Tuesday, May 21, 2024

- May 14, 2024

Saints, Feast, Family

- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -

May 21

The month of Mary: A Marian Month

Saint of the day:

Saint Cristóbal Magallanes and Companions

Whit Tuesday

ST. CHRISTOPHER MAGALLANES

Mark, Chapter 9, Verse 31-32

³¹ He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death he will rise.” ³²But they did not understand the saying, and they were AFRAID to question him.

Many times, we are afraid to ask a question of the Lord because we do not want to know the answer. We measure success with an earthly yardstick and not a heavenly one. Christ asks us to trust in Him. The heavenly yardstick is this as spoken by Michael the Archangel,

“Who is like God?

We are in a battle with the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Let us remember that St. Michael, along with our Guardian Angel stand to defend us from perdition. No harm can come to the children of God who place their trust in the Precious Blood. We must not be afraid to ask for Michael’s help and to always call on Mary the Queen of Angels whose children we are through Christ. We must not be afraid to question science, literature, or art in its many forms as these achievements of human works are often pressed into service by the Devil and his cohorts.

God’s yardstick, “Who is like God?”

leads us to Love Him and to love our neighbors.

Why is this commandment to love God and our neighbor called the great commandment?

Because in these two are contained all the others, so that he who fulfills these fulfills the whole law. For whoever loves God with his whole heart does not murmur against God; does not dishonor His name by cursing and swearing; does not desecrate the Sabbath-day, because he knows that all this is offensive to God. On the contrary, he hopes in God; gives thanks and praise to God; sanctifies the Sundays and holy-days, because he knows this to be pleasing to God; observes the precepts of the Church, because he knows it to be the will of God that he should hear the Church; honors his parents; does no injury to his neighbor; does not commit adultery; does not steal; slanders no one; bears no false witness; pronounces no unjust judgment; is not envious, malicious, unmerciful, but rather practices towards every one the corporal and spiritual works of mercy; and all this because, out of love to God, he loves his neighbor as himself. Thus, love fulfills all the commandments.[1]

Whit Tuesday

Introit of the Mass is again a song of joy: " Receive the joy of your glory, alleluia; giving thanks to God, alleluia; Who hath called you to a heavenly kingdom. Attend, O My people, to My law, incline your ears to the words of My mouth."

Prayer.

May the power of the Holy Ghost be with us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, which may mercifully purify our hearts and de fend them from all adversities. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth in the unity of the same.

EPISTLE. Acts viii. 14-17.

In those days: When the apostles who were in Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria had received the word of God; they sent unto them Peter and John. Who, when they were come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost. For He was not as yet come upon any of them: but they were only baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands upon them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

Explanation.

The Samaritans had been converted and baptized by Philip the Deacon. Peter and John administered to them, by the imposition of hands and prayer, the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Is Confirmation a sacrament?

Yes, for Jesus Christ has promised the Holy Ghost not only to the apostles, but also to all the faithful, to confirm them fully in faith and charity.

What is the outward sign of this sacrament?

The imposition of the bishop’s hands, the anointing with the chrism, and the words of the bishop.

What grace is conveyed through this sacrament?

Through holy Confirmation, God confirms and completes in the Christian the grace of Baptism, and strengthens him for the combat with his spiritual enemies. Confirmation, like Baptism, cannot be received more than once, because the grace received in these sacraments is always efficacious if we only cooperate with it; and because in these sacraments we receive also an in delible character, which forever distinguishes the souls of those who have been baptized and confirmed from those who have not.

GOSPEL. John x. 1-10.

At that time Jesus said to the Pharisees: Amen, amen, I say to you: he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up another way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he hath let out his own sheep, he goeth before them: and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. But a stranger they follow not, but fly from him, because they know not the voice of strangers. This proverb Jesus spoke to them. But they understood not what He spoke to them. Jesus therefore said to them again: Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All others, as many as have come, are thieves and robbers: and the sheep heard them not. I am the door. By Me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved: and he shall go in, and go out, and shall find pastures. The thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly.

How is this parable to be understood?

The sheepfold is the Church, or congregation of the faithful; the door for the flock is Baptism; for the pastors, lawful vocation and mission from God, through their spiritual superiors; the chief pastor is Christ; the sheep are the faithful; the invisible door-keeper is the Holy Ghost, inasmuch as He prepares hearts for Jesus; the visible door-keeper is the bishop or his representatives. The thieves and robbers are the Pharisees and heretics of all ages, who lead astray the sheep of Christ, and destroy their spiritual life by false doctrines. If we would not become the prey of thieves and murderers, we must follow the doctrines of the teachers and pastors whom Christ has appointed for His Church.

