Happy Feast Day of St. John Bosco!

"The true Christian should be willing to endure the sufferings of the spirit as Jesus Christ did, when He was betrayed by one of His disciples, denied by another, and abandoned by all." 

~ St. John Bosco

I have not yet visited the shrine of St. John Bosco in Turin, so I'm posting another picture from Annecy, the hometown of St. Francis de Sales. :) St. John Bosco admired the Annecy saint so much that he named his order after him - the Salesians. 

(Photo taken at the Chateau de Menthon in Annecy. The castle belonged to the family of St. Bernard de Menthon, after whom St. Bernard dogs are named. He is the patron saint of mountain climbers.)

As Lent approaches, and as we take up our crosses daily to follow Christ as true Christians, it is sometimes helpful to remember these words of St. John Bosco.

Happy Feast of St. Francis de Sales, 

Patron Saint of Catholic Writers!

Okay, so he's one of my absolute, all-time favorite saints. That is why I'm posting this jet-lagged picture of myself my very first day in Annecy, his hometown, in 2015. 😀 What an amazing spiritual friend he is. The special preface for his feast, celebrated in the Convents of the Visitation Nuns (which he co-founded with St. Jane de Chantal), mentions how he had the gift "to reinforce piety by his writings, by his words and by his example, and to make the rough ways flat."

Choosing a "words of encouragement" excerpt from him is like trying to choose a leaf in a forest. Whole books have been filled with his uplifting and inspiring words.

I flipped open one of my many books on this saint, and found his farewell to the Sisters of the Visitation in Annecy (the first convent the two saints founded). He knew his health was failing, and yet he obediently set off on a trip to meet the French King and the Duke of Savoy as he was asked. Isn't it appropriate that the road on which their first convent stands is called "Street of Providence"?

When he was ready to leave, knowing he probably wouldn't see these dear nuns again, he said Mass for them. Afterward he said:

"My dear daughters, ask for nothing, refuse nothing, desire nothing, resign your cares to Divine Providence, allow God to do with you whatever He pleases. A heart indifferent to all things is like a ball of wax in the hands of God, capable of receiving all the impressions of His eternal good pleasure. It does not place its love in the things which God wills but in the will of God which decrees them. My dear children, always act as God and your superiors wish. Let the aim of your life be to love God more and more, your ambition to possess Him. Adieu, my daughters, until eternity."
(Source: Rev. James F. Cassidy, B.A., St. Francis de Sales: the Doctor of Devotion, imprimatur 1944)

This effigy of St. Francis de Sales is located in the museum adjacent to the Basilica where he is buried. The alb the figure is wearing was his...and the chasuble was made for the second centenary of his canonization. I believe the mitre is his as well, because there is one like it in Rome that belonged to the saint, in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

What a gift this saint has been to the Christian world! Imagine being such a profound writer and sublime influence, that you're uplifting, encouraging, and saving souls after you've been dead for centuries...

Fr. Richard Boyle, at the Elevation of the Mass, in Marseilles, France

Look at this breathtaking place! This is a Traditional chapel in the bustling, multicultural city of Marseilles, a city where a local told us the Muslims threw tomatoes at Corpus Christi Processions. And here we were, very blessed pilgrims, attending Mass.

Have you ever thought about the gift of the Holy Mass and the Holy Eucharist? Especially in these days of not only paganism and materialism, but of Modernism?

Archbishop Fulton Sheen said:

"The greatest love story of all time is contained in a tiny white host." 

When a man or woman says to their beloved, "I just want to be with you forever," or "I just can't imagine ever being apart," we sigh, and think their love must be true. Our Lord Jesus Christ said that to us, poor sinners that we are! When He was about to die on the Cross, He wouldn't leave us orphans, so He gave us the Blessed Sacrament. In the Eucharist, we can always be with Him, and He will never leave us. Now THAT'S true love!

(Fr. Trevor Burfitt offering Mass in the Irish countryside, County Mayo)

"Far from being shocked at the poverty and humility that surrounded the Lamb of God, with firm faith and transports of joy [the Magi] prostrated themselves in homage, adoration, and love, 'falling down,' says the Gospel, 'they adored Him.'
"In the Holy Eucharist we have the same humble Babe bound to our altars by the chains of divine love; let us, like the wise men, prostrate and adore Him, and let us offer to the King of our hearts our treasures and gifts, that is to say, a firm faith, fervent adoration, and burning love." 

~ Rev. T.H. Kinane, P.P., The Lamb of God, imprimatur 1880.

