Catholic Fire

St. Thomas Aquinas Saint Thomas Aquinas is was a 13th century Dominican priest, philosopher, and theologican. As a Doctor of the Church, he has been given the title "Angelic Doctor" and is the patron of Catholic universities and schools. Major Life Events 1225 Born to a noble family in Italy 1230 (age 5) Placed in the Monastery of Monte Cassino to be educated 1239 (age 14) Attends the University of Naples 1244 (age 19) Joins the Dominican Order, the Order Friars Preachers 1245 (age 20) Placed under the instruction of St. Albert the Great 1250 (age 25) Ordained to the priesthood 1255 (age 30) Receives his Doctorate in Theology 1256 (age 31) Named Professor at University of Paris 1258 (age 33) Writes Summa contra Gentiles 1265 (age 40) Appointed Archbishop of Naples by Pope Clement. He turns it down to work on Summa Theologia. 1272 (age 47) Appointed head of the faculty of theology at the University of Naples. 1274 (age 49) D...

Saint Angela Merici Today is the feast day of St. Angela Merici, the foundress of the Ursulines. Angela was born on March 21, 1474 at Desenzano, Lake Garda, Italy and died on January 27, 1540 in Brescia. Angela’s parents died when she was only ten years old. Together, with her older sister, she moved to the nearby town of Salo, to live with her uncle. When her sister died quite suddenly without receiving the last sacraments, Angela was deeply upset. At the age of 15, she became a Franciscan tertiary and greatly increased her prayers and sacrifices for the repose of her sister's soul. She asked God to reveal to her the condition of her deceased sister and He answered her prayer by showing her through a vision that her sister was in Heaven. When her uncle died, she returned to live at Desenzano to make a life for herself. She was convinced of the need for women to be educated in their faith and converted her home into a school where she daily gathered all the girls of Des...

The Sanctity of Human Life More than 40,000,000 lives have been lost to abortion since 1973's Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling. Tonight, I heard a number of startling statistics -- both good and bad at the pro-life rally from a variety of speakers. Sondra McEnroe, a board member for Central Illinois Right to Life as well as a Registered Nurse involved with Birthright from it's inception, reported that 53% of people in the United States currently believe that abortion is wrong, while only 34% are still defending the pro-death view. She attributed this positive change to the "Roe effect" -- that is, while the pro-death population continue to murder their babies, the pro-life population continue to procreate and multiply. Our babies outnumber theirs! (Sondra herself is the mother of eight children and grandmother to forty-one grandchildren.) The key note speaker was a the Reverend Ceasar Irwin LeFlore III, the founder and President of Powerlight Ministr...

LITANY IN RESPONSE TO ABORTION By Fr. Frank Pavone Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father, Creator of the world, have mercy on us. RESPONSE: Have mercy on us! God the Son, through whom all things were made, God the Holy Spirit, Lord and Giver of Life, Lord Jesus, the Beginning and the End, Lord Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Lord Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, Lord Jesus, Eternal Word of Life, Lord Jesus, living in the womb of the Virgin Mary, Lord Jesus, Lover of the poor and weak, Lord Jesus, Defender of the helpless, Lord Jesus, Bread of Life, For every sin against life, For the sin of abortion, For the daily killing of innocent babies, For the bloodshed throughout our land, For the silent screams of Your children, For the killing of Your future disciples, For the exploitation of women by abortion, For...

Continuing To Fight For the Rights of Parents and Their Children Today, I spent some time praying at the local abortion mill. There were about twenty mothers who came today to have their babies aborted. [I was prepared to do the sidewalk counseling I have been trained for, but no one came in or left during the time I was scheduled there. The holocaust was already in progress.] This was slightly lower in number than usual and I would like to think that my prayers and presence had something to do with it. However, this struggle is not about me -- it's about being obedient to God's will. God calls each of us to serve him and to love one another as we love ourselves. If I were going through something like traumatic spiritually, physically, and psychologically, I would hope that someone would be praying for me, for my family, for the abortionist and the staff. Of all the lies and deceptions in this world, I cannot think of one more horrific than abortion. Blessed Mother...

Reply to the Author of a Green Note A lone neon green note Secured on sacred ground Outside the death camp Corner - caught my eye. Written on the reverse side Of a wrinkled loan ticket, It read: “ Your effort is noted. God would rather Replace a soul, Than to condemn it To A life of unwanting.” Unwanting? Unwanted? By whom? Never by the Creator! The Creator was there In the darkness At the moment of conception, And knit the baby In her mother’s womb. Replace a soul? Never! He created this soul- This life - In a unique way, In His very image. There is no other Identical To this one. He has given this soul What he gives all souls, A free will, To love him Or to deny Him. He sent His only Son Rejected by a sinful, Self-centered world To save this little one And to save us all. A sinless infant boy Born to a family dirt-poor, Delivered in a barn, Unwanted by the world, But revered by His parents, wise men, and His Creator. He wa...

