One Minute Reflection – 29 September – The Feast of Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee name Nazareth, to a virgin ….Luke 1:26-27
REFLECTION – Angels take different earthly forms at the bidding of their master, God.
They thus reveal themselves to human beings and unveil the Divine Mysteries to them……St John Damascene
PRAYER – God of all Wisdom, You direct the ministry of angels and of human beings. Grant that the angels who always minister to You in heaven may defend us during our life on earth and protect us from evil. Grant this, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen
“Repentance raises the fallen, mourning knocks at the gate of Heaven and holy humility opens it.”
“Repentance is the renewal of baptism. Repentance is a contract with God for a second life. A penitent is a buyer of humility. Repentance is constant distrust of bodily comfort. Repentance is self-condemning reflection and carefree self-care. Repentance is the daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair. A penitent is an undisgraced convict. Repentance is reconciliation with the Lord by the practice of good deeds contrary to the sins. Repentance is purification of conscience. Repentance is the voluntary endurance of all afflictions. A penitent is the inflicter of his own punishments. Repentance is a mighty persecution of the stomach and a striking of the soul into vigorous awareness.”
One Minute Reflection – 28 September – The Memorial of St Wenceslaus
There will …be more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine righteous who have no need to repent.…Luke 15:7
REFLECTION – “Nothing makes God happier than a person’s amendment of life,
conversion and salvation.
This is why He sent His only Son to this earth.”…St Gregory Nazianzen (330-390) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Holy God, help me to amend my life constantly and be sincerely converted to You. Let me seek Your interests rather than my own and be ever more closely united with You.
St Wenceslaus, who was assassinated by his own brother but who, by his holiness opened his brother’s eyes to repentance, please pray for us, that we may always seek the forgiveness of God. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 26 September – The Memorial of Blessed Pope Paul VI
“For you deal here above all with human life and human life is sacred; no one may dare make an attempt upon it…. Respect for life, must find here ….in the Assembly, its highest affirmation and its most rational defense. Your task is to ensure that there is enough bread on the tables of mankind and not to encourage an artificial control of births, which would be irrational, in order to diminish the number of guests at the banquet of life.”
“We must see to it that enthusiasm for the future does not give rise to contempt for the past.”
“Never reach out your hand unless you’re willing to extend an arm.”
“Liturgy is like a strong tree whose beauty is derived from the continuous renewal of its leaves but whose strength comes from the old trunk, with solid roots in the ground.”
As they were looking on, so we too gaze on His wounds as He hangs. We see His blood as he dies. We see the price offered by the Redeemer, touch the scars of His Resurrection. He bows His head, as if to kiss you. His heart is made bare open, as it were, in love to you. His arms are extended that He may embrace you. His whole body is displayed for your redemption. Ponder how great these things are. Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind: as He was once fixed to the Cross in every part of His body for you, so He may now be fixed in every part of your soul.
St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor
There is no evil to be faced, that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy, that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear, that Christ has not already borne for us and does not now bear with us. And on the far side of every cross we find the newness of life in the Holy Spirit, that new life, which will reach its fulfillment, in the Resurrection. This is our faith. This is our witness before the world.
One Minute Reflection – 25 September – The Memorial of St Vincent Strambi C.P. (1745-1824)
May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith……Ephesians 3:17
REFLECTION – “Look upon the face of the Crucified, who invites you to follow Him. He will be a Father, Mother–everything to you.”….St Paul of the Cross
PRAYER – Jesus, our Lord and our God, only You are the best Shepherd of Your Church.
Support with grace those who are responsible for the fate of Your fold,
so that following the example of St. Vincent Maria Strambi, they devote all their powers and talents to service to the Church.
In God, our Father we pray through You who live in union with Him and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ages and ages. Amen
Thought for the Day – 24 September – The Memorial of Bl Anton Martin Slomsek (1800-1862)
“Teacher and educator, writer and poet, biographer and critic, lover of his mother tongue and fighter for national equality, patriot, speaker and preacher, ecumenical worker and theological teacher of the Slovene people, priest and bishop. Slomsek’s personality is like a mosaic, each stone has its own colour, its own function and size but all together provide the image of a saint, that is a person who is open to the breath of the Holy Spirit, who prophetically understands the signs of the time and responds to them, who understands how to use all natural and supernatural means to realise the kingdom of God on earth.” …… Dr Franc Kramberger, Bishop of Maribor, Slovenia, 1999
“The new blessed also paid great attention to culture. Living in the middle of the last century, he was perfectly aware of the importance for the nation’s future of the intellectual formation of its inhabitants, especially the young. For this reason, he combined pastoral action with commitment to the promotion of culture, which represents a nation’s wealth and is the patrimony of all Culture is the soil from which a people can draw the necessary elements for their growth and development.
