BIG C CATHOLICS

Prayer For Our Government By John Carroll, Archbishop of Baltimore, 1791 We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name. We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope N.,the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, N., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation. We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these Un

January 20, 2017 While legislation and public witness are important to end abortion, our most powerful weapon is prayer. From the Priests for Life website: The Catholic bishops of the United States have designated January 22 as a special day of prayer and penance in reparation for the massive killing that has resulted from the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision [handed down January 22, 1973] which permitted abortion throughout a woman's pregnancy. We at Priests for Life invite you to prepare spiritually for that day by joining a Novena that starts on January 14 and concludes on the 22nd . We invite you to say the following prayer each of those days, and to let us know [see end of post] that you have committed to say it. Prayer of Reparation [ Click here for Spanish – En Español ] God and Father of Life, You have created every human person, And have opened the way for each to have eternal life.  We live in the shadow of death. Tens of millions of your

January 20, 2017 Day 5 – Pray that our fear of death will turn to the hope of everlasting life. Saint Peregrine is the patron saint of cancer patients. He was known for his holiness and for a miraculous healing he received. Peregrine was scheduled to have his leg amputated due to a cancerous growth. The night before the surgery, while praying for healing, he received a vision of Christ coming down from the cross to touch his leg. The following morning, he was completely healed. Cancer patients and those suffering from terminal diseases seek his intercession. Dear holy servant of God, St. Peregrine, we pray today for healing. Intercede for us! God healed you of cancer and others were healed by your prayers. Please pray for the physical healing of… (Mention your intentions) These intentions bring us to our knees seeking your intercession for healing. We are humbled by our physical limitations and ailments. We are so weak and so powerless. We are completely dependen

Saints Fabian and Sebastian , Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia, c. 1475. January 20th, the Church celebrates the optional memorials of Pope Saint Fabian and Saint Sebastian. Both victims of Roman persecution, they were martyred on the same date, 37 years apart. They have been venerated together since their names were coupled in the first martyrologies (as in the Litany of Saints today). Pope Saint Fabian  (c. 200 – 250 AD) The opening Mass of a papal conclave is intended not only to mark the beginning of a great and most solemn process, but to prepare the hearts and minds of the participants to act in accordance with the promptings of the Holy Spirit. At the conclave of 236 AD, a dove landed on the head of a layperson Fabian, who had traveled to Rome to see who would be selected. Fabian was unanimously chosen pope because everyone present saw the actions of the dove as a sign from God. St. Fabian served 14 years as the Vicar of Christ, the majority of which were peaceful. Admire

January 19, 2017 While legislation and public witness are important to end abortion, our most powerful weapon is prayer. From the Priests for Life website: The Catholic bishops of the United States have designated January 22 as a special day of prayer and penance in reparation for the massive killing that has resulted from the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision [handed down January 22, 1973] which permitted abortion throughout a woman's pregnancy. We at Priests for Life invite you to prepare spiritually for that day by joining a Novena that starts on January 14 and concludes on the 22nd . We invite you to say the following prayer each of those days, and to let us know [see end of post] that you have committed to say it. Prayer of Reparation [ Click here for Spanish – En Español ] God and Father of Life, You have created every human person, And have opened the way for each to have eternal life.  We live in the shadow of death. Tens of millions of your

January 19, 2017 Day 4 – Pray for us, that the loneliness of our suffering will be consoled. Saint Peregrine is the patron saint of cancer patients. He was known for his holiness and for a miraculous healing he received. Peregrine was scheduled to have his leg amputated due to a cancerous growth. The night before the surgery, while praying for healing, he received a vision of Christ coming down from the cross to touch his leg. The following morning, he was completely healed. Cancer patients and those suffering from terminal diseases seek his intercession. Dear holy servant of God, St. Peregrine, we pray today for healing. Intercede for us! God healed you of cancer and others were healed by your prayers. Please pray for the physical healing of… (Mention your intentions) These intentions bring us to our knees seeking your intercession for healing. We are humbled by our physical limitations and ailments. We are so weak and so powerless. We are completely dependent u

January 18, 2017 While legislation and public witness are important to end abortion, our most powerful weapon is prayer. From the Priests for Life website: The Catholic bishops of the United States have designated January 22 as a special day of prayer and penance in reparation for the massive killing that has resulted from the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision [handed down January 22, 1973] which permitted abortion throughout a woman's pregnancy. We at Priests for Life invite you to prepare spiritually for that day by joining a Novena that starts on January 14 and concludes on the 22nd . We invite you to say the following prayer each of those days, and to let us know [see end of post] that you have committed to say it. Prayer of Reparation [ Click here for Spanish – En Español ] God and Father of Life, You have created every human person, And have opened the way for each to have eternal life.  We live in the shadow of death. Tens of millions of your

Editor's note: Each Tuesday we will feature posts discussing Saint John Paul the Great's Theology of the Body; his reflection on our nature and life as persons made in the image and likeness of God, conjugal love, the meaning of celibacy, and the eternal beatitude to which every human being is called. ____________________________ The Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, and Scientific Revolution caused social upheaval, cataclysmic shifts in thinking, and the democratization of knowledge, making all that came before seem antiquated, authoritarian, incomplete, or irrelevant. The world and how people viewed it changed. Written in 1611, the words of poet John Donne could apply to all of the aforementioned: (The) new Philosophy calls all in doubt, The Element of fire is quite put out; The Sun is lost, and th'earth, and no man's wit, Can well direct him where to look for it. Of particular note is French philosopher René Descartes. Published in 1637, his t

January 18, 2017 Day 3 – Pray for us, that we may courageously offer up our suffering Saint Peregrine is the patron saint of cancer patients. He was known for his holiness and for a miraculous healing he received. Peregrine was scheduled to have his leg amputated due to a cancerous growth. The night before the surgery, while praying for healing, he received a vision of Christ coming down from the cross to touch his leg. The following morning, he was completely healed. Cancer patients and those suffering from terminal diseases seek his intercession. Dear holy servant of God, St. Peregrine, we pray today for healing. Intercede for us! God healed you of cancer and others were healed by your prayers. Please pray for the physical healing of… (Mention your intentions) These intentions bring us to our knees seeking your intercession for healing. We are humbled by our physical limitations and ailments. We are so weak and so powerless. We are completely dependent upon God

Detail, The Calling of Saints Peter and Andrew , Caravaggio, 1603–1606. Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for today’s readings )  One of the most beautiful texts in the whole Bible reads: “Wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God, my God. Where you die I will die, and there be buried.”  People are sometimes surprised to learn that these words are not spoken between two lovers. They are the words of Ruth, to her mother-in-law, and simply mean: I will never leave you.  That hardly matters. The classical musical setting by Gounod is often heard at weddings. The Weston Priory version is sung by the monks to each other as a pledge of mutual fidelity in their monastic life. The text suits any commitment of persons to each other.  The response of Simon, Andrew, James, and John to the call of Jesus seems to have