Fortitude; Reading 1, Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10; Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 34:2-3, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15; Reading 2, Ephesians 5:15-20; Gospel and Lectio Divina, John 6:51-58; Pope Francis Angelus; Inspirational Hymns - Gregorian Chants; Our Lady of Medjugorje Message; Jesus 2018 Locutions; Direction For Our Times Features; Saint of the Week - Saint Bernard of Clairvaux; Snippet I -Feast Day of Coronation of Our Blessed Mother Mary ; Snippet II - Marian Apparitions; Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary; Acts of Reparation (Morning Offering, First Friday and First Saturday Devotions); Mystical City of God - Book 7 Chapter 6 The Conversion of Saint Paul, The Creed, The Departure of the Apostles; Catholic Catechism - Part One - Profession of Faith, Section Two - The Profession of Christian Faith - The Creeds - Paragraph 2 - The Father; RECHARGE: Heaven Speaks to Young Adults
Consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary ~ Zarya Parx 2018
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: B - Gospel of Mark - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Morning Offering
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.
Morning Offering
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I
offer You the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of
this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart,
in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, and
for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen.
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
August 2, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:
Dear children,
With a motherly love I am calling you to open your heart to peace; to open your heart to my Son, so that in your heart love for my Son may sing, because only out of that love does peace comes into the soul.
My children, I know that you have goodness, I know that you have love – a merciful love, but many of my children still have a closed heart. They think that they can do it without directing their thoughts towards the Heavenly Father who illuminates–towards my Son who is always with you anew in the Eucharist and who desires to listen to you.
My children, why do you not speak to Him? The life of each of you is important and precious, because it is a gift from the Heavenly Father for eternity. Therefore, do not ever forget to keep on thanking Him: Speak to Him.
I know, my children, that what is to come afterwards is unknown to you, but when your hereafter does come you will receive all the answers. My motherly love desires that you be ready.
My children, keep putting good feelings in the hearts of the people whom you meet, feelings of peace, goodness, love and forgiveness. Through prayer, hearken to what My Son is saying and act accordingly.
Anew, I am calling you to prayer for your shepherds, for those whom my Son has called. Remember that they need prayers and love. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Universe, Mother of the Church
July 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:
“Dear children! God called me to lead you to Him because He is your strength. That is why I am calling you to pray to Him and to trust in Him, because He is your refuge from every evil that lurks and carries souls far from the grace and joy to which you are all called. Little children, live Heaven here on earth so that it will be good for you; and may the commandments of God be a light on your way. I am with you and I love you all with my motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Universe, Mother of the Church
My children, why do you not speak to Him? The life of each of you is important and precious, because it is a gift from the Heavenly Father for eternity. Therefore, do not ever forget to keep on thanking Him: Speak to Him.
I know, my children, that what is to come afterwards is unknown to you, but when your hereafter does come you will receive all the answers. My motherly love desires that you be ready.
My children, keep putting good feelings in the hearts of the people whom you meet, feelings of peace, goodness, love and forgiveness. Through prayer, hearken to what My Son is saying and act accordingly.
Anew, I am calling you to prayer for your shepherds, for those whom my Son has called. Remember that they need prayers and love. Thank you. ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Universe, Mother of the Church
July 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje:
“Dear children! God called me to lead you to Him because He is your strength. That is why I am calling you to pray to Him and to trust in Him, because He is your refuge from every evil that lurks and carries souls far from the grace and joy to which you are all called. Little children, live Heaven here on earth so that it will be good for you; and may the commandments of God be a light on your way. I am with you and I love you all with my motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” ~ Blessed Mother Mary, Queen of Peace, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Universe, Mother of the Church
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Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition
to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018
"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.
Direction For Our Times
2018 Locutions From Jesus
Jesus's 2018 Messages to the World through locution apparition
to Lay Apostle Anne of Ireland. Imprimatur. 2018
July 28, 2018 message from Jesus:
"There are many men and women who serve me. I thank each one of them. My gratitude is made known in their detachment from worldly goals. There can be a balance between the two, heavenly goals and earthly goals, but with my true servants, the side of Heaven always carries the day. I am offering these few words to my friends because I am looking for courage. My dear friends offer me many days of their life or many moments in their days. Many have offered me gifts of great value and also gifts of small value but which are exceedingly valuable to me. All of your gifts console me and fill me with hope about the future of our faith presence in the world. My friends, when I ask for courage, I am asking for a quiet and firm disposition toward unity in our Church. There must be no divisive conversation. There must be no pretence that one accepts a side that is against unity. If one sees a side against unity in our Church, then one is seeing the side of my enemy. My enemy is personal, but also universal. He is your enemy. If you believe that you can turn a spirit to its opposite disposition then I am telling you today that you must leave that to me.
I am asking you for courage and I am also asking you to stand down from conversations with those who seek to divide our Church. You may wonder why I make two seemingly conflicting requests. I will tell you.
Courage is needed to advance the development of our Church. There must be total and intense focus on the developments I am seeking. Hard work is needed to move our religion of love into a dynamic force which will maintain God at its centre. My friends, I can see the risk in distraction. I can see the threat in energy directed against growth. You must listen to me with humility. You need not have answers that are beyond you or that you do not require today. It is often enough for you to have instructions and direction. With those, you may proceed, confident that with your small effort I can achieve large movements. I take your effort and combine it with the small effort of another, perhaps a person you will not know on Earth, and I obtain the outcome I desire. You must trust me. My wisdom is quietly filling those who’s humility will entertain it. My wisdom works steadily and often the events which are the most meaningful to my effort, seem almost insignificant to you. This thought is lovely for you. You will be on Earth for a short time, even in a long life, but there are those who will come after you and in a certain day in the future, they will need what you offer in the present. Do you understand what I am saying to you? My plans are far reaching. My plans construct a movement of love that acts like a magnet for the Father. People cannot resist love because they were created to be loved. Let us focus together, with the greatest courage, on fashioning a true faith that most accurately reflects the Father’s force of love.
Be courageous if you are called to serve in the development of this movement of love. Ask yourself this question. ‘What do these words mean for me, in my life and in my work?’ Sit quietly with this question and my wisdom will come to you. When I bring you the courage you need, accept it, and you will be amongst the bravest men and women on Earth."
May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:
"There are many men and women who serve me. I thank each one of them. My gratitude is made known in their detachment from worldly goals. There can be a balance between the two, heavenly goals and earthly goals, but with my true servants, the side of Heaven always carries the day. I am offering these few words to my friends because I am looking for courage. My dear friends offer me many days of their life or many moments in their days. Many have offered me gifts of great value and also gifts of small value but which are exceedingly valuable to me. All of your gifts console me and fill me with hope about the future of our faith presence in the world. My friends, when I ask for courage, I am asking for a quiet and firm disposition toward unity in our Church. There must be no divisive conversation. There must be no pretence that one accepts a side that is against unity. If one sees a side against unity in our Church, then one is seeing the side of my enemy. My enemy is personal, but also universal. He is your enemy. If you believe that you can turn a spirit to its opposite disposition then I am telling you today that you must leave that to me.
I am asking you for courage and I am also asking you to stand down from conversations with those who seek to divide our Church. You may wonder why I make two seemingly conflicting requests. I will tell you.
Courage is needed to advance the development of our Church. There must be total and intense focus on the developments I am seeking. Hard work is needed to move our religion of love into a dynamic force which will maintain God at its centre. My friends, I can see the risk in distraction. I can see the threat in energy directed against growth. You must listen to me with humility. You need not have answers that are beyond you or that you do not require today. It is often enough for you to have instructions and direction. With those, you may proceed, confident that with your small effort I can achieve large movements. I take your effort and combine it with the small effort of another, perhaps a person you will not know on Earth, and I obtain the outcome I desire. You must trust me. My wisdom is quietly filling those who’s humility will entertain it. My wisdom works steadily and often the events which are the most meaningful to my effort, seem almost insignificant to you. This thought is lovely for you. You will be on Earth for a short time, even in a long life, but there are those who will come after you and in a certain day in the future, they will need what you offer in the present. Do you understand what I am saying to you? My plans are far reaching. My plans construct a movement of love that acts like a magnet for the Father. People cannot resist love because they were created to be loved. Let us focus together, with the greatest courage, on fashioning a true faith that most accurately reflects the Father’s force of love.
Be courageous if you are called to serve in the development of this movement of love. Ask yourself this question. ‘What do these words mean for me, in my life and in my work?’ Sit quietly with this question and my wisdom will come to you. When I bring you the courage you need, accept it, and you will be amongst the bravest men and women on Earth."
May 14, 2018 message from Jesus:
"My blessings rain down on our Church on earth. Always, I send blessings of the most sublime and powerful nature. The graces sent through the Sacraments possess the power to heal and to sanctify in a way that is absolutely unique to the person receiving the graces. Only through the Sacraments can a person receive the power of Heaven directly in this way.
Can it be true that people do not want these graces? Is it possible that any person would reject what is available to them in the Sacraments? No. It is not the case that people understand what Heaven offers and refuse it. It is more accurate to say that people have become distracted from the power of the Sacraments and that they have been prompted to believe that some are more worthy of these graces than others. No one can be worthy of what God sends freely. Man is the recipient of the Father’s exceptional benevolence. Man is the recipient of the Father’s hope, not for one man but for all men created by Him. Do you understand?
Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.
Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.
Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus
April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:
Each person must receive Sacramental graces and grow in confidence. The Father loves each person. Accepting this reality is paramount to growth, for the individual and also the Universal Church. Do you receive these Sacramental graces with confidence? Are you certain of your Father’s love for you? Do you accept that the Father wishes to communicate this same love to every person you encounter?
Beloved children of the one Father, if the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to serve others, then I know that you are accepting them with a disposition of humility. If you believe the graces in the Sacraments are leading you to create division, then I know that you are in error. You, too, must accept that you are in error. If you refuse to accept that My goal is unity in the Church, as well as constant development in the Church, then you must withdraw yourself from conversations about the Church, as opposed to offending me personally by furthering efforts aimed at disunity. Efforts at division are not sanctioned by Me.
Read these words carefully. I am with you as you read them. I wish you joy and peace and love throughout every day of your life on earth. I want you to trust Me, Jesus Christ, to guide you. I am guiding you to humility and service and I am guiding My Church to humility and service. I am guiding you to trust that My overall goals for the Church are in sight and that if we work together, in harmony, these crucial and timely goals will be achieved.
Turn back from conversations or actions which lead away from My goals. I am asking you directly to work for harmony and unity in My Church on earth. I am asking you to work with Me." ~Jesus
April 5, 2018 message from Jesus:
"I am looking at mankind with eyes of hope. Who will help me? That is the question that I ask in every time. I search tirelessly for people who recognize My call to holiness. There are those who serve the Church, but they forget that the call to holiness comes before the call to preach the Gospel message. Who will help me? I ask that question and look for those who are working to become holier each day. Without a commitment to personal holiness, a person’s ability to impact others decreases. The Gospel message is compelling. It is timeless. It is full of love and hope. But, my beloved friends, when people relax their efforts to become holier, they lose the force needed to convict others. You may believe that My call is unfair, given its requirement of personal sacrifice. You may believe that the cost is too high for you to pay. To remain faithful to Me, you must sometimes put yourself and your personal plans in the second place and My plan in the first place. You are no different than any other follower in any other time. On earth, I put My father’s plan before My own desires. Would I have asked for a different experience for My mother? Can you imagine that I wanted her to suffer? I did not want her to suffer, anything, ever. She was the greatest joy of My life. But I subordinated my human wishes for her to the eternal plan of the Father and she wanted this for Me. She wanted the Father’s will for her life and for mine, too. Do you understand? We were both willing to sacrifice what was temporary for what was eternal. You must be willing to do, so, too. I did not suffer alone in the sense that she accompanied Me to My death. You do not suffer alone, either, in the sense that we are with you. Our mother, Mary, wishes to assert her feminine strength in this time. She looks at mankind with eyes of hope, too. Who will help her? Who will help Me? This is the question we ask of you. Do not count personal cost, My friends, because you will be rewarded far beyond your ability to give. We reward you in sublime ways. I have great hope for mankind and part of that hope must be realized through My Church. Will you help me to establish and maintain unity in the Church? Will you be a person who follows in My footsteps? With humility? Will you trust Me to protect the Church and her earthly mission? I am asking you directly. Will you help Me?" ~ Jesus Christ
February 26, 2018 message from Jesus:
"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." ~Jesus Christ
March 10, 2018 message from Jesus:
"What do I need from the people of My Church? I need fidelity. Many claim they are faithful but they make war on the Church. When an enemy comes directly to one’s door, from the outside, one is prepared. When an enemy emerges from within one’s home, one is more vulnerable. My children, I do not wish you to become an enemy in My earthly home, the Church. Follow the leadership I have arranged for you, in a manner that is humble and determined, and you will see My Spirit blossoming in a way that is both fresh and compelling. Where are My beloved children? Why do they flee from our assembly? Is it I? Have I changed or demanded that they leave our Church? No. It is not I. I have watched in pain as many people have been made to believe that they are somehow less worthy than the unworthy, that they are not welcome or not received by Me. The truth is that sinners do not cause Me to fret. You are all sinners and you are all welcome. Who is driving God’s children from our Church? Ask yourself that question and do not point to the man I have chosen to lead My Church. He is in My care and I am pleased that he is following My direction. Do you wish to argue with the Holy Spirit in him? Then you must look to Me, and do so silently in prayer. Perhaps I can help you to see that the people in every assembly are unworthy. God did not create you to be perfectly worthy on earth but to be loved and to grow and grow in holiness and happiness. Would you say that every person starts at the same point? Do you believe you can judge? You are attempting to usurp My role if you believe this and you are also damaging My Church. Stop. I am asking you to stop pretending that you are Me. I am the judge. You are the ones who will be judged. I am looking deeply into your heart. If you are dissuading people from belief and total trust in My mercy, then I am asking you to stop." ~Jesus Christ
"How does My Passion speak to people of every age, in every time? People can be confused by the events of their time. People can become distracted by the events of their time. People, however, recognize love. Love is a universal language, a constant communication of God. Who, around you, loves? That person represents Me in that when you see love you will know that I am near. Who speaks of love? Who offers actions that communicate love? Who stands for love and remains aloof to distraction and despair? Love, sometimes only love, changes hearts, prompts repentance and frees a person from defensiveness enough to acknowledge his or her guilt in relation to the failure to love. Do you see what I am telling you? We will not bring people to the Father through anything but love. And so, my friends, are you studying love? Are you trying to become more perfect in love? Do you love yourself in the sense that you understand that your wounds are important to Me. Your suffering is visible to Me. Just as you gaze at My Passion and feel determination to remain faithful to Me, I gaze at your sufferings and I remain determined to comfort you. There are times when I spare you suffering, supernaturally, because it will not benefit you or others. If you are not spared suffering, and you are carrying a cross, remember that I allow it for your growth and for the salvation of those who need help. Your suffering, like Mine, is allowed by the Father in a temporary way so that we can offer sacrifice for others. These crosses we carry with determination are proof of our commitment to our Creator, who never pauses in pulsing love into the world. Our Father was able to send pulsations of love through Me. Is He able to send them through you? Do not ask yourself if the person you are thinking of is worthy of love. That person IS loved. And that is all you must know. The Father loves all of His children and so must we. Today, ask yourself if you are actively loving people. ‘Am I active in my obligation to love?’ That is your question. Every day I spent on earth, I loved actively. So must you. We must love as a decision, with such force that the world changes. Love does change people. You know this because you have already changed because of My love for you. Focus on offering My love to others and you will live a life truly following Me, Jesus Christ." ~Jesus Christ
Reference : Direction For Our Times, New Locutions.
https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW
Direction For Our Times Book Store
(Print • Audio • Digital Media)
Direction For Our Times Book Store
(Print • Audio • Digital Media)
Direction For Our Times Book Store
(Print • Audio • Digital Media)
https://www.directionforourtimes.com/new-locutions-jesus/#.Wt-CLZdOnIW
Featured Books of the Month
Volume One- Thoughts On Spirituality
Heaven Speaks- To Those Who Have Been Away From the Church
Heaven Speaks- To Families
Heaven Speaks- A Guide to Comtemplative Prayer
**Fair Use/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.
Reference :
Direction For Our Times. https//:www.directionforourtimes.org
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis's Angelus
(Vatican Radio)
Pope at Angelus: At Mass we anticipate heaven on earth
Pope Francis reflects on Christ’s Eucharistic discourse during the Angelus on Sunday
“Going to Mass and receiving Communion” is very important, Pope Francis said at Sunday’s Angelus, “because to receive Communion is to receive this living Christ, who transforms us interiorly, and prepares us for heaven.”
The Holy Father based his reflection on Sunday’s Gospel reading, which contains the second part of Jesus’ discourse on the Eucharist. Jesus presents Himself to us as “the living bread come down from heaven,” and adds, “the bread that I will give is My flesh for the life of the world.”
Entering into communion with Him
When the Lord says, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you,” the people understand that “He is inviting them to enter into communion with Him, to ‘eat’ Him, His humanity, to share with Him” His gift of life for the world.
Anticipating heaven on earth
“This bread of life, the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, comes to us given freely at the table of the Eucharist,” the Pope said. “Around the altar we find that which feeds us and quenches us spiritually today and for eternity. Each time we participate at the Holy Mass, in a certain sense, we anticipate heaven on earth, because from the Eucharistic food, the Body and Blood of Jesus, we learn what eternal life is.”
Jesus, he continued, never grows tired “of inviting us to His banquet in order to satiate ourselves with Him, ‘the living bread come down from heaven’.” When we nourish ourselves on this bread, Pope Francis concluded, “we are able to enter into full harmony with Christ, with His sentiments, with His way of acting.”
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2018 Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed - 08/19/18
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Today's Word - fortitude [fawr-ti-tood]
word origin: 1350–1400; Middle English < Latin fortitūdō strength, firmness, courage, equivalent to forti(s) strong + -tūdō -tude
- mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously: Never once did her fortitude waver during that long illness.
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Today's Reading 1 - Revelation 11:19; 12:1-6, 10
19 Then the sanctuary of God in heaven opened, and the ark of the covenant could be seen inside it. Then came flashes of lightning, peals of thunder and an earthquake and violent hail.1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, robed with the sun, standing on the moon, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
2 She was pregnant, and in labour, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth.
3 Then a second sign appeared in the sky: there was a huge red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and each of the seven heads crowned with a coronet.
4 Its tail swept a third of the stars from the sky and hurled them to the ground, and the dragon stopped in front of the woman as she was at the point of giving birth, so that it could eat the child as soon as it was born.
5 The woman was delivered of a boy, the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne,
6 while the woman escaped into the desert, where God had prepared a place for her to be looked after for twelve hundred and sixty days.
10 Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, 'Salvation and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the accuser, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down.
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Today's Psalms - Psalms 34:2-3, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15
2 I will praise Yahweh from my heart; let the humble hear and rejoice.3 Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh, let us acclaim his name together.
10 Young lions may go needy and hungry, but those who seek Yahweh lack nothing good.
11 Come, my children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of Yahweh.
12 Who among you delights in life, longs for time to enjoy prosperity?
13 Guard your tongue from evil, your lips from any breath of deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of Yahweh are on the upright, his ear turned to their cry.
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Today's Reading 2 - Ephesians 5:15-20
15 So be very careful about the sort of lives you lead, like intelligent and not like senseless people.16 Make the best of the present time, for it is a wicked age.
17 This is why you must not be thoughtless but must recognise what is the will of the Lord.
18 Do not get drunk with wine; this is simply dissipation; be filled with the Spirit.
19 Sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs among yourselves, singing and chanting to the Lord in your hearts,
20 always and everywhere giving thanks to God who is our Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Today's Gospel and Lectio Divina - John 6: 51-58
Jesus the bread of life.1. Opening prayer
Let us invoke the presence of God
Shaddai, God of the mountain,
You who make of our fragile life
the rock of your dwelling place,
lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night
and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence
until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning,
may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute
who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master,
the flavour of the holy memory.
a) The text: John 6:51-58
51 I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.' 52 Then the Jews started arguing among themselves, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' 53 Jesus replied to them: In all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person. 57 As the living Father sent me and I draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will also draw life from me. 58 This is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.
b) A moment of silence:
Let us allow the voice of the Word to resonate within us.
2. Mediatio
a) Some questions:- I am the bread of life… Jesus, flesh and blood, bread and wine. These words work a change on the altar, as Augustine says: «If you take away the words, all you have is bread and wine; add the words and it becomes something else. This something else is the body and blood of Christ. Take the words away, all you have is bread and wine; add the words and they become sacrament». How important is the word of God for me? If the word is pronounced over my flesh can it make me become bread for the world?
b) Let us enter into the text:
v. 51. ”I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world”. John’s Gospel does not recount the institution of the Eucharist, but rather the meaning it assumes in the life of the Christian community. The symbolism of the washing of the feet and the new commandment (Jn 13:1-35) point to the bread broken and the wine poured. The theological content is the same as that in the synoptic Gospels. John’s ritual tradition can, however, be found in the “eucharistic discourse” that follows the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves (Jn 6:26-65). This text brings to light the deep meaning of Christ’s existence given for the world, a gift that is the source of life and that leads to a deep communion in the new commandment of membership. The reference to the ancient miracle of the manna explains the paschal symbolism where the idea of death is taken up and overcome by life: «Your fathers ate manna in the desert and they are dead; but this is the bread which comes down from heaven, so that a person may eat it and not die» (Jn 6:49-50). The bread of heaven (cfr Es 16; Jn 6:31-32) figuratively or in reality is not meant so much for the individual as for the community of believers, even though everyone is called to partake personally of the food given for all. Anyone who eats the living bread will not die: the food of the revelation is the place where life never ends. From the bread, John goes on to use another expression to point to the body: sarx. In the Bible this word denotes a human person in his or her fragile and weak reality before God, and in John it denotes the human reality of the divine Word made man (Jn 1:14a): the bread is identified with the very flesh of Jesus. Here it is not a question of metaphorical bread, that is of the revelation of Christ in the world, but of the eucharistic bread. While revelation, that is the bread of life identified with the person of Jesus (Jn 6:35), is the gift of the Father (the verb to give is used in the present, v. 32), the eucharistic bread, that is the body of Jesus will be offered by him through his death on the cross prefigured in the consecration of the bread and wine at the supper: «and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world» (Jn 6:51).
v. 52. Then the Jews started arguing among themselves, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’. Here begins the drama of a way of thinking that stops at the threshold of the visible and material and dares not cross the veil of the mystery. This is the scandal of those who believe without believing… of those who pretend to know but do not know. Flesh to eat: the celebration of the Passover, the perennial rite that will go on from generation to generation, a feast for the Lord and a memorial (cfr Es 12:14), whose meaning is Christ. Jesus’ invitation to do what he has done “in memory” of him, is paralleled in the words of Moses when he prescribes the paschal anamnesis: “This day must be commemorated by you, and you must keep it as a feast ” (Ex 12,14). Now, we know that for the Jews the celebration of the Passover was not just a remembrance of a past event, but also its ritualization, in the sense that God was ready to offer again to his people the salvation needed in new and different circumstances. Thus the past intruded into the present, leavening by its saving power. In the same way the eucharistic sacrifice “will be able” to give to the centuries “flesh to eat”.
vv. 53. Jesus said: “In all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you”. John, like the synoptic Gospels, uses various expressions when speaking of Christ’s giving of himself in death, not wishing thus to convey a separation of parts, but the totality of the person given: the spiritualized corporeity of the risen Christ, fully permeated by the Holy Spirit in the Paschal event, will become source of life for all believers, especially through the Eucharist, that unites closely each on of them with the glorified Christ seated at the right hand of the Father, and making each one partake of his own divine life. John does not mention bread and wine, but directly what is signified by them: flesh to eat because it is Christ's presence that nourishes and blood to drink – a sacrilegious act for the Jews – because Christ is the sacrificed lamb. The sacramental liturgical character is here evident: Jesus insists on the reality of the flesh and of the blood referring to his death, because in the act of sacrificing the sacrificial victims the flesh became separated from the blood.
54. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the last day. The Passover celebrated by Jesus, the Jew, and by the early Christians acquires a new soul: that of the resurrection of Christ, the final exodus of perfect and full freedom (Jn 19: 31-37), which in the Eucharist finds the new memorial, symbol of the Bread of life that sustains during the journey in the desert, sacrifice and presence that sustains the people of God, the Church, that, having crossed the waters of regeneration, will not tire of making memory, as he said, (Lk 22:19; 1Cor 11:24) until the eternal Passover. Attracted and penetrated by the presence of the Word made flesh, Christians will live their Pesach throughout history, the passage from the slavery of sin to the freedom of children of God. In conforming themselves to Christ, they will be able to proclaim the wonderful works of his admirable light, offering the eucharist of his corporeity: living sacrifice, holy and pleasing in a spiritual cult (Rom 12:1) that befits the people of his victory, a chosen race, a royal priesthood (cfr 1Pt 2:9).
vv. 55-56. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person. This promise of the life of Christ influences greatly the life of believers: «Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person» (Jn 6:56). The communion of life that Jesus has with the Father is offered to all who eat the sacrificed body of Christ. This is not to be understood as the magic concession of a sacramental food that automatically confers eternal life to those who eat it. This giving of the flesh and blood needs explanation to make it intelligible and to provide the necessary understanding of God’s action, it needs faith on the part of those who take part in the eucharistic banquet, and it needs first God’s action, that of his Spirit, without which there can be no listening or faith.
v. 57. As the living Father sent me and I draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will also draw life from me. The stress is not placed on the cult as the peak and foundation of love, but on the unity of the body of Christ living and working within the community. There is no liturgy without life. «A Eucharist without fraternal love is equal to self condemnation, because the body of Christ, that is the community, is despised». Indeed, in the eucharistic liturgy the past, present and future of the history of salvation find an efficient symbol for the Christian community, which expresses but never substitutes for the experience of faith that must always be present in history. Through the inseparable Supper and Cross, the people of God have come into the ancient promises, the true land across the sea, across the desert, across the river, a land of the milk and honey, of freedom capable of obedience. All the great ancient plans find in this hour (cfr Jn 17:1) their fulfilment; from the promise made to Abraham (Gn 17:1-8) to the Passover of the Exodus (Ex 12:1-51). This is a decisive moment that gathers the whole past of the people (cfr DV 4) and the first most noble Eucharist ever celebrated of the new covenant is offered to the Father: the fruitful fulfilment of all expectations on the altar of the cross.
v. 58. “This is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever”. When Jesus pronounces the words: «This is my body», and, «This is my blood», he establishes a real and objective relationship between those material elements and the mystery of his death, which finds its crowning glory in the resurrection. These are creative words of a new situation with common elements in human experience, words that will always and truly realise the mysterious presence of the living Christ. The elements chosen were meant to be and are symbol and instrument at the same time. The element of bread, which because of its relationship to life has by itself an eschatological significance (cfr Lk 14:15), is easily seen as an indispensable food and a universal means of sharing. The element of wine, because of its natural symbolism, connotes the fullness of life and the expansion of the joy of a person (cfr Ps 103:15). In the existential Semite view, the effectiveness of the system of signs is taken for granted. It makes distinctions that make it possible to comprehend mysteries by faith where the senses fail. By referring and going back to the desert and the manna, this different “Pasch”, the material object and the sign come together, but concupiscence, which is from the flesh, transforms the sign into matter, while the desire, which is from the spirit, transforms the matter into sign» (P. Beauchamp, L’uno e l’altro testamento, Paideia Ed., Brescia 1985, p. 54). In fact, the manna from heaven comes from God in an invisible form and thus lacks identity. This lack of evidence is seen clearly in the etymology of the word “manna”: «What is it?» (Ex 16:15). This says what it is, a name given to almost nothing, a sign and not a thing, a signed sign. It is proven in the moment it disappears, because one is tempted to remedy that which disappears, to make provision of manna so as not to run short. This is the price of what disappears to the senses. The alternation is the time of the desert. The manna is bread that obeys the laws of him who gives it. The law, that the manna signifies, is to expect everything from him: what is required is belief. Because of its lack of substance, manna creates the desire for more solid support; but in the place called “sepulchres of greed” the thing, deprived of sign, brings death (Nm 11:34). In the desert that which urges people to go ahead with confidence is this seeing the manna either as a sign or as a thing in itself and thus either believe or die.
c) Let us meditate:
Jesus fulfils the true Pesach of human history: «Before the festival of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father, having loved those who were his in the world, loved them to the end. While they were at supper…» (Jn 13;,1). To pass over: the new Pasch is precisely this passing over of Christ from this world to the Father through the blood of his sacrifice. The Eucharist is the memorial, bread of the desert and saving presence, covenant of fidelity and communion written in the person of the Word. The history of salvation that for Israel is made up of events, names and places, leads to a reflection of faith over an experience of life that makes the name of Yahweh not just one name among many but the only Name. Everything begins from an encounter, a dialogical event between God and humanity that translates into a covenant of alliance, old and new. The sea of rushes is the last frontier of slavery and beyond it lies the spacious territory of freedom. In this watery sepulchre the old body of Israel is laid to rest and the new and free Israel rises. This is where Israel’s identity is born. Every time that this passage through the waters of birth is evoked more than just as a historical event to be remembered, the eschatological event will arise, capable of a divine fullness that becomes present, sacramental sign of God’s faithful initiative today for the new generations, in expectation of the final liberation that the Lord will provide. It is the gasp of a people that on the eve of the Pesach finds its deep identity individually and as a people, the eve when the son of the living God gives himself wholly in the form of food and drink.
3. Oriatio
Psalm 116What return can I make to Yahweh
for his generosity to me?
I shall take up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of Yahweh.
I shall fulfil my vows to Yahweh,
witnessed by all his people.
Costly in Yahweh's sight
is the death of his faithful.
I beg you, Yahweh!
I am your servant,
I am your servant
and my mother was your servant;
you have undone my fetters.
I shall offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of Yahweh.
I shall fulfil my vows to Yahweh,
witnessed by all his people,
in the courts of the house of Yahweh,
in your very heart, Jerusalem.
4. Contemplatio
When we think of you, Lord, we do not recall events that took place and were fulfilled long ago, but we come into contact with your reality ever present and alive, we see your constant passage among us. You intervene in our life to restore our likeness to you, so that we may not be disfigured by the stones of the law, but may find our fullest expression in your face as Father, revealed in the face of a man, Jesus, the promise of fidelity and love even unto death. It is not necessary at all to go out of ordinary existence so as to meet you because the care you take of your creatures unfolds over our human affairs like a scroll in the proximity of an experience. You, Creator of heaven and earth, indeed do hide in the folds of history and, even though at first obscurely and implicitly, you allow us to meet you in your transcendence, which is never absent from ordinary events. When our reflection on life brings us to an acknowledgement of your liberating presence, this meeting can only be celebrated, sung, expressed by sacred symbols, relived festively in great joy. Thus we do not come to you alone, but as a people of the covenant. The wonder of your presence is always purely gratuitous: in the members of the Church, where two or three are gathered in the name of Jesus (Mt 18:20), in the pages of Sacred Scripture, in eva
ngelical
preaching, in the poor and suffering (Mt 25:40), in the sacramental
actions of ordained ministers. But it is in the eucharistic sacrifice
that your presence becomes real; in the Body and Blood there is the
whole of the humanity and divinity of the risen Lord, present
substantially.
Reference:
Reference:
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Saint of the Week: St Bernard of Clairvaux
Feast Day: August 20
Died: 1153
Patron Saint of : Cistercians, Burgundy, beekeepers, candlemakers, Gibraltar, Queens' College, Cambridge, Speyer Cathedral, Knights Templar
Bernard of Clairvaux, O.Cist (1090 – August
20, 1153) was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming
Cistercian order. After the death of his mother, Bernard sought
admission into the
Cistercian order. "Three years later, he was sent to found a new abbey
at an isolated clearing in a glen known as the Val d'Absinthe, about 15 km southeast of Bar-sur-Aube. According to tradition, Bernard founded the monastery on 25 June 1115, naming it Claire Vallée, which evolved into Clairvaux. There Bernard would preach an immediate faith, in which the intercessor was the Virgin Mary."[1]
In the year 1128, Bernard assisted at the Council of Troyes, at which
he traced the outlines of the Rule of the Knights Templar, who soon
became the ideal of Christian nobility.
On the death of Pope Honorius II a schism broke out in the Church. Louis VI of France convened a national council of the French bishops at Étampes in 1130, and Bernard was chosen to judge between the rivals for pope. After the council of Étampes, Bernard went to speak with the King of England, Henry I, Beauclerc, about the king's reservations regarding Pope Innocent II. Beauclerc was sceptical because most the bishops of England supported Anacletus II; he convinced him to support Innocent. Germany had decided to support Innocent through Norbert of Xanten, who was a friend of Bernard's. However, Innocent insisted on Bernard's company when he met with Lothair III of Germany. Lothair became Innocent's strongest ally among the nobility. Despite the councils of Étampes, Wurzburg, Clermont, and Rheims all supporting Innocent, there were still large portions of the Christian world supporting Anacletus.
At the end of 1131, the kingdoms of France, England, Germany, Castile, and Aragon supported Innocent; however, most of Italy, southern France, and Sicily, with the patriarchs of Constantinople, Antioch, and Jerusalem, supported Anacletus. Bernard set out to convince these other regions to rally behind Innocent. The first person whom he went to was Gerard of Angoulême. He proceeded to write a letter, called Letter 126. This letter questioned Gerard's reasons for supporting Anacletus. Bernard would later comment that Gerard was his most formidable opponent during the whole schism. After convincing Gerard, Bernard traveled to visit the Count of Poitiers. He was the hardest for Bernard to convince. He did not pledge allegiance to Innocent until 1135. After that, Bernard spent most of his time in Italy convincing the Italians to pledge allegiance to Innocent. He traveled to Sicily in 1137 to convince the king of Sicily to follow Innocent. The whole conflict ended when Anacletus died on January 25, 1138.
In 1139, Bernard assisted at the Second Council of the Lateran. Bernard denounced the teachings of Peter Abelard to the pope, who called a council at Sens in 1141 to settle the matter. Bernard soon saw one of his disciples elected as Pope Eugenius III. Having previously helped end the schism within the church, Bernard was now called upon to combat heresy. In June 1145, Bernard traveled in southern France and his preaching there helped strengthen support against heresy.
Following the Christian defeat at the Siege of Edessa, the pope commissioned Bernard to preach the Second Crusade. The last years of Bernard's life were saddened by the failure of the crusaders, the entire responsibility for which was thrown upon him. Bernard died at age 63, after 40 years spent in the cloister. He was the first Cistercian placed on the calendar of saints, and was canonized by Pope Alexander III on 18 January 1174. In 1830, Pope Pius VIII bestowed upon Bernard the title "Doctor of the Church".
Bernard would expand upon Anselm of Canterbury's role in transmuting the sacramentally ritual Christianity of the Early Middle Ages into a new, more personally held faith, with the life of Christ as a model and a new emphasis on the Virgin Mary. In opposition to the rational approach to divine understanding that the scholastics adopted, Bernard would preach an immediate faith, in which the intercessor was the Virgin Mary. Bernard played the leading role in the development of the cult of the Virgin, which is one of the most important manifestations of the popular piety of the twelfth century. In early medieval thought, the Virgin Mary had played a minor role, and it was only with the rise of emotional Christianity in the eleventh century that she became the prime intercessor for humanity with the deity. Bernard was only nineteen years of age when his mother died. During his youth, he did not escape trying temptations and around this time he thought of retiring from the world and living a life of solitude and prayer.
In 1098, Saint Robert of Molesme had founded Cîteaux Abbey, near Dijon, with the purpose of restoring the Rule of St Benedict in all its rigour. Returning to Molesme, he left the government of the new abbey to Saint Alberic, who died in the year 1109. In 1113, Saint Stephen Harding had just succeeded him as third Abbot of Cîteaux when Bernard and thirty other young noblemen of Burgundy sought admission into the Cistercian order.
The beginnings of Clairvaux Abbey were trying and painful. The regime was so austere that Bernard became ill, and only the influence of his friend William of Champeaux and the authority of the general chapter could make him mitigate the austerities. The monastery, however, made rapid progress. Disciples flocked to it in great numbers and put themselves under the direction of Bernard. His father and all his brothers entered Clairvaux to pursue religious life, leaving only Humbeline, his sister, in the secular world. She, with the consent of her husband, soon took the veil in the Benedictine nunnery of Jully-les-Nonnains. Gerard of Clairvaux, Bernard's older brother, became the cellarer of Citeaux. The abbey became too small for its members and it was necessary to send out bands to found new houses. In 1118, Trois-Fontaines Abbey was founded in the diocese of Châlons; in 1119, Fontenay Abbey in the Diocese of Autun and in 1121, Foigny Abbey near Vervins, in the diocese of Laon. In addition to these victories, Bernard also had his trials. During an absence from Clairvaux, the Grand Prior of Cluny went to Clairvaux and enticed away Bernard's cousin, Robert of Châtillon. This was the occasion of the longest and most emotional of Bernard's letters.
In the year 1119, Bernard was present at the first general chapter of
the order convoked by Stephen of Cîteaux. Though not yet 30 years old,
Bernard was listened to with the greatest attention and respect,
especially when he developed his thoughts upon the revival of the
primitive spirit of regularity and fervour in all the monastic orders.
It was this general chapter that gave definitive form to the
constitutions of the order and the regulations of the Charter of Charity which Pope Callixtus II confirmed 23 December 1119. In 1120, Bernard authored his first work, De Gradibus Superbiae et Humilitatis, and his homilies which he entitled De Laudibus Mariae.
The monks of the abbey of Cluny were unhappy to see Cîteaux take the
lead rôle among the religious orders of the Roman Catholic Church. For
this reason, the Black Monks
attempted to make it appear that the rules of the new order were
impracticable. At the solicitation of William of St. Thierry, Bernard
defended the order by publishing his Apology which was divided
into two parts. In the first part, he proved himself innocent of the
charges of Cluny and in the second he gave his reasons for his
counterattacks. He protested his profound esteem for the Benedictines of
Cluny whom he declared he loved equally as well as the other religious
orders. Peter the Venerable, abbot of Cluny, answered Bernard and
assured him of his great admiration and sincere friendship. In the
meantime Cluny established a reform, and Abbot Suger, the minister of Louis VI of France, was converted by the Apology
of Bernard. He hastened to terminate his worldly life and restore
discipline in his monastery. The zeal of Bernard extended to the
bishops, the clergy, and lay people. Bernard's letter to the archbishop of Sens was seen as a real treatise, "De Officiis Episcoporum." About the same time he wrote his work on Grace and Free Will.
Again reproaches arose against Bernard and he was denounced, even in Rome. He was accused of being a monk who meddled with matters that did not concern him. Cardinal Harmeric, on behalf of the pope, wrote Bernard a sharp letter of remonstrance stating, "It is not fitting that noisy and troublesome frogs should come out of their marshes to trouble the Holy See and the cardinals."
Bernard answered the letter by saying that, if he had assisted at the council, it was because he had been dragged to it by force. In his response Bernard wrote,
In 1132, Bernard accompanied Innocent II into Italy, and at Cluny the pope abolished the dues which Clairvaux used to pay to that abbey. This action gave rise to a quarrel between the White Monks and the Black Monks which lasted 20 years. In May of that year, the pope, supported by the army of Emperor Lothair III, entered Rome, but Lothair, feeling himself too weak to resist the partisans of Anacletus, retired beyond the Alps, and Innocent sought refuge in Pisa in September 1133. Bernard had returned to France in June and was continuing the work of peacemaking which he had commenced in 1130. Towards the end of 1134, he made a second journey into Aquitaine, where William X had relapsed into schism. Bernard invited William to the Mass which he celebrated in the Church of La Couldre. At the Eucharist, he "admonished the Duke not to despise God as he did His servants". William yielded and the schism ended. Bernard went again to Italy, where Roger II of Sicily was endeavouring to withdraw the Pisans from their allegiance to Innocent. He recalled the city of Milan to obedience to the pope as they had followed the deposed Anselm V, Archbishop of Milan. For this, he was offered, and he refused, the archbishopric of Milan. He then returned to Clairvaux. Believing himself at last secure in his cloister, Bernard devoted himself with renewed vigour to the composition of the works which would win for him the title of "Doctor of the Church". He wrote at this time his sermons on the Song of Songs. In 1137, he was again forced to leave his solitude by order of the pope to put an end to the quarrel between Lothair and Roger of Sicily. At the conference held at Palermo, Bernard succeeded in convincing Roger of the rights of Innocent II. He also silenced the final supporters who sustained the schism. Anacletus died of "grief and disappointment" in 1138, and with him the schism ended.
In 1139, Bernard assisted at the Second Council of the Lateran, in which the surviving adherents of the schism were definitively condemned. About the same time, Bernard was visited at Clairvaux by Saint Malachy, Primate of All Ireland, and a very close friendship formed between them. Malachy wanted to become a Cistercian, but the pope would not give his permission. Malachy would die at Clairvaux in 1148.
Having previously helped end the schism within the Church, Bernard was now called upon to combat heresy. Henry of Lausanne, a former Cluniac monk, had adopted the teachings of the Petrobrusians, followers of Peter of Bruys and spread them in a modified form after Peter's death.[11] Henry of Lausanne's followers became known as Henricians. In June 1145, at the invitation of Cardinal Alberic of Ostia, Bernard traveled in southern France. His preaching, aided by his ascetic looks and simple attire, helped doom the new sects. Both the Henrician and the Petrobrusian faiths began to die out by the end of that year. Soon afterwards, Henry of Lausanne was arrested, brought before the bishop of Toulouse, and probably imprisoned for life. In a letter to the people of Toulouse, undoubtedly written at the end of 1146, Bernard calls upon them to extirpate the last remnants of the heresy. He also preached against the Cathars.
There was at first virtually no popular enthusiasm for the crusade as there had been in 1095. Bernard found it expedient to dwell upon the taking of the cross as a potent means of gaining absolution for sin and attaining grace. On 31 March, with King Louis present, he preached to an enormous crowd in a field at Vézelay. When Bernard was finished the crowd enlisted en masse; they supposedly ran out of cloth to make crosses. Bernard is said to have given his own outer garments to be cut up to make more. Unlike the First Crusade, the new venture attracted royalty, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, then Queen of France; Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders; Henry, the future Count of Champagne; Louis’ brother Robert I of Dreux; Alphonse I of Toulouse; William II of Nevers; William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey; Hugh VII of Lusignan; and numerous other nobles and bishops. But an even greater show of support came from the common people. Bernard wrote to the pope a few days afterwards, "Cities and castles are now empty. There is not left one man to seven women, and everywhere there are widows to still-living husbands."
Bernard then passed into Germany, and the reported miracles which multiplied almost at his every step undoubtedly contributed to the success of his mission. Conrad III of Germany and his nephew Frederick Barbarossa, received the cross from the hand of Bernard.[13] Pope Eugenius came in person to France to encourage the enterprise. As in the First Crusade, the preaching inadvertently led to attacks on Jews; a fanatical French monk named Radulphe was apparently inspiring massacres of Jews in the Rhineland, Cologne, Mainz, Worms, and Speyer, with Radulphe claiming Jews were not contributing financially to the rescue of the Holy Land. The archbishop of Cologne and the archbishop of Mainz were vehemently opposed to these attacks and asked Bernard to denounce them. This he did, but when the campaign continued, Bernard traveled from Flanders to Germany to deal with the problems in person. He then found Radulphe in Mainz and was able to silence him, returning him to his monastery.
The last years of Bernard's life were saddened by the failure of the Second Crusade he had preached, the entire responsibility for which was thrown upon him. Bernard considered it his duty to send an apology to the Pope and it is inserted in the second part of his "Book of Considerations." There he explains how the sins of the crusaders were the cause of their misfortune and failures. When his attempt to call a new crusade failed, he tried to disassociate himself from the fiasco of the Second Crusade altogether.
Bernard also held some doctrines which the Reformers would later rekindle at the beginnings of the Protestant movement. Some people have therefore equated him with a Protestant before there were Protestants. In truth he held to a mix of the Reformers' doctrines and the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church of his day. Bernard fought against the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Also of great importance to the Reformers would be Bernard's conception of justification. Calvin quotes Bernard several times to show the historical valididy of Sola Fide, which Luther described as the article upon which the church stands or falls. Calvin also quotes him in setting forth his doctrine of a forensic alien righteousness, or as it is commonly called imputed righteousness.
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| St Bernard of Clairvaux Fra Angelica, 1440 |
On the death of Pope Honorius II a schism broke out in the Church. Louis VI of France convened a national council of the French bishops at Étampes in 1130, and Bernard was chosen to judge between the rivals for pope. After the council of Étampes, Bernard went to speak with the King of England, Henry I, Beauclerc, about the king's reservations regarding Pope Innocent II. Beauclerc was sceptical because most the bishops of England supported Anacletus II; he convinced him to support Innocent. Germany had decided to support Innocent through Norbert of Xanten, who was a friend of Bernard's. However, Innocent insisted on Bernard's company when he met with Lothair III of Germany. Lothair became Innocent's strongest ally among the nobility. Despite the councils of Étampes, Wurzburg, Clermont, and Rheims all supporting Innocent, there were still large portions of the Christian world supporting Anacletus.
At the end of 1131, the kingdoms of France, England, Germany, Castile, and Aragon supported Innocent; however, most of Italy, southern France, and Sicily, with the patriarchs of Constantinople, Antioch, and Jerusalem, supported Anacletus. Bernard set out to convince these other regions to rally behind Innocent. The first person whom he went to was Gerard of Angoulême. He proceeded to write a letter, called Letter 126. This letter questioned Gerard's reasons for supporting Anacletus. Bernard would later comment that Gerard was his most formidable opponent during the whole schism. After convincing Gerard, Bernard traveled to visit the Count of Poitiers. He was the hardest for Bernard to convince. He did not pledge allegiance to Innocent until 1135. After that, Bernard spent most of his time in Italy convincing the Italians to pledge allegiance to Innocent. He traveled to Sicily in 1137 to convince the king of Sicily to follow Innocent. The whole conflict ended when Anacletus died on January 25, 1138.
In 1139, Bernard assisted at the Second Council of the Lateran. Bernard denounced the teachings of Peter Abelard to the pope, who called a council at Sens in 1141 to settle the matter. Bernard soon saw one of his disciples elected as Pope Eugenius III. Having previously helped end the schism within the church, Bernard was now called upon to combat heresy. In June 1145, Bernard traveled in southern France and his preaching there helped strengthen support against heresy.
Following the Christian defeat at the Siege of Edessa, the pope commissioned Bernard to preach the Second Crusade. The last years of Bernard's life were saddened by the failure of the crusaders, the entire responsibility for which was thrown upon him. Bernard died at age 63, after 40 years spent in the cloister. He was the first Cistercian placed on the calendar of saints, and was canonized by Pope Alexander III on 18 January 1174. In 1830, Pope Pius VIII bestowed upon Bernard the title "Doctor of the Church".
Early life (1090–1113)
Bernard's parents were Tescelin, Lord of Fontaines, and Aleth of Montbard, both belonging to the highest nobility of Burgundy. Bernard was the third of a family of seven children, six of whom were sons. At the age of nine years, Bernard was sent to school at Châtillon-sur-Seine, run by the secular canons of Saint-Vorles. Bernard had a great taste for literature and devoted himself for some time to poetry. His success in his studies won the admiration of his teachers. Bernard wanted to excel in literature in order to take up the study of the Bible. He had a special devotion to the Virgin Mary, and he would later write several works about the Queen of Heaven.Bernard would expand upon Anselm of Canterbury's role in transmuting the sacramentally ritual Christianity of the Early Middle Ages into a new, more personally held faith, with the life of Christ as a model and a new emphasis on the Virgin Mary. In opposition to the rational approach to divine understanding that the scholastics adopted, Bernard would preach an immediate faith, in which the intercessor was the Virgin Mary. Bernard played the leading role in the development of the cult of the Virgin, which is one of the most important manifestations of the popular piety of the twelfth century. In early medieval thought, the Virgin Mary had played a minor role, and it was only with the rise of emotional Christianity in the eleventh century that she became the prime intercessor for humanity with the deity. Bernard was only nineteen years of age when his mother died. During his youth, he did not escape trying temptations and around this time he thought of retiring from the world and living a life of solitude and prayer.
In 1098, Saint Robert of Molesme had founded Cîteaux Abbey, near Dijon, with the purpose of restoring the Rule of St Benedict in all its rigour. Returning to Molesme, he left the government of the new abbey to Saint Alberic, who died in the year 1109. In 1113, Saint Stephen Harding had just succeeded him as third Abbot of Cîteaux when Bernard and thirty other young noblemen of Burgundy sought admission into the Cistercian order.
Abbot of Clairvaux (1113–28)
The little community of reformed Benedictines at Cîteaux, which would have so profound an influence on Western monasticism, grew rapidly. Three years later, Bernard was sent with a band of twelve monks to found a new house at Vallée d'Absinthe, in the Diocese of Langres. This Bernard named Claire Vallée, or Clairvaux, on 25 June 1115, and the names of Bernard and Clairvaux would soon become inseparable.[5] During the absence of the Bishop of Langres, Bernard was blessed as abbot by William of Champeaux, Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne. From that moment a strong friendship sprang up between the abbot and the bishop, who was professor of theology at Notre Dame of Paris, and the founder of the Abbey of St. Victor.The beginnings of Clairvaux Abbey were trying and painful. The regime was so austere that Bernard became ill, and only the influence of his friend William of Champeaux and the authority of the general chapter could make him mitigate the austerities. The monastery, however, made rapid progress. Disciples flocked to it in great numbers and put themselves under the direction of Bernard. His father and all his brothers entered Clairvaux to pursue religious life, leaving only Humbeline, his sister, in the secular world. She, with the consent of her husband, soon took the veil in the Benedictine nunnery of Jully-les-Nonnains. Gerard of Clairvaux, Bernard's older brother, became the cellarer of Citeaux. The abbey became too small for its members and it was necessary to send out bands to found new houses. In 1118, Trois-Fontaines Abbey was founded in the diocese of Châlons; in 1119, Fontenay Abbey in the Diocese of Autun and in 1121, Foigny Abbey near Vervins, in the diocese of Laon. In addition to these victories, Bernard also had his trials. During an absence from Clairvaux, the Grand Prior of Cluny went to Clairvaux and enticed away Bernard's cousin, Robert of Châtillon. This was the occasion of the longest and most emotional of Bernard's letters.
