Home Fire in Chile Destroys Everything But Our Lady Statue, Which Remains Perfectly Intact

https://www.churchpop.com/2020/12/14/home-fire-in-chile-destroys-everything-but-our-lady-statue-which-remains-perfectly-intact/

Our Lady of Guadalupe - my personal thoughts

I don't currently have a strong devotion as such to Our Lady of Guadalupe, but I heard a great sermon today at Mass and wanted to share some of what the priest told me. This may not be everything he said, but it's some of the things I remember. The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a very beautiful one, and also very miraculous.

Juan Diego, who was recently canonized, was one of the few Catholics in Mexico. Our Lady appeared to him in an apparition while he was out in the desert. He went to tell the bishop from Spain about what he had witnessed. I believe the bishop had asked for some kind of proof. So he went back to the site of the apparition to tell the Blessed Virgin that he would need "proof". So she made appear a beautiful rose bush. This was a great miracle in that it was in the middle of the desert where very little grows. Also, little did St. Juan Diego know but this type of rose didn't even grow natively in Mexico, but was in fact native to Spain.

As proof of what had happened he either collected or Our Lady placed many roses in the tilma of this saint and he brought them back to the bishop. He told the bishop what had happened. When St. Juan let the roses drop from his tilma that he had been carrying, there was revealed a beautiful image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As the priest mentioned, this image of Our Lady is unique in that God himself placed it there and it was not the work of human hands.

There are many miracles which I recall from elsewhere concerning this image. The tilma was only meant to last a few years, but has now been preserved from decay for almost 500 years. That in itself is a miracle. Tests of the tilma reveal it is not painted by any methods available to human beings. From what I recall, the image was placed there with intense radiation. There are many striking details. For example, I believe an image of what transpired in that room with the bishop is actually visible under microscope in the eye of the Blessed Virgin on the tilma. What an astonishing fact.

But the greatest miracle of all was the conversion of so many people. The priest today mentioned that the Catholic faith had not taken hold in Mexico, but after this apparition, within a decade or so, there were 9 million baptisms. People entering into the sacraments and the life of Christ is the greatest of all miracles, far more than the roses or tilma. In fact, these material miracles only serve to highlight the spiritual reality.

Happy feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe today. We'll see you all next time.

What do the Symbols on the Miraculous Medal mean?

 

Source: https://denvercatholic.org/the-miraculous-medal-explained/#.Vm9F2YRlm9Y

The miraculous medal has great significance to Catholics around the world. Today is the feast day of the Miraculous Medal. The chart above explains what the symbols mean on this beautiful medal.

Here is the text of the above graphic:

Each symbol on the Miraculous Medal means something. Together, they create a tiny lesson in Mariology. The Miraculous Medal is not magical, but wearing it and meditating on its symbolism can bring about greater faith, hope and purity.

The Rays
This is hard to see on the medal but in St. Catherine's vision, Mary had three rings on each finder. Rays of light emanated from some of these rings and touched the globe. Mary said these indicated the graces people had asked for and she gave. Her other rings were struck with light, but did not emit rays. Mary said those were the graces she was ready to give, but no one had asked for.

The Prayer
Mary appeared to St. Catherine surrounded by these words. This was years before the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was clarified by the Church. Her open arms remind us of the "recourse" we have in her.

The Stars
One for each of the Twelve Apostles, who formed the Church. Thus the 12 stars are a symbol for the whole Church.

The Globe
Often obscured by engravers adding the year of the apparitions, Mary is actually crushing a serpent wrapped around the world (Gen. 3:15). The fact that she is standing on the globe alludes to her Assumption.

The Two Hearts
The heart on the left has a crown of thorns and belongs to Jesus. It symbolizes his Passion an dlove for all of us. The heart on the right is pierced by a sword and belongs to Mary. The sword comes from Simeon's prophecy in Luke 2:35. The two hearts are next to each other to show the intimacy between them. The fires show the intensity and purifying nature of their love.

