Francis on St. Thérèse Before He was Pope

Love in Little Things

Letter to St. Thérèse
Albino Cardinal Luciani (Pope John Paul the First)

Love in little things. Often this is the only kind possible. I never had the chance to jump into a river to save a drowning man; I have been very often asked to lend something, to write letters, to give simple and easy instructions. I have never met a mad dog; instead I have met some irritating flies and mosquitoes. I have never had persecutors beat me but many people disturb me with noises in the street, with the volume of the television turned up too high or unfortunately with making noise in drinking soup. To help, however, one can not take it amiss, to be understanding; to remain calm and smiling (as much as possible) in such occasions is to love one’s neighbor without rhetoric in a practical way.

-From the book, Illustrissimi

Holy Mary, Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, Help of Christians

As we vote today and later await the election returns, Bishop Paul Loverde has asked us to pray and have recourse to Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, especially under her title of “Mary, Help of Christians.”

Most Holy Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, how sweet it is to come to your feet imploring your perpetual help. If earthly mothers cease not to remember their children, how can you, the most loving of all mothers forget us?
Grant then to us, we implore you, your perpetual help in all our necessities, in every sorrow, and especially in all our temptations. We ask for your unceasing help for all who are now suffering.
Help the weak, cure the sick, convert sinners. Grant through your intercessions many vocations to the religious life.
Obtain for us, O Mary, Help of Christians, that having invoked you on earth we may love and eternally thank you in heaven.
--prayer by St. John Bosco

In our reflections and meditations on the saints in this Year of Faith, there is no better place to start than with Our most Blessed Mother Mary.

On Thursday, November 8, 2012, at 7 p.m. in the parish center, Cinema Catechism will be presenting Episode Four of Fr. Barron's Catholicism series, Our Tainted Nature’s Solitary Boast - Mary, the Mother of God, together with further discussion and reflections on Immaculate Mary, the Virgin Mother, assumed body and soul into heaven: the New Eve, Full of Grace, who carries the Lord within her and points us toward her Son while also pointing us toward our true selves, the people that God intended and intends for us to be in the fullness of Love and Truth. Master Catechist Roy Sheetz will provide catechesis and moderate the discussion. Go to the Cinema Catechism website for more information about the series and Mary.

Preview of Episode Four of Catholicism:

All Saints' Day

Throughout the liturgical year, the Church observes feast days for the various saints individually. We celebrate today the Solemnity of All Saints, a Holy Day of "Obligation," rejoicing in the Lord with a festival in honor of the entire multitude of the faithful who now live with Him and in Him in heaven, including the canonized saints and those whose names are known only to God.

In our previous post, Santo Subito: Answering the Call to be a Saint, we discuss the universal call to holiness, how we are all called to be a saint. Many people resist this call, believing it to be a great burden, a cumbersome obligation that they are not at all comfortable with. Sure, they would like to go to heaven -- and they expect that they will go to heaven -- but they are rather hesitant to fully embrace the holy life now or even aspire to it; they fully expect to receive God's grace of salvation at the end, even if they are not all that enamored of seeking and accepting His grace now. They believe that the road to sainthood will be too arduous and difficult and deprive them of their freedom.

But the call to sainthood is neither a burden nor a cumbersome obligation. Rather, it is a call to set down one's burdens and to embrace authentic freedom. The call to sainthood is nothing other than a call to be true to the person that you were made to be, one who loves God and others in truth.

Sometimes, people think that holiness is a privileged condition reserved for the few elect. Actually, becoming holy is every Christian's task, indeed, we could say, every person's! The Apostle writes that God has always blessed us and has chosen us in Christ "that we should be holy and blameless before him...in love" (Eph 1:3-5). All human beings are therefore called to holiness, which ultimately consists in living as children of God, in that "likeness" with him in accordance with which they were created. All human beings are children of God and all must become what they are by means of the demanding process of freedom. God invites everyone to belong to his holy people. (Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 1 November 2007)

The call to holiness is a call to stop wandering in the desert and finally accept God's invitation to enter into the Promised Land. Yes, it will be difficult (love always is), but it is what were made for, that is the meaning of life: to love and be loved in truth -- a love that is so full that we enter into communion with God and others, and so dynamic and fruitful that life is made ever new in Him.

This Year of Faith provides a wonderful opportunity to rediscover the saints while seeking to be one ourselves by conforming our lives every more closely to the Lord. This might include learning more about those saints whose names we took in Baptism and/or Confirmation, those saints whose feast day we celebrate on a particular day, those saints for whom we already have a certain affection, and those saints who we know little or nothing about.