Convinced of this, Slomsek worked to open various schools for young people and saw to the publication of books useful for human and spiritual formation. He warned that if young people were corrupted, the fault could often be traced to the lack of adequate formation. Families, schools and the Church, he taught, must join forces in a serious educational programme, each preserving its own area of autonomy, but all taking account of the values they share.
Only with a sound formation can men and women be prepared to build a world that is open to the perennial values of truth and love.”…St John Paul at the Beatification of Bl Anton (Sunday, 19 September 1999)
Quote of the Day – 24 September – The Memorial of Bl Anton Martin Slomsek (1800-1862)
“When I was born, my mother laid me on a bed of straw and I desire no better pallet when I die, asking only to be in the state of grace and worthy of salvation.”
One Minute Reflection – 24 September – The Memorial of Bl Anton Martin Slomsek (1800-1862)
….because they exchanged God’s truth for a lie and have worshipped and served the creature instead of the Creator, who is blessed for ever….Romans 1:25
REFLECTION – “The world has grown old; the human race is adrift.
Well, yes, if we abandon humanity to its natural course, to its fatal direction.
No, if the power from on high that is preserved in the religion of Jesus and in His Church,
is poured out anew on all ranks of the human race and restores them to life.”… Blessed Anton Martin Slomsek (1800-1862)
PRAYER – Holy God, teach me gratitude for Your love, teach me faithfulness no matter what difficulties I face.
Jesus, my Lord, Your Church is my guide and my understanding, help me to always be true to her, my holy mother!
Blessed Anton, pray for the Church and all God’s people, amen.
Thought for the Day – The Memorial of St Padre Pio (1887-1968)
There can be no doubt that Padre Pio dedicated his life to prayer and suffering. Every breath he took was a prayer—never for himself, always for others. From the beginning of his life, he was able to easily travel from this world to the next, through deep prayer. He used this connection with God to recommend to him the prayers of his spiritual children. This ability to make contact with the powerful presence of God through prayer enabled him to bless and pray with those in most need, wherever they were in the world. Padre Pio in prayer visited South America, the United States and parts of Europe. Those he visited would know that Padre Pio was present by the unmistakable aroma of violets and roses. Those who got closest to him noticed an odour of flowers emanating from the stigmata. To this day, forty-six years after his death, people will still insist that they have caught the scent of roses after praying for someone through the intercession of Padre Pio.
Padre Pio’s priority was to be simply “a friar who prays.” His intense prayer was offered up day and night for all his spiritual children and his religious community. He had a filial love for our Blessed Lady and spent much of his day praying the rosary. But Padre Pio was first and foremost a brother to the Capuchin Franciscan community of Our Lady of Graces friary. Like the others, he daily lived the rule and life of the Order of Friars Minor. The first chapter of the rule of Saint Francis outlines that the rule is simply to observe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, living in obedience and in chastity, without property. As a Capuchin Franciscan, he promised obedience and reverence to the pope and to his superiors in the Capuchin order. No doubt it pained him greatly when the cult of sanctity built up around him, causing difficulties for the order with Church authorities.
Shortly before he died, the stigmata began to heal. When his body was examined by the doctors, they found that fresh, white skin had grown over the healed wounds. His life on earth was over, his earthly sufferings endured. He was journeying to the house of the Father where he prays for us all today in the presence of God.
Referring to that day’s Gospel (Matthew 11:25-30) at Padre Pio’s canonisation Mass in 2002, Saint John Paul II said: “The Gospel image of ‘yoke’ evokes the many trials that the humble Capuchin of San Giovanni Rotondo endured. Today we contemplate in him how sweet is the ‘yoke’ of Christ and indeed how light the burdens are whenever someone carries these with faithful love. The life and mission of Padre Pio testify that difficulties and sorrows, if accepted with love, transform themselves into a privileged journey of holiness, which opens the person toward a greater good, known only to the Lord.”
Quote/s of the Day – The Memorial of St Padre Pio (1887-1968)
“Do not be daunted by the cross. The surest test of love consists in suffering for the loved one and if God suffered so much for love, the pain we suffer for Him becomes as lovable as love itself.”
“The greater your sufferings, the greater God’s love for you.”
“Do not fear! Jesus is more powerful than all hell.”
