory it is required that one Our Father and the Creed be recited Office of the Dead - Liturgy of the HoursThe Office of the Dead is a prayer cycle of the Liturgy of the Hours in the Roman Catholic Church, said for the repose of the soul of a decedent. It is the proper reading on All Souls' Day (normally November 2) for all souls in Purgatory, and can be a votive office on other days when said for a particular decedent. The work is composed of different psalms, scripture, prayers and other parts, divided into The Office of Readings, Lauds, Daytime Prayer, and Vespers (with Compline taken from the Sunday hour of Compline).Composition of the Current OfficeThe current office, according to the 2000 Liturgia Horarum (Liturgy of the Hours) editio typica altera (second typical edition) includes the normal cycle of a typical ferial office, namely an Office of Readings (Matins), Lauds, Daytime Prayer (Terce, Sext, or None), and Vespers. The final hour of Compline is taken from Sunday. The Office of Readings includes Psalms 40 [39]: 2-14, 17-18 (this psalm selection is split between verses 9 and 10 into two sections, to keep the character of threefold cycle of Psalms for the hour); and 42 [41]. These psalms are followed by two longer lessons which are variable and come from one of multiple options. Lauds includes Psalm 51 [50], the Canticle of Ezechias (Hezekiah) (verses 15-16 are not included), and Psalm 146 [145] or 150. These are followed by a short lesson, a responsory, the Benedictus and the preces. Daytime Prayer consists of Psalms 70 [69], 85 [84], and 86 [85]. These are followed by a short lesson and a versicle which vary depending on which of the little hours (Terce, Sext, or None) are being used for Daytime Prayer. Vespers includes Psalms 121 [120], 130 [129], and a canticle from Phil 2:6-11. This is followed by a short lesson, a responsory, the Magnificat, and the preces. The hour of Compline is taken from Sunday after Second Vespers.The Pre-Vatican II Composition of the OfficeThis office, as it existed in the Roman Liturgy prior to the Second Vatican Council, was composed of First Vespers, Mass, Matins, and Lauds. The editor is not known, but the office as it existed before the reforms was no older than from 7th or 8th century. A well known refrain from the cycle is Timor mortis conturbat me, "The fear of death confounds me" or, more colloquially, "I am scared to death of dying". The word dirge comes from it.The Vespers of the older office comprise Psalms 116.1–9 [114], 120 [119], 121 [120], 130 [129], and 138 [137], with the Magnificat and the preces. The Matins, composed like those of feast days, have three nocturns, each consisting of three psalms and three lessons; the Lauds, as usual, have three psalms (Psalms 63 [62] and 67 [66] united are counted as one) and a canticle (that of Ezechias), the three psalms Laudate, and the Benedictus. We shall speak presently of the Mass. The office differs in important points from the other offices of the Roman Liturgy. It has not the Little Hours, the Second Vespers, or the Compline. In this respect it resembles the ancient vigils, which began at eventide (First Vespers), continued during the night (Matins), and ended at the dawn (Lauds); Mass followed and terminated the vigil of the feast. The absence of the introduction, "Deus in adjutorium", of the hymns, absolution, blessings, and of the doxology in the psalms also recall ancient times, when these additions had not yet been made. The psalms are chosen not in their serial order, as in the Sunday Office or the Roman ferial Office, but because certain verses, which serve as antiphons, seem to allude to the state of the dead. The use of some of these psalms in the funeral service is of high antiquity, as appears from passages in St. Augustine and other writers of the fourth and fifth centuries. The lessons from Job, so suitable for the Office of the Dead, were also read in very early days at funeral services. The responses, too, deserve notice, especially the response "Libera me, Domine, de viis inferni qui portas æreas confregisti et visitasti inferum et dedisti eis lumen . . . qui erant in poenis . . . advenisti redemptor noster" etc. This is one of the few texts in the Roman Liturgy alluding to Christ's descent into hell. It is also a very ancient composition (see Cabrol, "La descente du Christ aux enfers" in "Rassegna Gregor.", May and June, 1909). The "Libera me de morte æterna", which is found more complete in the ancient manuscripts, dates also from an early period (see Cabrol in "Dict. d'archéol. et de liturgie", s. v. Absoute). Mgr Batiffol remarks that it is not of Roman origin, but it is very ancient (Hist. du brév., 148). The distinctive character of the Mass, its various epistles, its tract, its offertory in the form of a prayer, the communion (like the offertory) with versicles, according to the ancient custom, and the sequence "Dies Iræ" (q.v.; concerning its author see also BURIAL), it is impossible to dwell upon here. The omission of the Alleluia, and the kiss of peace is also characteristic of this mass. There was a time when the Alleluia was one of the chants customary at funeral services (see Dict. d'archéol. et de liturgie, s. v. Alleluia, I, 1235). Later it was looked upon exclusively as a song of joy, and was omitted on days of penance (e.g. Lent and ember week), sometimes in Advent, and at all funeral ceremonies. It is replaced to-day by a tract. A treatise of the 8th-9th century published by Muratori (Liturg. Rom. vet., II, 391) shows that the Alleluia was then suppressed. The omission of the kiss of peace at the Mass is probably because that ceremony preceded the distribution of the Eucharist to the faithful and was a preparation for it, so, as communion is not given at the Mass for the Dead, the kiss of peace was suppressed. Not to speak of the variety of ceremonies of the Mozarabic, Ambrosian, or Oriental liturgies, even in countries where the Roman liturgy prevailed, there were many variations. The lessons, the responses, and other formulæ were borrowed from various sources; certain Churches included in this office the Second Vespers and Complin; in other places, instead of the lessons of our Roman Ritual, they read St. Augustine, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiasticus, Osee, Isaiah, Daniel, etc. The responses varied likewise; many examples may be found in Martène and the writers cited below in the bibliography. It is fortunate that the Roman Church preserved carefully and without notable change this office, which, like that of Holy Week, has retained for us in its archaic forms the memory and the atmosphere of a very ancient liturgy. The Mozarabic Liturgy possesses a very rich funeral ritual. Dom Férotin in his "Liber Ordinum" (pp. 107 sqq.) has published a ritual (probably the oldest extant), dating back possibly to the 7th century. He has also published a large number of votive masses of the dead. For the Ambrosian Liturgy, see Magistretti, "Manuale Ambrosianum", I (Milan, 1905), 67; for the Greek Ritual, see Burial, pp. 77–8. HistoryThe Office of the Dead has been attributed at times to St. Isidore, to St. Augustine, to St. Ambrose, and even to Origen. There is no foundation for these assertions. In its 20th century form, while it has some very ancient characteristics, it cannot be older than the 7th or even 8th century. Its authorship is discussed at length in the dissertation of Horatius de Turre. Some writers attribute it to Amalarius, others to Alcuin (see Pierre Batiffol, "Hist. du Brév.", 181-92; and for the opposing view, Bäumer-Biron, "Hist. du Brév.", II, 37). These opinions are more probable, but are not as yet very solidly established. Amalarius speaks of the Office of the Dead, but seems to imply that it existed before his time ("De Eccles. officiis", IV, xlii, in P. L., CV, 1238). He alludes to the "Agenda Mortuorum" contained in a sacramentary, but nothing leads us to believe that he was its author. Alcuin is also known for his activity in liturgical matters, and we owe certain liturgical compositions to him; but there is no reason for considering him the author of this office (see Cabrol in "Dict. d'archéol. et de liturgie", s. v. Alcuin). In the Gregorian Antiphonary we do find a mass and an office in agenda mortuorum, but it is admitted that this part is an addition; a fortiori this applies to the Gelasian. The Maurist editors of St. Gregory are inclined to attribute their composition to Albinus and Etienne of Liège (Microl., lx). But if it is impossible to trace the office and the mass in their actual form beyond the 9th or 8th century, it is notwithstanding certain that the prayers and a service for the dead existed long before that time. We find them in the 5th, 4th, and even in the 3rd and 2nd century. Pseudo-Dionysius, Sts. Gregory of Nyssa, Jerome, and Augustine, Tertullian, and the inscriptions in the catacombs afford a proof of this (see Burial, III, 76; PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD; Cabrol, "La prière pour les morts" in "Rev. d'apologétique", 15 September 1909, pp. 881–93).Practice and obligationThe Office of the Dead was composed originally to satisfy private devotion to the dead, and at first had no official character. Even in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries, it was recited chiefly by the religious orders (the Cluniacs, Cistercians, Carthusians), like the Office of Our Lady (see Guyet, loc. cit., 465). Later it was prescribed for all clerics and became obligatory whenever a ferial office was celebrated. It has even been said that it was to remove the obligation of reciting it that the feasts of double and semi-double rite were multiplied, for it could be omitted on such days (Bäumer-Biron, op. cit., II, 198). The reformed Breviary of St. Pius V assigned the recitation of the Office of the Dead to the first free day in the month, the Mondays of Advent and Lent, to some vigils, and ember days. Even then it was not obligatory, for the Bull "Quod a nobis" of the same pope merely recommends it earnestly, like the Office of Our Lady and the Penitential Psalms, without imposing it as a duty (Van der Stappen, "Sacra Liturgia", I, Malines, 1898, p. 115). At the present time, it is obligatory on the clergy only on the feast of All Souls and in certain mortuary services. Some religious orders (Carthusians, Cistercians etc.) have preserved the custom of reciting it in choir on the days assigned by the Bull "Quod a nobis".References
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
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Today's Snippet I: The Beatitudes
I. THE BEATITUDES
1716
The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus' preaching. They take up the
promises made to the chosen people since Abraham. The Beatitudes
fulfill the promises by ordering them no longer merely to the
possession of a territory, but to the Kingdom of heaven:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward is great in heaven.12
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward is great in heaven.12
1717
The Beatitudes depict the countenance of Jesus Christ and portray his
charity. They express the vocation of the faithful associated with the
glory of his Passion and Resurrection; they shed light on the actions
and attitudes characteristic of the Christian life; they are the
paradoxical promises that sustain hope in the midst of tribulations;
they proclaim the blessings and rewards already secured, however dimly,
for Christ's disciples; they have begun in the lives of the Virgin Mary
and all the saints.
II. THE DESIRE FOR HAPPINESS
1718
The Beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness. This
desire is of divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in
order to draw man to the One who alone can fulfill it:
- We all want to live happily; in the whole human race there is no one who does not assent to this proposition, even before it is fully articulated.13 How is it, then, that I seek you, Lord? Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a happy life, let me seek you so that my soul may live, for my body draws life from my soul and my soul draws life from you.14 God alone satisfies.15
1719
The Beatitudes reveal the goal of human existence, the ultimate end of
human acts: God calls us to his own beatitude. This vocation is
addressed to each individual personally, but also to the Church as a
whole, the new people made up of those who have accepted the promise and
live from it in faith.
III. CHRISTIAN BEATITUDE
1720 The New Testament uses several expressions to characterize the beatitude to which God calls man:
- the coming of the Kingdom of God;16 - the vision of God: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God"17
- entering into the joy of the Lord;18
- entering into God's rest:19
- There we shall rest and see, we shall see and love, we shall love and praise. Behold what will be at the end without end. For what other end do we have, if not to reach the kingdom which has no end?20
1721
God put us in the world to know, to love, and to serve him, and so to
come to paradise. Beatitude makes us "partakers of the divine nature"
and of eternal life.21 With beatitude, man enters into the glory of Christ22 and into the joy of the Trinitarian life.
