Catholic Fire

May 1st is the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, is the patron saint of workers. Pope Pius XII decided in 1955 to add the optional feast day of Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1, to counteract the Communists’ May Day holiday by Christianizing this European Labor Day. Like St. Joseph, let us offer our work as an act of charity done for the love of God and for the love of others, for work well done is a work of love. Work has the capacity to perfect us in a heavenly way. Through our work, we share in the cross of Christ. Like the mystery of the Incarnation, Joseph performed his work in a quiet, hidden way, offering up all that he did to God. Let us imitate him in this way and thank God for the gift of our work, which draws us closer to Him. "Work is a good belonging to all people and must be made available to all who are capable of engaging in it. 'Full employment' therefore remains a mandatory objective for every economic system ...

Pope Francis prays in front of a statue honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Holy Father's universal prayer intention for May is: “That, rejecting the culture of indifference, we may care for our neighbors who suffer, especially the sick and the poor”. His intention for evangelization is: “That Mary's intercession may help Christians in secularized cultures be open to proclaiming Jesus”. Source

The saint of the day for April 30th is St. Pius V, pope. Michael Ghislieri was born near Alessandria in Italy in 1504. He was a poor shepherd boy, who entered the Dominican Order at the age of 14 and was ordained a priest at the age of 24. He taught theology and philosophy for sixteen years and developed a reputation as a gifted teacher and preacher. Michael led an austere and holy life in the monastery: he fasted, performed penance, spent long hours of the night in meditation and prayer, and traveled in silence on foot without a cloak. After being ordained a bishop and named a Cardinal, he became pope at the age of 62, taking the name of Pope Pius V. His holiness and austerity continued in the papacy. He refused to wear the ornate and flowing garments of previous popes, but insisted upon wearing his white Dominican habit even as head of the Church. To this day, the pope wears white, a custom begun by this Dominican pontiff. His reign, though short, was one of the most frui...

Happy Feast of St. Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church! Here is one of my favorite prayers of St. Catherine of Siena: My Nature is Fire Prayer 12 (XXII)* In your nature, eternal Godhead, I shall come to know my nature. And what is my nature, boundless love? It is fire, because you are nothing but a fire of love. And you have given humankind a share in this nature, for by the fire of love you created us. And so with all other people and every created thing; you made them out of love. O ungrateful people! What nature has your God given you? His very own nature! Are you not ashamed to cut yourself off from such a noble thing through the guilt of deadly sin? O eternal Trinity, my sweet love! You, light, give us light. You, wisdom, give us wisdom. You, supreme strength, strengthen us. Today, eternal God, let our cloud be dissipated so that we may perfectly know and follow your Truth in truth, with a free and simple...

October 4, 1922 – April 28, 1962 If you must choose between me and the baby, no hesitation; Choose—and I demand it—the baby, Save him!” Gianna Beretta Molla was an Italian doctor, wife, and mother who refused to have either an abortion or hysterectomy when she was pregnant with her fourth child. Doctors had discovered in the second month of her pregnancy a fibroma tumor in her uterus. As a doctor, Gianna knew the consequences of not fully treating the fibroma. She chose the life of her child over her own. On the morning of April 21, 1962, a healthy baby girl was born, Gianna Emanuela. Despite all efforts and treatments to save both of them, on the morning of April 28, amid unspeakable pain and after repeated exclamations of “Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you," the mother died of septic peritonitis. She was 39 years old. Her funeral was an occasion of profound grief, faith and prayer. Gianna was beatified by Pope St John Paul II on April 24, 1994, during the i...

Fr. Robert Barron provides a wonderful tribute to Cardinal Francis George, who died on April 17, 2015. At the age of 78, he was a man of enormous accomplishment and influence. Through his determination, pastoral devotion, deep intelligence, and kindness of heart, he mediated the Holy Spirit. The entire Church owes him a debt of gratitude for reminding us who we are and what our mission is. Related:   Remembering Cardinal George: Chicago’s Archbishop celebrates 50 years of priestly ordination Photo source