“In all the free time you have, once you have finished your duties of state, you should kneel down and pray the Rosary. Pray the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament or before a crucifix.”
“Do you not see the Madonna always beside the tabernacle?”
“When you gossip about a person it means that you have removed the person from your heart. But be aware, when you remove a man from your heart, Jesus also goes away from your heart with that man.”
One Minute Reflection – 23 September – – The Memorial of St Padre Pio (1887-1968)
You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised….Hebrews 10:36
REFLECTION – “The life of a Christian is nothing but a perpetual struggle against self:
there is no flowering of the soul to the beauty of its perfection, except at the price of pain.”………St Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968)
PRAYER – “And you, Blessed Padre Pio, look down from heaven upon us assembled in this square and upon all gathered in prayer before the Basilica of Saint John Lateran and in San Giovanni Rotondo. Intercede for all those who, in every part of the world, are spiritually united with this event and raise their prayers to you. Come to the help of everyone; give peace and consolation to every heart. Amen!” – from the homily of Pope John Paul II at the beatification of Padre Pio
Quote/s of the Day – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova
“What great profit you gain from God when you are generous! You give a coin and receive a kingdom; you give bread from wheat and receive the Bread of Life; you give a transitory good and receive an everlasting one. You will receive it back, a hundred times more than you offered.”
“I am, notwithstanding, inexcusable, if I do not love You; for You grant Your love to all who desire or ask it. I cannot see without light: yet if I shut my eyes in the midst of the noon-day light, the fault is in me, not in the sun.”
One Minute Reflection – 22 September – The Memorial of St Thomas of Villanova
“Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil.”…Ephesians 4:26-27
REFLECTION – “Dismiss all anger and look into yourself a little.
Remember that he of whom you are speaking is your brother
and as he is, in the way of salvation,
God can make him a saint, in spite of his present weakness.”….St Thomas of Villnova (1488-1555)
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, grant us the grace to withold our anger, to always put a guard on our tongues and to speak with charity. St Thomas of Villanova, you preached temperance in all things and lived a life of charity in word and deed, please pray for us, amen.
Saint of the Day – 22 September – St Thomas of Villanova OSA (1488 – 1555) Bishop, Religious Priest of the Order of St Augustine, Confessor, Writer, Preacher, Teacher, Apostle of Charity, Mystic, Miracle-Worker often called “the Almsgiver” and “the Father of the Poor,” Reformer. Born Tomás García y Martínez (1488 in Villanueva de los Infantes, Ciudad Real, Spain – September 8, 1555 in Valencia, Spain of natural causes). Canonised on 1 November 1658 by Pope Alexander VII. Patronages – Villanova University and various cities. Attributes – A bishop distributing alms to the poor.
St Thomas’ father was a miller, who regularly distributed food and provisions to the poor, as did his mother. He grew up and was educated in Villanueva de los Infantes, in the Province of Ciudad Real, Spain, therefore the name Thomas of Villanueva. Part of the original house still stands, with a coat of arms in the corner, beside a family chapel. In spite of his family’s wealth, as a young boy he often went about naked because he had given his clothing to the poor.
St Thomas Villanova Dividing His Clothes by Murillo
At the age of sixteen years, Thomas entered the University of Alcalá de Henares to study Arts and Theology. He became a professor there, teaching arts, logic, and philosophy, despite a continuing absentmindedness and poor memory. In 1516, he decided to join the Augustinian friars in Salamanca and in 1518 was ordained a priest.
He became renowned for his eloquent and effective preaching in the churches of Salamanca. Thomas composed beautiful sermons, among which stands out the Sermon on the Love of God, one of the great examples of sacred oratory of the 16th century. Charles V, upon hearing him preach, exclaimed, “This monsignor can move even the stones!”. Charles named Thomas one of his councilors of state and court preacher in Valladolid, the residence of the Emperor when on his visits to the Low Countries.
His scathing attacks on his fellow bishops earned him the title of reformer. Some of his sermons attacked the cruelty of bullfighting. He also had a great devotion to the Virgin Mary, whose heart he compared to the burning bush of Moses that is never consumed.
Within the Order, he successively held the positions of prior of his local monastery, Visitor General and Prior Provincial for Andalusia and Castile. In 1533, Thomas sent out the first Augustinian friars to arrive in Mexico. Charles V offered him the post of Archbishop of Granada but he would not accept it.
