CARMEL'S OWN

2012-02-02T00:10:00.000-08:00



	Flight Into Egypt and Presentation SIXTH CHANT : Illuminating Egypt with the Light of Truth, you cast away the darkness of error. For the idols, unable to stand your might, fell down, and those who had been delivered from them cried out to the Mother of God: Hail, O Resurrection of mankind! Hail, O Downfall of the Demons! Hail, O you who crushed the error of deceit! Hail, O you who exposed the fraud of idols! Hail, O Sea who drowned the symbolic Pharaon! Hail, O Rock who quenched those who thirst for Life! Hail, O Pillar of Fire who guided those in darkness! Hail, O Shelter of the World, wider than the clouds! Hail, O Food who took the place of Manna! Hail, O Handmaid of holy delight! Hail, O Land of the promised good! Hail, O you who flow with milk and honey! Hail, O Bride and Maiden ever-pure! : Hail, O Bride and Maiden ever-pure! KONTAKION (Priest or Cantor) As Simeon was about to leave the present deceitful world, You were entrusted to him as an infant, but You made Yourself known to him as the perfect God. Wherefore he marveled at your wisdom beyond words, and cried out: "Alleluia!"
	Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God Attributed to Romanos the Melode (d. 560)

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.
Amen.

2012-02-02T00:05:00.000-08:00

FEBRUARY 2012

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Lectio: Mark 6,1-6

•Thursday, February 2, 2012

Lectio: The Presentation of the Lord

•Friday, February 3, 2012

Lectio: Mark 6,14-29

•Saturday, February 4, 2012

Lectio: Mark 6,30-34

•Sunday, February 5, 2012

Lectio: 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)

•Monday, February 6, 2012

Lectio: Mark 6,53-56

•Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Lectio: Mark 7,1-13

•Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Lectio: Mark 7,14-23

•Thursday, February 9, 2012

Lectio: Mark 7,24-30

•Friday, February 10, 2012

Lectio: Mark 7,31-37

•Saturday, February 11, 2012

Lectio: Mark 8,1-10

•Sunday, February 12, 2012

Lectio: 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)

•Monday, February 13, 2012

Lectio: Mark 8,11-13

•Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Lectio: Mark 8,14-21

•Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Lectio: Mark 8,22-26

•Thursday, February 16, 2012

Lectio: Mark 8,27-33

•Friday, February 17, 2012

Lectio: Mark 8,34-9,1

•Saturday, February 18, 2012

Lectio: Mark 9,2-13

•Sunday, February 19, 2012

Lectio: 7th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)

•Monday, February 20, 2012

Lectio: Mark 9,14-29

•Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Lectio: Mark 9,30-37

•Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Ash Wednesday

•Thursday, February 23, 2012

Lectio: Luke 9,22-25

•Friday, February 24, 2012

Lectio: Matthew 9,14-15

•Saturday, February 25, 2012

Lectio: Luke 5,27-32

•Sunday, February 26, 2012

Lectio: 1st Sunday of Lent (B)

•Monday, February 27, 2012

Lectio: Matthew 25,31-46

•Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Lectio: Matthew 6,7-15

•Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Lectio: Luke 11,29-32

2012-01-02T01:49:00.000-08:00


	The Blessed Virgin Became the Mother of God This Virgin became a Mother while preserving her virginity; and though still a Virgin she carried a Child in her womb; and the handmaid of His Wisdom became the Mother of God.
	You alone and your Mother are more beautiful than any others; for there is no blemish in you, nor any stains upon your Mother. Who of my children can compare to the beauty of these?
	Excerpt from Ephraim of Nisibis, Nisbene Hymns 27, no. 8, in FEF I: 313, no. 719.

2012-01-02T01:32:00.000-08:00

JANUARY 2012

Sunday, January 1, 2012
Lectio: Solemnity of the Mother of God
Monday, January 2, 2012
Lectio: John 1,19-28
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Lectio: John 1,29-34
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Lectio: John 1, 35-42
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Lectio: John 1,43-51
Friday, January 6, 2012
Lectio: Epiphany of the Lord
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Lectio: Matthew 4,12-17.23-25
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Lectio: The Baptism of the Lord (B)
Monday, January 9, 2012
Lectio: Mark 1,14-20
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Lectio: Mark 1,21b-28
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Lectio: Mark 1,29-39
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Lectio: Mark 1,40-45
Friday, January 13, 2012
Lectio: Mark 2,1-12
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Lectio: Mark 2,13-17
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Lectio: 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)
Monday, January 16, 2012
Lectio: Mark 2,18-22
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Lectio: Mark 2,23-28
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Lectio: Mark 3,1-6
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Lectio: Mark 3,7-12
Friday, January 20, 2012
Lectio: Mark 3,13-19
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Lectio: Mark 3,20-21
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Lectio: 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)
Monday, January 23, 2012
Lectio: Mark 3,22-30
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Lectio: Mark 3,31-35
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Lectio: Conversion of Saint Paul
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Lectio: Mark 4,21-25
Friday, January 27, 2012
Lectio: Mark 4,26-34
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Lectio: Mark 4,35-41
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Lectio: 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time (B)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Lectio: Mark 5,1-20
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Lectio: Mark 5, 21-43

2012-01-02T01:22:00.000-08:00

Best wishes for a Happy New Year replete with God's blessings and Prosperity

Mis mejores deseos para un Feliz Año Nuevo lleno de bendiciones de Dios y la prosperidad

Meilleurs vœux pour une heureuse année remplie de bénédictions de Dieu et la prospérité

Pagbati para sa manigong Bagong Taon sagana sa Diyos bendisyon at kasaganaan

Die besten Wünsche für ein frohes neues Jahr voller Gottes Segen und Wohlstand

I migliori auguri per un Felice Anno Nuovo pieno di benedizioni di Dio e la Prosperità

2011-12-24T01:56:00.000-08:00

UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN......THE WORD WAS MADFE FLESH AND GOD LIVED AMONGST US!

Xewqat sbieh ghal Milied tassew hieni ta’ Sliem, Ferh u Barka, kif ukoll is-Sena l-Gdida Tajba ta’ Sahha, Risq u Mhabba. Il-Mulej iberikkom.

Wishing you a Very Happy Christmas of Peace, Joy and Blessings, as well as a Happy New Year of Health, Prosperity and Love.

God Bless you.

En vous souhaitant un très joyeux Noël de la Paix, joie et les bénédictions, ainsi que d'une Bonne Année de la santé, la prospérité et l'Amour.
Que Dieu vous bénisse.

Wir wünschen Ihnen ein frohes Weihnachtsfest des Friedens, der Freude und Segen, sowie einen guten Rutsch ins Neue Jahr Gesundheit, Wohlstand und Liebe.
Gott segne Sie.

Vi auguriamo un felice Natale di pace, gioia e benedizioni, così come un Felice Anno Nuovo di salute, prosperità e amore.
Dio vi benedica.

Le deseamos una muy Feliz Navidad de paz, alegría y bendiciones, así como un Feliz Año Nuevo de la Salud, prosperidad y amor.
Dios los bendiga.

2011-12-24T01:51:00.000-08:00

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (VIII)

The time was fulfilled

"The time of the coming of the Messiah has been foretold by the state of the Jewish people, by the state of the pagans, by the state of the temple, by the number of years: it needed four monarchies, the removal of the scepter from Judah and the seventy weeks to coincide, and all this before the second Temple was destroyed." (Blaise Pascal - Pensées 708 and 709.)

The pagans also had the advantage of additional signs; there was a intense focusing of attention, a pinnacle of waiting never before seen in the history of the world exactly around the time when Jesus appeared. It is a proven fact of history: however inexplicable it may seem, that the world's attention, in the first century, was concentrating on a single point, that far-off province of Rome.

This unique feeling of waiting was one which Mary carried above all other in her heart, in her prayers at the Holy of Holies. This was fulfilled for her and for all Christians with the coming of the Savior when the preordained time had come. But for those who have not recognized it, the missing of this rendezvous will long remain a question. As the Talmud itself notes, "All dates that have been calculated for the coming of the Messiah have now passed" (Sanhedrin Treatise 97). And, suffering from this disappointment, the scholars of Israel resort to trying to reinterpret the expectation of the Messiah.

However, the time was fulfilled, and the kingdom of God close at hand (cf. Mk 1:15). The vicissitudes of human existence seemed to be suspended for a second and to stand still when Augustus offered the world one of the rare periods of peace in History, the 25 years of the Pax Romana, as the star announcing the coming of the Prince of Peace shined brightly over Palestine.

Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

2011-12-23T11:15:00.000-08:00

	December 8 - Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

	A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (VII) The astrologers’ expectancy It now seems to be established scientifically that the astrologers from Babylon were also awaiting the birth of the “ruler of the world” from the year 7 B.C. Kepler, one of the fathers of modern astronomy, observed in December 1603 the very bright alignment of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces. With his calculations, he was able to establish that the same phenomenon (which produces an intense and dazzling light in the star-filled heavens) also must have occurred in the year 7 B.C. Then he discovered that an ancient commentary on the Scriptures by the Rabbi Abarbanel recalled that, according to Jewish belief, the Messiah was due to appear precisely at the time when the light from Jupiter and Saturn shone as a single beam in the constellation of Pisces. Yet hardly any significance was attached to Kepler’s discovery simply because it had not been established with certainty that Jesus had been born before the traditional date, following a mistake by Denys Petau. More than two centuries later, the Danish scholar Munter was to discover and decipher a mediaeval Hebraic commentary on the “seventy seven-day periods” in the Book of Daniel which alluded to the belief referred to by Kepler. In 1902, the Planetary Table was published that is today preserved in Berlin: an Egyptian papyrus that contains the exact movements of the planets between 17 B.C. and 10 A.D. This draws attention to the alignment between Jupiter and Saturn in 7 B.C., visible in its entire splendor across the Mediterranean region. Lastly, in 1925, a description of Sippar’s Stellar Calendar was published: a baked earth tablet with cuneiform inscriptions from the ancient settlement of Sippar, on the Euphrates, which was the center of an important school of astrology in Babylon. Remarkably, on this “calendar” are marked all of the heavenly movements and alignments of the year 7 B.C. Why was this? Because, according to the Babylonian astrologers, this alignment that can only be observed every 794 years occurred three times in 7 B.C. ? on May 29, October 1 and December 5. And they considered Jupiter to be the planet of the world’s rulers, Saturn as the planet of those who protect Israel and the constellation of Pisces as the sign of the end of time, that is, the beginning of the Messianic era. (...) Indeed, it is now certain, that between the Tigris and the Euphrates, not only was a Messiah expected that would emerge from Israel, but that amazingly he would be born in an age and at a time that had been predetermined.
	Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

2011-12-23T05:17:00.000-08:00

	December 7 - Vigil of the Immaculate Conception

	A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (VI) The wondrous child proclaimed by the Sibyl of Cumae While the Blessed Virgin was on earth, the Romans’ expectancy may also have been nourished by the great oracle reported by Virgil in the fourth Eclogue of his Bucolics: “We have reached the last era in the oracle of the Sibyl of Cumae: the long sequence of the ages starts afresh. The Virgin comes to dwell with us, and the rule of Saturn is restored. The first born of the new age is already on his way from high heaven. A new-born child born in the reign of the Emperor Augustus shall end the iron race and shall raise a race of gold for the entire world.” The Blessed Virgin from whom the Son of God would come certainly did not know about this oracle, but Jesus, born under the rule of the Emperor Augustus indeed transformed the iron of oppression into love that is symbolized by gold. And at several of the world’s shrines (such as Longpont, Nogent sous Coucy and Chartres) the Virgini Pariturae: the Virgin who is to give birth, was worshipped, amazingly enough even before the birth of Christ.
	Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

2011-12-20T04:16:00.000-08:00

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (V)

Expected by the Romans

While the Blessed Virgin was on earth, the Jews were awaiting their mysterious Christ precisely during this same period of time. But what is even more surprising is to discover that other people were also experiencing a time of waiting at exactly the same time. We have unequivocal testimonies of the most accurate nature on this universal expectancy for the One who was to emerge from Judea.

