Catholic Fire

August 16, 2013. (Romereports.com) Nearly 12,000 pilgrims packed the small square outside the Papal Residence at Castel Gandolfo, for Pope Francis' Mass for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Francis emerged behind the iconic doors that closed off the papacy of his predecessor Benedict XVI, to a makeshift altar, wearing a simple tunic and stoll. His homily focused on the contributions of Our Lady to the Church. POPE FRANCIS “Through the light of this beautiful icon, of our mother, we can analyze the message inside the today's biblical readings. We can focus on three words, struggle, resurrection, hope.” The first term, according to Pope Francis, addresses the inherent struggle between good and evil, and how Our Lady plays an important role in guiding the world along this struggle. POPE FRANCIS “Mary joins us, she fights at our side. She supports Christians in the fight against the forces of evil. Especially through prayer, through the rosary. Hear me o...

is up at Musings for a Catholic Bookstore. Susie is our hostess for this week and she has done a fantastic job of writing this up and organizing the posts. Here are just a few of my favorite posts there: Elena at My Domestic Church explores some of the reasons why voting for Obama might seem like logical choice for her current situation, but why her conscience would never allow it. In her post Response from Poverty , she reminds us that there are more important issues to consider this election than just economics, and why nothing is more important than protecting and respecting life. Christine at Domestic Vocation gives us some Perspective with a side of Cheval Blanc, 1947 . It’s easy to forget how good we Catholics have it here in America, even with the current tensions going on. She reminds us why we should be thankful every day, even for those things we’d rather gripe about - even for those Masses that fail to meet our preferences. A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars offers A Wo...

Today is the Feast of the Holy Rosary. This feast was established in 1573 by St. Pius V, a Dominican pope who had great personal devotion to the prayer. He instituted the feast in thanksgiving for the Christian victory over the Turks in the Battle of Lepanto. Because the feast falls in October, the entire month is dedicated to honoring Mary with the rosary. To learn more about the great victory of Our Lady at the Battle of Lepanto go here. To learn more about more about Pope St. Pius V, who instituted the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, go here. Quotes from Pope John Paul II on the Rosary taken from his Apostolic Letter ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE , October 16, 2002: "The Rosary, precisely because it starts with Mary's own experience, is an exquisitely contemplative prayer." "The Rosary is one of the traditional paths of Christian prayer directed to the contemplation of Christ's face. Pope Paul VI described it in these words: “As a Gospel prayer, centred on th...