Doctor of the Church (1128–46)
In the year 1128, Bernard participated in the Council of Troyes, which had been convoked by Pope Honorius II, and was presided over by Cardinal Matthew, Bishop of Albano. The purpose of this council was to settle certain disputes of the bishops of Paris, and regulate other matters of the Church of France. The bishops made Bernard secretary of the council, and charged him with drawing up the synodal statutes. After the council, the bishop of Verdun was deposed. It was at this council that Bernard traced the outlines of the Rule of the Knights Templar who soon became the ideal of Christian nobility. He later praised them in his De Laude Novae Militiae.Again reproaches arose against Bernard and he was denounced, even in Rome. He was accused of being a monk who meddled with matters that did not concern him. Cardinal Harmeric, on behalf of the pope, wrote Bernard a sharp letter of remonstrance stating, "It is not fitting that noisy and troublesome frogs should come out of their marshes to trouble the Holy See and the cardinals."
Bernard answered the letter by saying that, if he had assisted at the council, it was because he had been dragged to it by force. In his response Bernard wrote,
This letter made a positive impression on Harmeric, and in the Vatican.Now illustrious Harmeric if you so wished, who would have been more capable of freeing me from the necessity of assisting at the council than yourself? Forbid those noisy troublesome frogs to come out of their holes, to leave their marshes . . . Then your friend will no longer be exposed to the accusations of pride and presumption.
Schism
Bernard's influence was soon felt in provincial affairs. He defended the rights of the Church against the encroachments of kings and princes, and recalled to their duty Henri Sanglier, archbishop of Sens and Stephen of Senlis, bishop of Paris. On the death of Pope Honorius II, which occurred on 14 February 1130, a schism broke out in the Church by the election of two popes, Pope Innocent II and Pope Anacletus II. Innocent II, having been banished from Rome by Anacletus, took refuge in France. King Louis VI convened a national council of the French bishops at Étampes, and Bernard, summoned there by consent of the bishops, was chosen to judge between the rival popes. He decided in favour of Innocent II. This caused the pope to be recognized by all the great powers. He then went with him into Italy and reconciled Pisa with Genoa, and Milan with the pope. The same year Bernard was again at the Council of Reims at the side of Innocent II. He then went to Aquitaine where he succeeded for the time in detaching William X of Aquitaine, Count of Poitiers, from the cause of Anacletus.In 1132, Bernard accompanied Innocent II into Italy, and at Cluny the pope abolished the dues which Clairvaux used to pay to that abbey. This action gave rise to a quarrel between the White Monks and the Black Monks which lasted 20 years. In May of that year, the pope, supported by the army of Emperor Lothair III, entered Rome, but Lothair, feeling himself too weak to resist the partisans of Anacletus, retired beyond the Alps, and Innocent sought refuge in Pisa in September 1133. Bernard had returned to France in June and was continuing the work of peacemaking which he had commenced in 1130. Towards the end of 1134, he made a second journey into Aquitaine, where William X had relapsed into schism. Bernard invited William to the Mass which he celebrated in the Church of La Couldre. At the Eucharist, he "admonished the Duke not to despise God as he did His servants". William yielded and the schism ended. Bernard went again to Italy, where Roger II of Sicily was endeavouring to withdraw the Pisans from their allegiance to Innocent. He recalled the city of Milan to obedience to the pope as they had followed the deposed Anselm V, Archbishop of Milan. For this, he was offered, and he refused, the archbishopric of Milan. He then returned to Clairvaux. Believing himself at last secure in his cloister, Bernard devoted himself with renewed vigour to the composition of the works which would win for him the title of "Doctor of the Church". He wrote at this time his sermons on the Song of Songs. In 1137, he was again forced to leave his solitude by order of the pope to put an end to the quarrel between Lothair and Roger of Sicily. At the conference held at Palermo, Bernard succeeded in convincing Roger of the rights of Innocent II. He also silenced the final supporters who sustained the schism. Anacletus died of "grief and disappointment" in 1138, and with him the schism ended.
In 1139, Bernard assisted at the Second Council of the Lateran, in which the surviving adherents of the schism were definitively condemned. About the same time, Bernard was visited at Clairvaux by Saint Malachy, Primate of All Ireland, and a very close friendship formed between them. Malachy wanted to become a Cistercian, but the pope would not give his permission. Malachy would die at Clairvaux in 1148.
Contest with Abelard
Towards the close of the 11th century, a spirit of independence flourished within schools of philosophy and theology. This led for a time to the exaltation of human reason and rationalism. The movement found an ardent and powerful advocate in Peter Abelard. Abelard's treatise on the Trinity had been condemned as heretical in 1121, and he himself had thrown his book into the fire. However, Abelard continued to develop his teachings, which were controversial in some quarters. Bernard, informed of this by William of St-Thierry, is said to have held a meeting with Abelard intending to persuade him to amend his writings, during which Abelard repented and promised to do so. But once out of Bernard's presence, he reneged. Bernard then denounced Abelard to the pope and cardinals of the Curia. Abelard sought a debate with Bernard, but Bernard initially declined, saying he did not feel matters of such importance should be settled by logical analyses. Bernard's letters to William of St-Thierry also express his apprehension about confronting the preeminent logician. Abelard continued to press for a public debate, and made his challenge widely known, making it hard for Bernard to decline. In 1141, at the urgings of Abelard, the archbishop of Sens called a council of bishops, where Abelard and Bernard were to put their respective cases so Abelard would have a chance to clear his name. Bernard lobbied the prelates on the evening before the debate, swaying many of them to his view. The next day, after Bernard made his opening statement, Abelard decided to retire without attempting to answer. The council found in favour of Bernard and their judgment was confirmed by the pope. Abelard submitted without resistance, and he retired to Cluny to live under the protection of Peter the Venerable, where he died two years later.Cistercian Order and Heresy
Bernard had occupied himself in sending bands of monks from his overcrowded monastery into Germany, Sweden, England, Ireland, Portugal, Switzerland, and Italy. Some of these, at the command of Innocent II, took possession of Three Fountains Abbey, from which Pope Eugenius III would be chosen in 1145. Pope Innocent II died in the year 1143. His two successors, Pope Celestine II and Pope Lucius II, reigned only a short time, and then Bernard saw one of his disciples, Bernard of Pisa, and known thereafter as Eugenius III, raised to the Chair of Saint Peter. Bernard sent him, at the pope's own request, various instructions which comprise the Book of Considerations, the predominating idea of which is that the reformation of the Church ought to commence with the sanctity of the pope. Temporal matters are merely accessories; the principles according to Bernard's work were that piety and meditation were to precede action.Having previously helped end the schism within the Church, Bernard was now called upon to combat heresy. Henry of Lausanne, a former Cluniac monk, had adopted the teachings of the Petrobrusians, followers of Peter of Bruys and spread them in a modified form after Peter's death.[11] Henry of Lausanne's followers became known as Henricians. In June 1145, at the invitation of Cardinal Alberic of Ostia, Bernard traveled in southern France. His preaching, aided by his ascetic looks and simple attire, helped doom the new sects. Both the Henrician and the Petrobrusian faiths began to die out by the end of that year. Soon afterwards, Henry of Lausanne was arrested, brought before the bishop of Toulouse, and probably imprisoned for life. In a letter to the people of Toulouse, undoubtedly written at the end of 1146, Bernard calls upon them to extirpate the last remnants of the heresy. He also preached against the Cathars.
Second Crusade (1146–49)
News came at this time from the Holy Land that alarmed Christendom. Christians had been defeated at the Siege of Edessa and most of the county had fallen into the hands of the Seljuk Turks. The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the other Crusader states were threatened with similar disaster. Deputations of the bishops of Armenia solicited aid from the pope, and the King of France also sent ambassadors. The pope commissioned Bernard to preach a Second Crusade and granted the same indulgences for it which Pope Urban II had accorded to the First Crusade.There was at first virtually no popular enthusiasm for the crusade as there had been in 1095. Bernard found it expedient to dwell upon the taking of the cross as a potent means of gaining absolution for sin and attaining grace. On 31 March, with King Louis present, he preached to an enormous crowd in a field at Vézelay. When Bernard was finished the crowd enlisted en masse; they supposedly ran out of cloth to make crosses. Bernard is said to have given his own outer garments to be cut up to make more. Unlike the First Crusade, the new venture attracted royalty, such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, then Queen of France; Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders; Henry, the future Count of Champagne; Louis’ brother Robert I of Dreux; Alphonse I of Toulouse; William II of Nevers; William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey; Hugh VII of Lusignan; and numerous other nobles and bishops. But an even greater show of support came from the common people. Bernard wrote to the pope a few days afterwards, "Cities and castles are now empty. There is not left one man to seven women, and everywhere there are widows to still-living husbands."
Bernard then passed into Germany, and the reported miracles which multiplied almost at his every step undoubtedly contributed to the success of his mission. Conrad III of Germany and his nephew Frederick Barbarossa, received the cross from the hand of Bernard.[13] Pope Eugenius came in person to France to encourage the enterprise. As in the First Crusade, the preaching inadvertently led to attacks on Jews; a fanatical French monk named Radulphe was apparently inspiring massacres of Jews in the Rhineland, Cologne, Mainz, Worms, and Speyer, with Radulphe claiming Jews were not contributing financially to the rescue of the Holy Land. The archbishop of Cologne and the archbishop of Mainz were vehemently opposed to these attacks and asked Bernard to denounce them. This he did, but when the campaign continued, Bernard traveled from Flanders to Germany to deal with the problems in person. He then found Radulphe in Mainz and was able to silence him, returning him to his monastery.
The last years of Bernard's life were saddened by the failure of the Second Crusade he had preached, the entire responsibility for which was thrown upon him. Bernard considered it his duty to send an apology to the Pope and it is inserted in the second part of his "Book of Considerations." There he explains how the sins of the crusaders were the cause of their misfortune and failures. When his attempt to call a new crusade failed, he tried to disassociate himself from the fiasco of the Second Crusade altogether.
Final years (1149–53)
The death of his contemporaries served as a warning to Bernard of his own approaching end. The first to die was Suger in 1152, of whom Bernard wrote to Eugenius III, "If there is any precious vase adorning the palace of the King of Kings it is the soul of the venerable Suger". Conrad III and his son Henry died the same year. From the beginning of the year 1153, Bernard felt his death approaching. The passing of Pope Eugenius had struck the fatal blow by taking from him one whom he considered his greatest friend and consoler. Bernard died at age sixty-three on 20 August 1153, after forty years spent in the cloister. He was buried at the Clairvaux Abbey, but after its dissolution in 1792 by the French revolutionary government, his remains were transferred to the Troyes Cathedral.Theology
St. Bernard of Clairvaux was named a Doctor of the Church in 1830. At the 800th anniversary of his death, Pope Pius XII issued an encyclical on Bernard, Doctor Mellifluus, in which he labeled him "The Last of the Fathers." Bernard did not reject human philosophy which is genuine philosophy, which leads to God; he differentiates between different kinds of knowledge, the highest being theological. Three central elements of Bernard's Mariology are how he explained the virginity of Mary, the "Star of the Sea", how the faithful should pray on the Virgin Mary, and how he relied on the Virgin Mary as Mediatrix.Bernard also held some doctrines which the Reformers would later rekindle at the beginnings of the Protestant movement. Some people have therefore equated him with a Protestant before there were Protestants. In truth he held to a mix of the Reformers' doctrines and the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church of his day. Bernard fought against the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Also of great importance to the Reformers would be Bernard's conception of justification. Calvin quotes Bernard several times to show the historical valididy of Sola Fide, which Luther described as the article upon which the church stands or falls. Calvin also quotes him in setting forth his doctrine of a forensic alien righteousness, or as it is commonly called imputed righteousness.
Spirituality
Bernard was instrumental in re-emphasizing the importance of Lectio Divina and contemplation on Scripture within the Cistercian order. Bernard had observed that when Lectio Divina was neglected monasticism suffered. Bernard considered Lectio Divina and contemplation guided by the Holy Spirit the keys to nourishing Christian spirituality.Legacy
Bernard's theology and Mariology continue to be of major importance, particularly within the Cistercian and Trappist orders. Bernard led to the foundation of 163 monasteries in different parts of Europe. At his death, they numbered 343. His influence led Pope Alexander III to launch reforms that would lead to the establishment of canon law. He was the first Cistercian monk placed on the calendar of saints and was canonized by Pope Alexander III 18 January 1174. Pope Pius VIII bestowed on him the title of Doctor of the Church. He is fondly remembered as the "Mellifluous Doctor" (the Honey-Sweet(-voiced) Doctor) for his eloquence. The Cistercians honour him as only the founders of orders are honoured, because of the widespread activity which he gave to the order. The works of Bernard are as follows:- De Gradibus Superbiae, his first treatise.
- Homilies on the Gospel, Missus est, written in 1120.
- "Apology to William of St. Thierry" against the claims of the monks of Cluny.
- "On the Conversion of Clerics," a book addressed to the young ecclesiastics of Paris written in 1122.
- De Laude Novae Militiae, addressed to Hugues de Payens, first Grand Master and Prior of Jerusalem (1129). This is a eulogy of the military order instituted in 1118, and an exhortation to the knights to conduct themselves with courage in their several stations.
- De Amore Dei" wherein Bernard argues that the manner of loving God is to love without measure and gives the different degree of this love.
- "Book of Precepts and Dispensations" (1131), which contains answers to questions upon certain points of the Rule of St Benedict from which the abbot can, or cannot, dispense.
- De Gratia et Libero Arbitrio in which the Roman Catholic dogma of grace and free will was defended according to the principles of St Augustine.
- De Consideratione ("On Consideration"), addressed to Pope Eugenius III.
- De Officiis Episcoporum, addressed to Henry, Archbishop of Sens.
- On Psalm 90, Qui habitat, written about 1125.
- "On the Song of Songs". [with an autobiographical passage, sermon 26, mourning the death of his brother, Gerard][28]
- There are also 86 "Sermons for the Whole Year."
- 530 letters survive.
No one can enter Heaven unless by Mary, as though through a door.Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" places him as the last guide for Dante, as he travels through the Empyrean (Paradiso, cantos XXXI–XXXIII). Dante's choice appears to be based on Bernard's contemplative mysticism, his devotion to Mary, and his reputation for eloquence. He is also the attributed author of the poem often translated in English hymnals as "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded".
References:
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Blessed Jean Eudes". Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.
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The belief in Mary as Queen of Heaven obtained the papal sanction of Pope Pius XII in his encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam (English: Queenship of Mary in Heaven) of October 11, 1954. It
is also the fifth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary. The Roman Catholic
Church celebrates the feast every August 22nd, where it replaced the
former octave of the Assumption of Mary in 1969, a move made by Pope
Paul VI. The feast was formerly celebrated on May 31st, at the end of
the Marian month, where the present general calendar now commemorates
the Feast of the Visitation.
Ad caeli reginam
is an encyclical of Pope Pius XII, given at Rome, from St. Peter's, on
the feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the eleventh
day of October, 1954, in the sixteenth year of his Pontificate. The
encyclical is an important element of the Mariology of Pope Pius XII. It
established the feast Queenship of Mary.
The Church, as the encyclical, always taught that Mary is far above all other creatures in dignity, and after her Son possesses primacy over all. "You have surpassed every creature," sings St. Sophronius. "What can be more sublime than your joy, O Virgin Mother? What more noble than this grace, which you alone have received from God"? To this St. Germanus adds: "Your honor and dignity surpass the whole of creation; your greatness places you above the angels." And St. John Damascene goes so far as to say: "Limitless is the difference between God's servants and His Mother." Previous Popes are quoted: Pope Pius IX, "With a heart that is truly a mother's," does she approach the problem of our salvation, and is solicitous for the whole human race; made Queen of heaven and earth by the Lord, exalted above all choirs of angels and saints, and standing at the right hand of her only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she intercedes powerfully for us with a mother's prayers, obtains what she seeks, and cannot be refused." Leo XIII, said that an "almost immeasurable" power has been given Mary in the distribution of graces; St. Pius X adds that she fills this office "as by the right of a mother." Pope Pius admonishes theologians and preachers from straying from the correct course, avoiding two extremes, Marian exaggerations and excessive narrowness of mind. in, our salvation."
The encyclicals points to some countries of the world, where people are unjustly persecuted for their Christian faith and who are deprived of their divine and human rights to freedom. Reasonable demands and repeated protests have not helped them. “May the powerful Queen of creation, whose radiant glance banishes storms and tempests and brings back cloudless skies, look upon these her innocent and tormented children with eyes of mercy”
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Today's Snippet I: The Feast of the Coronation of Blessed Mother Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven
Feast Day: August 22
Botticelli, the coronation of the Virgin
The Coronation of the Virgin or Coronation of Mary
is a subject in Christian art, especially popular in Italy in the 13th
to 15th centuries, but continuing in popularity until the 18th century
and beyond. Christ, sometimes accompanied by God the Father and the
Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, places a crown on the head of Mary
as Queen of Heaven. In early versions the setting is a Heaven imagined
as an earthly court, staffed by saints and angels; in later versions
Heaven is more often seen as in the sky, with the figures seated on
clouds. The subject is also notable as one where the whole Christian
Trinity are often shown together, sometimes in unusual ways. Although
crowned Virgins may be seen in Eastern Orthodox icons, the coronation
by the deity is not. Mary is sometimes shown, in both Eastern and
Western Christian art, being crowned by one or two angels, but this is
considered a different subject.
The
subject became common as part of a general increase in devotion to
Mary in the Early Gothic period, and is one of the commonest subjects
in surviving 14th century Italian panel paintings, mostly made to go on
a side-altar in a church. The great majority of Catholic churches had
(and have) a side-altar or "Lady chapel" dedicated to Mary. The subject
is still often enacted in rituals or popular pageants called May
crownings, although the crowning is performed by human figures.
Ad Caeli Reginam
The Church, as the encyclical, always taught that Mary is far above all other creatures in dignity, and after her Son possesses primacy over all. "You have surpassed every creature," sings St. Sophronius. "What can be more sublime than your joy, O Virgin Mother? What more noble than this grace, which you alone have received from God"? To this St. Germanus adds: "Your honor and dignity surpass the whole of creation; your greatness places you above the angels." And St. John Damascene goes so far as to say: "Limitless is the difference between God's servants and His Mother." Previous Popes are quoted: Pope Pius IX, "With a heart that is truly a mother's," does she approach the problem of our salvation, and is solicitous for the whole human race; made Queen of heaven and earth by the Lord, exalted above all choirs of angels and saints, and standing at the right hand of her only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she intercedes powerfully for us with a mother's prayers, obtains what she seeks, and cannot be refused." Leo XIII, said that an "almost immeasurable" power has been given Mary in the distribution of graces; St. Pius X adds that she fills this office "as by the right of a mother." Pope Pius admonishes theologians and preachers from straying from the correct course, avoiding two extremes, Marian exaggerations and excessive narrowness of mind. in, our salvation."
The encyclicals points to some countries of the world, where people are unjustly persecuted for their Christian faith and who are deprived of their divine and human rights to freedom. Reasonable demands and repeated protests have not helped them. “May the powerful Queen of creation, whose radiant glance banishes storms and tempests and brings back cloudless skies, look upon these her innocent and tormented children with eyes of mercy”
Theological basis
Queen of Heaven (Latin Regina Caeli)
is one of many Queen titles used of the Virgin Mary. The title derived
in part from the ancient Catholic teaching that Mary, at the end of
her earthly life, was bodily and spiritually assumed into heaven, and
that she is there honored as Queen.
Pius XII explained on the theological reasons for her title of Queen in a radio message to Fatima of May 13, 1946, Bendito seja:
He, the Son of God, reflects on His heavenly Mother the glory, the majesty and the dominion of His kingship, for, having been associated to the King of Martyrs in the ... work of human Redemption as Mother and cooperator, she remains forever associated to Him, with a practically unlimited power, in the distribution of the graces which flow from the Redemption. Jesus is King throughout all eternity by nature and by right of conquest: through Him, with Him, and subordinate to Him, Mary is Queen by grace, by divine relationship, by right of conquest, and by singular choice [of the Father].
According
to Catholic doctrine, Mary was assumed into heaven and is with Jesus
Christ, her divine Son and is represented in the Book of Revelation
(chapter 11:19-12:6) as the woman clothed with the sun who gives birth
to Christ.
In his 1954 encyclical Ad caeli reginam
("To the Queen of Heaven"), Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the
title because she is Mother of God, because she is closely associated
as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work, because of her preeminent
perfection and because of her intercessory power. Ad caeli reginam
states that the main principle on which the royal dignity of Mary
rests is her Divine Motherhood. ... So with complete justice St. John
Damascene could write: "When she became Mother of the Creator, she truly
became Queen of every creature.".
Biblical basis
In
the Old Testament, under some Davidic kings, the gebirah, the "Great
Lady", usually the Mother of the King, held great power as advocate
with the king. In 1 Kings 2:20, Solomon said to his Mother Bathsheba,
seated on a throne at his right, "Make your request, Mother, for I will
not refuse you." Fr. William G. Most sees here a sort of type of Mary. In
the New Testament, the title has several biblical sources. At the
Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel announces that [Jesus] "... will be
great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God
will give to him the throne of his father David. He will rule over the
house of Jacob forever and his reign will be without end."(Luke 1:32)
The biblical precedent in ancient Israel is that the mother of the king
becomes the queen mother. Mary's queenship is a share in Jesus’
kingship.
The Roman Catholic Church views Mary as the woman clothed with the sun in the Book of Revelation 12:1-3:[5]
"1 A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with
the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on
her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to
give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red
dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads."
The Church accepts Revelation 12 as a reference to Mary, Israel, and
the Church as a three-fold symbolism through the Book of Isaiah and
affirms Mary as the mother of Jesus as the prophetic fulfilment
described in Revelation 12 (cf. Isaiah 7:14, 26:17, 54:1, 66:7).
In
the Old Testament the term "queen of heaven" appears in a context
unrelated to Mary. The prophet Jeremiah writing circa 628 BC refers to a
"queen of heaven" in chapters 7 and 44 of the Book of Jeremiah when
he scolds the people for having "sinned against the Lord" due to their
idolatrous practices of burning incense, making cakes and pouring out
drink offerings to her. This title was probably given to Asherah, a
Caananite idol and goddess worshipped in ancient Israel and Judah. For a
discussion of "queen of heaven" in the Old Testament, see Queen of
heaven (Antiquity).
Historical practice
Fra Angelico
In
the fourth century St. Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” Later
Church fathers and doctors continued to use the title. A text probably
coming from Origen (died c. 254) gives her the title domina, the
feminine form of Latin dominus, Lord. That same title also appears in
many other early writers, e.g., Jerome, and Peter Chrysologus. The first
Mariological definition and basis for the title of Mary Queen of Heaven
developed at the Council of Ephesus, where Mary was defined to be the
Mother of God. The Council fathers specifically approved this version
against the opinion, that Mary is "only" the mother of Jesus. Nobody
had participated in the life of her son more, than Mary, who gave birth
to the Son of God.
The
word "Queen" appears about the sixth century, and is common thereafter.
Hymns of the 11th to 13th centuries address Mary as queen: “Hail, Holy
Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.” The Dominican
rosary and the Franciscan crown as well as numerous invocations in
Mary’s litany celebrate her queenship. For centuries she has been
invoked as the Queen of heaven.
Litany of Loreto
Rubens, 1609
She is invoked in the Litany of Loreto as:
- Queen of the Angels,
- Queen of Patriarchs,
- Queen of Prophets,
- Queen of Apostles,
- Queen of Martyrs,
- Queen of Confessors,
- Queen of Virgins,
- Queen of all Saints
- Queen of Families.
- Queen conceived without original sin
- Queen assumed into Heaven
- Queen of the Most Holy Rosary
- Queen of Peace
Other titles
Other titles have been added to reflect modern scientific understanding. The Second Vatican Council in 1964 referred to Mary as Queen of the Universe. Section 59 of Lumen Gentium,
the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church from Vatican II, stated:
"Finally, the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all guilt of
original sin, on the completion of her earthly sojourn, was taken up
body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen of the universe,
that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of
lords and the conqueror of sin and death." This reference came at a time
during which space exploration was beginning.
Liturgy of the Hours
Crowned statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, Warfhuizen, Holland.
The four ancient Marian antiphons of the Liturgy of the Hours express the Queenship of the Virgin Mary: the Salve Regina, the Ave Regina Caelorum, the Alma Redemptoris Mater, and the Regina Caeli. These are prayed at different times of the year, at the end of Compline.
Salve Regina
Mary as Queen of Heaven is praised in the Salve Regina
"(Hail Queen)", which is sung in the time from Trinity Sunday until
the Saturday before the first Sunday of Advent. In the vernacular, as a
prayer to the Virgin Mary, the Hail Holy Queen is the final prayer of
the Rosary. A German Benedictine monk, Hermann of Reichenau
(1013-1054), allegedly composed it and it originally appeared in Latin,
the prevalent language of the Catholic Church until Vatican II.