From two of the greatest Latin historians, Tacitus and Suetonius, we also learn how the Romans were stirred up at the approach of a century which we were to call “the first century after Christ.” Tacitus wrote in his Historiae: “Most were convinced that the ancient books of the priests predicted that, around this time, the East would grow more powerful. And that the rulers of the world would emerge from Judea.” In the same way, Suetonius says, in his Life of Vespasian: “Throughout the East, an idea was gaining currency: the consistent and very ancient view that it was to be written in the world’s destiny that from Judea would emerge the rulers of the world.” These two historians were writing at the end of the first century and at the beginning of the second, without being able to know of the triumph, still to come, of He who would indeed be the “ruler” of the western world.

Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

2011-12-19T02:46:00.000-08:00



	A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (IV) The amazing prophecy of the seventy seven-day periods Through the prophecy of the seventy seven-day periods, Daniel’s prophecy most amazingly describes the coming of the Messiah. This well-known passage in Daniel 9 begins thus: “Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to stop disobedience, and to make an end to sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.” The new world (the iniquity which ceases and is expiated, the sin which is “sealed” and the reign of eternal justice) will come about when Christ has “received his anointing.” It is then that the visions of the prophets will be realized. And all of this will happen after the “70 seven-day periods.” This indication of time, the only one in the whole of the Old Testament has never given rise to excessive controversy among Old Testament interpreters. It is clear that this involves seven-day periods, that is to say periods of seven years, and that it refers to the coming of the Messiah after 490 years. But where should we count from? “From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to re-build Jerusalem,” after the exile in Babylon, according to the Bible. Some experts counted from the decree of Artaxerxes in 458 BC, others from Cyrus in 538 and the liberation of Israel, others still in solar years and others in lunar years. The discovery of parchments from the first century B.C. found at Qumran show that the community living there was preoccupied with signs of the times and that they also made much of the “70 seven-day period” prophecy. They had calculated that the Messianic period would begin in the year 26 B.C. and in view of this expectancy, retired to the desert. There was still a small “error” of 20 years in their calculations; according to Hugh Schonfield: “We can clearly see today the degree to which, almost with pinpoint accuracy, Jesus could proclaim at the beginning of his mission: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand” (Mk 1:15).
	Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

2011-12-18T14:37:00.000-08:00

	December 4 - The Immaculate of Sameiro (Portugal)

	A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (III) “In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed” The second important prophecy foretelling the time of the Messiah’s coming could be found in the last book of the Old Testament, Daniel, which, by the time of the Virgin Mary, had already been put together and read in that form for two centuries. In Chapter 2, the book recounts the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in which he sees a stone shattering a great statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay. The king is troubled and cannot sleep until Daniel is able to interpret it correctly for him: “After you another kingdom inferior to you shall arise; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, (...) shall it break in pieces and crush…” (...) “As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.” (...) “In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty of it be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever…” (...) “The great God has made known to the king what shall happen hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation of it sure” (Dan 2:39-45). Now, after Nebuchadnezzar came the Persians aided by the Medes, then the Greeks who, under Alexander, dominated the whole earth, then the Romans, who by means of iron, reduced all their adversaries to dust, until, in the first century, Israel was divided between the iron of Rome and the clay of Herod. The stone which was to break the statue was to become a huge mountain that would fill the whole earth. The humble Virgin, mother of Our Lord, perhaps had an inkling of the lowly beginnings of this Messianic kingdom which “would never be destroyed and would remain forever” - reflecting, like Blaise Pascal who was to write about the prophecy of the little stone that became a mountain, “It was foretold that Jesus Christ was to have lowly beginnings and would grow in stature.”
	Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

2011-12-18T00:06:00.000-08:00

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (III)

“In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed”

The second important prophecy foretelling the time of the Messiah’s coming could be found in the last book of the Old Testament, Daniel, which, by the time of the Virgin Mary, had already been put together and read in that form for two centuries. In Chapter 2, the book recounts the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in which he sees a stone shattering a great statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay. The king is troubled and cannot sleep until Daniel is able to interpret it correctly for him: “After you another kingdom inferior to you shall arise; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, (...) shall it break in pieces and crush…” (...) “As the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.” (...) “In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty of it be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever…” (...) “The great God has made known to the king what shall happen hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation of it sure” (Dan 2:39-45).

Now, after Nebuchadnezzar came the Persians aided by the Medes, then the Greeks who, under Alexander, dominated the whole earth, then the Romans, who by means of iron, reduced all their adversaries to dust, until, in the first century, Israel was divided between the iron of Rome and the clay of Herod. The stone which was to break the statue was to become a huge mountain that would fill the whole earth. The humble Virgin, mother of Our Lord, perhaps had an inkling of the lowly beginnings of this Messianic kingdom which “would never be destroyed and would remain forever” - reflecting, like Blaise Pascal who was to write about the prophecy of the little stone that became a mountain, “It was foretold that Jesus Christ was to have lowly beginnings and would grow in stature.”

Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

2011-12-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (II)

"The scepter shall not pass from Judah until tribute be brought him"

The first of the prophecies foretelling the coming of the Messiah is found in Genesis (Gen 49:1-10) when Jacob, the son of Isaac, blesses his son before his death. "Gather round, so that I can tell you what is in store for you in the final days." And he continues, "The scepter shall not pass from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute be brought him and the peoples render him obedience." This passage which has always had Messianic significance for the exegetes of Israel, took on new significance at the time of the Blessed Virgin, after Herod 1st had been made King of Judea, bringing to an end the Jewish Hasmonean dynasty.

From then on, the Jews of Israel would be governed by an Edomite, the son of a Nabatean woman, who came from an Arabian tribe; even though he had converted officially to Judaism, Herod was a friend of the Romans. Judea thus became a vassal province of Rome and remained so until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. When Octavius confirmed Herod 1st as the King of Judea, Samaria, Idumea and Galilee, also offering him the Golan plateau and the cities bordering the Mediterranean which he had been formerly compelled to give to Cleopatra, an earthquake struck Jerusalem and claimed 10,000 victims. With the accession of Herod 1st, authority passed to the Romans and the sign presaging the coming of the Messiah was fulfilled because the scepter had left Judea for good. Thus the Jews could now quite rightly reply to Pilate at Christ's trial, "We have no king except Caesar" (Jn 19:15).

Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

2011-12-16T03:46:00.000-08:00



	A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (I) While the Blessed Virgin was on earth, all Israel was awaiting "the One to come" When she was a little child, the Virgin Mary waited, in the midst of her people Israel, for the coming of the Messiah, who had been heralded not just by only one prophet, but by a long succession of men who, as time went by over the centuries, foretold and kept adding to previous prophecies. She waited in the midst of a small nation, tossed by history, which had survived every confrontation with the empires surrounding it and which was to remain the only nation that was able to resist the break-up of the ancient world and to preserve its identity intact. Israel always held on to the unshakeable knowledge that it was destined to be the instrument of divine providence and have a global significance. The time of the Messiah's coming, clearly yet mysteriously heralded by the prophets, was constantly sought. And this period of expectancy and fulfillment had become so clearly defined and precise at this particular moment in history, that more than 100 Messianic candidates had been identified by the historians. "As the people were in expectation" (Lk 3:15) when John the Baptist appeared, they all asked him, "Are you He who is to come, or shall we look for another?" (Lk 7:19). This was an absolutely unique period in history, and, according to many experts, this singular aspect of Christianity is, of itself, sufficient to set it apart in the religious history of the world.
	Source: Jesus Hypotheses by Vittorio Messori, Saint Paul Pubns. (1978)

2011-12-02T01:17:00.000-08:00

DECEMBER 2011

•Thursday, December 1, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 7,21.24-27

•Friday, December 2, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 9,27-31

•Saturday, December 3, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 9,35 - 10,1.5-8

•Sunday, December 4, 2011

Lectio: 2nd Sunday of Advent (B)

•Monday, December 5, 2011

Lectio: Luke 5,17-26

•Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 18,12-14

•Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 11, 28-30

•Thursday, December 8, 2011

Lectio: Immaculate Conception of the B.V.Mary

•Friday, December 9, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 11,16-19

•Saturday, December 10, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 17,10-13

•Sunday, December 11, 2011

Lectio: 3rd Sunday of Advent (B)

•Monday, December 12, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 21,23-27

•Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 21,28-32

•Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Lectio: Luke 7: 19-23

•Thursday, December 15, 2011

Lectio: Luke 7, 24-30

•Friday, December 16, 2011

Lectio: John 5, 33-36

•Saturday, December 17, 2011

Lectio: Matthew 1,1-17

•Sunday, December 18, 2011

Lectio: 4th Sunday of Advent (B)

•Monday, December 19, 2011

Lectio: Luke 1,5-25

•Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Lectio: Luke 1: 26-38

•Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Lectio: Luke 1:39-45

•Thursday, December 22, 2011

Lectio: Luke 1,46-56

•Friday, December 23, 2011

Lectio: Luke 1,57-66

•Saturday, December 24, 2011

Lectio: Luke 1,67-79

•Sunday, December 25, 2011

Lectio: The Birth of Our Lord (B)

•Monday, December 26, 2011

Lectio: St. Stephen, first martyr - Mt. 10:17-22

•Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Lectio: St. John the Apostle

•Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Lectio: The Holy Innocents - Mt 2:13-18

•Thursday, December 29, 2011

Lectio: Luke 2,22-35

•Friday, December 30, 2011

Lectio: Luke 2,36-40

•Saturday, December 31, 2011

Lectio: John 1,1-18

2011-11-01T02:56:00.000-07:00

BLESSED ARE YOU BECAUSE YOU BELIEVED
Notice that Elizabeth talks about Mary's blessedness: "Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled" (Lk 1:45).
If being blessed is in conformity with perfect virtue of spirit, then Mary was most blessed, for she was full of virtues and grace. She was so prudent and had such great faith that she became the foundation and pillar of the whole Church.
Through the Son she conceived, she found the truth; through knowledge, she came to dwell in the truth; and by the Son's taking flesh, the truth came to dwell in her. Genesis 28:16 says, "Surely the Lord is in this place." Because God has made this place an unfathomable mystery.
While the truth dwells in the hearts of the faithful, in the Blessed Virgin the truth also dwelled in her womb. So let us give no sleep to our eye, to our eyelids let us give no slumber, until we find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob (cf. PS 131:4-5).

Excerpt from St Albert the Great, In Lucam 1, 45; ed. Borgnet, 22:122

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.
Amen.

NOVEMBER 2011

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Lectio: All Saints - Matthew 5,1-12a
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Lectio: All souls - John 6,37-40
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Lectio: Luke 15,1-10
Friday, November 4, 2011
Lectio: Luke 16,1-8
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Lectio: Luke 16,9-15
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Lectio: 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
Monday, November 7, 2011
Lectio: Luke 17,1-6
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Lectio: Luke 17,7-10
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Lectio: Luke 17,20-25
Friday, November 11, 2011
Lectio: Luke 17,26-37
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Lectio: Luke 18,1-8
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Lectio: 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
Monday, November 14, 2011
Lectio: Luke 18,35-43
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Lectio: Luke 19,1-10
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Lectio: Luke 19,11-28
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Lectio: Luke 19,41-44
Friday, November 18, 2011
Lectio: Luke 19,45-48
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Lectio: Luke 20,27-40
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Lectio: Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (A)
Monday, November 21, 2011
Lectio: Luke 21,1-4
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Lectio: Luke 21,5-11
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Lectio: Luke 21,12-19
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Lectio: Luke 21,20-28
Friday, November 25, 2011
Lectio: Luke 21,29-33
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Lectio: Luke 21,34-36
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Lectio: 1st Sunday of Advent (B)
Monday, November 28, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 8,5-11
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Lectio: St. Andrew, the Apostle

2011-10-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

The Rosary of the Virgin Mary
The Rosary of the Virgin Mary, which gradually took form in the second millennium under the guidance of the Spirit of God, is a prayer loved by countless saints and encouraged by the Magisterium. Simple yet profound, it still remains, at the dawn of this third millennium, a prayer of great significance, destined to bring forth a harvest of holiness.

