Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
ST. RITA OF CASSIA-BIO Day
Deuteronomy, Chapter 18, Verse
21-22
21 Should you say to yourselves, “How can we recognize that a word is one the LORD has not spoken?”, 22 if a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD but the word does not come true, it is a word the LORD did not speak. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not FEAR him.
Even saints at times may have spoken presumptuously. Let us meditate on the words of Padre Pio, “Love and fear must go united together, fear without love becomes cowardice. Love without fear becomes presumption. When there is love without fear, love runs without prudence and without restraint, without taking care where it is going.”
This is the great beauty of the Holy
Spirit for it tells us when even a very holy person speaks not every word they
speak comes from God. We error sometimes in this way, making men into gods; but
a heart that is filled with the spirit of God is filled with quiet joy and even
if the person were to be imprisoned, they can find true freedom; because of the
inner security of the heart. Let us never forget that Satan does his utmost to
destroy mankind. In a thousand ways he plots and wars against God and tries to
usurp His throne. On this subject, the following instruction given by Our
Blessed Mother to Venerable Mary d' Agreda, is worth quoting: "My
daughter," she says, "by no power of human words wilt thou in this
mortal life ever succeed in describing the evil of Lucifer and his demons
against men, or the malice, astuteness, deceits and ruses, with which, in his
wrath, he seeks to bring them into sin and later on to eternal torments. He
tries to hinder all good works . . . All the malice of which his own mind is
capable, he attempts to inject into souls. Against these attacks, God provides
admirable protection if men will only co-operate and correspond on their
part." Among the means provided by God for our protection, is the ready
recourse we may have at all times to the strengthening Blood of Christ.
"This Blood," declares St. John Chrysostom, "has the power to
drive away the evil spirits and to draw to our side the good angels, aye, the
King of Angels, and to blazen the way to Heaven." Fortified by the
Precious Blood, let us place ourselves under the leadership of St. Michael and
unfurl everywhere the banner of our Faith, without fear of godlessness. If Satan tries to induce us to sin, and
promises honors, riches, happiness on conditions that we omit a good work, or
commit an evil deed, let us ever oppose the tempter with the energetic words:
Who is like unto God? God is my only treasure, my highest Good, His Blood is
upon me, and "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
shall fear no evil." If in time
of temptation, we have the courage to rebuke the evil one and call upon the
assistance of our leader, St. Michael, the enemy will surely be put to flight.
But if we wish to enjoy the great Archangel's protection, we must also imitate
his virtues, particularly his humility and his zeal for God's glory.
"O
great St. Michael, take us 'neath thy shield, Thy mighty power in our favor
wield!"[1]
Preparing
for Battle[2]
Know Your Weapons
The weapon of Sacred Sacraments
·
Baptism. Baptism is a sacrament of
liberation and deliverance from Satan and his realm.
·
Reconciliation. Each time we sin, the Devil
strengthens his grip on us; that is why it’s so important to go to sacramental
Confession regularly.
·
The
Eucharist. Mass is a great defense
against the assault of the Devil. Before Him the all-conquering power, the
demons must flee. “We must return from that Table like lions breathing fire,
having become terrifying to the Devil!”
·
Confirmation. To confirm means to make strong.
·
Anointing of the Sick. Illness, especially serious
illness, can be a trial in which Satan comes to tempt us to be overcome by fear, discouragement, doubt, and even
despair.
·
Matrimony. The Devil’s first attack on the
human race was focused on a married couple. The home must become a sanctuary, a
holy place, a fortress against Satan’s assaults.
·
Holy Orders. The sacrament through which
Christ’s mission for the Church continues to be exercised until the end of the world.
St. Rita of Cassia[3]
Rita's childhood was one of happiness to her parents. To satisfy her desire of a life of union with God by prayer, her parents fitted up a little room in their home as an oratory, where she spent all her spare moments. At the age of twelve, however, she desired to consecrate herself to God in the religious state. Pious though her parents were, their tearful pleadings to postpone her noble purpose prevailed on Rita, and they gave her in marriage, at the age of eighteen, to an impulsive, irascible young man, who was well fitted to try the patience and virtue of the holy girl.
Two sons were born to them, each
inheriting their father's quarrelsome temperament. Rita continued her
accustomed devotions, and her sanctity and prayers finally won her husband's
heart so that he willingly consented that she continue her acts of devotion.
Eighteen years had elapsed since her marriage, when her husband was murdered by
an old enemy; both of her sons died shortly after. Rita's former desire to
consecrate herself to God again took possession of her.
