Catholic Fire

Totus Tuus Totus tuus ego sum, et omnia meatua sunt, O Virgo, super omnia benedicta. Translates as: I am all yours, and all that is mine is yours, O Virgin, blessed above all. Louis de Montfort's life is inseparable from his efforts to promote genuine devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus and mother of the church. Totus tuus was Louis's personal motto; Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul the Great) chose it as his episcopal motto. Born to a poor family in 1673 in the Breton village of Montfort, as an adult, Louis identified himself by the place of his baptism instead of his family name, Grignion. After being educated by the Jesuits and the Sulpicians, he was ordained as a diocesan priest in 1700. He preached parish missions throughout western France, walking from city to city. His years of ministering to the poor prompted him to travel and live very simply, sometimes getting him into trouble with church authorities. In his preaching, which attracted thousands of people back to t...

The Feast Day This coming Sunday, March 29, is Divine Mercy Sunday . This feast was instituted by Pope John Paul II in the year 2000, in response to a direct request by the Lord to a Polish nun, St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, whom Pope John Paul II canonized that year . The Image On February 22, 1931, Jesus first appeared to St. Faustina at the Congregation of Our Lady of Mercy convent in Plock, Poland. This is how she describes that vision in her diary: “In the evening, when I was in my cell, I saw the Lord in a white garment. He had one hand raised in blessing and the other was touching his garment at the chest. From the fold in His garment…..there were two large rays: one red and the other pale.” Jesus later told her: “Paint an image according to the pattern you see with the signature Jesus, I trust in You. I desire this image be venerated first in your chapel and then throughout the world.” The Meaning of the Image There is a connection between that image and the liturgy of the sec...

On Saturday morning Pope Benedict XVI received participants in an international congress on the theme: “Woman and man, the ‘humanum’ in its entirety.” During his reflections, the Holy Father called on Christians to promote “a culture that grants women, in law and in everyday life, the dignity that is theirs by right.” The congress, organized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, takes place in the twentieth anniversary year of Pope John Paul II’s apostolic letter on the dignity and vocation of women, “ Mulieris Dignitatem .” MORE ( Via CNA )

(I've been in bed resting due to illness, so I'm getting this up a little later today. Sorry, dear readers.) Optional Memorial of St. Hedwig, religious; St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, virgin Excerpt about St. Margaret Mary: After a girlhood marked by painful illness and even more painful family discord, Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) entered the Visitation convent of Paray-le-Monial, France, at the age of 22. She was ignorant, sickly, and clumsy, but she had great charity and humility. To read more about St. Margaret Mary, go here. Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History: 1591 Pope Gregory XIV died (b. 11 February 1535). 1594 William Cardinal Allen , English Catholic cardinal, died (b. 1532). 1978 A conclave of the Roman Catholic College of Cardinals chose Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla to be the new pope. Taking the name John Paul II (1920–2005), he became the first non-Italian pope in 456 years. Birthdays: 1483 - Gasparo Contarini , Italian diplomat and c...

O Mary, bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the living, to you do we entrust the cause of life. Look down, O Mother upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy. Grant that all who believe in Your Son may proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love to the people of our time. Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new, the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely, in order to build, together with all people of good will, the civilization of truth and love, to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life. ~ Taken from Fr. Frank Pavone's pamphlet Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Pro-life Movement , 2006, (from the conclusion of The Gospel of Life)

"Was John Paul II Euthanized?" The sensationalist story peddled by TIME magazine has grabbed the world's attention with the thought that the great champion of human life, the author of "Evangelium Vitae," and steadfast opponent of abortion and euthanasia, may have rejected his Church's teachings to end his life. However TIME's story warps Catholic teachings in order to make the flimsy accusations of an Italian medical professor (with an axe to grind against the Vatican) look credible at the same time the Vatican has stated food and fluids are morally obligatory medical care (see this ). MORE Most secular magazines like Time know so little about the Catholic faith they have to invent ridiculous stories like this to sell magazines. Just look at how they misinterpreted and wrote that disgusting story about Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. They don't have a clue as to what the Catholic faith is all about.

"Openness to the Father's will supposes a total self-giving, including even the gift of one's life: 'the greatest witness is martyrdom.'...The basic task for which Jesus sends out His disciples is the proclamation of the Good News, that is evangelization." ~ Pope John Paul II

Optional Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Portugal: Independence Day (USA) Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History: 966 Pope Benedict V died. 993 The first official Roman Catholic saint, Ulrich of Augsburg (890–973), was named. 1958 - Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was appointed auxilliary bishop of Krakow, Poland, by Pope Pius XII. Birthdays: 1776 - Birthday of the United States of America, Independence Day 1804 - Nathaniel Hawthorne , American writer (d. 1864) 1872 - Calvin Coolidge , 30th President of the United States (d. 1933) 1881 - Ulysses S. Grant III , American soldier (d. 1968) 1883 - Rube Goldberg , American cartoonist (d. 1970) 1910 - Gloria Stuart , American actress 1911 - Mitch Miller , American entertainer 1918 - Ann Landers , American advice columnist (d. 2002) 1918 - Abigail Van Buren , American advice columnist ("Dear Abby") 1924 - Eva Marie Saint , American actress 1927 - Neil Simon , American playwright 1929 - Bill Tuttle...