The M With the Cross
The "M" stands for Mary, our Mediatrix. "Mediatrix" is a Marian title meaning Jesus listens to our prayers as she presents them, and that he gives us graces through her. This is the role of a Queen Mother in the Davidic Kingdom (see 1 Kings 2:13-20). While he did not have to do this, Christ chose to have a mother to play this role. She is entwined by the Cross, a sign of Jesus's suffering and redemption. This also signifies her presence at the food of the Cross.

Prayer for Those Suffering from Pneumonia and/or Covid

 

St. Bernardino of Siena - Patron Saint of Those Suffering from Respiratory Illness

I would like to share with you a prayer that I wrote for the patron saint of respiratory illnesses, St. Bernardino of Siena. I wrote this myself so please pardon me if it is not the greatest of prayers.

I am writing this prayer because pneumonia is a highly-searched illness and I wanted to provide a Catholic prayer in response to it. Covid is also a respiratory illness so one can also pray this prayer for that intention as well. Without further ado, here is the prayer I composed:

Prayer to St. Bernardino of Siena (Patron Saint of Respiratory Illness)

Lord, Father all-powerful and ever-living God,
You led St. Bernardino of Siena to help those suffering during the Plague.
Lord, you also assisted and cured St. Bernardino of Siena of his respiratory illness.
You gave St. Bernardino strength and courage to preach beautifully to the people of Italy.
I ask you, St. Bernardino, through your powerful intercession, to pray to God Almighty
For the intention of (State Intention Here)
Pray that the Lord brings healing, peace, love and joy to this person.
I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Update: Thank you for viewing.

Occupy Rome Protesters destroy Statue of the Virgin Mary

I saw a video today which was very disturbing. I don't want to post it here because it is rather offensive, and I think a lot of people would prefer not to see it. Basically in the video, a protester in Occupy Rome finds a large status of Our Lady, takes it out to the street, lifts it up, and the smashes it onto the ground. It is basically destroyed or at least badly damaged. Some people then kick it or do other actions. This is absolutely deplorable and very sad. Let's say a special prayer of atonement.

Martyrdom in the Abrahamic Religions

The word "martyr" is often bandied around in common parlance. In the more casual sense, it means someone who makes a sacrifice or is seen as a victim. So if a person is arrested, it may be feared that he will become a "martyr for the cause". Traditionally though, martyrdom means someone who dies for their beliefs.

Over the past few decades, we've heard the term applied to suicide bombers. These people often consider themselves martyrs. These people would not however be considered as such in Christianity. SO how do the three Abrahamic religions differ?

Jews have a similar understanding to martyrdom as Christians do. To Jews, it's a form of Kiddush Hashem or "sanctification of God's name". One of the most well known examples of Jewish martyrdom is found in the books of first and second Maccabees, which is found only in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. In it, Jews were killed for traditional practices such as not eating pork or circumcising their young males.

Martyrdom took a place of even greater importance within Christianity. Martyrdom was so common in the early days of the Church that Tertullian famously noted that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church". The first individual martyr is said to be St. Stephen who was killed on the orders of St. Paul. Over the centuries there have been hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of martyrs in Christianity.

It is important to note the definition of a martyr. In the Christian tradition it is very restricted. A martyr is one who is killed for his Christian belief after he refused to renounce it, even upon threat of death. Therefore, it automatically excludes:

- those killed during conquest or battle
- those who are killed while performing an evil action
- those who are trying to escape or conceal their identity
- those who renounce their faith
- those who kill others and are then killed
- those who commit suicide
- those killed by accident

There are probably more, but that's all I can think of right now.

In Islam, the meaning of martyrdom (or shahid) has a much broader definition, although not all Muslims agree on it. Muslims can do the following and still be considered martyrs:

- be killed in battle
- be killed in the process of killing others (i.e. infidels)
- be in an accident, such as fire or drowning
- die by disease
- die during childbirth
- die defending property
- die while in a building that collapses
- dies after being attacked by a beast
- dies while being a stranger in a new land

Obviously, the range of possibility for martyrdom in Islam is much greater than it is in Christianity.

Let's take some time today to remember the sacrifice of these great Christian people over the centuries and which continues to this day.

Answer to Who Am I

Yesterday's Who Am I was...

John the Baptist

His father, Zechariah lost the ability to speak when he questioned how his wife could bear a child at her age. John the Baptist is known as the Forerunner, because he foretold Jesus' coming. He was known for speaking out when necessary, and he couldn't get ahead is meant to be a play-on-words indicating he was beheaded.