April 27 is the feast of St. Zita of Lucca (1212-72), the patron saint of housekeepers, domestic servants, and waitresses. She is also invoked to help find lost keys. She was born in Tuscany, Italy in the village of Monsagrati. Zita came from a poor, but deeply devotional family. To help support the family, she became a maid of a wealthy family, Fatinelli, in the nearby Tuscan city of Lucca, serving them loyally for 48 years. A member of the Third Order of St. Francis, Zita considered her work as an employment assigned to her by God and obeyed her master and mistress in all things as being placed over her by God. She always rose several hours before the rest of the family and spent time in prayer while they slept. She started each day with Holy Mass before she began performing her duties. She visited the sick and those in prison, giving them hope and spreading the gospel message. She was well - known for all her works of charity and her sweet, joyful disposition. Zita had a...

St. Mark, the Evangelist, the author of the second Gospel, is commonly identified as “John Mark” in the Acts of the Apostles (12:12, 25; 15:37) Born a Jew, he was baptized and instructed in the faith by St. Peter the Apostle and traveled with him to Rome. He had a close relationship with St. Peter, who referred to him as “my son Mark” (1 Peter 5:13). Mark traveled with his cousin St. Barnabas and with St. Paul on their first missionary journey in Cyprus (Acts 13:5).  Mark is also said to have evangelized in Alexandria, Egypt and founded the Church there. Like Luke, Mark was not one of the 12 apostles. Some scholars believe him to be the young man who ran away when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51-52).  He is also considered to be the first bishop of Alexandria, Egypt. According to Eusebius , the Christian historian, Mark died at Alexandria and was martyred for his faith. In the 9th century, Mark’s body was brought to Venice, where he is patron saint of the city. Mar...

I.  The Flowers, which represent new life and beauty in the spring. The Iris symbolizes eloquence. Purple iris is symbolic of wisdom and compliments. Blue iris symbolizes faith and hope. Yellow iris symbolizes passion while white iris symbolizes purity. The Daffodil symbolizes regard and chivalry. The daffodil is indicative of rebirth, new beginnings and eternal life. It also symbolizes unrequited love. The Hyacinth symbolizes playfulness. It also denotes constancy. Blue hyacinth stands for constancy, purple for sorrow, red or pink for play, and white for loveliness. The Lilac symbolizes youthful innocence and confidence. White lilac symbolizes humility and innocence, field lilac symbolizes charity while purple lilac symbolizes first love. The Tulip signifies a declaration of love. It also symbolizes perfect love. II. The  Easter Season - The Resurrection of Christ and the Promise of Eternal Life - which we celebrate for 50 days!  ...

The saint of the day for April 24 is St. Fidelis of Sigmarengen, model of faith and evangelization. Known as Mark Rey and the "Poor Man's Lawyer," Fidelis was born in 1577 at Sigmaringen, Prussia. His studies took him to the University of Freiburg and eventually to the position of tutor for Wilhelm von Stotzingen. Fidelis traveled with Wilhelm extensively throughout France and Italy before returning to Freiburg and earning a doctorate in canon and civil law. He became a prominent lawyer. However, he felt that this career endangered the salvation of his soul and he abandoned law. Mark joined the Capuchin Friars Minor, changed his name to Fidelis (meaning Faithful) and gave away his worldly wealth to the poor. As a Franciscan priest, he served his friary as guardian, and worked in epidemics, especially healing soldiers. He had a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Trusting in her intercession, he often begged God for the grace of sacrificing his life in vindic...

Congratulations to Christi, for winning the e-copy of Eve's Apple ! Please comment below with your email. I will not share it publicly, but I need it in order to send you the code to the free e-copy. Please respond within 48 hours. Thank you! Eve's Apple is available on Amazon in softcover and hardback . It is also available at the Publisher’s Website.

The saint of the day for April 23 is St. George, a soldier of the Roman army who was tortured and beheaded for his Christian faith in the year 303, in Palestine (Lydda). He was most likely born in Cappadocia, of Christian parents. After his father was martyred for his faith, George moved to Palestine with his mother where he joined the military and served as a soldier in the army of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. He demonstrated great courage, rising to the rank of military tribune of the imperial guards. When he refused to sacrifice to pagan gods, he was tortured and beheaded at Nicomedia, a town of Asia Minor on an inlet of the Sea of Marmora. Some say that Saint George was the young Christian who, as Eusebius relates, tore down the Imperial edict of persecution. However, there is no proof of this. St. George is usually depicted in Christian art as a soldier on horseback killing a dragon with a lance. This image is a representation of a popular legend of St. George which first...

