Catholic Fire

Today we commemorate Christ's entry into Jerusalem for the completion of the Paschal Mystery. In the old calendar before Vatican II, the Church celebrated Passion Sunday two Sundays before Easter, and then Palm Sunday was the beginning of Holy Week. The Church has combined the two to reinforce the solemnity of Holy Week. The Palm Sunday procession is formed of Christians who, in the "fullness of faith," make their own the gesture of the Jews and endow it with its full significance. Following the Jews' example we proclaim Christ as a Victor... Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord. But by our faith we know, as they did not, all that His triumph stands for. He is the Messiah, the Son of David and the Son of God. He is the sign of contradiction, acclaimed by some and reviled by others. Sent into this world to wrest us from sin and the power of Satan, He underwent His Passion, the punishment for our sins, but issues forth triumpha...

The saint of the day for March 31 is Blessed Jane of Toulouse. Blessed Jane lived in the French town of Toulouse during the 13th century. A Carmelite monastery was founded in the same town in 1240 which exposed Jane to the Carmelite lifestyle and spirituality. In 1265 when St. Simon Stock, a 13th century reformer of the Carmelites, was passing through Toulouse, Jane met him and requested to be affiliated with the Carmelites. Simon agreed and Jane became the first Third Order Carmelite. Jane vowed herself to perpetual chastity and applied herself completely to the Carmelite Rule. In addition to many daily holy practices and penances, she reached out to the community and worked to help the sick and poor. One of Jane's primary missions was encouraging the boys of the town to help her serve the poor and help them discern whether or not they were called to be Carmelites. Blessed Jane is considered to be a founder of the Carmelite tertiary order and is considered to be its first ...

According to Jenifer Fulwiler, a recent convert of five years, they include: 1. Discounting Spiritual Attack 2. Thinking that Catholics are Perfect 3. Not developing a relationship with Christ 4. Not seeking answers to tough questions 5. Not rooting yourself in a community Read the story here.

This video points out the inconsistency of those who strive to eat a pesticide- and hormone-free diet yet take a hormone-laced contraceptive pill without thinking. Produced by the Catholic Advance, Diocese of Wichita. NFP is so much better!

Today we commemorate St. John Climacus, a seventh century monk. John was called Climacus (which means "of the ladder") because he wrote "Climax" also known as "The Ladder of Paradise." John was born in Palestine around the year 525. Although he was well-educated and brilliant, John decided at the at age 16 to retire to a life of solitude in Mount Sinai, which was inhabited by holy monks. There he was placed under the direction of a holy monk named Martyrius. As a novice, John was fervent and unrelenting in his efforts for self-mastery. For the next four years, he spent his time in prayer, fasting, meditation and discernment while preparing to take solemn vows to the religious life. Through the direction of Martyrius, John curbed his vices and worked to perfect his virtues. After professing his solemn vows, John began to spend more of his time studying scriptures and the early fathers of the Church. Martyius died when John was 35. At that time, John w...

Here are some great Pope Benedict quotes collected by EWTN News Director Raymond Arroyo: TRUTH "The truth is a desire of the human person, the search for which always supposes the exercise of authentic freedom... On the other hand, there are those who wrongly interpret this search for the truth, leading them to irrationality and fanaticism; they close themselves up in "their truth", and try to impose it on others.... Each human being has to seek the truth and to choose it when he or she finds it, even at the risk of embracing sacrifices." Jose Marti Square, Havana March 28, 2012 RELIGIOUS FREEDOM "The Church lives to make others sharers in the one thing she possesses...Christ, our hope and glory. To carry out this duty, she must count on the basic religious freedom, which consists in her being able to proclaim and to celebrate her faith also in public, bringing others the message of love, reconciliation, and peace which Jesus brought to the world." J...

The saint we remember today is St. Berthold. Berthold seems to have had a connection with the beginnings of the Carmelite Order. He was a relative of Aymeric, the Latin patriarch of Antioch who was installed in Antioch during the crusades. At the time, there were a number of hermits from the West scattered throughout Palestine, and Berthold gathered them together, founded a community of priests who settled on Mount Carmel, and became their first superior. There is a legend that he was born at Limoges in France, studied in Paris, and was ordained a priest there. According to the legend, he accompanied Aymeric on the crusades and found himself in Antioch when it was being besieged by the Saracens. Through his urgings, the Christians in Antioch turned to prayer and penance, and the city was delivered. What is known for certain is that St. Berthold directed the building of a monastery and church on Mount Carmel and dedicated the church in honor of the prophet Elias, who had defeated th...

