BIG C CATHOLICS

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for today’s readings ) When Jesus told his disciples to observe the Law in even the smallest detail, the scribes and Pharisees must have been pleased. That’s exactly what they had been saying for generations, and they lived by that principle themselves. But then Jesus adds: “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” In other words, the Law is good, but it is a minimum. He gives four examples, and in the coming weeks we will see more, contrasting the Law’s requirements with Jesus’ expectations. Good enough isn’t good enough! Much later, in Chapter 23 of Matthew’s Gospel Jesus makes the same point: "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach

Ash Wednesday is just eighteen days away. Here, Pope Benedict explains how Our Lady's message to Saint Bernadette is intimately connected with the season of Lent and the joy of Easter morning that is our end should we love heroically. "[T]the message which Our Lady still offers at Lourdes recalls the words Jesus said at the beginning of his public mission and that we hear so often in [the] first days of Lent: ‘Convert and believe in the Gospel, pray and do penance. Let us respond to the call of Mary who echoes that of Christ and let us ask Her to help us 'enter' Lent with faith and live this season of grace with deep joy and generous commitment" — Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus February 10, 2008 ____________________________________________________ Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes O Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Mercy, Health of the Sick, Refuge of Sinners, Comfortess of the Afflicted, you know my wants, my troubles, my sufferings. Look upon me w

Today marks the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1858 to fourteen-year-old Saint Bernadette Soubirous. Our Lady’s message to humanity stressed devotion to God through Christ, ceaseless prayer, penitence and forgiveness. Three revelations in particular are worth pondering. One concern’s doctrine. The others speak to our earthly pilgrimage and our destiny, if we persevere in love. On February 18th, our Lady began her message telling Bernadette, "I do not promise to make you happy in this life but in the next." On February 24th, Mary asked for penance and prayer for the conversion of sinners. The next day, the feast of the Annunciation, Mary stated, "I am the Immaculate Conception." The liturgical feast of Our Lady of Lourdes was initially celebrated on February 11th. It was approved by Pope Leo XIII, and first granted to the Diocese of Tarbes in the year 1890. Less than twenty years later, on November 13, 1907, his successor, Pope Saint Pius X pro

February 11th, the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Three years before our Lady's appearance, in the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Over the course of eighteen apparitions between February 11th – July 16, 1858, our Lady revealed to the shepherdess Bernadette Soubirous, that she was the "the Immaculate Conception." Here is Father Pius Parsch's account of the events: The many miracles which have been performed through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin at Lourdes prompted the Church to institute a special commemorative feast, the "Apparition of the Immaculate Virgin Mary." The Office gives the historical background. Four years after the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception (1854), the Blessed Virgin appeared a number of times to a very poor and holy girl named Bernadette. The actual spot was in a grotto on the bank of the Gave River near Lour

St. Scholastica, like her brother, [St Benedict of Nursia] dedicated herself to God from early youth. Information on the virgin Scholastica is very scanty. In his Second Book of Dialogues (Ch. 33 and 34) Pope St. Gregory has described for us the last meeting between brother and sister: "His sister Scholastica, who had been consecrated to God in early childhood, used to visit with him once a year. On these occasions he would go to meet her in a house belonging to the monastery a short distance from the entrance. For this particular visit he joined her there with a few of his disciples and they spent the whole day singing God's praises and conversing about the spiritual life. "When darkness was setting in they took their meal together and continued their conversation at table until it was quite late. Then the holy nun said to him, 'Please do not leave me tonight, brother. Let us keep on talking about the joys of heaven till morning.' ‘What are you saying, sis

February 10, 2017 As we move closer to the season of Lent, let's pray that we may be healed of any lingering temptations and our attachment to sin, especially the ones we struggle with the most. Let us seek the chance to confess our sins, and to, "sin no more." Day 9 - The Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes Immaculate Mother, give us what your motherly heart sees we need. Our Lady of Lourdes, we come to you like little Bernadette at the grotto. We pray with childlike trust in you. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, when you appeared in Lourdes, you made it a holy sanctuary where many have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. We pray with confidence for your holy intercession. (State your intentions here) Holy Mother of the Rosary, we feel confident that your prayers on our behalf will be graciously heard by God. Immaculate Mother, show us your mercy, O Mother of God. Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never

On February 10th, the Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Scholastica (c. 480 – 547), the sixth century nun and twin sister of Saint Benedict of Nursia. In possession of numerous spiritual gifts, as a young girl, she dedicated her life and her virginity to God. What little we know about her comes from Saint Gregory the Great's Dialogues , (Chapters 33 and 34) in passages concerning Benedict. Once a year, she would visit her brother and together, they would spend the day praying, reading Sacred Scripture and discussing issues. She is the foundress of the women's Order of Benedictine Monasticism. The two siblings were born to a wealthy Roman noble family in Nursia, Italy, around the year 480. Their mother Claudia, died at their birth. When Benedict left to pursue his studies in Rome, Scholastica remained behind. It was customary for a young Roman woman of Scholastica's standing to reside with her family until marriage or her entrance into religious life. Accounts diff

February 9, 2017 When Our Lady appeared to Bernadette as a young girl, Bernadette did not have a good education or catechesis. But what she did have was more important: she was part of a faithful family. She was the product of a strong, "Domestic Church." Today, we pray for all families; that they may foster the faith in every family member, and lead one another closer to Christ.  Day 8 - The Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes Immaculate Mother, fill our hearts with love for Jesus and for you. Our Lady of Lourdes, we come to you like little Bernadette at the grotto. We pray with childlike trust in you. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, when you appeared in Lourdes, you made it a holy sanctuary where many have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. We pray with confidence for your holy intercession. (State your intentions here) Holy Mother of the Rosary, we feel confident that your prayers on our behalf will be graciously he

Saint Teresa of Calcutta once observed, "It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish." One of the leading actresses of the mid-20th century understood this well. At the age of 18, Jane Russell became pregnant while dating her high school sweetheart. Russell's abortion left her infertile and for the remainder of her life she believed that abortion was wrong under any circumstances, even rape or incest. She described the experience: The only solution was to find a quack and get an abortion. I had a botched abortion and it was terrible. Afterwards my own doctor said, 'What butcher did this to you?'. I had to be taken to hospital. I was so ill I nearly died. I've never known pain like it. Note that Ms. Russell said "The only solution was to... get an abortion." Abortion is never a solution. In fact, abortion causes immense physical and emotional damage beginning with the taking of an innocent life. The actress

O Lord, if I could fly to my people and tell them of your Goodness at the top of my voice: oh, how many souls would be won!  *** I have given everything to my Master: He will take care of me… The best thing for us is not what we consider best, but what the Lord wants of us! *** Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars, I said to myself, ‘Who could be the Master of these beautiful things?’ I felt a great desire to see him, to know him and to pay him homage.   *** I received the Sacrament of Baptism with such joy that only angels could describe…  *** If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian and Religious today… *** The Lord has loved me so much: we must love everyone… we must be compassionate! *** Mary protected me even before I knew her! *** When a person loves another dearly, he desires strongly to be close to the other: the