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Aix-en-Provence, France

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Off to Heaven

 

The Sacred Heart of Jesus, in the Basilica at Loyola, Spain

St. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Jesuits, and so many saints we all know and love were Jesuits. Today, we celebrate the 22-year-old Jesuit St. Aloysius Gonzaga. He became ill and died after caring for a poor sick man. 

He actually felt guilty about how happy he was to die young and fly off to Heaven! He didn't purposely infect himself, but once he learned he would die, he couldn't wait.

"'We are off, Father Provincial!' exulted Aloysius [to his superior], his face already cold and gray, but his eyes shining.

"'Off? Where?'

"'To Heaven,' smiled the saint, 'If my sins do not stop me.'"

~ Rev. Edward F. Murphy, SSJ Hand Clasps with the Holy, imprimatur 1941.

Bring Light and Warmth!

 

Light and Warmth from an Irish sunset

Saint Juliana Falconieri, whose feast is today, was the first Servite Third Order nun...her statue stands in St. Peter's with the other foundresses of Orders.

Whether we are single, married, or religious, we can learn from her example in showing light and warmth to others.

"Like a sun, she gave light and warmth to her Sisters as the spiritual health of each required and by her angelical modesty, her admirable sweetness and self-forgetfulness, led them to the love of God. From the first her government was that of a perfect mother, zealous but not impetuous; thoughtful but not slow; simple but wise; affectionate without affectation; diligent without eagerness; grave without depressing others. Her very presence made her loving children forget or bear cheerfully the discomfort of their painful vigils, long fasts and poor food." ~ Father Bernardi, Storia delle B. Juliana, quoted in St. Juliana Falconieri: A Saint of the Holy Eucharist by Marie Conrayville, imprimatur 1914.

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Tuam Cathedral, Co. Galway

When Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (seen above), He asked for a special feast in honor of His Sacred Heart. It occurs on the Friday after the Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi, which is June 16th this year.

"God alone can fill our heart. We need to be understood, to be loved; Jesus alone can fully understand us, can love us as we need to be loved. He is the God of infinite Charity Who has placed love in the heart of all mothers, of all loving hearts... All these great loves united are only as a drop of water in comparison with the ocean of love, which is the Heart of Jesus!" 

~ Lieutenant-Colonel M. de S. Draw Near to Jesus: Turn to His Heart, imprimatur 1923.

Saint Anthony's Day!

 

Lisbon, Portugal (Photo Credit: Ron McGuire)

Do you see the building on the left? That is the home of St. Anthony of Padua, today's saint. In the center of the picture, you can see his parish church, where he was baptized. How convenient it must have been for his family to live so close to the church!

When we visited Portugal in 2017, I learned that the Portuguese call him St. Anthony of Lisbon because that's where he was born, and the Italians call him St. Anthony of Padua because that's where he's buried. Both the Portuguese and Italians claim him as their own.

St. Anthony is best known as the intercessor before the Throne of God for lost items. Once, on an airplane, I sat next to a Jewish lady from New Jersey, who mentioned that she prays to St. Anthony when she loses something. She told me proudly, "I bet I'm the only Jewish woman with a devotion to St. Anthony!"

Prayer: "St. Anthony, since God has given you the power of recovering objects gone astray, I come to you with confidence to aid me in the search for all that I may have lost. Above all, let me find sanctifying grace and the friendship of God if I've had the misfortune of losing them; give back to me my former fervor in the Divine service and in the practice of Christian virtues; obtain for me, finally, what I am most wanting in: lively faith, perfect docility to the inspirations of grace, distaste for the vain pleasure of the world and an ardent desire for the ineffable joys of a blessed eternity. Amen."

A Valiant Woman

 

Artwork Credit: Ave Maria Press

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary, and the feast day of a great woman saint who exemplified the woman of Proverbs 31. "Who shall find a valiant woman? Far and from the uttermost coasts is the price of her."

King Malcolm III, Margaret's husband, literally could thank the coasts of his native Scotland for bringing Margaret. The British princess, niece of King St. Stephen of Hungary, and her party were shipwrecked in the year 1068, and he offered them hospitality. That is how they met.