It blends easily into the spiritual journey of the Christian life, which, after two thousand years, has lost none of the freshness of its beginnings and feels drawn by the Spirit of God to “set out into the deep” (duc in altum!) in order once more to proclaim, and even cry out, before the world that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, “the way, and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6), “the goal of human history and the point on which the desires of history and civilization turn.”

John Paul II :
Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, #1 (October 2002)

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Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.
Amen.

2011-10-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

October 2011
1 Lectio: Luke 10,17-24
2 Lectio: 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time
3 Lectio: Luke 10,25-37
4 Lectio: Luke 10,38-42
5 Lectio: Luke 11:1-4
6 Lectio: Luke 11,5-13
7 Lectio: Our Lady of the Rosary - Lk 1,26-38
8 Lectio: Luke 11,27-28

9 Lectio: 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
10 Lectio: Luke 11,29-32
11 Lectio: Luke 11,37-41
12 Lectio: Luke 11,42-46
13 Lectio: Luke 11,47-54
14 Lectio: Luke 12,1-7
15 Lectio: Luke 12,8-12

16 Lectio: 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
17 Lectio: Luke 12,13-21
18 Lectio: St. Luke - Luke 10,1-9
19 Lectio: Luke 12,39-48
20 Lectio: Luke 12,49-53
21 Lectio: Luke 12,54-59
22 Lectio: Luke 13,1-9

23 Lectio: 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
24 Lectio: Luke 13,10-17
25 Lectio: Luke 13,18-21
26 Lectio: Luke 13,22-30
27 Lectio: Luke 13,31-35
28 Lectio: Saints Simon and Jude, apostles - Luke 6,12-19
29 Lectio: Luke 14,1.7-11

30 Lectio: 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
31 Lectio: Luke 14,12-14

2011-09-01T00:09:00.000-07:00

SEPTEMBER 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Lectio: Luke 5,1-11
Friday, September 2, 2011
Lectio: Luke 5,33-39
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Lectio: Luke 6,1-5
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Lectio: 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
Monday, September 5, 2011
Lectio: Luke 6,6-11
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Lectio: Luke 6,12-19
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Lectio: Luke 6,20-26
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Lectio: Birthday of Mary - Mt.1,1-16.18-23
Friday, September 9, 2011
Lectio: Luke 6,39-42
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Lectio: Luke 6,43-49
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Lectio: 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
Monday, September 12, 2011
Lectio: Luke 7,1-10
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Lectio: Luke 7,11-17
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Lectio: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross - Jn. 3,13-17
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Lectio: Luke 7,36-50
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Lectio: Our Lady of Sorrows
Friday, September 16, 2011
Lectio: Luke 8,1-3
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Lectio: Luke 8,4-15
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Lectio: 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
Monday, September 19, 2011
Lectio: Luke 8,16-18
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Lectio: Luke 8,19-21
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Lectio: St. Matthew, the Evangelist - Mt 9,9-13
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Lectio: Luke 9,7-9
Friday, September 23, 2011
Lectio: Luke 9,18-22
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Lectio: Luke 9,43b-45
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Lectio: 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
Monday, September 26, 2011
Lectio: Luke 9,46-50
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Lectio: Luke 9,51-56
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Lectio: Luke 9, 57-62
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Lectio: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels
Friday, September 30, 2011
Lectio: Luke 10,13-16

2011-08-01T01:57:00.000-07:00



	Prayer to My Mother Mary Most Holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary, to you who are the Mother of my Lord, the Queen of the universe, the advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners, I who am the most miserable of all sinners, have recourse this day. I venerate you, great Queen, and I thank you for the many graces you have bestowed upon me even unto this day; in particular for having delivered me from the hell which I have so often deserved by my sins. I love you, most dear Lady; and for the love I bear you, I promise to serve you willingly forever and to do what I can to make you loved by others also. I place in you all my hopes for salvation; accept me as your servant and shelter me under your mantle, you who are the Mother of mercy. And since you are so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or at least obtain for me the strength to overcome them until death. From you I implore a true love for Jesus Christ. Through you I hope to die a holy death. My dear Mother, by the love you bear to Almighty God, I pray you to assist me always, but most of all at the last moment of my life. Forsake me not then, until you shall see me safe in heaven, there to bless you and sing of your mercies through all eternity. Such is my hope. Amen.
	Saint Alphonsus de Liguori From the Glories of Mary

2011-07-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

AUGUST 2011

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	1 Lectio: Matthew 14,22-36	2 Lectio: Matthew 15,1-2.10-14	3 Lectio: Matthew 15,21-28	4 Lectio: Matthew 16,13-23	5 Lectio: Matthew 16,24-28	6 Lectio:The Transfiguration of the Lord
7 Lectio: 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)	8 Lectio: Matthew 17,22-27	9 Lectio: Matthew 18,1-5.10.12-14	10 Lectio: St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr - Jn. 12,24-26	11 Lectio: Matthew 18,21-19,1	12 Lectio: Matthew 19,3-12	13 Lectio: Matthew 19,13-15
14 Lectio: 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)	15 Lectio:The Assumption of Our Lady	16 Lectio: Matthew 19,23-30	17 Lectio: Matthew 20,1-16a	18 Lectio: Matthew 22,1-14	19 Lectio: Matthew 22,34-40	20 Lectio: Matthew 23,1-12
21 Lectio: 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)	22 Lectio: The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary	23 Lectio: Matthew 23,23-26	24 Lectio: St. Bartholomew, Apostle	25 Lectio: Matthew 24,42-51	26 Lectio: Matthew 25,1-13	27 Lectio: Matthew 25,14-30
28 Lectio: 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)	29 Lectio: The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist	30 Lectio: Luke 4,31-37	31 Lectio: Luke 4,38-44

2011-07-09T02:06:00.000-07:00

Public Revelation of the Third Part of the Secret of Fatima

Sister Lucia of Fatima wrote the third part of the secret revealed at the Cova da Iria-Fatima, on 13 July 1917 “in obedience to you, my God, who command me to do so through his Excellency the Bishop of Leiria and through your Most Holy Mother and mine.”

“After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendor that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand. Pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice, 'Penance, Penance, Penance!' and we saw in an immense light that is God, 'something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it' a Bishop dressed in White 'we had the impression that it was the Holy Father'.”

“Other bishops, priests, and religious men and women were going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the dead bodies he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way the bishops, priests, and religious and various lay people of different ranks and positions died one after another. Beneath the two arms of the Cross stood two Angels each holding a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with which they sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.”

Written by Sister Lucia in Tuy, Portugal on 3 January 1944
Publicly revealed by the request of John Paul II on 26 June 2000

2011-07-03T01:16:00.000-07:00

July 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Lectio: The Sacred Heart of Jesus (A)

Saturday, July 2, 2011
Lectio: Sacred Heart of Mary
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Lectio: 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
Monday, July 4, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 9,18-26
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 9,32-38
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 10,1-7
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 10,7-15
Friday, July 8, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 10,16-23
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 10,24-33
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Lectio: 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
Monday, July 11, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 10,34 - 11,1
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 11,20-24
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 11,25-27
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 11, 28-30
Friday, July 15, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 12,1-8
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Lectio: The B.V. Mary of Mount Carmel - John 19,25-27
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Lectio: 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
Monday, July 18, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 12,38-42
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 12,46-50
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 13,1-9
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 13,10-17
Friday, July 22, 2011
Lectio: Saint Mary Magdalene
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 13, 24-30
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Lectio: 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)
Monday, July 25, 2011
Lectio: Saint James, apostle
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Lectio: Saints Joachim and Ann, parents of Mary
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 13,44-46
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 13,47-53
Friday, July 29, 2011
Lectio: St. Martha - Lk. 10,38-42
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 14,1-12
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Lectio: 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A)

2011-06-04T02:09:00.000-07:00

JUNE 20011

Mary Has a Role in Jesus’ Saving Mission

“Now, Master, you are letting your servant go in peace as you promised; for my eyes have seen the salvation which you have made ready in the sight of the nations; a light of revelation for the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel.” (Lk 2:32) Mary and Joseph are astounded when Simeon proclaims Jesus as a “light of revelation for the Gentiles”. Mary, instead, with reference to the prophecy of the sword that would pierce her heart, says nothing. Together with Joseph, she accepts in silence those mysterious words which predict a deeply sorrowful trial and give the Presentation of Jesus its deepest meaning. Indeed, according to the divine plan the sacrifice offered then “in accordance with what is prescribed in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons” (Lk 2:24), prefigured the sacrifice of Jesus, “for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29); in it the true “presentation” would be made (cf. Lk 2:22), which would see the Mother associated with her Son in the work of Redemption.

Simeon’s prophecy is followed by the meeting with the prophetess Anna: “She began to praise God, and spoke of the child to all who were looking forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem” (Lk 2:38). The faith and prophetic wisdom of the old woman who nurtures the expectation of the Messiah by “serving God night and day with fasting and prayer” (Lk 2:37), offer the Holy Family a further incentive to put their hope in the God of Israel. At this particular moment, Anna’s behavior would have appeared to Mary and Joseph as a sign from the Lord, a message of enlightened faith and persevering service. Beginning with Simeon’s prophecy, Mary intensely and mysteriously unites her life with Christ’s sorrowful mission: she is to become her Son's faithful coworker for the salvation of the human race.
Pope John Paul II