Traditionally it has been sung in Latin, though many translations exist.
In the Middle Ages, Salve Regina offices were held every Saturday.[14] In the 13th century, the custom developed to greet the Queen of Heaven with the Salve Regina, which is considered the oldest of the four Marian antiphons. As a part of the Catholic Reformation, the Salve Regina was prayed every Saturday by members of the Sodality of Our Lady, a Jesuit Marian congregation. The Hail Holy Queen is also the final prayer of the Rosary.
Ave Regina Caelorum
The Ave Regina Caelorum
(Hail, Queen of Heaven) is an early Marian antiphon, praising Mary,
the Queen of Heaven. It is traditionally said or sung after each of the
canonical hours of the Liturgy of the Hours. The prayer is used
especially after Compline, the final canonical hour of prayer before
going to sleep. It is prayed from the Feast of the Presentation
(February 2) through the Wednesday of Holy Week. It used to be sung on
the feast of the Assumption of Mary. The Ave Regina Caelorum dates back in a different musical intonation to the 12th century.[15] Today's version is slightly different from a 12th-century intonation. The Ave Regina Caelorum has four parts: Ave, Salve, Gaude and Vale (in English: hail, rejoice, farewell). It was used for processions in honour of the Queen of Heaven. The Ave Regina Caelorum received numerous musical versions, a famous one of which was composed in 1773 by Joseph Haydn.
Alma Redemptoris Mater
The coronation of the Virgin Mary by Rubens, c. 1625
The Alma Redemptoris Mater
(Loving Mother of our Savior) is recited in the Catholic Church at
Compline only from the first Sunday in Advent until the Feast of the
Purification (February 2). Continuing theological discussions exist as
to the origin and exact timing of this Marian antiphon. It has two equal
parts. The Virgin Mary is the loving Mother of the Savior, the
ever-virgin with a very high position in heaven. May she listen to her
people with mercy in their need for her help.
Regina Coeli
The Regina Coeli
(Queen of Heaven) is an anthem of the Roman Catholic Church which
replaces the Angelus at Eastertide (from Holy Saturday until the
Saturday after Pentecost). It is named for its opening words in Latin.
The Regina Coeli was the subject of numerous intonations
throughout the centuries by known and unknown composers. Not all
attributions are correct however, as an often quoted Regina Coeli by Joseph Haydn had other authors.[16]
Of unknown authorship, the anthem was in Franciscan use in the first
half of the 13th century. Together with three other Marian anthems, it
was incorporated in the Minorite Roman Curia Office, which the
Franciscans soon popularized everywhere, and which by order of Pope
Nicholas III (1277–1280) replaced all the older breviaries in the
churches of Rome.[18]
Veneration
The
Catholic faith states, as a dogma, that Mary is assumed into heaven
and is with Jesus Christ, her divine son. Mary should be called Queen,
not only because of her Divine Motherhood of Jesus Christ, but also
because God has willed her to have an exceptional role in the work of
eternal salvation. Roman Catholicism employs the liturgical Latin
phrase Ora Pro Nobis, meaning pray for us, and does not
teach adherents to pray to saints or worship saints, but rather asks
those saints to pray for them. The encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam
maintains that Christ as redeemer is Lord and King. The Blessed Virgin
is Queen, because of the unique manner in which she assisted in our
redemption, by giving of her own substance, by freely offering Him for
us, by her singular desire and petition for, and active interest. Mary
was chosen Mother of Christ so she might help fulfill God's plan in the
redemption of humankind; The Catholic Church from the earliest times
venerated the Queen of Heaven, according to Pius XII:
- From the earliest ages of the Catholic Church a Christian people, whether in time of triumph or more especially in time of crisis, has addressed prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven and never has that hope wavered which they placed in the Mother of the Divine King, Jesus Christ; nor has that faith ever failed by which we are taught that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, reigns with a mother's solicitude over the entire world, just as she is crowned in heavenly blessedness with the glory of a Queen.
The
Queenship of Mary is commemorated in the last of the Glorious
Mysteries of the Holy Rosary — the Coronation of the Virgin as Queen of
Heaven and Earth.
Parishes
and private groups often process and crown an image of the Blessed
Virgin Mary with flowers. This often is referred to as a “May
Crowning.” This rite may be done on solemnities and feasts of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, or other festive days, and offers the Church a
chance to reflect on Mary’s role in the history of salvation.
The
Virgin has been called “Queen of France” since 1638 when, partly in
thanksgiving for a victory over the Huguenots and also in hope of the
birth of an heir after years of childless marriage, Louis XIII
officially gave her that title. Siena, Tuscany, hails the Virgin as
Queen of Siena, and annually observes the race and pageant called the
“palio” in her honor.
Feast of Queenship of Mary
The coronation of the Salus Populi Romani icon by Pope Pius XII in 1954.
Queenship of Mary
is a Marian feast day in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic
Church, created by Pope Pius XII. On 11 October 1954, the Pontiff
pronounced the new feast in his encyclical Ad caeli reginam. The
feast was celebrated on May 31, the last day of the Marian month. The
feast is a logical follow-up to the Assumption and is now celebrated on
the octave day of that feast.[6] In 1969, Pope Paul VI moved the feast day to August 22.
It
has been placed eight days after the Solemnity of the Assumption, in
order to emphasize the close bond between Mary's queenship and her
glorification in body and soul next to her Son. The Second Vatican
Council's Constitution on the Church states that "Mary was taken up body
and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen of the
universe, that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son" (Lumen
Gentium, 59).[11]
The
movement to officially recognise the Queenship of Mary was initially
promoted by several Catholic Mariological congresses in Lyon, France;
Freiburg, Germany; and Einsiedeln, Switzerland. Gabriel Roschini
founded in Rome, Italy, an international society to promote the
Queenship of Mary, Pro Regalitate Mariae.[23]
Several popes had described Mary as Queen and Queen of Heaven, which
was documented by Gabriel Roschini. Pope Pius XII repeated the title in
numerous encyclicals and apostolic letters, especially during World War
References
- Pope Pius XII, Mariological encyclicals and bulls
- Encyclical Fulgens Corona on the Vatican website
- Encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam on the Vatican website
- Encyclical Deiparae Virginis Mariae on the Vatican Website
- Encyclical Ingruentium Malorum on the Vatican website
- Encyclical Le Pelerinage de Lourdes on the Vatican website
- Encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi on the Vatican website
- Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus on the Vatican Website
- Acta Apostolicae Sedis. (AAS), Vatican City 1939-1958. Official documents of the Pontificate of Pope Pius XII
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In 1996, John Haffert (co-founder of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima) spoke about Fatima and his book “Meet the Witnesses” in which he personally interviewed nearly 200 witnesses to the Fatima Miracle, describing their detailed witness accounts.
Marian
apparitions are also responsible for tens of millions of Marian
pilgrimages per year. About 5 million pilgrims visit Lourdes every
year and within France only Paris has more hotels than Lourdes. And
about 10 million pilgrims visit Our Lady of Guadalupe each year, where
each mass can accommodate up to 40,000 people. Thus each decade, just
Lourdes and Guadalupe amount to over one hundred million Catholic
pilgrimages, based on Marian apparitions to two people on two remote
hilltops.
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima also attracts a large number of Roman Catholics, and every year pilgrims fill the country road that leads to the shrine with crowds that approach one million on May 13 and October 13, the significant dates of Fatima apparitions. Overall, about four million pilgrims visit the basilica every year.
In Canada, millions of Americans and Canadians have visited the national shrine of Our Lady of the Cape, in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, where the first pilgrimages began in 1888.
A
number of feasts based on historical traditions involving apparitions
are celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church. These apparitions do not
technically fall in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
approved category, since they generally predate the formation of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1542. They are
recognized based on the papal declaration of the feast day rather than
formal analysis by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The historicity of Saint Simon Stock's vision is disputed, and as a result today neither the liturgy for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (which originally had no association with scapular devotion, but became strongly connected with Saint Simon Stock's vision in the 17th century), nor that of Saint Simon Stock make any reference to the vision of Mary or the scapular.The Brown Scapular itself remains warmly approved and recommended by the Catholic Church. Various devotional sources quote an interview with Lucia Santos in which she speaks about the Brown Scapular, saying "Our Lady wants all to wear the Scapular", especially when praying the Rosary, because "the Rosary and Scapular are inseparable".
Although a local bishop may provide a preliminary assessment (and allow the devotion to proceed forward), formal approval can only be provided after detailed analysis by the Holy See. For instance, although the apparitions at Our Lady of Laus were recognized by the local diocese in 1665, they received approval from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith centuries later, in 2008.
Apparitions favored by the Holy See usually:
The
1531 apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe was reported by Saint Juan
Diego. He said he saw an early morning vision of the Virgin Mary in
which he was instructed to build an abbey on the Hill of Tepeyac in
Mexico. The local prelate did not believe his account and asked for a
miraculous sign, which was later provided as an icon of Our Lady of
Guadalupe permanently imprinted on the saint’s cloak where he had
gathered roses. Over the years, Our Lady of Guadalupe became a symbol
of the Catholic faith in Mexico and the Mexican diaspora.
Two accounts, published in the 1640s, one in Spanish, one in Nahuatl, tell how, while walking from his village to Mexico City in the early morning of December 9, 1531 (then the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Spanish Empire), the peasant Juan Diego saw on the slopes of the Hill of Tepeyac a vision of a girl of fifteen or sixteen years of age, surrounded by light. Speaking to him in Nahuatl, the local language, she asked that a church be built at that site, in her honor; from her words, Juan Diego recognized the Lady as the Virgin Mary. Diego told his story to the Spanish Archbishop, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, who instructed him to return to Tepeyac Hill, and ask the lady for a miraculous sign to prove her identity.The first sign was the Virgin healing Juan's uncle. The Virgin told Juan Diego to gather flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill. Although December was very late in the growing season for flowers to bloom, Juan Diego found at the usually barren hilltop Castilian roses, not native to Mexico, which the Virgin arranged in his peasant tilma cloak. When Juan Diego opened the cloak before Bishop Zumárraga on December 12, the flowers fell to the floor, and in their place was the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, miraculously imprinted on the fabric.
"anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never thirst again: the water that I shall give will turn into a spring within them, welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14)
Snippet II: Marian Apparitions
The Vision of St Bernard, by Fra Bartolommeo, c. 1504 (Uffizi).
A Marian apparition
is a supernatural appearance by the Blessed Virgin Mary. The figure
is often named after the town where it is reported, or on the
sobriquet given to Mary on the occasion of the apparition. They have
been interpreted in religious terms as theophanies.
Marian
apparitions sometimes are reported to recur at the same site over an
extended period of time. In the majority of Marian apparitions only a
few people report having witnessed the apparition. Exception to this
include Zeitoun, and Assiut where thousands claimed to have seen her
over a period of time.
Apparitions and appearances
The
term "appearance" has been used in different apparitions within a
wide range of contexts and experiences. And its use has been different
with respect to Marian apparitions and visions of Jesus Christ.
In
some apparitions such as Our Lady of Lourdes or Our Lady of Fátima an
actual vision is reported, fully resembling that of a person being
present. In some of these reports the viewers (at times children) do not
initially report that they saw the Virgin Mary, but that they saw "a Lady"
(often but not always dressed in white) and had a conversation with
her. In these cases the viewers report experiences that resemble the
visual and verbal interaction with a person present at the site of the
apparition. In most cases, there are no clear indications as to the
auditory nature of the experience, i.e. whether the viewers heard the
voices via airwaves or an "interior" or subjective sense of
communication. Yet, the 1973 messages of Our Lady of Akita are due to
Sister Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa who went deaf before 1973 and remained
deaf until 1982 when she was cured during Sunday Mass as foretold in
her messages; this suggests means of communication other than airwaves.
In
some apparitions just an image is reported, often with no verbal
interaction, and no conversation. An example is the reported apparitions
at Our Lady of Assiut in which many people reported a bright image
atop a building, accompanied by photographs of the image. The
photographs at times suggest the silhouette of a statue of the Virgin
Mary but the images are usually subject to varying interpretations, and
critics suggest that they may just be due to various visual effects
of unknown origin. However, such image-like appearances are
hardly ever reported for visions of Jesus and Mary. In most cases
these involve some form of reported communication.
And
apparitions should be distinguished from interior locutions in which
no visual contact is claimed. In some cases of reported interior
locutions such as those of Father Stefano Gobbi a large amount of text
is produced, but no visual contact is claimed. Interior locutions
usually do not include an auditory component, but consist of inner
voices. Interior locutions are generally not classified as apparitions.
Physical
contact is hardly ever reported as part of Marian apparitions, unlike
in cases of interaction with Jesus Christ. In rare cases a physical
artifact is reported in apparitions. A well-known example is the image
of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is reported to have been miraculously
imprinted on the cloak of Saint Juan Diego.
Catholic Doctrine
 |
| Eternal Father painting the Virgin of Guadalupe. Anonymous, 18th century, an example of Roman Catholic Marian art related to an apparition |
According
to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, the era of public revelation
ended with the death of the last living Apostle. A Marian apparition,
if deemed genuine by Church authority, is treated as private
revelation that may emphasize some facet of the received public
revelation for a specific purpose, but it can never add anything new
to the deposit of faith. The Church will confirm an apparition as
worthy of belief, but belief is never required by divine faith. The
Holy See has officially confirmed the apparitions at Guadalupe,
Saint-Étienne-le-Laus, Paris (Rue du Bac, Miraculous Medal), La
Salette, Lourdes, Fátima, Pontmain, Beauraing, and Banneux.
As
a historical pattern, Vatican approval of apparitions seems to have
followed general acceptance of a vision by well over a century in most
cases. According to Father Salvatore M. Perrella of the Marianum
Pontifical Institute in Rome, of the 295 reported apparitions studied by
the Holy See through the centuries only 12 have been approved, the
latest being the May 2008 approval of the 17th- and 18th-century
apparitions of Our Lady of Laus. Other apparitions continue to be
approved at the local level, e.g. the December, 2010 local approval of
the 19th-century apparitions of Our Lady of Good Help, the first
recognized apparition in the United States.
An
authentic apparition is believed not to be a subjective experience,
but a real and objective intervention of divine power. The purpose of
such apparitions is to recall and emphasize some aspect of the
Christian message. The church states that cures and other miraculous
events are not the purpose of Marian apparitions, but exist primarily
to validate and draw attention to the message. Apparitions of Mary are
held as evidence of her continuing active presence in the life of the
church, through which she "cares for the brethren of her son who
still journey on earth."
Not
all claims of visitations are dealt with favourably by the Roman
Catholic Church. For example, claimed apparitions of Our Lady, under
the title of "Our Lady of the Roses, Mary, Help of Mothers", Jesus
Christ and various saints at Bayside, New York have not been condoned
or sanctioned in any way, nor those at the Necedah Shrine in Necedah,
Wisconsin. The behavior of Ms Veronica Lueken and Mary Ann Van Hoof,
who claimed these heavenly favors, was deemed not to compare favorably
with the "quiet pragmatism" of St. Bernadette Soubirous — Church
authorities are said to use Bernadette as a model by which to judge
all who purport to have visitations. Indeed, both women seriously
criticized the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, allegedly even harshly,
and Mrs. Van Hoof is said to have subsequently left Roman Catholicism
for an independent local Old Catholic Church.
Possibly the best-known apparition sites are Lourdes and Fátima Over
sixty spontaneous healings, out of thousands reported at the Lourdes
Spring, have been classified as "inexplicable" by the physicians of
the Lourdes Bureau, a medical centre set up by the Church in
association with local medical institutes to assess possible miracles.
The Three Secrets of Fátima received a great deal of attention in the
Catholic and secular press.
Criteria for evaluating apparitions
In 1978 the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly of the Holy Office)
issued "Norms of the Congregation for Proceeding in Judging Alleged
Apparitions and Revelations" containing the following provisions:
- The diocesan bishop can initiate a process on his own initiative or at the request of the faithful to investigate the facts of an alleged apparition. The bishop may refrain from looking into it if he chooses, especially if he thinks that not much will come of the event.
- The national conference of bishops may intervene if the local diocesan bishop refers it to him or if the event becomes important nationally or at least in more than one diocese.
- The Apostolic See (the Vatican) can also intervene at the request of the local bishop himself, at the request of a group of the faithful, or on its own initiative.
The
steps of the investigation are mandated as follows: An initial
evaluation of the facts of the alleged event, based on both positive
and negative criteria:
- Positive Criteria
- moral certainty (the certainty required to act morally in a situation of doubt) or at least great probability as to the existence of a private revelation at the end of a serious investigation into the case
- evaluation of the personal qualities of the person in question (mental balance, honesty, moral life, sincerity, obedience to Church authority, willingness to practice faith in the normal way, etc.)
- evaluation of the content of the revelations themselves (that they do not disagree with faith and morals of the Church, freedom from theological errors)
- the revelation results in healthy devotion and spiritual fruits in people's lives (greater prayer, greater conversion of heart, works of charity that result, etc.)
- Negative Criteria
- glaring errors in regard to the facts
- doctrinal errors attributed to God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, or to the Holy Spirit in how they appear
- any pursuit of financial gain in relation to the alleged event
- gravely immoral acts committed by the person or those associated with the person at the time of the event
- psychological disorders or tendencies on the part of the person or persons associated
After
this initial investigation, if the occurrence meets the criteria,
positive and negative, an initial cautionary permission can be granted
that states: "for the moment, there is nothing opposed to it". This
permits public participation in the devotion in regard to the alleged
apparition.
Ultimately, a final judgment and determination needs to be given, giving or withholding approval of the event.
Local diocese approval
If
the local bishop authorizes devotion inspired by an apparition to
proceed based on an initial assessment, that permission does not
constitute formal approval, which recognizes an event as being
supernatural in origin. Such approval may follow years or even centuries
later. A recent example of such a delay is the case of Our Lady of
Laus, in which devotion was approved by the local diocese in 1665, but
obtained formal recognition as a supernatural event only in 2008.
Moreover,
Marian apparitions often involve complications at the local diocese,
and a letter of approval or disapproval from a local bishop, does not
automatically signal approval or denial. A recent example is the
apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho in the 1980s in Kibeho, Rwanda. In
1982 the teenagers who saw the visions reported truly gruesome sights
and said that the Virgin Mary asked everyone to pray to prevent a
terrible war. Some today regard the visions as an ominous foreshadowing
of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, and particularly in that specific
location in 1995, where some teenagers died a decade after their
vision. The apparitions were accepted by the local bishop (accused by
many of complicity in the genocide himself), but have not been given
final approval by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Apparitions and statues
Marian
apparitions are sometimes reported along with weeping statues of the
Virgin Mary. However, to date only one single example of a combined
weeping statue and apparition (namely Our Lady of Akita) has been
approved by the Vatican and the rest have usually been dismissed as
hoaxes.
Impact of apparitions
While
Marian apparitions may at times seem like fanciful tales even to
devout Catholics, factual analysis indicates that the effect of
apparitions on the Roman Catholic Church has been significant. Marian
apparitions have led to, or affected, the Catholic Church, Roman
Catholic Mariology and the lives of millions of Roman Catholics in
several ways:
- The conversion of millions of people to Roman Catholicism.
- The construction of some of the largest Roman Catholic Marian churches ever.
- The formation of the largest Marian Movements and Societies ever.
- The spread of Marian devotions (such as the rosary) to millions of people.
- The declaration of specific Marian dogmas and doctrines.
- Hundreds of millions of Marian pilgrimages.
A few cases can illustrate these items.
Conversions and shrines
 |
| Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. |
By
all accounts, when Juan Diego, age 57, reported the apparition of Our
Lady of Guadalupe on Tepeyac hill in Mexico in 1531, he did not
receive a lot of attention in Rome, since the Church was busy with the
challenges of the Protestant Reformation of 1521 to 1579 and perhaps
very few Cardinals in Rome had ever heard the details of Mexico and
its environs. Yet, just as a large number of people were leaving the
Catholic Church in Europe as a result of the Reformation, Our Lady of
Guadalupe was instrumental in adding almost 8 million people to the
ranks of Catholics in the Americas between 1532 and 1538. The number
of Catholics in South America has grown significantly over the
centuries. Eventually with tens of millions of followers, Juan Diego
had an effect on Mariology in the Americas and beyond, and was
eventually declared venerable in 1987. Juan Diego was declared a saint
in 2002. Furthermore, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on
Tepeyac hill in Mexico is now the third largest Catholic Church in the
world, after Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome and the Basilica of the
National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil. Recent reported
apparitions such as Medjugorje have also attracted a large following.
Societies and devotions
The
Marian apparition of Our Lady of Fátima on a remote mountain top to
three young Portuguese children in 1917 also seemed fanciful and the
local administrator initially jailed the children and threatened that
he would boil them one by one in a pot of oil. However, over the years
the effect of Fátima has been undeniable. With over 25 million
registered Catholic members, the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima
(which was approved by Pope Pius XII in 1947) is the largest Marian
Society in the world. And the message of Fátima has inspired the spread
of other devotions. An example is Our Lady's Rosary Makers formed by
Brother Sylvan Mattingly in 1949 with $25 to distribute free rosaries,
based on his devotion to Fátima. Our Lady's Rosary Makers has since
distributed hundreds of millions of free rosaries to Catholic missions
worldwide.
The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima (now most known as the World Apostolate of Fátima)
is a public international association of the Christian faithful that
has as its general purpose "the promotion of the authentic teaching of
the Roman Catholic Church and the strict adherence to the tenets of
the Gospel; the personal sanctification of adherents through faithful
adherence to the Message of Fátima and the promotion of the common
good by the spreading of that Message of Fátima".
The Blue Army
was founded in 1946 by Rev. Fr. Harold V. Colgan, parish priest of St.
Mary of Plainfield, New Jersey (USA). Father Colgan had fallen
seriously ill and was hospitalized. During his illness he prayed to Our
Lady of Fátima that if she should cure him he would spend the rest of
his life spreading devotion to her. He attributed his recovery to his
prayers and began preaching to his congregation on a regular basis
about the Virgin Mary.
In
the spring of 1947 the message from apparition at Fátima began to
seep into the American mass media, and Fr. Colgan felt that this
revelation, and devotion to Our Lady of Fátima, were something that he
should impress upon his congregation.
He summed up the message of Our Lady's apparition as this:
- Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
- Daily recitation of the Rosary and
- Righteous observance of the duties of one's state of life.
His
message was highly successful; however, he wanted to make more of a
lasting impression upon his congregation, and so he added two further
items of his own invention. The first was a signed promise that one
would try to uphold these values and the second was to wear a blue
ribbon or blue medal in order to remember the promise. This was also a
success and the congregation all enrolled. It was then that Fr. Colgan
began to think about extending this to other parishes and other
nations. Thus was born the Blue Army, from Colgan's own words: "We will
be the Blue army of Mary and Christ, against the red of the world and
of The Evil One"
Fr.
Colgan began preaching his message and gained massive success,
especially with the assistance of famous writer John Haffert who began
delivering conferences on the message of Fátima and the Blue Army.
Colgan then went to the Vatican in May 1947 to meet Pius XII in order
to present his project for approval from the Pontiff. The Holy Father
approved with the words, "As the world chief against communism I bless
you and all members of the Blue Army." In 1950 there were already one
million enrolled members, and in 1953 five million. Currently, there
are over 20 million members.
The World Apostolate of Fátima has its world headquarters in the Domus Pacis
("House of Peace"), a pilgrim guest house in Fátima, Portugal. While
the Blue Army was founded in 1947, because of its rapid spread around
the world, it became necessary to erect a new society. The Decree of
Erection of the World Apostolate of Fatima was signed on 7 October (the
Feast of the Holy Rosary), 2005. Then on 3 February 2006, the World
Apostolate of Fátima held an official ceremony for the consignment of
the decree and the approval of its statutes at the Pontifical Council
for the Laity in Rome.
The
Apostolate is broken up into prayer cells which are found in parishes
throughout the world. These cells fall under state and national
Apostolate centers which in turn are subordinate to the International
Secretariat based at Fátima in the Domus Pacis. The
International Secretariat exists in order to coordinate the activities
of the organization throughout the world and to carry out the policy
decisions of the Board of Trustees, an elected group of nine members
of the Apostolate who represent various regional centers of the
Apostolate. They meet once a year to discuss the internal affairs of
the Apostolate.
Membership in its most basic sense is through making a Pledge promising the following:
- To offer up every day the sacrifices demanded by one's daily duty to the faithful observance of God's law
- To say five decades of the Rosary daily while meditating on the mysteries
- To wear the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel as a sign and reminder of personal consecration to our Lady and
- On the first Saturday of five consecutive months, with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, confess and receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep company with Our Lady for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary.
The official pledge of membership is :
I pledge myself to Our Lady and wish, thereby, to join the World Apostolate of Fátima.
Dear Queen and Mother, who promised at Fátima to convert Russia and bring peace to all mankind, in reparation for my sins and the sins of the whole world, I solemnly promise to Your Immaculate Heart:
I shall renew this promise often, especially in moments of temptation.
- To offer up every day the sacrifices demanded by my daily duty
- To pray at least five decades of the Rosary daily while meditating on the Mysteries
- To wear the Scapular of Mount Carmel as profession of this promise and as an act of consecration to You,
- To accomplish the devotion of the Five First Saturdays of the month, including the fifteen minute meditation on the Mysteries of the Rosary.
