BIG C CATHOLICS

May 1st, the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. In 1955, Pope Pius XII established the feast with the hope that it would accentuate the dignity of labor. St. Joseph shows us that work when offered to God, no matter how mundane, routine or seemingly unspiritual, is of great value. Whenever people labor to support themselves and their families, they're fulfilling the same responsibilities that St. Joseph had in protecting and supporting Mary and Jesus. Our Lord said, "What so ever you do for my brothers and sisters you do for me." You are feeding and clothing Jesus when you work to provide for others' needs. The work Joseph did as a carpenter to support his family was done for the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Your work can also be done for Jesus as an act of love for him and an offering that will be for his glory and for the coming of his Kingdom. This is part of what it means to be a good Christian, giving a fair day's labor for the wages you ea...

Afflicted with cancer, Peregrine turned to God. His faith was rewarded and he was miraculously cured, enabling him over many years to lead others to Christ. As the patron of cancer patients, his intercession is often sought by those suffering from a variety of illnesses for strength, hope and healing. His feast day is May 1st. Prayer to St. Peregrine for Healing O God, who gave to St. Peregrine an Angel for his companion, the Mother of God for his teacher, and Jesus as the Physician of his malady, grant we beseech You through his merits that we may on earth intensely love our Holy Angel, the blessed Virgin Mary, and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Grant that we may receive the favour of a complete recovery from our present malady for which we now pray. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. (Say 7 Our Fathers, 7 Hail Marys & 7 Glory be to the Fathers with the invocation "St. Peregrine, pray for us.") Prayer to St. Peregrine for Oneself St. Peregrine, whom Ho...

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) Back in Jesus’ time everyone knew about shepherds, their sheep, and how they interacted with each other. The dynamics between them were well known. Not so today. Few of us have watched shepherds tending their sheep. So to understand the full impact of the imagery that Jesus used we need to take a look at a few points. During nights back then shepherds kept their sheep in sheepfolds that were large circles of stones that both penned in the sheep while at the same time protecting them from predatory animals such as wolves. There was a narrow opening to let the sheep in and out. At night the shepherd would spread his bedroll across the base of the opening and would sleep there. Predatory animals could enter the sheepfold only by crossing over the body of the shepherd and so of course they would not. Additionally there were times when the sheep belonging to differing shepherds would get...

Where are you pasturing your flock, O good Shepherd, who carry the whole flock on your shoulders? (For the whole of human nature is one sheep and you have lifted it onto your shoulders). Show me the place of peace, lead me to the good grass that will nourish me, call me by name so that I, your sheep, hear your voice, and by your speech give me eternal life. Answer me, you whom my soul loves. I give you the name ‘you whom my soul loves’ because your name is above every name and above all understanding and there is no rational nature that can utter it or comprehend it. Therefore your name, by which your goodness is known, is simply the love my soul has for you. How could I not love you, when you loved me so much, even though I was black, that you laid down your life for the sheep of your flock? A greater love cannot be imagined, than exchanging your life for my salvation. Show me then (my soul says) where you pasture your flock, so that I can find that saving pasture too, and fill...

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) Last Sunday’s Gospel account was about the disciples who were huddled in the Upper Room behind locked doors out of fear, and Jesus’ appearance among them. Today’s Gospel account is about another appearance of Jesus, this time with other disciples who were dejectedly walking from Jerusalem to a nearby hamlet called Emmaus. St. Augustine along with others of the Fathers of the Church suggest that Jesus didn’t want the disciples to recognize Him right away, that He wanted them to recognize Him in “the breaking of the bread.” Moreover Jesus, they believed, wanted the disciples to see and understand what the Jewish prophets had foretold in Scripture about how the Messiah was to be recognized. Hence Jesus spent some significant time opening up the Scriptures so they might see them in a new light, His light, and then recognize Him. We can easily overlook the importance Jesus placed on S...

His Holiness, Pope Francis, has approved the second miracle needed to canonize Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima.The canonization Mass will be celebrated on May 13th, when the pope visits Portugal in honor of the 100th anniversary of the apparitions. Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto are the youngest non-martyrs to be beatified in the Church's history. Below is an earlier post about their witness. ___________________________________________________ Between May 13, and October 13, 1917, three children, Portuguese shepherds from Aljustrel, received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria, near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. At that time, Europe was involved in an extremely bloody war. Portugal itself was enduring political turmoil, having overthrown its monarchy in 1910; the government disbanded religious organizations soon after. At the first appearance, Mary asked the children...

