BIG C CATHOLICS

Fr. Charles Irvin Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for Sunday’s readings ) “A body in motion tends to stay in motion, while a body at rest tends to stay at rest.” I’m sure many of you have heard that phrase used in an often-repeated TV commercial that has been airing recently. The phrase has caught my attention especially when I have been a couch potato watching more TV than I should. It’s the “staying at rest” that I am talking about because I am so often afflicted with laziness and lethargy. I resist getting in motion. Well, you may ask, what do those words and that thought have to do with the readings from today’s scripture passages that we just heard? Today is Laetare Sunday. Joy is its theme, joy because we are halfway through Lent and thus very close to the joy of Easter when our Elect will be baptized, confirmed and receive Holy Communion and our Candidates will be received into our Communion of Faith and likewise receive Holy Communion. There is joy, too, because

Optional Memorial - January 9th Pauline Marie Jaricot was born in Lyon on July 22, 1799, to a profoundly religious family of silk merchants. Her entire life was given completely to God and her Holy Mother, the church. From her conversion at the age of 16, she devoted herself to a life of prayer and service. At age 18, she composed a treatise on the Infinite Love of the Divine Eucharist . She founded societies of prayer that continue today. At this time, Catholics in France faced persecution. Pauline and her family lived in isolation. Had Pauline not been withdrawn from the world in this way, she would not have fully understood the necessity of prayer. With this insight, she dedicated herself to works of charity. She found that to serve the poor and afflicted was to serve Christ himself. Dividing her efforts between helping others and her life of prayer, she soon realized that to truly help others, she must bring them to God. The French Revolution had wrought havoc and destru

Memorial - January 4th  If you ever had an opportunity to attend Catholic school in the United States, you have Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton to thank for it. After her husband’s death, she founded the first American religious community for women the Sisters of Charity, the first American parish school, and the first American Catholic orphanage, all while raising her five children. A daughter of the American Revolution, she was born in August of 1774, two years before the Declaration of Independence. Her mother, a staunch Episcopalian, taught her the value of prayer and Scripture. At the age of 19, Elizabeth married the love of her life, a handsome wealthy businessman named William Seton. Following the birth of their fifth child, he lost his business, filed for bankruptcy and became deathly ill with tuberculosis. In a final attempt to save her husband's health, the Setons sailed for Italy where William had business friends who could help care for him. During her husband's f

January 1, 2018  On this day the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, our Lady's greatest title. This feast is the octave of Christmas. In the modern Roman Calendar only Christmas and Easter enjoy the privilege of an octave. According to the 1962 Missal of Saint John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, it is the Solemnity of Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ. "Mary, the all-holy ever-virgin Mother of God, is the masterwork of the mission of the Son and the Spirit in the fullness of time. For the first time in the plan of salvation and because his Spirit had prepared her, the Father found the dwelling place where his Son and his Spirit could dwell among men. In this sense the Church's Tradition has often read the most beautiful texts on wisdom in relation to Mary. She is acclaimed and represented in the liturgy as the "Seat of Wisdom."( Catechism of the Catholic Church , 721.) Mary is the Queen of

According to the 1962 Missal of Saint John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, November 28th is the feast day of Saint Saturninus, the early 3rd century bishop. missionary and martyr. Saturninus lived heroic virtue in imitation of Christ. The first named prelate in Gaul, he is called the Apostle to the Gauls. ________________________________________ The Life and Holy Martyrdom of St. Saturninus  Saturninus went from Rome, by direction of Pope Fabian, about the year 245, to preach the faith in Gaul. He fixed his episcopal see at Toulouse, and thus became the first Christian bishop of that city. There were but few Christians in the place. However, their number grew fast after the coming of the Saint; and his power was felt by the spirits of evil, who received the worship of the heathen. His power was felt the more because he had to pass daily through the capitol, the high place of the heathen worship, on the way to his own church. One day a great multitude was ga

November 3rd is the optional memorial of Saint Martin de Porres, (1579 – 1639) the 17th century, Dominican lay brother, who lived a life of heroic self-denial, prayer and penance, in imitation of Christ. Juan Martin de Porres Velázquez was born in Lima, Peru, the son of Spanish nobleman, Don Juan de Porres, and Ana Velázquez, a freed slave from Panama, of mixed descent. His father abandoned the family two years later, after the birth of Martin’s sister, Juana, leaving them impoverished. His mother did laundry to support the family. When his mother could no longer support him, Martin briefly attended a residential primary school, before apprenticing with a skilled barber/surgeon from whom he learned the medical arts. He would spend hours a night in prayer, a practice he continued for the remainder of his life. In, 1590, at age 11, Martin joined the Holy Rosary Dominican priory in Lima as a servant. Peruvian law forbid those of African and Indian heritage from becoming full members o