1722
Such beatitude surpasses the understanding and powers of man. It comes
from an entirely free gift of God: whence it is called supernatural,
as is the grace that disposes man to enter into the divine joy.
- "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." It is true, because of the greatness and inexpressible glory of God, that "man shall not see me and live," for the Father cannot be grasped. But because of God's love and goodness toward us, and because he can do all things, he goes so far as to grant those who love him the privilege of seeing him. . . . For "what is impossible for men is possible for God."23
1723
The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral
choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to
seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness
is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any
human achievement - however beneficial it may be - such as science,
technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the
source of every good and of all love:
- All bow down before wealth. Wealth is that to which the multitude of men pay an instinctive homage. They measure happiness by wealth; and by wealth they measure respectability. . . . It is a homage resulting from a profound faith . . . that with wealth he may do all things. Wealth is one idol of the day and notoriety is a second. . . . Notoriety, or the making of a noise in the world - it may be called "newspaper fame" - has come to be considered a great good in itself, and a ground of veneration.24
1724
The Decalogue, the Sermon on the Mount, and the apostolic catechesis
describe for us the paths that lead to the Kingdom of heaven. Sustained
by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we tread them, step by step, by
everyday acts. By the working of the Word of Christ, we slowly bear
fruit in the Church to the glory of God.25
IN BRIEF
1725
The Beatitudes take up and fulfill God's promises from Abraham on by
ordering them to the Kingdom of heaven. They respond to the desire for
happiness that God has placed in the human heart.
1726
The Beatitudes teach us the final end to which God calls us: the
Kingdom, the vision of God, participation in the divine nature, eternal
life, filiation, rest in God.
1727 The beatitude of eternal life is a gratuitous gift of God. It is supernatural, as is the grace that leads us there.
1728
The Beatitudes confront us with decisive choices concerning earthly
goods; they purify our hearts in order to teach us to love God above
all things.
1729 The beatitude of heaven sets the standards for discernment in the use of earthly goods in keeping with the law of God.
12 Mt 5:3-12.
13 St. Augustine, De moribus eccl. 1,3,4:PL 32,1312.
14 St. Augustine, Conf. 10,20:PL 32,791.
15 St. Thomas Aquinas, Expos. in symb. apost. I.
16 Cf. Mt 4:17.
17 Mt 5:8; cf. 1 Jn 2; 1 Cor 13:12.
18 Mt 25:21-23.
19 Cf. Heb 4:7-11.
20 St. Augustine, De civ. Dei 22,30,5:PL 41,804.
21 2 Pet 1:4; cf. Jn 17:3.
22 Cf. Rom 8:18.
23 St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 4,20,5:PG 7/1,1034-1035.
24 John Henry Cardinal Newman, "Saintliness the Standard of Christian Principle," in Discourses to Mixed Congregations (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1906) V, 89-90.
25 Cf. the parable of the sower: Mt 13:3-23.
13 St. Augustine, De moribus eccl. 1,3,4:PL 32,1312.
14 St. Augustine, Conf. 10,20:PL 32,791.
15 St. Thomas Aquinas, Expos. in symb. apost. I.
16 Cf. Mt 4:17.
17 Mt 5:8; cf. 1 Jn 2; 1 Cor 13:12.
18 Mt 25:21-23.
19 Cf. Heb 4:7-11.
20 St. Augustine, De civ. Dei 22,30,5:PL 41,804.
21 2 Pet 1:4; cf. Jn 17:3.
22 Cf. Rom 8:18.
23 St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 4,20,5:PG 7/1,1034-1035.
24 John Henry Cardinal Newman, "Saintliness the Standard of Christian Principle," in Discourses to Mixed Congregations (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1906) V, 89-90.
25 Cf. the parable of the sower: Mt 13:3-23.
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Today's Snippet II: Purgatory, Sins, Indulgences
Purgatory
(Lat., "purgare", to make clean, to purify) in accordance with
Catholic teaching is a place or condition of temporal punishment for
those who, departing this life in God's grace, are, not entirely free
from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to
their transgressions.
Catholic doctrine
The
faith of the Church concerning purgatory is clearly expressed in the
Decree of Union drawn up by the Council of Florence (Mansi, t. XXXI,
col. 1031), and in the decree of the Council of Trent which (Sess. XXV)
defined:
"Whereas the Catholic Church, instructed by the Holy Ghost, has from the Sacred Scriptures and the ancient tradition of the Fathers taught in Councils and very recently in this Ecumenical synod (Sess. VI, cap. XXX; Sess. XXII cap.ii, iii) that there is a purgatory, and that the souls therein are helped by the suffrages of the faithful, but principally by the acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar; the Holy Synod enjoins on the Bishops that they diligently endeavor to have the sound doctrine of the Fathers in Councils regarding purgatory everywhere taught and preached, held and believed by the faithful" (Denzinger, "Enchiridon", 983).
Further
than this the definitions of the Church do not go, but the tradition
of the Fathers and the Schoolmen must be consulted to explain the
teachings of the councils, and to make clear the belief and the
practices of the faithful.
Temporal punishment
That
temporal punishment is due to sin, even after the sin itself has been
pardoned by God, is clearly the teaching of Scripture. God indeed
brought man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern
all things (Wisdom 10:2), but still condemned him "to eat his bread in
the sweat of his brow" until he returned unto dust. God forgave the
incredulity of Moses and Aaron, but in punishment kept them from the
"land of promise" (Numbers 20:12). The Lord took away the sin of David,
but the life of the child was forfeited because David had made God's
enemies blaspheme His Holy Name (2 Samuel 12:13-14). In the New
Testament as well as in the Old, almsgiving and fasting, and in general
penitential acts are the real fruits of repentance (Matthew 3:8; Luke
17:3; 3:3). The whole penitential system of the Church testifies that
the voluntary assumption of penitential works has always been part of
true repentance and the Council of Trent (Sess. XIV, can. xi) reminds
the faithful that God does not always remit the whole punishment due to
sin together with the guilt. God requires satisfaction, and will punish
sin, and this doctrine involves as its necessary consequence a belief
that the sinner failing to do penance in this life may be punished in
another world, and so not be cast off eternally from God.
Venial sins
All
sins are not equal before God, nor dare anyone assert that the daily
faults of human frailty will be punished with the same severity that is
meted out to serious violation of God's law. On the other hand
whosoever comes into God's presence must be perfectly pure for in the
strictest sense His "eyes are too pure, to behold evil" (Habakkuk
1:13). For unrepented venial faults for the payment of temporal
punishment due to sin at time of death, the Church has always taught
the doctrine of purgatory.
So
deep was this belief ingrained in our common humanity that it was
accepted by the Jews, and in at least a shadowy way by the pagans, long
before the coming of Christianity. ("Aeneid," VI, 735 sq.; Sophocles,
"Antigone," 450 sq.).
Errors
Epiphanius
(Haer., lxxv, P.G., XLII, col. 513) complains that Aërius (fourth
century) taught that prayers for the dead were of no avail. In the
Middle Ages, the doctrine of purgatory was rejected by the Albigenses,
Waldenses, and Hussites. St. Bernard (Serm. lxvi in Cantic., P.L.
CLXXXIII, col. 1098) states that the so-called "Apostolici" denied
purgatory and the utility of prayers for the departed. Much discussion
has arisen over the position of the Greeks on the question of
purgatory. It would seem that the great difference of opinion was not
concerning the existence of purgatory but concerning the nature of
purgatorial fire; still St. Thomas proves the existence of purgatory in
his dissertation against the errors of the Greeks, and the Council of
Florence also thought necessary to affirm the belief of the Church on
the subject (Bellarmine, "De Purgatorio," lib. I, cap. i). The modern
Orthodox Church denies purgatory, but is rather inconsistent in its way
of putting forth its belief.
At
the beginning of the Reformation there was some hesitation especially
on Luther's part (Leipzig Disputation) as to whether the doctrine
should be retained, but as the breach widened, the denial of purgatory
by the Reformers became universal, and Calvin termed the Catholic
position "exitiale commentum quod crucem Christi evacuat . . . quod
fidem nostram labefacit et evertit" (Institutiones, lib. III, cap. v,
6). Modern Protestants, while they avoid the name purgatory,
frequently teach the doctrine of "the middle state," and Martensen
("Christian Dogmatics," Edinburgh, 1890, p. 457) writes: "As no soul
leaves this present existence in a fully complete and prepared state,
we must suppose that there is an intermediate state, a realm of
progressive development, (?) in which souls are prepared for the final
judgment" (Farrar, "Mercy and Judgment," London, 1881, cap. iii).
Proofs
The
Catholic doctrine of purgatory supposes the fact that some die with
smaller faults for which there was no true repentance, and also the
fact that the temporal penalty due to sin is it times not wholly paid
in this life. The proofs for the Catholic position, both in Scripture
and in Tradition, are bound up also with the practice of praying for
the dead. For why pray for the dead, if there be no belief in the power
of prayer to afford solace to those who as yet are excluded from the
sight of God? So true is this position that prayers for the dead and
the existence of a place of purgation are mentioned in conjunction in
the oldest passages of the Fathers, who allege reasons for succouring
departed souls. Those who have opposed the doctrine of purgatory have
confessed that prayers for the dead would be an unanswerable argument
if the modern doctrine of a "particular judgment" had been received in
the early ages. But one has only to read the testimonies hereinafter
alleged to feel sure that the Fathers speak, in the same breath, of
oblations for the dead and a place of purgation; and one has only to
consult the evidence found in the catacombs to feel equally sure that
the Christian faith there expressed embraced clearly a belief in
judgment immediately after death. Wilpert ("Roma Sotteranea," I, 441)
thus concludes chapter 21, "Che tale esaudimento", etc.:
Intercession has been made for the soul of the dear one departed and God has heard the prayer, and the soul has passed into a place of light and refreshment." "Surely," Wilpert adds, "such intercession would have no place were there question not of the particular, but of the final judgment.
Some
stress too has been laid upon the objection that the ancient
Christians had no clear conception of purgatory, and that they thought
that the souls departed remained in uncertainty of salvation to the
last day; and consequently they prayed that those who had gone before
might in the final judgment escape even the everlasting torments of
hell. The earliest Christian traditions are clear as to the particular
judgment, and clearer still concerning a sharp distinction between
purgatory and hell. The passages alledged as referring to relief from
hell cannot offset the evidence given below (Bellarmine, "De
Purgatorio," lib. II, cap. v). Concerning the famous case of Trajan,
which vexed the Doctors of the Middle Ages, see Bellarmine, loc. cit.,
cap. Viii.
Old Testament
The
tradition of the Jews is put forth with precision and clearness in 2
Maccabees. Judas, the commander of the forces of Israel,
making a gathering . . . sent twelve thousand drachmas of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the dead, thinking well and religiously concerning the resurrection (For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should rise again, it would have seemed superfluous and vain to pray for the dead). And because he considered that they who had fallen asleep with godliness, had great grace laid up for them. It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins. (2 Maccabees 12:43-46)
At
the time of the Maccabees the leaders of the people of God had no
hesitation in asserting the efficacy of prayers offered for the dead, in
order that those who had departed this life might find pardon for
their sins and the hope of eternal resurrection.
New Testament
There
are several passages in the New Testament that point to a process of
purification after death. Thus, Jesus Christ declares (Matthew 12:32):
"And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be
forgiven him: but he that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it shall
not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come."