Who Am I?

I'm back with another Who Am I?

I was an Albino from Italy
I'm also associated with 33
I foretold the reign of my next
I most-likely died from an attack

(Post a comment with your guess on it. The answer will be posted tomorrow morning.)

Answer to Yesterday's Who Am I?

The answer to yesterday's Who Am I is St. Thomas Aquinas.

His philosophy, best represented in the Summa Theologica, has shaped our understanding of Christianity since the 13th century. He died when he was 49 years old, not having fully completed the Summa. OP refers to the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans. He is one of 33 doctors of the Church.

Come back tomorrow, same time, for another Who Am I

Who Am I?

This is a little game I am introducing to this blog. It's called Who Am I? The name basically says it all. I will give some clues on a saint, Biblical figure, bishop, priest, or someone otherwise famous within Catholicism, and you must guess who it is. The answer will appear the following day.

Post your response in the comments. Make this a real challenge and do not research the answer. If you get it wrong, that's ok, don't feel bad, and if you're not sure, make a guess anyway.

WHO AM I:
Not quite 50 at the time of my death
My philosophy has shaped the West
I was a member of the OP
and I'm in a group of thirty three

26 Saints A to Z

I'm just giving myself a challenge right now, and you can try it yourself. Perhaps do it before you read my list. I'm going to try to name one saint for each letter of the alphabet. I will see how many I can get. The rule is that you must be 99% sure it is a saint, and not just type a name hoping you can find a saint later that matches. So here goes:

Saint:
Alphonsus Liguori
Benedict of Nursia
Charles Borromeo
Denis
Edward the Confessor
Francis of Assissi
Gerard Megella
Hilarius
Ignatius Loyola
John
Kateri Tekaweta
Leo the Great
Michael the Archangel
Nicholas
O
Peter
Quirinus
Robert Bellarmine
Stephen
Thomas Aquinas
U
Veronica
Wenceslaus
Xystus
Y
Zossimus

Ok, so I couldn't get O, U, or Y. Plus, some are questionable. I will look them up. I will post updates or additional information in a comment to this post.

Choosing between two evils

A common idea when it comes to morality is choosing between two evils. Often times though, we just like to think there are only two choices when in fact there are more, and some do not involve evil at all.

I could be misquoting here, but I thought I heard somewhere that John Paul II said when choosing between two evils, choose neither. All too often, we incorrectly place a decision as being between two possible evils, but these circumstances are very rare.

I was just reading the biography of St. George who lived during the time of Diocletian. He belonged to a wealthy and noble Roman family.

Diocletian was one of the greatest opponents of Christianity and under his reign was the greatest persecution of Christians. He issued an edict saying that all soldiers must pay homage to the Roman gods. Of course, George, a Christian, refused.

Diocletian knew George and wanted him to worship these deities. The emperor did not want to punish George and offered him land, wealth, and power. All he needed from George was for him to worship these false gods. George refused and was subsequently tortured, and never abandoning his faith, was finally killed.

How many people in our modern day, perhaps sadly even including me, would see this as an option between two evils? One evil, being killed by the emperor and worshiping a false god. Then many would conclude that it's better to just worship this false god and live because then we can do other things like charitable work, etc.

But St. George chose not to participate in evil. That's the point. Evil may be done to him, but he will have nothing to do with it.

The amount of good St. George did because of his choice is incalculable. Many were converted at the time and today he is the patron saint of many countries. Legends have developed around him such as him slaying a dragon, which represents his triumph over evil.

Had he chose instead to do what the emperor wanted, he may have helped a couple of people a little here and there, but then he would have had a very tiny impact. It is doubtful anyone would know him today.

All too often, we put our own selfish desires above the truth. We justify our actions instead of choosing good.

Let's give everything to God.

Saint Lucifer?

Strange though it may sound, there was a bishop in the fourth century named Lucifer. For those not too familiar with the Bible, before Satan was sent to Hell, he was known as Lucifer, or bearer of light. However, nowadays, when people hear Lucifer, they think of Satan.