National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2004 A Proclamation (White House) As Americans, we are led by the power of our conscience and the history of our country to defend and promote the dignity and rights of all people. Each person, however frail or defenseless, has a place and a purpose in this world. On National Sanctity of Human Life Day, we celebrate the gift of life and our commitment to building a society of compassion and humanity. Today, the principles of human dignity enshrined in the Declaration of Independence -- that all persons are created equal and possess the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness -- continue to guide us. In November, I signed into law the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, reaffirming our commitment to protecting innocent life and to a basic standard of humanity -- the duty of the strong to defend the weak. My Administration encourages adoption and supports abstinence education, crisis pregnancy programs, pare...

The Gift of Healing Jesus The Healer Yours is the healing touch that helps us rise from our bed, sick with the fever that sin always brings. Yours is the soft word that brings us back to our senses, frees us from the bonds that sin always brings. Yours is the word of command that calls us back from the tomb, wrapped in the shroud of death that sin always brings. Lord, on this, and every day, may I rise up like she who was healed of her fever, to do your bidding, in your way, now and forever. Amen. Sue Stone www.catholicmeditations.com As I meditated on this poem today, it touched me deeply. So many of us are in need of healing in many ways - physically, emotionally, psychologically - but especially spiritually. This poem (used with permission by Sue Stone) reminded me to pray for those women who will be hurt today by making the decision to abort their unborn babies. They will be hurt psychologically in many ways. In fact, there have b...

Prayers for Father Benedict Groeschel Let us continue to pray for Father Benedict Groeschel who remains in critical but stable condition. Here is a prayer recommended by his Order: "O Mother of Divine Mercy, look with compassion on your son and servant, Father Benedict. Extend your hands of healing upon him. Invoke the all powerful name of Jesus! Invoke your Spouse, the Life-giving and Holy Spirit to descend like a sweet and gentle dew upon your faithful servant. Drive away every illness! Draw down healing from on high! Like your son, and in His name, call him forth out of the darkness and the edge of death and say -- "Come out!" Yes, Mother, we choose to hope and pray. May the will of the Father be accomplished for His glory and the good of your servant. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen! Let us also pray to Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta for Fr. Groeschel's complete recovery. They were friends and worked together to help the poor and the n...

The Feast Of St. Hilary Saint Hilary was born at Poitiers at the beginning of the 4th century. He was brought up in a noble family with pagan beliefs. However, as an adult, he studied the Scriptures, renounced paganism, and converted to Christianity. His education as well as his zeal for the faith led to his being chosen to govern the faithful in Poitiers as their bishop. He fought vigorously against Arianism -- a heresy that denied the divinity of Jesus Christ -- and was exiled to the coastlands of Phyrigia by Emperor Constantine. To strengthen his faith during his exile, he learned all that he could about Arianism and woe numerous treaties. His writings, which still exist today, include On The Trinity, a commentary of the gospel of St. Matthew, and a commentary on the psalms. He returned to Poitier after three years of exile and died in 367. Pope Pius X made him a Doctor of the Church in 1851. Quotes from St. Hilary "Although in exile we shall speak through th...

Feast of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys St. Marguerite Bourgeoys has been described as a woman of dreams and action, despite her fragile health. Growing up in a Catholic schools where I was educated by the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame, I learned to appreciate the many gifts and virtues of this holy and determined founder of this teaching Order. The one trait that stands out the most in my mind is her obedience to God in carrying out His desires despite the many obstacles and hardships she faced. Born in Troyes, France in 1620, Marguerite assumed a leadership role in her family at age 19 due to the death of her mother. The following year, through the inspiration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she felt called to withdraw from the world and to consecrate her life to the service of God. She immediately became a member of the Extern Congregation of Troy, a group of women who were dedicated to teaching poor children in the town. While remaining active in this apostolate, she firs...

Prayer Request for Father Groeschel Today I am lifting up Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, in prayer. Father Groeschel appears regularly on EWTN and is a well-known author and spiritual director. I learned from watching EWTN this morning that he is in critical but stable condition at Orlando Regional Medical Center after being struck by a car near Orlando International Airport in Florida. The accident occurred Sunday evening. Please join me in praying for Fr. Groeschel.

Sharing a Prolife Prayer I would like to share the following prayer I pray along others in our diocese for the closing of our local abortion mill. You can adapt it for your own community. I especially like to pray this during Eucharistic Adoration. ~ Jean M. Heimann PRAYER FOR THE CLOSING OF THE ABORTION MILL Father, all life is in your care. You have entrusted us to one another, that we may show our brothers and sisters the same love you have for us. We pray, then, for the least among us, the children in the womb. Protect them from the violence of abortion. We pray for those that are scheduled to die at (name of the facility, city and state) Save them from death. Give new hope to their parents, that they may turn away from the desperate act of abortion. Grant conversion to the abortionist and to the staff. Show us how we are to respond to the bloodshed in our midst and lead us to the day when this place of death will be transformed into a haven of life. ...

