December 25, 2024

Catholic Motivation

Meditations for Advent| Meditation I- The Heart of the Infant Jesus, Our Coming Light

Mother & Refuge08 mins

“Behold, the Lord cometh, and all His saints with Him; and in that day there shall be a great light.” All. Ant. at Lauds. “And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord shall bind up the wound of His people, and shall heal the stroke of their wound.” (Is. xxx. 26.) 1st Prelude. – Represent to yourself the Heart of the Infant Jesus in the womb of Mary as a flame of clear and beautiful light coming to enlighten all nations. Represent also to yourself the terrible light of the second coming, which will be open and manifest to all. 2nd Prelude. – Pray that you may be so enlightened by the light of the first coming, that you may not be terrified by the light of the second coming. 1st Point. – Look at the Heart of the Infant Jesus. It lies hidden in the womb of Mary, even as his blessed Humanity will be hidden hereafter in the tabernacle. Oh, what a holy, beautiful, peaceful light is the light of the Infant Heart of Jesus! How it longs to come forth and manifest itself to all, to console, to instruct, to illuminate! Are we, also, longing to receive this light? Are we praying with our whole hearts that it may come to us, and that we may be prepared to receive it? However great our spiritual enlightenment may be, we are still, in some measure, “sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death.” But the light is coming; already we can see the dawn upon the mountain. When Mary was born, the first ray of light tinged the eastern sky; when Jesus was born, the light of this mystic moon was as the light of the true sun, because of her perfect union with Him; and the light of the sun was sevenfold, as the light of seven days. The light was sevenfold; that is, the light was perfect, for it was the light of God. 2nd Point. – Let us beseech the Infant Jesus to enlighten us in that particular way in which we most need light. We are all “born blind” through the sin of our parents; and, unhappily, though we have obtained light in the waters of baptism, we too often, by our own fault, relapse into blindness more or less intense. Sometimes we do not wish to see the sin we should forsake, or the virtue we should practise, because it would cost us something to act upon this light; sometimes we profit so little by the light, that it is withdrawn from us, or it is not imparted in the fullness and brightness with which more faithful souls are favoured. There are souls in whom the light of God shines so brightly, that they cannot commit the shadow of an imperfection without perceiving it immediately; there are souls in whom that light shines so resplendently, that they see even the shadow of an imperfect motive in the best action they perform. Why should we not be thus favoured? It is not because the light is unwilling to come, but because we are unwilling to receive it. 3rd Point. – What shall we do to obtain this great grace? Let us go to Mary. Let us devote our Advent to Mary. Let us consecrate every thought, word, and action to Mary during this holy season; and then, on the blessed Christmas morning, she will herself place her Infant in our arms; nay, rather, she will lay Him down to rest in our hearts; and He is so obedient to His sweet mother, that He will never stir from the heart wherein she places Him, unless she comes to take Him away. Surely we will not oblige her to do so? Advent should be a time of special devotion to Mary. Jesus again lies mystically in her womb. Again she pleads unweariedly for her people, as she pleaded in that blessed Advent when He took flesh of her flesh, and bone of her bone. Oh, let us kneel before her now as we would have knelt before her then, and implore her to intercede for us with Jesus, to obtain for us that He may indeed be our light, and that we may never be of the number of those who prefer darkness. Then, indeed, may we hope that the light of His second coming will be a light of glory to us, and not a light of condemnation. Aspiration. – Come and enlighten us, O sweet Infant Jesus. Form your resolution, and place it in the Heart of the Infant Jesus. Examen of Meditation.

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Have you heard of “Our Lady of Old Silverware”?