Here at Adoramus Te, the blog of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, we invite you to provide a personal witness, sharing your thoughts and reflections on the saints. For example: Which saints have had a special impact on you and how? What do you know of the saint whose name someone else gave you at Baptism, if baptized as a baby? Whose name did you take at Baptism, if baptized as an adult, and at Confirmation, and why? If you had the chance to do it again, would you take another saint's name? What saints' names did you pick for your children (or whose name would you pick if you were to have them), and why? Do you call upon certain saints for various things in your life? Do you have religious artwork in your home or prayer cards depicting saints? Tell us of any pilgrimages you have made to the tombs of saints and how it might have impacted you.

Where might one go to learn more about particular saints and sainthood in general?

Many books on the lives of the saints have been published and are available in libraries and bookstores. There are also many sources available on the Internet:

Catholic Community Forum
Catholic Culture (you'll need to know the saint's feastday or do a name search to get the information)
Catholic Information Network
Catholic Online
Magnificat
New Advent
Wednesday Audiences of Pope Benedict, Catechesis on the Saints

Litany of the Saints at the funeral for Blessed Pope John Paul II

Santo Subito: Answering the Call to be a Saint

by Mark Rothe
Master Catechist, Diocese of Arlington

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. (Apostle's Creed)

Pope Benedict celebrated Mass one week ago for the canonization of seven saints and we are soon approaching the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1. Thus, this is an opportune time to begin a new continuing series on the saints and sainthood.

We are invited in this Year of Faith to rediscover and receive once again the precious gift which is our faith, including studying, meditating upon, and praying in communion with the saints. In this Year, we might seek to learn more about those saints whose names we took in Baptism and/or Confirmation, those saints whose feast day we celebrate on a particular day, those saints for whom we already have a certain affection, and those saints who we know little or nothing about.

By faith, across the centuries, men and women of all ages, whose names are written in the Book of Life (cf. Rev 7:9, 13:8), have confessed the beauty of following the Lord Jesus wherever they were called to bear witness to the fact that they were Christian: in the family, in the workplace, in public life, in the exercise of the charisms and ministries to which they were called. (Porta Fidei 13)

By their lives and testimony of faith, those saints who reside now in Heaven provide excellent examples for us to follow in addition to interceding for us before God. This is an exceedingly good thing. Yet, at the same time, it does present some difficulties for many people.

Author Sherry Weddell recently spoke here at Blessed Sacrament about the great need to remedy the problem of, among other things, the large numbers of people who have a poor understanding of the faith and/or have left the Church for various reasons. In her book, she writes:

As we listened to Catholics talk about their spiritual journey, we began to realize that many assumed there were two basic spiritual "tracks"; "ordinary Catholic" and "saint." (Forming Intentional Disciples, p. 63)

In making such a distinction, despite the universal call to holiness (Lumen Gentium 39 et seq.), many Catholics believe that sainthood is simply beyond them. They hear the epic stories of the saints and those on their way to canonization, such as Blessed Mother Teresa, and they see larger-than-life superheroes. The prospect is daunting -- fearing that sainthood requires a high level of perfection that they simply could never attain, they do not even seek to live as saints. Moreover, they might even scoff and discourage others from wanting to be saints, accusing them of being arrogant and “holier than thou,” or by being overly technical with the term "saints," insisting that the correct Catholic understanding is that only those in heaven are saints, in contrast to a more Protestant view that anyone who has accepted Jesus is already a saint. At the same time, many of these same people assume that they will just naturally go to heaven when they die.

Of course, the truth is that the canonized saints were not superhuman, they were imperfect human beings like the rest of us. They too were works in progress during their lives, they too needed to go to Confession now and then. To be saints, these men and women needed grace. Besides, as popular saints such as St. Thérèse of Lisieux show us, one can be a saint by performing little things with great love. St. Josemaria Escrivá taught that, by united ourselves to the Lord, the work of our everyday lives could be Opus Dei, the work of God, and thus an occasion for our sanctification. Moreover, proper Catholic teaching is that the communion of saints includes the Church Militant (the faithful here on earth), as well as the Church Triumphant (those saints in heaven) (CCC 823, 946-962). While we are still works in progress and our "yes" to God will not be definitive until the end of our worldly journey -- being imperfect humans, there is always the chance that we will fall in sin -- if we persevere in the grace of the Lord, if we seek His forgiveness in the Sacrament of Confession so as to be restored to grace when we do sin, then in hope we are already saved, we are already "saints" (See Spe Salvi). So while a measure of humility in considering the lives of holy people is a good thing, we should not go so far as to believe that, because of our limitations, we should not even try to seek sainthood.

Wanting to be a saint is not prideful or arrogant, it is an act of humility. One becomes blessed and obtains the Kingdom of God not by being superhuman, but by being poor in spirit, by putting one’s life into the hands of God, by persevering through it all in His grace. One does not need to be a superhero to be a saint, one needs only to be heroic enough to ask God for that grace. This distinction between “ordinary Catholic” and “saint” is a false distinction. The saints were ordinary people, and ordinary Catholics are called to be, and should be, saints.