Bishop:
In 1544 he was nominated as Archbishop of Valencia and he continued to refuse the position until ordered to accept by his superior. Given a donation to decorate his residence, he sent the money to a hospital in need of repair. He began his episcopacy by visiting every parish in the Archdiocese to discover what were the needs of the people. Aided by his assistant bishop, Juan Segriá, he put in order an archdiocese that for a century had not had direct pastoral government. He organised a special college for Moorish converts and in particular an effective plan for social assistance, welfare and charity. In 1547 he ordained as a priest the future Saint Luis Beltrán, O.P., a noted missionary in South America. Thomas started the Presentation Seminary in 1550.
He was well known for his great personal austerity (he sold the straw mattress on which he slept in order to give money to the poor) and wore the same habit that he had received in the novitiate, mending it himself. Thomas was known as “father of the poor.” His continual charitable efforts were untiring, especially towards orphans, poor women without a dowry and the sick. He possessed, however, an intelligent notion of charity, so that while he was very charitable, he sought to obtain definitive and structural solutions to the problem of poverty; for example, giving work to the poor, thereby making his charity bear fruit. “Charity is not just giving, rather removing the need of those who receive charity and liberating them from it when possible,” he wrote. He established boarding schools and high schools.
Thomas died in Valencia on September 8, 1555 of angina at the age of 67. His remains are preserved at the Cathedral there. St Thomas is the author of various Tracts, among which is included the Soliloquy between God and the soul, on the topic of communion. Francisco de Quevedo wrote his biography. His complete writings were published in six volumes as Opera omnia, in Manila in 1881.
Quote/s of the Day – 21 September – The Feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
“On hearing Christ’s voice, we open the door to receive Him, as it were, when we freely assent to His promptings and when we give ourselves over to doing what must be done. Christ, since He dwells in the hearts of His chosen ones through the grace of His love, enters so that He might eat with us and we with Him. He ever refreshes us by the light of His presence insofar as we progress in our devotion to and longing for the things of heaven. He Himself is delighted by such a pleasing banquet.”
St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Doctor of the Church
“That gaze overtook him completely, it changed his life. We say he was converted. He Changed his life. As soon as he felt that gaze in his heart, he got up and followed Him. This is true: Jesus’ gaze always lifts us up. It is a look that always lifts us up and never leaves you in your place, never lets us down, never humiliates. It invites you to get up – a look that brings you to grow, to move forward, that encourages you, because the One who looks upon you loves you. The gaze makes you feel that He loves you. This gives the courage to follow Him: ‘and he got up and followed Him.'”
One Minute Reflection – 21 September – The Feast of St Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist
“Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him: Follow me.“…
Matthew 9:9
REFLECTION – “Jesus saw Matthew, not merely in the usual sense, but more significantly with His merciful understanding of men.”
He saw the tax collector and, because He saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him, He said to him: “Follow me.”
This following meant imitating the pattern of His life – not just walking after Him.
Saint John tells us: “Whoever says he abides in Christ ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”
“And he rose and followed him.”
There is no reason for surprise that the tax collector abandoned earthly wealth as soon as the Lord commanded him.
Nor should one be amazed that neglecting his wealth, he joined a band of men whose leader had, on Matthew’s assessment, no riches at all. Our Lord summoned Matthew by speaking to him in words.
By an invisible, interior impulse flooding his mind with the light of grace, He instructed him to walk in his footsteps.
In this way Matthew could understand that Christ, who was summoning him away from earthly possessions, had incorruptible treasures of heaven in His gift.” – from a homily by St Bede the Venerable (673-735) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Lord, You showed Your great mercy to Matthew the tax-gatherer,by calling him to become Your Apostle,supported by his prayer and example, may we always answer Your call and live in close union with You.
We make our prayer, in union with God our Father and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. St Matthew, Apostle of Christ, pray for us, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – The Memorial of the Korean Martyrs – Sts Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang & Companions – 103 saints and beati
“We have received baptism, entrance into the Church and the honour of being called Christians. Yet what good will this do us, if we are Christians in name only and not in fact?”
“This is my last hour of life, listen to me attentively: if I have held communication with foreigners, it has been for my religion and for my God. It is for Him that I die. My immortal life is on the point of beginning. Become Christians if you wish to be happy after death because God has eternal chastisements in store for those who have refused to know Him.”
St Andrew Kim Taegon the first native Korean priest, and the first priest to die for the faith in Korea.
Quote/s of the day – 19 September – The Feast of Our Lady of La Salette
“Do you say your prayers properly, my children? Oh! my children, you must say them, morning and evening. When you can do no more, say a Pater and an Ave Maria; and when you have the time to do better, you will say more.”