According to St. Isidore of Seville (Deord. creatur., c. xiv, n. 6)
these words prove that in the next life "some sins will be forgiven and
purged away by a certain purifying fire." St. Augustine also argues
"that some sinners are not forgiven either in this world or in the next
would not be truly said unless there were other [sinners] who, though
not forgiven in this world, are forgiven in the world to come" (City of God
XXI.24). The same interpretation is given by Gregory the Great (Dial.,
IV, xxxix); St. Bede (commentary on this text); St. Bernard (Sermo
lxvi in Cantic., n. 11) and other eminent theological writers.
A further argument is supplied by St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15:
"For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay stubble: Every man's work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is. If any man's work abide, which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work burn, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire."
While
this passage presents considerable difficulty, it is regarded by many
of the Fathers and theologians as evidence for the existence of an
intermediate state in which the dross of lighter transgressions will be
burnt away, and the soul thus purified will be saved. This, according
to Bellarmine (De Purg., I, 5), is the interpretation commonly given by
the Fathers and theologians; and he cites to this effect:
- St. Ambrose (commentary on the text, and Sermo xx in Ps. cxvii),
- St. Jerome, (Comm. in Amos, c. iv),
- St. Augustine (Enarration on Psalm 37),
- St. Gregory (Dial., IV, xxxix), and
- Origen (Hom. vi in Exod.).
See
also St. Thomas, "Contra Gentes,", IV, 91. For a discussion of the
exegetical problem, see Atzberger, "Die christliche Eschatologie", p.
275.
Tradition
This
doctrine that many who have died are still in a place of purification
and that prayers avail to help the dead is part of the very earliest
Christian tradition. Tertullian "De corona militis" mentions prayers
for the dead as an Apostolic ordinance, and in "De Monogamia" (chapter
10) he advises a widow "to pray for the soul of her husband, begging
repose for him and participation in the first resurrection"; he
commands her also "to make oblations for him on the anniversary of his
demise," and charges her with infidelity if she neglect to succour his
soul. This settled custom of the Church is clear from St. Cyprian, who
(P.L. IV, col. 399) forbade the customary prayers for one who had
violated the ecclesiastical law. "Our predecessors prudently advised
that no brother, departing this life, should nominate any churchman as
his executor; and should he do it, that no oblation should be made for
him, nor sacrifice offered for his repose." Long before Cyprian,
Clement of Alexandria had puzzled over the question of the state or
condition of the man who, reconciled to God on his death-bed, had no
time for the fulfilment of penance due his transgression. His answer
is: "the believer through discipline divests himself of his passions
and passes to the mansion which is better than the former one, passes
to the greatest torment, taking with him the characteristic of
repentance for the faults he may have committed after baptism. He is
tortured then still more, not yet attaining what he sees others have
acquired. The greatest torments are assigned to the believer, for God's
righteousness is good, and His goodness righteous, and though these
punishments cease in the course of the expiation and purification of
each one, "yet" etc. (P.G. IX, col. 332).
In
Origen the doctrine of purgatory is very clear. If a man departs this
life with lighter faults, he is condemned to fire which burns away the
lighter materials, and prepares the soul for the kingdom of God, where
nothing defiled may enter. "For if on the foundation of Christ you have
built not only gold and silver and precious stones (1 Corinthians 3);
but also wood and hay and stubble, what do you expect when the soul
shall be separated from the body? Would you enter into heaven with your
wood and hay and stubble and thus defile the kingdom of God; or on
account of these hindrances would you remain without and receive no
reward for your gold and silver and precious stones? Neither is this
just. It remains then that you be committed to the fire which will burn
the light materials; for our God to those who can comprehend heavenly
things is called a cleansing fire. But this fire consumes not the
creature, but what the creature has himself built, wood and hay and
stubble. It is manifest that the fire destroys the wood of our
transgressions and then returns to us the reward of our great works."
(P.G., XIII, col. 445, 448).
The
Apostolic practice of praying for the dead which passed into the
liturgy of the Church, is as clear in the fourth century as it is in the
twentieth. St. Cyril of Jerusalem (Mystagogical Catechesis V.9)
describing the liturgy, writes: "Then we pray for the Holy Fathers and
Bishops that are dead; and in short for all those who have departed
this life in our communion; believing that the souls of those for whom
prayers are offered receive very great relief, while this holy and
tremendous victim lies upon the altar." St. Gregory of Nyssa (P.G.,
XLVI, col. 524, 525) states that man's weaknesses are purged in this
life by prayer and wisdom, or are expiated in the next by a cleansing
fire. "When he has quitted his body and the difference between virtue
and vice is known he cannot approach God till the purging fire shall
have cleansed the stains with which his soul was infested. That same
fire in others will cancel the corruption of matter, and the propensity
to evil." About the same time the Apostolic Constitution gives us the
formularies used in succouring the dead. "Let us pray for our brethren
who sleep in Christ, that God who in his love for men has received the
soul of the departed one, may forgive him every fault, and in mercy and
clemency receive him into the bosom of Abraham, with those who in this
life have pleased God" (P.G. I, col. 1144). Nor can we pass over the
use of the diptychs where the names of the dead were inscribed; and
this remembrance by name in the Sacred Mysteries--(a practice that was
from the Apostles) was considered by Chrysostom as the best way of
relieving the dead (Homily 41 on First Corinthians, no. 8).
The
teaching of the Fathers, and the formularies used in the Liturgy of
the Church, found expression in the early Christian monuments,
particularly those contained in the catacombs. On the tombs of the
faithful were inscribed words of hope, words of petition for peace and
for rest; and as the anniversaries came round the faithful gathered at
the graves of the departed to make intercession for those who had gone
before. At the bottom this is nothing else than the faith expressed by
the Council of Trent (Sess. XXV, "De Purgatorio"), and to this faith
the inscriptions in the catacombs are surely witnesses.
In
the fourth century in the West, Ambrose insists in his commentary on
St. Paul (1 Corinthians 3) on the existence of purgatory, and in his
masterly funeral oration (De obitu Theodosii), thus prays for the soul
of the departed emperor: "Give, O Lord, rest to Thy servant Theodosius,
that rest Thou hast prepared for Thy saints. . . . I loved him,
therefore will I follow him to the land of the living; I will not leave
him till by my prayers and lamentations he shall be admitted unto the
holy mount of the Lord, to which his deserts call him" (P.L., XVI, col.
1397). St. Augustine is clearer even than his master. He describes two
conditions of men; "some there are who have departed this life, not so
bad as to be deemed unworthy of mercy, nor so good as to be entitled
to immediate happiness" etc., and in the resurrection he says there
will be some who "have gone through these pains, to which the spirits
of the dead are liable" (City of God XXI.24). Thus at the close of the fourth century:
- not only were prayers for the dead found in all the Liturgies, but the Fathers asserted that such practice was from the Apostles themselves;
- those who were helped by the prayers of the faithful and by the celebration of the Holy Mysteries were in a place of purgation;
- from which when purified they "were admitted unto the Holy Mount of the Lord".
So
clear is this patristic Tradition that those who do not believe in
purgatory have been unable to bring any serious difficulties from the
writings of the Fathers. The passages cited to the contrary either do
not touch the question at all, or are so lacking in clearness that they
cannot offset the perfectly open expression of the doctrine as found
in the very Fathers who are quoted as holding contrary opinions
(Bellarmine "De Purg.", lib. I, cap. xiii).
Duration and nature
Duration
The
very reasons assigned for the existence of purgatory make for its
passing character. We pray, we offer sacrifice for souls therein
detained that "God in mercy may forgive every fault and receive them
into the bosom of Abraham" (Apostolic Constitutions); and Augustine (City of God
XXI.13, 16) declares that the punishment of purgatory is temporary and
will cease, at least with the Last Judgment. "But temporary punishments
are suffered by some in this life only, by others after death, by
others both now and then; but all of them before that last and
strictest judgment."
Nature of punishment
It
is clear from the Liturgies and the Fathers above cited that the souls
for whose peace sacrifice was offered were shut out for the time being
from the sight of God. They were "not so good as to be entitled to
eternal happiness". Still, for them "death is the termination not of
nature but of sin" (Ambrose, "De obitu Theodos."); and this inability
to sin makes them secure of final happiness. This is the Catholic
position proclaimed by Leo X in the Bull "Exurge Domine" which
condemned the errors of Luther.
Are
the souls detained in purgatory conscious that their happiness is but
deferred for a time, or may they still be in doubt concerning their
ultimate salvation? The ancient Liturgies and the inscriptions of the
catacombs speak of a "sleep of peace", which would be impossible if
there was any doubt of ultimate salvation. Some of the Doctors of the
Middle Ages thought uncertainty of salvation one of the severe
punishments of purgatory. (Bellarmine, "De Purgat." lib. II, cap. iv);
but this opinion finds no general credit among the theologians of the
medieval period, nor is it possible in the light of the belief in the
particular judgment. St. Bonaventure gives as the reason for this
elimination of fear and of uncertainty the intimate conviction that they
can no longer sin (lib. IV, dist. xx, p.1, a.1 q. iv): "Est evacuatio
timoris propter confirniationem liberi arbitrii, qua deinceps scit se
peccare non posse" (Fear is cast out because of the strengthening of
the will by which the soul knows it can no longer sin), and St. Thomas
(dist. xxi, q. i, a.1) says: "nisi scirent se esse liberandas suffragia
non peterent" (unless they knew that they are to be delivered, they
would not ask for prayers).
Merit
In
the Bull "Exurge Domine" Leo X condemns the proposition (n. 38) "Nec
probatum est ullis aut rationibus aut scripturis ipsas esse extra
statum merendi aut augendae caritatis" (There is no proof from reason
or Scripture that they [the souls in purgatory] cannot merit or
increase in charity). For them "the night has come in which no man can
labour", and Christian tradition has always considered that only in
this life can man work unto the profit of his own soul. The Doctors of
the Middle Ages while agreeing that this life is the time for merit and
increase of grace, still some with St. Thomas seemed to question
whether or not there might be some non-essential reward which the souls
in purgatory might merit (IV, dist. xxi, q. i, a. 3). Bellarmine
believes that in this matter St. Thomas changed his opinion and refers
to a statement of St. Thomas ("De Malo", q. vii, a. 11). Whatever may
be the mind of the Angelic Doctor, theologians agree that no merit is
possible in purgatory, and if objection be urged that the souls there
merit by their prayers, Bellarmine says that such prayers avail with
God because of merit already acquired "Solum impetrant ex meritis
praeteritis quomodo nunc sancti orando) pro nobis impetrant licet non
merendo" (They avail only in virtue of past merits as those who are now
saints intercede for us not by merit but by prayer). (loc. cit. II,
cap. iii).
Purgatorial fire
At
the Council of Florence, Bessarion argued against the existence of
real purgatorial fire, and the Greeks were assured that the Roman
Church had never issued any dogmatic decree on this subject. In the
West the belief in the existence of real fire is common. Augustine (Enarration on Psalm 37,
no. 3) speaks of the pain which purgatorial fire causes as more
severe than anything a man can suffer in this life, "gravior erit ignis
quam quidquid potest homo pati in hac vita" (P.L., col. 397). Gregory
the Great speaks of those who after this life "will expiate their
faults by purgatorial flames," and he adds "that the pain be more
intolerable than any one can suffer in this life" (Ps. 3 poenit., n.
