BIG C CATHOLICS

The following is from Pope Benedict XVI's homily  delivered during the Mass for the solemnity of Corpus Christi, in the square of the Basilica of St. John Lateran on May 26, 2005. Afterward the Pope led the Eucharistic procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. He explains how the feast of Corpus Christi relives the events of Holy Thursday, but in the light of the Resurrection. Benedict reflects upon the gift of the Eucharist, in which we truly receive the body of the Lord.   Homily of Pope Benedict XVI on the Feast of Corpus Christi It is not possible to "eat" the Risen One, present under the sign of bread, as if it were a simple piece of bread. To eat this Bread is to communicate, to enter into communion with the person of the living Lord. This communion, this act of "eating", is truly an encounter between two persons, it is allowing our lives to be penetrated by the life of the One who is the Lord, of the One who is my Creator and Redeemer. The purp

September 21st, is the feast of Saint Matthew, the Apostle and Evangelist, best known for the Gospel bearing his name. Information about his early years is scarce. In the New Testament, he is referred to variously as "Levi" and the "son of Alphaeus." He received the name Matthew upon becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. (Matthew in Hebrew: מַתִּתְיָהוּ‎‎ means "gift of God.") As a publican for the Roman authorities, he collected taxes in Capernaum where Jesus is known to have resided in Peter’s house. Tax collectors typically overcharged and pocketed the difference — a universally acknowledged practice. Moreover, they collaborated with the occupying Romans in handling money deemed impure from those foreign to the People of God. Matthew was despised by fellow Jews, especially the Pharisees who likened tax collectors to sinners, prostitutes and extortionists. As such, Jewish publicans were forbidden from marrying a Jewish woman, worshiping in the synagog

May 31st Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." — Luke 1:39-45 Almighty ever-living God, who, while the Blessed Virgin Mary was carrying your Son in her womb, inspired her to visit Elizabeth, grant us, we pray, that, faithful to the promptings of the Spirit, we may magnify your greatness with the Virgin Mary at all times. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and

The ultimate goal of fasting is to help each one of us to make a complete gift of self to God. — Pope Benedict XVI __________________________________ The Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, faintheartedness, lust of power, and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to your servant. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sin and not to judge my brother, for You are blessed from all ages to all ages. Amen. Pour into our hearts O Lord, we pray, the Holy Spirit, at whose prompting the Deacon Saint Ephrem exulted in singing of your mysteries and from whom he received the strength and fortitude to serve you and you alone. We ask this in trustful humility through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you, and in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Optional Memorial - January 23rd  St. Marianne Cope was a professed member of the Sisters of St. Francis and is recognized as an extraordinary woman of the 1800's and early 1900's. Her call to labor as a servant of God and the Franciscan spirit she embraced, provided a foundation of values that gave her the courage and compassion to accept difficult challenges with diplomacy and grace. She is a model of humility amid suffering. As a leader in her community, Mother Marianne was instrumental in opening two of the first Catholic Hospitals in Central New York: St. Elizabeth in Utica and St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse. Recognizing the need for basic health care in a city of immigrants, she and a small group of women defied convention by purchasing a saloon in Syracuse, New York and transforming it into a hospital to serve the needs of a diverse community. Here they welcomed everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or means. They pioneered rules of patient’s righ

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal designates January 22nd each year as a particular day of prayer and penance, called the "Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children". It states: "In all the Dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 shall be observed as a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion." America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships.  It has portrayed the child as...an intrusion.  — St. Teresa of Calcutta ________________________________________ Prayer of Blessing Upon the Unborn Child God, author of all life, bless, w

January 6th is the optional memorial of Saint André Bessette. God raised up this poor, uneducated, sickly man to be a model of holiness and obedience. Brother André was born Alfred Bessette on August 9, 1845, near Quebec, Canada. When he first entered the Congregation of the Holy Cross, he was of such poor health that they weren't sure what job he could do, so, they made him the doorkeeper. Brother André like to say: "When I joined this community, the superiors showed me the door, and I remained forty years." It was as a doorkeeper that he came into contact with the poor and the sick and commenced his ministry as a healer. More and more people started coming to Brother André and his guidance was always the same. He told them to pray especially to Saint Joseph. Brother André had a great devotion to the foster father of Our Lord and he extolled others to seek St. Joseph's intercession. Soon, Brother André’s reputation for piety and as a healer grew, and people trav