General Audience, December 18, 1996

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

2011-05-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

One Hand Pulled the Trigger, Another Guided the Bullet
On May 13, the Holy Father had lunched with Professor Jerome Lejeune, his wife and another guest, then he peacefully made his way to Saint Peter’s Square for the General Audience. While he made a tour of the square and approached the bronze door, the Turk Mehmet Ali Agça fired a shot at him, wounding him in abdomen, the right elbow and his left hand index finger. The bullet hit his index finger before entering the abdomen. I was sitting behind the Holy Father as usual, and the bullet, in spite of its force, fell between us, in the car, at my feet. The other wounded his right elbow, burning his skin and went on to wound other people. What did I think? Nobody believed that such a thing was possible. As I was so upset, I did not understand what was happening immediately. The noise had been deafening. All the pigeons flew away. Somebody had fired a shot. Who could it be? Then I saw that the Holy Father was hit. He looked unsteady, but nobody saw any blood or wounds on him. So I asked, “Where?” He answered me, “In the abdomen.” And I asked, “Is it painful?” He answered, “Yes”. The Holy Father was with half sitting, half leaning on me in the car, and this is how the ambulance found him. The Holy Father did not look at us. His eyes were closed, he was in great pain and kept repeating short prayers. If I remember correctly, he said: “Mary, my mother! Mary, my mother!” Dr. Buzzonetti, a male nurse and Brother Camillus were with me in the ambulance. It drove very fast, without a police escort. The siren broke down after a few hundred meters. The journey that would usually have taken at least half an hour took us eight minutes, and in Roman traffic! Later, the Holy Father told me that he had remained conscious all the way to the hospital, and that he had lost consciousness only there. He said that he had been convinced all the while that his wounds were not fatal.
Two hundred Poles had brought an image of Our Lady of Czestochowa with them from Poland, and they had set it on the ground in front of the Pope’s chair while they prayed for him with all their might. The operation lasted five hours and twenty minutes. The pope’s condition was considered very serious. His tension was extremely low. Bishop Dziwisz gave him extreme unction. “But hope gradually returned during the operation. At the beginning, we were all very nervous. Then we realized little by little that no vital organ had been touched, and that the pope could survive”. The pope had lost the three quarters of his blood, and a blood transfusion could transmit a virus to him. He remained in reanimation for a long time, but five days after the attack, adopting a Polish proverb, he declared, “One hand pulled the trigger, another guided the bullet.” He asked the bishop of Fatima who was in Rome to come to speak to him in the hospital about the Virgin’s message and as the bells rang the Angelus the following Sunday, in a message recorded in the pope’s hospital room, he entrusted humanity to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. One year later, on May 13, 1982, he went to give thanks to the Virgin in Fatima and one of the bullets was inserted in the crown of the statue of the Virgin. Finally, on March 25, 1984, he consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in union with all the bishops of the world, as requested by the Virgin. Russia was freed without bloodshed from Communism right afterwards. In Fatima on May 13, 2000, at the time of the beatification of the two little Portuguese shepherds from Fatima, Jacinta and Francisco, he revealed the contents of the “third secret” of Fatima, concerning the sufferings of the Church and “the bishop dressed in white”, struck by the “blasts of a fire arm” - indicating that he believed the message alludes to the attempt on is life of May 13, 1981. Again, in the presence of the original statue of the Virgin of Fatima on October 8, 2000, at the time of the Bishops’ Jubilee, the Pope proclaimed at Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican the “Act of Entrustment” to Mary, during which he entrusted the Third Millennium to the protection of the Mother of Christ.
According to the testimony of Bishop Stanislas Dziwisz, told by André Frossard in “Do not Be Afraid. Conversations with John Paul II” (N'ayez pas peur. Dialogue avec Jean-Paul II), Robert Laffont, Paris, 1982
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

2011-05-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

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2011-05-01T23:45:00.000-07:00

Who Equals Her Greatness?

O noble Virgin, you are truly great above all greatness! Who equals you in greatness? What can equal you, O temple of God’s Word? O Virgin with whom shall I compare you among all creatures? You are so much greater than all creation put together. Shall I compare you to the earth and its fruit? You exceed them... If I say that God’s angels and archangels are great, you are greater than them all. Because angels and archangels are merely the trembling servants of the One who lived in your womb.

Saint Athanasius of Alexandria

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

2011-04-04T00:33:00.000-07:00

I Love You with an Infinite Love

After describing Christ’s sufferings, Mary said to Saint Bridget, “This is what my Son endured for you.

” Then the saint heard Jesus’ voice from the cross say to her, “I love you with an infinite love. Rather than be deprived of your soul, I would endure My death and My Passion for you alone.”

From the Blessed Virgin according to Saint Bridget of Sweden,

Saint Bridget and Her Book: Birgitta of Sweden's Revelations Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

2011-04-03T00:52:00.000-07:00

APRIL 2011 Friday, April 1, 2011 Lectio: Mark 12,28b-34 Saturday, April 2, 2011 Lectio: Luke 18,9-14 Sunday, April 3, 2011 Lectio: 4th Sunday of Lent Monday, April 4, 2011 Lectio: John 4,43-54 Tuesday, April 5, 2011 Lectio: John 5,1-16 Wednesday, April 6, 2011 Lectio: John 5,17-30 Thursday, April 7, 2011 Lectio: John 5,31-47 Friday, April 8, 2011 Lectio: John 7, 1-2.10.25-30 Saturday, April 9, 2011 Lectio: John 7,40-53 Sunday, April 10, 2011 Lectio: 5th Sunday of Lent Monday, April 11, 2011 Lectio: John 8,1-11 Tuesday, April 12, 2011 Lectio: John 8,21-30 Wednesday, April 13, 2011 Lectio: John 8,31-42 Thursday, April 14, 2011 Lectio: John 8, 51-59 Friday, April 15, 2011 Lectio: John 10,31-42 Saturday, April 16, 2011 Lectio: John 11,45-56 Sunday, April 17, 2011 Lectio: Palm Sunday Monday, April 18, 2011 Lectio: John 12,1-11 Tuesday, April 19, 2011 Lectio: John 13,21-33.36-38 Wednesday, April 20, 2011 Lectio: Matthew 26,14-25 Thursday, April 21, 2011 Lectio: Holy Thursday Friday, April 22, 2011 Lectio: Good Friday Sunday, April 24, 2011 Lectio: Easter of the Resurrection of the Lord Sunday, April 24, 2011 Lectio: The Resurrection of the Lord Monday, April 25, 2011 Lectio: Matthew 28,8-15 Tuesday, April 26, 2011 Lectio: John 20,11-18 Wednesday, April 27, 2011 Lectio: Luke 24,13-35 Thursday, April 28, 2011 Lectio: Luke 24,35-48 Friday, April 29, 2011 Lectio: John 21,1-14 Saturday, April 30, 2011 Lectio: Mark 16,9-15

2011-03-02T13:39:00.000-08:00

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I am astonished that there are people that actually raise this question: “Should one or should one not call the Blessed Virgin the Mother of God”? Because if Our Lord Jesus Christ is God, how could the Virgin who gave birth to Him not be the Mother of God? This is the belief that has been passed down to us by the Holy Apostles, even if they did not use this specific term. This is the teaching that we have received from the Holy Fathers... The Blessed Virgin is truly the Mother of God since she supernaturally gave birth to the Christ, the Savior, who has taken on our flesh and our blood, and who on the human level, comes from the same substance as His Mother and ourselves. At the same time, He is on the divine, consubstantial level of God the Father, i.e. His substance is that of the Father and not "like" that of the Father.
St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen

2011-02-01T23:41:00.000-08:00

Mary came to the Temple with Her Son
It was the day of the Purification of the Virgin. I was in Foligno, in the church of the Minor Brothers. I heard a voice speaking to me, "This is the time when Mary, Virgin and Queen, came to the temple with her Son." I listened with great love in my soul. And having listened, I was charmed. Then, in my rapture I saw the Queen enter, and I went up to her, trembling with respect. Suddenly I hesitated; I was afraid to go any closer. She reassured me and held Jesus out to me. She said, "You love my Son, so take the One that you love." She placed Him in my arms. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes. His eyes were closed as if in sleep. The Queen sat down, as though she were very tired. Her gestures were so beautiful, her attitude was so marvellous, her entire person so noble and the sight of her was so sublime that my eyes could not remain fixed on Jesus alone, and were forced to look at His mother as well. Suddenly the child awoke in my arms, his clothes had come loose. Jesus opened His eyes and looked at me. His glance absolutely overwhelmed me. Splendor came out from His eyes and His joy shone like a blinding flame. Then He appeared to me in His unutterable and immense majesty, and He said to me, "The one who has not seen me small will not see me great." He added: "I came to you, and I give myself to you so that you offer yourself to me."
Blessed Angela de Foligny

Book of Visions and Instructions # 45

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen

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2011-01-01T01:38:00.000-08:00

A HAPPY and BLESSED NEW YEAR TO ALL

January 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011Lectio: Solemnity of the Mother of God
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Lectio: 2nd Sunday after Christmas
Monday, January 3, 2011
Lectio: John 1,29-34
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Lectio: John 1, 35-42
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Lectio: John 1,43-51
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Lectio: Epiphany of the Lord
Friday, January 7, 2011
Lectio: Matthew 4,12-17.23-25
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Lectio: Mark 6,34-44
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Lectio: The Baptism of the Lord
Monday, January 10, 2011
Lectio: Mark 1,14-20
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Lectio: Mark 1,21b-28
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Lectio: Mark 1,29-39
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Lectio: Mark 1,40-45
Friday, January 14, 2011
Lectio: Mark 2,1-12
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Lectio: Mark 2,13-17Sunday, January 16, 2011
Lectio: 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Monday, January 17, 2011
Lectio: Mark 2,18-22
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Lectio: Mark 2,23-28
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Lectio: Mark 3,1-6
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Lectio: Mark 3,7-12
Friday, January 21, 2011
Lectio: Mark 3,13-19
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Lectio: Mark 3,20-21
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Lectio: 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Monday, January 24, 2011
Lectio: Mark 3,22-30
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Lectio: Conversion of Saint Paul
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Lectio: Mark 4,1-20
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Lectio: Mark 4,21-25
Friday, January 28, 2011
Lectio: Mark 4,26-34
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Lectio: Mark 4,35-41
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Lectio; 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Monday, January 31, 2011
Lectio: Mark 5,1-20

2011-01-01T01:33:00.000-08:00

Mary Walks with Her Son’s Priests
One of my earliest memories is of my mother teaching me the Hail Mary and explaining a picture of the Blessed Mother in a book of prayers. The memory has stayed with me. The sense of Mary’s presence in my life that began in that moment has stayed with me as well. As a child, I did not know or fully appreciate that Mary, the mother of Jesus, would be a steady and faithful companion to me on my spiritual journey. In retrospect, it makes all the sense in the world. As I studied theology and, more particularly, spirituality, I understood the communion sanctorum and Mary’s privileged place in that great communion. I can clearly say that she has walked with me as my faith has unfolded. She has been a most extraordinary companion in the course of my priestly ministry and life. (...) The words of Father Gerard Manley Hopkins in his poem, “The Blessed Virgin Compared to the Air We Breathe” express for me the wonder of her companionship: .... I say that we are woundWith mercy round and roundAs if with air: the sameIs Mary, more by name,She, wild web, wondrous robe,Mantles the guilty globe,Since God has let dispenseHer prayers his providence...

Rev. Louis J. Cameli,

in Behold Your Mother: Priests Speak about Mary,

Rossetti, Ave Maria Press, 2007, pp. 61 & 74.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

2010-12-24T00:58:00.000-08:00

CHRISTUS NATUS EST NOBIS!
VENITE ADOREMUS!
NATALE HILARE ET ANNUM FAUSTUM
25.XII.2010

FERNANDO PRIOR GENERALIS
DOMUSQUE GENERALIS COMMUNITAS

2010-12-24T00:42:00.000-08:00

A HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL THAT BRINGS TO EACH AND EVERYONE THE PEACE, JOY, LOVE AND BLESSINGS THAT ONLY THE DIVINE BABE CAN BESTOW.

Hymn on the Night of the Nativity
Pure is the present night, in which the Pure One appeared, who came to purify us! Let our hearing be pure, and the sight of our eyes chaste, and the feeling of the heart holy, and the speech of the mouth sincere! The present night is the night of reconciliation; therefore, let no one be wroth against his brother and offend him! This night gave peace to the whole world, and so, let no one threaten. This is the night of the Most Meek One; let no one be cruel! This is the night of the Humble One; let no one be proud! Now is the day of joy; let us not take revenge for offences! Now is the day of good will; let us not be harsh. On this day of tranquillity, let us not become agitated by anger! Today God came unto sinners; let not the righteous exalt him over sinners! Today the Most Rich One became poor for our sake; let the rich man invite the poor to his table! Today we received a gift which we did not ask for; let us bestow alms to those who cry out to us and beg! The present day has opened the door of heaven to our prayers; let us also open our door to those who ask of us forgiveness! Today the Godhead placed upon Himself the seal of humanity, and humanity has been adorned with the seal of the Godhead!

