Catholic Fire

Today is the memorial of the Guardian Angels. Since the 17th century, the Church has celebrated a feast honoring them in October throughout the Universal Church. Angels are servants or messengers from God. The word angel "spelled “angelus” in Latin and “aggelos” in Greek, means “one going” or “one sent” in Hebrew. It refers to the messenger. Angels are spiritual creatures commissioned by God to perform certain duties. God has charged his guardian angels with the duty of looking after us and protecting each one of us. The role of the guardian angel is both to guide us to good thoughts, works and words, and to preserve us from evil. The truth that each and every human soul has a guardian angel who protects us from spiritual and physical evil has also been shown throughout the Old Testament, and is made very clear in the New Testament. It is written that the Lord Jesus is strengthened by an angel in the Garden of Gethsemane and that an angel delivered St. Peter from prison ...

Today is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On this feast, we focus our attention on Jesus truly present in the Holy Eucharist and reflect on God’s unconditional love and boundless mercy as symbolized by His heart. Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has as its dogmatic foundation the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. On account of the hypostatic union, every part of our Lord's Human Nature is worthy of adoration. Hence, therefore, we adore His bodily Heart, beating in His Bosom. We also honor the Heart of Jesus as a reminder, or symbol, of His love for us, and we are moved to make Him a return of love, because He has loved us and He is not loved by men. Love, consecration, and reparation are the characteristic acts of this devotion. In this form it is now solemnly approved by the Church. On the feast of the Sacred Heart celebrated on the Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi an act of reparation is prescribed for recitation in every chu...