BIG C CATHOLICS

Fr. Charles Irvin Revelation 7:2-4; 9-14; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12 They didn’t set out each day to change the world. They didn’t think of themselves as persons of power, people who could influence our culture and the powerful media elite or the shapers of public opinion. They didn’t want to do anything more than simply go to work, do their jobs, care for their families and maybe help a few other people besides. Most, if not all of them, would wince if anyone called them saints. Most if not all of them would rather be thought of as ordinary folks, people who just wanted to do their job and do it with caring concern for people other than themselves. So, then, what is holiness? And who are saints? Perhaps we need to change our mental pictures of who they are and how they behave. And perhaps, too, we should examine what we think God wants of us. These Beatitudes we just heard. Did we hear them or did we just listen to them without hearing? Note that these Beatitudes speak of

Fr. Ignatius Manfredonia Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate Bloomington, IN ( Click here for today’s readings ) Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. Who are the saints and exactly how did they get to heaven? In today's first reading, St. John asked this question to the angel who is guiding him and revealing these things to him. John says who are these people wearing white robes? So who are these souls in heaven that we celebrate today? The Feast of All Saints refers to every human person who is in heaven. We know about 9,000 of these souls. The Roman Martyrology lists them by name, however, the great majority of the souls in heaven we don't know… In Saint John's vision he states that there is a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. Now, how do we square that with the gospel when our Lord says that there will be few who will be saved? Our Lord said that many travel down that wide and easy road that leads to

Today the Church celebrates all the saints, canonized and beatified, as well as those known only to God who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision. During the early centuries the saints venerated by the Church were all martyrs. Later Popes set November 1st as the day for remembering the saints' holy example. The Commemoration of All Saints was first celebrated in the Eastern Church. The feast was initially observed in the West starting in the 8th century. The Roman Martyrology mentions that the current date was first promulgated by Gregory IV (827-844) and that he extended this observance to the whole of Christendom. It seems certain, however, that Pope Gregory III (731-741) preceded him in this. Meanwhile, in Rome, on May 13th, there was the annual commemoration of the consecration of the basilica of St. Maria ad Martyrs (or St. Mary and All Martyrs). This was the former Pantheon, the temple of Agrippa, dedicated to the gods of paganism, to which Boniface IV had translat

November begins with the Feast of All Saints followed by the Feast of All Souls on which we remember those who have died and are in Purgatory. Although we may pray for the poor souls throughout the year, the month of November is especially dedicated to praying on their behalf. The solemn Feast of Christ the King is also celebrated, marking the end of one liturgical year and the beginning of another. During November, as in all of Ordinary Time (Time After Pentecost), the Liturgy signifies and expresses the regenerated life from the coming of the Holy Spirit, which is to be spent on the model of Christ's Life and under the direction of His Spirit. As we come to the end of the Church year we are asked to consider the end times, our own as well as the world's. The culmination of the liturgical year is the Feast of Christ the King. "This feast asserts the supreme authority of Christ over human beings and their institutions.... Beyond it we see Advent dawning with its persp

Today the Church celebrates all the saints, canonized and beatified, as well as those known only to God who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision. During the early centuries the saints venerated by the Church were all martyrs. Later Popes set November 1st as the day for remembering the saints' holy example. The Commemoration of All Saints was first celebrated in the Eastern Church. The feast was initially observed in the West starting in the 8th century. The Roman Martyrology mentions that the current date was first promulgated by Gregory IV (827-844) and that he extended this observance to the whole of Christendom. It seems certain, however, that Pope Gregory III (731-741) preceded him in this. Meanwhile, in Rome, on May 13th, there was the annual commemoration of the consecration of the basilica of St. Maria ad Martyrs (or St. Mary and All Martyrs). This was the former Pantheon, the temple of Agrippa, dedicated to the gods of paganism, to which Boniface IV had translat

If you were to collect all the passages about death and the afterlife in Sacred Scripture, you would still not have a clear picture about what the experience of death is like, or what we can expect after we have died. Obviously, God has no intention of revealing very much about these two basic experiences, even though humans have contemplated and written much about them. Death is an unknown abyss between ourselves and the afterlife, as far as our knowledge is concerned. We are, however, asked to meditate deeply on what precedes and what follows the experience of death. With regard to what precedes death, we are encouraged to reflect on God's mercy and goodness, not on our failures, torments, and trials of the past. The prophet Jeremiah rejects the thoughts that bring despair, regret, and depression; instead he fills his heart with the positive qualities of God: "His mercies are not spent; they are renewed each morning." (Lamentations 3:22-23) We ought to think thes

Here is Bishop Robert Barron's beautiful commentary on the Solemnity of All Saints. If you have ten minutes to spare, His Excellency's cogent insights are worth your time. Explaining that the greatest tragedy in life is not becoming a saint, Bishop Barron urges us to seek out Christ's friendship. He states in part: "At the very beginning of the 20th century, there were two young Parisian students, intellectuals. One was called Jacques Maritain, and his girlfriend was called Raïssa. Raïssa was a poet. Jacques Maritain was a student of philosophy. They were agnostics, more or less, and they decided that life was meaningless. One day in the Luxembourg Garden in Paris, they made a vow, and they said unless we can discover by the end of the school year the meaning of life we will commit suicide. [W]hile they were waiting for the school year to come to an end, Jacques Maritain read a statement by Léon Bloy, who was a French spiritual writer. Léon Bloy said, 'T

In honor of the Solemnity of All Saints, here is a very brief survey of the Church Triumphant. The list is by no means definitive. It is impossible to give an exact number of saints. The majority are known only to God. The Virgin Mary has been omitted out of respect. The Mother of the Savior has a significant place in the divine economy of salvation. Contrary to popular imagination, the saints lived lives remarkably similar to our own. Living ordinary lives in extraordinary ways they were able to achieve heroic virtue. Such a life is possible for us today, with grace, unrelenting prayer, the sacraments and the saints as our guides. The number next to each saint is not intended as a rank. We have tried to include individuals who reflect the scope of a universal Church that spans two millennia. (For more information about a saint, click on the saint's name.) 1. St. Peter - first pope, apostle, martyr 2. St. Paul of Tarsus -  missionary, author of scripture, martyr 3. St. Jo

In honor of the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1st: The following 100 quotations are from individuals the Church has recognized for their heroic virtue. They appear in random order and are compiled from readers' responses, and suggestions for, quotes by saints appearing on this blog. For me prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look towards Heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.  — St. Thérèse of Lisieux Trust the past to the Mercy of God, the present to His Love, and the future to His Providence. — St. Augustine of Hippo He who trusts himself is lost. He who trusts in God can do all things. — St. Alphonsus Liguori Our own evil inclinations are far more dangerous than any external enemies.   — St. Ambrose You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy – the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud.  —  St.