Catholic Fire

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...

Today, September 24, in many parts of the world, the Catholic Church commemorates the feast of Our Lady of Ransom, also known as Our Lady of Mercy or Nuestra Señora de la Merced. The Blessed Virgin appeared in 1218 in three separate visions to St. Peter Nolasco, St. Raymund of Penafort, and King James I of Aragon, asking them to found a religious order dedicated to freeing Christian captives from the barbarous Saracens or Moors, who at that time held a great part of Spain. On August 10, 1218, King James established the royal, military and religious Order of our Lady of Ransom (first known as the Order of St. Eulalia, now known as the Mercedarian Order), with the members granted the privilege of wearing his own arms on their breast. Most of the members were knights, and while the clerics recited the divine office in the commanderies, they guarded the coasts and delivered prisoners. This pious work spread everywhere and produced heroes of charity who collected alms for the ranso...

February 8, 2013. (Romereports.com) Cardinal Fernando Filoni, the prefect for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, will travel as the Pope's special envoy to the 50 anniversary celebrations of the Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health in Vailankanni, India. This website takes users on a virtual tour and allows them to learn more about this neo-Gothic Catholic sanctuary, which has a capacity for about 15,000 people. The Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health, located in southern India, by the Gulf of Bengal, is the most important pilgrimage site for Catholic in India. Nearly two million people travel each year to the small city to venerate the Virgin Mary, known here as the “Lourdes of the East.” When a monstrous tsunami ravaged Indonesia in 2004, it also affected the area around Vailankanni. However, the sanctuary emerged unscathed from the devastation.

St. Therese of the Child Jesus has said, "Love is repaid by love alone." Elsewhere it is said in simpler form: Love for love, meaning God first offers us His love in the hope that we will respond by giving Him ours. This principle of action and reaction is the heart of Bl. John Duns Scotus' teaching. God first acts by willing Christ, the God-man, and the God-man responds with His Heart aflame for the love and glory of the Father. We also see God's principle of action and reaction in the predestination of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Listen now as Father explains this eye-opening principle of Love for love, action and reaction, and how it plays out in all of creation, and in our lives. Ave Maria!

Eight days ago, we were celebrating the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Today, we are commemorating another beautiful Marian Feast, that of the Queenship of Mary. This special Liturgical Feast was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on October 11, 1954 through his Encyclical Letter "Ad Caeli Reginam." The Holy Catholic Church made this proclamation based upon the fact that whether in time of peace or in time of war, the faithful have incessantly offered prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven. Following the tremendous destruction that occurred during World War II and considering the reality that the threat of a similar catastrophe filled the faithful with a great anguish, the Church turned its eyes towards Mary, the Heavenly Queen, in the hope of her protection. Mary has never failed those who have sought her intercession in prayer, placing their total trust in her. Mary’s queenship has roots in Scripture. At the Annunciation, Gabrie...

Bernard, the founding abbot of Clairvaux Abbey in Burgundy, was one of the most commanding Church leaders in the first half of the twelfth century as well as one of the greatest spiritual masters of all times and the most powerful propagator of the Cistercian reform. He was born to a noble family at Fontaines, near Dijon, France in 1090, the third of seven children, six of whom were sons. Bernard left his privileged life near Dijon, France, to join the Cistercians at the age of 22. He was well educated and so passionate about his faith that he convinced 30 of his relatives -- including all of his brothers, his uncle, and later his widowed father -- as well as many friends to join him at the abbey. Bernard first entered the abbey at Citeaux, but only three years later was sent with 12 other monks to establish another monastery in the Diocese of Champagne. The monastery came to be known Clairvaux, the Valley of Light. As a young abbot he published a series of sermons on the Annunciation....

This video is done as a decade of the rosary. Ten statements, each done so you can meditate on the Annunciation of Jesus to Mary. The rosary is a meditative prayer, and we meditate, and remember the moment as told in the bible, when the angel came to Mary, asking her if she would be the Mother of our Savior. The moment is very deep, as it teaches us about the humility of Mary, her obedience to God, and it reminds us that she was a part of Gods plan for our salvation. As you say the rosary, place yourself in the room with Mary, as the angel appears to her, telling her of Gods plan for her, and for us. This beautiful song is sung by my friend Maureen Hegarty, (Maureenderry) on youtube. Deus meus, adiuva me.. (My God come to my aid) Domine mi, exaudi me... (My God hear me) Video and Commentary via Steve Silvia.

This week's Catholic Carnival is up at Organ-ic Chemist and she did a great job of organizing the many posts there. This week has been a crazy one for me so I neglected to enter. Here are a few of my favorites: Marcel's post entitled Humanae Vitae and The Catholic Church , is an extensive discussion on Mary Eberstadt's article The Vindication of Humanae Vitae . He presents a very interesting and extensive discussion in his well-researched post. Heidi at the Extraordinary Moms Network gave a list of posts she made on her other blog, Mommy Monsters Inc. which reflects what she considers to be the highlights of Humanae Vitae. Heidi also posted a beautiful reflection at Behold Your Mother on St. Joseph and the sacrifices he may have made being the husband of Mary. Elena at My Domestic Church reflects on the trials and tribulations of pregnancy and childbirth . Jane at Building the Ark writes on how she managed to find God in the garbage . There are many more great p...