Today we honor Blessed Maria Gabriella (1914-1939), an Italian Trappist nun, who died at the age young age of 25, and was renowned  for her gift to heal divisions and unify the Church through her redemptive sufferings. She is the patron saint of sick people. Sr. Maria Gabriella was beatified on January 25th, 1983 in the Basilica of St. Paul's outside the Walls. It was the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle of the Gentiles, and also the last day of the Church Unity Octave. In his homily, Pope John Paul II stated: "I am happy to note, and to point out particularly to the young who are so fond of athletics and sport, that the young Trappist whom we are honoring today for the first time with the title "Blessed", was able to make her own the Apostles exhortation to the faithful of Corinth (1 Cor. 9:25), to "run as to win". She succeeded in the span of a few years to set a number of records in the stadium of sanctity that would make the most qual...

April 21 is the optional memorial of St. Anselm, bishop and doctor of the Church. St. Anselm (1033-1109) was born in Aosta, Italy, and died in Canterbury, England. St. Anselm's contributions to the Church consist of the following: First, as Archbishop of Canterbury he protected the rights and freedoms of the Church against the violations of the English kings, who looted the Church's lands, obstructed the Archbishop's communications with the Holy See, and claimed the right to invest prelates with ring and crosier, symbols of the Church's spiritual authority. Second, as a philosopher and theologian he developed a method of cognition which prepared the way for the great thinkers of the Middle Ages. Third, he had a great devotion to Our Lady and was the first to establish the feast of the Immaculate Conception in the West. Favorite Quotes "O God, let me know you and love you so that I may find joy in you; and if I cannot do so fully in this life, let me at l...

I am honored to be a part of the virtual blog tour for Eve's Apple by Marie Therese Kceif. This is a book that I can hardly wait to read! I enjoy reading personal spiritual memoirs and learning how God's grace and great mercy frees souls and heals them. We are all sinners and we are all broken. It is only by the grace of God and our surrender to His will that we can be made whole again. Short Synopsis A Witness of God's Faithfulness: Marie struggles to grow in grace and guidance from the Lord while slowly recognizing her own rebellion. She intimately shows us the highs of her aviation, military and automotive careers and the suffering lows of abuse, bankruptcy, and divorce. Her relationship with God grows through it all. Eve's Apple is a witness of how God gently guides one of His Eves into a slow freeing surrender of a Mary's trusting yes. This is a journey of hope, faith, and real relationship! Reviews for Eve’s Apple Joseph A. Marsigla, COL, MS, Comman...

The three founders of the monastery at Citeaux: from left to right, Stephen Harding, Saint Robert of Molesme, and Saint Alberic. The saint of the day for April 17 is St. Stephen Harding (1060-1134), an English-born monk and abbot, who was one of the founders of the Cistercian Order in what is now France. Stephen Harding, son of an English noble, was born at Sherborne in Dorsetshire, England in 1060. He consecrated himself to the monastic life in the Abbey of Sherbonne in Dorsetshire, where he received his early education. He later studied in Paris and Rome, where he pursued a brilliant course in humanities, philosophy and theology. After studying in Paris and Rome, he visited the monastery of Molesmes. Impressed by its leaders, Robert of Molesmes and Alberic (who were later canonized), Stephen joined the community. After a few years, the three men, along with another 20 monks, established a more austere monastery in Citeaux. Eventually, Robert was recalled to Molesme (1099)...

Today, April 14, is the feast of St. Bernadette Soubirous, a mystic and visionary at Lourdes, France. St. Bernadette is the patron of: Lourdes, the poor, the sick, and people ridiculed for their piety. Born in Lourdes, France, on January 7, 1844, Bernadette was the first  child of Francois and Louise Soubirous, a poor peasant family. A severe asthma sufferer, Bernadette was such a poor student that she was unable to make her First Holy Communion until she was 14. She had many trials to contend with as a child -- poverty, health problems, which caused her to be behind in school, many responsibilities as the oldest child of six siblings, moving from one poor place to another, and a father who escaped from his financial problems by drowning them in alcohol. She was educated by the Sisters of Charity and Christian Instruction - a teaching and nursing order whose mother-house is at Nevers, in central France. The Sisters soon discovered that although Bernadette had a quiet, ...

