Catholic Fire

A reflection by Fr. Tom Rosica, csb, on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ - Corpus Christi.

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter Today's Mass Readings "I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and not one will ever steal them from me. The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father. The Father and I are one (John 10:25-30)." Reflection The Work of the Holy Spirit Meditation for April 15, Angels of the Agony Via †Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam† Saint of the Day St. Paturnus On This Day in Catholic History 2008 -- Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the USA for his apostolic visit. Historical Birthday 1452 - Leonardo da Vinci , Italian Renaissance polymath: a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer (d. 1519) Today's...

By Jean M. Heimann John 8: 1 - 11 In today's gospel, Jesus forgives Mary Magdalene of her sins, while the Pharisees condemn her. Each time I read this passage, I can't help but think of the woman in our own day who has not only slept with a man and become pregnant, and has sought an abortion as a way out of the situation. Society condemns her of her grievous sin, yet what good does that do the sinner? Does it encourage her to repent and reach out to God in her misery? Each one of us is capable of committing the most serious of sins due to our fallen nature. I wonder how many of these upright Pharisees preparing to cast their stones had actually participated in the sin of adultery with her. Jesus seems to be writing something on the ground -- is it the sins of the Pharisees? He is alone with the woman and looks upon her in her frightened and lowly state and He pardons her, opening up His heart of tender love and mercy to her. In the words of Fr. Philippe, OP, " As soon as J...

“The patient and humble endurance of the cross – whatever nature it may be – is the highest work we have to do.” "If we wish to serve God and love our neighbor well,we must manifest our joy in the service we render to Him and them." "Often in my desire to work for others I find my hands tied, something hinders my charitable designs, some hostile influence renders me powerless. My prayers seem to avail nothing, my kind acts are rejected, I seem to do wrong things when I am trying to do my best. In such cases I must not grieve. I am only treading in my Master's steps." “And here is the passive way – to be filled unto the fullness of God. The passive way – I abandon myself to it, not in a multiplicity of trials, extraordinary penances accomplished, practices of great works – but in peaceful abandonment to the tenderness of Jesus, which I must try to imitate, and by being in constant union with his meek and humble heart. What likeness is there between me and my Mo...

"In all talking and conversation let something always be said of spiritual things, and so shall all idle words and evil speaking be avoided." ~St. Teresa of Avila

"True mercy, in the image of Christ's mercy, is not a proudly condescending and pharisaic pity for poor sinners - an attitude in itself perhaps sinful. To be truly merciful is to love and understand sinners, because we know the extent and the depth of evil within ourselves; because, like St. Paul, we have experienced the warrings of the flesh and the spirit, and have discovered in ourselves the marks of original sin -- our inclination towards evil and the weakness of our will..." ~ Archbishop Emile Maurice Guerry - Excerpted from Today's Meditation in the Magnificat.

"When you feel the assaults of passion and anger, then is the time to be silent as Jesus was silent in the midst of His ignominies and sufferings." "Entrust yourself entirely to God. He is a Father, and a most loving Father at that, who would rather let heaven and earth collapse than abandon anyone who trusted in him." ~St. Paul of the Cross

Each year Christmas is for us a feast of unity with the Father, of unity with the Holy Spirit, and of unity with the Word Made Flesh. It is this presence of her child, her God, that took hold of Mary and plunged her into an immense thanksgiving, for God was accomplishing marvels in her in giving Himself completely to her, as a little child is completely given and completely relative to His mother. Mary is mother in a stronger and more profound way than all other mothers (this is the summit of maternity), in the sense that her son, her little child, is given to her by the Holy Spirit and resembles her in a unique way. He is all hers, and He gives her the light which allows her to gaze upon Him, to contemplate Him, and to be wholly absorbed by His presence and by His silence. Let us ask Mary that we, too, be absorbed by this presence and this silence that we belong wholly to Jesus and that this feast of the Nativity be a great grace for us, a new starting point in our complete gift to H...

Gospel: Matthew 1:18 - 24 When the angel says, "For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit", he is underlining the fact that she obeyed the will of God, and that her relationship with Joseph remains the same. It is not she who chose to be Mother of God -- God chose this for her, and she accepted it. The angel, therefore, allows Joseph to receive Mary and to love her in a new way but which is nonetheless in continuity with His first love for her.... "She shall bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus." Each of these words from the angel carries weight and allows us to understand the role that God is giving to Joseph. Naming a new-born child is something that comes under the authority of the father, and in doing this the father acts as God's instrument; for, to name a tiny child is surely to point him already in a certain direction. And we are told how Joseph is to name the child: "You shall call His name, Jesus, for it is He who shal...