Saint Ephraim the Syrian

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

2010-12-02T06:08:00.000-08:00

DECEMBER 2010

Lectio: St. Andrew, the Apostle
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 15,29-37
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 7,21.24-27
Friday, December 3, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 9,27-31
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 9,35 - 10,1.5-8
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Lectio: 2nd Sunday of Advent
Monday, December 6, 2010
Lectio: Luke 5,17-26
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 18,12-14
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Lectio: Immaculate Conception of the B.V.Mary
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 11,11-15
Friday, December 10, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 11,16-19
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 17,10-13
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Lectio: Third Sunday of Advent
Monday, December 13, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 21,23-27
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 21,28-32
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Lectio: Luke 7: 19-23
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Lectio: Luke 7, 24-30
Friday, December 17, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 1,1-17
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 1,18-24
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Lectio: 4th Sunday of Advent
Monday, December 20, 2010
Lectio: Luke 1: 26-38
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Lectio: Luke 1:39-45
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Lectio: Luke 1,46-56
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Lectio: Luke 1,57-66
Friday, December 24, 2010
Lectio: Luke 1,67-79
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Lectio: THE BIRTH OF THE LORD
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Lectio: THE HOLY FAMILY
Monday, December 27, 2010
Lectio: St. John the Apostle
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 2:13-18
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Lectio: Luke 2,22-35
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Lectio: Luke 2,36-40
Friday, December 31, 2010
Lectio: John 1,1-18

2010-11-01T01:31:00.000-07:00

Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Purgatory
Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been related with Purgatory from centuries ago. In some cases, she is showed accompanied with angels and souls wearing Brown Scapulars, pleading for her mediation, though in 1613 the Church forbade such images to be made, due to erroneous doctrine that was being preached about the Scapular privileges ("the Sabbatine Privilege").

That privilege appears in a Decree of the Holy Office (1613), and later was inserted in its entirety (except for the words forbidding the painting of the pictures) into the list of the indulgences and privileges of the Confraternity of the Scapular of Mount Carmel.

Today, the Carmelite Orders, while encouraging a belief in Mary's general aid and prayerful assistance for their souls beyond death and commending devotion to Mary especially on Saturdays which are dedicated to her, explicitly state in their official catechetical materials that they do not promulgate the Sabbatine privilege, and are at one with official Church teaching on the matter.

2010-11-01T01:25:00.000-07:00

Click on the particular date to follow the day's lectio.

November 2010
Lectio: All Saints - Matthew 5,1-12a
Monday, November 1, 2010
Lectio: All souls - John 6,37-40
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Lectio: Luke 14,25-33
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Lectio: Luke 15,1-10
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Lectio: Luke 16,1-8
Friday, November 5, 2010
Lectio: Luke 16,9-15
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Lectio: 32nd Sunday of ordinary time
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Lectio: Luke 17,1-6
Monday, November 8, 2010
Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Lectio: Luke 17,11-19
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Lectio: Luke 17,20-25
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Lectio: Luke 17,26-37
Friday, November 12, 2010
Lectio: Luke 18,1-8
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Lectio: 33rd Sunday of ordinary time
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Lectio: Luke 18,35-43
Monday, November 15, 2010
Lectio: Luke 19,1-10
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Lectio: Luke 19,11-28
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Lectio: Luke 19,41-44
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Lectio: Luke 19,45-48
Friday, November 19, 2010
Lectio: Luke 20,27-40
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Lectio: Christ the King
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Lectio: Luke 21,1-4
Monday, November 22, 2010
Lectio: Luke 21,5-11
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Lectio: Luke 21,12-19
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Lectio: Luke 21,20-28
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Lectio: Luke 21,29-33
Friday, November 26, 2010
Lectio: Luke 21,34-36
Saturday, November 27, 2010

THE THEOTOKOS

2010-10-01T01:27:00.000-07:00

The Faith of the Fathers Concerning the Holy Virgin: The Theotokos

It is then an integral portion of the Faith fixed by Ecumenical Council, a portion of it which you hold us well as I, that the Blessed Virgin is Theotocos, Deipara, or Mother of God; and this word, when thus used, carries with it no admixture of rhetoric, no taint of extravagant affection,—it has nothing else but a well-weighed, grave, dogmatic sense, which corresponds and is adequate to its sound. It intends to express that God is her Son, as truly as any one of us is the son of his own mother. If this be so, what can be said of any creature whatever, which may not be said of her? what can be said too much, so that it does not compromise the attributes of the Creator? He indeed might have created a being more perfect, more admirable, than she is; He might have endued that being, so created, with a richer grant of grace, of power, of blessedness: but in one respect she surpasses all even possible creations, viz., that she is Mother of her Creator.

This being the faith of the Fathers about the Blessed Virgin, we need not wonder that it should in no long time be transmuted into devotion. No wonder if their language should become unmeasured, when so great a term as "Mother of God" had been formally set down as the safe limit of it. No wonder if it should be stronger and stronger as time went on, since only in a long period could the fullness of its import be exhausted. The current of thought in those early ages did uniformly tend to make much of the Blessed Virgin and to increase her honours, not to circumscribe them. Little jealousy was shown of her in those times; but, when any such niggardness of affection occurred, then one Father or other fell upon the offender, with zeal, not to say with fierceness.
John Henri Newman Letter to Pusey, 1865

MULTIMEDIA : Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber (1644-1704) - Rosary Sonatas - Annunciation

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

2010-10-01T01:15:00.000-07:00

October 2010
Lectio: St. Theresa - Luke 10,13-16
Friday, October 1, 2010
Lectio: Guardian Angels - Matthew 18,1-5.10
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Lectio: 27th Sunday of ordinary time
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Lectio: Luke 10,25-37
Monday, October 4, 2010
Lectio: Luke 10,38-42
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Lectio: Luke 1,26-38
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Lectio: Luke 11,5-13
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Lectio: Luke 11,15-26
Friday, October 8, 2010
Lectio: Luke 11,27-28
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Lectio: 28th Sunday of ordinary time
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Lectio: Luke 11,29-32
Monday, October 11, 2010
Lectio: Luke 11,37-41
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Lectio: Luke 11,42-46
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Lectio: Luke 11,47-54
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Lectio: Luke 12,1-7
Friday, October 15, 2010
Lectio: Luke 12,8-12
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Lectio: 29th Sunday of ordinary time
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Lectio: St. Luke - Luke 10,1-9
Monday, October 18, 2010
Lectio: Luke 12,35-38
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Lectio: Luke 12,39-48
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Lectio: Luke 12,49-53
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Lectio: Luke 12,54-59
Friday, October 22, 2010
Lectio: Luke 13,1-9
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Lectio: 30th Sunday of ordinary time
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Lectio: Luke 13,10-17
Monday, October 25, 2010
Lectio: Luke 13,18-21
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Lectio: Luke 13,22-30
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Lectio: Saints Simon and Jude, apostles - Luke 6,12-19
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Lectio: Luke 14,1-6
Friday, October 29, 2010
Lectio: Luke 14,1.7-11
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Lectio: 31st Sunday of ordinary time
Sunday, October 31, 2010

2010-09-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

The Second Eve and the Immaculate Conception

She holds, as the Fathers teach us, that office in our restoration which Eve held in our fall: - now, in the first place, what were Eve's endowments to enable her to enter upon her trial? She could not have stood against the wiles of the devil, though she was innocent and sinless, without the grant of a large grace. And this she had; - a heavenly gift, which was over and above and additional to that nature of hers, which she received from Adam, a gift which had been given to Adam also before her, at the very time (as it is commonly held) of his original formation. This is Anglican doctrine, as well as Catholic ; (...)If Eve was raised above human nature by that indwelling moral gift which we call grace, is it rash to say that Mary had even a greater grace? And this consideration gives significance to the Angel's salutation of her as "full of grace," - an interpretation of the original word which is undoubtedly the {46} right one, as soon as we resist the common Protestant assumption that grace is a mere external approbation or acceptance, answering to the word "favour," whereas it is, as the Fathers teach, a real inward condition or superadded quality of soul. And if Eve had this supernatural inward gift given her from the first moment of her personal existence, is it possible to deny that Mary too had this gift from the very first moment of her personal existence? I do not know how to resist this inference: - well, this is simply and literally the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. I say the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is in its substance this, and nothing more or less than this (putting aside the question of degrees of grace); and it really does seem to me bound up in the doctrine of the Fathers, that Mary is the second Eve.
Suppose Eve had stood the trial, and not lost her first grace; and suppose she had eventually had children, those children from the first moment of their existence would, through divine bounty, have received the same privilege that she had ever had; that is, as she was taken from Adam's side, in a garment, so to say, of grace, so they in turn would have received what may be called an immaculate conception. They would have then been conceived in grace, as in fact they are conceived in sin. What is there difficult in this doctrine? What is there unnatural? Mary may be called, as it were, a daughter of Eve unfallen.
John Henri Newman

Letter to Pusey, 1866

MULTIMEDIA : Magnificat (Marco Frisina, Mina)

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

"Lectio divina is an authentic source of Christian spirituality recommended by our Rule. We therefore practice it every day, so that we may develop a deep and genuine love for it, and so that we may grow in the surpassing knowledge of Christ. In this way we shall put into practice the Apostle Paul’s commandment, which is mentioned in our Rule: “Let the sword of the spirit, the Word of God, live abundantly in your mouth and in your hearts; and whatever you must do, do it in the name of the Lord.”
Carmelite Constitutions (No. 82)
September 2010
Lectio: Luke 4,38-44
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Lectio: Luke 5,1-11
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Lectio: Luke 5,33-39
Friday, September 3, 2010
Lectio: Luke 6,1-5
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Lectio: 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Lectio: Luke 6,6-11
Monday, September 6, 2010
Lectio: Luke 6,12-19
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Lectio: Birthday of Mary - Matthew 1,1-16.18-23
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Lectio: Luke 6,27-38
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Lectio: Luke 6,39-42
Friday, September 10, 2010
Lectio: Luke 6,43-49
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Lectio: 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Lectio: Luke 7,1-10
Monday, September 13, 2010
Lectio: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross - John 3,13-17
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Lectio: B.V Maria Addolorata - John 19,25-27
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Lectio: Luke 7,36-50
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Lectio: Luke 8,1-3
Friday, September 17, 2010
Lectio: Luke 8,4-15
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Lectio: 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Lectio: Luke 8,16-18
Monday, September 20, 2010
Lectio: Matthew 9,9-13
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Lectio: Luke 9,1-6
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Lectio: Luke 9,7-9
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Lectio: Luke 9,18-22
Friday, September 24, 2010
Lectio: Luke 9,43b-45
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Lectio: 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Lectio: Luke 9,46-50
Monday, September 27, 2010
Lectio: Luke 9,51-56
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Lectio: St. Michael Gabrie e Raffaele - John 1,47-51
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Lectio: Luke 10,1-12
Thursday, September 30, 2010

2010-07-31T12:32:00.000-07:00

AUGUST

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16th JULY 2010

2010-07-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Our Lady of Mount: the chapel of Mount Carmel
On the holy day of the Pentecost, when the Apostles, inspired from above, spoke in tongues and performed many miracles by invoking the most august name of Jesus. It is said that numerous men who had been prepared for Christ's coming by the predication of John the Baptist, had seen and recognized the truth. These disciples of the holy prophets Eli and Elijah embraced the faith of the Gospel at once. Significantly, the Blessed Virgin, with whom they had the chance to converse and get to know, became for them during these fortunate hours the object of such a special love and such deep veneration, that they were the first a chapel for this most pure Virgin. This chapel was erected on Mount Carmel, where Eli once saw a cloud rise in the image of the Virgin.

Dom Prosper Guéranger For July 16, Our Lady of Mount Carmel The Liturgical Year, the Time after Pentecost

Flos Carmeli, vitis florigera,
splendor caeli, Virgo puerpera singularis.
Mater mitis, sed viri nescia,
Carmelitis esto propitia,
stella maris.

IN SOLLEMNITATE B.V. MARIAE DE MONTE CARMELO

Fernando Prior Generalis
Domusque Generalis Communitas
16.VII.2010

MULTIMEDIA : La Anunciación

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.

