BIG C CATHOLICS

Jesus, you made Mother Teresa an example of humility, charity and selflessness. She taught us that every human life has value and dignity. May we follow her in heeding Your cry of thirst from the cross, and in loving the poorest of the poor.  Grant us, by her intercession, and according to Your will, the graces we implore..., knowing that she will soon be numbered among Your saints. We ask this in Your name,  through the intercession of Mary,  Your Mother and the Mother of us all. Amen.

Christ offered Himself unto death for our salvation. We are to "hate" our old lives, renouncing all the earthly things we rely upon, to follow Him.    Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) The word “hate” is a powerful word so in sharing my thoughts with you today I want to first note that in the language Jesus spoke back then the word “hate” was a Semitic expression that we should not take literally. We should think of it as telling us that loving God is more important than anything else. Jesus is asking for first place in our hearts, he’s not asking us to abandon our families. After all in the society in which Jesus lived people’s whole lives centered on their families. Our lives should be also. Jesus used extreme language so that people would not forget what He is asking, namely our wholehearted and uncompromising commitment to follow in His way, live in His truth, and share life with Him. We all ...

The Spanish Inquisition has frequently been used to portray the Catholic Church as hypocritical and malevolent. However, recent scholarship proves that it wasn’t as bloody or as brutal as the Church’s detractors contend. The BBC documentary, The Myth of the Spanish Inquisition, refutes the false narratives surrounding this Tribunal. Below is a partial transcript of the program: Starting at 3:02: "Four centuries of condemnation have made the Spanish Inquisition a byword for cruelty, terror and tyranny. But this image is false. A distortion disseminated 400 years ago and accepted ever since. Now, a new generation of historians is looking at the inquisition afresh. Every one of the cases that came before the Spanish Inquisition during its 350-year history had its own file. These files, gathered together from sources such as this library in Salamanca, are being properly studied for the first time. (Prof. Henry Kamen speaking) 'I think our views of the inquisition hav...

The Marriage of the Virgin , Raphael, 1504. The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary novena for marriage and families begins today. Strong families are indispensable in building a culture of life that protects human dignity. We pray that the sacrament of marriage is strengthened and that families are sanctified. Saint John Paul II's apostolic exhortation Famillaris Consoetio underscores the importance of the family in God's plan of salvation: "At a moment of history in which the family is the object of numerous forces that seek to destroy it or in some way to deform it, and aware that the well-being of society and her own good are intimately tied to the good of the family, the Church perceives in a more urgent and compelling way her mission of proclaiming to all people the plan of God for marriage and the family, ensuring their full vitality and human and Christian development, and thus contributing to the renewal of society and of the People of God." Novena ...

August 30th, the Church celebrates Saint Jeanne Jugan, (1792-1879) also known as, Mary of the Cross, a French religious remembered for her dedication to the elderly indigent, who founded the Little Sisters of the Poor. She was born in Cancale, Brittany, (France) the sixth of eight children of Joseph and Marie Jugan. Due to the religious persecution of the French Revolution. Jugan was catechized and attended Mass in secret. To support her family, she worked as a shepherdess. Later, she became a domestic servant to the Viscountess de la Choue, a devout Catholic. When the viscountess visited the sick and the needy, Jeanne would accompany her. She declined the marriage proposals of several potential suitors saying that God was calling her to, "a work which is not yet founded." At 25, she entered the Third Order of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary founded by Saint John Eudes. During this period, she worked as a hospital nurse and assisted a fellow member of the Eudist Thir...

August 29th, the Church celebrates the passion of Saint John the Baptist. He was the cousin of Jesus, the son of Elizabeth and Zachariah, and the nephew of the Blessed Virgin Mary. John heralds Christ in his miraculous birth and his ministry as preacher, and martyr. Apart from Jesus and our Lady, John the Baptist is the only one whose birth and death are commemorated by the Church. Mark's Gospel relates the events of his execution (Mark 6:17-29): "Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife." Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. She had an opportunity one day when H...