April 29th, is the memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena (1347 – 1380), the 14th century virgin, visionary and Doctor of the Church. Catherine di Benincasa was born the twenty-fifth child of Giacomo and Lapa di Benincasa in Siena, Italy. At the age of 6, she began to experience mystical visions including seeing angels. She consecrated her virginity to Christ when she was just 7 years old. Catherine defied her family’s plans to give her away in marriage by cutting her hair short and repulsing her future husband. Catherine's mother would eventually relent. With her family’s blessing, she became a Dominican tertiary at 16, where her visions of Christ, Our Lady and the saints continued. Two years later, she would join the Dominican third order, spending her days in seclusion and prayer. By the time Catherine was 23, Christ answered her prayer to take her heart and give her His own. The Lord Jesus appeared to her holding in his hands a human heart, bright red and shining. He op...

Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort is revered for his intense devotion to the Blessed Virgin and to praying the Rosary. His love of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and for the poor is unsurpassed. The quotations below illustrate his profound wisdom and deep insights into the Divine Will of God and the workings of God's Church. If we do not risk anything for God we will never do anything great for Him. *** Take advantage of little sufferings even more than of great ones. God considers not so much what we suffer as how we suffer. . . Turn everything to profit as the grocer does in his shop. ***  When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer. ***  If you put all the love of all the mothers into one heart it still would not equal the love of the Heart of Mary for her children. *** Pray with great confidence, with confidence based on the goodness and infinite generosity of God and upon the promis...

April 28th, is the optional memorial of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion De Montfort (1673 – 1716). De Montfort's life is inseparable from his prodigious efforts to promote genuine devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of the Church. " Totus tuus" (completely yours) was De Montfort's personal motto; Karol Wojtyla chose it as his episcopal motto. Born in the Breton village of Montfort, close to Rennes (France), as an adult Louis identified himself by the place of his baptism instead of his family name, Grignion. Educated by both the Jesuits and the Sulpicians, he was ordained a diocesan priest in 1700. Soon he began preaching parish missions throughout western France. His years of ministering to the poor prompted him to travel and live simply, sometimes getting him into trouble with church authorities. In his preaching, which attracted thousands of people back to the faith, Father Louis recommended frequent, even daily, Holy Communion ...

April 28th, is the optional memorial of Saint Peter Chanel (1802 – 1841), the 19th century priest, missionary and martyr. Sometimes, we are called to be the planters of seeds that someone else will harvest. That was precisely the vocation entrusted to St. Peter Chanel, whose tireless work in the region of Oceania in the mid-19th century would end up bearing the most fruit after his martyrdom. Peter Chanel was born near Cuet in the area of Belley, France, in 1802. Ordained in 1827, he was first sent to work in a parish which had the reputation of being a challenging place in a “bad” district. Despite the difficulties he faced, the young priest won over his new parishioners by his devotion to caring for their sick. But what Peter Chanel really wanted to be was a missionary, and to that end he joined a new religious society in 1831—the Society of Mary, which would later come to be known as the Marists. Although eager to depart for mission territory, Chanel was at first assigned to ...

(For English subtitles click the closed caption icon on the lower right of the video.) Via the TED website: A single individual is enough for hope to exist, and that individual can be you, says His Holiness Pope Francis in this searing TED Talk delivered directly from Vatican City. In a hopeful message to people of all faiths, to those who have power as well as those who don't, the spiritual leader provides illuminating commentary on the world as we currently find it and calls for equality, solidarity and tenderness to prevail. "Let us help each other, all together, to remember that the 'other' is not a statistic, or a number," he says. "We all need each other."

April 27, 2017 The origin of the devotion to Our Lady at the shrine of Montserrat according to the earliest written records dates from 932, when the Count of Barcelona confirmed and renewed an endowment to the shrine made by his father in 888. This gift was again confirmed in 982 by Lothaire, King of France. Constant and unbroken tradition is that even previous to 888, an image of Our Lady was miraculously found among the rocks of Montserrat. Montserrat itself is a fantastic mountain group, four thousand feet high, about twenty miles from Barcelona. The name, Montserrat, of Latin origin, means saw-edged mountain. It is formed by huge boulders that raise their immense bulk perpendicularly to that four-thousand-foot summit. Outwardly, it resembles the seemingly inaccessible monasteries seen on high Mount Athos in Greece: "Montserrat is, and will forever be, a source of deep impressions caused by the singularity of the place. There, what is material becomes cyclopean, the my...