1). Following in the footsteps of Gregory, St. Thomas teaches (IV,
dist. xxi, q. i, a.1) that besides the separation of the soul from the
sight of God, there is the other punishment from fire. "Una poena
damni, in quantum scilicet retardantur a divina visione; alia sensus
secundum quod ab igne punientur", and St. Bonaventure not only agrees
with St. Thomas but adds (IV, dist. xx, p.1, a.1, q. ii) that this
punishment by fire is more severe than any punishment which comes to
men in this life; "Gravior est omni temporali poena. quam modo sustinet
anima carni conjuncta". How this fire affects the souls of the
departed the Doctors do not know, and in such matters it is well to
heed the warning of the Council of Trent when it commands the bishops
"to exclude from their preaching difficult and subtle questions which
tend not to edification', and from the discussion of which there is no
increase either in piety or devotion" (Sess. XXV, "De Purgatorio").
Succouring the dead
Scripture
and the Fathers command prayers and oblations for the departed, and
the Council of Trent (Sess. XXV, "De Purgatorio") in virtue of this
tradition not only asserts the existence of purgatory, but adds "that
the souls therein detained are aided by the suffrages of the faithful
and principally by the acceptable sacrifice of the altar." That those on
earth are still in communion with the souls in purgatory is the
earliest Christian teaching, and that the living aid the dead by their
prayers and works of satisfaction is clear from the tradition above
alleged. That the Holy Sacrifice was offered for the departed was
received Catholic Tradition even in the days of Tertullian and Cyprian,
and that the souls of the dead, were aided particularly "while the
sacred victim lay upon the altar" is the expression of Cyril of
Jerusalem quoted above. Augustine (Serm. clxii, n. 2) says that the
"prayers and alms of the faithful, the Holy Sacrifice of the altar aid
the faithful departed and move the Lord to deal with them in mercy and
kindness, and," he adds, "this is the practice of the universal Church
handed down by the Fathers." Whether our works of satisfaction performed
on behalf of the dead avail purely out of God's benevolence and mercy,
or whether God obliges himself in justice to accept our vicarious
atonement, is not a settled question. Francisco Suárez thinks that the
acceptance is one of justice, and alleges the common practice of the
Church which joins together the living and the dead without any
discrimination (De poenit., disp. xlviii, 6, n. 4).
Indulgences
The
Council of Trent (Sess. XXV) defined that indulgences are "most
salutary for Christian people" and that their "use is to be retained in
the Church". It is the common teaching of Catholic theologians that
- indulgences may be applied to the souls detained in purgatory; and
- that indulgences are available for them "by way of suffrage" (per modum suffragii).
(1) Augustine (City of God
XX.9) declares that the souls of the faithful departed are not
separated from the Church, which is the kingdom of Christ, and for this
reason the prayers and works of the living are helpful to the dead. "If
therefore", argues Bellarmine (De indulgentiis, xiv) "we can offer our
prayers and our satisfactions in behalf of those detained in
purgatory, because we are members of the great body of Christ, why may
not the Vicar of Christ apply to the same souls the superabundant
satisfaction of Christ and his saints--of which he is the dispenser?"
This is the doctrine of St. Thomas (IV, Sent., dist. xlv, q. ii, a. 3,
q. 2) who asserts that indulgences avail principally for the person who
performs the work for which the indulgence is given, if they but
secondarily may avail even for the dead, if the form in which the
indulgence is granted be so worded as to be capable of such
interpretation, and he adds "nor is there any reason why the Church may
not dispose of its treasure of merits in favour of the dead, as it
surely dispenses it in favour of the living".
(2)
St. Bonaventure (IV, Sent., dist. xx, p. 2, q. v) agrees with St.
Thomas, but adds that such "relaxation cannot be after the manner of
absolution as in the case of the living but only as suffrage (Haec non
tenet modum judicii, sed potius suffragii). This opinion of St.
Bonaventure, that the Church through its Supreme Pastor does not absolve
juridically the souls in purgatory from the punishment due their sins,
is the teaching of the Doctors. They point out (Gratian, 24 q. ii, 2,
can.1) that in case of those who have departed this life, judgment is
reserved to God; they allege the authority of Gelasius (Ep. ad Fausturn;
Ep. ad. Episcopos Dardaniae) in support of their contention (Gratian
ibid.), and they also insist that the Roman Pontiffs, when they grant
indulgences that are applicable to the dead, add the restriction "per
modum suffragii et deprecationis". This phrase is found in the Bull of
Sixtus IV "Romani Pontificis provida diligentia", 27 Nov. 1447.
The
phrase "per modum suffragi et deprecationis" has been variously
interpreted by theologians (Bellarmine, "De indulgentiis", p.137).
Bellarmine himself says: "The true opinion is that indulgences avail as
suffrage, because they avail not after the fashion of a juridical
absolution 'quia non prosunt per modum juridicae absolutionis'." But
according to the same author the suffrages of the faithful avail at
times "per modum meriti congrui" (by way of merit), at times "per modum
impetrationis" (by way of supplication) at times "per modum
satisfactionis" (by way of satisfaction); but when there is question of
applying an indulgence to one in purgatory it is only "per modum
suffragii satisfactorii" and for this reason "the pope does not absolve
the soul in purgatory from the punishment due his sin, but offers to
God from the treasure of the Church whatever may be necessary for the
cancelling of this punishment".
If
the question be further asked whether such satisfaction is accepted by
God out of mercy and benevolence, or "ex justitia", theologians are
not in accord — some holding one opinion, others the other. Bellarmine
after canvassing both sides (pp. 137, 138) does not dare to set aside
"either opinion, but is inclined to think that the former is more
reasonable while he pronounces the latter in harmony with piety
("admodum pia").
Condition
That an indulgence may avail for those in purgatory several conditions are required:
- The indulgence must be granted by the pope.
- There must be a sufficient reason for granting the indulgence, and this reason must be something pertaining to the glory of God and the utility of the Church, not merely the utility accruing to the souls in purgatory.
- The pious work enjoined must be as in the case of indulgences for the living.
If
the state of grace be not among the required works, in all probability
the person performing the work may gain the indulgence for the dead,
even though he himself be not in friendship with God (Bellarmine, loc.
cit., p. 139). Francisco Suárez (De Poenit., disp. Iiii, s. 4, n. 5
and 6) puts this categorically when he says: "Status gratiae solum
requiritur ad tollendum obicem indulgentiae" (the state of grace is
required only to remove some hindrance to the indulgence), and in the
case of the holy souls there can be no hindrance. This teaching is
bound up with the doctrine of the Communion of Saints, and the
monuments of the catacombs represent the saints and martyrs as
interceding with God for the dead. The prayers too of the early
liturgies speak of Mary and of the saints interceding for those who
have passed from this life. Augustine believes that burial in a
basilica dedicated to a holy martyr is of value to the dead, for those
who recall the memory of him who has suffered will recommend to the
martyr's prayers the soul of him who has departed this life (Bellarmine,
lib. II, xv). In the same place Bellarmine accuses Dominicus A Soto of
rashness, because he denied this doctrine.
Invocation of souls
Do
the souls in purgatory pray for us? May we call upon them in our
needs? There is no decision of the Church on this subject, nor have the
theologians pronounced with definiteness concerning the invocation of
the souls in purgatory and their intercession for the living. In the
ancient liturgies there are no prayers of the Church directed to those
who are still in purgatory. On the tombs of the early Christians nothing
is more common than a prayer or a supplication asking the departed to
intercede with God for surviving friends, but these inscriptions seem
always to suppose that the departed one is already with God. St. Thomas
(II-II.83.11) denies that the souls in purgatory pray for the living,
and states they are not in a position to pray for us, rather we must
make intercession for them. Despite the authority of St. Thomas, many
renowned theologians hold that the souls in purgatory really pray for
us, and that we may invoke their aid. Bellarmine (De Purgatorio, lib.
II, xv,) says the reason alleged by St. Thomas is not at all convincing,
and holds that in virtue of their greater love of God and their union
with Him their prayers may have great intercessory power, for they are
really superior to us in love of God, and in intimacy of union with
Him. Francisco Suárez (De poenit., disp. xlvii, s. 2, n. 9) goes
farther and asserts "that the souls in purgatory are holy, are dear to
God, love us with a true love and are mindful of our wants; that they
know in a general way our necessities and our dangers, and how great is
our need of divine help and divine grace".
When
there is question of invoking the prayers of those in purgatory,
Bellarmine (loc. cit.) says it is superfluous, ordinarily speaking, for
they are ignorant of our circumstances and condition. This is at
variance with the opinion of Francisco Suárez, who admits knowledge at
least in a general way, also with the opinions of many modern
theologians who point to the practice now common with almost all the
faithful of addressing their prayers and petitions for help to those who
are still in a place of purgation. Scavini (Theol. Moral., XI, n. 174)
sees no reason why the souls detained in purgatory may not pray for
us, even as we pray for one another. He asserts that this practice has
become common at Rome, and that it has the great name of St. Alphonsus
in its favour. St. Alphonsus in his work the "Great Means of
Salvation", chap. I, III, 2, after quoting Sylvius, Gotti, Lessius, and
Medina as favourable to his opinion, concludes: "so the souls in
purgatory, being beloved by God and confirmed in grace, have absolutely
no impediment to prevent them from praying for us. Still the Church
does not invoke them or implore their intercession, because ordinarily
they have no cognizance of our prayers. But we may piously believe that
God makes our prayers known to them". He alleges also the authority of
St. Catharine of Bologna who "whenever she desired any favour had
recourse to the souls in purgatory, and was immediately heard".
Utility of prayer for the departed
It
is the traditional faith of Catholics that the souls in purgatory are
not separated from the Church, and that the love which is the bond of
union between the Church's members should embrace those who have
departed this life in God's grace. Hence, since our prayers and our
sacrifices can help those who are still waiting in purgatory, the saints
have not hesitated to warn us that we have a real duty toward those
who are still in purgatorial expiation. Holy Church through the
Congregation of Indulgences, 18 December 1885, has bestowed a special
blessing on the so-called "heroic act" in virtue of which "a member of
the Church militant offers to God for the souls in purgatory all the
satisfactory works which he will perform during his lifetime, and also
all the suffrages which may accrue to him after his death" (Heroic Act,
vol. VII, 292). The practice of devotion to the dead is also consoling
to humanity and eminently worthy of a religion which seconds all the
purest feelings of the human heart. "Sweet", says Cardinal Wiseman
(lecture XI), "is the consolation of the dying man, who, conscious of
imperfection, believes that there are others to make intercession for
him, when his own time for merit has expired; soothing to the afflicted
survivors the thought that they possess powerful means of relieving
their friend. In the first moments of grief, this sentiment will often
overpower religious prejudice, cast down the unbeliever on his knees
beside the remains of his friend and snatch from him an unconscious
prayer for rest; it is an impulse of nature which for the moment, aided
by the analogies of revealed truth, seizes at once upon this consoling
belief. But it is only a flitting and melancholy light, while the
Catholic feeling, cheering though with solemn dimness, resembles the
unfailing lamp, which the piety of the ancients is said to have hung
before the sepulchres of their dead."
References
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
- "Purgatory." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 2 Nov. 2012 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm>.
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Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
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| Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular |
The Sacred Heart (also known as Most Sacred Heart of Jesus) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.