Please remember the Holy Father Pope Francis' intentions in prayer through the month of September: Universal: Centrality of the Human Person That each may contribute to the common good and to the building of a society that places the human person at the center. Evangelization: Mission to Evangelize That by participating in the Sacraments and meditating on Scripture, Christians may become more aware of their mission to evangelize.

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for today’s readings ) I lived a total of twenty-three years outside of the USA, mostly in an international community of Europeans, South Americans, Africans, and Asians. You can imagine the puzzlement of many of them when they heard American presidents and others constantly refer to the US as the “Greatest nation on earth,” and “Leader of the free world.” That we are a great and influential nation, no one could doubt. But that doesn’t make us better than anyone else. We aren’t alone in this arrogance. The French traditionally claim to be the greatest thinkers, and of course they have the best wines, chefs, etc. Italians claim the greatest artists, and of course they also have the best wines, chefs, etc. Ireland prides itself on being the land of saints and scholars. The list goes on. Should we go around saying we are the worst nation on earth? Of cour...

The Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin (Also known as The Franciscan Crown Rosary) Today is the traditional feast of the Seven Joys of Mary. The origin of the prayer can be found in the Manual for Franciscan Tertiaries : "About the year 1420, a young man, deeply devoted to Our Lady, took the habit of St Francis. Before joining the Order, he had, among other practices, been accustomed daily to make a chaplet of flowers, and with it to crown a statue of the Blessed Virgin. Having in his novitiate no longer an opportunity of making this crown for his Most Beloved Queen, he, in his simplicity, thought that she would withdraw her affection from him; this temptation of the devil disturbed his vocation, and he resolved to abandon the cloister. The merciful mother appeared to him, and gently rebuking him, strengthened him in his vocation by telling him to offer her instead of the chaplet of flowers, a crown much more pleasing to her, composed of seventy-two Ave Marias and a Pater a...

Death of Saint Monica , scene from Life of Saint Augustine, Ottaviano Nelli, 1420-1425. August 27th, is the Memorial of Saint Monica, (333-387) the mother of Saint Augustine. Augustine’s life of sin and embrace of worldly pleasures is well known. In turning her son’s heart to God, Monica’s fervent prayers won for the Church a revered scholar and saint. She exemplifies those women in ancient Christianity whose quiet witness was powerfully efficacious. Despite suffering abuse, addiction and discouragement, Monica never lost hope or her faith in God. She was born in Tagaste, a town in Northern Africa, (present day Algeria) the oldest of three children to Christian parents. She was given in marriage to a pagan Roman official named Patricius. They had three children, sons Augustine and Navigius and a daughter Perpetua. Her husband and mother-in-law treated Monica with disdain. Monica answered their maltreatment with charity. Her prayers and kindness opened Patricius’ eyes t...

Saint Monica demonstrated heroic patience during her trials. She suffered greatly, but never lost her abiding faith in God's goodness. Let us pray that we may have the faith of St. Monica and so possess heroic patience in the face of all difficulties. Only then, can we truly be instruments of God's peace. Day 9 - The St. Monica Novena Dear Saint Monica, you were once the mournful mother of a prodigal son. Your faithfulness to prayer brought you and your son so close to God that you are now with him in eternity. By your intercession and God’s grace, your son St. Augustine became a great and venerable Saint of the Church. Please take my request to God with the same fervor and persistence with which you prayed for your son. (Mention your intentions here) With your needs, worries and anxieties, you threw yourself on the mercy and providence of God. Through sorrow and pain, you constantly devoted yourself to God. Pray for me that I might join you in such a deep faith in G...

King Saint Louis IX never forgot his upbringing in the Faith. His friend and biographer, the Sieur de Joinville, who joined him on his first crusade to the Holy Land, relates that the King once asked him, "What is God?" Joinville replied, "Sire, it is that which is so good that there can be nothing better." "Well," said the King, "now tell me, would You rather be a leper or commit a mortal sin?" The spectacle of the wretched lepers who wandered along the highways of medieval Europe might well have prompted a sensitive conscience to ask such a question. "I would rather commit thirty mortal sins," answered Joinville, in all candor, "than be a leper." Louis expostulated with him earnestly for making such a reply. "When a man dies," he said, "he is healed of leprosy in his body; but when a man who has committed a mortal sin dies he cannot know of a certainty that he has in his lifetime repented in such sort that ...

