A cafeteria Catholic is typically defined as one who picks and chooses what Catholic teaching he wants to believe. Catholics are not free to choose which teachings (on faith and morals) to obey. Even when the Church has not spoken on a matter of faith or morals definitively (infallibly), the faithful must give “a religious submission of the intellect and will” to its teachings (CIC 752).
A team of researchers will spend the next four days studying the body of St. Teresa of Avila, after her tomb was opened this August 28. The doctor of the Church rests in the town where she died, in northwestern Spain, Alba de Tormes. Teresa died in 1582 and in the following centuries, there was great interest in obtaining relics of her, i.e., a piece of her bone or flesh. This led to some of her remains being dispersed around Europe; however the majority, including her heart and arm, are kept under careful vigilance in the town of her death, on the beautiful Tormes River. In fact, to open the urn containing her body, 10 separate keys are needed; three of these are habitually kept in Rome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbHX48LQJa0
1. The Miracle of the Sun at FatimaIn 1917, over 100,000 people witnessed the sun dancing in the sky of Fatima, Portugal. “The sun started spinning like a pinwheel, casting multi-colored lights all over the place.” Skeptics and faithful were left stunned, says Scheel. It is one of the most documented and extraordinary miracles in Church history. 2. Our Lady of LourdesLourdes, France, has been a site of healing since St. Bernadette’s vision of Our Lady in 1858. Scheel says “there’s been over 7,000 scientifically attested miraculous recoveries from her intercession.” These cures are each scrutinized and confirmed by the Lourdes Medical Bureau. 3. The Miracle of LancianoIn the 8th century, a doubting priest witnessed the Eucharist turn into actual flesh and blood. Scheel explains scientific investigation of “the flesh was found to be a human striated muscular tissue of the myocardium, the heart wall.” Even though it’s 1250 years old, this relic shows no signs of decay today! 4. The Blood of St. JanuariusA vial of St. Januarius’ dried blood in Naples, Italy, liquefies every year on his feast days. “This happens on TV, like you can see it,” says Scheel. This public miracle has been observed and recorded for centuries without any explanation. 5. The Universal Blood Type of Eucharistic MiraclesScheel explains that “all major blood miracles or Eucharistic miracles of our Lord have the same blood type, AB.” This incredibly rare type, the universal recipient, is a remarkable consistency with profound symbolism of Christ’s blood being able to save all.
od became a little child to save humankind and bring them peace. How can we make this peace our own throughout the year? According to St. Seraphim of Sarov, obtaining and keeping peace of heart is the primary objective of our Christian life. 1 ACCEPT AND REJOICE IN OUR POWERLESSNESS There are many reasons for losing peace, but none of them are good (even if they may be legitimate!). We worry that our projects aren’t progressing as quickly as we’d like, we fear the various dangers of life for ourselves and even more so for our family, we lose patience and frequently become annoyed at the behavior of someone close to us, or we worry endlessly about this or that decision to be made. This is just a brief sampling of our many possible worries, which often boil down to a single one: we’d like to control everything, which is literally impossible. This desire for control can even find expression in our spiritual life. We become discouraged and lose our peace when we realize that we keep falling into the same sins. We are troubled by scruples, but these scruples are sometimes more the sign of wounded pride than of a true awareness of having offended the love of God and neighbor. Perhaps this is why St. Thérèse of Lisieux wrote that the greatest thing the Lord had done in her soul was “to have shown her her smallness, her powerlessness.” So, to have peace of heart, the first key is to leave behind our egocentrism and focus on the merciful love of the Father who always forgives us and raises us up after our falls. By rejoicing in our helplessness like the greatest saint of modern times, we accept the idea of falling and making mistakes without grieving inordinately, since we know that our offenses are “but a drop of water in a burning fire” of love. 2 ANCHOR OUR PEACE IN CHRIST ALONE A second key to acquiring peace of heart is to seek it where it truly is, and not elsewhere! If we expect peace from the whole world being at peace or from favorable circumstances in our own lives, then we’ll never have peace, or at least it will be ephemeral and full of illusions. Who can assure us that our plans will come to fruition as we wish, that we will always be in good health, or that our country will still be at peace tomorrow? More prosaically, bad weather can annoy us for a good part of the year. As these simple examples show, external circumstances cannot guarantee us serenity