THE PRIOR GENERAL WRITES...

2010-07-08T03:10:00.000-07:00

Letter from Prior General
Mary & the Brown Scapular

Dear Brothers and friends of the Carmelite Family,We are once again approaching the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. July is the Carmelite month par excellence and many things will remind us of our identity, our saints, our history and our spirituality. Among all of these the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has pride of place in the lives of Carmelites. Thus, there is the ancient tradition of preparing for the feast by a Novena that serves as catechesis, as a joyful prelude to the feast and a liturgical and prayerful ascent to the heights of Carmel, accompanied by Mary, our first teacher and first disciple of the Lord.Down through the eight-hundred year history of Carmel, Mary has been given many different titles. She is invoked as Mother and Sister, as Queen of Carmel, as Star of the Sea, as the Lady of the place…. Each of these is full of tradition, devotion and spirituality. Mary continues today to take us to the very heart of the Gospel and the Christian life.At the entrance to the new cathedral in Los Angeles (U.S.A.) there is an image of Mary with a maternal gesture, inviting us to enter into the mystery, drawing one toward the main altar. Mary appears as mystagogue. In this her “lowliness” and humility help us to penetrate the mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption.Let us prepare ourselves to begin our Novena of Carmel so as to live it as a pathway, a pilgrimage, a journey of faith carrying us to the top of Mount Carmel. May you have a joyful Novena of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. May your gathering with others be a coming together of people, each coming from different starting points, moving towards a common destiny, to the mystery of life and love.

Fernando Millán Romeral,

Prior General

2010-07-08T01:00:00.000-07:00

What Is An Icon of the Theotokos?

An icon (Greek: image) of the Mother of God or the Theotokos is a holy image used for veneration by the faithful. In churches and homes icons of the Mother of God are hung on the walls or placed on stands. Other icons often depict scenes from the Gospel and early Church history. When we venerate an icon, we show our love for Jesus Christ, the Mother of God or another saint and ask them to pray for us. Icons are not merely decorative works of art. They are neither subjective nor sentimental pictures, but are instead a window into the spiritual world. Veneration is not directed to the paint or wood of an icon, but to that other world from which Christ Himself, the "light that lightens every man that comes into the world," (Jn 1) shines.

An icon can show us something that happened in the life of the Most Holy Theotokos (Mother of God), for example the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ or other events recorded in the Gospel. But how do we venerate an icon? First we light a candle and bless ourselves with the sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Then we kiss the holy icon. Candles are used near icons, signifying the Truth given by the One who illuminates the world with spiritual radiance. Candles are part of our offering to God, showing our soul's burning love for God and His Church. If the icon is of the Mother of God, we ask her to pray to God for us or for someone we love, knowing and trusting that God always hears Our Lady's prayers.

MULTIMEDIA : Sub tuum praesidium (Mgr Marco Frisina )

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

2010-07-08T00:53:00.000-07:00

HER IMMACULATE HEART

2010-06-22T00:56:00.000-07:00

Bertha Petit, Fatima, and the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary
As an apostle of the consecration of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Bertha Petit exerted a discrete but real influence. Belgium and Great Britain answered her call, as did a few French bishops. Her spiritual director was none other than Cardinal Mercier, one of the outstanding figures of the time. It is easy to see why, on March 7, 1916, in the midst of WWI, the famous archbishop of Malines imparted to his archdiocese: "On Good Friday, we will consecrate ourselves to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. We are pleased to honor the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and do well to do so; beside this privilege is freely granted by God (...); let us not forget the title that, by her suffering, won for Mary our gratitude. Pierced by the sword of interior martyrdom, Mary's Heart willingly joined her compassion to the Immolation of the Divine Victim of Calvary, for the redemption of our souls." Benedict XV must have been influenced by the cardinal when he said, one year before: "Let us address ourselves with trust to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, the most sweet Mother of God, so that through her powerful intercession, she may obtain from her Son the prompt ending of the war and a return to peace."
Bertha's message is summed up in a few sentences. On Christmas Day 1909, Bertha received a first revelation. She saw the wounded Heart of Jesus and the Heart of Mary pierced by a sword, and then she heard from the mouth of Jesus: "Make the heart of my Mother, pierced by the sorrows that tore my own, be loved by all." On February 7, 1910, the young woman saw the seemingly combined Hearts of Jesus and Mary, surmounted by the dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit, as she heard the voice of Jesus again: "You must think of my Mother's Heart like you think of Mine; live within that Heart like you wish to live in Mine (...). This Love will be for you and for the world a source of graces; it will draw great blessings. Abandon yourself to my Love. The desire of my Heart will be revealed to you." On Easter Sunday 1911, Bertha was in Rome. Again she had a vision of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary surmounted by the dove. The Son spoke again: "By giving John to my Mother as a son, didn't I entrust to her the Sorrowful and Immaculate Motherhood of the whole world?"

Some would have liked to reverse the order of the epithets ("sorrowful" and "immaculate"). Wasn't Mary immaculate from conception, whereas her sorrow only began on the day that she received the mission of being the Mother of the Redeemer? Yet, here is the remarkable explanation that she received in September 1911, from Jesus himself: "My Mother's Heart deserves this title of Sorrowful, and I want it placed before that of Immaculate, because she acquired it herself. The Church has recognized what I did myself in her Immaculate Conception. It is now my wish that the right my Mother has, to possess a just title, be understood and known." In other words, the privilege of the Immaculate Conception is a free gift of God's mercy, for which Mary had no merit: it was the merits of her crucified Son that obtained for her not just to be redeemed after the fact like the rest of us, but before hand, to be totally preserved from sin. On the contrary, it is by a decision emanating from her own Heart that she later joined herself to the immolation of this Son offering himself on the cross for our redemption. By requesting that the title of sorrowful be placed before that of immaculate, Jesus stressed how sensitive He is to the freedom with which, following the example of his Mother, each one of us is able to respond to his love.

Slightly posterior but independent from Bertha Petit's experience, the events of Fatima would soon bind together the popular devotion to the Virgin's Heart to the atonement for sins. Lesser known than the next month's apparition-made famous because of the utterance of the three secrets-the apparition of June 13, 1917, contains a vision of the Sorrowful Heart of Mary. As Sister Lucia soberly remarked in her Memoirs: "In the Virgin's right palm was a heart surrounded by thorns that seemed pressed inside it. We understood that it was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, outraged by the sins of humankind, who asked for atonement." One can immediately grasp how the Belgian message and the Portuguese message completed each other. Bertha had been reminded why the Sorrowful Heart of Mary deserved our gratefulness, while the young shepherds' attention was drawn to the very source of that sorrow: the extreme purity of Mary's Heart caused her, more than any other creature, to suffer from our sins. The young Lucia only saw the symbol of that sorrowful heart, but she told us that the meaning didn't escape the intelligence of their childish hearts: it is because that heart is immaculate that it is full of sorrow. Bertha Petit, Fatima, and the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary (V)
Sensitive to the requests coming from Fatima, Pope Pius XII introduced in the liturgical calendar, for the octave of the Assumption, the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. But, by moving its memory to the day following the Solemnity of the Heart of Jesus, Paul VI reminded the Church about the true teaching of history: since the 17th century, the devotion to the Heart of the Mother has developed like a logical follow-up of the worship rendered to the Heart of the Son.

Edouard Glotin La Bible du Coeur de Jésus (The Bible Read on Jesus' Heart), Presses de la Renaissance, 2006

MULTIMEDIA : Botticelli, Compianto su Cristo morto

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

2010-06-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

June 2010

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Mother Teresa and The Blessed Virgin

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But Mother, I Have No Children
With only volunteer help, Mother Teresa was ministering to a large number of poor in various parts of Calcutta. Seeing the enormity of the need and wanting to do more, she implored the Virgin Mary to send her followers to further her work: I keep on telling her "I have no children" - just as many years ago she told Jesus "They have no wine" - I put all my trust in her Heart. She is sure to give me in her own way. (Journal, February 2, 1949) Her prayer was soon answered. Some of her former students from St Mary's were interested in Mother Teresa's new mission. She had already made an impact on them as their teacher, and now, in the example she was providing in this new life of Gospel service to the neediest they saw an ideal worth leaving everything to follow. On March 19, 1949, Shubashini Das, the future Sister Agnes, came to join her. During the following months more candidates arrived. By June 1950, the community numbered twelve. (...) Mother Teresa's accomplishments in little more than a year were remarkable.

Excerpts from Come Be My Light -

The Private Writings of the 'Saint' of Calcutta, Edited and with commentary by Brian Kolodiejchuk, M.C., Wheeler Publishing, (2008, pp 227-229).

MULTIMEDIA : Rodjenje Bogorodice

HER SMILE

2010-05-24T00:34:00.000-07:00

Pentecost 1883: Our Lady's Smile

The illness was undoubtedly the work of the devil, who, in his fury at this first entry into the Carmel , sought revenge on me for the great harm my family was to do him in the future. However, he did not know that the Queen of Heaven watched over her Little Flower faithfully, that she smiled at her from above, ready to stop the storm, just in the nick of time when her delicate and fragile stem was in danger of being broken once and for all. At the end of the year 1882, I began to suffer from constant headaches; they were bearable, however, and did not prevent me from continuing my studies. They lasted till the Easter of 1883. Just then Papa went to Paris with Marie and Leonie , and confided Celine and me to the care of our uncle and aunt.
One evening I was alone with my uncle, and he talked so tenderly of my mother and of bygone days that I was deeply moved and began to cry. My sensitivity touched him too; he was surprised that someone of my age would feel as I did. So the he was determined to do all he could to organise all sorts of distractions during the holidays. But God had other plans. That same evening my headache became very acute, and I was seized with a strange shivering, which lasted all night. My aunt, like a real mother, never left me for a second. She stayed near me all through my illness with such tender, loving and devoted care. You may imagine my poor father's grief when he returned from Paris to find me in that hopeless state. He thought I was going to die, but Our Lord must have told to him: "This illness will not lead to death, it occurred for the glory of God." Yes, God was glorified by this trial. He was glorified by the admirable resignation of my father and sisters, especially Marie. She suffered so much because of me! How grateful I am to that dear sister! She seemed to know my needs by instinct, for a mother's heart is more powerful than the science of the ablest doctors. I do not know how to describe that strange illness. I said things which I had never thought of. I did things as though I were being forced in spite of myself. I almost always seemed to be delirious, and yet I feel certain that I was never, even for a minute, deprived of the use of my reason. Often I remained in a state of extreme mental exhaustion for hours, unable to make the slightest movement. However, in the midst of this extraordinary torpor, I distinctly heard what was being said around me, even the softest whisper. I remember it still.
And what fears the devil inspired in me! I was afraid of absolutely everything. My bed seemed to be surrounded by frightful precipices. Nails in the wall looked like terrifying long, shrivelled fingers, blackened by fire, making me scream in terror. One day, while Papa stood looking at me in silence, his hat in his hand suddenly turned into some sort of horrible shape, and I was so frightened that my poor father went away sobbing. In the moments when the pain was less intense, my great delight was to weave garlands of daisies and forget-me-nots for Our Lady. It was the beautiful month of May - all nature seemed to be clothed with spring flowers - the Little Flower alone drooped and seemed as though it had withered forever. Yet she too had a shining sun, the miraculous statue of the Queen of Heaven. How often, so very often, did the Little Flower turn towards that blessed Star! One day I saw Papa coming into my room in the deepest distress, and I watched him walk over to where Marie stood and give her some money, asking her to write to Paris, and have a novena of Masses said at the Shrine of Our Lady of Victories, to obtain the cure of his poor little queen. Ah, I was so touched by seeing his faith and his love! How much I longed to get up and tell him that I was cured! Alas, my desires could not work a miracle, and I needed a big one to restore my health. Yes, I needed a great big miracle, and Our Lady of Victories herself worked this miracle.
One Sunday, during the novena (Whit Sunday, 1883), Marie went into the garden, leaving me with Leonie, who was reading near the window. After a few minutes, I began to call softly: "Marie! Marie!" Leonie, accustomed to hear me moan like that, paid no attention, so I called louder, until Marie came back to me. I saw her come into the room quite well, but, at first, I did not recognize her. I looked around myself. I glanced anxiously into the garden, still calling: "Marie! Marie!" What unutterable anguish that forceful struggle was, and Marie perhaps suffered even more than her poor little Therese. Finally, after vain efforts to make me recognize her, she whispered a few words to Leonie, and went away pale and trembling. Soon my dear Leonie carried me to the window. There I saw the garden, but still I did not recognize Marie, who walked slowly, held out her arms, smiling at me, and calling me tenderly: "Therese, dear little Therese!" That last attempt failed again, my dear sister came in again and knelt at the foot of my bed in tears. She turned towards the statue of Our Lady, and pleaded her with the fervor of a mother who begs for her child's life. Leonie and Celine joined Marie in prayer, and that cry of faith forced open the gates of Heaven. I too turned to my Heavenly Mother, finding no relief on earth and nearly dead with pain, begging Our Lady from the bottom of my heart to have pity on me. Suddenly, the statue came to life! The Virgin became very beautiful, so divinely beautiful that I shall never find words to describe her. The expression of Our Lady's face radiated an ineffable gentleness, goodness, and tenderness, but what touched me to the very depths of my soul was her gracious smile. Then, all my pain vanished; two big tears welled up in my eyes and flowed silently. Ah, they were indeed tears of unmixed heavenly joy. "Our Blessed Lady has come to me, she has smiled at me. How happy I am, but I shall tell no one, or my happiness might disappear!" Such were my thoughts. Then, without any effort, I lowered my eyes, and I recognized my darling Marie. She looked lovingly at me, seemed very agitated, and she appeared as if she doubted the grace that I had just received. Ah, indeed thanks to her prayers I had received the most unfathomable favor - a smile from the Blessed Virgin! Seeing my eyes fixed on the statue, she said to herself: "Therese is cured!" Yes, it was true. The Little Flower had come back to life again - a bright ray from Our Lady's glorious Sun had warmed and set her free forever from her cruel enemy. "The dark winter is past, the rain is over and gone," and the Virgin Mary's Little Flower became so strong that five years later she opened wide her petals on the fertile mountain of Carmel.
Excerpts from: The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of Saint Therese (Chapter 3)