Think of the early martyrs worshipping the tiny Host in a stony, dark, cold catacomb under the city of Rome. Think of the Irish people worshipping Him on a Mass rock in a field, ducking down to avoid the notice of rampaging priest hunters. Think of the Magi adoring a penniless Baby in a poor house in Bethlehem. Think of the British people during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, attending Mass in a secret room in someone's house, afraid for their lives. Fast-forward to the 21st century....we come into a well-lit, well-heated church, and a priest in beautiful vestments offers the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Come, let us adore Him. Let us unite in spirit to the millions who went before us, and adore Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

("Entering the house, they found the Child with Mary His Mother..." 

Picture taken in the Church of St. Teresa, Avila, Spain)

Yesterday was the third Sunday after Epiphany in the traditional Catholic calendar. I was privileged to listen to a sermon on the virtue of faith, and then later that afternoon, during a snowstorm, I read the following quote, also relating to faith!

"The miraculous star conducted the wise men to Jerusalem and there disappeared; here they might reasonably have expected to see the city illuminated and to hear nothing but acclamations of joy at the birth of the Savior; but to their great surprise there was not a word or sign about the object of their long journey. Their faith is not shaken, nor their courage abated. Through the streets, even at the gates of the palace of Herod, a monster of cruelty and dissimulation, they inquired for the Messiah, they cried out, 'Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East, and are come to adore Him.' 
"The true Catholic glories in his faith, courageously professes it before kings and courts, and is ever ready to defend it, even the shedding of his heart's blood. O Jesus! grant us, and guard in us till death, this living and lively faith."

~ Rev. T.H. Kinane, P.P., The Lamb of God, imprimatur 1880.

In the sermon, we were admonished to do three things to acquire the virtue of faith. 1) Pray fervently for it, as in "O Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!". 2) Avoid the persons, places and things that will take this virtue away from us. 3) Read about and study our holy Catholic Faith. We will never in this life get to the point that we can say, "I have learned enough about my Faith."

O Lord, increase my faith day by day, hour by hour, until I meet Thee face to Face, when faith will no longer be necessary.

(Miraculous picture of the Carrying of the Cross, Segovia, Spain. 

St. John of the Cross received a consoling revelation in which this picture spoke to him.)

We are still in the beautiful Epiphany season, and don't want to think about Lent yet...or at least I don't. :) But there are so many beautiful thoughts, meditations and hymns about the sublime season of Our Lord's sufferings and death available to us.

Here is one that takes the breath away with its beauty:

"St. Gertrude, so dear to God, was once taught by Him that he who is considering in his heart the image of the Crucified, should think he hears Jesus Himself saying to him in all mildness and gentleness, 'Seest thou how I was suspended on the cross for love of thee, despised, My whole Body wounded and every Limb stretched! And even yet My Heart glows with such plenitude of the sweetness of love for thee, that I would suffer all I suffered for the whole world, for thee alone, were there no other means of saving thee and thou couldst not otherwise attain to eternal bliss."

~ Consoling Revelations collected by the Ven. Benedictine Abbot Blosius

These words refer to Our Lord's sufferings and death for us, it's true, but it's also about the glories of Heaven. In the end, that's what it's all about. Our Lord is willing to give everything to get us to join Him in Paradise. Let us not trudge slowly along, thinking we guess we'll meet Him halfway: let us run to meet Him!

How do we do this? By giving ourselves to His Will with abandon, with joy, and with courage!

(The tomb of St. Catherine of Siena in Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome)

"St. Catherine being once in ecstasy saw and clearly understood that the Lord God, Who is Supreme Goodness, created man out of His ineffable charity, and that in the same charity and burning love, He permits to happen, or gives to man, both consolations and tribulation with no other aim than to provide for his salvation. Those are, therefore, very blind and foolish who find fault with the works or the judgments of God, and murmur against Him, being scandalized and disturbed by the things which come to pass. But blessed are those, who, understanding and believing in the holy Providence of God, humbly receive all things from His Hand, as the best that could happen to them, give thanks, and always hope and trust firmly in the Lord."

~ from Consoling Revelations from the Writings of 

SS. Gertrude, Mechtild, Bridget and Catherine of Siena 

collected by The Ven. Benedictine Abbot Blosius.

(The village of Eyries on the Beara Peninsula, southwestern Ireland)

Have you been making time in 2018 for spiritual reading? The spiritual writers recommend 15-20 minutes a day of spiritual reading...and there is an embarrassment of riches nowadays when it comes to spiritual books. Books on the virtues, books on the saints, books on the lives of Our Lord and Our Lady, abound. We can find them in hardcover, softcover, ebook (Kindle, Nook, etc.), or even have them read to us on CD or Audible! One book my father especially enjoyed years ago was This Tremendous Lover by Fr. M. Eugene Boylan, O.C.R.. Today's quote regarding reading is from that book;

"Regular reading of a suitable sort plays a more important part in the life of Catholics today, and for the educated at least, is well nigh essential for their progress if not also for their salvation. This practice ranks equally with mental prayer and the other exercises of devotion in importance and in fact it is so closely connected with these other exercises, especially the essential one of mental prayer, that without it -- unless one finds some substitute -- there is no possibility of advancing in the spiritual life; even perseverance therein is rendered very doubtful."