The daily offering mentioned, is traditionally the following:
O my God in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary (here kiss the brown scapular). I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus from all the altars throughout the world, joining with it the offering of my every thought, word and action of this day.
O my Jesus, I desire today to gain every indulgence and merit I can and I offer them, together with myself, to Mary Immaculate – that She may best apply them to the interests of Thy Most Sacred Heart. Precious Blood of Jesus, save us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
Thus
are delineated the primary devotions of the World Apostolate. These
are the devotions mandated by the Blessed Virgin Mary during the
Apparitions at Fátima. Traditionally this pledge is printed, and signed
by the person who desires membership. It is also traditional that
this signed pledge is then sent to the international headquarters in
Fátima where it is then taken and buried near the shrine there.
Aside
from the daily offering, recitation of the rosary, the wearing of
the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the five Saturdays
in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Apostolate also
recommends to its members the practices of nine first Fridays in honor
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Home Enthronement of the Sacred Heart,
and family consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
A
further practice associated with the World Apostolate is the Pilgrim
statue of Our Lady of Fátima. There are several designated "pilgrim
statues," however the primary one is the international pilgrim statue
which has traversed the globe several times since its sculpting in
1947 by José Ferreira Thedim. The purpose of the statue is to renew
interest in Catholic parishes in the message of Fátima, and to stir up
affection to Our Lady.
The
National Blue Army Shrine of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in
Washington Township (Warren County), New Jersey, is located on 150
acres (0.61 km2) and rises over the Muscontecong Valley. It hosts more than 50,000 pilgrims annually.
The
Symbol of the apostolate consists of a pair of doves forming an image
of praying hands holding a rosary. These are then surrounded by an
image of a brown scapular, containing the words in Latin Orbis Unus Orans,
(One World Praying) the motto of the Apostolate. All of these
surmounted on a blue disc, blue being the symbolic liturgical color of
the Virgin Mary in the Catholic Church.
In 1996, John Haffert (co-founder of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima) spoke about Fatima and his book “Meet the Witnesses” in which he personally interviewed nearly 200 witnesses to the Fatima Miracle, describing their detailed witness accounts.
Pilgrimages
 |
| Our Lady of Lourdes, France |
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima also attracts a large number of Roman Catholics, and every year pilgrims fill the country road that leads to the shrine with crowds that approach one million on May 13 and October 13, the significant dates of Fatima apparitions. Overall, about four million pilgrims visit the basilica every year.
In Canada, millions of Americans and Canadians have visited the national shrine of Our Lady of the Cape, in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, where the first pilgrimages began in 1888.
Historical Feasts
 |
| Our Lady of Mount Carmel |
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Saint Simon Stock, who was Prior General of the Carmelite Order in the mid 13th century. The earliest reference to the tradition of his Marian apparition, dating from the late 14th century, states that "St. Simon was an Englishman, a man of great holiness and devotion, who always in his prayers asked the Virgin to favor his Order with some singular privilege. The Virgin appeared to him holding the Brown Scapular in her hand saying, 'This is for you and yours a privilege; the one who dies in it will be saved.'" A scapular is an apron-like garment that forms part of the Carmelite religious habit, and in the original context the Blessed Virgin Mary's promise was an assurance that religious who persevered in their vocation would be saved; beginning in the latter half of the 16th century the small devotional scapular became very popular as a sacramental.The historicity of Saint Simon Stock's vision is disputed, and as a result today neither the liturgy for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (which originally had no association with scapular devotion, but became strongly connected with Saint Simon Stock's vision in the 17th century), nor that of Saint Simon Stock make any reference to the vision of Mary or the scapular.The Brown Scapular itself remains warmly approved and recommended by the Catholic Church. Various devotional sources quote an interview with Lucia Santos in which she speaks about the Brown Scapular, saying "Our Lady wants all to wear the Scapular", especially when praying the Rosary, because "the Rosary and Scapular are inseparable".
Our Lady of the Pillar
In the year AD 39, according to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint James the Great, in Zaragoza, Spain. The vision is now called Our Lady of the Pillar and is the only reported Marian apparition before her Assumption. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar was built in Zaragoza, Spain and a key piece of Roman Catholic Marian art, the statue of Our Lady of the Pillar, refers to this apparition.Our Lady of the Snow
Our Lady of the Snow is based on a legend that during the pontificate of Pope Liberius, during the night of August the 5th, snow fell on the summit of the Esquiline Hill in Rome. Based on a vision that night, a basilica was built in honour of Our Lady, on the spot that had been covered with snow. The church built there is now the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, and the feast was celebrated at that church for centuries on August 5 each year. However, there was no mention of this alleged miracle in historical records until a few hundred years later, not even by Pope Sixtus III in his dedicatory inscription, and it may be that the legend has no historical basis. However, in the 14th century the feast was extended to all the churches of Rome and finally it was made a universal feast by Pope Pius V.Our Lady of Walsingham
According to the tradition of Our Lady of Walsingham, the Virgin Mary appeared in a vision to Richeldis de Faverches, a devout Saxon noblewoman, in 1061 in Walsingham, England, instructing her to construct a shrine resembling the place of the Annunciation. The shrine passed into the care of the Canons Regular sometime between 1146 and 1174. Late in 1538, King Henry VIII’s soldiers sacked the priory at Walsingham, killed two monks and destroyed the shrine. In 1897 Pope Leo XIII re-established the restored 14th century Slipper Chapel as a Roman Catholic shrine. The Holy House had been rebuilt at the Catholic Church of the Annunciation at King's Lynn (Walsingham was part of this Catholic parish in 1897). Today there are two shrines at Walsingham: the Roman Catholic shrine centered on the Slipper Chapel and the Holy House maintained by the Church of England. There are also two separate feast days: September 24 in the Roman Catholic Church and October 15 in the Anglican Communion.Our Lady of the Rosary
The apparition of Our Lady of the Rosary is by tradition attributed to Saint Dominic in 1208 in the church of Prouille, in France. According to the attribution, the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Dominic and introduced him to the rosary. Some sources suggest that Alan de Rupe (rather than Saint Dominic) was the major influence on the rosary in the 15th century, while other sources seek a middle ground to these two views. For centuries, Dominicans became instrumental in spreading the rosary and emphasizing the Catholic belief in the power of the rosary. In 1571 Pope Pius V instituted "Our Lady of Victory" as an annual feast to commemorate the victory of Lepanto, the victory being attributed to Our Lady. In 1969, Pope Paul VI changed the name of the feast to Our Lady of the Rosary.Approved Marian Apparitions
A Roman Catholic approved Marian apparition is one that has been examined by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith either based on the criteria listed above (or internal procedures in place before that) and has been granted approval either through the local Bishop based on the direction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith or received a direct approval from the Holy See.Although a local bishop may provide a preliminary assessment (and allow the devotion to proceed forward), formal approval can only be provided after detailed analysis by the Holy See. For instance, although the apparitions at Our Lady of Laus were recognized by the local diocese in 1665, they received approval from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith centuries later, in 2008.
Apparitions favored by the Holy See usually:
- Become the site of major Roman Catholic Marian churches such as Lourdes, France or the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Tepeyac hill in Mexico.
- Receive papal visits such as Popes Paul VI's, John Paul II's and Benedict XVI's visits to Fátima, Portugal, Knock Ireland and Beauraing, Belgium.
Approved by the Roman Catholic Church
Our Lady of Guadalupe
 |
| Our Lady of Guadalupe |
Two accounts, published in the 1640s, one in Spanish, one in Nahuatl, tell how, while walking from his village to Mexico City in the early morning of December 9, 1531 (then the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Spanish Empire), the peasant Juan Diego saw on the slopes of the Hill of Tepeyac a vision of a girl of fifteen or sixteen years of age, surrounded by light. Speaking to him in Nahuatl, the local language, she asked that a church be built at that site, in her honor; from her words, Juan Diego recognized the Lady as the Virgin Mary. Diego told his story to the Spanish Archbishop, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, who instructed him to return to Tepeyac Hill, and ask the lady for a miraculous sign to prove her identity.The first sign was the Virgin healing Juan's uncle. The Virgin told Juan Diego to gather flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill. Although December was very late in the growing season for flowers to bloom, Juan Diego found at the usually barren hilltop Castilian roses, not native to Mexico, which the Virgin arranged in his peasant tilma cloak. When Juan Diego opened the cloak before Bishop Zumárraga on December 12, the flowers fell to the floor, and in their place was the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, miraculously imprinted on the fabric.
The
icon is now displayed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of
the most visited Marian shrines. The icon is Mexico’s most popular
religious and cultural image, bearing the titles: the Queen of Mexico, and was once proclaimed Patroness of the Philippines (but later revised) by Pope Pius XI in 1935. In 1999, Pope John Paul II proclaimed the Virgin Mary Patroness of the Americas, Empress of Latin America, and Protectress of Unborn Children under this Marian title.
Our Lady of Laus
The
apparitions of Our Lady of Laus between 1664 and 1718 in
Saint-Étienne-le-Laus, France to Benoîte Rencurel, a young shepherdess
are the first Marian apparitions approved in the 21st century by the
Roman Catholic Church. The apparitions were recognized by the diocese
of the Roman Catholic Church on September 18, 1665. They were approved
by the Vatican on May 5, 2008. Currently, the site where the
apparitions took place receives more than 120,000 pilgrims a year.
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
The
vision of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is said to have appeared
to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 in the convent of Rue du Bac,
Paris. She reported that one night in the chapel, the Blessed Virgin
Mary appeared to her and asked that a medallion be made to a design
that she dictated. The lady added that, "All who wear this medal will
receive great graces." After spending two years examining
her claims, her priest eventually took the information to his
archbishop. The medal eventually produced came to be referred to as
the Miraculous Medal. The front of the medal displays a picture of
the virgin as she appeared to Catherine Labouré. The design on the
reverse includes the letter M and a cross. Pope John Paul II used a
slight variation of the reverse image as his coat of arms, the Marian
Cross. This is a plain cross with an M underneath the right-hand bar,
to signify the Blessed Virgin standing at the foot of the Cross while
Jesus was being crucified.
Sister
Justine Bisqueyburu is said to have also had an apparition in 1840
within the same chapel at Rue du Bac as Saint Catherine Labouré. These
visitations instituted the Green Scapular, which involves a very
simple devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and is associated with
healing. The Green Scapular has its own association but has not yet
been approved by the Holy See and does not have an associated
confraternity.
Our Lady of La Salette
The
apparitions of Our Lady of La Salette were reported in La Salette in
France in 1846 by two shepherd children, Mélanie Calvat and Maximin
Giraud, followed by numerous accounts of miraculous healings. The Roman
Catholic Church investigated the claims and found them basically
credible. However, in the late 19th century controversy surrounded the
claims of one of the seers, Mélanie Calvat in a France hostile to
religion. Recent releases from the Vatican Secret Archives may have
clarified the situation to some extent, but some controversy still
remains attached to this apparition.
Our Lady of Lourdes
 |
Our Lady of Lourdes |
In
1858 Saint Bernadette Soubirous was a 14-year-old shepherd girl who
lived near the town of Lourdes in France. One day she reported a
vision of a miraculous Lady who identified Herself as "the Immaculate
Conception" in subsequent visions. In the second vision she was asked
to return again and she had 18 visions overall. According to Saint
Bernadette, the Lady held a string of Rosary beads and led Saint
Bernadette to the discovery of a buried spring, also requesting that
the local priests build a chapel at the site of the visions and lead
holy processions there. Eventually, a number of chapels and churches
were built at Lourdes as the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes—which is
now a major Catholic pilgrimage site. One of these churches, the
Basilica of St. Pius X can accommodate 25,000 people and was dedicated
by the future Pope John XXIII when he was the Papal Nuncio to France.
Our Lady of Pontmain
The
apparitions at Our Lady of Pontmain, France also called Our Lady of
Hope were reported in 1871 by a number of young children.[48]
The final approval for the apparitions of Our Lady of Hope was given
in 1932 by Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, who later became Pope Pius XII
Our Lady of Fátima
 |
| Lucia, Bl Franciso and Jacinta, Children of Our Lady of Fatima Apparition 1917 |
The
visions of the Virgin Mary appearing to three shepherd children at
Our Lady of Fátima in Portugal in 1917 were declared worthy of belief
by the Catholic Church in 1930. Five popes — Pius XII, John XXIII,
Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI — have supported the Fátima
messages as supernatural. John Paul II was particularly attached to
Fátima and credited Our Lady of Fátima with saving his life after he
was shot in Rome on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fátima in May 1981.
He donated the bullet that wounded him on that day to the Sanctuary of
Our Lady of Fátima. Benedict XVI, on May 13, 2010, prayed
and gave the second Golden Rose to Our Lady of Fátima and also
pronounced in front of more than 500,000 pilgrims a reference to the
Fátima prophecy about the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
In
1925, eight years after the Fátima events, Sister Lúcia reported
another set of apparitions, which became known as the Pontevedra
apparitions. Also Blessed Alexandrina of Balasar reported several
apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary (following the Our Lady of
Fátima request of World Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary).
Our Lady of Knock
On
the wet Thursday evening of the 21st August, 1879, at about 8
o'clock, Our Lady, St. Joseph, and St. John the Evangelist appeared in a
blaze of Heavenly light at the south gable of Knock Parish Church.
Behind them and a little to the left of St. John was a plain altar. On
the altar was a cross and a lamb with adoring angels. The appearance
of St Joseph, St John and the Lamb make the apparation unique in
church history. The Apparition was seen by fifteen people whose ages
ranged from six years to seventy-five and included men, women and
children.
The
witnesses described the Blessed Virgin Mary as being clothed in white
robes with a brilliant crown on her head. Over the forehead where the
crown fitted the brow, she wore a beautiful full-bloom golden rose.
She was in an attitude of prayer with her eyes and hands raised towards
Heaven. St. Joseph stood on Our Lady's right. He was turned towards
her in an attitude of respect. His robes were also white. St. John was
on Our Lady's left. He was dressed in white vestments and resembled a
bishop, with a small mitre. He appeared to be preaching and he held
an open book in his left hand.
The
witnesses watched the Apparition in pouring rain for two hours,
reciting the Rosary. Although they themselves were saturated not a
single drop of rain fell on the gable or vision.
Subsequent
commissions of enquiry set up by the local Bishop and the Catholic
hierarchy in Ireland formally approved the apparations as worthy of
devotion and they were officially recognised by the Catholic church
culminating in the visif of Pope John Paul II in 1979 which he called
the ultimate goal of his pastoral visit to Ireland. Knowck shrine is
ranked among the major Marian shrines in the world and is served by
the old church, of which only a fragment of the original gable wall
exists, a purpose built Basillica designed and built to cater for the
significant number of pilgrims and an International Airport.
Our Lady of Beauraing
The
33 apparitions of Our Lady of Beauraing were reported in Belgium
between November 1932 and January 1933 by five local children ranging
in age from 9 to 15 years. From 1933 to World War II, pilgrims flocked
to the little village of Beauraing. The final approbation for the
apparition was granted on July 2, 1949, under the authority of the Holy
Office by the decree of Andre-Marie Charue, Bishop of Namur, Belgium.
These apparitions are also known as the Virgin of the Golden Heart.
Our Lady of Banneux
 |
| Our Lady of Banneux Shrine |
The
apparitions of Our Lady of Banneux were reported by a young child,
Mariette Beco a native of Banneux, Belgium in the 1930s. They are also
known as the Virgin of the Poor. The apparitions were approved by the
Roman Catholic Church in 1949.
Beco
reported eight visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary between January 15
and March 2, 1933. She reported seeing a Lady in White who declared
herself the Virgin of the Poor and told her: "Believe in me and
I will believe in you". In one vision, the Lady reportedly asked
Mariette to drink from a small spring and later said that the spring
was for healing. Over time the site drew pilgrims. Today, the small
spring yields about 2,000 gallons of water a day with many reports of
miraculous healings.
Her
claims were subject to an official investigation from 1935 to 1937 by
an episcopal commission. The evidence collected was submitted to Rome
for further analysis. In May 1942 Bishop Kerkhofs of the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Liège (Belgium) gave a first recognition of the
authenticity of the reports. Then, in 1947, approval for the
apparitions came from the Holy See. It was declared definite in 1949.
After
the apparitions, Beco decided to remain a private person, married and
led a quiet family life. A small chapel stands where the Virgin of the Poor
is said to have requested it to be built. Beco died 2 December 2011 at
the age of 90. In 2008 she made a final statement about her role in
the apparitions: "I was no more than a postman who delivers the mail.
Once this has been done, the postman is of no importance any more".
Our Lady of Akita
The
apparitions of Our Lady of Akita were reported in 1973 by Sister
Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa in the remote area of Yuzawadai, near the city
of Akita in Japan. For several decades, Agnes Sasagawa had
encountered many health problems but her health reportedly improved
after drinking water from Lourdes. After going totally deaf, she went
to live with the nuns in the remoteness of Yuzawadai. In 1973 she
reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary, as well as stigmata and a
weeping statue of the Virgin Mary that continued to weep over the next
six years on 101 occasions. According to EWTN, up to November 2011 no
ecclesiastical decree appears to exist from the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith.
However,
some individuals, such as former Ambassador of the Philippines to the
Holy See, Mr. Howard Dee, have stated that they were given private
assurances by Cardinal Ratzinger of the authenticity of Akita. In
any case, in keeping with the current norms, given the absence of a
repudiation of Bp. Ito's decision by his successors, or by higher
authority, the events of Akita continue to have ecclesiastical
approval..
Apparitions approved by a local Church ordinary
The
apparitions of Our Lady of Cuapa began on April 15, 1980, in San
Francisco de Cuapa, Nicaragua. The Virgin Mary repeatedly appeared to
Bernardo Martinez, a sacristan, and according to the visionary this
began when he saw a strange light emanating from a statue of the Virgin
Mary in the parish church. In May, when walking through the fields,
he claimed that he saw a vision of the Virgin Mary, who encouraged him
to pray the rosary and promote peace saying: "Make Peace. Don't ask Our Lord for peace because, if you do not make it, there will be no peace".
At
this time, Nicaragua was going through a civil war. The Sandinista
government was facing armed opposition from the Contras. Bernardo
Martinez claimed that the Blessed Virgin Mary ordered him to burn bad
books, which was interpreted to mean Marxist books. The auxiliary
Bishop of Managua complied with this request. Sandinista commentators
responded by describing the apparition as 'Saint Mary of the Contras',
'Our Lady of Oliver North and Our Lady of Cuapa. On November
13, 1982, the Bishop of Juigalpa released an official statement as
Bishop of the area where the apparitions took place assuring the
faithful of the authenticity of the events. The apparitions at San
Francisco de Cuapa are thus among the few Marian apparitions approved
by the Catholic Church in the twentieth century. In 2005, Silvio Sirias
wrote a novel, "Bernardo and the Virgin" based on these events.
The
apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho began on November 28, 1981, in the
African college of Kibeho, Rwanda. The Virgin Mary repeatedly appeared
to Alphonsine Mumureke, Nathalie Mukamazimpaka, and Marie Claire
Mukangango. The apparition identified herself in the native Rwandan
dialect as “Nyina wa Jambo", ( "Mother of the Word"), which is
synonymous with "Mother of God.” The apparitions communicated various
messages to the schoolchildren, urging the people to love each other,
and warning of an apocalyptic vision of Rwanda descending into
violence and hatred, foretelling the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. In 2001
the Holy See released the declaration of Bishop Misago of Gikongoro
approving the apparitions. The Marian sanctuary at Kibeho was named
"Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows" in 1992, two years before the
genocide. An estimated 500,000 pilgrims visit the site every year.
The
apparitions of Our Lady of Good Success began on 2 February 1594 at
the Conceptionist Convent in Quito, Ecuador. The Virgin Mary
repeatedly appeared to Venerable Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres,
identifying herself as 'Our Lady of Good Success'.The apparition
requested that a statue be made in her likeness and made several
predictions concerning a crisis in the church specifically a fall in
vocations, a lack of availability of the sacraments and a fall in
moral standards in the 20th century. The apparitions were approved by
the local Bishop, Salvador de Riber on 2 February 1611. In 1991 The
Vatican granted the canonical coronation of our Lady of Good Success as
'Queen of Quito' after being petitioned by the Archbishop of Quito.
The
apparitions of Our Lady of Good Help were reported by Adele Brise in
1859. In December 2010, Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin
approved the apparition as worthy of belief, as the first Marian
apparition approved in the United States at the local level. In
Robinsonville (now called Champion) WI, a young Belgian immigrant woman
named Adele Brise was walking through a wooded area when she saw a
beautiful woman standing between a maple and a hemlock tree. She saw
the lady again on her way to Mass, and walked past her again. After
Mass she told her priest about the apparition, and he told her to ask
the Lady "In God's name, who are you and what do you want of me?" When
Adele walked past the spot again, the Lady was there, and Adele asked
what she was told by the priest. The Lady replied, "I am the Queen of
Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners." She gave Adele the
mission to teach the children of the area their Catechism, which Adele
did faithfully. Soon after, Adele's father built a small chapel
between the trees, and later two more churches were built on the spot
before the present brick church, built in 1942. The apparitions,
attributed to Our Lady of Good Help, were approved on December 8, 2010,
by Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay.
Apparitions with no or undocumented approval
A
list of some notable reports of Marian apparitions is provided below.
The apparitions discussed here do not have approval, and only those
apparitions listed and explained in the sections above have received
either Roman Catholic or Coptic approval, and the others shown in the
table here are simply based on legend, reports of individuals or are
still awaiting approval. There are hundreds of other reported
apparitions around the world without major references or church
investigations and they can not be included in this section, due to
their lack of notability.
A
number of claimed apparitions sites still not fully approved continue
to gather pilgrims and become the site of major Marian basilicas. The
apparitions at these sites are often the subject of legends. An
example is Our Lady of Walsingham where according to legend the
Blessed Virgin appeared in a vision to a noblewoman in 1061 and her
son built a simple wooden structure there that later became an abbey.
No details of the content of vision have been preserved, but pilgrims
continued to arrive at Walsingham for centuries until 1st Earl of
Essex destroyed it in 1538.
 |
| The statue and shrine of Our Lady of Međugorje (Bosnia and Herzegovina). |
Among
recent visions, the reported apparitions of The Virgin Mary to six
children in Medjugorje in 1981 have received much attention. The Our Lady of Međugorje
messages are published and distributed worldwide and often emphasize
five key elements: Daily prayer of the Holy Rosary, Fasting on
Wednesdays and Fridays, Daily reading of the Bible, Monthly Confessions
and Holy Communion.
The
reports of visions at Medjugorje were vigorously opposed by the
responsible bishop, Bishop Pavao Žanić of Mostar-Duvno. A Commission
appointed by him to investigate the apparitions underlined the
theological and disciplinary difficulties posed by the events and the
messages of Medjugorje. In 1991, the Bishops' Conference of Yugoslavia
stated, "On the basis of the investigations so far it can not be
affirmed that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and
revelations."
On
March 17, 2010, the Vatican announced it was beginning a formal
investigation of the apparitions at Medugorje. Cardinal Camillo Ruini
is to head the commission that will study the matter.
 |
| Shrine of Our Lady of Guardia. |
The 1490 apparition reported by Italian peasant Benedetto Pareto regarding Our Lady of Guardia
is somewhat similar, but has a happier ending. Pareto also reported
that the Virgin Mary appeared to him and asked him to build a church
atop the mountain. Pareto at first refused, saying that he was just a
poor man, but he eventually built a small wooden structure, which in
time gathered many pilgrims. The Shrine of Our Lady of Guardia is now a
thriving basilica atop Mount Figogna, near Genoa Italy.
Some
major Marian basilicas and traditions are based on legends that do
not involve any specific apparitions, but sacred objects that are
assumed to have been associated with apparitions. The key example is
the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in
Aparecida, Brazil. It is the second-largest Catholic place of worship
in the world, second only to St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, and
the largest Marian Church in the world, receiving over 6 million
pilgrims a year. There is no specific vision or apparition associated
with Our Lady of Aparecida, and it is based on a simple wooden statue
of the Blessed Virgin (found by fishermen) that over the centuries drew
millions of pilgrims, based on its reported healing powers. The
festivals surrounding Our Lady of Chiquinquirá in Venezuela are based
on a piece of wood that, according to legend, grew luminous with the
image of the Blessed Virgin in 1709. In the case of Our Lady of Kazan,
legend holds that the Blessed Virgin revealed the location of the
precious icon to a 10-year-old girl in 1579.
 |
| Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni |
The
Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health in Velankanni, Tamil Nadu in
southern India does, however, have a legend that involves a number of
apparitions. There is no historical record of the apparition of Our
Lady of Good Health but the oral tradition suggests that there was an
apparition to a Hindu boy in mid 16th century and later Portuguese
sailors were saved by another apparition. Also another one major
Marian apparitions in India is of Korattymuthy at Koratty in Kerala.
Similarly, the legend Our Lady of La Vang is based on an apparition to
a group of Vietnamese Catholics in the rain forest in 1798, and the
site of a basilica.