(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

According to the 1962 Missal of Saint John XXIII, October 13th, is the feast day of Saint Edward the Confessor (1003-1066). As king he was renowned for his gentleness, humility, detachment and angelic holiness. He preserved perfect chastity in his wedded life. So little was his heart set on worldly riches that he readily dispensed his goods at the palace gate to those who were sick or poor. Edward, the last king of the Anglo-Saxons, a grandson of the martyr-king of the same name, passed his youth in exile with his uncle, a Norman leader. In an environment of sin, he preserved innocence of life. Called to the throne in 1042, he put into practice the Christian ideals for a ruler, with the help of God's grace. His reign saw near continuous peace. All spoke highly of the "good King Edward." His first efforts were directed toward a renewal of religion in the hearts of his people. Priests were invited into his kingdom, churches were built or restored. His subjects prospe

Christ's Church is, above all, the spiritual temple where every Christian knows he has his place: he knows he has it, and he is aware of his duty to keep it with honor, dignity, and grace. — St. John XXIII ______________________________________ Prayer for St. John XXIII’s Intercession Almighty and eternal God, who in your Pope, Saint John XXIII, gave to the whole world the shining example of a good shepherd, grant that, by his intercession, we may with joy spread abroad the fullness of Christian charity in our words, deeds and remembered virtue. 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.

Feast Day - October 11th According to the 1962 Missal of Saint John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of the Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The theological controversies regarding the divinity of Christ which disturbed the Church during the fourth and fifth centuries led to a denial of the divine maternity of Mary. The heretics refused to honor Mary as Mother of God. The Council of Ephesus in 431 declared that the Blessed Virgin "brought forth according to the flesh the Word of God made flesh" and that in consequence she is the Mother of God. Thus, Mary, our holy mother, is rightly given the title of divine maternity. In the year 1931, a jubilee marking the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus was celebrated to the great joy of the whole Catholic world. The fathers at that Council, under the guidance of Pope Celestine, formally condemned the errors of Nestorius and declared as Catholic faith the doctrine that the Bles

Optional Memorial - October 11th One of the least likely popes, not only of the twentieth century, but perhaps in the history of the papacy itself, was Pope Saint John XXIII. Born of peasant stock in 1881, this humble and unassuming priest would, in the last months of his life, be the architect of one of the most sweeping ecumenical councils of the modern world, whose reverberations are still being felt throughout the Church to this day. It was his humility and “ordinariness” that endeared Angelo Roncalli (the pope’s name before he ascended to the papacy) not only to Catholics, but to the world at large. The oldest son of a farming family from northern Italy, the future pope was ordained to the priesthood in 1904. His duties at the time included working as secretary to the bishop, teaching Church history in seminary, and publishing the diocesan paper. These experiences were integral preparation for the papacy. Drafted into the military in 1914, he served as both stretcher be

According to the 1962 Missal of Saint John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, August 17th is the feast of Saint Hyacinth of Poland. He is called the “Apostle of the North” because he spread the Dominican Order to the northern countries of Russia, the Balkans, Prussia and Lithuania. St. Hyacinth preached the crusade against the Prussians. He died on the feast of the Assumption, 1257. ________________________________________ While a canon at the cathedral of Cracow, Hyacinth journeyed to Rome, was impressed by the preaching and miracles of St. Dominic, and from the hand of Dominic himself received the habit of the newly-founded Order. Upon returning to his native land (1219), he established monasteries of his Order beyond the Alps at Friesach, Prague, Olmiitz, and Cracow. From the Breviary we have this miracle. With three companions Hyacinth had arrived at the banks of the river Weichsel during their journey to Vischegrad, where they were expected to preach. B

Optional Memorial - July 21st His name was Giulio Cesare Russo, and he was born at Brindisi in the kingdom of Naples in 1559. Educated in Venice at the College of St. Mark, he entered the Capuchins and took the name Lawrence. Finishing his studies at the University of Padua, he showed a flair for languages, mastering Hebrew, Greek, German, Bohemian, Spanish, and French, and showed an extraordinary knowledge of the text of the Bible. He is the greatest linguist among the Doctors of the Church. While still a deacon, St. Lawrence of Brindisi became known as an excellent preacher and after his ordination startled the whole of northern Italy with his amazing sermons. Sent into Germany by the pope to establish Capuchin houses, he became chaplain to Emperor Rudolf II and had a remarkable influence on the Christian soldiers fighting the Muslims when they were threatening Hungary in 1601. Through his efforts, the Catholic League was formed to give solidarity to the Catholic cause in Eu

Optional Memorial of St. Joachina de Vedruna, June 10th  St. Joachina de Vedruna de Mas was born on April 16, 1783 in Barcelona, Spain, on the verge of a period of war and unrest. A loving and generous daughter, she exhibited the deep piety that would mark her life's work and vocation. At age 12, Joachina asked to enter the cloistered Carmelite convent, only to be turned away. Her parents hoped this childhood aspiration would pass. And for a time it did. She married Theodore de Mas in 1799, a kind and devout officer many years her senior, but was widowed in 1816. Their family was forcibly made to flee when Napoleon invaded Spain. Theodore remained to fight the French invaders, dying shortly thereafter. Joachina brought up their nine children with care. One by one, her children began to get married and leave home. Joachina weighted the future. After much reflection and prayer, she resolved to do works of mercy for others In 1826, guided by the Holy Spirit, she founded the