and peace. Our peace must rest on a rock far more solid than external circumstances, one that is unshakeable. That can only be Christ himself, his unconditional love for us, and faith in his promises, including victory over evil and death. We can confidently repeat to ourselves the words of the apostle Paul (Romans 8:35-37): “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (…) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Ground Picture | Shutterstock 3 DAILY RENEWAL THROUGH PRAYER The prophet Elijah learns on Mount Horeb that God is not to be found in a hurricane, earthquake, or fire, but in the “sound of sheer silence” (1 Kings 19:11-12). This is a lesson in humility for the prophet, who has just realized shortly before that he is “no better than his ancestors” (1 Kings 19:4). To keep the peace of our hearts, we must offer our vulnerability to the Lord, and receive his divine peace from him alone. He has assured us in the Gospel that he “leaves us peace, that he gives us his peace” (Jn 14:27). To receive it, we need to spend a special time with God every day. It’s in silent prayer that we can draw from his very Heart the peace, serenity, and joy we need to face all life’s trials. We can also simply pray to him: “Father, you know what I need. I’m handing this complicated situation over to you. I don’t want to worry. Keep my heart in peace.” 4 SLOWING DOWN TO LIVE MORE MINDFULLY We live in a rush. We struggle to wait in lines because we feel we’re “wasting our time.” We’re also impatient when it comes to fulfilling our most cherished projects. How many single people, for example, are overly concerned that they still haven’t yet found their soulmate! All this impatience is very human, but it testifies to a lack of trust in God’s providence and perfectly controlled timing. We sometimes want the right thing, but in the wrong way. Certainly, St. Martha wanted to receive Jesus with all due honor, but her eagerness, coupled with self-love and a touch of jealousy towards her sister, did not please the Lord. (Lk 10:41). In the same way, we can lose our peace at work because we’re afraid of missing deadlines. But it’s precisely when stress mounts that we should take a break, get some fresh air, close our eyes and breathe deeply for a few minutes to synchronize the rhythm of our breathing with that of our heart, and above all place our heart in God’s hands. Shutterstock/maxpetrov Thus, a fourth key to keeping our hearts at peace is to deliberately slow down our actions and words, to live them more mindfully. Fr. Jacques Philippe, who writes about peace of heart, advises us to follow St. Thérèse de Lisieux’s secret of holiness. This means doing “little things out of love,” “quietly and without nervousness” and avoiding “excessive haste.” These are what he calls “small gestures of collaboration with grace” which will enable us, day after day, to keep our hearts and minds centered on Jesus Christ. 5 WORK ON YOURSELF WITHOUT GETTING DISCOURAGED A fifth key to nourishing peace within ourselves is to become aware of our weaknesses and failings, and to work on ourselves without becoming discouraged. By getting to know ourselves better, we can discern the reason…
By Aleteia A thanksgiving Mass was celebrated in the cathedral of Lahore (Pakistan) to close the diocesan phase of the cause for beatification of young Akash Bashir. “Iwill die, but I will not let you go in.” These were Akash Bashir’s last words as he offered his life in sacrifice, preventing a terrorist attack on March 15, 2015, in St. John’s Church in Lahore, Pakistan. By giving his life, he saved hundreds of people. The diocesan phase of the cause of beatification began in January 2022, and ended with a solemn Mass presided over by the Archbishop of Lahore, Sebastian Shaw, on March 15, 2024, in Lahore Cathedral. A speedy start to the process According to the rules established by the Church, at least five years must pass after a person’s death before a process can be opened. It only took seven years for Archbishop Sebastian Shaw to announce in January 2022, after Vatican approval, that the 20-year-old Pakistani had been declared a “servant of God,” launching the start of the diocesan investigation. This was a swift beginning. Compare it, say, with that of American Fr. Stanley Rother, murdered in Guatemala in 1981, whose process began almost 26 years after his death, in 2007. This “five-year” rule is mandatory unless the pope gives a special dispensation, as in the case of Fr. Jacques Hamel, where it took only a few months after his murder to open his beatification process. The Church of Pakistan hopes he will be proclaimed a martyr in 2024 During the Mass of thanksgiving, Archbishop Shaw recalled Akash Bashir’s inspiring courage. He then handed over to the pope’s representative in Pakistan, Archbishop Germano Penemote, the dossier of the diocesan investigation for the recognition of Akash Bashir’s martyrdom. The documents have now been entrusted to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which is in turn studying them with theologians and historians. After the touching ceremony, Fr. Noble Lal, a priest present at the Mass, told the Fides news agency, “Akash’s story and faith-inspired choice are very important for our Church. Akash is a powerful source of inspiration for our young people!” He emphasized the immense joy of the Pakistani Christian people and hopes that the young man “can be proclaimed a martyr by 2024 or for the jubilee year of 2025.” Akash Bashir is the first person in Pakistani history to embark on the path to sainthood: welcome news in a country where the faithful are persecuted in the name of their faith. Read more…