This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.
In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor, Pope Pius XI stated: "the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus". The Golden Arrow Prayer directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.
The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.
History of Devotion
Early devotion
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| Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 |
From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the Vitis mystica (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).
From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.
In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.
The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.
Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.
Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
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| St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765 |
The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:
- On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work.
- In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour.
- During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.
A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.
Papal Approvals
The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.
After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter Annum Sacrum (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.
Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter Miserentissimus Redemptor (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "manifested Himself" to Saint Margaret and had "promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times[2] and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter Haurietis aquas (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical Haurietis Aquas, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Worship and Devotion
The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull Auctorem Fidei, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical Annum Sacrum (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since c. 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.
Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.
The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."
Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.
Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.
The Miraculous Medal
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| The Miraculous Medal |
The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.
On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.
Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer "O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee" is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her Immaculate Heart, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.
The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.
In Eastern Catholicism
Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.
Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:
- I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
- I will give peace in their families.
- I will console them in all their troubles.
- I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.
- I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.
- Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
- Tepid souls shall become fervent.
- Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
- I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.
- I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
- Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.
- In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.
The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.
Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.
"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.'
Scapular of the Sacred Heart
The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed badges similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.
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Snippet IV: Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
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| Immaculate heart of Mary Scapular |
The Immaculate Heart of Mary (also known as The Sacred Heart of Mary) is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. The consideration of Mary's interior life and the beauties of her soul, without any thought of her physical heart, does not constitute the traditional devotion; still less does it consist in the consideration of the heart of Mary merely as a part of her pure body. In 1855 the Mass of the Most Pure Heart formally became a part of Catholic practice. The two elements are essential to the devotion, just as, according to Roman Catholic theology, soul and body are necessary to the constitution of man.
Eastern Catholic Churches occasionally utilize the image, devotion, and theology associated with the Immaculate Heart of Mary. However, this is a cause of some controversy, some seeing it as a form of liturgical instillation. The Roman Catholic view is based on Mariology, as exemplified by Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae which builds on the total Marian devotion pioneered by Louis de Montfort.
Traditionally, the heart is pierced with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven dolors of Mary. Consequently, seven Hail Marys are said daily in honor of the devotion. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart
Veneration and devotion
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| Immaculate Heart Mary, Seven Dolors |
Veneration of the Heart of Mary is analogous to worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is, however, necessary to indicate a few differences in this analogy, the better to explain the character of Roman Catholic devotion to the Heart of Mary. Some of these differences are very marked, whereas others are barely perceptible. The Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the "Divine Heart" as overflowing with love for humanity, presented as "despised and outraged". In the devotion to the Mary, on the other hand, the attraction is the love of this Heart for Jesus and for God. Its love for humans is not overlooked, but it is not so much in evidence nor so dominant.
A second difference is the nature of the devotion itself. In devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Roman Catholic venerates in a sense of love responding to love. In devotion to the Heart of Mary, study and imitation hold as important a place as love. Love is more the result than the object of the devotion, the object being rather to love God and Jesus better by uniting one's self to Mary for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. It would also seem that, although in the devotion to the Heart of Mary the heart has an essential part as symbol and sensible object, it does not stand out as prominently as in the devotion to the Heart of Jesus; devotion focuses rather on the thing symbolized, the love, virtues, and sentiments of Mary's interior life.
The Immaculate Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly Marian apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal. On the Miraculous Medal, the Immaculate Heart is pierced by a sword. The Sacred Heart of Jesus also appears on the medal, next to the Immaculate Heart, but is crowned with thorns, rather than being pierced by a sword. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.
Our Lady of Fatima asked that, in reparation for sins committed against her Immaculate Heart, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months the Catholic:
- Go to Confession (within 8 days before or after the first Saturday)
- Receive Holy Communion
- Recite five decades of the Rosary
- Keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary
She promised that, whoever would ever do this, would be given at the hour of his death, the graces necessary for salvation.
History of devotion
The history of the devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected on many points with that to the Heart of Jesus. The attention of Christians was early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The gospels recount the prophecy delivered to her at Jesus' presentation at the temple: that her heart would be pierced with a sword. This image (the pierced heart) is the most popular representation of the Immaculate Heart. The St. John's Gospel further invited attention to Mary's heart with its depiction of Mary at the foot of the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. St. Augustine said of this that Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the cross; "she cooperated through charity in the work of our redemption".
Statue depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary as described by Sister Lucia of Fátima.
Another Scriptural passage to help in bringing out the devotion was the twice-repeated saying of Saint Luke, that Mary kept all the sayings and doings of Jesus in her heart, that there she might ponder over them and live by them. A few of Mary's sayings, also recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat (the words Mary is reported to have said to describe the experience of being pregnant with Jesus), disclose new features in Marian psychology. Some of the Church Fathers also throw light upon the psychology of Mary, for instance, Saint Ambrose, when in his commentary on The Gospel of Luke he holds Mary up as the ideal of virginity, and Saint Ephrem, when he poetically sings of the coming of the Magi and the welcome accorded them by the humble mother. Some passages from other books in the Bible are interpreted as referring to Mary, in whom they personify wisdom and her gentle charms. Such are the texts in which wisdom is presented as the mother of lofty love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope. In the New Testament Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel who announced that she would become pregnant with Jesus, although she was still a virgin; the Magnificat is an expression of her humility. In answering the woman of the people, who in order to exalt the son proclaimed the mother blessed, Jesus himself said: "Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it." The Church Fathers understood this as an invitation to seek in Mary that which had so endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the mother of Jesus, and found in these words a new reason for praising Mary. St. Leo said that through faith and love she conceived her son spiritually, even before receiving him into her womb, and St. Augustine tells us that she was more blessed in having borne Christ in her heart than in having conceived him in the flesh.
It is only in the twelfth, or towards the end of the eleventh century, that slight indications of a regular devotion are perceived in a sermon by St. Bernard (De duodecim stellis), from which an extract has been taken by the Church and used in the Offices of the Compassion and of the Seven Dolours. Stronger evidences are discernible in the pious meditations on the Ave Maria and the Salve Regina, usually attributed either to St. Anselm of Lucca (d. 1080) or St. Bernard; and also in the large book "De laudibus B. Mariae Virginis" (Douai, 1625) by Richard de Saint-Laurent, Penitentiary of Rouen in the thirteenth century. In St. Mechtilde (d. 1298) and St. Gertrude (d. 1301) the devotion had two earnest adherents. A little earlier it had been included by St. Thomas Becket in the devotion to the joys and sorrows of Mary, by Blessed Hermann (d.1245), one of the first spiritual children of Saint Dominic, in his other devotions to Mary, and somewhat later it appeared in St. Bridget's "Book of Revelations". Johannes Tauler (d. 1361) beholds in Mary the model of a mystical soul, just as St. Ambrose perceived in her the model of a virginal soul. St. Bernardine of Siena (d.1444) was more absorbed in the contemplation of the virginal heart, and it is from him that the Church has borrowed the lessons of the second nocturn for the feast of the Heart of Mary. St. Francis de Sales speaks of the perfections of this heart, the model of love for God, and dedicated to it his "Theotimus."
During this same period one finds occasional mention of devotional practices to the Heart of Mary, e.g., in the "Antidotarium" of Nicolas du Saussay (d. 1488), in Julius II, and in the "Pharetra" of Lanspergius. In the second half of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth, ascetic authors dwelt upon this devotion at greater length. It was, however, reserved to Saint Jean Eudes (d. 1681) to propagate the devotion, to make it public, and to have a feast celebrated in honor of the Heart of Mary, first at Autun in 1648 and afterwards in a number of French dioceses. He established several religious societies interested in upholding and promoting the devotion, of which his large book on the Coeur Admirable (Admirable Heart), published in 1681, resembles a summary. Jean Eudes' efforts to secure the approval of an office and feast failed at Rome, but, notwithstanding this disappointment, the devotion to the Heart of Mary progressed. In 1699 Father Pinamonti (d. 1703) published in Italian a short work on the Holy Heart of Mary, and in 1725, Joseph de Gallifet combined the cause of the Heart of Mary with that of the Heart of Jesus in order to obtain Rome's approbation of the two devotions and the institution of the two feasts. In 1729, his project was defeated, and in 1765, the two causes were separated, to assure the success of the principal one.
Alliance with the Sacred Heart
The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.
Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.
Feast days
Fatima Statue of Pope Pius XII, who consecrated Russia and the World: Just as a few years ago We consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, so today We consecrate and in a most special manner We entrust all the peoples of Russia to this Immaculate Heart...
In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity at Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the Most Pure Heart of Mary for some of the churches in his diocese. In 1805 Pius VII made a new concession, thanks to which the feast was soon widely observed. Such was the existing condition when a twofold movement, started in Paris, gave fresh impetus to the devotion. The two factors of this movement were, first of all, the revelation of the "miraculous medal" in 1830 and all the prodigies that followed, and then the establishment at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires of the Archconfraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners, which spread rapidly throughout the world and was the source of numberless alleged graces. On 21 July 1855, the Congregation of Rites finally approved the Office and Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary without, however, imposing them upon the Universal Church.
During the third apparition at Fátima, Portugal on 13 July 1917, the Virgin Mary allegedly said that "God wishes to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart" in order to save souls from going into the fires of hell and to bring about world peace, and also asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic Letter of 7 July 1952, Sacro Vergente consecrated Russia to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.
On 25 March 1984, Pope John Paul II fulfilled this request again, when he made the solemn act of consecration of the world, and implicitly Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary before the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary of Fatima brought to Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican for the momentous occasion. Sister Lucia, OCD, then the only surviving visionary of Fatima, confirmed that the request of Mary for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was accepted by Heaven and therefore, was fulfilled. Again on 8 October 2000, Pope John Paul II made an act of entrustment of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the new millennium.
Roman Catholic feast days
Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on 22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the day, Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the day before the third Sunday after Pentecost.
At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from 31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption.
Those who use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before 1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.
References:
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.
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Today's Snippet VI: Acts of Reparation
(Morning offering First Friday and First Saturday Devotions)
In the Roman Catholic tradition, an Act of Reparation
is a prayer or devotion with the intent to repair the "sins of
others", e.g. for the repair of the sin of blasphemy, the sufferings of
Jesus Christ or as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary.[1] These prayers do not usually involve a petition for a living or deceased beneficiary, but aim to repair sins.
In his encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor Pope Pius XI defined reparation as follows:
The creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation.[2]
Pope
John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand
beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be
crucified".[3]
Theological basis and history
The Catechism of the Catholic Church 2157 states:
- The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the Sign of the Cross: "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior's grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father.
"All
that we do without offering it to God is wasted," Saint John Mary
Vianney preached. According to Catholic theology, the worth of an
action in the eyes of God is found in the intention, i.e. what takes
place in the heart of each person, on whether the person lives based on
the love for God (the greatest commandment) or love for self. Thus,
Catholic spirituality encourages the practice of fixing one's intention
towards loving God at the very beginning of the day, through the
morning offering. Catholic authors also encourage repeating this
offering throughout the day, especially at the start of one's
professional work which takes a large part of each day.
The
morning offering is an essential part of the theology of
sanctification of work, or the use of work, secular or otherwise, as a
means of arriving at personal sanctity. The other element in this
theology is the actual work done with spirit of excellence in consonance
with the intention of offering something "worthy" to the sanctity,
majesty and the goodness of the Father God.