May 13th is the optional memorial of Our Lady of Fatima, the title given to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary in the apparitions which occurred between May 13th and October 13th, 1917, at Cova da Iria, near the town of Fatima, Portugal, to three poor shepherd children. Lucia de Jesus Santos and Francisco and Jacinta Marto. Our Lady told the children that she had been sent by God with an urgent message for humanity. At that time, World War I was raging, and Europe was being torn apart by violence and bloodshed. Our Lady promised that God would grant peace the world over should her call for prayer, reparation and consecration to her Immaculate Heart be honored. The Blessed Virgin emphasized to the seers and to the world at large, "If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace." However, if it were ignored and people did not cease offending God, a far worse war would befall mankind, during which innumerable souls would be lost. That conflict, World

Paris in the early 1600’s was not the pleasant tourist attraction that it is today, and no one would become more conscious of this than Louise de Marillac. Disease and famine were common occurrences, wiping out nearly fourteen percent of the population; torture was often used against those accused of crimes, claiming many lives very cruelly and unnecessarily, and children by the hundreds were often abandoned at birth. It was this world that Louise would eventually enter as a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, but she would not do so quite as soon as she had originally wanted. Though inspired to join a religious community at the age of 16, it was not until she was 33 that the one God intended her to work with would enter her life. Born into wealth near Meux, France, in 1591, she suffered the first in a series of tragedies when her mother died while she was still a young child. Her father followed her mother in death when Louise was just 15. Although her education at the h

Clockwise from L to R: Pope Pius XI, Pope Paul VI, Pope St. John XXIII and Pope St. Pius X. The Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. If not for the Incarnation, there could be no Eucharist. In the words of Servant of God Father John Hardon: "We are to believe that the Eucharist is Jesus Christ - simply, without qualification. It is God become man in the fullness of His divine nature, in the fullness of His human nature, in the fullness of His body and soul, in the fullness of everything that makes Jesus Jesus. He is in the Eucharist with His human mind and will united with the Divinity… That is what our Catholic Faith demands of us… If we believe this, we are Catholic. If we do not, we are not, no matter what people may think we are." Below are quotes on the Most Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of our Faith, from 20th century pontiffs. The faith of the Church is this: That one and identical is the Word of God an

St. John of Matha receiving the approved Order from Pope Innocent II. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, February 8th is the feast of St. John of Matha, priest and founder. Saint John of Matha (1160 - 1213), the founder of the Trinitarian Order, was born at Faucon, on the borders of Provence, in France. He was trained as a young noble in horsemanship and the use of arms, decided to study for the priesthood, and was ordained in Paris. After some years in solitude, he conceived the idea of founding an order to ransom Christian captives from the Muslims and journeyed to Rome to obtain the blessing of Pope Innocent III. Houses of the order were established at Cerfroid and Rome and in Spain. He was very successful in the work of ransoming captives and his order spread. Very little is known for certain about his life, and in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, to bolster his reputation, certain members of his order fabricated

November 3, is the optional memorial of Saint Martin de Porres, (1579 – 1639) the 17th century, Dominican lay brother, who lived a life of heroic self-denial, prayer and penance, in imitation of Christ. Juan Martin de Porres Velázquez was born in Lima, Peru, the son of Spanish nobleman, Don Juan de Porres, and Ana Velázquez, a freed slave from Panama, of mixed descent. His father abandoned the family two years later, after the birth of Martin’s sister, Juana, leaving them impoverished. His mother did laundry to support the family. When his mother could no longer support him, Martin briefly attended a residential primary school, before apprenticing with a skilled barber/surgeon from whom he learned the medical arts. He would spend hours a night in prayer, a practice he continued for the remainder of his life. In, 1590, at age 11, Martin joined the Holy Rosary Dominican priory in Lima as a servant. Peruvian law forbid those of African and Indian heritage from becoming full members of

Before everything else, fidelity to the Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. Jesus did not found several churches, but one single Church. ***  The family, founded upon marriage freely contracted, one and indissoluble, must be regarded as the natural, primary cell of human society. The interests of the family, therefore, must be taken very specially into consideration in social and economic affairs, as well as in the spheres of faith and morals. For all of these have to do with strengthening the family and assisting it in the fulfillment of its mission — Pacem in Terris,  1963 We are not on earth as museum-keepers, but to cultivate a flourishing garden of life and to prepare for a glorious future.  ***  To have accepted with simplicity the honour and the burden of the pontificate, with the joy of being able to say that I did nothing to obtain it, absolutely nothing; indeed I was most careful and conscientious to avoid anything that might direct attention to mys