“Behold, in the love of God I come to you to strengthen you. Have courage, have no fear. Remain faithful to the Holy Church! Know that you live in the time of tribulation. But you are marked and protected by the Precious Blood of my Lord Jesus Christ. Deus Semper Vincit” words of Saint Archangel Michael from September 19, 2023The King of Mercy always says it. The Mother of God, Mary the Immaculate, told me so many times. TheHoly Archangel Michael says it. The angels and saints say so. They always say the same thing. Do you know what heaven tells us?Stay loyal to the church!!!!Did we listen correctly? Can this be the case at this time? Yes!!!! We are in the time of trouble and our beloved church has also fallen into the time of trouble. This time should be endured with prayer and sacrifice. It is the time of the passion of our beloved Church, following her Lord. Our church is purified through suffering. Unfortunately, this means that the entire decay becomes apparent to the outside world. This is the turn towards the spirit of the times that has so far remained dormant in the church. We, on the other hand, are called to steadfastness in our faith in the unadulterated Catholic teaching, the teaching of our fathers of faith. Let’s not listen to all the agitators in the media. Let us look at our own soul, not at the soul of other people. Let us see our mistakes, not those of other people. We are not allowed to accept a false teaching or a wrong path and can reject any sin. Because making a sin a commandment is not Catholic teaching. Here the Holy Scripture is always our standard. With the Holy Scripture our soul can grow because the Holy Scripture is the Word of God.The other day I said to a young man who was complaining about the Pope:”Oh, please tell me if everything you have told me about the Pope prevents you personally from repentance and living a holy life yourself? Please tell me how the Pope in Rome prevents you from doing that? You will one day Stand alone before God and give an account, then there is no one else there. It is your life.Sure, we complain sometimes. It’s human. But is it really holy and Christian? Forget all YouTubers! Walk the path of your holiness!” A recommendation for us: Away with all ideological things. Pray! Live in the sacraments and love God! Padre Pio did that before you. He gave himself away to God. Oh, he loved the church. But What did she do to him? He initially received bans and conditions. He could have rebelled, gone public, made a fuss about injustice and so on. What did he do, our padre? He humbly followed his instructions Holy Church. This is the way of holiness! This is the way of grace! Well, this way is the way of the Lord. No rebellion. Prayer, penance, sacrifice, these are the paving stones that lead us to the sacraments of our beloved church. We are not a remnant church. There is no church of the pure and self-righteous. The Cathars spread this heresy even back then. We are called to repent because we are all sinners. Without exception. It’s about saving souls for the Lord. Let’s stay loyal! Serviam!
Catholic tradition has long venerated the remains of saints. Don’t confuse veneration, which is honoring a saint; with worship, which is given to God alone. After the death of a particularly saintly person, the physical remains and personal effects are preserved (relics). The vessel which holds such relics is called a reliquary. The ornate metal encasement which contains the hand (relic) of St. Teresa of Avila is a reliquary. When this particular reliquary is rotated, palm side towards the viewer, it is possible to see her actual hand through some of the transparent areas. In the palm you see the mark of the wounds of Christ, referred to as stigmata. When St. Teresa of Avila died the sisters in her convent buried her, hoping to preserve her within their order. Nine months later, when her coffin was opened, her body was found to be incorruptible (intact and undecayed). Before it was re-interred, her hand was removed. That is the source of the relic referred to in this story. Relatively recently, 1939-1976, following the end of the Spanish Civil War, this relic of St Teresa was removed from the convent by General Franco, a devout Catholic. Rumor is he kept it in his sleeping quarters while he was ruler of Spain. It is said, that at the time of his death, he had it beside him on his pillow. After his death in 1976, the Discalced Carmelites of Ronda requested and were granted the return of the relic.