"All that we do without offering it to God is wasted." - Saint John Mary Vianney
This
theology is also supported by private revelation to some saints. For
example, Sister Josefa Menéndez (1890-1923) reported that she heard
Jesus Christ tell her: "When you awake, enter at once into My Heart,
and when you are in it, offer My Father all your actions united to the
pulsations of My Heart . . . If [a person is] engaged in work of no
value in itself, if she bathes it in My Blood or unites it to the work I
Myself did during My mortal life, it will greatly profit souls . . .
more, perhaps, than if she had preached to the whole world. You will be
able to save many souls that way."
Saint
Mechtilde (1241-1298), a popular saint during the time of Dante and
who was mentioned in his Divine Comedy, also had visions of Jesus
Christ and transmitted the following words of Jesus: "When you awake in
the morning, let your first act be to salute My Heart, and to offer Me
your own . . . Whoever shall breathe a sigh toward Me from the bottom
of his heart when he awakes in the morning and shall ask Me to work all
his works in him throughout the day, will draw Me to him . . . For
never does a man breathe a sigh of longing aspiration toward Me without
drawing Me nearer to him than I was before." It is also said that the
morning offering helps "refresh and recharge" the soul, preparing the
soul to face each day with the help of God himself.[1]
The
morning offering has been an old practice in the Church but it started
to spread largely through the Apostleship of Prayer, started by Fr.
Francis X. Gautrelet, S.J, and specially through the book written by
another Jesuit, Reverend Henry Ramière, S.J., who in 1861, adapted the
Apostleship of Prayer for parishes and various Catholic institutions,
and made it known by his book "The Apostleship of Prayer", which has
been translated into many languages.
Duty of Reparation and Devotion
In the encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor Pope Pius XI called acts of reparation a duty for Roman Catholics:We are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiatedThe pontiff further emphasized, "Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men"
Prayers of Reparation
A number of prayers as an Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary
appear in the Raccolta Catholic prayer book (approved by a Decree of
December 15 1854, and published in 1898 by the Holy See). The Raccolta
includes a number of diverse prayers for reparation.[4]
- The Rosary of the Holy Wounds (which does not include the usual rosary mysteries) focuses on specific redemptive aspects of Christ's suffering in Calvary, with emphasis on the souls in purgatory.[5]
- A well known Act of Reparation to Jesus Christ and for the reparation of blasphemy is The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer) first introduced by Sister Marie of St Peter in 1844. This devotion (started by Sister Marie and then promoted by the Venerable Leo Dupont) was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1885.[6]
- A frequently offered Act of Reparation to The Holy Trinity is based on the messages of Our Lady of Fatima and is usually called the Angel Prayer.[7][8]
Morning Offering Devotion
John Paul II: Morning Offering is “of fundamental importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."
In Roman Catholicism, the Morning Offering
is a prayer said by an individual at the start of the day in order to
consecrate the day to Jesus Christ. It serves the purpose of preparing
the Catholic to focus completely on Christ and give to him all that he
or she does during the day. There are several different forms of
Offering.
Pope
John Paul II said that the Morning Offering is “of fundamental
importance in the life of each and every one of the faithful."
The
Morning offering is meant to be prayed first thing in the morning,
upon waking up. Throughout the day, a Christian offers up everything –
joys and successes, difficulties and sacrifices, to Jesus, uniting them
to His sufferings and merits so that one’s works gain the merit they
can never have apart from Him.
The
Morning Offering is suggested to be renewed many times throughout the
day with simple short prayers (called "aspirations"), e.g. "I will
serve!"; "I offer my work unto you."
A specific Morning offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was composed by Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. It reflects the Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and is also an Acts of reparation for sins:
- O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
- I offer you my prayers, works, joys, sufferings of this day,
- in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.
- I offer them for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart;
- the salvation of souls, the reparation for sin, the reunion of all Christians;
- I offer them for the intentions of our bishops and of all members of the Apostleship of Prayer,
- and in particular for those recommended by the Holy Father this month.
- Amen.
First Friday Devotions
The First Friday Devotions
are a set of Catholic devotions to especially recognize the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, and through it offer reparations for sins. In the
visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th
century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the
First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final perseverance.[1]
According
to the words of Christ through His apparitions to St. Margaret Mary,
there are several promises to those that practice the First Friday
Devotions:
"In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour."[2]
The
devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first
Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to
attend Holy Mass and receive communion.[3]
If the need arises in order to receive communion in a state of grace, a
person should also make use of the Sacrament of Penance before
attending Mass. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy
Hour of meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during
the First Fridays is encouraged. [4]
First Friday - Communion of Reparation
Receiving
Holy Communion as part of First Friday Devotions is a Catholic
devotion to offer reparations for sins through the Sacred Heart of
Jesus. In the visions of Christ reported by St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that
practiced the First Fridays Devotions, one of which included final
perseverance.[9]
The
devotion consists of several practices that are performed on the first
Fridays of nine consecutive months. On these days, a person is to
attend Holy Mass and receive communion.[10]
In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of
meditation during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the
First Fridays is encouraged. [11]
First Friday Promises
- I will give them all of the graces necessary for their state of life.
- I will establish peace in their houses.
- I will comfort them in all their afflictions.
- I will be their strength during life and above all during death.
- I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings.
- Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy.
- Tepid souls shall grow fervent.
- Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
- I will bless every place where a picture of my heart shall be set up and honored.
- I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
- Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.
- I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.[5]
First Saturday Devotions
The First Saturdays Devotion (or Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Blessed Virgin Mary) is a Catholic practice which, according to the visionaries, has been requested by the Virgin Mary in several visitations, notably Our Lady of Fátima and the subsequent Pontevedra apparitions. This devotion, and the marian apparitions, have been officially embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.The devotion fits on the Catholic tradition to venerate the Virgin Mary particularly on Saturdays, which originated in the scriptural account that, as the Mother of Jesus Christ, her heart was to be pierced with a sword, as prophesied during the presentation of Jesus in the temple; such sword was the bitter sorrow during the Crucifixion of Jesus (which Catholic devotees understand as the union of the Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus -- see Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Apparitions). Such sorrow is particularly bitterly endured on Holy Saturday after Jesus was placed on the Sepulcher (before the Resurrection on Easter). Devotees of Fátima believe that the First Saturdays help to console the sorrows of God, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary for the sins against Her Immaculate Heart.
The Act of First Saturday Reparation
When Lúcia Santos experienced the Pontevedra apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she heard her promise to grant great graces, especially at the hour of death, in particular the salvation of the soul, for the believer who for Five Consecutive First Saturdays of Month (5 Saturdays in 5 months) receives Holy Communion and practices the following exercises as an Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Queen of Heaven:- Sacramental confession
- To receive Holy Communion
- A 5 Decades Rosary is recited
The activities of the Five First Saturdays devotions are different from similar devotions on other days in that all should be done with the specific intention in the heart of making reparation to the Blessed Mother for blasphemies against her, her name and her holy initiatives.
Sister Lúcia, the only Fátima visionary to survive into adulthood reported that the Blessed Mother came to her in her convent at Pontevedra, Spain with the following statement:
- Look, my daughter, at my Heart encircled by these thorns with which men pierce it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, strive to console me, and so I announce: I promise to assist at the hour of death with the grace necessary for salvation all those who, with the intention of making reparation to me, will, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, go to confession, receive Holy Communion, say five decades of the beads, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary.
Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity
Roman Catholic tradition include specific prayers and devotions as Acts of Reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Holy Trinity and the Blessed Sacrament. Similar prayers as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary and Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ also existFatima prayer to the Holy Trinity
This prayer is based on the 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries. It is sometimes called the Angel Prayer. The apparitions of Fatima have been approved by the Holy Catholic Church, thus deemed worthy of belief.In Catholic tradition, Saint Michael is the prince of the church of Jesus Christ and also the defender of Israel. Having revealed the Chaplet of Saint Michael to a Portuguese nun in the 18th Century, Saint Michael is often associated with being the angel that prepared the children shepherds for the visit of the Blessed Mother of God in Fatima, and thus to him it is attributed the prayer.
Words of the prayer:
- O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners.
Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ
Roman Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as Acts of Reparation for insults and blasphemies against Jesus Christ and the Holy Name of Jesus. These include the sufferings during the Passion of Jesus. Similar prayers as Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary and Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity also exist.These prayers are recited with the intent to repair the sins of others, e.g. when the name of Jesus Christ is taken in vain, for the repair of the sin of blasphemy or the insults against and sufferings of Jesus in Calvary. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified".
Specific Roman Catholic organizations with this purpose exist. For instance, the Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face.
The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion
Sister Marie of St Peter with the Golden Arrow. The three rings symbolize the Holy Trinity
On March 16, 1844 Jesus reportedly told Sr. Marie:
"Oh if you only knew what great merit you acquire by saying even once, Admirable is the Name of God , in a spirit of reparation for blasphemy."
Sister Mary stated that Jesus told her that the two sins which offend him the most grievously are blasphemy and the profanation of Sunday. He called this prayer the "Golden Arrow", saying that those who would recite it would pierce Him delightfully, and also heal those other wounds inflicted on Him by the malice of sinners. Sr. Mary of St. Peter saw, "streaming from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, delightfully wounded by this 'Golden Arrow,' torrents of graces for the conversion of sinners.[2][1][3]
The Golden Arrow Holy Face Devotion (Prayer)
This prayer is part of the Roman Catholic devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus and appears in the book “The Golden Arrow”, the autobiography of Sr. Marie of St Peter. In her book she wrote that in her visions Jesus told her that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name “Golden Arrow” for this reparatory prayer. [1] Words of the prayer:[2][1]- May the most holy, most sacred, most adorable,
- most incomprehensible and ineffable Name of God
- be forever praised, blessed, loved, adored
- and glorified in Heaven, on earth,
- and under the earth,
- by all the creatures of God,
- and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
- in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
- Amen.
Rosary of the Holy Wounds
Venerable Marie Martha Chambon.
She reported that Jesus Christ appeared to her asked her to unite her sufferings with His as an Act of Reparation for the sins of the world. It also has special applicability to the souls in purgatory.[6][7]
Prayer of reparation for insults and blasphemies
Words of the prayer:[8]- O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic and Roman Church. O Jesus, who hast said: "If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you", we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen
Acts of Reparation to the Virgin Mary
Roman Catholic tradition and Mariology include specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against the Blessed Virgin Mary. Similar prayers as Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ and Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity also exist.m Some such prayers are provided in the Raccolta Roman Catholic prayer book, first published in association with the Roman Catholic Congregation of Indulgences in 1807.The Raccolta is a book, published from 1807 to 1950, that listed Roman Catholic prayers and other acts of piety, reparation, such as novenas, for which specific indulgences were granted by Popes. The Raccolta (literally meaning "collection" in Italian) is an abbreviation of its full title: Raccolta delle orazioni e pie opere per le quali sono sono concedute dai Sommi Pontefici le SS. Indulgenze ("Collection of Prayers and Good Works for Which the Popes Have Granted Holy Indulgences"). The text was in Italian, with the prayers themselves given in Latin. By his bull Indulgentiarum Doctrina of 1 January 1967, Pope Paul VI ordered a revision of the collection of indulgenced prayers and works "with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". In 1968 it was replaced by the Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, listing fewer specific prayers but including new general grants that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions.
The Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, which is in Latin, differs from the Italian-language Raccolta in listing "only the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance". On the other hand, it includes new general grants of partial indulgences that apply to a wide range of prayerful actions, and it indicates that the prayers that it does list as deserving veneration on account of divine inspiration or antiquity or as being in widespread use are only examples of those to which the first these general grants applies: "Raising the mind to God with humble trust while performing one's duties and bearing life's difficulties, and adding, at least mentally, some pious invocation". In this way, the Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, in spite of its smaller size, classifies as indulgenced an immensely greater number of prayers than were treated as such in the Raccolta.
Reparation for insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:- O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.
Reparation for blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin Mary
Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:
- Most glorious Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, turn thine eyes in pity upon us, miserable sinners; we are sore afflicted by the many evils that surround us in this life, but especially do we feel our hearts break within us upon hearing the dreadful insults and blasphemies uttered against thee, O Virgin Immaculate. O how these impious sayings offend the infinite Majesty of God and of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ! How they provoke His indignation and give us cause to fear the terrible effects of His vengeance! Would that the sacrifice of our lives might avail to put an end to such outrages and blasphemies; were it so, how gladly we should make it, for we desire, O most holy Mother, to love thee and to honor thee with all our hearts, since this is the will of God. And just because we love thee, we will do all that is in our power to make thee honored and loved by all men. In the meantime do thou, our merciful Mother, the supreme comforter of the afflicted, accept this our act of reparation which we offer thee for ourselves and for all our families, as well as for all who impiously blaspheme thee, not knowing what they say. Do thou obtain for them from Almighty God the grace of conversion, and thus render more manifest and more glorious thy kindness, thy power and thy great mercy. May they join with us in proclaiming thee blessed among women, the Immaculate Virgin and most compassionate Mother of God.
- Recite Hail Mary three times.
Acts of Reparation Mentioned in Apparitions
The
need for reparation has been mentioned in some Marian apparitions. The
messages of Our Lady of Akita, which were formally approved by the
Holy See in 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI)
include the following statement attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary:
Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.
- "Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates."
Organizations for Reparation
Specific Catholic organizations (including Pontifical Congregations) whose focus is reparation have been formed:[13][14]- The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded by Msgr. Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847.
- The Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was founded in 1851 by the Venerable Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours".
- In 1886 Pope Leo XIII authorized the formation of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation in Rome.
- In 1950, the Venerable Abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face.
Theological issues
From a theological view, reparation is closely connected with those of atonement and satisfaction, and thus belonging to some of the deepest mysteries of the Christian Faith. Christian theology teaches that man is a creature who has fallen into original sin from an original state of grace in which he was created, and that through the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of Jesus Christ, he has been redeemed and restored again in a certain degree to the original condition.Roman Catholic theology asserts that it was by voluntary submission that Jesus Christ died on the cross to atone for man's disobedience and sin and that his death made reparation for the sins and offenses of the world. Catholicism professes that by adding their prayers, labours, and trials to the redemption won by Christ's death, Christians can attempt to make reparation to God for their own offenses and those of others. Protestant Christians believe that the prize is already won by Christ for those who believe, wholly apart from their merit, or lack thereof, and that obedience and service to Christ is an outflowing of the new life that he purchased for them in his death on the cross.
The theological doctrine of reparation is the foundation of the numerous confraternities and pious associations which have been founded, especially in modern times, to make reparation to God for the sins of men. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded 28 June, 1847, in the Church of St. Martin de La Noue at St. Dizier in France by Mgr. Parisis, Bishop of Langres. With a similar object, the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was established at Tours, about 1851, through the piety of M. Dupont, the "holy man of Tours". In 1883 an association was formed in Rome to offer reparation to God on behalf of all nations. The idea of reparation is an essential element in the devotion of the Sacred Heart, and acts of reparation were once common public devotions in Roman Catholic churches. One of the ends for which the Eucharist is offered is for reparation. A pious widow of Paris conceived the idea of promoting this object in 1862. By the authority of Pope Leo XIII the erection of the Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation was sanctioned in 1886.
References
- ^ Acts of Reparation http://catholicism.about.com/od/prayers/qt/Reparation_HN.htm
- ^ Miserentissimus Redemptor Encyclical of Pope Pius XI [1]
- ^ Vatican archives http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/2000/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20001021_riparatrici_en.html
- ^ Joseph P. Christopher et al., 2003 The Raccolta, St Athanasius Press ISBN 978-0-9706526-6-9
- ^ Michael Freze, 1993, Voices, Visions, and Apparitions, OSV Publishing ISBN 0-87973-454-X
- ^ Dorothy Scallan. The Holy Man of Tours. (1990) ISBN 0-89555-390-2
- ^ Our Lady of Fatima http://www.fatima.org/
- ^ Story of Fatima http://www.salvemariaregina.info/SalveMariaRegina/SMR-104.html
- ^ Peter Stravinskas, 1998, OSV's Catholic Encyclopedia, OSV Press ISBN 0-87973-669-0 page 428
- ^ Roman Catholic worship: Trent to today by James F. White 2003 ISBN 0-8146-6194-7 page 35
- ^ Meditations on the Sacred Heart by Joseph McDonnell 2008 ISBN 1-4086-8658-9 page 118
- ^ Lucia Santos, Memoir 1, pp. 45-48, and Memoir 2, p. 82 and 93, in Fatima in Lucia's Own Words, entire text online.
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia
- ^ Byzantine Catholic Church in America - Hildebrand Gregori a Step Closer to Canonization
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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 2, Chapter 3
OF
THE VIRTUE OF FAITH AND HOW MOST HOLY MARY PRACTICED IT
On account of this beauty and harmony
regarding the habits of virtue, the soul of the most holy Mary was so
enlightened, ennobled and entirely bent on the highest Good and last
End of all creation; so alert, prompt, efficient and joyful in the
practice of virtue, that, if it were possible for our weak insight to
penetrate into the interior of her sacred soul, we would there find a
more wonderful beauty than that of all creatures combined and
inferior only to that of God himself. All the perfection of creatures
were in purest Mary as if in their own sphere and center, and all
virtues reached in Her the highest perfection, so that in no manner
could it ever be said of Her this or that is wanting in order to make
Her altogether beautiful and perfect. Besides the infused virtues,
She possessed all the acquired ones, which She augmented by practice
and exercise. In other souls, one single act cannot be called virtue,
because many repeated acts are necessary to constitute virtue; but in
the most holy Mary each act was so efficacious, intense and
consummate, that each one was superior to the virtues of all the
other creatures. Accordingly, as her acts of virtue were so frequent
and did not fall short in the least point of the highest degree of
perfection, how incomparably excellent were not the habits of virtue,
which the heavenly Mistress attained by her personal exertion? The
end for which something is done is that which makes an act virtuous
as being well done. In Mary, our Mistress, this end was God himself,
highest possible end of all activity; for She did nothing through
which She was not certain to advance the greater glory and pleasure
of the Lord and She looked upon this as the motive and ultimate end
of all her actions.
The infused virtues are divided into
two classes. To the first belong only those, that have God himself
for their immediate object; therefore they are called theological
virtues, being faith, hope, and charity. To the second class belong
all those other virtues, which have as their proximate object some
means or some honorable good, which advances the soul toward its last
end, namely God. These are called the moral virtues, because they are
intimately connected with established customs, and, although they are
many in number, they can be reduced to four, which are called the
cardinal virtues: prudence justice, fortitude and temperance. Of all
these virtues and their different species I will say farther on as
much as I can in order that I may make clear, how all of them and
each one in particular adorned the faculties of the most holy Mary.
At present I only mention in general, that none of them was wanting
in Her and that she possessed all in the most perfect manner;
moreover they were supplemented by the gifts of the Holy Ghost, the
fruits of the Spirit, and the Beatitudes. God did not fail to infuse
into Her from the first moment of her Conception, all of the graces
and gifts conducive to the highest beauty of the human soul and
faculties; and this was true of the will as well as of the
understanding, so that She had as well the knowledge as the habit of
the sciences. In order to say it all in one word all the good, which
the Most High could give Her as the Mother of his Son and as a mere
creature, He conferred upon Her in the most exalted degree. In
addition to all this her virtues continually augmented: the infused
virtues, because She added to them by her own merits, and the
acquired virtues, because She nurtured and multiplied them by the
intensity of her meritorious acts.
In few words the holy Elizabeth described the
greatness of the faith of most holy Mary, when, as reported to us by
the evangelist Luke, She exclaimed: “Blessed art thou for
having believed, because the words and promises of the Lord shall be
fulfilled in Thee” (Luke 1, 45). The faith of this great Lady
must be estimated from the greatness of her good fortune and
beatitude, and from her ineffable dignity.
The faith of the most holy Mary was
an image of the whole creation and an open prodigy of the divine
power, for in Her the virtue of faith existed in the highest and the
most perfect degree possible; in a certain manner and to a great
extent, it made up for the want of faith in men. The Most High has
given this excellent virtue to mortals so that, in spite of the
carnal and mortal nature, they might have the knowledge of the
Divinity and of his mysteries and admirable works: a knowledge so
certain and infallibly secure, that it is like seeing Him face to
face, and like the vision of the blessed angels in heaven. The same
object and the same truth, which they see openly, we perceive
obscured under the veil of faith.
One glance at the
world will make us understand, how many nations, reigns and
provinces, since the beginning of the world, have lost their claims
to this great blessing of the faith, so little understood by the
thankless mortals: how many have unhappily flung it aside, after the
Lord had conferred it on them in his generous mercy, and how many of
the faithful, having without their merit received the gift of faith,
neglect and despise it, letting it lie idle
and unproductive for the last end to which it is to direct and guide
them. It was befitting therefore, that the divine equity should have
some recompense for such lamentable loss, and that such an
incomparable benefit should find an adequate and proportionate
return, as far as is possible from creatures; it was befitting that
there should be found at least one Creature, in whom the virtue of
faith should come to its fullest perfection, as an example and rule
for the rest.
All this was found in the great faith
of the most holy Mary and on account of Her and for Her alone, if
there had been no other creature in the world, it would have been
most proper, that God should contrive and create the excellent virtue
of faith; for according to our way of understanding, Mary by Herself
was a sufficient pledge to the divine Providence, that He would find
a proper return on the part of man, and that the object of this faith
would not be frustrated by the want of correspondence among mortals.
The faith of this sovereign Queen was to make recompense for their
default and She was to copy the divine prototype of this virtue in
its highest perfection. All the other faithful can measure and gauge
themselves by the faith of this Mistress; for they will be more or
less faithful, the more or less they approach the perfection of her
incomparable faith. Therefore She was set as Teacher and example of
all the believing, including the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles and
Martyrs and all that have believed or will believe in the Christian
doctrines to the end of the world.
The intelligent love, with which She explicitly
believed all the divine truths, cannot be expressed in words, without
misrepresenting its intensity. The most holy Mary knew all that She
believed and believed all that She knew; for the infused theological
knowledge of the credibility of faith’s mysteries, and the
understanding of this credibility, existed in the wisest Virgin
Mother in the highest degree possible in a mere creature. Her
knowledge was kept in a constant actuality, and by means of her
memory, like that of an angel, She never forgot, that which once She
had learnt. This gift and faculty of the understanding She kept in
constant operation in order to exercise her deep faith; only at
times, as already said, God suspended faith by other acts of the
mind. Except that She was not yet a comprehensor, nothing was wanting
in regard to her intelligence of the matters of faith and in regard
to the clear knowledge of the Divinity. In this regard She held a
position far above that of all the wayfarers and She by Herself
constituted a class of such high degrees, as cannot be attained by
any other wayfarer to heaven.