Mother & Refuge03 mins

By Aleteia Aplaster statue of Our Lady is on display in Thérèse’s bedroom at Les Buissonnets, the Martin family home in Lisieux. Today, this representation of the Mother of God is known as “Our Lady of the Smile.” However, it’s merely a reproduction of the statue to which the young woman from Lisieux attributed her recovery on May 13, 1883. Thérèse, whose mother had already died, had been sick since her older sister Pauline entered the Carmelite convent. The 10-year-old child was lying in bed when she saw the statue smiling beside her, and her illness went away. The original statueFor a long time now, the “real” statue of the miracle has been located in a niche on the wall behind Thérèse’s casket at the Carmelite convent and shrine in Lisieux. Also made of plaster, an elderly woman from Alençon had given it to the still-bachelor Louis Martin. The family kept it for many years. Eventually it accompanied the ailing Carmelite nun to the infirmary of her convent, where she died on October 1, 1897. But that statue too is, in fact, a reproduction. We have to go back more than a century before these events to Paris to find the original (now lost) model of the famous statue. In the mid-1700s, the parish priest of St. Sulpice wanted to adorn the axial chapel (behind the main altar) with a beautiful representation of the Mother of God, worthy of the still unfinished but monumental edifice. Having called on the sculptor Edme Bouchardon, who was to create much of the church’s statuary, he also needed to find a material worthy of the Virgin Mary. Read more…

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Prayer ‘Dearest and most Blessed Virgin Mary. . .’by St. Thomas Aquinas

Mother & Refuge01 mins

Dearest and most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, overflowing with affection, Daughter of the Sovereign King, and Queen of the Angels: Mother of Him Who created all things, this day and all the days of my life I commend to the bosom of thy regard my soul and my body, all my actions, thoughts, wishes, desires, words, and deeds, my whole life, and my end: so that through thy prayers they may all be ordered according to the will of thy beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Lady most holy, be my helper and my comforter against the attacks and snares of the ancient foe, and of all my enemies. Amen

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The Rosary Converted a Satanist Priest to a Catholic Blessed

Mother & Refuge02 mins

Blessed Bartolo Longo was born to a devout Catholic family in 1841. His formative years were a tumultuous time for Italy, and he was swept up in nationalistic fervor. Many of his college professors were actually ex-priests who took a dim view of the Catholic Church.  Bartolo started to dabble in the occult. He eventually embraced Satanism. He was consecrated a Satanic priest and promised his soul to a demon. To his family’s dismay, he preached against the Catholic Faith and presided over blasphemous rituals.  His mental and physical state deteriorated until he couldn’t deny that he needed help. He began to talk to a Catholic professor from his university, who referred him to a Dominican priest. The priest met with Bartolo for three weeks before he was able to offer absolution. Bartolo became a third-order Dominican, but he was still plagued with guilt about his past life. He was especially traumatized by the experience of promising his soul to a demon and doubted that God would accept him after having done something so heinous. These thoughts nearly drove him to suicide. But then he remembered a homily he had heard on the power of the Rosary. “Falling to my knees, I exclaimed: ‘If your words are true that he who propagates your Rosary will be saved, I shall reach salvation because I shall not leave this earth without propagating your Rosary,” he said Read more: 6 Inspirational Stories about the Rosary – Ascension Press Media