O God, who consoles the sorrowful and who mercifully accepted the motherly tears of Saint Monica for the conversion of her son Augustine, grant us, through the intercession of them both, that we may bitterly regret our sins and find the grace of your pardon. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Day 8 - The St. Monica Novena Dear Saint Monica, you were once the mournful mother of a prodigal son. Your faithfulness to prayer brought you and your son so close to God that you are now with him in eternity. By your intercession and God’s grace, your son St. Augustine became a great and venerable Saint of the Church. Please take my request to God with the same fervor and persistence with which you prayed for your son. (Mention your intentions here) With your needs, worries and anxieties, you threw yourself on the mercy and providence of God. Through sorrow and pain, you constantly devoted ...

August 25th, is the Optional Memorial of Saint Joseph Calasanz, (1557-1648) the Spanish priest and educator who founded the The Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools, (the Piarists) a community devoted to the instruction of youth. He was born in Peralta, Aragon, and educated in philosophy, law and theology. His father desired that he marry, but upon recovering from a life threatening illness, Joseph resolved to become a priest. He was ordained in 1583, after which he served as a secretary, administrator and theologian in the diocese of Albarracín, Spain. In 1592, Joseph traveled to Rome, where he worked as a theologian for Cardinal Marcoantonio Colonna. While residing there, he visited the seven principal churches each evening, as well as venerating the graves of the Roman martyrs. At that time, the Eternal City was afflicted with a series of deadly plagues. Alongside Saint Camillus de Lellis, Joseph tended to the afflicted and helped carry the bod...

August 25th, is the Optional Memorial of Saint Louis IX, (1214 – 1270) the French King known for his personal holiness and wise rule. As a monarch, he dedicated himself to the concerns of his kingdom and those of Christendom. Accounts of his life hold that Luis ministered to the poor and the sick, often personally tending to their needs. People from every walk of life sought his assistance. He was a tertiary of the Order of the Holy Trinity and Captives (the Trinitarians). King Luis was a great admirer of the mendicant orders, and aided several, especially the Franciscans. Louis was born in Poissy, near Paris, the son of Prince Louis and Princess Blanche. He was tutored in Latin, literature, rhetoric, military arts and government. Louis' mother trained him to be a judicious leader and a Godly man. She instilled in him love and awe for the things of God, and would often say to him: "I love you my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you ...

Saint Monica is the patron saint of abuse victims. She suffered verbal abuse from her husband's violent temper for years. Such maltreatment is a consequence of our fallen humanity. Today, let us pray for all victims of abuse. Day 7 - The St. Monica Novena Dear Saint Monica, you were once the mournful mother of a prodigal son. Your faithfulness to prayer brought you and your son so close to God that you are now with him in eternity. By your intercession and God’s grace, your son St. Augustine became a great and venerable Saint of the Church. Please take my request to God with the same fervor and persistence with which you prayed for your son. (Mention your intentions here) With your needs, worries and anxieties, you threw yourself on the mercy and providence of God. Through sorrow and pain, you constantly devoted yourself to God. Pray for me that I might join you in such a deep faith in God’s goodness and mercy. Above all, dear Saint Monica, pray for me that I may, lik...

The Feast of Saint Bartholomew is August 24th. Bartholomew is one of the twelve Apostles. He is mentioned in all four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. John’s Gospel states he was from Cana and that Jesus said upon meeting him "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him." It is clear, that our Lord appreciates the sincerity that He sees in Bartholomew. While little is known about his early life, Bartholomew was most certainly a devout Jew. His name means "son of Tolomai". Most scholars believe that he, and the Nathanael referred to in John, are the same person. An authority in the law of Moses, Bartholomew was a close friend of the Apostle, Philip. Following Pentecost, Bartholomew embarked on a missionary trip to India. Popular piety records him as serving in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Persia and Egypt. Bartholomew and Saint Jude are credited with bringing Christianity to Armenia. Both are the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Pius Pa...