Well, this bishop lived in Cagliari, on the island of Sardinia in Italy. He was around during the Arian controversy and fought vehemently against it. He stood with the true church in defending the Nicene Creed.

It is hinted by Ambrose of Milan and his student Augustine of Hippo that Lucifer was excommunicated, and his followers became known as Luciferians. It's unclear why he was excommunicated and some believe the excommunicated individual was actually another Lucifer.

His veneration as a saint is controversial and he is generally only venerated in Cagliari.

7 Apostles who were crucified

Jesus was crucified on the cross, as everyone knows. Many also know that Peter was to be crucified like Jesus but felt unworthy, so was crucified upside down. But what many do not know is that many of the other apostles were also crucified.

1) Peter, crucified upside-down
2) Andrew, crucified on an X-shaped cross
3) Philip, crucified upside-down
4) Jude
5) Simon the Zealot

The following Apostles were crucified but survived and were killed another way:

6) James the Less, was later clubbed to death
7) Bartholomew, was released from crucifixion while Philip was also being crucified. Philip refused to be released. Bartholomew was later flayed.

The other apostles died in other ways:

8) Matthew, unknown
9) Judas, hanged himself
10) Thomas, killed by a spear
11) James the Great, beheaded
12) John was the only one to die naturally

13) Matthias (who replaced Judas), stoned and beheaded

Today is St. John the Baptist Day

Today's the birthday of my hometown of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It was discovered on June 24th, St. John the Baptist Day, back in 1497. It's the oldest city in North America. The date is John's date of birth. As we know, he foretold the coming of Jesus and when he saw Jesus, he said "behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World." John the Baptist was beheaded because of his protest against the marriage of Herod. St. John, pray for us.

I thought August was a good month for saints, but look at September!

Last month, I looked at the many amazing saints for August, but I think September might even have them beat! Let's keep in mind that of course all saints are equal in God's eyes, but I'm just very happy about the great feast days we'll be celebrating this month. Let's take a look:

September 3 - Gregory the Great
Pope Saints Gregory the Great is a doctor of the church, and the pope for whom Gregorian chant is named. He is one of only three popes to hold the title "Great", as well as one of only two to be called a Doctor of the Church. Gregory was truly one of the greatest popes who has ever lived.

September 5 - Bl. Teresa of Calcutta
Mother Teresa is not a saint yet, but she's on her way (at least to being officially recognized as such). Local prayer to her is permitted as she is a blessed. Around the world, Mother Teresa is perhaps one of the most well known modern saints.

September 17 - Robert Bellarmine
Another Doctor of the Church and an important figure during the Catholic Reformation.

September 17 - Hildegard von Bingen
According to Wikipedia, Hildegard of Bingen (von is German) was many things: a Christian mystic, German Benedictine abbess, author, counselor, linguist, naturalist, scientist, philosopher, physician, herbalist, poet, channeller, visionary, composer, and polymath. Phew, that was a mouth-full! I remember reading about her in my classical music course, and specifically I remember that she was tithed to the church as a nun because she was her parents' tenth child!

September 21 - Matthew the Evangelist
One of the Four Evangelists and one of the twelve apostles. He started as a tax collector.

September 22 - Thomas of Villanueva
St. Thomas of Villanova was a real saint. He did everything he could for the poor, including selling his straw bed to help them. He also made sure his charity went a long way. He taught men to fish, rather than simply giving them a fish. He said: "Charity is not just giving, rather removing the need of those who receive charity and liberating them from it when possible"

September 23 - Padre Pio
Of course we all know Padre Pio. He is one of the most recently canonized saints, and the first and only priest so far to receive the stigmata (believe it or not). He bore the wounds of Christ, yet wanted no publicity. He asked Jesus to remove the signs, but not the pain, because he wanted to be united with Jesus, but not to receive much praise or attention.

September 23 - Linus
Linus was the first successor of St. Peter as Pope and Holy Father of the Universal Church

September 27 - Vincent de Paul
St. Vincent de Paul is the patron of the charitable organization founded by Frédéric Ozanam. St. Vincent is noted for his help of the poor, and his patronage helps the organization today.