On April 15, we celebrate the feast of Blessed César de Bus, a priest, teacher, and founder of two religious congregations: the Fathers of Christian Doctrine and the Daughters of Christian Doctrine. He is the patron of catechists. César was born at Cavaillon, France in 1544, and was educated by the Jesuits. As a youth, he led a holy and virtuous life.  At eighteen, he joined the French army, and fought in the king’s war against the Huguenots. After the war, he dedicated his time in pursuit of the arts, writing poetry and painting. Then, he tried to join a naval fleet, which was besieging La Rochelle; but due to serious illness was unable to carry out his plans. Instead, he travelled to Paris. In Paris, César drifted away from his faith and began living a life of self-gratification and worldly ambition. For three years, he indulged his sinful wishes until the death of his brother, a canon of Salon. When his brother died, César managed to acquire his vacated positio...

The saint of the day for April 14 is St. Lidwina, also known as Lydwina of Shiedam, a Dutch mystic. Saint Lidwina was born in 1380 in Schiedam, Holland to a poor family, the only daughter of nine children. Lidwina was devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary and prayed often before the miraculous image of Our Lady of Schiedam. At the age of 12, she consecrated her virginity to Christ. In 1396, while ice skating, she fell and broke a rib. Although she was treated by physicians, her rib never healed and gangrene set in, followed by many complications. This injury caused her to be an invalid for the rest of her life. For seventeen years, she could not move any part of her body, with the exception of her head and left arm. She ate almost nothing and became blind during the last seven years of her life.  Some of the illnesses which affected Lidwina were:  headaches, vomiting, fever, thirst, bedsores, toothaches, and muscle spasms. Lidwina heroically accepted her condition and s...

April 13 is the feast day of Pope Saint Martin I. We know little of Saint Martin’s early life.  We do know that he was born in Umbria, Italy of a noble family. In his youth, he served as a lector and deacon. When Martin I became pope in 649, Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the patriarch of Constantinople was the most powerful Church leader in the eastern Christian world. The struggles that existed within the Church, at that time, were magnified by the close collaboration of emperor and patriarch. Just prior to Martin’s papacy, a heresy known as Monothelitism, was creating chaos and misunderstanding in the Church. This doctrine held that Christ had only one nature—the divine nature—and that Christ had only one will.  Thus, it denied that Christ was like us in all things but sin and therefore rejected our redemption. In an edict entitled the Typos, Emperor Constans II essentially accepted the heretical doctrine by forbidding discussion of the ...

"I considered this message (of Divine Mercy) my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church, and the world." ~ Pope St. John Paul II; November 22, 1981 "Who can say that he is free from sin and does not need God’s mercy? As people of this restless time of ours, wavering between the emptiness of self-exaltation and the humiliation of despair, we have a greater need than ever for a regenerating experience of mercy." ~ Pope St. John Paul II, Regina Caeli message, April 10, 1994  "It is important then that we accept the whole message that comes to us from the word of God on this Second Sunday of Easter, which from now on throughout the Church, will be called Divine Mercy Sunday." (The readings on that Sunday are always about mercy, trust and the forgiveness of sins.) ~Pope St. John Paul II, during the Mass of canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000, Related: Divine Mercy Sunday Saint J...

On April 11, the Church celebrates St. Gemma Galgani, virgin, mystic, stigmatist, visionary, and victim soul. Saint Gemma is the patron saint of: pharmacists, loss of parents, those suffering with back illnesses, back injury or pain, those struggling with temptations and those seeking purity of heart. Gemma Galgani was born in Lucca, Italy on March 12, 1878, the fourth of eight children. Her mother, who had been a very caring woman, died at the age of thirty - five when Gemma was only seven. For the next eighteen years the family experienced much grief and misfortune. Gemma looked after her brother who had tuberculosis and who died when he was eighteen. Her father was a prosperous pharmacist but the prolonged illness of others in the family was a drain on his resources and the family was reduced to poverty. To add to this, Gemma's father developed cancer of the throat and Gemma nursed him with great care until his death. Gemma had an immense love for the poor, and helped ...