Three times she sought admittance
among the Augustinian Nuns in Cascia, but her request was refused each time,
and she returned to her home in Rocca Porrena. God Himself, however, supported
her cause. One night as Rita was praying earnestly in her humble home, she
heard herself called by name, while someone knocked at the door. In a
miraculous way she was conducted to the monastic enclosure, no entrance having
been opened. Astonished at the miracle, the Nuns received Rita, and soon
enrolled her among their number.
St. Rita's hidden, simple life in
religion was distinguished by obedience and charity; she performed many extreme
penances. After hearing a sermon on the Passion of Christ she returned to her
cell; kneeling before her crucifix, she implored: "Let me, my Jesus share
in Thy suffering, at least of one of Thy thorns". Her prayer was answered.
Suddenly one of the thorns detached and fastened itself in her forehead so
deeply that she could not remove it. The wound became worse, and gangrene set
in. Because of the foul odor emanating from the wound, she was denied the
companionship of the other Sisters, and this for fifteen years. Miraculous
power was soon recognized in Rita. When Pope Nicholas IV proclaimed a jubilee
at Rome, Rita desired to attend. Permission was granted on condition that her
wound would be healed. This came about only for the duration of the trip. Upon
her return to the monastery the wound from the thorn reappeared and remained
until her death. As St. Rita was dying, she requested a relative to bring her a
rose from her old home at Rocca Porrena. Although it was not the season for
roses, the relative went and found a rose in full bloom. For this reason, roses
are blessed in the Saint's honor.
After St. Rita's death, in 1457, her
face became beautifully radiant, while the odor from her wound was as fragrant
as that of the roses she loved so much. The sweet odor spread through the
convent and into the church, where it has continued ever since. Her body has
remained incorrupt to this day; the face is beautiful and well preserved. When
St. Rita died the lowly cell was aglow with heavenly light, while the great
bell of the monastery rang of itself. A relative with a paralyzed arm, upon
touching the sacred remains, was cured. A carpenter, who had known the Saint,
offered to make the coffin. Immediately he recovered the use of his long-stiffened
hands.
As one of the solemn acts of his
jubilee, Pope Leo XIII canonized St. Rita on the Feast of the Ascension, May
24, 1900.
Patron: Abuse victims; against loneliness; against sterility;
bodily ills; DESPERATE CAUSES; difficult marriages; forgotten causes; IMPOSSIBLE
CAUSES; infertility; lost causes; parenthood; sick people; sickness; sterility;
victims of physical spouse abuse; widows; wounds.
Things to Do:
- From
the Catholic Culture library: St.
Rita of Cascia and A
Life of Heroic Humility and Obedience.
- Visit
the National
Shrine of St. Rita of Cassia and read this life
of St. Rita
- Watch
this videos of St. Rita's life here and here
- Visit
the Shrine of Santa Rita in
the Desert in Vail, Arizona
International Day for Biological Diversity[4]
The International Day for Biological Diversity aims to raise
awareness and understanding of biological diversity and issues surrounding it.
The day also serves to highlight possible strategies to protect biodiversity,
which refers to the variety of life on the planet. Today, habitats are
degrading and leading to a reduction in biodiversity, a problem that directly
affects human well-being, poverty reduction and global sustainable development.
The International Day for Biological Diversity was proclaimed in December of
2000 by the United
Nations General Assembly. It is celebrated annually on May 22, a day that
commemorates the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992.
International Day
for Biological Diversity Facts & Quotes
·
According
to the UN, more than 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity
for their livelihoods and 1.6 billion people rely on forests and non-timber
forest products for their livelihoods.
·
Habitat
degradation and the loss of biodiversity are currently threatening the
livelihood of over 1 billion people who live in dry and subhumid climates.
·
Over
50% of the world’s plant species and 42% of all terrestrial vertebrate species
are native to a specific country and do not naturally exist elsewhere.
·
We
should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use
it and come to understand what it means to humanity. – E. O. Wilson, American
biologist, researcher, theorist and author.
Day for Biological
Diversity Top Events and Things to Do
·
Watch
a movie or documentary on the importance and irreplaceability of the world’s
biodiversity. Some suggestions are: The Cove, Oceans, Plastic Planet and the
11th hour.
·
Spread
awareness on social media by using the hashtags #InternationalDayForBiologicalDiversity,
#IDBD and #BiologicalDiversity.
·
Join
the international Day for Biological Diversity Google Hangout where you can
video stream yourself and with other people to discuss biological diversity
with like-minded individuals.
·
Organize
or participate in a local cleanup effort. Biodiversity is very negatively
impacted by human trash and pollution.