September 28 - Wenceslaus
We all know the Christmas carol about Good King Wenceslaus. He is the patron saint of the Czech Republic. His father was converted by Sts. Cyril and Methodius (they're pretty awesome as well!)

September 29 - Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael
These three archangels share a feast day. Let's say a special prayer to them!

September 30 - Jerome
A great scholar and translator of the Bible into the Latin Vulgate. He converted to Christianity and eventually became a Doctor of the Church.

August, a great month for saints!

I was just looking at my calendar of feast days and August is a spectacular month for saints. Here are just some of the more popular saints from this month:

August 1) St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists
August 4) St. Jean-Marie Vianney, the patron saint of parish priests
August 8) St. Dominic, founder of the Dominicans
August 10) St. Lawrence, early Martyr
August 11) St. Clare, follower of St. Francis of Assisi
August 14) St. Maximilian Kolbe, gave his life for man in concentration camp
August 20) St. Bernard, Doctor of the Church
August 21) St. Pius X, a holy and humble man
August 24) St. Bartholomew, One of the 12 Apostles
August 28) St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church

First Saint Canonized this day in 993

In 993, Ulrich of Augsburg was the first person to be canonized in the process we use today, by the Pope. Prior to this time, we had many saints in the Church, but they were declared saints by local acclaim or by the bishop of that area. All people called saint nowadays are canonized by the Pope.

A good resource for information on this saint is Wikipedia. Check out his article here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulrich_of_Augsburg

If only St. Thomas Aquinas had lived a little longer

Thomas Aquinas is one of my favorite saints. I believe he should be the patron saint of apologists. He gave rational reasons for the faith, in great detail, and his most complete work was the Summa Theologica. Aquinas understood that good philosophy can come from various sources and he was able to use many ideas from Greek and Roman philosophers. The Catholic Church recognizes that religions can be praised for what is true in their faiths, and Aquinas understood this as well. Of course, to fully understand God, we must look to the Catholic Church. The question I am asking is, what if St. Thomas lived a little longer?

The reason I ask is because he died on his way to the Second Ecumenical Council of Lyons, on March 7, 1274. He was summoned there by Pope Gregory X himself. This was a very important council (as they all are indeed) as it was to attempt a reconciliation between the Eastern and Western churches, which were split during the Great Schism, a very sad time for Christendom. St. Thomas was revered from all the Christian world for his grasp of theology and philosophy. He was eminently brilliant and much of our current beliefs are best expressed through his words. Just take a look at the Catechism and you will know his great impact.

Because of his understanding, Aquinas was to be a very important member of this church council. Perhaps his words could have brought the Eastern Churches back into the fold. St. Thomas was able to expound on any topic and create an air-tight argument in favour of the Catholic Church. If St. Thomas had not been hit on the head a couple of times on his way to the council, he could very well have survived to brilliantly bring together these separated brothers. Of course, St. Thomas would acknowledge his debt to the Holy Spirit for giving him such great wisdom and knowledge. Another great saint and doctor of the church, St. Bonaventure, was able to make it to much of the proceedings, but he too died before the council was over. St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas have much in common. Let us say a special prayer tonight for the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, that he may intercede to God on our behalf to make our minds clear and bring us to a better understanding of God, through the workings of the Holy Spirit.

Christ's Crown of Thorns

I believe Christ's Crown of Thorns represents several things, and the things I mention is not an exhaustive list. I saw a painting which showed the thorns and branches of Christ's as being very long. Then I realized it meant Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. His crown branches off and we partake of him in his glory. We are the body of Christ.

I also realized that the thorny crown is a paradox just like the life of Christ. Christ's suffering and death on the cross purchased for us the greatest reward. When Jesus brought our sins to the cross, he suffered more than anyone else ever could. Yet it was through this suffering that we could partake in the beatific vision. The cross represents all of this very well. The crown of thorns is painful, causing Jesus to bleed and to suffer, yet through his suffering he is rewarded and we the human race are rewarded. We receive a gift greater than can be had by any king, we receive eternal salvation. Pain and redemption are inextricably linked, and the crown represents the victory and our eternal salvation.

I would like to share a very powerful hymn. The words were written by St. Bernard of Clairveaux, a saint and doctor of the Church.