“My dear children, The time you live now is a gift to allow all those of good will to celebrate the birth of my Son Jesus. I have opened this space for you in order to give comfort to your hearts and to allow you to respond, through your faith, to the Love of Jesus who took flesh to save you. On this day of the Holy Family, may all the families of the earth be blessed who welcome my beloved Son in hope. Take the Holy Family into your home, It alone will protect you in these coming times. Remember, I already told you: “the punishment will stop for the houses where the Holy Family is exposed and prayed with respect. » Yes, the Love of my Son who suffered for you, born from the virginal purity of my daughter Mary and protected by the very pure and powerful love of the just and loyal Joseph, is your protection. Hold your heart ready and awaken! Have what you need to nourish your body and treat it with the remedies that I have already given to many of my saints to protect you. Use holy water regularly to chase away the bad angels who lurk near your homes. It is not a coincidence that the last day of this year falls on the feast of the Holy Family. She is the sign to remind you of everything I told you. It is the sign of your protection. It is not in vain that the Church celebrates the motherhood of Mary, Mother of my Son Jesus on the first of the year. Because, in this time of yours, her Immaculate Heart will triumph. This year, which begins tomorrow, is a year of pure faith. All the signs have been given. John, the apostle, lifted the veil. Blinded are those who do not believe, deaf are those who do not hear, and dumb are the lukewarm. The spirit of a spiritual amaurosis invades humanity: there is no longer any vision, no understanding, no sense. Humanity does not see what is coming. My children will not be affected by this darkness. Events will speak. Blessed are those who hear the Word of God! Yes, dedicate yourself to my Most Holy Family; to Jesus my Son, to Mary his Mother and my Daughter, to Joseph my son whom Jesus called father on earth. Consecrate yourself for the fidelity of my Church. Everything will be accomplished and not one iota of what my Son Jesus taught and which the Church has solemnly declared will be lost. Amen! Your heavenly Father who loves you!“.
hose who do not pray to Jesus in his Passion,” wrote the poet priest Gerard Manley Hopkins, “pray to God, but scarcely to Christ.” We pray with passion when we meditate on the Lord’s Passion. How crucial to keep the cross at the center of our prayer. St. Leo the Great assures us that “through the cross the faithful receive strength from weakness, glory from dishonor, life from death.” In her Diary, St. Faustina relates: Jesus told me that I please him best by meditating on his sorrowful Passion, and by such meditation much light falls upon my soul. He who wants to learn true humility should reflect upon the Passion of Jesus. When I meditate upon the Passion of Jesus, I get a clear understanding of many things I could not comprehend before. We can approach Christ’s Passion in prayer with hope and great peace. In the words of Joseph Ratzinger, “What looks down at us from the cross is a goodness that enables a new beginning in the midst of life’s horror.” And St. John Paul II adds, “The cross is like a touch of eternal love upon the most painful wounds of man’s earthly existence.” One practical way to meditate on the Lord’s Passion is to pray before a crucifix, for “the human heart is converted by looking upon him whom our sins have pierced” (CCC 1432). The Imitation of Christ tells us, “If you do not know how to meditate on heavenly things, direct your thoughts to Christ’s Passion and willingly behold his sacred wounds.” Also, of course, is prayerfully meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. Read more…
By Aleteia While the universal Church is just now getting to know the Ulma family — and finding ourselves in awe at their testimony and what this family means for the Church everywhere — in their hometown of Markowa, they’ve been well known for decades. They were known and loved by their neighbors even before their tragic deaths, and have since become known further. Locals call them the Good Samaritans of Markowa. In an extensive interview at Our Sunday Visitor with the postulator of their beatification cause, we learn that the family Bible of the Ulmas had just a few verses underlined. Father Witold Burda explained to OSV: There are two [two sections; technically three verses, editor’s note] underlined verses in the Bible found in their home, and they’re under the title of the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is necessary to speak out about it and even more so about the fact that there is the word “yes” added in pencil next to it. We want to live this way. “Yes” What are those verses, underlined by either the father, Jozef, or the mother, Wiktoria, of the family? [Update: Aleteia has been made aware of some slight variance in the reports about what is underlined in the family Bible. In the preface to the book Martyred and Blessed Together: The Extraordinary Story of the Ulma Family, the postulator reports: First, “For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?” from chapter 5 of Matthew’s Gospel, the famous Sermon on the Mount, which states the duties of a Christian. Second, the title of chapter 10 of the Gospel of Luke is underlined in red:“The Good Samaritan.” And next to it is a note with a single word: “Yes.” A previous report was that the following verses are underlined:] “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Lk 10:27, quoting Deuteronomy 6) and “A Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion when he saw him: He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him onto his own mount and took him to an inn and looked after him” (Lk 10:33-34). Read more…