The
Basilica of our Our Lady of Siluva in Siluva, Lithuania is also based
on a legend of an apparition to four children in 1608, and houses a
famous painting (perhaps based on Salus Populi Romani) called Our Lady of Siluva, usually considered Lithuania's greatest treasure.
Although
both She Shan Basilica in Shanghai, China and Our Lady of China in
Donglu, near Beijing, were popular pilgrimage sites at one time, with
the arrest and imprisonment of the Catholic bishops in the 1950s by the
communists and with the establishment of the Chinese Patriotic
Catholic Association against the Vatican, these pilgrimages have slowed
down.
The
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lichen, the largest church in Poland (and
the 11th largest in the world) is based on legends on the Virgin Mary
appearing to different people in the Lichen area in the early 19th
century.
Between
1941 and 1988, Felisa Sistiaga reported several apparitions of the
Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows in Umbe, near Bilbao,
Spain. The messages left by Our Lady were very similar to that given in the Marian apparitions of Garabandal.
In
1945, two children - Marcelina Barroso Expósito and Afra Brígido
Blanco - reported several apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our
Lady of Sorrows near La Codosera, in the province of Badajoz,
Extremadura, Spain. A few years later, the Bishop of Badajoz gave
permission for the construction of a large Marian shrine in the place of
the apparitions and one of the visionaries, Marcelina, became a
cloistered nun.
On
June 4, 1947, seven-year-old Angela Volpini was grazing cattle near
her hometown of Casanova Staffora, near Oltrepò Pavese in northwest
Italy, when she felt someone embrace her from behind and lift her up.
Assuming it was her aunt, she turned around and saw "a woman's face --
beautiful, sweet and unknown." The apparitions occurred on the fourth
day of every month for ten years, and many were filmed. Ms. Volpini's
father supported her, but her mother, while believing in the
apparitions, feared for the girl's life. The local priest, Father
Gianni Baget Bozzo, believed the child and formed a lifelong
friendship with her. He often compared the apparitions to those of Our
Lady of Lourdes. On his death May 8, 2009, he left one-sixth of his
fortune to Volpini. People who believe in Ms. Volpini's experiences
formed a devotional organization called Nova Cana—the name invented by Ms. Volpini herself—to commemorate the events.
Between
1958 and 1962, Mathew Lashut reported several apparitions of the
Virgin Mary on a forest near Turzovka, a town in north-western
Slovakia. This apparition was predicted to come about as “a second
Lourdes" or "the Lourdes of Slovakia” by the German Catholic mystic and
stigmatic Therese Neumann.
The
reported apparitions of Our Lady of Kibeho in 1982 included
exceptionally long and dramatic visions lasting eight hours. According
to the teenage visionaries, in 1982 the Virgin Mary asked everyone to
pray to prevent a terrible war. A war and genocide eventually took
place at the same location in 1995 and claimed the lives of some of
visionaries. The apparitions were accepted by the local Roman Catholic
bishop, Bishop Misago, but have not been given final approval by the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The bishop himself went on
trial for nine months on charges of involvement in the genocide but
was not convicted.
The
reported apparitions of Our Lady of America in 1956 in Rome City,
Indiana, did receive a positive response from the local bishop and have
been Canonically approved by several Archbishops and Bishops, but no
decision has been rendered with regard to the supernatural origin and
characters of the reported apparitions. Pilgrims arrive daily to pray
and offer their devotion in the Our Lady Mother of Mercy Chapel, which
sits on the grounds of what is now Sylvan Springs.
The
fact that pilgrims continue arriving at a reported apparition site
and the fact that church figures a continent away may be sympathetic
towards the apparition does not mean that approval has been obtained.
For instance, although the Village of Pellevoisin in France does
receive pilgrims, and there is a small shrine of Our Lady of
Pellevoisin in St. Paul's church in New York, according to the
University of Dayton Marian Library, archbishops of Bourges have never
pronounced on the subject of Pellevoisin and have been very reserved on
the topic. However, various independent (and colorful) lists of apparitions websites declare Pellevoisin as approved, with no clear reference for the approval.
The
apparitions reported between 1945 and 1959 by Ida Peerdeman in
Amsterdam as The Lady of all Nations include a short prayer called the
Amsterdam Blessing. In May 2002, Bishop Jozef Marianus Punt of
Haarlem-Amsterdam issued a letter that declared this apparition as
having a supernatural origin. However, this apparition has not been
officially approved by the Holy See, and has approval only at the local
bishop level.
Between
1968 and 1976, a young boy named Jesús José reported several
apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Graces in Onuva,
near La Puebla del Río, province of Seville, Spain. In the last
apparition, the message from heaven explains that «Onuva means: Land of Mercy, Land of Mercy!».
Between
1990 and 1995, two young girls - Ivetka Korcakova (born 1978) and
Katka Ceselkova (born 1977) - reported several apparitions of the
Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of The Immaculate Purity on
the Zvir Mountain, in Litmanová, a village of northern Slovakia. During
these religious events, the visionaries were accompanied by many
priests and now there is a Marian shrine on the place of apparitions.
Many people, not only Slovaks, make pilgrimages to this location to
celebrate the Divine Liturgy and obtain water from a holy stream.
Since 1992, some reported apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Virgin of the Eucharist
in Manduria, south of Italy, are also receiving many attention
worldwide, in particular by the Catholic youth. Debora Marasco, the
visionary, founded a Catholic Movement for the young people named
"Manduria for Young People". A similar phenomenon with Catholic youth
is occurring near São Marcos da Serra, in Algarve, Portugal, were other
reported apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Goodness
attract, since 1999, many young people and priests to the place of
apparitions. The Holy See has never officially approved or disapproved
these apparitions.
Several
apparition related sites on the internet exist, often with detailed
messages that sound pious, accompanied by testimonies from local
witnesses, and even local priests and bishops. However, these
representations do not always amount to authenticity or Vatican
approval. An example is the website for the apparitions of Our Lady of the Eucharist in Rome since the year 2000. The website for Our Lady of the Eucharist
includes a clear letter and a photo from Bishop Claudio Gatti who
approved the apparition. Yet a more detailed search of the same website
produces a letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
reducing the said Bishop to lay rank following a series of meetings at
the Vatican on this and other matters (e.g. the Bishop's position of
marriage for priests). The Bishop now uses the title ordained by God
rather than Catholic Bishop. At Soufanieh, a suburb of Damascus a
series of apparitions have reportedly been observed between 1982 and
2004, without any approval to date.
As
a general pattern, in most cases, formal Vatican approval for
apparitions usually requires at least a century, even if the local
diocese issues a preliminary letter permitting devotions. For instance,
Our Lady of Laus was recognized by the local bishop in 1665 but was
only granted approval by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith in 2008. As current examples, Our Lady of Kibeho have received
recognition from the local diocese, but there has been no formal
approval from the Holy See. The same with the 1973 apparitions of Our
Lady of Akita.
Some
purported Marian apparitions initiated events that led to schism of
Catholics forming their own independent churches as a result of Rome's
disapproval of them. Notable examples include the revelations of
Feliksa Kozłowska between 1893 and 1918, which led to the founding of
the Mariavite and the Old Catholic Mariavite churches. Others include
the Palmarian Catholic Church, which began after a series of purported
apparitions in Palmar de Troya, while Fraternite Notre Dame, a
Traditionalist Catholic church traces its origins to apparitions that
were reported in Frechou, France, and is led by Bishop Jean Marie Kozik
who was consecrated by Vietnamese Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc.
An
apparition of Our Lady at Batim is the supposed appearance by the
Virgin Mary in the compound of Igreja de São Simão e Judas (Church of
Saint Simon and Jude), Batim-Ganxim in Goa. The first sighting is
purported to have been made by Iveta Gomes on 24 September, 1994.
Others have since claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary, as well as
other miracles, at this location.Though the apparition has no Episcopal
approval, the Church has not raised any objection to the gathering of
people at the site, in expression of their faith.
Numerous
apparitions were reported in 2008 in South Ossetia during Battle of
Tskhinvali. Many people, including Orthodox priests, reported Marian
silhouettes which appeared to be protecting Ossetians from attacking
Georgians.
Apparitions NOT approved by church authorities
Not
all reports of visions and apparitions are taken seriously by church
authorities. For instance, the messages reported by Catalina Rivas
were later found to correspond to exact pages of books written by
others, and published instructional literature for Catholic
seminarians. Claimed apparitions and miracles at Holy Love Ministries
in Elyria, Ohio were denounced by local Bishop Richard Lennon as "not
supernatural in origin" and "forbid members of the clergy of any
ecclesiastical jurisdiction" to celebrate the Sacraments on the site.
He also declared "that the Confraternity of the United Hearts of Jesus
and Mary is not an approved association of the Christian faithful in
the Diocese of Cleveland and may not legitimately use the name
'Catholic' or represent itself as a Catholic group.".
The
reported Garabandal apparitions from 1961 to 1965 were examined by
the local Bishop and were declared as not having evidence of being of
supernatural origin. However the apparitions were not declared a hoax
and the possibility of future approval was left open. At Garabandal,
an apparition of Saint Michael, the Archangel was reported first,
announcing the arrival of the Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady
of Mount Carmel.
Purported
locutions received by the late Veronica Lueken from 1968 to 1994 were
declared invalid by Bishop Francis Mugavero, then Bishop of the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn. Similarly, reports of Our Lady of Surbiton claiming that the Virgin Mary appeared every day under a pine tree in England were flatly rejected by the Vatican as a fraud.
Some
reported apparitions attract negative publicity at the location of
the apparition. For instance, the latter parts of the reported messages
from Gianna Talone were disapproved by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese
of Baltimore and a group of Emmitsburg, Maryland residents started a
campaign against Talone and accused her of running a cult. To date,
the Holy See has let the Talone matter rest at the local level of the
archdiocese.
Criticism
Some
Protestant Christians and non-Christians regard claims of Marian
apparitions as being hallucinations encouraged by superstition, and
occasionally simply as deliberate hoaxes to attract attention. Many
such apparitions are reported in economically depressed areas,
attracting many pilgrims who bring trade and money into the region. For
instance, some sources dispute the very existence of Saint Juan
Diego.
Some
spontaneous healings reported at apparition sites such as Lourdes are
also disputed by some scientists Other scientists have claimed that a
handful of unexplained cures have occurred; the Lourdes Medical
Bureau has recorded sixty "inexplicable" healings that match its
requirements. Critics maintain that some other healings are
incomplete, leaving the sufferer with disabilities or chronic illness,
and that other claimed healings are likely to be the relatively rare
but unmiraculous spontaneous remission of illness or injury. Such
remissions might be expected to occur in a few of the large numbers of
ill (and perhaps credulous) people who visit such sites. That
viewpoint is debated by religious people and by some in the
medical profession. The Lourdes Medical Bureau claims that it will not
review cases of claimed healing involving illnesses known sometimes
to go into remission by themselves, or incomplete healings, or those
that take place gradually. although it counts cases of tumors, which
are remissible.
Medical Investigations
International Lourdes Medical Committee
Yearly from March to October the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
is a place of mass pilgrimage from Europe and other parts of the
world. The spring water from the grotto is believed by some to possess
healing properties.
An
estimated 200 million people have visited the shrine since 1860, and
the Roman Catholic Church has officially recognised 68 healings
considered miraculous. Cures are examined using Church criteria for
authenticity and authentic miracle healing with no physical or
psychological basis other than the healing power of the water. Tours
from all over the world are organized to visit the Sanctuary.
Connected with this pilgrimage is often the consumption of or bathing
in the Lourdes water which wells out of the Grotto. At the time of the
apparitions the grotto was on common land which was used by the
villagers variously for pasturing animals, collecting firewood and as a
garbage dump, and it possessed a reputation for being an unpleasant
place
The Lourdes Medical Bureau (International Medical Association of Lourdes; Association Médicale Internationale de Lourdes)
is a medical organization based in Lourdes, France. It is an official
organization within the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, but is
administered and run only by doctors. Its most noted function is the
medical investigation of apparent cures associated with the shrine of
Lourdes. The term Medical Bureau is also used by the
International Medical Association of Lourdes to refer to a special
conference of its members, which may be called to investigate reports
of inexplicable healing.
The
apparitions at Lourdes took place between 11 February and 16 July
1858. After this time, reports of apparently miraculous cures began to
accumulate, prompting calls for the Roman Catholic Church to
recognise these events as miracles. The earliest investigations of
these cases were carried out by an Episcopal Commission of Inquiry led
by Canon Germain Baradère and reporting directly to Mgr
Laurence, bishop of Tarbes. The commission's earliest work was
conducted without medical consultation, with only clerical opinion
being sought as to the nature of the cures.
In 1859, Professor Henri Vergez
from the Faculty of Medicine at Montpellier was appointed medical
consultant to the Episcopal Commission of Inquiry. Vergez's views were
often at odds with those of his clerical colleagues. Vergez decided
that only eight of the early cases were genuinely inexplicable.
In 1883 a body called the Bureau des Constatations Médicales
was established by doctors affiliated with the sanctuary. This was
the forerunner of the current Medical Bureau. Its first titular head
was the nobleman Baron Dunot de Saint-Maclou, and the Bureau
was housed at the residence of the Garaison Fathers in Lourdes.
Following the establishment of the Bureau des Constatations Médicales,
the number of recognised cures dropped dramatically, from 143 in 1883
to only 83 in 1884.
Dunot de Saint-Maclou died in 1891 and was succeeded by Dr. Gustave Boissarie
who headed the Medical Bureau until 1914, and met with the French
author Emile Zola when he visited Lourdes in August 1892. Dr. Bonamy, a
character in Zola's 1894 novel Lourdes, is unflatteringly based on Boissarie. Boissarie wrote a celebrated book, L'Histoire Médicale de Lourdes
in 1891, which was praised by Pope Leo XIII. Boissarie moved the
offices of the Bureau to accommodation beneath the right ramp of the
Upper Basilica, where he met with people who claimed to have been
cured.
In
1905, Pope Pius X decreed that claims of miraculous cures at Lourdes
should "submit to a proper process", in other words, to be rigorously
investigated. At his instigation, the current Lourdes Medical Bureau
was formed
In
2011, the cure of a French man is under further examination to
determine officially whether another miraculous cure has taken place.
Twenty doctors from the medical bureau have concluded that the formerly
paralysed man's recovery, which occurred in 2002, was 'remarkable'.
To date, sixty-seven cures have been officially recognized as
miraculous by the Roman Catholic Church.
Current administration
The
bureau is led by a single doctor. The current head is Dr. Alessandro
de Franciscis. The bureau has a modest office within the Domain (the
large area of consecrated ground surrounding the shrine and owned by
the Church), on the second floor of the building known as the Accueil Jean Paul II.
Any
doctors practising in or visiting Lourdes may apply to become members
of the Lourdes Medical Bureau. Additionally, nurses,
physiotherapists, pharmacists and members of other allied health
professions may apply to become members. Members are given (and
invited to wear) a small but distinctive badge displaying a red cross
on a white background surmounted by the word Credo ("I
believe"). However, members of any religious affiliation or none are
welcomed. Members are requested to notify the bureau of any visits
which they make to Lourdes. The Lourdes Medical Bureau publishes its
own quarterly journal, Fons Vitae ("Source of Life") which is
circulated to members. Additionally, case-reports of interest are
circulated to members for perusal.
Investigation of apparent cures associated with Lourdes
Approximately
35 claims per year are brought to the attention of the Lourdes
Medical Bureau. Most of these are dismissed quickly. Three to five
each year are investigated more thoroughly, by drawing up a Medical Bureau,
comprising any doctors who were present in Lourdes at the time the
apparent cure took place (this is the rationale for all members to
notify the bureau of their visits to Lourdes).
The
Medical Bureau investigates the claim, by examining the patient, the
casenotes, and any test results (which can include biopsies, X-rays,
CT scans, blood test results, and so on).
If this conference decides that further investigation is warranted, the case is referred to the International Lourdes Medical Committee (abbreviated in French to CMIL),
which is an international panel of about twenty experts in various
medical disciplines and of different religious beliefs. CMIL meets
annually. A full investigation requires that one of its members
investigates every detail of the case in question, and immerses
him/herself in the literature around that condition to ensure that
up-to-date academic knowledge is applied to the decision. This
investigator may also consult with other colleagues about the case.
This
information is presented at a CMIL meeting. Also present at the
meeting are the head of the Lourdes Medical Bureau and the Bishop of
Tarbes and Lourdes (currently this is Nicolas Brouwet). The cured
subject is not normally present.
For a cure to be recognized as medically inexplicable, certain facts require to be established:
- The original diagnosis must be verified and confirmed beyond doubt
- The diagnosis must be regarded as "incurable" with current means (although ongoing treatments do not disqualify the cure)
- The cure must happen in association with a visit to Lourdes, typically while in Lourdes or in the vicinity of the shrine itself (although drinking or bathing in the water are not required)
- The cure must be immediate (rapid resolution of symptoms and signs of the illness)
- The cure must be complete (with no residual impairment or deficit)
- The cure must be permanent (with no recurrence)
CMIL
is not entitled to pronounce a cure "miraculous"; this can only be
done by the Church. The bureau may only pronounce that a cure is
"medically inexplicable". A full investigation takes a minimum of five
years (in order to ensure that the cure is permanent), and may take as
long as ten or twelve years. It is recognised that, in rare cases,
even advanced malignant disease or severe infection may spontaneously
resolve.
The CMIL board votes on each case presented. A two-thirds majority is required for CMIL to pronounce a cure "inexplicable".
If
CMIL decides a cure is medically inexplicable, the case is referred
to the Bishop of the diocese where the cured subject lives. It is he
who, in consultation with his own experts and with the Vatican, makes
the decision about whether a cure is "miraculous". He may, for whatever
reason, refute the claim.
Jacques
Perrier, the former Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, made a statement
concerning the question of miracles in Lourdes. The bishop wishes to
have a new approach to cures in Lourdes, especially concerning the
different stages of recognising them. In his words: “For the
Church, as well as for the believer, a pilgrimage to Mary is more than a
journey to a miracle. It is a journey of love, of prayer and of the
suffering community.”
Occasionally
cases are dismissed by the Medical Bureau but still attain a level of
fame and notoriety. One example is that of Jack Traynor.
Notable cases
Pieter De Rudder
Visited Lourdes: After his healing, from 9 to 15 May 1878
Pieter De Rudder was a farm labourer, born Jabbeke July 2, 1822, died March 22, 1898. His
recovery from a broken leg (1875) is one of the most famous
recognized Lourdes miracles (a bronze cast of his bones is exhibited
in the Lourdes Medical Bureau), although it is not supposed to have
occurred in Lourdes itself, but in a sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
at Oostakker near Ghent (Belgium, East Flanders).
Jeanne Fretel
Visited Lourdes: 10 May 1948.
Age
31, a student nurse from Rennes, France. Tubercular peritonitis with
complications for seven years, extreme emaciation and oscillating
fever. Comatose when brought to Lourdes, was given a tiny fragment of
the Eucharist and awoke. Reported being "instantly and permanently
cured" later that night while lying in her wheelchair beside the
spring. She had not yet bathed in or drunk the water. Her cure was
recognised officially on 11 November 1950.
Brother Léo Schwager
Visited Lourdes: 30 April 1952.
Age 28, from Fribourg, Switzerland. Multiple sclerosis for five years. His cure was recognised on 18 December 1960.
Alice Couteault, born Alice Gourdon
Visited Lourdes: 15 May 1952.
Age 34, from Bouille-Loretz, France. Multiple sclerosis for three years. Her cure was recognised on 16 July 1956.
Marie Bigot
Visited Lourdes: 8 October 1953 and 10 October 1954.
Age
32, from La Richardais, France. Arachnoiditis of posterior cranial
fossa (blindness, deafness, hemiplegia). Her cure was recognised on 15
August 1956.
Ginette Nouvel, born Ginette Fabre
Visited Lourdes: 21 September 1954.
Age 26, from Carmaux, France. Budd-Chiari syndrome (supra-hepatic venous thrombosis). Her cure was recognised on 31 May 1963.
Elisa Aloi, later Elisa Varcalli
Visited Lourdes: 5 June 1958.
Age
27, from Patti, Sicily. Tuberculous osteoarthritis with fistulae at
multiple sites in the right leg. Her cure was recognised on 26 May
1965.
Juliette Tamburini
Visited Lourdes: 17 July 1959.
Age
22, from Marseilles, France. Femoral osteoperiostitis with fistulae,
epistaxis, for ten years. Her cure was recognised on 11 May 1965.
Vittorio Micheli
Visited Lourdes: 1 June 1963.
Age
23, from Scurelle, Italy. Sarcoma (cancer) of pelvis; tumour so large
that his left thigh became loose from the socket, leaving his left
leg limp and paralysed. After taking the waters, he was free of pain
and could walk. By February 1964 the tumour was gone, the hip joint
had recalcified, and he returned to a normal life. His cure was
recognized on 26 May 1976.
Serge Perrin
Visited Lourdes: 1 May 1970.
Age
41, from Le Lion-d'Angers, France. Recurrent right hemiplegia, with
ocular lesions, due to bilateral carotid artery disorders. Symptoms,
which included headache, impaired speech and vision, and partial
right-side paralysis began without warning in February 1964. During the
next six years he became a wheelchair user, and nearly blind. While
on pilgrimage to Lourdes in April 1970, he felt a sudden warmth from
head to toe, his vision returned, and he was able to walk unaided. His
cure was recognised on 17 June 1978.
Delizia Cirolli, later Delizia Costa
Visited Lourdes: 24 December 1976.
Age
12, from Paterno, Sicily. Ewing's sarcoma of right knee. Offered
amputation by her doctors, her mother refused and took her to Lourdes
instead. On returning to Italy, her tumour rapidly regressed until no
remaining evidence existed, although it left her tibia angulated, which
required an operation (osteotomy) to correct. Her cure was recognised
on 28 June 1989. She went on to become a nurse.
Jean-Pierre Bély
Visited Lourdes: 9 October 1987.
Age 51, French. Multiple sclerosis. His cure was recognised on 9 February 1999.
Physicians
Patrick Theillier
Dr.
Patrick Theillier was the twelfth doctor to head the Lourdes Medical
Bureau. He received his medical degree from Lille in 1964. He was head
of the Bureau from 1998 until his retirement in 2009.
Alessandro di Franciscis
Italian
paediatrician Dr. Alessandro ("Sandro") di Franciscis (born Naples,
1955) is the thirteenth doctor to head the Lourdes Medical Bureau, and
the first non-Frenchman in that position. He succeeded Dr. Theillier
on 10 February 2009 and was appointed by Bishop Jacques Perrier. Dr.
di Franciscis has a Masters degree in epidemiology from Harvard, and
has pursued a political as well as a medical career.
Medical care of visitors
The
Medical Bureau is not responsible for the direct medical care of
pilgrims and visitors to Lourdes. Legally, the position is that the
general practitioners and hospital in Lourdes are responsible for the
medical care of anyone visiting Lourdes.
Despite
this position, many pilgrim groups (especially those with large
numbers of sick pilgrims) include their own doctor(s) and/or nurse(s),
who take on the day-to-day medical care of their own group. Most are
volunteers who give their time and services for free.
The
Domain includes a treatment area called the Dispensary, also in the
Accueil Jean Paul II, which contains several bays for the treatment of
acute problems. Although most such problems are minor (such as cuts
and grazes), the Dispensary is equipped with full resuscitation
facilities, airway equipment and a defibrillator. It also has a small
electric ambulance. The Dispensary is open during daylight hours and
is staffed by nurses.
About The Water of Lourdes
The water of Lourdes is not to be confused with holy Water. It's normal water, slightly calcareous,
comparable to any other water from similar springs.It has no thermal
virtue or specific property. It's completely independent from the Gave
de Pau. An underground pipe drives this water to the baths and the
water points of the Grotto.
The water of Lourdes has become popular because of the miracles. 49
on 67 official miracles are apparently linked to the use of this
water, no matter if it has been drunk or used as a bath. Men have
created the fountains, the baths and the way of the water.
The water of Lourdes is also the sign of baptism. Everytime someones makes the gesture of water, it gives a new meaning to ones life . A heart purifies and gets free.
In
the catholic faith, God heals through the natural elements and the
sacraments, with the (Intercession) help of the Virgin Mary and the
prayer of the Christians. Consequently, this water is a sign and
not a fetish. Bernadette Soubirous has said : “This water is considered
as a drug... but you have to keep the faith and pray : this water
couldn't do anything without faith!”.
However, the healing of body can't neglect the healing of heart.
The sick, as the so-called healthy, meet each other at the Grotto of
the Apparitions, in front of the Virgin Mary : They support each other
by the crossing smiles, the exchange of gesture and the shared
prayers. A quote from the Bible, dealing with water:
"anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never thirst again: the water that I shall give will turn into a spring within them, welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14)
References
- Johnston, Francis W. (1980). Fatima: the Great Sign. Chulmleigh: Augustine. ISBN 0-85172-723-9.
- Johnston, Francis W. (1980). Fatima: the Great Sign. Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers. ISBN 0-89555-163-2.
- McClure, Kevin (1983). The Evidence for Visions of the Virgin Mary. Wellingborough: Aquarian Press. ISBN 0-85030-351-6.