·
Donate
to the center for biological diversity. All funds are put towards securing a
future for all species hovering on the brink of extinction with a focus on
protecting lands, waters
and climate that species need to survive. Consider funds like WWF, the Animal
Project and Defenders of Wildlife.
·
Visit
Biosphere
2 is an American
Earth system science research facility located in Oracle, Arizona.
Why should
Catholics care?[5]
The Church’s social teaching calls
on Catholics to uphold the life and dignity of every human person, to be in
solidarity with our brothers and sisters worldwide, and to care for God’s
creation. Since the extraction of oil, gas, minerals, and timber affects the
poor most acutely, the Church has been addressing issues related to extractive
industries around the world. Catholic agencies and affected people have been
engaged in advocacy with their own governments, international financial
institutions, and extractives companies, urging them to become more
transparent, to reduce the negative impacts of resource extraction on people
and the environment, and to increase benefits for the poor most especially.
In the U.S. bishops’ first
statement on environmental matters, renewing the Earth (1991), they draw
attention to the ethical dimensions of the ecological crisis, exploring the
link between ecology and poverty and the implications for human life and
dignity. Bishops of every part of the world have expressed concern regarding
extractive industries. Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI, expanding on the issue of the
environment in Caritas in Veritate, stated: Let us hope that the international
community and individual governments will succeed in countering harmful ways of
treating the environment. It is likewise incumbent upon the competent
authorities to make every effort to ensure that the economic and social costs
of using up shared environmental resources are recognized with transparency and
fully borne by those who incur them, not by other peoples or future
generations: the protection of the environment, of resources and of the climate
obliges all international leaders to act jointly and to show a readiness to
work in good faith, respecting the law and promoting solidarity with the
weakest regions of the planet (No. 50).
Apostolic Exhortation[6]
Veneremur
Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling
of The Most
Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My beloved Brothers and
Sisters in Christ,
Part II
Hold Nothing Back from Christ
30. In the Sequence “Lauda
Sion Salvatorem” for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Saint Thomas
Aquinas invites us to hold back nothing as the most appropriate response to the
gift of Jesus Himself in the Eucharist: “Quantum potes, tantum aude, quia
maior omni laude nec laudare sufficis. Dare as much as you can: because He is
greater than any praise, nor can you praise him enough.” “Quantum
potes” means “however much you can” and “tantum aude”, which
means “as much as you dare.” This is the most appropriate response to such an
awesome gift, to go all out in our response to Jesus’ most extravagant gift of
Himself.
31. In response to this great
gift, many missionaries throughout history have given up everything, even
having a family of their own and left their homeland to bring the message of God’s
love and the Eucharist to so many parts of the world. In response, many men and
women religious have consecrated their lives to adoring Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament within the four walls of their convent and monastery. In response,
countless martyrs throughout the centuries, like the ones of early
third-century persecution at Abitina in Tunisia, were willing to submit to
tortures and death rather than deny the Real Presence of Jesus in the
Eucharist. And in response, many believers, even those of today, have made a
commitment to come to daily Mass and even to adoration to be with Jesus in the
Eucharist. The question we must ask ourselves is: What is our response?
32. “Quantum potes,
tantum aude, quia maior omni laude nec laudare sufficis”. Indeed, we are to
hold back nothing, but in turn, give ourselves completely to the Lord who has
given Himself entirely to us in the Eucharist. The only appropriate response to
this great gift is to order our whole life, first, on receiving the gift and
then imitating it, offering our own body and blood, our sweat and tears, our
whole heart, all we have and are to Jesus in the service and love for our
brothers and sisters as Jesus has done for us.
Devotions for Holy Communion[7]
SHORTER
ACTS BEFORE COMMUNION.
My beloved Jesus, true Son
of God, Who didst die for me on the cross in a sea of sorrows and ignominy, I
firmly believe that Thou art present in the Most Holy Sacrament; and for this
faith I am ready to give up my life.
My dear Redeemer, I hope by
Thy goodness, and through the merits of Thy blood, that when Thou dost come to
me this morning Thou wilt inflame me with Thy holy love, and wilt give me all
those graces which I need to keep me obedient and faithful to Thee till death.
