BIG C CATHOLICS

Optional Memorial - October 16th Occasionally, we get so caught up in the holiness of saints — sometimes to the point of thinking that we could never be like them — that we forget that they, like us, often suffered misunderstanding, criticism, and ridicule for the things they said and did. This was true with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the Visitation nun whose visions of the Sacred Heart were at first largely dismissed as delusions. Margaret Mary’s childhood was far from idyllic. Born in the village of L'Hautecour, France in 1647, she suffered the death of her father at an early age. That event, coupled with the unscrupulous actions of a relative, resulted in the family being left poverty stricken and humiliated. After her First Communion at the age of nine, Margaret Mary herself became ill and was paralyzed for four years. Her health, along with the desperate situation the family found itself enduring, caused her emotional anguish. “The heaviest of my crosses,” she later

Father Michael J. Woolley (From a homily delivered in December 2005) Late in the afternoon that first Christmas eve, a man could be seen walking in front of a donkey, coming from the north on the road leading into the city. Passing by a field of shepherds with their sheep, this man, whose name was Joseph, led his donkey through the gates of the city of Bethlehem, to look for a place to stay the night. Riding atop the donkey was Joseph’s young wife, whom he had married a little less than a year ago, whose name was Miryam, a name meaning “the perfect and beautiful one”. Also riding on that donkey behind Joseph, in the virgin womb of His mother, was Joseph’s unborn Son by adoption, who He was to name Jesus. Jesus came riding into Bethlehem on a donkey, just as he was to go riding into Jerusalem on a donkey 33 years later. But what was Joseph, and his nine-month’s pregnant wife and child, and his donkey, doing there? Why did Joseph saddle up his donkey and journey 75 mile

November 16th is the optional memorial of Saint Gertrude the Great. A 12th century Benedictine nun of the monastery of Helfta, in Saxony, she is regarded as one of the great mystics of the Middle Ages. Our Savior favored her with visions. Her book Revelations is her marvelous account of them. St. Gertrude introduced the devotion to the Sacred Heart which, four centuries later, Saint Margaret Mary spread throughout the Church. She died at the beginning of the 13th century. One of the most lovable German saints from medieval times, Gertrude, through her writings, will remain for all ages a guide to the interior life. She was born in 1256 at Eisleben and at the age of five taken to the convent at Rossdorf, where Gertrude of Hackeborn was abbess. Similarity in name has caused confusion between the two Gertrudes. St. Gertrude the Great never functioned as superior. In spite of much ill-health, Gertrude used her exceptional natural talents well, such as her fluency in Latin. In 1281,

This divine heart is an abyss filled with all blessings, and into the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss of love to meet our every need. — St. Margaret Mary Alacoque _________________________________ Prayer for St. Margaret Mary Alacoque’s Intercession Pour out on us, we pray, almighty God, the spirit with which you so remarkably endowed Saint Margaret Mary, so that we may come to know that love of Christ which surpasses all understanding and by her holy intercession, be utterly filled with your fullness. 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 - October 16th Occasionally, we get so caught up in the holiness of saints — sometimes to the point of thinking that we could never be like them — that we forget that they, like us, often suffered misunderstanding, criticism, and ridicule for the things they said and did. This was true with St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the Visitation nun whose visions of the Sacred Heart were at first largely dismissed as delusions. Margaret Mary’s childhood was far from idyllic. Born in the village of L'Hautecour, France in 1647, she suffered the death of her father at an early age. That event, coupled with the unscrupulous actions of a relative, resulted in the family being left poverty stricken and humiliated. After her First Communion at the age of nine, Margaret Mary herself became ill and was paralyzed for four years. Her health, along with the desperate situation the family found itself enduring, caused her emotional anguish. “The heaviest of my crosses,” she later

August 19th, the Church celebrates the feast of Saint John Eudes, (1601-1680) the French priest and missionary who founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary and the Order of Our Lady of Charity. He was born in a small village near Normandy, France, the son of peasant farmers Isaac and Martha Eudes. At 14, he entered the Jesuit college at Caen. Defying his parents' wishes, Eudes joined the Congregation of the Oratory of France in 1623. Two years later, he was ordained. During this time, he studied the Christocentric spiritual thought of Cardinal de Bérulle whose desire was "restoring the priestly order to its full splendor". To that end, Eudes became an apostolic missionary, preaching over 100 parish missions, throughout Normandy, Ile-de-France, Burgundy and Brittany. His gifts as a preacher and confessor won him great renown. The founder of the Sulpicians, Father Jean-Jacques Olier called him, "the prodigy of his age". His parish mission work brought to

June 23rd The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost. In addition to the sacred liturgical celebration, many devotional exercises are connected with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Of all devotions, devotion to the Sacred Heart was, and remains, one of the most widespread and popular in the Church extending from ancient times to the present. Since the priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus, we especially remember both individual priests and the ministerial priesthood on this occasion. Understood in the light of Scripture, the term "Sacred Heart of Jesus" denotes the entire mystery of Christ, the totality of his being, and his person considered in its most intimate essential: Son of God, uncreated wisdom; infinite charity, principal of the salvation and sanctification of mankind. The "Sacred Heart" is Christ, the Word Incarnate, intrinsically containing, in the Spirit, an in

June 22, 2017 Let us pray for more hopeful hearts so to live in imitation of Christ each day. May we face every cross and trial with confidence in the promises of Our Savior. This version of the novena comes from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque who is most commonly associated with the ancient devotion to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord. Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena Prayers - Day 9 I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (name your request). Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (name your request). Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father...