- Laurentin, René (1990, revised 1991). The Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary Today. Dublin: Veritas Publications. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/1-85390-054-9, ISBN 1-85390-119-9|1-85390-054-9, ISBN 1-85390-119-9]].
- Laurentin, René (1990). An Appeal from Mary in Argentina: the Apparitions of San Nicolás. Milford, Ohio: Faith Publishing Company/The Riehle Foundation. ISBN 0-9625975-5-4.
- Terelya, Josyp (with Michael H. Brown) (1991). Josyp Terelya - WITNESS. Milford, Ohio: Faith Publishing Company/The Riehle Foundation. ISBN 1-877678-17-1.
- Brown, Michael H. (1992). The Final Hour. Milford, Ohio: Faith Publishing Company/The Riehle Foundation. ISBN 1-880033-03-8.
- Laurentin, René (1993). The Cause of Liberation in the USSR. Goleta, California: Queenship Publishing Company. ISBN 1-882972-07-4.
- Blackbourn, David (1994). Marpingen: Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Nineteenth-Century Germany. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-41843-1.
- Odell, Catherine M. (1995). Those Who Saw Her: Apparitions of Mary. Huntington: Our Sunday Visitor. ISBN [[Special:BookSources/0-87973-664-4|0-87973-664-4]].
- Brown, Michael H. (1996). The Day Will Come. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Charis. ISBN 0-89283-944-9.
- Connell, Janice T. (1996). Meetings with Mary: Visions of The Blessed Mother. United States: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-39705-3.
- Brown, Michael H. (1998). The Last Secret. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Charis. ISBN 1-57918-339-5.
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Snippet III: Devotion to The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
 |
| Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Scapular |
The Sacred Heart (also known as Most Sacred Heart of Jesus) is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity.
This devotion is predominantly used in the Catholic Church and among some high-church Anglicans and Lutherans. The devotion especially emphasizes the unmitigated love, compassion, and long-suffering of the heart of Christ towards humanity. The origin of this devotion in its modern form is derived from a French Roman Catholic nun, Marguerite Marie Alacoque, who said she learned the devotion from Jesus during a mystical experience. Predecessors to the modern devotion arose unmistakably in the Middle Ages in various facets of Catholic mysticism.
In the Roman Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart has been closely associated with Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ. In his encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor, Pope Pius XI stated: "the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus". The Golden Arrow Prayer directly refers to the Sacred Heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is sometimes seen in the Eastern Catholic Churches, where it remains a point of controversy and is seen as an example of Liturgical Latinisation.
The Sacred Heart is often depicted in Christian art as a flaming heart shining with divine light, pierced by the lance-wound, encircled by the crown of thorns, surmounted by a cross and bleeding. Sometimes the image shown shining within the bosom of Christ with his wounded hands pointing at the heart. The wounds and crown of thorns allude to the manner of Jesus' death, while the fire represents the transformative power of divine love.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart has been in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar since 1856, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.
History of Devotion
Early devotion
 |
| Sacred Heart of Jesus Ibarrará, 1896 |
From the time of John the Evangelist and Paul of Tarsus there has always been in the Church something like devotion to the love of God, but there is nothing to indicate that, during the first ten centuries of Christianity, any worship was rendered to the wounded Heart of Jesus. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the first indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart are found. It was in the fervent atmosphere of the Benedictine or Cistercian monasteries, in the world of Anselmian or Bernardine thought, that the devotion arose, although it is impossible to say positively what were its first texts or who were its first devotees. It was already well known to St. Gertrude, St. Mechtilde, and the author of the Vitis mystica (previously ascribed to St. Bernard, now attributed to St. Bonaventure).
From the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries, the devotion was propagated but it did not seem to have developed in itself. It was everywhere practised by individuals and by different religious congregations, such as the Franciscans, Dominicans, Carthusians, etc. It was, nevertheless, a private, individual devotion of the mystical order. Nothing of a general movement had been inaugurated, except for similarities found in the devotion to the Five Wounds by the Franciscans, in which the wound in Jesus's heart figured most prominently.
In the sixteenth century, the devotion passed from the domain of mysticism into that of Christian asceticism. It was established as a devotion with prayers already formulated and special exercises, found in the writings of Lanspergius (d. 1539) of the Carthusians of Cologne, the Louis of Blois (Blosius; 1566), a Benedictine and Abbot of Liessies in Hainaut, John of Avila (d. 1569) and St. Francis de Sales, the latter belonging to the seventeenth century.
The historical record from that time shows an early bringing to light of the devotion. Ascetic writers spoke of it, especially those of the Society of Jesus. The image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was everywhere in evidence, largely due to the Franciscan devotion to the Five Wounds and to the habit formed by the Jesuits of placing the image on their title-page of their books and the walls of their churches.
Nevertheless, the devotion remained an individual, or at least a private, devotion. Jean Eudes (1602–1680) made it public, gave it an Office, and established a feast for it. Père Eudes was the apostle of the Heart of Mary; but in his devotion to the Immaculate Heart there was a share for the Heart of Jesus. Little by little, the devotion to the Sacred Heart became a separate one, and on August 31, 1670, the first feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated in the Grand Seminary of Rennes. Coutances followed suit on October 20, a day with which the Eudist feast was from then on to be connected. The feast soon spread to other dioceses, and the devotion was likewise adopted in various religious communities. It gradually came into contact with the devotion begun at Paray, and resulting in a fusion of the two.
Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
 |
| St Margaret Mary Alacoque, Giaquinto 1765 |
The most significant source for the devotion to the Sacred Heart in the form it is known today was Visitandine Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647–1690), who claimed to have received visions of Jesus Christ. There is nothing to indicate that she had known the devotion prior to the revelations, or at least that she had paid any attention to it. The revelations were numerous, and the following apparitions are especially remarkable:
- On December 27, probably 1673, the feast of St. John, Margaret Mary reported that Jesus permitted her, as he had formerly allowed St. Gertrude, to rest her head upon his heart, and then disclosed to her the wonders of his love, telling her that he desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of his goodness, and that he had chosen her for this work.
- In probably June or July, 1674, Margaret Mary claimed that Jesus requested to be honored under the figure of his heart, also claiming that, when he appeared radiant with love, he asked for a devotion of expiatory love: frequent reception of Communion, especially Communion on the First Friday of the month, and the observance of the Holy Hour.
- During the octave of Corpus Christi, 1675, probably on June 16, the vision known as the "great apparition" reportedly took place, where Jesus said, "Behold the Heart that has so loved men ... instead of gratitude I receive from the greater part (of mankind) only ingratitude ...", and asked Margaret Mary for a feast of reparation of the Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi, bidding her consult her confessor Father Claude de la Colombière, then superior of the small Jesuit house at Paray. Solemn homage was asked on the part of the king, and the mission of propagating the new devotion was especially confided to the religious of the Visitation and to the priests of the Society of Jesus.
A few days after the "great apparition", Margaret Mary reported everything she saw to Father de la Colombière, and he, acknowledging the vision as an action of the Spirit of God, consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart and directed her to write an account of the apparition. He also made use of every available opportunity to circulate this account, discreetly, through France and England. Upon his death on February 15, 1682, there was found in his journal of spiritual retreats a copy in his own handwriting of the account that he had requested of Margaret Mary, together with a few reflections on the usefulness of the devotion. This journal, including the account and an "offering" to the Sacred Heart, in which the devotion was well explained, was published at Lyons in 1684. The little book was widely read, especially at Paray. Margaret Mary reported feeling "dreadful confusion" over the book's contents, but resolved to make the best of it, approving of the book for the spreading of her cherished devotion. Outside of the Visitandines, priests, religious, and laymen espoused the devotion, particularly the Capuchins, Margaret Mary's two brothers, and some Jesuits. The Jesuit Father Croiset wrote a book called The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a book which Jesus is said to have told Margaret to tell Fr. Croiset to write, and Fr. Joseph de Gallifet, also a Jesuit, promoted the devotion.
Papal Approvals
The Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart was a nun from Sisters of the Good Shepherd Congregation who requested, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII that he consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The death of Margaret Mary Alacoque on October 17, 1690, did not dampen the zeal of those interested; on the contrary, a short account of her life published by Father Croiset in 1691, as an appendix to his book "De la Dévotion au Sacré Cœur", served only to increase it. In spite of all sorts of obstacles, and of the slowness of the Holy See, which in 1693 imparted indulgences to the Confraternities of the Sacred Heart and, in 1697, granted the feast to the Visitandines with the Mass of the Five Wounds, but refused a feast common to all, with special Mass and Office. The devotion spread, particularly in religious communities. The Marseilles plague, 1720, furnished perhaps the first occasion for a solemn consecration and public worship outside of religious communities. Other cities of the South followed the example of Marseilles, and thus the devotion became a popular one. In 1726 it was deemed advisable once more to importune Rome for a feast with a Mass and Office of its own, but, in 1729, Rome again refused. However, in 1765, it finally yielded and that same year, at the request of the queen, the feast was received quasi-officially by the episcopate of France. On all sides it was asked for and obtained, and finally, in 1856, at the urgent entreaties of the French bishops, Pope Pius IX extended the feast to the Roman Catholic Church under the rite of double major. In 1889 it was raised by the Roman Catholic Church to the double rite of first class.
After the letters of Mother Mary of the Divine Heart (1863–1899) requesting, in the name of Christ Himself, to Pope Leo XIII consecrate the entire World to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Holy Father commissions a group of theologians to examine the petition on the basis of revelation and sacred tradition. This investigation was positive. And so in the encyclical letter Annum Sacrum (on May 25, 1899) this same pope decreed that the consecration of the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus should take place on June 11, 1899. In this encyclical letter the Pope attached Later Pope Leo XIII encouraged the entire Roman Catholic episcopate to promote the devotion of the Nine First Fridays and he established June as the Month of the Sacred Heart. Leo XIII also composed the Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart and included it in Annum Sacrum.
Pope Pius X decreed that the consecration of the human race, performed by Pope Leo XIII be renewed each year. Pope Pius XI in his encyclical letter Miserentissimus Redemptor (on May 8, 1928) affirmed the Church's position with respect to Saint Margaret Mary's visions of Jesus Christ by stating that Jesus had "manifested Himself" to Saint Margaret and had "promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces." The encyclical refers to the conversation between Jesus and Saint Margaret several times[2] and reaffirmed the importance of consecration and reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Finally, Venerable Pope Pius XII, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Pope Pius IX's institution of the Feast, instructed the entire Roman Catholic Church at length on the devotion to the Sacred Heart in his encyclical letter Haurietis aquas (on May 15, 1956). On May 15, 2006, also Pope Benedict XVI sent a letter to Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, on the 50th Anniversary of the encyclical Haurietis Aquas, about the Sacred Heart, by Pope Pius XII. In his letter to Father Kolvenbach, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed the importance of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Worship and Devotion
The Roman Catholic acts of consecration, reparation and devotion were introduced when the feast of the Sacred Heart was declared. In his Papal Bull Auctorem Fidei, Pope Pius VI praised devotion to the Sacred Heart. Finally, by order of Leo XIII, in his encyclical Annum Sacrum (May 25, 1899), as well as on June 11, he consecrated every human to the Sacred Heart. The idea of this act, which Leo XIII called "the great act" of his pontificate, had been proposed to him by a religious woman of the Good Shepherd from Oporto (Portugal) who said that she had supernaturally received it from Jesus. Since c. 1850, groups, congregations, and States have consecrated themselves to the Sacred Heart. In 1873, by petition of president Gabriel García Moreno, Ecuador was the first country in the world to be consecrated to the Sacred Heart, fulfilling God's petition to Saint Margaret Mary over two hundred years later.
Peter Coudrin of France founded the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on December 24, 1800. A religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, the order is best known for its missionary work in Hawaii. Mother Clelia Merloni from Forlì (Italy) founded the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Viareggio, Italy, May 30, 1894. Worship of the Sacred Heart mainly consists of several hymns, the Salutation of the Sacred Heart, and the Litany of the Sacred Heart. It is common in Roman Catholic services and occasionally is to be found in Anglican services. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a solemnity in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, and is celebrated 19 days after Pentecost. As Pentecost is always celebrated on Sunday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart always falls on a Friday.
The Enthronement of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic ceremony in which a priest or head of a household consecrates the members of the household to the Sacred Heart. A blessed image of the Sacred Heart, either a statue or a picture, is then "enthroned" in the home to serve as a constant reminder to those who dwell in the house of their consecration to the Sacred Heart. The practice of the Enthronement is based upon Pope Pius XII's declaration that devotion to the Sacred of Jesus is "the foundation on which to build the kingdom of God in the hearts of individuals, families, and nations..."
Alliance with the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary is based on the historical, theological and spiritual links in Catholic devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The joint devotion to the hearts was first formalized in the 17th century by Saint Jean Eudes who organized the scriptural, theological and liturgical sources relating to the devotions and obtained the approbation of the Church, prior to the visions of Saint Marguerite Marie Alacoque.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the devotions grew, both jointly and individually through the efforts of figures such as Saint Louis de Montfort who promoted Catholic Mariology and Saint Catherine Labouré's Miraculous Medal depicting the Heart of Jesus thorn-crowned and the Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. The devotions, and the associated prayers, continued into the 20th century, e.g. in the Immaculata prayer of Saint Maximillian Kolbe and in the reported messages of Our Lady of Fatima which stated that the Heart of Jesus wishes to be honored together with the Heart of Mary.
Popes supported the individual and joint devotions to the hearts through the centuries. In the 1956 encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII encouraged the joint devotion to the hearts. In the 1979 encyclical Redemptor Hominis Pope John Paul II explained the theme of unity of Mary's Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart. In his Angelus address on September 15, 1985 Pope John Paul II coined the term The Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and in 1986 addressed the international conference on that topic held at Fátima, Portugal.
The Miraculous Medal
 |
| The Miraculous Medal |
The Sacred Heart has also been involved in (and been depicted) in saintly apparitions such as those to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and appears on the Miraculous Medal.
On the Miraculous Medal, the Sacred Heart is crowned with thorns. The Immaculate Heart of Mary also appears on the medal, next to the Sacred Heart, but is pierced by a sword, rather than being crowned with thorns. The M on the medal signifies the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the Cross when Jesus was being crucified.
Religious imagery depicting the Sacred Heart is frequently featured in Roman Catholic, and sometimes Anglican and Lutheran homes. Sometimes images display beneath them a list of family members, indicating that the entire family is entrusted to the protection of Jesus in the Sacred Heart, from whom blessings on the home and the family members are sought. The prayer "O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee" is often used. One particular image has been used as part of a set, along with an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In that image, Mary too was shown pointing to her Immaculate Heart, expressing her love for the human race and for her Son, Jesus Christ. The mirror images reflect an eternal binding of the two hearts.
The Scapular of the Sacred Heart and the Scapular of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary are worn by Roman Catholics.
In Eastern Catholicism
Devotion to the Sacred Heart may be found in some Eastern Catholic Churches, but is a contentious issue. Those who favour purity of rite are opposed to the devotion, while those who are in favour of the devotion cite it as a point of commonality with their Latin Catholic brethren.
Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Jesus Christ, in his appearances to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, promised these blessings to those who practice devotion to his Sacred Heart. This tabular form of promises was not made by Saint Margaret Mary or her contemporaries. It first appeared at 1863. In 1882, an American businessman spread the tabular form of the promises profusely throughout the world, the twelve promises appearing in 238 languages. In 1890, Cardinal Adolph Perraud deplored this circulation of the promises in the tabular form which were different from the words and even from the meaning of the expressions used by St. Margaret Mary, and wanted the promises to be published in the full, authentic texts as found in the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque:
- I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
- I will give peace in their families.
- I will console them in all their troubles.
- I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.
- I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.
- Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
- Tepid souls shall become fervent.
- Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
- I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.
- I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
- Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.
- In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.
The last promise has given rise to the pious Roman Catholic practice of making an effort to attend Mass and receive Communion on the first Friday of each month.
Great efficacy of converting people has been attached to the use of the image of the Sacred Heart.
"Even at the hour of death, incredulous, indifferent, hardened souls have been converted by simply showing them a picture of the Sacred Heart, which sufficed to restore these sinners to the life of hope and love, in a word, to touch the most hardened. It would, indeed, be a great misfortune to any apostolic man to neglect so powerful a means of conversion, and in proof of this I will mention a single fact which will need no comment. A religious of the Company of Jesus had been requested by the Blessed Margaret Mary to make a careful engraving of the Sacred Heart. Being often hindered by other occupations, there was much delay in preparing this plate. ' This good father,' writes the saint, 'is so much occupied by Mon- signor d'Autun in the conversion of heretics, that he has neither time nor leisure to give to the work so ardently desired by the Heart of our Divine Master. You cannot imagine, my much-loved mother, how greatly this delay afflicts and pains me. I must avow confidently to you my belief that it is the cause of his converting so few infidels in this town. I seem constantly to hear these words : ' That if this good father had acquitted himself at once of his promise to the Sacred Heart, Jesus would have changed and converted the hearts of these infidels, on account of the joy He would have felt at seeing Himself honoured in the picture He so much wishes for. As, however, he prefers other work, even though to the glory of God, to that of giving Him this satisfaction, He will harden the hearts of these infidels, and the labours of this mission will not be crowned with much fruit.'
Scapular of the Sacred Heart
The devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus also involve the Scapular of the Sacred Heart. It is a Roman Catholic devotional scapular that can be traced back to Saint Margaret Marie Alacoque who herself made and distributed badges similar to it. In 1872 Pope Pius IX granted an indulgence for the badge and the actual scapular was approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1900. It bears the representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one side, and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Mother of Mercy on the other side. Prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, look upon the Heart of Thy well-beloved Son and upon the acts of praise and satisfaction which He renders unto Thee in the name of sinners; and do Thou, in Thy great goodness, grant pardon to them who seek Thy mercy, in the name of the same Thy Son, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, world without end.
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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 V: 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
Book 7, Chapter 6
CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL
Saint Paul was distinguished in
Judaism for two reasons. The one was his own character, and the other
was the diligence of the demon in availing himself of his naturally
good qualities. Saint Paul was of a disposition generous,
magnanimous, most noble, kind, active, courageous and constant. He
had acquired many of the moral virtues. He glorified in being a
staunch professor of the law of Moses, and in being studious and
learned in it; although in truth he was ignorant of its essence, as
he himself confesses to Timothy, because all his learning was human
and terrestrial; like many Jews, he knew the law merely from the
outside, without its spirit and without the divine insight, which was
necessary to understand it rightly and to penetrate its mysteries.
The disposition of Saul was most
noble and generous, and therefore it appeared to him beneath his
dignity and honor to stoop to such crimes and act the part of an
assassin, when he could, as it seemed to him, destroy the law of
Christ by the power of reasoning and open justice. He felt a still
greater horror at the thought of killing the most blessed Mother, on
account of the regard due to Her as a woman; and because he had seen
Her so composed and constant in the labors and in the Passion of
Christ. On this account She seemed to him a magnanimous Woman and
worthy of veneration. She had indeed won his respect, together with
some compassion for her sorrows and afflictions, the magnitude of
which had become publicly known. Hence he gave no admittance to the
inhuman suggestions of the demon against the life of the most blessed
Mary. This compassion for Her hastened not a little the conversion of
Saul. Neither did he further entertain the treacherous designs
against the apostles, although Lucifer sought to make their
assassination appear as a deed worthy of his courageous spirit.
Rejecting all these wicked thoughts, he resolved to incite all the
Jews to persecute the Church, until it should be destroyed together
with the name of Christ.
As the dragon and his cohorts could
not attain more, they contented themselves with having brought Saul
at least to this resolve. The dreadful wrath of these demons against
God and his creatures can be estimated from the fact, that on that
very day they held another meeting in order to consult how they could
preserve the life of this man, whom they had found so well adapted to
execute their malice. These deadly enemies well know, that they have
no jurisdiction over the lives of men, and that they can neither give
nor take life, unless permitted by God on some particular occasion;
nevertheless they wished to make themselves the guardians and the
physicians of the life and health of Saul as far as their power
extended, namely, by keeping active his forethought against whatever
was harmful and suggesting the use of what was naturally beneficial
to the welfare of life and limb. Yet with all their efforts they were
unable to hinder the work of grace, when God so wished it. Far were
they from suspecting, that Saul would ever accept the faith of
Christ, and that the life, which they were trying to preserve and
lengthen, was to redound to their own ruin and torment. Such events
are provided by the wisdom of the Most High, in order that the devil,
being deceived by his evil counsels, may fall into his own pits and
snares, and in order that all his machinations may serve for the
fulfillment of the divine and irresistible will.
Such were the decrees of the highest
Wisdom in order that the conversion of Saul might be more wonderful
and glorious. With this intention God permitted satan, after the
death of saint Stephen, to instigate Saul to go to the chief priests
with fierce threats against the disciples of Christ, who had left
Jerusalem, and to solicit permission for bringing them as prisoners
to Jerusalem from wherever he should find them (Acts 9, 1). For this
enterprise Saul offered his person and possessions, and even his
life; at his own cost and without salary he made this journey in
order that the new Law, preached by the disciples of the Crucified,
might not prevail against the Law of his ancestors. This offer was
readily favored by the high–priest and his counselors; they
immediately gave to Saul the commission he asked, especially to go to
Damascus, whither, according to report, some of the disciples had
retired after leaving Jerusalem. He prepared for the journey, hiring
officers of justice and some soldiers to accompany him. But his by
far most numerous escort were the many legions of demons, who in
order to assist him in this enterprise, came forth from hoping that
with all this show of force and through Saul, they might be able to
make an end of the Church and entirely devastate it with fire and
blood. This was really the intention of Saul, and the one with which
Lucifer and his demons sought to inspire him and his companions. But
let us leave him for the present on his journey to Damascus, anxious
to seize all the disciples of Christ, whom he should find in the
synagogues of that city.
Nothing of all this was unknown to
the Queen of heaven; for in addition to her science and vision
penetrating to the inmost thoughts of men and demons, the Apostles
were solicitous in keeping Her informed of all that befell the
followers of her Son. Long before this time She had known that Saul
was to be an Apostle of Christ, a preacher to the gentiles, and a man
distinguished and wonderful in the Church; for all of these things
her Son informed Her, as I said in the second part of this history.
But as She saw the persecution becoming more violent and the glorious
fruits and results of the conversion of Saul delayed, and as She
moreover saw how the disciples of Christ, who knew nothing of the
secret intentions of the Most High, were afflicted and somewhat
discouraged at the fury and persistence of his persecution, the
kindest Mother was filled with great sorrow. Considering, in her
heavenly prudence, how important was this affair, She roused Herself
to new courage and confidence in her prayers for the welfare of the
Church and the conversion of Saul.
He permitted his blessed Mother to
suffer some sensible pain and, as it were, to fall into a kind of
swoon, yet her Son, who according to our way of understanding, could
not longer resist the love which wounded his heart, consoled and
restored Her by yielding to her prayers He said: “My Mother,
chosen among all creatures, let thy will be done without delay. I
will do with Saul as Thou askest, and will so change him, that from
this moment he will be a defender of the Church which he persecutes,
and a preacher of my name and glory. I shall now proceed to receive
him immediately into my friendship and grace.”
Thereupon Jesus Christ our Lord
disappeared from the presence of his most blessed Mother leaving Her
still engaged in prayer and furnished with a clear insight into what
was to happen. Shortly afterward the Lord appeared to Saul on the
road near Damascus, whither, in his ever increasing fury against
Jesus, his accelerated journey had already brought him. The Lord
showed himself to Saul in a resplendent cloud amid immense glory, and
at the same time Saul was flooded with light without and within, and
his heart and senses were overwhelmed beyond power of resistance
(Acts 9, 4). He fell suddenly from his horse to the ground and at the
same time he heard a voice from on high saying: “Saul, Saul,
why dost thou persecute Me?” Full of fear and consternation he
answered: “Who art Thou, Lord?” The voice replied: “I
am Jesus whom thou persecutes; it is hard for thee to kick against
the goad of my omnipotence.” Again Saul answered with greater
fear and trembling: “Lord, what dost Thou command and desire to
do with me?” The companions of Saul heard these questions and
answers, though they did not see the Savior. They saw the splendor
surrounding him and all were filled with dread and astonishment at
this sudden and unthought of event, and they were for some time
dumbfounded.
This new wonder, surpassing all that
had been seen in the world before, was greater and more far–reaching
than what could be taken in by the senses. For Saul was not only
prostrated in body, blinded and bereft of his strength so that, if
the divine power had not sustained him, he would have immediately
expired; but also as to his interior he suffered more of a change
than when he passed from nothingness into existence at his
conception, farther removed from what he was before than from
darkness, or the highest heaven from the lowest earth; for he was
changed from an image of the demon to that of one of the highest and
most ardent seraphim. This triumph over Lucifer and his demons had
been especially reserved by God for his divine Wisdom and
Omnipotence; so that, in virtue of the Passion and Death of Christ
this dragon and his malice might be vanquished by the human nature of
one man, in whom the effects of grace and Redemption were set in
opposition to the sin of Lucifer and all its effects. Thus it
happened that in the same short time, in which Lucifer through pride
was changed from an angel to a devil, the power of Christ changed
Saul from a demon into an angel in grace. In the angelic nature the
highest beauty turned into the deepest ugliness; and in the human
nature the greatest perversity into the highest moral perfection.