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Reverence Revival

Mother & Refuge133 mins

Reverence Revival Where has Catholic reverence gone? Those born after 1970 may find this question puzzling. Do we not use holy water when we enter church? During Mass we sit, kneel, and stand when required. Everyone is very friendly to one another. It seems perfectly fine. For others from an earlier era, though, something is wanting: a standard lost over fifty years ago, leaving in its place a void. This standard inspired one to ponder to whom this house really belonged when in church. It compelled one to focus on the presence of Jesus Christ in the tabernacle. It allowed one’s heart, mind, and soul to prepare for the great mystery in which we were to participate: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. What is this standard that used to be taken for granted, but is rarely observed today? It is Catholic reverence. Reverence Defined What is reverence? Merriam-Webster defines reverence as: “Honor or respect felt or shown: DEFERENCE especially profound adoring, awed respect.” Catholic reverence was well known because it was unique among faiths. Why did Catholics demonstrate such respect not just during Mass but in an empty church? The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood.  This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection; a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet “in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.” (CCC 1323) Reverence is based on Catholic belief in the Eucharist. The Catechism continues: The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it.  For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.” (CCC 1324) We were reverent because we believed in the perennial truth that the Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus Christ-body, blood, soul, and divinity-present in the tabernacle. The sanctuary lamp signifies His presence, as explained in the Roman Missal: “In accordance with traditional custom, near the tabernacle a special lamp, fueled by oil or wax, should be kept alight to indicate and honor the presence of Christ.” (Roman Missal 316) The late Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, related that years ago there were many conversions because of the consistent reverence demonstrated by Catholics while in church. Only a conviction that one is in the presence of The Lord of the Universe could explain such unwavering respect. Our behavior and posture are clearly acts of faith, and signal to all the depths of our beliefs. Fading Devotion, Vanishing Reverence When did reverence vanish? It was incremental. As modernist ideas crept into the celebration of Mass during the last fifty years, reverence was chiseled away, one chip at a time.  Changes beginning with the Mass of Paul VI (Novus Ordo Missae) were, at first, in accord with the documents of Vatican II. As time passed, various unauthorized liturgical abuses occurred, communicating to the faithful that reverence was passé. This is not a criticism of the Novus Ordo. When properly celebrated, it is beautiful and uplifting. One need only view EWTN’s daily Mass with its attention to the sacred, the devotion of the celebrants, the use of the vernacular and Latin as authorized by Vatican II, and the outstanding choir and sacred music to see reverence on display. Modernist Masses, however, were irreverent at best, illicit at worst: clown Masses, rock Masses, mime Masses, all against the rubrics that trivialized the Sacred Mass. Such deviations have all but disappeared by now. The current Roman Missal (Missale Romanum) promulgated by Pope Saint John Paul II in 2002, with the 2008 minor revisions of Pope Benedict XVI, incorporated numerous additional prayers, including those for recently canonized saints, plus the extended Vigil for Pentecost. (2023 LinkRM).1 Officially, the cleanup has been accomplished. In reality, reverence vanished, and the vacuum created by the course of experimentation was filled with irreverence and indifference; carelessness and comradery; disregard and disbelief. The sad reality is that baptized Catholics have lost faith: A Pew Research Center survey in 20192 reported that only one-third of U.S. Catholics believe in the Real Presence. Russell Shaw reported in The Catholic Thing3 that Sunday Mass attendance by American Catholics dropped from 54.9% in 1970 to 21.1% pre-pandemic, with the projection that it will bottom out soon to 12%. This and other shocking data contributed to the USCCB’s three-year Eucharistic Revival which began in 2022. While an inspired and necessary campaign, is it enough? Certainly, the Bishops gave great thought as to the reasons for the decline in belief and practice. Was the disappearance of reverence among them? Actions demonstrate our thoughts. Has there been an honest analysis of observable behavior during Mass today? Have current acceptable practices contributed to the decline of the Catholic Church in America today? In a civilized society, we treat those in authority respectfully: we are polite, dress appropriately, and are not rude by speaking out of turn. Why isn’t this observed in God’s house?  In fact, we should approach the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with a profound awe. For more than fifty years, good manners, respect, and common sense in church have vanished. Some behaviors can be ignored as minor annoyances, but others directly strike at the heart of Catholic teaching about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Restoring Reverence How do we restore the reverence that we so deeply desire? What follows is a critical evaluation of several areas where we have lost our sense of the reverent. There are specific areas to address directly, and evaluation…

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Before Confession…

Mother & Refuge04 mins

Be truly sorry for your sins. The essential act of Penance, on the part of the penitent, is contrition, a clear and decisive rejection of the sin committed, together with a resolution not to commit it again, out of the love one has for God (which is reborn with repentance). Understood in this way, contrition is, therefore, the beginning and the heart of conversion, of that evangelical metanoia which brings the person back to God like the Prodigal Son returning to his father, and which has in the sacrament of Penance its visible sign, and which perfects attrition (imperfect contrition-born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and other penalties threatening the sinner).2 The resolution to avoid committing these sins in the future (amendment) is a sure sign that your sorrow is genuine and authentic. This does not mean that one has to promise never to fall again into sin. A resolution to try to avoid the near occasions of sin suffices for true repentance. God’s grace in cooperation with the intention to rectify your life will give you the strength to resist and overcome temptation in the future. Act of Contrition O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen. or: My God,I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.In choosing to do wrongand failing to do good,I have sinned against youwhom I should love above all things.I firmly intend with your help,to do penance,to sin no more,and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.Our Savior Jesus Christsuffered and died for us.In his name, my God, have mercy. You are now ready to go to Confession. The rite is presented on p. 336. Read more…

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From Lands that See the Sun Arise | hymn from the Roman Breviary (5th century)

