Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne

I didn’t know of the Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne until several years ago when a friend of mine, Father Ambrose, gave me a tutorial these great nuns. For him, the death of these Carmelites are an example of demise of the Gospel in culture and in the personal life the baptized. The courage and faithfulness of the nuns in the face of terrifically sinister men is quite striking. In every period of time, martyrdom always seems to catch the heart. Here is another example of the persecution of Christians.

Another friend, Jeffrey said the following:

The anniversary of the Carmelite Martyrs of Compiègne, interestingly falling so close on the heels of Bastille Day, a reminder, perhaps that we must resist similar movements in our present age. One of these martyrs wrote eloquently, not long before their execution, and we can live by these words today, as it puts things in proper perspective.

“We are victims of our century and we must sacrifice ourselves that it be reconciled to God. An eternity of happiness awaits me. Let us hasten then, let us run toward that end and suffer willingly during the brief moments of this life. The storm rages today, but tomorrow we shall reach the harbor”

~Sister Julie Louise, Carmelite martyr of Compiegne.

St Benedict’s feast today

Today, July 11, is the blessed feast of St. Benedict of Norcia, patriarch of western monasticism, and one of the patrons of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation.

St. Benedict gives inspiration to us not to build a frozen model of Christian or one that forgets the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Tradition of the Church.

Saint Benedict educates us by demonstrating for us not to prefer anything to the love of Christ. In the Gospel we here St. Peter say: “here is that we have left everything to follow you.” Can you say the same?

Let us hold each other in prayer through the intercession of St. Benedict praying for Fr. Carron and the Movement. Additionally, let recall before the Throne of Grace all the monks, nuns, sisters and oblates who live by the Rule of St. Benedict.

Happy Fourth of July 2019

Happy Fourth of July –US Independence Day

The Mass Collect for Independence Day is given below to help orient our prayer today. Pray for our country and her leaders.

We have much to be grateful for, much to ask for forgiveness and much hope for the future.

“Father of all nations and ages, we recall the day when our country claimed its place among the family of nations; for what has been achieved we give you thanks, for the work that still remains we ask your help.”

Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.
All Saints and Blesseds of the USA, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul

The present reading from the holy gospel (John 21:15-19) commends to us the virtue of perfect love. Perfect love is that by which we are ordered to love the Lord with our whole heart, our whole soul and our whole strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. Neither of these two kinds of love is capable of being perfect without the other, because God cannot be loved apart from our neighbor, nor our neighbor apart from God.

Hence as many times as Peter was asked by our Lord if he loved him, and he answered that he was a witness that he loved him, the Lord added at the end of each inquiry feed my sheep or feed my lambs, as if he were clearly saying ‘there is only one true proof of wholehearted love of God-if you strive to exercise care by laboring solicitously on behalf of your brothers.’

Now whoever neglects to commit himself to practicing the work of piety toward his brother to the extent of his ability shows that he loves his Maker less than he should, for he is scorning Christ’s commandment concerning support of his neighbor in his time of need.

Bede the Venerable

Homily for Sts. Peter and Paul

Sacred Heart 2019

Today is the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“The word Christian implies a relationship of complete dependence on Christ. If you take away that relationship, Christian loses meaning. The perfection of a Christian is the perfection of a relationship which is the perfection of charity – complete dependence and abandonment to Christ.

“The way to make this relationship with Christ all that it should be is through a personal devotion to the person of our Lord. It is a particular devotion to him under the form that he himself has asked for, namely, to his Sacred Heart.

Dom Eugene Boylan, OCSO
Partnership With Christ

Irving Houle’s cause for sainthood inches ahead

At the June 11-13, 2019 meeting, the US bishops unanimously voted to proceed with the sainthood cause for Irving Houle, a man who is reported to have lived with the Lord’s sacred stigmata. Houle had the stigmata for 16 years; he lived in Escanaba on the Upper Peninsula with his wife of 60 years, Gail; together they had five children. Irving died on January 3, 2009.

Irving Houle was an active fourth-degree Knight of Columbus.

Houle’s reception of the stigmata on Good Friday, April 8, 1993.

The Diocese of Marquette (MI) is pursuing the sainthood cause.

Crux published the story here. And a in-depth article on Irving Houle was written by Joseph Pronechen for the National Catholic Register found here. But you may also be interested in the biography, A Man Called Francis.

If canonized, Irving Houle would be the first US saint who bore the precious wounds of the Savior and would be in the company of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Pio Pietrelcina, St. Rita of Cascia, St. Catherine Ricci, St Veronica Giuliani, St. Mariam Baouardy, St. Catherine of Siena, Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, among others. Interesting, 80% of the confirmed people with the stigmata are women. Rhoda Wise is the other American but she not being considered for sainthood.

Moved from theologia to technologia

I recently found this admonition by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware on certain connections:

“Once theology forgets the unavoidable limitations of the human understanding; once it overlooks the apophatic dimension of theology; once it replaces the ineffable Word of God with human logic, then, as the Cappadocians assert, it ceases to be theo-logia and sinks to the level of techno-logia.”

It seems that theologians, public thinkers, and the clergy, have already arrived a technologia. The poor state of preaching, writing/speak, and catechesis demonstrates this fact. The disconnect between faith and reason is key in this regard.

Father Augustus Tolten named “Venerable Servant of God”

On June 11, 2019, Pope Francis received in an audience Cardinal Angelo Becciu, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and promulgated several decrees and among them:

–heroic virtue of the Servant of God Augustus Tolten, diocesan priest; born in Brush Creek, Missouri on 1 April 1854 and died in Chicago on 9 July 1897.

He will be known as the Venerable Servant of God Augustus Tolten.

Father Tolten studied theology in Rome and was ordained in the Basilica of St. John Lateran on 24 April 1886 and celebrated his First Mass at the Vatican Basilica the next day.

The Archdiocese of Chicago is handling the sainthood cause. See the website here.

Let us pray for this sainthood cause for the renewal of the priesthood, especially here in the USA.