Catholic Fire

In Augustinian tradition the particular devotion to Mary under the title of Mother of Consolation appears to have sprung from two different sources. both originating from a mother's distress over a son in danger. The earliest story has been treasured by the Order of Saint Augustine. It tells of Saint Monica in the fourth century, distraught with grief and anxiety for her wayward son, Augustine, confiding her distress to the Mother of God, who appeared to her dressed in mourning clothes but wearing a shining cincture. As a pledge of her support and compassion, Our Lady removed the cincture and, giving it to Monica, directed her to wear it and to encourage others to do the same. Monica gave it to her son, who in turn gave it to his community, and so the Augustinian devotion to the wearing of a cincture as a token of fidelity to our Mother of Consolation came into being. In the sixteenth century the flourishing devotion gave rise to the Confraternity of the Cincture and to the popula...

Holy Thursday is also known as "Maundy Thursday." The word maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum (commandment) which is the first word of the Gospel acclamation: Mandátum novum do vobis dicit Dóminus, ut diligátis ínvicem, sicut diléxi vos: "I give you a new commandment: Love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34) These are the words spoken by our Lord to His apostles at the Last Supper, after he completed the washing of the feet. Easter Triduum Easter or Paschal Triduum is the ancient name given to the three days of the ‘pasch’ or ‘passing over’ of the Lord, beginning on the evening of Holy Thursday and ending on Easter Sunday. This is the "Feast of feasts", the high point of the Church’s liturgical year, when we celebrate the heart of our faith -- the great mystery of salvation when Our Lord Jesus Christ passes through suffering and death to the new life of the Resurrection. The triduum liturgies teach us the meaning of Christ’s life, death...

Delicate Rose Memorial of St. Augustine, bishop, confessor and doctor Today's Mass Readings Birthdays: 1774 - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton , American-born Catholic saint 1821) 1828 - Leo Tolstoy , Russian writer (d. 1910) 1904 - Secondo Campini , Italian jet engine pioneer (d . 1980 ) 1917 - Jack Kirby , American comic book artist (d. 1994) 1921 - Nancy Kulp , American actress (d. 1991) 1925 - Donald O'Connor , American singer, dancer, and actor (d. 2003) 1943 - Lou Piniella , American baseball manager 1951 - Wayne Osmond , the second oldest of the original Osmond Brothers singers. 1958 - Scott Hamilton , American figure skater 1965 - Shania Twain , Canadian singer 1982 - LeAnn Rimes , American singer

St. Augustine is one of my favorite saints. At age 12, I read his Confessions and was fascinated with his great love and passion for the Lord. Little did I realize at that time that eleven years later, I would stop practicing my Catholic faith and, like Augustine, it would be the long-suffering and persistent prayers of my mother that would draw me to the heart of Jesus and bring me home to my faith. Last year's post was St. Augustine, Bishop, Doctor of the Church, with insights from Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen which contains his biography. This year I would like to share a few of my favorite quotes and prayers of St. Augustine with you. FAVORITE QUOTES FROM ST. AUGUSTINE "I should not believe the Gospel except as moved by the authority of the Catholic Church."(St. Augustine, Against the Epistle of Manichaeus Called Fundamental, 5,6) "That Bread which you see on the altar, having been sanctified by the word of God IS THE BODY OF CHRIST. That chalice, or rather, wha...

St. Monica was born to Christian parents in present - day Algeria in 331. At the age of 13 or 14, she married an ill-tempered, adulterous pagan, Patricius. One of their children was St. Augustine. She shed many tears and prayed constantly for the conversion of her husband (who converted on his death bed), and of her son (who embraced heresy and had a son by his mistress). Monica was a virtuous mother whose perseverance in prayer and strong faith brought those whom she loved to the Heart of Jesus. She died in Ostia in 387. Prayer to St. Monica for conversion of loved one(s) Eternal and merciful Father, I give You thanks for the gift of Your Divine Son Who suffered, died and rose for all mankind. I thank You also for my Catholic Faith and ask Your help that I may grow in fidelity by prayer, by works of charity and penance, by reflection on Your Word, and by regular participation in the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. You gave Saint Monica a spirit of selfless love manifest...

You're Confessions ! by St. Augustine You're a sinner, you're a saint, you do not feel ashamed. Well, you might feel a little ashamed of your past, but it did such a good job of teaching you what not to do. Now you've become a devout Christian and have spent more time ruminating on the world to come rather than worldly pleasures. Your realizations and ability to change will bring reverence upon you despite your hedonistic transgressions. Florida will honor you most in the end. Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid .

The Birth of St. John the Baptist 1540's Oil on canvas, 181 x 266 cm The Hermitage, St. Petersburg The Church observes the birth of John as a hallowed event. We have no such commemoration for any other fathers; but it is significant that we celebrate the birthdays of John and of Jesus. This day cannot be passed by. And even if my explanation does not match the dignity of the feast, you may still meditate on it with great depth and profit. John appears as the boundary between the two testaments, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary the Lord himself bears witness, when he speaks of "the law and the prophets up until John the Baptist." Thus, he represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come. As a representative of the past, he is born of aged parents; as a herald of the new era, he is declared to be a prophet while still in his mother's womb. For when yet unborn, he leapt in his mother's womb at the arrival of blessed Mary. In that wom...

"What makes the soul stronger in God and fortifies it is love... I live in a state of great langour. Love has done this because the more something is loved, the more one desires that it be possessed. Moreover,...this love generates a great zeal in me... If you keep your eyes fixed on Him, your entire soul will be set ablaze. But, if you are not doing so, strive with all your being to fix your eyes on Him and keep them there." ~ Blessed Angela of Foligno Blessed Angela (+1309) was a wife and mother who later became a Franciscan Tertiary and an esteemed mystical writer. ~ Adapted from the Magnificat, May, 2007 "Keep your eyes fixed on Him who is your guide to the heavenly country, where He is leading you. What does it matter to you whether Jesus wishes to guide you to Heaven by way of the desert or by the meadow, so long as He is always with you and you arrive at the possession of a blessed eternity?" ~ St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina "Look upon the beauty of ...

""Love is the heart of Church life and of her pastoral activity. ... Only those who have a personal experience of the Lord's love are able to exercise the task of guiding and accompanying others on the road of following Christ. ... Following Christ is above all a question of love." "Following the footsteps of St. Augustine, you too must be a Church that frankly announces the 'good news' of Christ. ... The Church is not simply an organization for collective expression nor, at the other extreme, is she the sum of individuals living a private religion. The Church is a community of people who believe in the God of Jesus Christ and commit themselves to living in the world the commandment of love that He left us." ~ Pope Benedict XVI, at the patio of the convent of St. Augustine, outside the basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, where he blessed the cornerstone of a new Augustinian cultural center, which the Order intends to dedicate to him. April 22,...