Today we pray for all those who feel abandoned by God for whatever reason, for those waiting for answers to prayer, and for those who are suffering and do not yet see the reasons behind what God is doing in their lives.  May they be given the gift of unwavering faith through Saint Monica's intercession. Day 6 - The St. Monica Novena Dear Saint Monica, you were once the mournful mother of a prodigal son. Your faithfulness to prayer brought you and your son so close to God that you are now with him in eternity. By your intercession and God’s grace, your son St. Augustine became a great and venerable Saint of the Church. Please take my request to God with the same fervor and persistence with which you prayed for your son. (Mention your intentions here) With your needs, worries and anxieties, you threw yourself on the mercy and providence of God. Through sorrow and pain, you constantly devoted yourself to God. Pray for me that I might join you in such a deep faith in God’s g...

August 23rd, is the Optional Memorial of Saint Rose of Lima, (1586-1617) a Dominican lay tertiary known for her charity and extreme austerity, who is the first canonized saint of the Western Hemisphere. She was born Isabel Flores de Oliva in the city of Lima, Peru, to Gaspar Flores, a cavalry officer in the Imperial Spanish army, and María de Oliva y Herrera, a criolla native. As a five-year-old child, she pledged her innocence to God. When her family struggled to feed their ten children, she sold vegetables, setting aside a portion of her earnings to give to the poor. At her confirmation in 1597, she officially took the name Rose. (Saint Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo, the Archbishop of Lima, conferred the sacrament.) Rose’s piety and great beauty attracted suitors. Over the objections of her family, she rejected them all. To repulse their interest, Rose cropped her hair and rubbed pepper on her face causing it to blister. Her mother in particular, insisted that Rose marry. Against ...

Saint Monica's son, Saint Augustine, rejected the Faith for many years. Monica had such a strong devotion to Christ that she persevered in hope that her son would one day return to God. Her faithfulness was rewarded. Today let us pray for those who have fallen away. May they return soon to the Church. Day 5 - The St. Monica Novena Dear Saint Monica, you were once the mournful mother of a prodigal son. Your faithfulness to prayer brought you and your son so close to God that you are now with him in eternity. By your intercession and God’s grace, your son St. Augustine became a great and venerable Saint of the Church. Please take my request to God with the same fervor and persistence with which you prayed for your son. (Mention your intentions here) With your needs, worries and anxieties, you threw yourself on the mercy and providence of God. Through sorrow and pain, you constantly devoted yourself to God. Pray for me that I might join you in such a deep faith in God’s go...

August 22, 2016 Having observed the Feast of the Assumption of Mary on August 15th, when Christ took Mary up into heaven, we now celebrate her Queenship over all creation. It is important to distinguish between the Ascension of our Lord who rises to his heavenly enthronement by the power of his own Divinity and the Assumption of Mary. Mary did not ascend under her own power. She is assumed into heaven by the power of her Son through the Holy Spirit. Moreover, our Lady’s Assumption is a means to the end of her coronation and Queenship. Mary functions not only as the Mother of Christ, ( Luke 1 ) but also as the mother of all of the children of God ( Revelation 12:17 ). Exercising her maternal love, she intercedes unceasingly on behalf of those who keep the commandments of Christ. Pope Pius XII’s encyclical letter,  Ad Caeli Reginam , establishing the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary notes in part: "Let all, therefore, try to approach with greater trus...

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) “Well, Father,” I was asked, “what’s wrong with being proud of yourself? Aren’t we supposed to have some pride? Why are we supposed to be humble – what good does it do other than to allow others to take advantage of us?” That’s a good question, one that we should consider. Balancing pride and humility is a problem for us all. My answer to the question about bring proud is: “It all depends.” It all depends upon what we’re being proud about. There are forms of pride that are good… and there are certainly forms of pride that are bad. Let’s start with good pride. We should have enough pride to render good quality to our workmanship. We should do things well and be properly proud of that quality of the product of our craftsmanship. We should be honorable, a quality lacking in today’s world. We should render an honest day’s labor for an honest day’s wage and be proud of it. We should care fo...