Our Lady of la Salette
Pope John Paul II wrote about La Salette on 6 May 1996. “The message of La Salette was given to two young shepherds in a period of great suffering. La Salette is a message of hope – a hope sustained by the intercession of her who is the Mother of all peoples… At La Salette, Mary clearly spoke of the constancy of her prayer for the world: she will never abandon the people created in the image and likeness of God, those to whom it has been given to become children of God. May she lead to her Son all the nations of the earth.”
Feast of Notre-Dame de la Salette / Our Lady of La Salette – 19 September (French: Notre-Dame de La Salette) is a Marian apparition reported by two children, Maximin Giraud and Mélanie Calvat to have occurred at La Salette-Fallavaux, France, in 1846.
The shepherd children Maximin and Melanie
On 19 September 1851, Pope Pius IX formally approved the public devotion and prayers to Our Lady of La Salette, referring to its messages of apparition as “secrets”. On 24 August 1852, Pope Pius IX once again mentioned the construction of the altar to La Salette. The same papal bull granted the foundation of the Association of Our Lady of La Salette, formalised on 7 September.
On 21 August 1879, Pope Leo XIII formally granted a Canonical Coronation to the image at the Basilica of Our Lady of La Salette. A Russian style tiara was granted to the image, instead of the solar-type tiara used in its traditional depictions of Virgin Mary during her apparitions.
La Salette is celebrated as the place where, the Blessed Virgin appeared to two little shepherds and each year is visited by a large number of pilgrims. On 19 September, 1846, about three o’clock in the afternoon in full sunlight, on a mountain about 5918 feet high and about three miles distant from the village of La Salette-Fallavaux, it is related that two children, a shepherdess of fifteen named Melanie Calvat, called Mathieu and a shepherd-boy of eleven named Maximin Giraud, beheld in a resplendent light a “beautiful lady” clad in a strange costume. Speaking alternately in French and in patois, she charged them with a message which they were “to deliver to all her people”. After complaining of the impiety of Christians and threatening them with dreadful chastisements in case they should persevere in evil she promised them the Divine mercy if they would amend.
Finally, it is alleged, before disappearing she communicated to each of the children a special secret. The sensation caused by the recital of Melanie and Maximin was profound, and gave rise to several investigations and reports. Mgr. Philibert de Bruillard, Bishop of Grenoble, appointed a commission to examine judicially this marvellous event; the commission concluded that the reality of the apparition should be admitted. Soon several miraculous cures took place on the mountain of La Salette, and pilgrimages to the place were begun. The miracle, needless to say, was ridiculed by free-thinkers but it was also questioned among the faithful and especially by ecclesiastics. There arose against it in the Dioceses of Grenoble and Lyons a violent opposition, aggravated by what is known as the incident of Ars. As a result of this hostility and the consequent agitation, Mgr. de Bruillard (16 November 1851) declared the apparition of the Blessed Virgin as certain and authorised the cult of Our Lady of La Salette. The first stone of a great church was solemnly laid on the mount of La Salette, 25 May, 1852, amid a large assembly of the faithful. This Church, later elevated to the rank of a basilica, was served by a body of a religious called Missionaries of La Salette – who were founded in 1852 by Bp. Philbert de Bruillard, Bishop of Grenoble, France, and presently serve in some 25 countries.. In 1891 diocesan priests replaced these missionaries, driven into exile by persecuting laws.
As said above, the Blessed Virgin confided to each of the two children a special secret. These two secrets, which neither Melanie or Maximin ever made known to each other, were sent by them in 1851 to Pius IX on the advice of Mgr. de Bruillard. It is unknown what impressions these mysterious revelations made on the pope, for on this point there were two versions diametrically opposed to each other. Maximin’s secret is not known, for it was never published. Melanie’s was inserted in its entirety in brochure which she herself had printed in 1879 at Lecce, Italy, with the approval of the bishop of that town.
” If my people do not wish to submit themselves, I am forced to let go of the hand of my Son. It is so heavy and weighs me down so much I can no longer keep hold of it.”
“I have suffered all of the time for the rest of you! If I do not wish my Son to abandon you, I must take it upon myself to pray for this continually. And the rest of you think little of this. In vain you will pray, in vain you will act and you will never be able to make up for the trouble I have taken over for the rest of you.” – Our Lady of La Salette
The message of the visionaries of La Salette focuses on the conversion of all humanity to Christ. St John Vianney, St John Bosco and writer Joris-Karl Huysmans were all influenced by La Salette. The spirit of La Salette is said to be one of prayer, conversion, and commitment.