Lucifer descended as the enemy of God from heaven to the deepest
abyss of the earth, and a man ascended as a friend of God from the
earth to the highest heaven.
And since this triumph would not have
been sufficiently glorious, if the Lord had not given more than
Lucifer had lost, the Omnipotent wished to add in saint Paul an
additional triumph to his victory over the demon. For Lucifer,
although he fell from that exceedingly high grace which he had
received, had never possessed beatific vision, nor had he made
himself worthy of it, and hence could not lose what he did not
possess. But Paul, immediately on disposing himself for justification
and on gaining grace, began to partake of glory and clearly saw the
Divinity, though this vision was gradual. O invincible virtue of the
divine power! O infinite efficacy of the merits of the life and death
of Christ! It was certainly reasonable and just, that if the malice
of sin in one instant changed the angel into a demon, that the grace
of the Redeemer should be more powerful and abound more than sin
(Rom. 5, 20), raising up from it a man, not only to place him into
original grace, but into glory. Greater is this wonder than the
creation of heaven and earth with all the creatures; greater than to
give sight to the blind, health to the sick, life to the dead. Let us
congratulate the sinners on the hope inspired by this wonderful
justification, since we have for our Restorer, for our Father, and
for our Brother the same Lord, who justified Paul; and He is not less
powerful nor less holy for us, than for saint Paul.
During the time in which Paul lay
prostrate upon the earth, he was entirely renewed by sanctifying
grace and other infused gifts, restored and illumined proportionately
in all his interior faculties, and thus he was prepared to be
elevated to the empyrean heaven, which is called the third heaven. He
himself confesses, that he did not know whether he was thus elevated
in body or only in spirit (I Cor. 12, 4). But there, by more than
ordinary vision, though in a transient manner, he saw the Divinity
clearly and intuitively. Besides the being of God and his attributes
of infinite perfection, he recognized the mystery of the Incarnation
and Redemption, and all the secrets of the law of grace and of the
state of the Church. He saw the peerless blessing of his
justification and of the prayer of saint Stephen for him; and still
more clearly was he made aware of the prayers of the most holy Mary
and how his conversion had been hastened through Her; and that, after
Christ, her merits made him acceptable in the sight of God. From that
hour on he was filled with gratitude and with deepest veneration and
devotion to the great Queen of heaven, whose dignity was now manifest
to him and whom he thenceforth acknowledged as his Restorer. At the
same time he recognized the office of Apostle to which he was called,
and that in it he was to labor and suffer unto death. In conjunction
with these mysteries were revealed to him many others, of which he
himself says that they are not to be disclosed (II Cor. 7, 4). He
offered himself in sacrifice to the will of God in all things, as he
showed afterwards in the course of his life. The most blessed Trinity
accepted this sacrifice and offering of his lips and in the presence
of the whole court of heaven named and designated him as the preacher
and teacher of the gentiles, and as a vase of election for carrying
through the world the name of the Most high.
On the third day after the
disablement and conversion of Saul the Lord spoke in a vision to one
of the disciples, Ananias, living in Damascus (Acts 9, 10). Calling
him by name as his servant and friend, the Lord told him to go to the
house of a man named Judas in a certain district of the city and
there to find Saul of Tarsus, whom he would find engaged in prayer.
At the same time Saul had also a vision, in which he saw and
recognized the disciple Ananias coming to him and restoring sight to
him by the imposition of hands. But of this vision of Saul, Ananias
at that time had no knowledge. Therefore he answered: “Lord, I
have information of this man having persecuted thy saints in
Jerusalem and caused a great slaughter of them in Jerusalem; and not
satisfied with this, he has now come with warrants from the
high–priests in order to seize whomever he can find invoking
thy holy name. Dost thou then send a simple sheep like myself to go
in search of the wolf, that desires to devour it?” The Lord
replied: “Go, for the one thou judgest to be my enemy, is for
Me a vase of election, in order that he may carry my name through all
the nations and kingdoms, and to the children of Israel. And I can,
as I shall, assign to him what he is to suffer for my name.”
And the disciple was at once informed of all that had happened.
Relying on this word of the Lord,
Ananias obeyed and betook himself at once to the house, in which
saint Paul then was. He found him in prayer and said to him: “Brother
Saul, our Lord Jesus, who appeared to thee on thy journey, sends me
in order that thou mayest receive thy sight and be filled with the
Holy Ghost.” He received holy Communion at the hands of Ananias
and was strengthened and made whole, giving thanks to the Author of
all these blessings. Then he partook of some corporal nourishment, of
which he had not tasted for three days. He remained for some time in
Damascus conferring and conversing with the disciples in that city.
He prostrated himself at their feet asking their pardon and begging
them to receive him as their servant and brother, even as the least
and most unworthy of them all. At their approval and counsel he went
forth publicly to preach Christ as the Messias and Redeemer of the
world and with such fervor, wisdom and zeal, that he brought
confusion to the unbelieving Jews in the numerous synagogues of
Damascus. All wondered at this unexpected change and, in great
astonishment, said: Is not this the man, who in Jerusalem has
persecuted with fire and sword all who invoke that name? And has he
not come to bring them prisoners to the chief priests of that city?
What change then is this, which we see in him?
Saint Paul grew stronger each day and
with increasing force continued his preaching to the gathering of the
Jews and gentiles. Accordingly they schemed to take away his life and
then happened, what we shall touch upon later. The miraculous
conversion of saint Paul took place one year and one month after the
martyrdom of saint Stephen, on the twenty–fifth of January, the
same day on which the Church celebrates that feast; and it was in the
year thirty–six of the birth of our Lord; because saint
Stephen, as is said in chapter the twelfth, died completing his
thirty–fourth year and one day of his thirty–fifth;
whereas the conversion of saint Paul took place after he had
completed one month of the thirty–sixth; and then saint James
departed on his missionary journey, as I will say in its place.
Let us return to our great Queen and
Lady of the angels, who by means of her vision knew all that was
happening to Saul; his first and most unhappy state of mind, his fury
against the name of Christ, his sudden casting down and its cause,
his conversion, and above all his extraordinary and miraculous
elevation to the empyrean heaven and vision of God, besides all the
rest, that happened to him in Damascus. This knowledge was not only
proper and due to Her, because She was the Mother of the Lord and of
his holy Church and the instrument of this great wonder; but also
because She alone could properly estimate this miracle, even more so
than saint Paul and more than the whole mystical body of the Church;
for it was not just, that such an unheard of blessing and such a
prodigious work of the Omnipotent should remain without recognition
and gratitude among mortals. This the most blessed Mary rendered in
all plenitude and She was the first One, who celebrated this solemn
event with the acknowledgment due to it from the whole human race.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN
The Virgin Mary
speaks to Sister Mary of Agreda, Spain
My daughter, none of the faithful
should be ignorant of the fact, that the Most High could have drawn
and converted saint Paul without resorting to such miracles of his
infinite power. But He made use of them in order to show men, how
much his bounty is inclined to pardon them and raise them to his
friendship and grace, and in order to teach them, by the example of
this great Apostle, how they, on their part, should cooperate and
respond to his calls. Many souls the Lord wakes up and urges on by
his inspiration and help. Many do respond and justify themselves
through the Sacraments of the Church; but not all persevere in their
justification and still a fewer number follow it up or strive
perfection: beginning in spirit, they relax, and finish in the flesh.
The cause of their want of perseverance in grace and relapse into
their sins is their not imitating the spirit of saint Paul at his
conversion, when he exclaimed: “Lord, what is it Thou wishest
with me, and what shall I do for Thee?” If some of them
proclaim this sentiment with their lips, it is not from their whole
heart, and they always retain some love of themselves, of honor, of
possessions, of sensual pleasure or of some occasion of sin, and thus
they soon again stumble and fall.
But the Apostle was a true and living
example of one converted by the light of grace, not only because he
passed from an extreme of sin into that of wonderful grace and
friendship of God; but also because he cooperated to his utmost with
the call of God, departing at once and entirely from all his evil
dispositions and self–seeking and placing himself entirely at
the disposal of the divine will and pleasure. This total denegation
of self and surrender to the will of God is contained in those words:
“Lord, what dost Thou wish to do with me?” and in it
consisted, as far as depended upon him, all his salvation. As he
pronounced them with all the sincerity of a contrite and humbled
heart, he renounced his own will and delivered himself over to that
of the Lord, resolved from that moment forward to permit none of his
faculties of mind or sense to serve the animal or sensual life into
which he had strayed. He delivered himself over to the service of the
Almighty in whatever manner or direction should become known to him
as being the divine will, ready to execute it without delay or
questioning. And this he immediately set about by entering the city
and obeying the command of the Lord given through the disciple
Ananias. As the Most High searches the secrets of the human heart, He
saw the sincerity, with which saint Paul corresponded to his vocation
and yielded to his divine will and disposition. He not only received
him with great pleasure, but multiplied exceedingly his graces, gifts
and wonderful favors, which even Paul would not have received or ever
have merited without this entire submission to the wishes of the
Lord.
Conformably to these truths, my
daughter, I desire thee to execute fully my oft–repeated
commands and exhortations, that thou forget the visible, the apparent
and deceitful. Repeat very often, and more with the heart than with
the lips those words of saint Paul: “Lord, what dost Thou wish
to do with me?” For as soon as thou beginnest to do anything of
thy own choice, it will not be true, that thou seekest solely the
will of the Lord. The instrument has no motion or action except that
imparted to it by the artisan; and if it had its own will, it would
be able to resist and act contrary to the will of the one using it.
The same holds true between God and the soul: for, if it entertains
any desire of its own independently of God, it will militate against
the pleasure of the Lord. As He keeps inviolate the liberty of action
conceded to man, He will permit it to lead man astray, as soon as he
decides for himself without reference to the direction of his Maker.
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Catholic Catechism
PART ONE
Part One: The Profession of Faith
(14 -Those who belong to Christ through faith and Baptism must confess their baptismal faith before men.16 First therefore the Catechism expounds revelation, by which God addresses and gives himself to man, and the faith by which man responds to God (Section One). The profession of faith summarizes the gifts that God gives man: as the Author of all that is good; as Redeemer; and as Sanctifier. It develops these in the three chapters on our baptismal faith in the one God: the almighty Father, the Creator; his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior; and the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, in the Holy Church (Section Two).)
THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
CHAPTER ONE
I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER
198 Our profession of faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last,1 the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the Father, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works.
ARTICLE I - "I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH"
PARAGRAPH 2 - The Father
I. "IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT"
232 Christians are baptized "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"53 Before receiving the sacrament, they respond to a three-part question when asked to confess the Father, the Son and the Spirit: "I do." "The faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity."54
233 Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: not in their names,55 for there is only one God, the almighty Father, his only Son and the Holy Spirit: the Most Holy Trinity.
234 The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the "hierarchy of the truths of faith".56 The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men "and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin".57
235 This paragraph expounds briefly (I) how the mystery of the Blessed Trinity was revealed, (II) how the Church has articulated the doctrine of the faith regarding this mystery, and (III) how, by the divine missions of the Son and the Holy Spirit, God the Father fulfills the "plan of his loving goodness" of creation, redemption and sanctification.
236 The Fathers of the Church distinguish between theology (theologia) and economy (oikonomia). "Theology" refers to the mystery of God's inmost life within the Blessed Trinity and "economy" to all the works by which God reveals himself and communicates his life. Through the oikonomia the theologia is revealed to us; but conversely, the theologia illuminates the whole oikonomia. God's works reveal who he is in himself; the mystery of his inmost being enlightens our understanding of all his works. So it is, analogously, among human persons. A person discloses himself in his actions, and the better we know a person, the better we understand his actions.
237 The Trinity is a mystery of faith in the strict sense, one of the "mysteries that are hidden in God, which can never be known unless they are revealed by God".58 To be sure, God has left traces of his Trinitarian being in his work of creation and in his Revelation throughout the Old Testament. But his inmost Being as Holy Trinity is a mystery that is inaccessible to reason alone or even to Israel's faith before the Incarnation of God's Son and the sending of the Holy Spirit.
II. THE REVELATION OF GOD AS TRINITY
The Father revealed by the Son
238 Many religions invoke God as "Father". The deity is often considered the "father of gods and of men". In Israel, God is called "Father" inasmuch as he is Creator of the world.59 Even more, God is Father because of the covenant and the gift of the law to Israel, "his first-born son".60 God is also called the Father of the king of Israel. Most especially he is "the Father of the poor", of the orphaned and the widowed, who are under his loving protection.61
239 By calling God "Father", the language of faith indicates two main things: that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority; and that he is at the same time goodness and loving care for all his children. God's parental tenderness can also be expressed by the image of motherhood,62 which emphasizes God's immanence, the intimacy between Creator and creature. The language of faith thus draws on the human experience of parents, who are in a way the first representatives of God for man. But this experience also tells us that human parents are fallible and can disfigure the face of fatherhood and motherhood. We ought therefore to recall that God transcends the human distinction between the sexes. He is neither man nor woman: he is God. He also transcends human fatherhood and motherhood, although he is their origin and standard:63 no one is father as God is Father.
240 Jesus revealed that God is Father in an unheard-of sense: he is Father not only in being Creator; he is eternally Father in relation to his only Son, who is eternally Son only in relation to his Father: "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."64
241 For this reason the apostles confess Jesus to be the Word: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"; as "the image of the invisible God"; as the "radiance of the glory of God and the very stamp of his nature".65
242 Following this apostolic tradition, the Church confessed at the first ecumenical council at Nicaea (325) that the Son is "consubstantial" with the Father, that is, one only God with him.66 The second ecumenical council, held at Constantinople in 381, kept this expression in its formulation of the Nicene Creed and confessed "the only-begotten Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father".67
The Father and the Son revealed by the Spirit
243 Before his Passover, Jesus announced the sending of "another Paraclete" (Advocate), the Holy Spirit. At work since creation, having previously "spoken through the prophets", the Spirit will now be with and in the disciples, to teach them and guide them "into all the truth".68 The Holy Spirit is thus revealed as another divine person with Jesus and the Father.
244 The eternal origin of the Holy Spirit is revealed in his mission in time. The Spirit is sent to the apostles and to the Church both by the Father in the name of the Son, and by the Son in person, once he had returned to the Father.69 The sending of the person of the Spirit after Jesus' glorification70 reveals in its fullness the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
245 The apostolic faith concerning the Spirit was confessed by the second ecumenical council at Constantinople (381): "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father."71 By this confession, the Church recognizes the Father as "the source and origin of the whole divinity".72 But the eternal origin of the Spirit is not unconnected with the Son's origin: "The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is God, one and equal with the Father and the Son, of the same substance and also of the same nature. . . Yet he is not called the Spirit of the Father alone,. . . but the Spirit of both the Father and the Son."73 The Creed of the Church from the Council of Constantinople confesses: "With the Father and the Son, he is worshipped and glorified."74
246 The Latin tradition of the Creed confesses that the Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque)". The Council of Florence in 1438 explains: "The Holy Spirit is eternally from Father and Son; He has his nature and subsistence at once (simul) from the Father and the Son. He proceeds eternally from both as from one principle and through one spiration. . . . And, since the Father has through generation given to the only-begotten Son everything that belongs to the Father, except being Father, the Son has also eternally from the Father, from whom he is eternally born, that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son."75
247 The affirmation of the filioque does not appear in the Creed confessed in 381 at Constantinople. But Pope St. Leo I, following an ancient Latin and Alexandrian tradition, had already confessed it dogmatically in 447,76 even before Rome, in 451 at the Council of Chalcedon, came to recognize and receive the Symbol of 381. The use of this formula in the Creed was gradually admitted into the Latin liturgy (between the eighth and eleventh centuries). The introduction of the filioque into the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed by the Latin liturgy constitutes moreover, even today, a point of disagreement with the Orthodox Churches.
248 At the outset the Eastern tradition expresses the Father's character as first origin of the Spirit. By confessing the Spirit as he "who proceeds from the Father", it affirms that he comes from the Father through the Son.77 The Western tradition expresses first the consubstantial communion between Father and Son, by saying that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque). It says this, "legitimately and with good reason",78 for the eternal order of the divine persons in their consubstantial communion implies that the Father, as "the principle without principle",79 is the first origin of the Spirit, but also that as Father of the only Son, he is, with the Son, the single principle from which the Holy Spirit proceeds.80 This legitimate complementarity, provided it does not become rigid, does not affect the identity of faith in the reality of the same mystery confessed.
III. THE HOLY TRINITY IN THE TEACHING OF THE FAITH
The formation of the Trinitarian dogma
249 From the beginning, the revealed truth of the Holy Trinity has been at the very root of the Church's living faith, principally by means of Baptism. It finds its expression in the rule of baptismal faith, formulated in the preaching, catechesis and prayer of the Church. Such formulations are already found in the apostolic writings, such as this salutation taken up in the Eucharistic liturgy: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."81
250 During the first centuries the Church sought to clarify her Trinitarian faith, both to deepen her own understanding of the faith and to defend it against the errors that were deforming it. This clarification was the work of the early councils, aided by the theological work of the Church Fathers and sustained by the Christian people's sense of the faith.
251 In order to articulate the dogma of the Trinity, the Church had to develop her own terminology with the help of certain notions of philosophical origin: "substance", "person" or "hypostasis", "relation" and so on. In doing this, she did not submit the faith to human wisdom, but gave a new and unprecedented meaning to these terms, which from then on would be used to signify an ineffable mystery, "infinitely beyond all that we can humanly understand".82
252 The Church uses (I) the term "substance" (rendered also at times by "essence" or "nature") to designate the divine being in its unity, (II) the term "person" or "hypostasis" to designate the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in the real distinction among them, and (III) the term "relation" to designate the fact that their distinction lies in the relationship of each to the others.
The dogma of the Holy Trinity
253 The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons, the "consubstantial Trinity".83 The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God whole and entire: "The Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, the Father and the Son that which the Holy Spirit is, i.e. by nature one God."84 In the words of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), "Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature."85
254 The divine persons are really distinct from one another. "God is one but not solitary."86 "Father", "Son", "Holy Spirit" are not simply names designating modalities of the divine being, for they are really distinct from one another: "He is not the Father who is the Son, nor is the Son he who is the Father, nor is the Holy Spirit he who is the Father or the Son."87 They are distinct from one another in their relations of origin: "It is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds."88 The divine Unity is Triune.
255 The divine persons are relative to one another. Because it does not divide the divine unity, the real distinction of the persons from one another resides solely in the relationships which relate them to one another: "In the relational names of the persons the Father is related to the Son, the Son to the Father, and the Holy Spirit to both. While they are called three persons in view of their relations, we believe in one nature or substance."89 Indeed "everything (in them) is one where there is no opposition of relationship."90 "Because of that unity the Father is wholly in the Son and wholly in the Holy Spirit; the Son is wholly in the Father and wholly in the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit is wholly in the Father and wholly in the Son."91
256 St. Gregory of Nazianzus, also called "the Theologian", entrusts this summary of Trinitarian faith to the catechumens of Constantinople:
- Above all guard for me this great deposit of faith for which I live and fight, which I want to take with me as a companion, and which makes me bear all evils and despise all pleasures: I mean the profession of faith in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. I entrust it to you today. By it I am soon going to plunge you into water and raise you up from it. I give it to you as the companion and patron of your whole life. I give you but one divinity and power, existing one in three, and containing the three in a distinct way. Divinity without disparity of substance or nature, without superior degree that raises up or inferior degree that casts down. . . the infinite co-naturality of three infinites. Each person considered in himself is entirely God. . . the three considered together. . . I have not even begun to think of unity when the Trinity bathes me in its splendor. I have not even begun to think of the Trinity when unity grasps me. . .92
257 "O blessed light, O Trinity and first Unity!"93 God is eternal blessedness, undying life, unfading light. God is love: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God freely wills to communicate the glory of his blessed life. Such is the "plan of his loving kindness", conceived by the Father before the foundation of the world, in his beloved Son: "He destined us in love to be his sons" and "to be conformed to the image of his Son", through "the spirit of sonship".94 This plan is a "grace [which] was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began", stemming immediately from Trinitarian love.95 It unfolds in the work of creation, the whole history of salvation after the fall, and the missions of the Son and the Spirit, which are continued in the mission of the Church.96
258 The whole divine economy is the common work of the three divine persons. For as the Trinity has only one and the same natures so too does it have only one and the same operation: "The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are not three principles of creation but one principle."97 However, each divine person performs the common work according to his unique personal property. Thus the Church confesses, following the New Testament, "one God and Father from whom all things are, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things are, and one Holy Spirit in whom all things are".98 It is above all the divine missions of the Son's Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit that show forth the properties of the divine persons.
259 Being a work at once common and personal, the whole divine economy makes known both what is proper to the divine persons, and their one divine nature. Hence the whole Christian life is a communion with each of the divine persons, without in any way separating them. Everyone who glorifies the Father does so through the Son in the Holy Spirit; everyone who follows Christ does so because the Father draws him and the Spirit moves him.99
260 The ultimate end of the whole divine economy is the entry of God's creatures into the perfect unity of the Blessed Trinity.100 But even now we are called to be a dwelling for the Most Holy Trinity: "If a man loves me", says the Lord, "he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him":101
- O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me forget myself entirely so to establish myself in you, unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to trouble my peace or make me leave you, O my unchanging God, but may each minute bring me more deeply into your mystery! Grant my soul peace. Make it your heaven, your beloved dwelling and the place of your rest. May I never abandon you there, but may I be there, whole and entire, completely vigilant in my faith, entirely adoring, and wholly given over to your creative action.102
261 The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and of Christian life. God alone can make it known to us by revealing himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
262 The Incarnation of God's Son reveals that God is the eternal Father and that the Son is consubstantial with the Father, which means that, in the Father and with the Father the Son is one and the same God.
263 The mission of the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in the name of the Son (Jn 14:26) and by the Son "from the Father" (Jn 15:26), reveals that, with them, the Spirit is one and the same God. "With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified" (Nicene Creed).
264 "The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father as the first principle and, by the eternal gift of this to the Son, from the communion of both the Father and the Son" (St. Augustine, De Trin. 15, 26, 47: PL 42, 1095).
265 By the grace of Baptism "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit", we are called to share in the life of the Blessed Trinity, here on earth in the obscurity of faith, and after death in eternal light (cf. Paul VI, CPG § 9).
266 "Now this is the Catholic faith: We worship one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity, without either confusing the persons or dividing the substance; for the person of the Father is one, the Son's is another, the Holy Spirit's another; but the Godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal" (Athanasian Creed: DS 75; ND 16).
267 Inseparable in what they are, the divine persons are also inseparable in what they do. But within the single divine operation each shows forth what is proper to him in the Trinity, especially in the divine missions of the Son's Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
53 Mt 28:19.
54 St. Caesarius of Arles, Sermo 9, Exp. symb.:CCL 103,47.
55 Cf. Profession of faith of Pope Vigilius I (552):DS 415.
56 GCD 43.
57 GCD 47.
58 Dei Filius 4:DS 3015.
59 Cf. Deut 32:6; Mal 2:10.
60 Ex 4:22.
61 Cf. 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 68:6.
62 Cf. Isa 66:13; Ps 131:2.
63 Cf. Ps 27:10; Eph 3:14; Isa 49:15.
64 Mt 11-27.
65 Jn 1:1; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3.
66 The English phrases "of one being" and "one in being" translate the Greek word homoousios, which was rendered in Latin by consubstantialis.
67 Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed; cf. DS 150.
68 Cf. Gen 1:2; Nicene Creed (DS 150); Jn 14:17, 26; 16:13.
69 Cf. Jn 14:26; 15:26; 16:14.
70 Cf. Jn 7:39.
71 Nicene Creed; cf. DS 150.
72 Council of Toledo VI (638): DS 490.
73 Council of Toledo XI (675): DS 527.
74 Nicene Creed; cf. DS 150.
75 Council of Florence (1439): DS 1300-1301.
76 Cf. Leo I, Quam laudabiliter (447): DS 284.
77 Jn 15:26; cf. AG 2.
78 Council of Florence (1439): DS 1302.
79 Council of Florence (1442): DS 1331.
80 Cf. Council of Lyons II (1274): DS 850.
81 2 Cor 13:14; cf. 1 Cor 12:4-6; Eph 4:4-6.
82 Paul VI, CPG § 2.
83 Council of Constantinople II (553): DS 421.
84 Council of Toledo XI (675): DS 530:26.
85 Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 804.
86 Fides Damasi: DS 71.
87 Council of Toledo XI (675): DS 530:25.
88 Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 804.
89 Council of Toledo XI (675): DS 528.
90 Council of Florence (1442): DS 1330.
91 Council of Florence (1442): DS 1331.
92 St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio 40,41: PG 36,417.
93 LH, Hymn for Evening Prayer.
94 Eph 1:4-5,9; Rom 8:15,29.
95 2 Tim 1:9-10.
96 Cf. AG 2-9.
97 Council of Florence (1442): DS 1331; cf. Council of Constantinople II (553): DS 421.
98 Council of Constantinople II: DS 421.
99 Cf. Jn 6:44; Rom 8:14.
100 Cf. Jn 17:21-23.
101 Jn 14:23.
102 Prayer of Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity.
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