And if the most holy Mary, while She
exercised the acts of faith and hope was in what might be called her
most ordinary and therefore the lowest degree of activity, and if in
that state She excelled all the angels and saints in merits by her
faith and love, what must we say of the excellence of her acts, her
merits and her affections, during the time in which She was exalted
by the divine power to the blessed state of highest intuitive vision
and clear knowledge of the Divinity? If this is beyond the
comprehension of the angelic mind, how can an earthly creature ever
hope to find words to describe it? I therefore can only express the
mere wish, that all mortals might come to a knowledge of the precious
value of faith, by leaving it from this heavenly Original, in whom
faith attained its ultimate perfection and where it completely
fulfilled the end for which it was created. Let the infidels, the
heretics, the pagans and idolaters approach this Mistress of faith,
most holy Mary, in order to be enlightened in their falsehoods and
darksome errors and in Order to find the sure way toward the last end
of their being. Let also Catholics approach and learn to understand
the copious rewards of this virtue; let them ask the Lord with the
Apostles to, increase their faith (Luke 7, 5). Not that they ever can
reach the faith of most holy Mary, but let them ask for the desire to
imitate Her and follow Her, for by her faith She teaches us, and by
her merits She helps us to obtain this virtue.
Saint Paul calls the patriarch Abraham the father
of all the faithful (Rom. 6, 11), because he first received the
promise, hoping against hope (Rom. 4, 18); He wishes to extol the
excellence of the Patriarch’s faith because he believed the
promise of the Lord, that Sarah, his wife, would bear him a son
though she was sterile, and, according to the laws of nature,
incapable of conception; moreover, in offering his son as a sacrifice
at God’s command, he relinquished at the same time the prospect
of the countless offspring, which the Lord had promised to him. This
all, and many other sayings and promises of the Lord were made
impossible of fulfillment according to the laws of nature, yet
Abraham believed, that the divine power could execute them in a
supernatural manner. Therefore he merited to be called the Father of
all the believers and to receive the seal of his faith which
justified him, namely circumcision.
But our
supereminent Lady, Mary, possesses much greater rights and titles to
be called the Mother of faith and of all the faithful. In her hand is
hoisted the standard and ensign of faith for all the believers in the
law of grace. First indeed, according to the order of time, was the
Patriarch and consequently he was ordained to be the father and head
of the Hebrew people: great was his belief in the promises concerning
Christ our Lord and in the works of the Most High. Nevertheless
incomparably more admirable was the faith of Mary in all these
regards and She excels him in dignity. Greater difficulty and
incongruity was there that a virgin should Conceive and bring forth,
than that an aged and sterile woman should bear fruit; and the
patriarch Abraham was not so certain of the sacrifice of Isaac, as
Mary was of the inevitable sacrifice of her most holy Son. She is the
One, who perfectly believed and hoped in all the mysteries, and She
shows to the whole Church, how it must believe in the Most High and
in the works of his Redemption. Having thus understood the faith of
Mary our Queen, we must admit Her to be the Mother of the faithful
and the prototype of the Catholic faith and of holy hope. And in
order to conclude this chapter, I will add, that Christ, our Redeemer
and Teacher, as He was a comprehensor and as his most holy soul
enjoyed the highest glory and the beatific vision, had no necessity
or occasion for faith, nor could He in his own actions give us an
example of this virtue. But what the Lord could not do in his own
Person, He did in the person of his most holy Mother, constituting
Her as the Foundress, the Mother and the example of faith in his
evangelical Church. And thus on the day of
universal accounting this sovereign Mistress and Queen shall in an
especial manner assist her most holy Son in the judgment of those,
who, in spite of such an example, have not believed during their stay
on earth.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN
The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain
My daughter, the inestimable treasure
of the virtue of divine faith is hidden to those mortals who have
only carnal and earthly eyes; for they do not know how to appreciate
and esteem a gift and blessing of such incomparable value. Consider,
my dearest, what the world was without faith and what it would be
today if my Son and Lord would not preserve faith. How many men whom
the world has celebrated as great, powerful and wise have
precipitated themselves, on account of the want of light of faith,
from the darkness of their unbelief into most abominable sins, and
thence into the eternal darkness of hell! How many kingdoms and
provinces, being blind themselves, follow these still more blind
leaders until they together fall into the abyss of eternal pains! And
they are followed by the bad Christians, who having received the
grace and blessing of faith, live as if they had it not in their
hearts.
Do not forget, my dear friend, to be
thankful for this precious jewel which the Lord has given thee as a
dower and a wedding gift of thy espousal with Him, in order to draw
thee to the bridal chamber of his holy Church and afterwards in
loving companionship with Him in the eternal beatitude. Continually
exercise this virtue of faith, for it places thee near to thy last
end, after which thou strivest, and brings thee near to the object of
thy desires and thy love. Faith teaches the sure way of eternal
salvation, faith is the light that shines in the darkness of this
mortal life and pilgrimage; it leads men securely to the possession
of the fatherland to which they are wayfaring, if they do not allow
it to die out by infidelity and sinfulness. Faith enlivens the other
virtues and serves as a nourishment of the just man and a support in
his labors. Faith confounds and fills with fear the infidels and the
lax Christians in their negligence; for it convinces them in this
world of their sin and threatens punishment in the life to come.
Faith is powerful to do all things, for nothing is impossible to the
believer; faith makes all things attainable and possible. Faith
illumines and ennobles the understanding of man, since it directs him
in the darkness of his natural ignorance, not to stray from the way,
and it elevates him above himself so that he sees and understands
with infallible certainty what is far above his powers and assures
him of it no less than if he saw it clearly before him. He is thus
freed from the gross and vile narrow–mindedness of those who
will believe only what they can experience by their own limited
natural powers, not considering that the soul, as long as it lives in
the prison of this corruptible body, is very much circumscribed and
limited in its sphere of action by the knowledge drawn from the
coarse activity of the senses. Appreciate, therefore, my daughter,
this priceless treasure of the Catholic faith given thee by God,
watch over it and practice it in great esteem and reverence.
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Catholic Catechism
PART FOUR - CHRISTIAN PRAYER
SECTION ONE - PRAYER IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
CHAPTER ONE - THE REVELATION OF PRAYER
ARTICLE 3 - GUIDES FOR PRAYER
A cloud of witnesses
2683 The witnesses who have preceded us into the kingdom,41 especially those whom the Church recognizes as saints, share in the living tradition of prayer by the example of their lives, the transmission of their writings, and their prayer today. They contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. When they entered into the joy of their Master, they were "put in charge of many things."42 Their intercession is their most exalted service to God's plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.
2684 In the communion of saints, many and varied spiritualities have been developed throughout the history of the churches. The personal charism of some witnesses to God's love for men has been handed on, like "the spirit" of Elijah to Elisha and John the Baptist, so that their followers may have a share in this spirit.43 A distinct spirituality can also arise at the point of convergence of liturgical and theological currents, bearing witness to the integration of the faith into a particular human environment and its history. The different schools of Christian spirituality share in the living tradition of prayer and are essential guides for the faithful. In their rich diversity they are refractions of the one pure light of the Holy Spirit.
- The Spirit is truly the dwelling of the saints and the saints are for the Spirit a place where he dwells as in his own home since they offer themselves as a dwelling place for God and are called his temple.44
2685 The Christian family is the first place of education in prayer. Based on the sacrament of marriage, the family is the "domestic church" where God's children learn to pray "as the Church" and to persevere in prayer. For young children in particular, daily family prayer is the first witness of the Church's living memory as awakened patiently by the Holy Spirit.
2686 Ordained ministers are also responsible for the formation in prayer of their brothers and sisters in Christ. Servants of the Good Shepherd, they are ordained to lead the People of God to the living waters of prayer: the Word of God, the liturgy, the theological life (the life of faith, hope, and charity), and the Today of God in concrete situations.45
2687 Many religious have consecrated their whole lives to prayer. Hermits, monks, and nuns since the time of the desert fathers have devoted their time to praising God and interceding for his people. The consecrated life cannot be sustained or spread without prayer; it is one of the living sources of contemplation and the spiritual life of the Church.
2688 The catechesis of children, young people, and adults aims at teaching them to meditate on The Word of God in personal prayer, practicing it in liturgical prayer, and internalizing it at all times in order to bear fruit in a new life. Catechesis is also a time for the discernment and education of popular piety.46 The memorization of basic prayers offers an essential support to the life of prayer, but it is important to help learners savor their meaning.
2689 Prayer groups, indeed "schools of prayer," are today one of the signs and one of the driving forces of renewal of prayer in the Church, provided they drink from authentic wellsprings of Christian prayer. Concern for ecclesial communion is a sign of true prayer in the Church.
2690 The Holy Spirit gives to certain of the faithful the gifts of wisdom, faith and discernment for the sake of this common good which is prayer (spiritual direction). Men and women so endowed are true servants of the living tradition of prayer.
- According to St. John of the Cross, the person wishing to advance toward perfection should "take care into whose hands he entrusts himself, for as the master is, so will the disciple be, and as the father is so will be the son." And further: "In addition to being learned and discreet a director should be experienced. . . . If the spiritual director has no experience of the spiritual life, he will be incapable of leading into it the souls whom God is calling to it, and he will not even understand them."47
2691 The church, the house of God, is the proper place for the liturgical prayer of the parish community. It is also the privileged place for adoration of the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The choice of a favorable place is not a matter of indifference for true prayer.
- For personal prayer, this can be a "prayer corner" with the Sacred Scriptures and icons, in order to be there, in secret, before our Father.48 In a Christian family, this kind of little oratory fosters prayer in common.
- In regions where monasteries exist, the vocation of these communities is to further the participation of the faithful in the Liturgy of the Hours and to provide necessary solitude for more intense personal prayer.49
- Pilgrimages evoke our earthly journey toward heaven and are traditionally very special occasions for renewal in prayer. For pilgrims seeking living water, shrines are special places for living the forms of Christian prayer "in Church."
IN BRIEF
2692 In prayer, the pilgrim Church is associated with that of the saints, whose intercession she asks.
2693 The different schools of Christian spirituality share in the living tradition of prayer and are precious guides for the spiritual life.
2694 The Christian family is the first place for education in prayer.
2695 Ordained ministers, the consecrated life, catechesis, prayer groups, and "spiritual direction" ensure assistance within the Church in the practice of prayer.
2696 The most appropriate places for prayer are personal or family oratories, monasteries, places of pilgrimage, and above all the church, which is the proper place for liturgical prayer for the parish community and the privileged place for Eucharistic adoration.
41 Cf. Heb 12:1.
42 Cf. Mt 25:21.
43 Cf. 2 Kings 2:9; Lk 1:1; PC 2.
44 St. Basil, De Spiritu Sancto, 26,62:PG 32,184.
45 Cf. PO 4-6.
46 Cf. CT 54.
47 St. John of the Cross, The Living Flame of Love, stanza 3,30, in The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, eds K. Kavanaugh OCD and O. Rodriguez OCD (Washington DC: Institute of Carmelite Studies, 1979), 621.
48 Cf. Mt 6:6.
49 Cf. 7.
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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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