Pope John Paul II stated: “As I wrote on the occasion of the 150th anniversary, ‘La Salette is a message of hope, for our hope is nourished by the intercession of her who is the Mother of mankind.”
Saint of the Day – 19 September – St Januarius (Died c 304) (San Gennaro of Naples) – Martyr, Bishop (Fourth century – Martyred c 304 at Naples, Italy or Pozzuoli, Italy ). Patronages – against volcanic eruptions• blood banks• Benevento, Italy, diocese of• Naples, Italy, archdiocese of• Naples, Italy, city of.
Saint Januarius, was born in Benevento to a rich patrician family At a young age of 15—based upon his piety and faithfulness– he became the local Priest of his Parish in Benevento, which at the time was relatively pagan. When Januarius was 20, he was elevated to Bishop of Naples. At the onset of the persecution of Christians by Emperors Diocletian and Maximian, he worked tirelessly to hide and protect his fellow Christians, succeeding for approximately 1 ½ years.
However, he was eventually arrested, taken to Nola and brought before Timotheus, governor of Campania, on account of his profession of the Christian religion. Upon refusing to recant his faith, and his constant assertion of the truth of the Gospel, Januarius and his companions were sentenced to be cast into the fiery furnace. The flames, however, caused him no harm and the following day, he was led into the coliseum to be mauled by wild animals. The beasts, however, laid themselves down in tame submission at his feet.
Governor Timotheus, enraged and again pronouncing sentence of death, was struck with blindness at his sentencing but Januarius healed him—a miracle which led to the miraculous conversion of 5,000 present. The ungrateful judge, further inflamed with anger, ordered the saintly bishop beheaded, which occurred immediately. St Januarius’ body was removed by faithful Christians, placed in the Cathedral of Naples and is said to have miraculously protected Naples from both the plague and the dangerous eruptions of nearby Mount Vesuvius.
You can read the full story here: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/januarius.asp – ACTS OF THE HIEROMARTYR JANUARIUS, BISHOP OF BENEVENTO
The Blood Miracle of Saint Januarius (Gennaro) -A miracle of the Church that is still occuring today
Relics of St Januarius
The liquefaction (becoming liquid) of the blood of St Januarius is an extraordinary miracle of the Church that has been occurring up to 18 times each year for the past 600 years. It is only one of a number of blood miracles that have taken place and in the case of St Januarius and others, are still taking place with blood that was collected soon after the death of certain martyrs. There is a well-documented history of these samples of blood liquefying at various times of the year, especially on the Saints’ feast days.
This practice of gathering blood for relics, admittedly a somewhat surprising religious practice, nevertheless was a common practice beginning in the days of persecution when the early Christians soaked cloths in the blood shed by martyrs or, if possible, actually collected the liquid in flasks to keep as devotional items. In the catacombs these flasks were buried with the dead, their discovery indicating that the person had died a martyr. Throughout the centuries, blood has been collected from holy persons recently deceased, especially martyrs for the faith, with the specimens being carefully kept with devotion and veneration. These samples have been known to liquefy under various circumstances, at different seasons of the year, in various countries and in varied ways. Many samples still display wonderful reactions in our day, one of which, that of St Januarius we will here consider.
While it is scientifically known that blood once removed from the body soon coagulates and eventually spoils and since this natural reaction was common knowledge among the medical faculty of the Middle Ages, a claim made by them of remarkable liquefaction can hardly be ignored and would seem to indicate a transcendence of their experience. And in our own day, the specimens that are still active are no less scientifically inexplicable than they were centuries ago, even amidst intense scientific investigation.
The best known and most intensely studied is the yearly blood miracle of St Januarius that occurs is Naples each year. The recurring miracle of the liquefaction of his blood 18 times a year is often reported in the secular as well as the religious press and is the occasion of great gatherings in the Cathedral of Naples. Here the people pray fervently while the resident cardinal, who usually presides over the ceremony, holds the vials of blood. The miracle occurs when the bust reliquary containing the head of the saint is brought near. When the liquefaction is accomplished in full view of the spectators, the cardinal announces, “The miracle has happened,” words that cause great rejoicing and the chanting of the Te Deum.
