BIG C CATHOLICS

By Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. La Salette Missionaries of North America (Ezekiel 18:25-28; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 21:28-32) Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 16: 24-25) These words of Our Lord come very close to those of the prophet Ezekiel: “You say, ‘The Lord’s way is inscrutable, mysterious, and above all, not fair!’” This week we are confronted once again with the question of God’s fairness. It is a matter of expectations. Jesus had only one expectation for his life: to accomplish his Father’s will. Even when, in the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked to be spared the suffering that lay ahead, there was no hint of blame. He was, as St. Paul writes, obedient to the point of death. Like the parable in today’s Gospel, the message of Christ presents opposing scenarios—refusal to

August 27th, is the memorial of Saint Monica. She is an example of those holy matrons of the ancient Church who proved very influential in their own quiet way. Through prayer and tears she gave the great Saint Augustine to the Church, and thereby won for herself a place of honor in the history of God's kingdom on earth. The Confessions of St. Augustine provide certain biographical details. Born of Christian parents about the year 331 at Tagaste in Africa, Monica was reared under the strict supervision of an elderly nurse who had likewise reared her father. In the course of time she was given in marriage to a pagan named Patricius. Besides other faults, he possessed a very irascible nature; it was in this school of suffering that Monica learned patience. It was her custom to wait until his anger had cooled; only then did she give a kindly remonstrance. Evil-minded servants had prejudiced her mother-in-law against her, but Monica persevered. Her marriage was blessed with thre

Detail , St. John the Baptist Preaching , Mattia Preti (Il Cavaliere Calabrese), c. 1665. Fr. Charles Irvin Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for Sunday’s readings ) Here we are with Christmas just two and a half weeks away. The shops and malls are loaded with goodies. Christmas songs fill the air. Parties are being arranged and delicacies prepared. Thoughts of home, of family, and of a lovely time fill our hopes and imaginations. With all of these lovely sentiments in our hearts and minds we come to church today and hear about a weird guy living in the desert, wearing scratchy and horribly smelling clothes made of camel’s hair, eating locusts, calling people a bunch of snakes while telling them that fire and brimstone will come down on them, all the while threatening them with axes that will cut them down. The gospel picture ends with John the Baptist threatening the Sadducees and Pharisees with hell. Aren’t you glad you came to church today just before Christmas to hear all

Fr. Charles Irvin Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for Sunday’s readings ) As a young man, St. Augustine lived a hedonistic life, one in which sensuality and self-indulgence reigned supreme. Along the way, prior to his becoming a Christian he had a son by a woman to whom he was not married. Augustine was brilliant and renowned. By worldly standards he lived a spectacularly successful life. His mother Monica had prayed for his conversion for over thirty years and eventually her prayers were answered. All the while Augustine’s heart was hungering for something. He was aware that his inner self was empty. Even though his life was filled with sensuality and pleasure, fame and popularity, he knew there was something more. He also knew that nature of the human heart was destined for a higher and greater realty than what could be found in this world. In his classic work setting forth his odyssey to Christianity, known now as The Confessions of St. Augustine , he wrote: “Our hearts

By Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America (Ezekiel 18:25-28; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 21:28-32) Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 16: 24-25) These words of Our Lord come very close to those of the prophet Ezekiel: “You say, ‘The Lord’s way is inscrutable, mysterious, and above all, not fair!’” This week we are confronted once again with the question of God’s fairness. It is a matter of expectations. Jesus had only one expectation for his life: to accomplish his Father’s will. Even when, in the Garden of Gethsemane, he asked to be spared the suffering that lay ahead, there was no hint of blame. He was, as St. Paul writes, obedient to the point of death. Like the parable in today’s Gospel, the message of Christ presents opposing

The prayers of Saint Monica, together with God's grace, turned her wayward son, Saint Augustine, from sinner to saint. St. Monica, model of motherhood, your patience and fervent prayers won for the Church a brilliant mind who himself won many souls. We pray especially for loved ones, and anyone who has left the Faith. Dear Saint Monica, exemplary mother of Saint Augustine. You were once the mournful mother of a prodigal son. Through your constant prayers and petitions to God, he became a great saint. Inspired by your example, we pray that our loved ones who have gone astray may soon be welcomed home to the Church founded by Christ the Lord, to live and love in imitation of the Savior. Amen. ____________________________________________ Prayer for the Intercession of St. Augustine and St. Monica Almighty God and loving Father, who consoles the sorrowful and who mercifully accepted the motherly tears of Saint Monica for the conversion of her son Saint Augustine, grant us