Reflecting on the Feast of the Holy Family Pope Benedict XVI observed: "When he was 12 years old, [Christ] stayed behind in the Temple and it took his parents all of three days to find him. With this act he made them understand that he 'had to see to his Father's affairs.' …This Gospel episode reveals the most authentic and profound vocation of the family: that is, to accompany each of its members on the path of the discovery of God and of the plan that he has prepared for him or her. Mary and Joseph taught Jesus primarily by their example: in his parents he came to know the full beauty of faith, of love for God and for his Law, as well as the demands of justice, which is totally fulfilled in love. From them he learned that it is necessary first of all to do God's will..." — Pope Benedict XVI __________________________________ Prayer to the Holy Family Lord Jesus Christ, who, was made subject to Mary and Joseph, did so consecrate domestic life

The Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ is the seminal event in human history; fulfilling Old Testament prophecy and paving the way for His earthly ministry and atoning Passion and Death. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith: 'By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God.' Such is the joyous conviction of the Church from her beginning whenever she sings 'the mystery of our religion': 'He [Jesus Christ] was manifested in the flesh.'" ( Catechism of the Catholic Church , 463) True God and True Man As we continue to celebrate the season of Advent in anticipation of Christmas, we proclaim what the Church has always professed: "that Jesus is inseparably true God and true man. He is truly the Son of God who, without ceasing to be God and Lord, became a man and our brother.&q

Reflecting on the second week of Advent Pope Benedict XVI observes, "As the journey of Advent continues, as we prepare to celebrate the nativity of Christ, John the Baptist's call to conversion sounds out in our communities. It is a pressing invitation to open our hearts and to welcome the Son of God Who comes among us to make divine judgement manifest. The Father, writes St. John the Evangelist, does not judge anyone, but has entrusted the power of judgement to the Son, because He is the Son of man." Benedict explains John's call thusly: "And it is today, in the present, that we decide our future destiny. It is with our concrete everyday behavior in this life that we determine our eternal fate. At the end of our days on earth, at the moment of death, we will be evaluated on the basis of our likeness or otherwise to the Baby Who is about to be born in the poor grotto of Bethlehem, because He is the measure God has given humanity." His Holiness explain

"From the moment of His birth, He [Christ] belongs outside the realm of what is important and powerful in worldly terms. Yet it is this unimportant and powerless child that proves to be the truly powerful one, the One on whom ultimately everything depends. So one aspect of becoming a Christian is having to leave behind what everyone else thinks and wants, the prevailing standards... to enter the light of the truth of our being, and aided by that light to find the right path." — Pope Benedict XVI _____________________________ Prayer for Right Discernment Bestow on us, we pray, O Lord, a spirit of always pondering on what is right and of hastening to carry it out, and, since without you we cannot exist, may we be enabled to live according to your will. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and with the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

For Catholics, the new Liturgical Year commences with the first Sunday of Advent. In this new liturgical year, the Church not only wishes to indicate the beginning of a period, but the beginning of a renewed commitment to the Faith by all those who follow Christ, the Lord. This time of prayer and penance gives us a renewed impetus to truly welcome the message of the One who was Incarnated for us. In fact, the entire Liturgy of the Advent season, will spur us to an awakening in our Christian life as we pray and joyously wait for Our Lord Jesus who is coming: "Awaken! Remember that God comes! Not yesterday, not tomorrow, but today, now! The one true God, 'the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob', is not a God who is there in Heaven, unconcerned with us and our history, but he is the-God-who-comes" (Benedict XVI, First Vespers of Advent, Vatican Basilica, December 2006). The season of Advent is one of vigilant anticipation, preparing us to welcome the mystery of the W

In late 2014, an online book began circulating in jihadist circles entitled, Black Flags from Rome . It discusses the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in Europe with the expressed goal of sacking Rome and destroying the Vatican. Stressing Muslim grievances against the West, including the Crusades,  Black Flags from Rome states: "the Islamic State’s secret weapon = secret white converts," and "recruits" sympathetic to their cause "will give intelligence, share weapons and do undercover work for the Muslims to pave the way for the conquest of Rome." Islamic militants frequently threaten the Pope and symbols of Catholicism . A pro-ISIS media group, the Wafa' Media Foundation, recently told its followers: "The Crusaders' feast is approaching... show them the meaning of terrorism." The message includes a chilling image of smoke rising from Rome with a fighter jet overhead and a jihadist standing next to the sort of makeshift armore

From the Divinum Officium site : "This web site and these programs were developed, managed, and maintained by Laszlo Kiss, as his own work, until his death in 2011. It is now maintained by The Divinum Officium Project It represents no official order, nor the view or opinion of any group. Laszlo wrote: I tried to follow my sources, but naturally the more I work on this project the more mistakes I make. Such a project can be done only by teamwork. I keep doing this in the hope that a team will pick up the idea, and will use the computers in their entirety to worship God. Since August 2011, The Divinum Officium Project continues Laszlo Kiss's work and keeps his hope alive." Words of caution: Those who are obliged to recite the office should do so from canonically approved books (Can 276.2.3). According to the motu proprio Summorum Pontificium Cura of Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007), the 1962 books are accepted as the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The Pro