St Alphonsus Liguori wrote regarding Saint Januarius:
“The Neapolitans honour this saint as the principal patron of their city and nation and the Lord himself has continued to honour him, by allowing many miracles to be wrought through his intercession, particularly when the frightful eruptions of Mount Vesuvius have threatened the city of Naples with utter destruction. While the relics of St Januarius were being brought in procession towards this terrific volcano, the torrents of lava and liquid fire which it emitted have ceased, or turned their course from the city. But the most stupendous miracle and that which is greatly celebrated in the church, is the liquefying and boiling up of this blessed martyr’s blood whenever the vials are brought in sight of his head. This miracle is renewed many times in the year, in presence of all who desire to witness it; yet some heretics have endeavoured to throw a doubt upon its genuineness, by frivolous and incoherent explanations; but no one can deny the effect to be miraculous, unless he be prepared to question the evidence of his senses.”
Quote/s of the Day – September, the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows
“When she was asked to become the mother of the Messiah, Mary’s faith enabled her to give a humble and generous response…. Mary’s faith was frequently tested during the public life of Jesus, especially when she witnessed the rejection of her son. At the foot of the cross, her pilgrimage of faith had its moment of most severe testing. Mary continued to believe that, because Jesus was the Son of God, His sacrifice would bring salvation to humanity.”
“From Mary we learn to surrender to God’s Will in all things. From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary we learn to love Christ her Son and the Son of God!”
St Pope John Paul
“From the nature of His work, the Redeemer ought to have associated His Mother with His work. For this reason we invoke her under the title of Co-redemptrix. She gave us the Saviour, she accompanied Him in the work of redemption, as far as the Cross itself, sharing with Him the sorrows of the agony and of the death in which Jesus consummated the redemption of mankind.”
Thought for the Day – 17 September – The Memorial of St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
It is said that Robert Bellarmine was so short that he used to stand on a stool to be seen over the high pulpits of Europe.
But he was a giant in many other ways. He devoted his life to the study of Scripture and Catholic doctrine. His writings help us understand that the real source of our faith is not merely a set of doctrines but rather the person of Jesus still living in the Church today.
When it comes down to it, what matters is Christ and Him Crucified, what matters is He who is love.
“Sweet Lord, you are meek and merciful.” Who would not give himself wholeheartedly to your service, if he began to taste even a little of your fatherly rule? What command, Lord, do you give Your servants? “Take my yoke upon you,” You say. And what is this yoke of Yours like? “My yoke,” You say, “is easy and my burden light.” Who would not be glad to bear a yoke that does no press hard but caresses? Who would not be glad for a burden that does not weigh heavy but refreshes? And so You were right to add: “And you will find rest for your souls.” And what is this yoke of Yours that does not weary, but gives rest? It is, of course, that first and greatest commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.” What is easier, sweeter, more pleasant, than to love goodness, beauty and love, the fullness of which You are, O Lord, my God?” Is it not true that You promise those who keep your commandments a reward more desirable than great wealth and sweeter than honey? You promise a most abundant reward, for as Your apostle James says: “The Lord has prepared a crown of life for those who love him.” What is this crown of life? It is surely a greater good than we can conceive of or desire, as Saint Paul says, quoting Isaiah: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love him.” – from On the Ascent of the Mind to God by Saint Robert Bellarmine
Quotes of the Day – 17 September – The Memorial of St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
“Charity is that, with which no man is lost and without which, no man is saved.”
“When we appeal to the throne of grace, we do so through Mary, honouring God by honouring His Mother, imitating Him by exalting her, touching the most responsive chord in the Sacred Heart of Christ, with the sweet name of Mary.”
“The school of Christ, is the school of love. In the last day, when the general examination takes place… Love will be the whole syllabus.”
“LOVE is a marvellous and heavenly thing. It never tires and it never thinks it has done enough!”
St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
One Minute Reflection – 17 September – The Memorial of St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621) Doctor of the Church
Work with anxious concern to achieve your salvation….Philippians 2:12
REFLECTION – “You have been created for the glory of God
and your own eternal salvation….this is your goal;
this is the centre of your life;
this is the treasure of your heart.
If your reach this goal, you will find happiness.
If you fail to reach it, you will find misery.”….St Robert Bellarmine
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, teach me to do everything for Your honour and glory.
Grant me the grace to work out my salvation with anxious concern each day of my life.
St Robert Bellarmine, as you worked tirelessly for the salvation of souls, so now
pray for us all, as tirelessly, that we may achieve eternal joy, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 16 September – The Memorial of Sts Cornelius & Cyprian
“You cannot have God for your Father if you do not have the Church for your mother…. God is one and Christ is one and His Church is one; one is the faith and one is the people cemented together by harmony into the strong unity of a body…. If we are the heirs of Christ, let us abide in the peace of Christ; if we are the sons of God, let us be lovers of peace.”…St Cyprian from The Unity of the Catholic Church
“Whatever a man prefers to God, that he makes a god to himself.”
“Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides of death always pray for one another. Let us relieve burdens and afflictions by mutual love, that if one of us, by the swiftness of divine condescension, shall go hence the first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord and our prayers for our brethren and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father’s mercy.”…St Cyprian from letters (to St Pope Cornelius no 253)
“You who are envious, let me tell you that however often you may seek for the opportunity of injuring him whom you hate, you will never be able to do him so much harm as you do harm to yourselves. He whom you would punish through the malice of your envy, may probably escape but you will never be able to fly from yourselves.”
One Minute Reflection – 16 September – The Memorial of Sts Cornelius and Cyprian
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…Matthew 6:10
REFLECTION – “We must carry out the will of God rather than our own. This is what we pledge to do in the “Our Father”, which we recite every day.
What a travesty it would be if, after praying that God’s will be done, we should carry out that will halfheartedly and only because we are obliged to do so!…St Cyprian of Carthage
PRAYER – Lord God, heavenly Father, You gave Sts Cornelius and Cyprian to Your Church as faithful shepherds and steadfast martyrs. Strengthen our faith and our courage by their prayers, so that we may strive with all our power, to do Your will at all times, wholeheartedly! Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 15 September – The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
“When a woman is in travail, she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world’ (Jn. 16:21). The first part of Christ’s words refer to the “pangs of childbirth” which belong to the heritage of original sin; at the same time these words indicate the link that exists between the woman’s motherhood and the Paschal Mystery. For this mystery also includes the Mother’s sorrow at the foot of the cross – the Mother who through faith shares in her Son’s amazing “self-emptying”: ‘This is perhaps the deepest ‘kenosis’ of faith in human history.”
St John Paul
“While other martyrs suffered by sacrificing their own lives, the Blessed Virgin suffered by sacrificing her Son’s life, a Life that she loved far more than her own; so that she not only suffered in her soul all that her Son endured in His Body but moreover, the sight of her Son’s torments, brought more grief to her heart, than if she had endured them all in her own person”.
St Anselm
‘By the cross of our salvation
Mary stood in desolation
While the Saviour hung above
All her human powers failing,
Sorrow’s sword, at last prevailing,
Stabs and breaks her heart of love…
Virgin Mary, full of sorrow,
From your love I ask to borrow
Love enough to share your pain.
Make my heart to burn with fire,
Make Christ’s love my own desire,
Who for love of me was slain.’
Stabat Mater
“If you want to assist at Mass, with devotion and with fruit, think of the sorrowful Mother at the feet of Calvary.”
One Minute Reflection – 15 September – The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
Near the cross of Jesus, there stood his mother…..John 19:25
REFLECTION – During the entire course of her life, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, never deviated in the slightest from the precepts and examples of her Divine Son.
This was true both in the most sweet joys Mary experienced and in the cruel sufferings she underwent, which made the the Queen of Martyrs…..Pope Pius XII
PRAYER – Our Father, when Jesus Your Son, was raised up on the Cross, it was Your will that Mary, His Mother, should stand there and suffer with Him in her heart. Grant that in union with her, the Church may share in the passion of Christ and so be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Be our intercessor and our consolation, Our Lady of Sorrows, amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 14 September – Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
“Everything is a reminder of the Cross. We ourselves are made in the shape of a cross.”
“You must accept your cross. If you bear it courageously, it will carry you to heaven.”
“The sign of the cross is the most terrible weapon against the devil. Thus the Church wishes not only, that we have it continually in front of our minds, to recall to us just what our souls are worth and what they cost Jesus Christ but also that we should make it at every juncture ourselves: when we go to bed, when we awaken during the night, when we get up, when we begin any action, and, above all, when we are tempted.”
St John Vianney
“Oh cherished cross! Through thee my most bitter trials are replete with graces!”
St Paul of the Cross
“In the Cross is salvation; in the Cross is life; in the Cross is protection against our enemies; in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the Cross is strength of mind; in the Cross is joy of spirit; in the Cross is excellence of virtue; in the Cross is perfection of holiness. There is no salvation of soul, nor hope of eternal life, save in the Cross.”
Fr Thomas à Kempis, The Inner Life
“The everlasting God has in His wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross He now presents to you as a gift from His inmost heart. The cross He now sends you He has considered with His all-knowing eyes, understood with His divine mind, tested with His wise justice, warmed with loving arms and weighed with His own hands to see that it is not one inch too large nor one ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with His holy name, anointed it with His grace, perfumed it with His consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage and then sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the all-merciful love of God.”
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