(In 2017, this feast is superseded by the Sunday liturgy.) August 27th, is the memorial of Saint Monica. She is an example of those holy matrons of the ancient Church who proved very influential in their own quiet way. Through prayer and tears she gave the great Saint Augustine to the Church, and thereby won for herself a place of honor in the history of God's kingdom on earth. The Confessions of St. Augustine provide certain biographical details. Born of Christian parents about the year 331 at Tagaste in Africa, Monica was reared under the strict supervision of an elderly nurse who had likewise reared her father. In the course of time she was given in marriage to a pagan named Patricius. Besides other faults, he possessed a very irascible nature; it was in this school of suffering that Monica learned patience. It was her custom to wait until his anger had cooled; only then did she give a kindly remonstrance. Evil-minded servants had prejudiced her mother-in-law against he

August 26, 2017 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 be instruments of God's peace and show the joy of discipleship. St. Monica Novena - Day 9 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

August 25, 2017 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. Amen. St. Monica Novena - Day 8 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, y

August 24, 2017 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 working in their lives. May they be granted the grace of unwavering faith through Saint Monica's holy intercession. St. Monica Novena - Day 7 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 suc

August 23, 2017 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 working in their lives. May they be granted the grace of unwavering faith through Saint Monica's holy intercession. St. Monica Novena - Day 6 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 suc

August 22, 2017 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 we pray for those who have fallen away from the Faith. May they return soon to the Church. St. Monica Novena - Day 5 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 suc

August 21, 2017 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. May they know hope and healing. St. Monica Novena - Day 4 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 anxietie

August 20, 2017 Saint Monica endured a 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. St. Monica Novena - Day 3 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, pr

August 19, 2017 Saint Monica is the patron of mothers and wives. The vocation of motherhood (and fatherhood) is extremely important for our society and in the eyes of God. St. Monica prayed diligently for her children for years on end. May she intercede especially for the children and grandchildren in our lives. Today, let us pray that all mothers and fathers be good and holy examples of love for their children. St. Monica Novena - Day 2 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

August 18, 2017 When Saint Monica was praying for her son's conversion, she asked clergy to talk with him. They assured her it was useless after so many years. However, nothing is impossible with God. St. Monica's prayers made a difference, and eventually, her son, St. Augustine, converted, as did her husband and mother-in-law. Today, we pray for peace; peace between nations, between people, and within families. St. Monica Novena - Day 1 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

Fr. Roger J. Landry As authentic Marian apparitions go, many of the aspects of our Lady’s appearances to the three shepherd children in Fatima a century ago seem commonplace: Mary asks the seers to pray and do penance for the conversion of sinners, calls them to daily devotion to the Rosary, advocates for peace in the world, requests the children to return on specific dates, and entrusts them with secrets. What has never ceased to surprise me, on the other hand, is what she revealed to the children after she had showed them a very vivid vision of hell. The sight of “demons and souls in human form” with “shrieks and groans of pain and despair” was so terrifying that, Lucy wrote later, had Our Lady not earlier promised them that she would one day take them to heaven, they “would have died of fear and terror” on the spot. After the vision, Mary said to them, “You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go,” a clear indication that Hell is a real possibility of human fr

Detail , St. John the Baptist Preaching , Mattia Preti (Il Cavaliere Calabrese), c. 1665. Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) Here we are with Christmas just two and a half weeks away. The shops and malls are loaded with goodies. Christmas songs fill the air. Parties are being arranged and delicacies prepared. Thoughts of home, of family, and of a lovely time fill our hopes and imaginations. With all of these lovely sentiments in our hearts and minds we come to church today and hear about a weird guy living in the desert, wearing scratchy and horribly smelling clothes made of camel’s hair, eating locusts, calling people a bunch of snakes while telling them that fire and brimstone will come down on them, all the while threatening them with axes that will cut them down. The gospel picture ends with John the Baptist threatening the Sadducees and Pharisees with hell. Aren’t you glad you came to church today just before Chris

Saint Monica is the patron saint of mothers & wives. The vocation of motherhood (and fatherhood) is extremely important for our society and in the eyes of God. St. Monica prayed diligently for her children for years on end. May she intercede especially for the children and grandchildren in our lives. Today, let us pray for all mothers and fathers to be good and holy examples for their children. Day 2 - 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 constant

When Saint Monica was praying for her son's conversion, she prayed, fasted, and asked clergy to talk with him. They assured her it was useless after so many years. It turns out that nothing Is impossible with God. St. Monica's prayers made a difference, and eventually, her son, St. Augustine, converted. Her husband and mother-in-law, who were both pagan, also converted because of her prayers and example. Today, let us pray for peace; peace between nations, peace between people, and within families. Day 1 - 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, worri