November 9th, the Church celebrates the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the oldest and highest ranking of the four major basilicas in Rome. The Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the diocese of Rome, is the official ecclesiastical seat of the Holy Father, not St. Peter's Basilica as many believe. The Basilica is also called the Church of Holy Savior or the Church of St. John Baptist. In ancient Rome it was where most baptisms occurred. The oldest church in the West, it was built under Constantine and consecrated by Pope St. Sylvester in 324. The feast is a universal celebration in honor of the archbasilica, called "the mother and mistress of all churches of Rome and the world" ( omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput ), as a sign of unity with the Holy See. Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois explains the feast's significance, "The paradox of this feast is that while it is true that the people are the Church, our buildings

To speak of the Church using political labels is a fatuous pursuit. You are either faithful to the teachings of the Church or you are unfaithful. Public opposition to the Magisterium is dissent. Then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith observed, "These doctrines require the assent of theological faith by all members of the faithful." The quotes below show that being a disciple of Christ requires total fidelity to Christ and Christ's Church. The teaching Church does not invent her doctrines; she is a witness, a custodian, an interpreter, a transmitter. As regards the truth...she can be called conservative, uncompromising. To those who would urge her to make her faith easier, more in keeping with the tastes of the changing mentality of the times, she answers with the apostles, we cannot do so. — Pope Paul VI, General Audience, January 12, 1972 It is sometimes reported that a large number of Catholics today do not adhe

St. Catherine of Genoa was a 15th century Italian Franciscan tertiary and mystic. She wrote treatises about her altruistic and mystical experiences. The later often centered on Purgatory. Pope Benedict XVI said of her, “With her life St Catherine teaches us that the more we love God and enter into intimacy with him in prayer the more he makes himself known to us, setting our hearts on fire with his love.” Apart from the happiness of the saints in heaven, I think there is no joy comparable to that of the souls in purgatory. — St. Catherine of Genoa  _________________________________ Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen. [Poor souls, upon attaining heaven, pray that I may also experience holy beati

October 29, 2017 Priesthood Sunday, the last Sunday of October, is a day set aside to honor the priesthood in the United States. Saint John Vianney observed, "The Priesthood is the Love of the Heart of Jesus." In considering this most profound insight from the Curé d'Ars , His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI explained that, "This touching expression makes us reflect, first of all, with heartfelt gratitude on the immense gift which priests represent, not only for the Church, but also for humanity itself." Unfortunately, the number of priests in many dioceses is dwindling. But what if they disappeared all together? The consequences would be immense. No more priests, no more Eucharist, no more grace, no more Church, no more mercy, no more salvation. As Saint Padre Pio once said, "It is easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass!" This is indeed true. Do not be afraid to break out of comfortable and

(In 2017, this feast is superseded by the Sunday liturgy.) Karol Jozef Wojtyla was born in 1920 in Wadowice, Poland. After his ordination to the priesthood and theological studies in Rome, he returned to his homeland and resumed various pastoral and academic tasks. He became first auxiliary bishop and, in 1964, Archbishop of Krakow and took part in the Second Vatican Council. On October 16, 1978 he was elected pope and took the name John Paul II. His exceptional apostolic zeal, particularly for families, young people and the sick, led him to undertake numerous pastoral visits throughout the world as Pontiff. Among the many fruits which he has left as a heritage to the Church are above all his rich Magisterium and the promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church and for the Eastern Churches. In Rome on April 2, 2005, the eve of the Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy), he died peacefully in the Lord who opened the

Optional Memorial - October 9th John Henry Newman, one of the great Christian intellectuals of the 19th century, was born in London in 1801, and baptized in the Church of England. His spiritual quest having begun in adolescence, he became a Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford in 1822, an Anglican clergyman in 1825 and Vicar of Oxford University Church in 1828. He studied theology at Oxford University where he became a leader of the Oxford Movement which examined the Catholic roots of the faith in England. The Anglican Newman was a pastor of souls, a university teacher and a student of Christian history and thought. His scholarship was never purely theoretical. Informed by pastoral experience, it was shaped by his insight into the needs of the present. Newman's point of reference was the Church of the Apostles and 'the Fathers', the great teachers of the first Christian centuries. At school he felt the attractions of atheism, and sympathy with religious doubt. But also