Painting of Malcolm meeting Margaret, by artist William Hole

By all accounts, Scotland at that time was barbarian, rough and untamed. Her new husband couldn't even read. But he knew how Margaret loved her illuminated manuscript of the Gospels, so he would kiss it, and once he even absconded with it so as to have his goldsmith and jeweler cover it in gold and jewels and return it to her as a gift. Margaret and Malcolm had six sons and two daughters.

Once a busybody courtier tried to cause trouble between them by telling Malcolm that Margaret was seen to sneak off to a cave and speak to someone, accusing her by implication of unfaithfulness. Malcolm charged over there, sword drawn, but found his wife on her knees in the cave, imploring God for the sanctification of her husband. After that, he punished the meddlesome courtier and was more in love with his sweet wife than ever.

She helped to civilize and convert her adopted country, accomplishing much for the people in the way of a better life both physically and spiritually. At the age of 46, she became very ill, and four days before she died, she received word that her husband and oldest son had been killed in battle.

"The dying queen's reply was a memorable one. Raising her eyes and her hands to Heaven, she exclaimed, 'I return Thee praise and thanks, O Almighty God, for inflicting on me so grievous a calamity in my last moments; it is the effect of Thy Will to purify me, by bearing it, from some sinful imperfections." ~ from Sainted Queens by a secular priest, circa 1900.

Imagine if we could respond that way to suffering in our lives! St. Margaret of Scotland, valiant woman, intercede for us before the Throne of Glory that we may imitate you by bringing God's light and love to those around us!

'Tis Himself

The Sacred Heart of Jesus, in St. Bridget's B&B, County Wicklow, Ireland

June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and for that reason, it is one of my favorites! In 2017, on a visit to Ireland, we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in County Wicklow near the shrine of St. Kevin at Glendalough. The nice couple that had opened their home to guests had named it, "St. Bridget's B&B". 

As we came down the hallway from our room to the breakfast nook, I stopped to stare at this picture on the wall, pondering the quiet faith of the couple who owned the house. As she passed me with full plates of toast, the woman of the house said, "Is everything all right, then?" I told her I was admiring the picture.

"Well," she said matter-of-factly, "'Tis Himself, isn't it?" And she continued down the hall with the toast.

There's no arguing with that. He is who He is, and we know who He is. "I know Mine, and Mine know Me," He said.

During this month of the Sacred Heart, and as we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), I hope we are able to make time for "Himself." Make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, go to Mass during the week, or at least make some time to visit Him spiritually by prayer and meditation.

"How kind is our sacramental Jesus! He welcomes you at any hour of the day or night. His love never knows rest. He is always most gentle towards you. When you visit Him, He forgets your sins and speaks only of His joy, His tenderness, and His love. By the reception He gives to you, one would think He has need of you to make Him happy." ~ St. Peter Julian Eymard

Another Gift of the Holy Ghost

 

Corpus Christi Church, Athlone, Ireland

Another gift of the Holy Spirit we stand in need of is: "amid the perplexities of life, a sure means of solving our doubts: the gift of counsel."

"By this gift we feel impelled to turn to the Holy Spirit, to obtain from Him light in our anxieties, and a clear knowledge of what it behooves us to do, in order to please God and save our souls. The Holy Spirit hearkens to the cry of our heart, and in His infinite bounty sends a ray of heavenly light to illlumine our soul, to dispel its darkness, to show it the way it should follow, and to fill it with a sense of security and peace."

The Blessed Mother showed us a great example of this at the Annunciation, when she gave herself over to the will of God. Sometimes I pray at the Agnus Dei of the Mass, grant us peace - the true peace of knowing the holy will of God, and doing it wholeheartedly.

O Holy Ghost, give the gift of counsel, "that I may know and perform in all things the holy will of God, and that I may therein find perfect peace." ~ Very Rev. Alexis M. Lepicier, OSM, The Fairest Flower of Paradise, imprimatur 1922.