Ah, my God, true and only lover
of my soul, what couldst Thou do more to oblige me to love Thee? Thou wast not
satisfied, my Love, with dying for me, but Thou wouldst also institute the Most
Holy Sacrament, making Thyself my food, and giving Thyself all to me, thus
uniting Thyself most closely to such a miserable and ungrateful creature. Thou
dost Thyself invite me to receive Thee, and dost greatly desire that I should
receive Thee. O infinite love! A God gives Himself all to me! O my God, O
Infinite Love, worthy of infinite love, I love Thee above all things; I love
Thee with all my heart; I love Thee more than myself, more than my life; I love
Thee because Thou art worthy of being loved; and I love Thee also to please
Thee, since Thou dost desire my love. Depart from my soul, all ye earthly
affections; to Thee alone, my Jesus, my treasure, my all, will I give all my
love. This morning Thou dost give Thyself all to me, and I give myself all to
Thee. Permit me to love Thee; for I desire none but Thee, and nothing but what
is pleasing to Thee. I love Thee, O my Savior, and I unite my poor love to the
love of all the angels and saints, and of Thy Mother Mary, and the love of Thy
Eternal Father. Oh, that I could see Thee loved by all! Oh, that I could make
Thee loved by all men, and loved as much as Thou dost deserve!
Behold, O my Jesus, I am now
about to draw near to feed on Thy most sacred flesh! Ah, my God, who am I? and
"Who art Thou? Thou art a Lord of infinite goodness, and I am a loathsome
worm, defiled by so many sins, and who have driven Thee out of my soul so
often.
Lord, I am not worthy to
remain in Thy presence; I ought to be in hell forever, far away, and abandoned
by Thee. But out of Thy goodness Thou callest me to receive Thee; behold, I
come, I come humbled and in confusion for the great displeasure I have given
Thee, but trusting entirely to Thy mercy and to the love Thou hast for me. I am
exceedingly sorry, O my loving Redeemer, for having so often offended Thee in
time past. Thou didst even give Thy life for me; and I have so often despised
Thy grace and Thy love, and have exchanged Thee for nothing. I repent, and am
sorry with all my heart for every offence which I have offered Thee, whether
grievous or light, because it was an offence against Thee, "Who art infinite
goodness. I hope Thou hast already pardoned me; but if Thou hast not yet
forgiven me, pardon me, my Jesus, before I receive Thee. Ah, receive me quickly
into Thy grace, since it is Thy will soon to come and dwell within me.
Come, then, my Jesus, come
into my soul, which sighs after Thee. My only and infinite good, my life, my
love, my all, I would desire to receive Thee this morning with the same love
with which those souls who love Thee most have received Thee, and with the same
fervor with which Thy most holy Mother received Thee; to her communions I wish
to unite this one of mine. O Blessed Virgin and my Mother Mary, give me thy
Son; I intend to receive Him from thy hands! Tell Him that I am thy servant,
and thus will He press me more lovingly to His heart, now that He is coming to
me.
Catechism
of the Catholic Church
PART ONE:
THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
SECTION ONE
"I BELIEVE" - "WE
BELIEVE"
CHAPTER ONE-MAN'S CAPACITY FOR GOD
IV. How Can We Speak about God?
39 In defending the ability of human reason to
know God, the Church is expressing her confidence in the possibility of
speaking about him to all men and with all men, and therefore of dialogue with
other religions, with philosophy and science, as well as with unbelievers and
atheists.
40 Since our knowledge of God is limited, our
language about him is equally so. We can name God only by taking creatures as
our starting point, and in accordance with our limited human ways of knowing
and thinking.
41 All creatures bear a certain resemblance to
God, most especially man, created in the image and likeness of God. the
manifold perfections of creatures - their truth, their goodness, their beauty
all reflect the infinite perfection of God. Consequently we can name God by
taking his creatures" perfections as our starting point, "for from
the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of
their Creator".
42 God transcends all creatures. We must
therefore continually purify our language of everything in it that is limited,
imagebound or imperfect, if we are not to confuse our image of God --"the
inexpressible, the incomprehensible, the invisible, the ungraspable"--
with our human representations. Our human words always fall short of the
mystery of God.
43 Admittedly, in speaking about God like this,
our language is using human modes of expression; nevertheless it really does
attain to God himself, though unable to express him in his infinite simplicity.
Likewise, we must recall that "between Creator and creature no similitude
can be expressed without implying an even greater dissimilitude"; and
that "concerning God, we cannot grasp what he is, but only what he is not,
and how other beings stand in relation to him."
>>>Today is Day 5 of the Pentecost
Novena to the Holy Spirit.<<<
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: Increase
of Vocations to the Holy Priesthood.
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
· Monday: Litany of
Humility
· Rosary
[2]Thigpen, Paul. Manual for Spiritual Warfare.
TAN Books.
[3]https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2019-05-22
[5]http://www.usccb.org/about/justice-peace-and-human-development/catholic-social-ministry-gathering/upload/2012-02ExtractivesBackgrounder-final.pdf
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