Today is the feast of Saint Michael de Sanctis, also known as St. Michael of the Saints, a Spanish Discalced Trinitarian priest, the patron of cancer patients. Michael Argemir was born on September 29, 1591 at Vic, Catalonia, Spain. At age 6, he told his parents that he planned to become a monk and began modeling his life after Saint Francis of Assisi. Michael’s parents died when he was about ten years old. He then served as an apprentice with a local merchant. During this apprenticeship, he continued his fervent devotion to the Lord, especially to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the age of 12, he joined the Trinitarian Friars at Barcelona, taking his vows at St. Lambert’s monastery in Saragosa four years later.  Shortly afterwards, Michael expressed a desire to join the reformed group of Trinitarians and was given permission to do so. He went to the Novitiate at Madrid and, after studies at Seville and Salamanca, he was ordained a priest. Twice he served as Superior of the...

The saint of the day for April 9 is St. Casilda of Toledo. Saint Casilda, the daughter of a Muslim king, was born in Toledo, Spain in the 11th century. Raised Muslim, she embraced her faith, but showed much kindness to Christian prisoners. Against her father's wishes, Casilda often visited the prisoners, smuggling in food for them in the folds of her dress. On one occasion, she was stopped by prison guards, who demanded she disclose what she was hiding in her clothing. When she opened the folds of her skirt, the bread she carried miraculously turned into roses. Thus, St. Casilda is frequently depicted in religious art as carrying a basket or a bunch of roses. As a young woman, she became ill, most likely from a hemorrhagic fever, common at the time, for which there was no cure. She refused the help of Muslim physicians, but instead, journeyed to northern Spain to the shrine of San Vicenzo de Briviesca, which was renowned for its healing waters and miraculous cures. There, ...

The saint of the day for April 8 is St. Julie Billart. Saint Julie was born in Cuvilly, France, on July 12, 1751 to a loving family. She was a woman of serenity, despite the great personal suffering she endured. The Billiart family survived many hardships, including the deaths of several children. When Julie was 16, she went to work as a teacher to help support her family. One night, robbers invaded her home and shot her father as she stood by helplessly. He recovered from the incident, but the trauma caused Julie, who was then 23, to become paralyzed and a complete invalid. Besides her physical and emotional distress, Julie suffered religious persecution. During the French Revolution, Julie opened her home as a hiding place for loyal priests, which forced her to flee and hide from danger. Throughout her suffering and trials, she steadfastly trusted in God’s goodness. Her motto was: “Oh, how good God is!” At the age of 53, Julie and her very good friend, Françoise Blin de Bou...

The gospel according to St Luke (24:13-32) tells of the meeting of two apostles with the resurrected Christ. It is only during the meal that his companions recognize him in the way he blesses and breaks the bread. But with that, the vision of Christ vanishes. In the gospel according to St Mark (16:12) he is said to have appeared to them in another form which is why Caravaggio did not paint him with a beard at the age of his crucifixion, but as a youth. "When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight." ~Luke 24:30-31 "Rabbi, where are you staying?" Each day the Church responds: Christ is present in the Eucharist, in the sacrament of His death and resurrection. In and through the Eucharist, you acknowledge the dwelling-place of the Living God in human history. For the Eucharist is the Sacrament of the Love which conquers...

The saint of the day for April 7 is St. John Baptist de la Salle, father of modern education and the patron saint of teachers. He is known for promoting and reforming Christian education, especially among the poor. John Baptist de la Salle was born at Rheims in France in 1651. After ordination to the priesthood, he devoted himself to the education of boys and the founding of schools for the poor. He liquidated his personal fortune (about $400,000) and donated it to the poor in the form of bread during the great famine of 1683-1684. He Instituted the process of dividing students into grades and established the first teacher's school. He started high schools and trade schools. John brought his companions together as a religious congregation, founding the order known today as Christian Brothers. He suffered from asthma and rheumatism in his later years and died at Rouen in 1719 on Good Friday. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1900 and named patron of teachers by Pope Pius...