Meet Our New Saints from the United States:St. Kateri Tekakwitha and St. Marianne Cope

(Please note that there may be a delay in these videos loading from YouTube to your browser.)

Scenes from the Canonization Mass, Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012



Homily of Pope Benedict XVI about St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks

"Kateri Tekakwitha was born in today’s New York state in 1656 to a Mohawk father and a Christian Algonquin mother who gave to her a sense of the living God. She was baptized at twenty years of age and, to escape persecution, she took refuge in Saint Francis Xavier Mission near Montreal. There she worked, faithful to the traditions of her people, although renouncing their religious convictions until her death at the age of twenty-four. Leading a simple life, Kateri remained faithful to her love for Jesus, to prayer and to daily Mass. Her greatest wish was to know and to do what pleased God. She lived a life radiant with faith and purity.

"Kateri impresses us by the action of grace in her life in spite of the absence of external help and by the courage of her vocation, so unusual in her culture. In her, faith and culture enrich each other! May her example help us to live where we are, loving Jesus without denying who we are. Saint Kateri, Protectress of Canada and the first native American saint, we entrust to you the renewal of the faith in the first nations and in all of North America! May God bless the first nations!" (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, Oct. 21, 2012)

Homily of Pope Benedict XVI about St. Marianne Cope of Molokai

"I now turn to Marianne Cope, born in 1838 in Heppenheim, Germany. Only one year old when taken to the United States, in 1862 she entered the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis at Syracuse, New York. Later, as Superior General of her congregation, Mother Marianne willingly embraced a call to care for the lepers of Hawaii after many others had refused. She personally went, with six of her fellow sisters, to manage a hospital on Oahu, later founding Malulani Hospital on Maui and opening a home for girls whose parents were lepers. Five years after that she accepted the invitation to open a home for women and girls on the island of Molokai itself, bravely going there herself and effectively ending her contact with the outside world. There she looked after Father Damien, already famous for his heroic work among the lepers, nursed him as he died and took over his work among male lepers. At a time when little could be done for those suffering from this terrible disease, Marianne Cope showed the highest love, courage and enthusiasm. She is a shining and energetic example of the best of the tradition of Catholic nursing sisters and of the spirit of her beloved Saint Francis." (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, Oct. 21, 2012)

The Pope's entire homily text from today's Mass in Saint Peter's Square highlights the lives of these seven holy men and women.

As a child, December 6 was one of my favorite days of the year.  Growing up, we never wanted for anything, but extras were reserved Christmas, birthdays, and Easter.  And December 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas.  I remember carefully placing my shoe outside my door on the night of the 5th, wriggling impatiently in my bed until I fell asleep, and then oh so quietly opening the door the morning of the 6th.  With great glee, I would shake my shoe until chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil tumbled out, along with a chocolate marshmallow treat and some pencils, stickers, or a new hair bow.  It was amazing how much St. Nicholas could cram into my shoe! 

St. Nicholas is, of course, more than the shoe-filling, list checking, red-suited wrestler of reindeer that society has turned him into.  He was the bishop of Myra (in present day Turkey) in the 3rd/4th Century.  Much of what we know about him comes from The Golden Legend, written in A.D. 1275 by Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of  Genoa, and is reinforced by the simple traditions for children.  For example, my golden wrapped chocolate coins?  They were meant to remind us of the story of St. Nicholas providing a neighbor with gold for dowries for his three daughters, thus saving the poor young women from lives of ill repute. 

Tomorrow, we should remember St. Nicholas, reflecting on his life of charity and his love for Christ.  We should not forget that behind the a jolly man in a red-suit is a real man, a real saint who is worthy of our veneration.  Take some time today to read more about St. Nicholas, patron saint of children, seaman, brides, and many others.

Father, hear our prayers for mercy, and by the help of St. Nicholas, keep us safe from all danger and guides us on the way of salvation.  Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

More Resources:

1. Feast of St. Nicholas
2. Life of St. Nicholas
3. St. Nicholas of Bari
4. St. Nicholas

Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church - November 10

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Leo the Great, who became pope in 440 and was made a Doctor of the Church in 1754. 

Pope John XXIII marked the Fifteenth Centennial of Saint Leo the Great's death in 1961 with the encyclical Aeterna Dei Sapientia (God's Eternal Wisdom) quoting a sermon by Saint Leo:

"The reception of Christ's Body and Blood does nothing less than transform us into that which we consume, and henceforth we bear in soul and body Him in whose fellowship we died, were buried, and are risen again" (Serm. 64. 7 on the Passion, PL 54. 357).

Saint Leo the Great, pray for us!