Mother & Refuge03 mins

FROM lands that see the sun arise, to earth’s remotest boundaries, the Virgin-born today we sing, the Son of Mary, Christ the King. Blest Author of this earthly frame, to take a servant’s form he came, that liberating flesh by flesh, whom he had made might live afresh. In that chaste parent’s holy womb, celestial grace hath found its home: and she, as earthly bride unknown, yet call that Offspring blest her own. The mansion of the modest breast becomes a shrine where God shall rest: the pure and undefiled one conceived in her womb the Son. That Son, that royal Son she bore, whom Gabriel’s voice had told afore: whom, in his Mother yet concealed, the Infant Baptist had revealed. The manger and the straw he bore, the cradle did he not abhor: a little milk his infant fare who feedeth even each fowl of air. The heavenly chorus filled the sky, the Angels sang to God on high, what time to shepherds watching lone they made creation’s Shepherd known. All honor, laud, and glory be, O Jesu, Virgin-born, to Thee; all glory, as is ever meet, to the Father and to Paraclete. Amen.   A solis ortus cardine adusque terrae limitem Christum canamus Principem, natum Maria Virgine. Beatus auctor saeculi servile corpus induit, ut carne carnem liberans non perderet quod condidit. Clausae parentis viscera caelestis intrat gratia; venter puellae baiulat secreta quae non noverat. Domus pudici pectoris templum repente fit Dei; intacta nesciens virum verbo concepit Filium. Enixa est puerpera quem Gabriel praedixerat, quem matris alvo gestiens clausus Ioannes senserat. Feno iacere pertulit, praesepe non abhorruit, parvoque lacte pastus est per quem nec ales esurit. Gaudet chorus caelestium et Angeli canunt Deum, palamque fit pastoribus Pastor, Creator omnium. Iesu, tibi sit gloria, qui natus es de Virgine, cum Patre et almo Spiritu, in sempiterna saecula. Amen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8vY8a2ZK-8

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The Most Powerful Healing Prayer by Saint Padre Pio

Mother & Refuge03 mins

Heavenly Father, I thank You for loving me. I thank You for sending Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to the world to save and to set me free. I trust in Your power and grace that sustain and restore me. Loving Father, touch me now with Your healing hands, for I believe that Your will is for me to be well in mind, body, soul and spirit. Cover me with the Most Precious Blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. Cast anything that should not be in me. Root out any unhealthy and abnormal cells. Open any blocked arteries or veins and rebuild and replenish any damaged areas. Remove all inflammation and cleanse any infection by the power of Jesus’ Precious Blood. Let the fire of Your healing love pass through my entire body to heal and make new any diseased areas so that my body will function the way You created it to function.  Touch also my mind and my emotion, even the deepest recesses of my heart. Saturate my entire being with Your presence, love, joy, and peace and draw me ever closer to You every moment of my life. And Father, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and empower me to do Your works so that my life will bring glory and honor to Your Holy Name. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkfikB3FbUM

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O Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Heaven

Mother & Refuge02 mins

hymn from the Roman Brieviary, 5th century O Christ, whose glory fills the heaven, our only hope, in mercy given; Child of a Virgin meek and pure; Son of the Highest evermore: Grant us Thine aid Thy praise to sing, as opening days new duties bring; that with the light our life may be renewed and sanctified by Thee. The morning star fades from the sky, the sun breaks forth; night’s shadows fly: O Thou, true Light, upon us shine: our darkness turn to light divine. Within us grant Thy light to dwell: and from our souls dark sins expel; Cleanse Thou our minds from stain of ill, and with Thy peace our bosoms fill. To us strong faith forever give, with joyous hope, in Thee to live; That life’s rough way may ever be made strong and pure by charity. All laud to God the Father be; All praise, Eternal Son, to Thee; All glory, as is ever meet, to God the Holy Paraclete. Aeterna caeli gloria, beata spes mortalium, celsi Parentis Unice, castaeque proles Virginis: Da dexteram surgentibus, exsurgat et mens sobria. flagrans et in laudem Dei grates rependat debitas. Ortus refulget lucifer, ipsamque lucem nuntiat, cadit caligo noctium, lux sancta nos illuminet. Manensque ostris sensibus noctem repellat saeculi omnique fine temporis purgata servet pectora. Quaesita iam primum fides radicet altis sensibus, secunda spes congaudeat, tunc4 maior exstat caritas. Sit, Christe, rex piissime, tibi Patrique gloria, cum Spiritu Paraclito, in sempiterna saecula. Amen.

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