April's Blog of Note is   Fr. Gary Coulter, the home page of a Catholic priest and parish pastor . Father Coulter is a priest for the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska and a graduate of Mount Saint Mary's Seminary. His website features numerous topics of interest to Catholics seeking information and insight concerning the faith; including apologetics, book recommendations, resources on Catholicism and marriage, current issues, Latin, recommended links, and more. As one reviewer stated, the site: "is a valuable resource for almost anyone. Homeschooling families will delight in checking out the recommended reading list, Latin students will find help in their studies and married couples will find sound direction." Among the offerings, of particular note to priests and seminarians is Fr. Coulter's thesis The Presbyterium of the Diocese , in which he writes: "Addressing the U.S. Bishops of Detroit and Cincinnati on their Ad Limina visit (May 6, 2004) Pope John P...

The Bible is a scented garden, delightful, beautiful, it enchants our ears with birdsong in a sweet, divine, and spiritual harmony, it touches our heart, comforts us in sorrow, soothes us in a moment of anger, and fills us with eternal joy. — St. John Damascene ___________________________________________________ Prayer for the Intercession of  St. John Damascene Grant, we pray, O Lord, that we may be helped by the prayers of the Priest Saint John Damascene, so that the true faith, which he excelled in teaching, may always be our light and our strength. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you, and with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

April 26, 2017 Devotion to the Mother of Good Counsel is associated with a miraculous icon. The image [pictured above] is found in a church in Genazzano, a town thirty miles south-east of Rome. The church, dedicated to the Mother of Good Counsel, was built there in the 4th century. In 1356, it was given over to the Augustinians. Restoration started in 1467, when a widow, Petruccia, sold all her belongings to help finance the project. However, funds ran out before the task was completed. That same year, the residents of Genazzano heard a beautiful melody emanating from heaven. As they looked up, they saw a white, shining cloud that descended on the Church of the Mother of Good Counsel. The cloud gradually vanished, revealing a beautiful painting of Our Lady tenderly holding her Divine Son in her arms. Immediately, Mary began to cure the sick and grant countless graces. The news spread throughout the country. Two Albanians from Scutari appeared in the town with the following...

Please remember the Holy Father Pope Francis' intentions in prayer throughout the month of May: Christians in Africa That Christians in Africa, in imitation of the Merciful Jesus, may give prophetic witness to reconciliation, justice, and peace. Urgent Intention - Priestly Vocations  Led by the Spirit for Mission - May he give us priests enamored of the Gospel, close to all their brothers and sisters, living signs of God’s merciful love.

April 25th, is the optional memorial of Saint Mark (also referred to as John Mark), an early disciple of Our Lord, best known for the Gospel that bears his name. Tradition holds that members of Mark's family greatly abetted Christ’s work and earthly ministry. Concerning his Gospel; Roman Christians were Mark’s primary audience. Mark emphasizes Jesus as the leader of a new Exodus. Saint Peter the apostle was Mark’s main source for the events of Jesus’ life. Many scholars believe that Mark’s Gospel was the earliest among the four. John Mark was a disciple of Peter who followed Peter to Rome and later went to Egypt. He was very close to Peter: Peter calls him “my son Mark” at the end of his first letter (1 Pt 5:13). Mark wrote his Gospel based on the stories Peter had told him. The main audience was probably the Gentile Christians in Rome. Peter was so pleased with Mark’s Gospel that he had copies of it made for all the churches. Of the four Gospels, Mark’s is the shortest, and ...

The following homily by Pope Saint Leo the Great concerning Christ’s ministry during the 40 Days between his Resurrection and Ascension, focuses especially on his appearance and revelation to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Beloved, the days which passed between the Lord’s resurrection and his ascension were by no means uneventful; during them great sacramental mysteries were confirmed, great truths revealed. In those days, the fear of death with all its horrors was taken away, and the immortality of both body and soul affirmed. It was then that the Lord breathed on all his apostles and filled them with the Holy Spirit; and after giving the keys of the kingdom to blessed Peter, whom he had chosen and set above all the others, he entrusted him with the care of his flock. During these days, the Lord joined two of his disciples as their companion on the road, and by chiding them for their timidity and hesitant fears he swept away all the clouds of our uncertainty. Their lu...

April 24th, is the optional memorial of Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1577-1622), the 17th century Capuchin priest and martyr who played an important role in the Counter-Reformation, and was brutally murdered by his opponents at Seewis im Prättigau, in present day Switzerland. Fidelis has been called the "protomartyr of the Capuchin Order and of the Propaganda in Rome." He was devoted to Mary. Fidelis was born in 1577, in Germany. After studying law and philosophy at the University of Freiburg, he went on to earn a degree as a Doctor of the Law. His skill in arguing before the court was evident and soon, he became a renowned lawyer. But feeling that this profession endangered the salvation of his soul, he decided to join the Capuchins and employ his extraordinary gift of eloquence in urging the faithful to lead holy lives and to bring heretics back to the true faith. An ardent admirer of the founder of his Order (Matteo da Bascio), he was a great friend of poverty. Sev...