O' Antiphons~December 21 From: EJGcatholi O'Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death! Optional Memorial of St. Peter Canisius, priest and doctor Read my post on St. Peter Canisius, priest and doctor, which includes a brief bio, quotes, and a prayer here. Today's Mass Readings Today is Day Six of the Christmas Novena. On This Day in Catholic History 1118 - Thomas Becket , Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of Canterbury was born. (d. 1170) 1597 Peter Canisius (b. 8 May 1521), Dutch-born Roman Catholic reformer, died. Birthdays 1401 - Tommaso Masaccio , Catholic Italian painter (d. 1428) 1872 - Don Lorenzo Perosi , Catholic Italian composer of Sacred Music (d. 1956) 1892 - Rebecca West , English journalist and novelist (d. 1983) 1915 - Werner von Trapp , member of the Trapp Family Singers (d. 2007) 1922 - Paul Winchell , American ventriloquist (d. 2005) 1954 - Chris Ever...

Gospel: Lk 1:26 - 38 When the angel speaks to Mary, she is "greatly troubled", anxious, but this is so she may receive these words with a totally new heart ... to be as little as possible before the Father, before the Will of the Father for her. She doesn't argue, Mary must teach us this littleness. To perfectly observe all the rules is fine, but we want to have the heart of a child, instead of seeking and measuring our perfection. Our perfection is not so much! We must be like little children, always starting afresh, and live by the Word of God. God's Word allows us to be truly children of God totally docile to what He is expecting from us. Let us consider the docility of the Virgin Mary: she does not look at her perfection. It is very beautiful to see the Holy Virgin as a very little child before the Father, with only one desire: to fulfill perfectly what the Father requires from her and not her own project. Mary has no project: she is too poor, too little, ...

Gospel: Mt 1: 18 - 25 God did not push Joseph aside, but he did test his heart to see how far his magnanimity would go, just how far he would be faithful. Being ready to start over from scratch requires a radical purification - being ready to say to God that we are ready to do His will as He Himself wants it to be done and not according to our little plans. Joseph had already made plans when he met Mary. With his human prudence in the depths of his heart, did he not dream of something great and wonderful? It was necessary for all of this to be swept away in order for him to be poor. It is not possible to be the husband of Mary and the father of Jesus except in great poverty. Joseph's heart was broken, but there was no revolt against God within him. With a great spirit of poverty he accepted all that he had been left out. Joseph accepted it all because he believed in the will of the Father was greater than anything else. Here we touch on the depth of Joseph's soul: in...

Gospel Mt. 11: 16 - 18 Christ will return in glory. He will return victorious, carrying the insights of victory, and we will have only to greet Him as the One who is victorious. And yet it is difficult to to receive the victory of Christ! To receive Christ's victory is to receive the mystery of the Cross fully transformed by glory. The pride of today's humanity -- and we belong to this humanity, therefore we know this pride well -- is such that therefore we would like for man to be the victor! The "good" men, the Pharisees of all times, want it to be themselves who hold the victory, and not Jesus. Actually this is what lies behind the fact of not awaiting Jesus Christ's return: we don't want it to be Him, but rather the Pharisees of every era, those who claim to be good and believe themselves capable of of saving men ("If I were given power, I would be able to save men"), when this is not the case at all .... Today's culture is not seekin...

Image: Beautiful Snow in Backyard Yes, it snowed here over the weekend and it actually stuck to the ground. Snow is beautiful, especially when you're sitting in front of the fireplace inside, staying warm. Monday of the Second Week of Advent Old Calendar: St. Melchiades, pope and martyr Today's Mass Readings Today's Advent Meditation: The Daily Gospel with Fr. Philippe, O.P. On This Day in Catholic History 1968 Thomas Merton (b. 31 January 1915), French-born American Trappist monk, died by accidental electrocution while attending a conference of Buddhist and Catholic monks in Bangkok, Thailand. Birthdays 1830 - Emily Dickinson , American poet (d. 1886) 1911 - Chet Huntley , American journalist (d. 1974) 1914 - Dorothy Lamour , American actress (d. 1996)