St. Christopher Magallanes and Companions[2]

Like Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro, S.J. (November 23), Cristobal and his twenty-four companion martyrs lived under a very anti-Catholic government in Mexico, one determined to weaken the Catholic faith of its people. Churches, schools and seminaries were closed; foreign clergy were expelled. Cristobal established a clandestine seminary at Totatiche, Jalisco. Magallanes and the other priests were forced to minister secretly to Catholics during the presidency of Plutarco Calles (1924-1928).

All of these martyrs except three were diocesan priests. David, Manuel and Salvador were laymen who died with their parish priest, Luis Batis. All of these martyrs belonged to the Cristero movement, pledging their allegiance to Christ and to the church that he established to spread the Good News in society—even if Mexico's leaders had made it a crime to receive baptism or celebrate the Mass.

These martyrs did not die as a single group but in eight Mexican states, with Jalisco and Zacatecas having the largest number. They were beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later.

— Excerpted from Saint of the Day, Leonard Foley, O.F.M.

Things to Do:

· Read "A Mexican Bloodletting"

· From the Catholic Culture Library read "Viva Cristo Rey! The Cristeros Versus the Mexican Revolution"

· Watch "For Greater Glory"

Catechism of the Catholic Church

PART FOUR: CHRISTIAN PRAYER

SECTION TWO-THE LORD'S PRAYER

Article 2-"OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN"

III. "Our" Father

2786 "Our" Father refers to God. the adjective, as used by us, does not express possession, but an entirely new relationship with God.

2787 When we say "our" Father, we recognize first that all his promises of love announced by the prophets are fulfilled in the new and eternal covenant in his Christ: we have become "his" people and he is henceforth "our" God. This new relationship is the purely gratuitous gift of belonging to each other: we are to respond to "grace and truth" given us in Jesus Christ with love and faithfulness.

2788 Since the Lord's Prayer is that of his people in the "endtime," this "our" also expresses the certitude of our hope in God's ultimate promise: in the new Jerusalem he will say to the victor, "I will be his God and he shall be my son."

2789 When we pray to "our" Father, we personally address the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. By doing so we do not divide the Godhead, since the Father is its "source and origin," but rather confess that the Son is eternally begotten by him and the Holy Spirit proceeds from him. We are not confusing the persons, for we confess that our communion is with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, in their one Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is consubstantial and indivisible. When we pray to the Father, we adore and glorify him together with the Son and the Holy Spirit.

2790 Grammatically, "our" qualifies a reality common to more than one person. There is only one God, and he is recognized as Father by those who, through faith in his only Son, are reborn of him by water and the Spirit. The Church is this new communion of God and men. United with the only Son, who has become "the firstborn among many brethren," she is in communion with one and the same Father in one and the same Holy Spirit. In praying "our" Father, each of the baptized is praying in this communion: "The company of those who believed were of one heart and soul."

2791 For this reason, in spite of the divisions among Christians, this prayer to "our" Father remains our common patrimony and an urgent summons for all the baptized. In communion by faith in Christ and by Baptism, they ought to join in Jesus' prayer for the unity of his disciples.

2792 Finally, if we pray the Our Father sincerely, we leave individualism behind, because the love that we receive frees us from it. the "our" at the beginning of the Lord's Prayer, like the "us" of the last four petitions, excludes no one. If we are to say it truthfully, our divisions and oppositions have to be overcome.

2793 The baptized cannot pray to "our" Father without bringing before him all those for whom he gave his beloved Son. God's love has no bounds, neither should our prayer. Praying "our" Father opens to us the dimensions of his love revealed in Christ: praying with and for all who do not yet know him, so that Christ may "gather into one the children of God." God's care for all men and for the whole of creation has inspired all the great practitioners of prayer; it should extend our prayer to the full breadth of love whenever we dare to say "our" Father.

Apostolic Exhortation[3]

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

27. On the sacred day of Holy Thursday, Jesus’ last night with His disciples, He knew that soon He would return to His Father, but He also knew how much they will need His presence, one that “The Imitation of Christ” eloquently describes as consoling and strengthening: “When Jesus is near, all is well and nothing seems difficult. When He is absent all is hard. When Jesus does not speak within, all other comfort is empty, but if He says only a word, it brings great consolation” (Book II Chapter 8). In a certain sense, we can say that here Jesus faces a dilemma. On the one hand, He desires to return to His Father and on the other hand, He desires to remain with His disciples. God’s love always finds an ingenious solution to such dilemma. Jesus returns to His Father, but by instituting the Sacrament of the Eucharist, at the same time He remains with His disciples, to accompany them in the challenges, difficulties, and suffering that they will face as they take on the mission of preaching the Good News. Through the Eucharist, Jesus gives the greatest gift of Himself to His disciples and to us. Indeed, the Eucharist is truly the sacrament of Christ’s love!