The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is June 23rd. Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, the Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was privileged to receive visions of Christ beginning in childhood. Our Lord entrusted to her the divine mission of establishing the devotion to His Sacred Heart in the world. Criticism did not hamper her enthusiasm, and her charity toward her opponents won them over to her message. The following quotations from the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque show her great love for the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. And He [Christ] showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin that made Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure Him all the honor and love possible, might themselves be abundantly enriched with those divine treas

June 21, 2017 Let us pray for more loving hearts so as to be like Christ in living selflessly. This we ask in Jesus' name; that we may love others as much as God loves us. This version of the novena comes from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque who is most commonly associated with the ancient devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena Prayers - Day 8 I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (name your request). Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (name your request). Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father... Sac

The Priesthood is the Love of the Heart of Jesus. — St. John Vianney ______________________________________________ In reflecting upon this profound insight from the  Curé d'Ars , the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI observed, “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.” Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we, who glory in the Heart of your beloved Son and recall the wonders of his love for us, may worthily receive our measure of grace from that fount of heavenly gifts.

June 20, 2017 Let us pray that we may have more pure hearts like Christ. As disciples of Jesus and the children of God, such an aspiration is fitting. Let's pray that we may see and treat others with selfless love while putting all judgement and malice aside. This version of the novena comes from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque who is most commonly associated with the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena Prayers - Day 7 I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (name your request). Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (

Pope Pius XI taught that devotion to the Heart of Jesus is "the summary of our religion." And in 1956 Pope Pius XII wrote in his encyclical on the Sacred Heart, "Consequently, the honor paid to the Scared Heart is such as to raise it to the rank—so far as external practice is concerned—of the highest expression of Christian piety. For this is the religion of Jesus which is centered on the Mediator who is man and God, and in such a way that we cannot reach the Heart of God, save through the Heart of Christ." The devotion to the Sacred Heart calls for reparation of sin, and the devotion should lead us to a deeper understanding of His infinite love and mercy for us. Our Lord told St. Faustina, "My daughter, know that My Heart is mercy itself. From this sea of mercy, graces flow out upon the whole world. No soul that has approached Me has ever gone away unconsoled" (Diary, 1777). And yet, when we look at the Image of the Merciful Savior, we see rays of

June 19, 2017 Today, let us pray for more generous hearts that we may be like Jesus in giving everything of ourselves to God and God's people. May we give to others without judging their worthiness, but instead, see them as brothers and sisters in Christ. This version of the novena comes from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque who is most commonly associated with the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena Prayers - Day 6 I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (name your request). Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (name

Solemnity of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus June 23, 2017 By Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois In the ancient world, the heart was considered the center of the body. It was the seat of life, wisdom, conscience, thought, emotion and love. In reality, the ancients ascribed to the heart what today would be called the work of the brain. So, if this solemnity were to be renamed with today’s knowledge, it would the “Solemnity of The Most Sacred Brain of Jesus.” However, in the popular culture the heart is still considered the seat of emotion and love. People love with one’s “whole heart” and “give their hearts away” to others. Some speak of having “their hearts broken” at the end of a relationship. Although modern science has proven the brain as the central organ of the human body, the heart carries more weight in the world of emotion and love.  On this feast, the Church celebrates the heart, or core organ, of Jesus Christ. That heart is holy and sacred. It is that heart that suff

June 18, 2017 Today, let us pray for more generous hearts that we may be like Jesus in giving everything of ourselves to God and God's people. May we give to others without judging their worthiness, but instead, see them as brothers and sisters in Christ. This version of the novena comes from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque who is most commonly associated with the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena Prayers - Day 5 I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (name your request). Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (name

June 17, 2017 Today, let us pray for more generous hearts that we may be like Jesus in giving everything of ourselves to God and God's people. May we give to others without judging their worthiness, but instead, see them as brothers and sisters in Christ. This version of the novena comes from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque who is most commonly associated with the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena Prayers - Day 4 I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (name your request). Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (name

June 16, 2017 Let us pray that we may have more faithful hearts; that we may be like Christ in remaining faithful to our Father's Will in our actions, relationships and vocations. This version of the novena comes from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque who is most commonly associated with the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena Prayers - Day 3 I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (name your request). Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (name your request). Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father... S

June 15, 2017 Let us pray that we may have more faithful hearts; that we may be like Christ in remaining faithful to our Father's Will in our actions, relationships and vocations. This version of the novena comes from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque who is most commonly associated with the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena Prayers - Day 2 I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (name your request). Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (name your request). Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father... S

June 14, 2017 Today, we pray that we might have hearts that are conformed to that of our Lord..Let us pray that we may have more forgiving hearts and that we may be like Christ in showing unlimited mercy to others in all that we say and do.. This version of the novena comes from Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque who is most commonly associated with the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena Prayers - Day 1 I. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of (name your request). Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of (name your request).