MULTIMEDIA : Il ritratto di San Luca -(Rogier van der Weyden, Pablo Casals)

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.

MAY 16

2010-05-15T18:16:00.000-07:00

ST. SIMON STOCK.
Feast Day: May 16th
SIMON was born in the county of Kent, England, and left his home when he was but twelve years of age, to live as a hermit in the hollow trunk of a tree, whence he was known as Simon of the Stock. Here he passed twenty years in penance and prayer, and learned from our Lady that he was to join an Order not then known in England. He waited in patience till the White Friars came, and then entered the Order of our Lady of Mount Cannel. His great holiness moved his brethren in the general chapter held at Aylesford, near Rochester, in 1245, to choose him prior-general of the Order. In the many persecutions raised against the new religious, Simon went with filial confidence to the Blessed Mother of God. As he knelt in prayer in the White Friars' convent at Cambridge, on July 16th, 1251, she appeared be fore him and presented him with the scapular, in assurance of her protection. The devotion to the blessed habit spread quickly throughout the Christian world. Pope after Pope enriched it with indulgences, and miracles innumberable put their seal upon its efficacy. The first of them was worked at Winchester on a man dying in despair, who at once asked for the Sacraments, when the scapular was laid upon him by St. Simon Stock. In the year 1636, M. de Guge, a cornet in a cavalry regiment, was mortally wounded at the engagement of Tehin, a bullet having lodge near his heart. He was then in a state of grievous sin, but had time left him to make his confession, and with his own hands wrote his last testament. When this was done, the surgeon probed his wound, and the bullet was found to have driven his scapular into his heart. On its being withdrawn, he presently expired, making profound acts of gratitude to the Blessed Virgin, who had prolonged his life miraculously, and thus preserved him from eternal death. St. Simon Stock died at Bordeaus, A.D. 1265.

Scapular of Mount Carmel
The Scapular of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is brown in color, and often ornamented with pictures, which, however, are not essential. It owes its origin to Saint Simon Stock, an English Carmelite. Originally the investment with this scapular was restricted to the Carmelite Order, but now any priest having ordinary faculties in a diocese can invest with it. Saint Alphonsus Liguori died in 1787 wearing the Scapular of Mount Carmel. However, during the beatification process, when his tomb was opened, although the body of the holy bishop was found reduced to dust, and his clothes as well, his Scapular had remained perfectly intact! This precious relic is now housed at the Monastery of St Alphonsus in Rome. A century later, the same phenomenon of miraculous preservation of the Scapular was found when the relics of St John Bosco were examined.
Adapted from: A Garment of Salvation: The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel By a Monk of Saint Joseph Abbey (Flavigny, France)

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

2010-05-05T23:46:00.000-07:00

Mary: A Role Model for Mothers

I imagine Mary holding Jesus like I did my babies, and bouncing him on her hip to keep him quiet as she's having a conversation. I imagine her doing everything I do with my kids--everything except for plugging her ears with her iPod to drown out the noise. I visualize her as the mom next door. Because in so many ways, that's what she was? In other words, Mary did the job of motherhood about as well as could anyone and she has much to teach us. Now I studied theology, but I still have a hard time comprehending the miracle of the Incarnation. However, Mary helps me to understand it better. The Trappist monk Thomas Merton wrote in his meditation: "Mary, who was empty of all egotism, free from all sin, was as pure as the glass of a very clean window that has no other function than to admit the light of the sun. If we rejoice in that light, we implicitly praise the cleanness of the window." I suspect therein is the hardest part of motherhood: to stay pure, to not get caught up in ego and self, so that we can hear the true desires of our children but also those of God. So I add Mary, the mother of Jesus to the list of great moms like Erma Bombeck, Marian Wright Edelman, and Jacqueline Onassis?

Adapted from an article by Therese J. Borchard See: www.beliefnet.com/beyondblue.

MULTIMEDIA : Пресвятая Богородице спаси нас!

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.

2010-05-01T01:28:00.000-07:00

The Discovery of the "Treatise of True the Devotion" by Karol Wojtyla (Pope JP II)

The reading of this book marked a turning point in my life. I say "a turning point" although it was actually a long interior journey, coinciding with my clandestine preparation for priesthood. At this point in time this singular treatise came into my hands; it is one of those books that is not enough to have only just "read". I remember that I carried it for long time in my pocket, even taking it with me to the factory where I worked, so that its beautiful cover became stained with lime. I often thought about the passages and went back over them again and again. I quickly realized that there was something fundamental beyond the archaic manner of the book. From then onward, the Marian devotion of my childhood and even of my youth made way to a new attitude: a devotion that came from the deepest part of my faith, from the heart of a Trinitarian and Christological reality. Whereas before I always held back my love for the Virgin Mary in fear that my devotion to the Mother of God might mask Christ instead of yielding the way to Him, I came to understand in the light of the Treatise of Saint Louis de Montfort that it was actually the contrary. Our interior relationship with the Mother of God results organically from our bond to the mystery of Christ. It is therefore out of the question that one could prevent the other. (...) It is even possible to say that one who endeavors to know and love Jesus Christ designates Mary as his own Mother just as the disciple John did at Calvary.

Be Not Afraid!: John Paul II Speaks Out on His Life, His Beliefs, and His Inspiring Vision for Humanity, Andre Frossard in conversation with Pope John Paul II.

Translated from the French by J.R. Foster, 1984

MULTIMEDIA : Velankanni, India

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

May 2010
Title: Lectio: John 14,7-14
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Title: Lectio: 5th Sunday in Easter
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 14,21-26
Monday, May 3, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 14,27-31a
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 15,1-8
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 15,9-11
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 15,12-7
Friday, May 7, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 15,18-21
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Title: Lectio: 6th Sunday of Easter
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 15,26 - 16,4a
Monday, May 10, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 16,5-11
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 16,12-15
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 16,16-20
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 16,20-23a
Friday, May 14, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 16,23b-28
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Title: Lectio: The Ascension of the Lord
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 16,29-33
Monday, May 17, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 17,1-11a
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 17,11b-19
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 17,20-26
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 21,15-19
Friday, May 21, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 21,20-25
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Title: Lectio: Pentecost Sunday
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Title: Lectio: Mark 10,17-27
Monday, May 24, 2010
Title: Lectio: Mark 10,28-31
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Title: Lectio: Mark 10,32-45
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Title: Lectio: Mark 10,46-52
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Title: Lectio: Matthew 11,25-30
Friday, May 28, 2010
Title: Lectio: Luke 1,39-56
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Title: Lectio: The Most Holy Trinity
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Title: Lectio: Mark 12,1-12
Monday, May 31, 2010

2010-04-26T00:16:00.000-07:00

Mary is a Woman who Loves

Outstanding among the saints is Mary, Mother of the Lord and mirror of all holiness. In the Gospel of Luke we find her engaged in a service of charity to her cousin Elizabeth, with whom she remained for "about three months" (1:56) so as to assist her in the final phase of her pregnancy. "Magnificat anima mea Dominum", she says on the occasion of that visit, "My soul magnifies the Lord" (Lk 1:46). In these words she expresses her whole programme of life: not setting herself at the center, but leaving space for God, who is encountered both in prayer and in service of neighbour - only then does goodness enter the world. (...) Mary's greatness consists in the fact that she wants to magnify God, not herself. She is lowly: her only desire is to be the handmaid of the Lord (cf. Lk 1:38, 48). She knows that she will only contribute to the salvation of the world if, rather than carrying out her own projects, she places herself completely at the disposal of God's initiatives. Mary is a woman of hope: only because she believes in God's promises and awaits the salvation of Israel, can the angel visit her and call her to the decisive service of these promises. Mary is a woman of faith: "Blessed are you who believed", Elizabeth says to her (cf. Lk 1:45).

The Magnificat - a portrait, so to speak, of her soul - is entirely woven from threads of Holy Scripture, threads drawn from the Word of God. Here we see how completely at home Mary is with the Word of God, with ease she moves in and out of it. She speaks and thinks with the Word of God; the Word of God becomes her word, and her word issues from the Word of God. Here we see how her thoughts are attuned to the thoughts of God, how her will is one with the will of God. Since Mary is completely imbued with the Word of God, she is able to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate.

Finally, Mary is a woman who loves. How could it be otherwise? As a believer who in faith thinks with God's thoughts and wills with God's will, she cannot fail to be a woman who loves. We sense this in her quiet gestures, as recounted by the infancy narratives in the Gospel. We see it in the delicacy with which she recognizes the need of the spouses at Cana and makes it known to Jesus. We see it in the humility with which she recedes into the background during Jesus' public life, knowing that the Son must establish a new family and that the Mother's hour will come only with the Cross, which will be Jesus' true hour (cf. Jn 2:4; 13:1). When the disciples flee, Mary will remain beneath the Cross (cf. Jn 19:25-27); later, at the hour of Pentecost, it will be they who gather around her as they wait for the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14).
Benedict XVI Deus est caritas # 41

MULTIMEDIA : En Ammaye Orkumbol Madhave (India)
MULTIMEDIA : Hristos Anesti

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.