28. God’s love for us did not stop at the Incarnation. He did not just become one of us and share our life from conception to death and redeem us through His suffering, Death, and Resurrection. His self-giving love went beyond by becoming our very nourishment. The Eucharist reveals how much Jesus loves us. Saint John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, expresses eloquently God’s extreme love for us in the Eucharist: “Never would we have thought of asking God to give us His own Son. But what man could not have even imagined, God has done. What man could not say or think, and what he could not have dared to desire, God, in His love has said it, planned it and carried His design into execution. We would never have dared to say to God to have His Son die for us, to give us His Body to eat, His Blood to drink… In other words, what man could not even conceive, God has executed. He went further in His designs of love than we could have dreamed” (The Eucharist Meditation of the Curé D’Ars, Meditation I).

29. How do we, then, respond to the Lord’s gift of Himself in the Holy Eucharist? Do we really desire Him? Are we anxious to meet Him? Do we desire to encounter Him, become one with Him and receive the gifts He offers us through the Eucharist?

To be continued…

Which are the fruits of the Holy Ghost? They are the twelve following:

1. Charity.

2. Joy.

3. Peace.

4. Patience.

5. Benignity.

6. Goodness.

7. Longsuffering.

8. Mildness.

9. Faith.

10. Modesty.

11. Continency.

12. Chastity.

These fruits should be visible in the Christian, for thereby men shall know that the Holy Ghost dwells in him, as the tree is known by its fruit.

Notice I have placed the Fruits of the Holy Spirit in stairstep fashion so we may reflect on them seeing that by concentrating on each step of our growth in the spirit we may progress closer and closer to our heavenly Father. Today we will be focusing on the second step which is continency.

Candace’s Corner

ST. RITA - SAINT OF THE IMPOSSIBLE

O Powerful St. Rita rightly called Saint of the Impossible, I come to you with confidence in my great need. You know well my trails, for you yourself were many times burdened in this life. Come to my help, speak for me, pray with me, intercede on my behalf before the Father. I know that God has a most generous heart and that he is a most loving Father. Join your praters to min and obtain for me the grace I desire [mention your request here]. You who were so very pleasing to God on earth and are so much more now in heaven, I promise to use this favor, when granted to better my life, to proclaim God's mercy, and to make you more widely known and loved. AMEN

St. Rita Shrine History

13260 E Colossal Cave Rd, Vale, Arizona

The Shrine of Santa Rita in the Desert was built in 1935 in memory of Dr. Jokichi Takamine (1854-1922) by his widow, Caroline Takamine Beach. It is the only Catholic Church in the United States built in memory of a Japanese citizen. Caroline and Jokichi spent the first years of their marriage living in Japan. Caroline had met and married Charles Beach, a Vail rancher, in 1926. Caroline had been a devout Catholic since her conversion as a young adult and wanted to provide a way for the people living in and around the small railroad/ranching community of Vail, Arizona to be able to worship. A population of about 25 lived at the town site with several hundred more scattered in a radius around the rural ranching community. They were predominantly poor Hispanic ranch hands, railroad workers and homesteaders. Caroline began at least as early as 1927 facilitating Sunday Mass in the Vail School house. She began to formulate a plan for a church that would serve the spiritual needs of the Vail area as well as be a memorial to her first husband. She and her second husband Charles began purchasing land in the area in addition to the homesteaded land to the south at the base of Mt. Fagan where their ranch operation was located. One of these purchases was at the Vail town site and would become the site for the Shrine. The beautiful stained-glass windows that are the focal point of the Shrine were the center piece around which the entire building was designed. They were purchased by Caroline Beach in 1931. They had been salvaged from the 1st United Methodist Church on 6th Avenue in Tucson, Arizona. That congregation had relocated and built a new church on Park Avenue in 1929. The 1st United Methodist Church was built in 1906. The designer and craftsman of the windows is unknown. The graceful arch of the large tripartite lancet style windows that are set into the south wall of the Shrine is incorporated throughout the entire design of the Shrine. The simplicity and gracefulness of Japanese design is felt in the symmetry and simplicity of the Shrine’s overall Mission Revival style.