Terri Schiavo News Dr. William Hammesfahr, world reknown neurologist, shares the following information on Terri Schiavo: Terri's feeding tube is for the convenience of nurses; not because Terri needs it. Terri does not drool. Liquid is the hardest thing to swallow, and she swallows 1½ to 2 liters of saliva a day. Terri is not in a persistent vegetative state or coma. She is a living, thinking person who makes choices and decisions. While Dr. Hammesfahr was examining her, he observed Terri chose to ignore her husband Michael and, the person taking the video, but when she heard her mother's voice, she smiled and tracked her. Terri followed directions, and moved her arms and legs as Dr. Hammesfahr requested. Terri did not have a heart attack. There were no cardiac enzymes in her blood, and no abnormalities in her EKG. Terri was admitted into the emergency room with an extremely stiff neck consistent with a brand new injury to her neck. Dr. Hammesfahr had seen ...

Feast of St. Raymond of Penafort Saint Raymond of Penafort was born in Spain in 1175 and died there on January 6, 1275 at the age of 99. He was the gifted son of the count of Penafort in Catalonia, Spain. Due to his status and wealth, he was well educated and at the age of 20, was already a professor of philosophy. He earned his doctorate in both cannon and civil law at the age 41. He taught cannon law in Bologna, Italy, and it was here that he first met the Dominicans. He was attracted to the Dominican Order by the preaching of Blessed Reginald of Bologna and received the Dominican habit at the age of 47. Raymond had a stong devotion to Our Blessed Mother, and it was this devotion that led him to forgo wordly fame and become a Dominician. The Order made good use of his legal skills by assigning him the task of collecting and organizing all the laws and rules of the Church. At the order of Pope Gregory IX, St. Raymond produced a collection of cannon law. He also published sev...

Feast Of Blessed Andre Bessette (1845 - 1937) Blessed Andre was the eighth of 12 children born in a small village near Montreal, Canada to a poor French Canadian family. At age nine, Andre's father was killed while he was working; about three years later, his mother died of tuberculosis. He attempted various trades, but was not very skilled at any of them. He could barely read or write and suffered from poor health all of his life. At age 15, Andre became a Brother of the Holy Cross, but was rejected after only one year of the novitiate due to his poor health. However, with the help of the Bishop of Montreal he was allowed to stay and make his religious profession. For forty years, he worked as doorkeeper at the College of Notre Dame. Andre had a deep devotion for St. Joseph and spent much time in prayer. He selflessly prayed for others, and through his intercessory prayers to St. Joseph, thousands of miracles occurred. Andre was deeply committed to helping the poor ...

Feast of St. John Neumann A Prayer for His Intercession O Saint John Neumann, your ardent desire of bringing all souls to Christ impelled you to leave home and country; teach us to live worthily in the spirit of our Baptism which makes us all children of the one Heavenly Father and brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, the first-born of the family of God. Obtain for us that complete dedication in the service of the needy, the weak, the afflicted and the abandoned which so characterized your life. Help us to walk perseveringly in the difficult and, at times, painful paths of duty, strengthened by the Body and Blood of our Redeemer and under the watchful protection of Mary our Mother. May death still find us on the sure road to our Father's House with the light of living Faith in our hearts. Amen.

Epiphany of the Lord A beautiful poem written by Pavel Chichikov: GIFTS A king, a king, a king made three They made three inquiries of me: Should we bring incense, smoke as sweet As apple blossom to His feet? Bring Him frankincense and myrrh Though charity He would prefer Should we bring gold? Bestow your souls For gold to Him is dark as coal Should we bring pillows made of silk To bear His body while He milks? It is His mother who will hold His precious body from the cold Soft her gentleness to see, With that she welcomes you, all three Pavel December 21, 2003

Elizabeth of the Trinity May my life be a continual prayer; a long act of love. May nothing distract me from You, neither noise nor diversions. Oh my Master, I would so love to live with You in silence. But what I love above all is to do Your will, and since You want me to still remain in the world, I submit with all my heart for love of You. I offer you the cell of my heart; may it be Your little Bethany. Come rest there. I love you so...I would like to console You, and I offer myself to You as a victim, O My master, for You, with You. [Personal Note]

Holy New Year Early this morning, I wished Brother Michael Guadalupe a "Happy New Year!" He replied " Holy New Year!" What a beautiful wish! Holiness is the true key to our happiness, for true happiness can only be experienced when our hearts are surrendered to His desires and His will for us. Tonight, as I sang "Refiner's Fire" with a talented youth group during Adoration, I winced a little as I always do at the part where I sing "purify my heart", thinking to myself, "What new trial or suffering will I be challenged with in the upcoming New Year? Do I really want to ask for further purification? I know that purification is a prerequisite for eternal life, and if it doesn't happen in this life, it will come in the next. Do I really trust God enough to know that he will never try me beyond my strength? Have I not consecrated and surrendered my life to Him through His Holy Mother?" How I could I ever forget Our Mo...