I posted the above rainy-day picture of a colorful village in Ireland today because I was thinking about St. Kentigern. His feastday passed those of us in the States without a glance (it was this past weekend). But when I was in the little village of Eyries a few years ago, I visited the small local church and found this sign:

The history of our holy Catholic Faith, beginning with the birth of Our Lord, and continuing down through the millenia, is fascinating to read. Because of this saint, a beautiful cliff near Eyeries is still referred to as "Kilcatherine Point." And, as we flew past the ruin of the Kilcatherine Monastery at dusk in the rain, I snapped this photo:

Okay, so it's not my best photographic moment, 😀but at least it triggers the memory. See, through the *reading* of the sign about St. Kentigern, I learned about a new heavenly friend. May our reading bring us to a closer relationship with Our Lord, His Mother and all the Saints!

St. Kentigern, pray for us!

Pike's Peak, Colorado

January of each new year brings lots of resolutions, lots of inspirational and motivational talks, podcasts, emails and posts that are supposed to bring us closer to success. But what kind of success? Financial success? Success in popularity? Success in the entertainment industry? Career success? The ultimate success is the salvation of our immortal souls.

That's not to say that I don't make New Year's resolutions in various areas of my life - on the contrary, I do! We all should better ourselves. But if things don't go the way we had planned, let us remember this encouraging quote of St. Vincent de Paul:

"A single act of resignation to the Divine Will in what it ordains contrary to our desires, is of more value than a hundred thousand successes conformable to our will and taste."

A Crucifixion scene in Segovia Cathedral, Spain

As Our Lord suffered on the Cross, He continued to put the needs of others before His own...His Mother's future, the forgiveness of His persecutors, the redemption of the Good Thief. Our Lord said to St. Gertrude:
"The certain confidence anyone puts in Me, in virtue of which he believes that I have truly the power, the knowledge and the will to stand faithfully by him in all things, pierces My Heart, and does such violence to My loving kindness, that I can in no wise abandon or fail him."

~ from Consoling Revelations from the Writings of 

Saints Gertrude, Mechtild, Bridget and Catherine of Siena 

collected by The Ven. Benedictine Abbot Blosius.

Likewise, if we have this kind of confidence, He will never abandon us. People don't lose their souls because God gives up on them; they go to Hell because they lose confidence in God - in His love, His power, His forgiveness.

Beauty After a Blizzard

Have you every complained about the weather? "It's too hot...it's too cold...it's too snowy...it's too rainy...it's too dry"... I know I have.

Today, I'd like to share this quote of St. Alphonsus de Ligouri, which applies to more than just the weather. It applies to everything in my life!

"There are many things which seem to us misfortunes and which we call such; but if we understood the designs of God we would call them graces."

"To me nothing is so consoling, so piercing, so thrilling, so overcoming, as the Mass.... It is not a mere form of words -- it is a great action, the greatest action that can be on earth." 

~ John Henry Newman

(Fr. Richard Boyle offering Mass on the mountain path to the Cave of St. Mary Magdalen in France)

God is the only One to Whom word is action. With Him, to will it is to see it happen. When He says, "Let there be light," light is there. Remember the leper who said to Him, "Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean"? And Our Lord touched him and said, "I will, be thou made clean." And St. Matthew, in chapter eight, tells us, "And forthwith his leprosy was cleansed." 

This is our thought for the day...the beautiful, consoling truth of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The true one...the Mass of the ages. The Mass that made thousands of saints. 

When He says, "This is My Body", the bread changes into His Flesh. Transubstantiation. The Word is made Flesh, and dwells amongst us.

A Prayer for the Conversion of America

"Dear God, bring the Faith to our beloved country. It was once a virgin land wherein the only praise was that of the murmur of the Mass on the shores, the hills and the prairies. Zealous priests and explorers claimed it for Thee, giving Thy Holy Name to its rivers, lakes and cities. From east to west they traveled, from mission to mission, from Mass to Mass until the land was encircled by prayer and gave of its bounty to Thy glory. And now it is dedicated to Thy Immaculate Mother. May she find America again, as she once found the lost Child Jesus in the Temple. May she touch the hearts of our people, disposing them to receive the ancient faith, and thus showing them the things that are to their peace. We ask this of Thee through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Happy New Year, everyone! I came across this prayer last night, with no author, source, date or publisher listed. Isn't it encouraging to think of the many Masses that have been offered in America since the first priests landed here with the explorers? Let us pray for our country!