2010-04-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Mary Delighted in the Fullness of Paschal Joy
The Gospels mention various appearances of the risen Christ, but not a meeting between Jesus and his Mother. This silence must not lead to the conclusion that after the Resurrection Christ did not appear to Mary; rather it invites us to seek the reasons why the Evangelists made such a choice. It seems reasonable to think that Mary, as the image and model of the Church which waits for the Risen One and meets him in the group of disciples during his Easter appearances, had had a personal contact with her risen Son, so that she too could delight in the fullness of paschal joy. The unique and special character of the Blessed Virgin's presence at Calvary and her perfect union with the Son in his suffering on the Cross seem to postulate a very particular sharing on her part in the mystery of the Resurrection.

John Paul II General Audience of May 21, 1997

Truly, a Sword Has Pierced Your Heart!
Truly, O blessed Mother, a sword has pierced your heart. For only by passing through your heart could the sword enter the flesh of your Son. Indeed, after your Jesus - who belongs to everyone, but is especially yours - gave up his life, the cruel spear, which was not withheld from his lifeless body, tore open his side. Clearly it did not touch his soul and could not harm him, but it did pierce your heart. For surely his soul was no longer there, but yours could not be torn away. Thus the violence of sorrow has cut through your heart, and we rightly call you more than martyr, since the effect of compassion in you has gone beyond the endurance of physical suffering. Perhaps someone will say: "Had she not known before that he would die?" Undoubtedly. "Did she not expect him to rise again at once?" Surely. "And still she grieved over her crucified Son?" Intensely. Who are you and what is the source of your wisdom that you are more surprised at the compassion of Mary than at the passion of Mary's Son? For if he could die in body, could she not die with him in spirit? He died in body through a love greater than anyone had known. She died in spirit through a love unlike any other since his.

St Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153), Sermo in dom. infra oct. Assumptionis, 14-15.

Jesus Meets His Mother

On Jesus' Way of the Cross, we also find Mary, his Mother. During his public life she had to step aside to make place for the birth of Jesus' new family, the family of his disciples. She also had to hear the words: "Who is my mother and who are my brothers? ... Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother" (Mt 12:48-50). Now we see her as the Mother of Jesus not only physically, but also in her heart. Even before she conceived him bodily, through her obedience she conceived him in her heart. It was said to Mary: "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son. He will be great and the Lord will give to him the throne of his father David" (Lk 1:3). And she would hear from the mouth of the elderly Simeon: "A sword will pierce through your own soul" (Lk 2:35).

She would then recall the words of the prophets, words like these: "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he was like a lamb that is led to slaughter" (Is 54:7).Now it all takes place. In her heart she had kept the words of the angel, spoken to her in the beginning: "Do not be afraid, Mary" (Lk 1:45). "Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Lk 18:8). Yes, in this moment Jesus knows he will find faith. In this hour, this is his great consolation.

Excerpt from Way of the Cross, by Pope Benedict XVI, (Vatican Translation of Via Crucis), Burns & Oates, 2005.

As a Woman, Mary is Associated to the Salvific Work
The particular role of cooperator accomplished by the Virgin is based on her divine maternity. By giving birth to whom was destined to realize the redemption of the world, by feeding Him, by presenting Him to the temple, by suffering with Him when He died on the Cross, she "brought to the work of the Savior an absolutely incomparable cooperation" (Lumen Gentium, 61). Even though God's call to collaborate in the work of salvation concerns each human being, the participation of the Savior's Mother in the Redemption of humanity represents a unique, unparalleled fact. In spite of the singularity of her condition, Mary too is the beneficiary of Salvation. She is the first to be the object of the Redemption, redeemed by Christ "in the most sublime way" in her Immaculate Conception (cf Bulla Ineffabilis Deus, in Pio IX Acta I, 605) and filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

John Paul II, Catechesis, April 9, 1997

Mary was Associated More Intimately than Any Other Person to the Mystery of Christ's Redemptive Suffering
The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the "one mediator between God and men." But because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way united himself to every man, "the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery" is offered to all men. He calls his disciples to "take up (their) cross and follow (him)", for "Christ also suffered for (us), leaving (us) an example so that (we) should follow in his steps." In fact Jesus desires to associate with his redeeming sacrifice those who were to be its first beneficiaries. This is achieved supremely in the case of his mother, who was associated more intimately than any other person in the mystery of his redemptive suffering.

Catechism of the Catholic Church #618

MULTIMEDIA : Michelangelo, Pieta

Lectio Divina

2010-04-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

April 2010
Title: Lectio: Holy Thursday
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Title: Lectio: Good Friday
Friday, April 2, 2010
Title: Lectio: Easter of the Resurrection of the Lord
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Title: Lectio: Matthew 28,8-15
Monday, April 5, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 20,11-18
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Title: Lectio: Luke 24,13-35
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Title: Lectio: Luke 24,35-48
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 21,1-14
Friday, April 9, 2010
Title: Lectio: Mark 16,9-15
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Title: Lectio: 2nd Sunday of Easter
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 3,1-8
Monday, April 12, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 3,7b-15
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 3,16-21
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 3,31-36
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 6,1-15
Friday, April 16, 2010
Title: Lectio: Mark 16,15-20
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Title: Lectio: 3rd Sunday of Easter
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 6,22-29
Monday, April 19, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 6,30-35
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 6,35-40
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 6,44-51
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 6,52-59
Friday, April 23, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 6,60-69
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Title: Lectio: 4th Sunday of Easter
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 10,1-10
Monday, April 26, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 10,22-30
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 12,44-50
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 13,16-20
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Title: Lectio: John 14,1-6
Friday, April 30, 2010

TRANSPARENCY

2010-03-09T23:39:00.000-08:00

Mary, the Transparency of God

Among all the words that the Father pronounced in his Creation, one was quite singular. It couldn't be the object of intelligence or intuition. It was not the splendor of the divine sun, but a soft and pleasant shadow. It was like a delicate white cloud that, in its course, lessened the brightness of the sun, too strong for our eyes. It was in the plan of Providence that the Word would become flesh. A word, the Word, was to be written down in our world, in flesh and blood, and the Word needed a backdrop. The celestial harmonies longed, for the love of us, to transport their unique concert under our tents. They needed a silence on which to resound. The One who would lead humanity, give meaning to the past centuries, shed light on the future centuries and lead their march, had to appear on the world stage. But he needed a spotless canvas on which he could shine.

The greatest project that our God of Love could envision had to be traced with majestic and divine lines. The whole palette of virtues had to be gathered in a human heart willing to serve him. This admirable shadow, that carries the sun within her, who yields to him and find herself in him; this spotless canvas; this unfathomable abyss who contains the Word, the Christ, and loses herself in him. Light within the Light; this sublime silence that cannot keep quiet any longer since the divine harmonies of the Word sing within her and that becomes, in him, the note among all notes, the A of the eternal song rising from Heaven. This majestic decor, splendid as nature, where the beauty profusely spread by the Creator across the universe is concentrated; this universe reserved for the Son of God, who forgets herself, having no other interest than the One who had to come and came, the One who had to accomplish his work and accomplished it. This rainbow of virtues that announces peace to the whole world, after giving birth to Peace itself; this creature that the Trinity, in its unfathomable mystery, invented and gave to us, is Mary.

One cannot speak about her: one can only sing her praises. It is difficult to reason about her: we love and invoke her. She is the object of poems, not of speculations of the mind. The greatest geniuses of the world have placed their brushes and their pens at her service. If Jesus is the incarnation of the Word, the Logos, the Light, the Reason, Mary is the personification of Art, Beauty, and Love. Mary, the Creator's masterpiece, is the one in whom the Holy Spirit gave free rein to his genius, in whom he poured out the flow of his inspirations. Mary is so beautiful! We will never be able to sing enough praises of her.

Chiara Lubich, Foundress of the Focolari Movement

MULTIMEDIA : Dobranoc glowo swieta (Joanna Slowinska) This beautiful hymn, typically sung after the evening's final devotion on Good Friday, is nearly impossible to translate. The hymn recounts the Blessed Virgin holding the lifeless body of her son, our Lord Jesus Christ. As she holds him she whispers sweet goodnights to the injured parts of His body, His head, His blood covered hair, His neck, hands, and feet, His heart, His legs, and finally the cross and grave.

B V and the EUCHARIST

2010-03-01T00:39:00.000-08:00

March 2010
Monday: 1 March 2010 - Luke 6,36-38
Tuesday: 2 March 2010 - Matthew 23,1-12
Wednesday: 3 March 2010 - Matthew 20,17-28
Thursday: 4 March 2010 - Luke 16,19-31
Friday: 5 March 2010 - Matthew 21,33-43.45-46
Saturday: 6 March 2010 - Luke 15,1-3.11-32
3rd Sunday of Lent: 7 March 2010 - Luke 13:1-9
Monday: 8 March 2010 - Luke 4,24-30
Tuesday: 9 March 2010 - Matthew 18,21-35
Wednesday: 10 March 2010 - Matthew 5,17-19
Thursady: 11 March 2010 – Luke 11:14-23
Friday: 12 March 2010 - Mark 12,28b-34
Saturday: 13 March 2010 - Luke 18,9-14
4th Sunday of Lent: 14 March 2010 - Luke 15,1-3.11-32
Monday: 15 March 2010 - John 4,43-54
Tuesday: 16 March 2010 - John 5,1-16
Wednessday: 17 March 2010 - John 5,17-30
Thursday: 18 March 2010 - John 5,31-47
Saint Joseph: 19 March 2010 - Matthew 1,16.18-21.24a
Saturday: 20 March 2010 - John 7,40-53
5th Sunday of Lent: 21 March 2010 - John 8, 1-11
Monday: 22 March 2010 - John 8,1-11
Tuesday: 23 March 2010 - John 8,21-30
Wednesday: 24 March 2010 - John 8,31-42
The Annunciation of the Lord: 25 March 2010 - Luke 1,26-38
Friday: 26 March 2010 - John 10,31-42
Saturday: 27 March 2010 – John 11,45-56
Palm Sunday: 28 March 2010 - Luke 22:14-23,56
Monday: 29 March 2010 - John 12,1-11
Tuesday: 30 March 2010 - John 13,21-33.36-38
Wednesday: 31 March 2010 - Matthew 26,14-25

Mary, Model of Eucharistic life

On February 27, 1868, upon the advice of her spiritual advisor Father Calage S.J., Blessed Mary of Jesus (Mary Deluil-Martiny, foundress of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Heart of Jesus), outlined the plan of her future work. Her newly-founded institute would fulfil the wishes expressed by Our Lord to Saint Margaret Mary. The model for this life of Eucharistic reparation would be the Virgin Mary's life after the glorious Ascension of Jesus.

At Calvary, Mary offered the sacrifice of her Son, and united herself to it. After the Resurrection, she offered that same sacrifice by the hands of St John the Apostle, helping the Church and the apostles by prayer and her silent, hidden sacrifice. After the Ascension of Jesus, Mary remained on earth alone with her memories, alone with her treasure hidden in the Eucharist, alone with the newborn Spouse, the Church, whose cradle was entrusted to her.

What filled the soul and the life of Mary during these years that are shrouded in mystery and seldom meditated upon? It was the Eucharist, Calvary, and the Church.

Site of the Daughters of the Heart of Jesus www.dochtersheilighart.net

MULTIMEDIA : Vergine bella (Bartolomeo Tromboncino)

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.

CARMEL'S OWN

Flight Into Egypt and Presentation

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (VIII)

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (VII)

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (VI)

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (V)

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (IV)

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (III)

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (III)

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (II)

A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (I)

Prayer to My Mother Mary

THE THEOTOKOS

16th JULY 2010

THE PRIOR GENERAL WRITES...

HER IMMACULATE HEART

Mother Teresa and The Blessed Virgin

HER SMILE

MAY 16

Lectio Divina

TRANSPARENCY

B V and the EUCHARIST