Pope Benedict XVI REGINA CÆLI St Peter's Square Third Sunday of Easter, 6 April 2008 The Gospel of this Sunday - the Third of Easter - is the famous account of the disciples of Emmaus (cf. Lk 24: 13-35). It tells the tale of two followers of Christ who, on the day after the Sabbath or the third day after his death, were leaving Jerusalem sad and dejected, bound for a village that was not far off called, precisely, Emmaus. They were joined on their way by the Risen Jesus but did not recognize him. Realizing that they were downhearted, he explained, drawing on the Scriptures, that the Messiah had to suffer and die in order to enter into his glory. Then entering the house with them, he sat down to eat, blessed the bread and broke it; and at that instant they recognized him but he vanished from their sight, leaving them marvelling before that broken bread, a new sign of his presence. And they both immediately headed back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples of the...

April 23, 2017 Saint Faustina received visions of our Lord, in which, Jesus instructed her to tell the world of His infinite Love and Mercy. She recorded these visions in her diary; later published under the title Divine Mercy in My Soul: The Diary of St. Faustina . Here, St. Faustina writes of Jesus’ desire to establish a solemn feast dedicated to spreading the Divine Mercy of Christ to all humanity: "On one occasion, I heard these words: 'My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day, the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day, all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened.'" Our Lord...

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for today’s readings ) Don’t you hate ultimatums? Most of us have encountered (and maybe issued) them at one time or another. They usually begin with “unless” or “if” and threaten dire consequences if one’s expectations or demands are not met. Thomas issued an ultimatum, inflexible conditions that had to be met in order for him to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead and had appeared to the other Apostles. It would be interesting to speculate as to why Thomas refused to believe—interesting but pointless. Ultimatums generate frustration. Usually people throw up their hands and get angry. The inclination is to say, “Fine! Have it your way!” and then sit smug and wait for the inevitable comeuppance. Jesus did not take that attitude. On the contrary, he accepted Thomas as he was, and accommodated his weak faith. He gave a very gentle repr...

April 23rd, is the optional memorial of Saint George. This year it is superseded by the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday. Some of the more colorful stories about this patron of England are not substantiated by fact, but that doesn’t mean that the legends surrounding St. George have any less power on the imagination. The most common depiction of the saint, in which he is slaying a dragon, persists, even though it first derived from a 12th century Italian fable. What we can be fairly certain of is that George was a Christian, and a soldier, who was martyred on April 23, 303 AD, during the Emperor Diocletian's reign. The tradition which grew up about him revolves around his standing as a man-of-arms; the story of the dragon, for instance, comes from a tale in which St. George supposedly rescued a king’s daughter from being slain by a serpent. As an example of the ideal of medieval knighthood, St. George became the patron of the Knights of the Garter, more properly k...

April 22, 2017 On this ninth day of the Divine Mercy Novena, we pray for the souls who have become lukewarm. Christ told Saint Faustina, "Today bring to Me the Souls who have become lukewarm, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy." May we grow closer to Christ crucified. The Divine Mercy novena prayers were given to Saint Faustina by Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Each day features a new petition seeking God’s abundant mercy for various individuals. The message of Divine Mercy is one of conversion and forgiveness. For a complete guide to praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet go here . Novena Prayer Day 9 (Easter Saturday) The souls who have become lukewarm Most comp...

Saint Anselm of Canterbury, the 11th century Benedictine archbishop, achieved tremendous insight into the love of God. He dedicated his life to seeking out and teaching the depths of Divine Wisdom. May our understanding be enlightened and our faith founded by his thought as embodied in the following quotations. God is that, the greater than which cannot be conceived. *** Disasters teach us humility. *** Idleness is the enemy of the soul. *** Lust desireth not procreation, but pleasure only. ***  Just by thinking about thinking about God, we can know he exists. ***  It is, therefore, not proper for God thus to pass over sin unpunished. ***  Spare me through your mercy, do not punish me through your justice. *** It is impossible to save one's soul without devotion to Mary and without her protection. *** And indeed we believe you [God] to be something than which a greater cannot be conceived. *** Let no worldly prosperity divert you, ...