Friday of the Eighth Week of Easter or Optional Memorial of St. John I, Pope and Martyr Today in Catholic History: 313 The Edict of Milan (Liberty of Christianity) was issued by Emperor Constantine. 526 Pope Saint John I died (or May 19) at Ravenna, having been imprisoned by Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths and of Italy, the ardent defender of Arianism. 1920 Karol Wojtyla ( Pope John Paul II , 1978–2005) was born in Wadowice, Poland (d. 2 April 2005). Birthdays: 1897 - Frank Capra , American producer, director, and writer (d. 1991) 1918 - George Welch , American pilot and war hero (d. 1954) 1919 - Dame Margot Fonteyn , English ballet dancer (d. 1991) 1920 - Pope John Paul II (d. 2005) 1946 - Reggie Jackson , baseball player 1952 - George Strait , American musician

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday . This feast was instituted by Pope John Paul II in the year 2000, in response to a direct request by the Lord to a Polish nun, St. Faustina Kowalska, whom Pope John Paul II canonized that year . In 1931, Jesus first appeared to St. Faustina in her convent in Krakow and asked her to become his “secretary,” and write down what He revealed to her for the good of the Church and the world. What He revealed to her was the message of His divine, merciful love. She wrote down what the Lord said and it filled in her diary, which turned out to be 689 pages in the English translation. Here is one of the messages that the Lord gave to St. Faustina about the feast we celebrate today: "My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who ap...

"Alleluia! Christ is truly risen! We can make absolutely no qualification of this fact whatever. Christ has really, truly, and substantially risen, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, from the dead. The whole Christ has risen indeed for the completion of the work of our redemption. "For just as by dying He endured all evil to deliver us from evil, so was He glorified in rising to advance us to good things, according to Romans 4:25 which says that 'He was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification' ~St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, III, q. 53, a. 1, c. "After the resurrection, when our bodies will be reunited to our souls, they will be incorruptible; and the carnal passions which disturb us now will not be present in those bodies; we shall enjoy a peaceful equilibrium in which the prudence of the flesh will not make war upon the soul; and there will no longer be that internal warfare wherein sinful passions fight against the law of the mi...

Catholic Carnival for Holy Week is up at Living Catholicism. Muchos gracias to Jay for hosting this. There are many beautiful relections on Holy Week and Christ's sufferings as well as tributes to our beloved John Paul II.

Sarah of Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering has put together a beautiful tribute to Our Late Holy Father. Be sure to check out each of the entries. Image via Esther.

VATICAN CITY, APR 2, 2007 (VIS) - At midday today in the basilica of St. John Lateran, the closing session was held of the diocesan investigation into the life, virtues and fame of sanctity of Servant of God John Paul II, the first step in the process of beatification of the late pontiff who died on April 2, 2005. The diocesan phase was closed by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, His Holiness' vicar general for the diocese of Rome, with an address focussing upon the portrayal of the spiritual qualities of John Paul II. "At the beginning, at the center and at the peak of such a portrait," said the cardinal, "we cannot but put Karol Wojtyla's personal relationship with God. A relationship that was already strong, intimate and profound in his boyhood, and that never ceased to develop and grow stronger, producing fruits in all dimensions of his life. "Here, we are in the presence of the Mystery," he added. "In the first place the mystery of the preferential lov...

Today marks the 2nd anniversary of the death of our beloved Pope John Paul II. I look forward to his canonization, which seems to be getting closer with the miracles that have been reported lately. Bill and I spent yesterday evening watching our favorite film of his life – Pope John Paul II -- starring John Voight and Carl Elwes. Jon Voight was so convincing in the role of John Paul II that I nearly crossed myself each time he gave his papal blessing. While I never met Pope John Paul II in person, I believe that his life had a profound impact on my spirituality as well as my return to the Catholic Church in 1987, following a 15 year absence. Can you imagine what the world would be like without him? His life touched the lives of so many and drew thousands to the faith and to holy vocations. I want to share with you my post from last year, POPE JOHN PAUL THE GREAT: MY FAVORITE MEMORIES , which contains many photos and some words from Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI. (I have had the...

Lenten Reflection for Friday, the Fifth Week of Lent Today's Mass Readings and Homily Today in Catholic History Saint John Climacus (died 649) 1995 - Pope John Paul II issued an encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) promoting a "culture of life"in which human freedom will find its authentic meaning by joining forces with truth, life and love. It condemns the "culture of death"and cites abortion and euthanasia as crimes that no human laws could legitimize. The Vatican's Summary of Evangelium Vitae

If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. ~ John 8: 31 - 32 "Jesus Christ is the personified Truth who attracts the world to Himself ... every other truth is a fragment of the The Truth that He is and refers to Him. Thus, He fills our hearts, overwhelming them with joy, extending our minds toward unexplored horizon, uplifting it from the narrowness of selfishness and making it capable of authentic love." ~ Pope Benedict XVI " Today ... even after two thousand years, we see Christ as the one who brings man freedom based on truth, frees man from what curtails, diminishes and as it were breaks off this freedom at its root, in man's soul, his heart and his conscience." ~ Pope John Paul II " Whoever seeks the truth seeks God, whether he is conscious of it or not." ~ St. Teresa Benedicta

"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." ~ Luke 1 A "yes" in imitation of Mary, such a yes creates joy, a new life, a breath, a blessing. A yes like Mary's: what a blessing! What fullness of good in the world! A yes from Mary: how much blessing! What joy, what felicity! What salvation! What hope... ~ Pope John Paul II

" So the divine love is sacrificial love. Love does not mean to have and to own and to possess. It means to be had and to be owned and to be possessed. It is not a circle circumscribed by self, it is arms outstretched to embrace all humanity within its grasp." ~ Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen "Intense love does not measure . . . it just gives." ~ Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta "Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. This is why Christ the Redeemer 'fully reveals man to himself.'" ~ Pope John Paul II "Love... becomes concern and care for the other. No longer is it self-seeking, a sinking in the intoxication of happiness; instead it seeks the good of the beloved: it becomes renunciation and it is ready, and even willing, ...

The salvation of the world carried a heavy price for our Lord, the agony of the cross. As He accepts His cross, let us also resolve to endure suffering that others may live. Let us pay the price for standing up for our preborn brothers and sisters.