Saint Monica is the patron saint of alcoholics. She understood from her own life experience that addiction begins with a single temptation. All temptations come from the Devil who is the father of lies and a cruel deceiver of men. Addition is the pursuit of a false idol, promising happiness. Its tragic consequences are despair, hopelessness and enslavement. Today, let us pray for those struggling with addiction, as well as for their loved ones. Day 4 - The St. Monica Novena Dear Saint Monica, you were once the mournful mother of a prodigal son. Your faithfulness to prayer brought you and your son so close to God that you are now with him in eternity. By your intercession and God’s grace, your son St. Augustine became a great and venerable Saint of the Church. Please take my request to God with the same fervor and persistence with which you prayed for your son. (Mention your intentions here) With your needs, worries and anxieties, you threw yourself on the mercy and providenc...

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for Sunday’s readings ) Often enough in families people can feel they are taken for granted. They do so much, and others don’t seem to notice, or even care, much less help. The same sort of thing happens sometimes in parishes. When volunteers are needed, people think, “so-and-so will do it.” Always the same persons are expected to respond. Then comes a time when so-and-so can’t do it any more—or won’t—and either of two things happens. The activity in question simply dies, or someone else responds to the need, only to become the new “so-and-so” that gets tapped for everything. No one likes being taken for granted.  It’s clear from today’s Gospel that Jesus doesn’t either. To avoid taking him for granted, there are two very important things all Christians need to do. First, really believe in Jesus. This is not simply admiration for his goodness, or a general accepta...

We are not on earth as museum-keepers, but to cultivate a flourishing garden of life and to prepare for a glorious future.  ***  Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do. *** If all men are in the likeness of God, why should I not love them all, why should I despise them? Should I not rather revere them? This is the reflection which must hold me back from in any way offending against my brothers, for I must remember that they are all made in the image of God and that perhaps their souls are more beautiful and dearer to God than my own. — Pope St. John XXIII

Saint Monica endured a difficult and troubled marriage for many years. Through her suffering and prayer she eventually converted her husband. Today let us pray for troubled marriages and for spouses who have no faith or have fallen away from the faith. Day 3 - The St. Monica Novena Dear Saint Monica, you were once the mournful mother of a prodigal son. Your faithfulness to prayer brought you and your son so close to God that you are now with him in eternity. By your intercession and God’s grace, your son St. Augustine became a great and venerable Saint of the Church. Please take my request to God with the same fervor and persistence with which you prayed for your son. (Mention your intentions here) With your needs, worries and anxieties, you threw yourself on the mercy and providence of God. Through sorrow and pain, you constantly devoted yourself to God. Pray for me that I might join you in such a deep faith in God’s goodness and mercy. Above all, dear Saint Monica, pray...

The Vision of St Bernard , Pietro Perugino, 1493. In danger, in distress, in uncertainty, think of Mary, call upon Mary. She never leaves your lips, she never departs from your heart; and so that you may obtain the help of her prayers, never forget the example of her life. If you follow her, you cannot falter; if you pray to her, you cannot despair; if you think of her, you cannot err. If she sustains you, you will not stumble; if she protects you, you have nothing to fear; if she guides you, you will never flag; if she is favourable to you, you will attain your goal... (Hom. II super Missus est , 17: PL 183, 70-71). — St. Bernard of Clairvaux from his homily on the Incarnation of Christ.

August 20th, is the Memorial of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, (1090-1153) the 12th century French abbot, gifted spiritual writer, counselor to popes, and Doctor of the Church who reformed the Cistercian Order. His extensive Marian theology marks him not only as a theologian of the highest rank, but also as the "cithara of Mary," (A cithara is a stringed instrument similar to a lyre.) He is especially noted for his development of the Blessed Mother's role as mediator. Pope Pius XII’s encyclical Doctor Mellifluus , issued on the 800th anniversary of St. Bernard’s death, called him "The Last of the Fathers." The Divine Office contains numerous excerpts from his sermons. Like his other works, these are conspicuous for their genuine emotion and spiritual depth. He was born the third of seven children, to a prominent noble family, the son of Lord Tescelin de Fontaine and Alèthe de Montbard near Dijon, France. From an early age, his intellectual gifts, literary prop...