Luke 5: 17 - 26 Advent is a time of great poverty, and a time of joy . This time of penance has been transformed liturgically speaking into a time of poverty in joy. In earlier days, Advent was a time of great penance. Nowadays it is far less so, but it is a time of great poverty. Be servants to your brothers, your fathers, be servants to your sisters, be servant of all those who are in the world and who need these signs of service and love. During Advent, be fervent servants of God's poor ones . It is necessary to be very much a servant in order to discover the poor. If we are not a servant, we do not discover the poor. I knew someone who didn't know what to do with his income. I suggested that he give it to the poor, but he answered, "But I never see any poor people. There are no poor people today. We have so many adept social workers that there are no more poor around." So I held out my hand .... To receive the poverty of our brothers and sisters require...

Gospel: Mt. 3: 1 - 12 St. John the Baptist is, so to speak, the desire of the Holy Spirit. He is entirely possessed by this thirst because of his great love for God and because of his great poverty. He sees the poverty of the people of Israel, and because he sees this poverty, he is the voice crying in the desert... When one's affective state is intense, more intense than others, one is always in the desert. To be in the desert is to love intensely. To be in the desert is to have an ardent desire. To be in the desert is to be poor. Because he is in the desert, he has nothing to lose: because he is poor, he has nothing to lose. Because he thirsts, he cries out: "Make straight the way of the Lord!" We must understand this cry symbolically. Pride as well as spiritual and intellectual riches, are the mountains, the obstacles that prevent the coming of Christ. Hence the poor have only one thing to say: "Make straight the way of the Lord," that is enter...

Memorial of St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor Old Calendar: St. Ambrose Saint of the Day: Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor (Brief Bio, Quotes, and Prayers) Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History 1254 Pope Innocent IV , who became pope in the middle of the tremendous controversy with Holy Roman emperor Frederick II, died (b. Sinibaldo Fieschi ca. 1195, Genoa; became pope in 1243). 1965 Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras simultaneously lift mutual excommunications that had been in place since 1054. Birthdays 521 - Saint Columba , apostle to Scotland, was born in Donegal (d. 9 June 597, Iona). 1598 - Sculptor and architect Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini , best known for "The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa," was born in Naples (d. 28 November 1680). 1873 - Willa Cather , American novelist (d. 1947) 1942 - Harry Chapin , American singer and songwriter (d. 1981) 1952 - Susan Collins , American politician, the junior U.S. Senator from Maine and a Republican. 1956 - Larry B...

Gospel Mt 9:27-31 As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out,“Son of David, have pity on us!” When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,“Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said,“Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly,“See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread word of him through all that land. St. Matthew's gospel is clear: those who follow Jesus are the blind, the lame, and the sick. Healthy people do not need to follow Him. We follow Jesus because we are poor. It is still necessary today to be very poor in order to follow Jesus: people who have a good conscience, who go to Mass on Sunday and who the rest of the day no longer give a thought to Jesus do not follow Jesus. However, the blind, the crippled, the lame, those who suffer, those who know that they are incapable of maki...

St. Ambrose was born of a Roman family in Trier about the year 340. He studied in Rome and served in the imperial government in Sirmium. In 374, while living in Milan, he was elected bishop of the city by popular acclaim and ordained on December 7. He devotedly carried on his duties and especially distinguished himself by his service to the poor and as an effective pastor and teacher of the faithful. He strenuously guarded the laws of the Church and defended orthodox teaching by writings and actions against the Arians. He died on Holy Saturday, April 4, 397. Quotes of St. Ambrose: There is no time of life past learning something. No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.Neither angel, nor archangel, not yet even the Lord Himself (who alone can say "I am with you"), can, when we have sinned, release us, unless we bring repentance with us. The Church of the Lord is built upon the rock of the apostles among so many dangers in the world; it therefore remains unmoved. ...

Gospel: Mt 7:21, 24-27 Jesus said to his disciples:“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’will enter the Kingdom of heaven,but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came,and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” Reflection To build our house on rock we must always be more deeply rooted in Jesus. Each of us has to construct this house. To find the rock it is necessary to find the wound of Christ's heart; one must find His love and live from it. There we are no longer content with saying, "Lord, Lord." Christ's love...