Today’s saint of the day is Pope St. Sixtus III, chosen to be the 44th pope in 432. He was born in Rome, Italy and died in 440. During his pontificate, he was falsely accused of favoring Nestorianism and Pelagianism, because of his conciliatory disposition during their controversies. Pope St. Sixtus III • approved of the Acts of the Council of Ephesus • defended the supremacy of the pope over Illyricum, against the local bishops and Proclus of Constantinople • restored the Basilica of Liberius, known as St. Mary Major • beautified Saint Peter's, and the Lateran Basilica

The saint of the day is St. Rupert of Salzburg, a bishop and missionary who lived in the eighth century during the time of Childebert III, King of the Franks. St. Rupert was a member of a noble Frankish family. Rupert was a lover of the truth who was well-known for his simplicity and common sense. He was pious, charitable, and pure. As bishop of Worms, Germany, he was dedicated to spreading the faith among the Germans and suceeded in converting whole regions. He took over the deserted town of Luvavum about 697, which was renamed Salzburg, Austria. Rupert founded St. Peter's Church and Abbey and the Nonnburg convent, where his sister served as the first abbess. He died on March 27, 718 at Salzburg and is venerated as the first archbishop of this major diocese in the West. Rupert is revered as the Apostle of Bavaria and Austria. In Christian art, St. Rupert is depicted with a vessel of salt in his hand, symbolizing the universal tradition according to which Rupert inaugurated sa...

The Annunciation by Philippe de Champaigne Today is the solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. This special Feast commemorates the moment when the angel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would give birth to the Child Jesus. (Lk. 1:26-38). It was the moment when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that the Incarnation of God would be fulfilled through her. This was the official announcement that the Word of God would become man. The Annunciation heralds the beginning of our salvation. By Mary's obedient "Fiat" the earth has become heaven. "In Jesus, God has placed in the midst of barren, despairing mankind, a new beginning which is not a product of human history but a gift from above" (Pope Benedict XVI). All that our heart cries out for became flesh in Mary's wound. When we repeat the words of the angel by praying the Hail Mary, the word of God germinates in our soul. Christianity is this never-ending event of encounter with God m...

Via Maryland Coalition for Life: On Monday, March 19th, it was announced that Father John Trigilio has been in a bad car accident and is in critical condition! He was coming back home to his parish after visiting his mother who recently had surgery and is in rehab. Please pray fervently for the total recovery of this good and faithful priest, many of you may know him from EWTN. Update via  EWTN:  Dear EWTN Family: Please keep Fr. John Trigilio, Co-host of Web of Faith and Crash Course in Catholicism, in your prayers as he recovers from non-life threatening injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He is currently at home recovering and his condition continues to improve. He appreciates all the prayers! Please join me in praying for Fr. Trugillio.

The saint of the day is St. Catherine of Sweden, the patron saint against abortion and miscarriages. Catherine was born in 1331, the fourth of eight children, to Saint Bridget of Sweden and Ulf Gudmarsson. At the age of seven, Catherine was sent to Risberg Convent to be educated. She desired to remain in the convent to pursue a religious vocation, but she was promised in marriage to the virtuous and pious German noble Eggard Lydersson von Kürnen, a lifelong invalid. At age 13, the two were united in the sacrament of matrimony. Although Catherine was very beautiful, she and Eggard took a mutual vow of perpetual chastity. They devoted themselves to a life of Christian perfection and active charity. In 1348, Catherine's father died. With Eggard’s permission, Catherine joined her mother on various pilgrimages. During these pilgrimages, they visited the tombs of the martyrs the churches, and together practiced works of piety, caring for the poor and the sick. In 1349, Catherine t...

March 23, 2012. (Romereports.com) During the flight to Mexico, Benedict XVI held a brief press conference with reporters who're traveling with him on the Papal plane. He talked about the fond memories he has of John Paul II's travels to Mexico and Cuba. He also said that he wants to follow his predecessors footsteps in these two visits. When asked about the situation in Cuba, Benedict XVI said the Church has always sided with freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. Given the problems of drug related violence affecting Mexico, the Pope said it's the Church's responsibility to educate people and unmask the dangers that come from idolizing money and power. He said, doing so only leads to false promises, lies and deceit.

The saint of the day for March 23 is Saint Turibius of Mongrovejo also known as St. Toribio de Mogrovejo, the great figure in the history of the Church in Latin America, the second archbishop of Lima. Together with Rose of Lima, Turibius of Mongrovejo is the first known saint of the New World, serving the Lord in Peru, South America, for 26 years. Born in Spain and educated for the law, he became so brilliant a scholar that he was made professor of law at the University of Salamanca and eventually became chief judge of the Inquisition at Granada. He succeeded too well. But he was not sharp enough a lawyer to prevent a surprising sequence of events. In 1580 the archbishopric of Lima, capital of Spain's colony in Peru, became vacant. He was the one person with the strength of character and holiness of spirit to heal those who had infected that area. He protested the assignment, but was overruled. He was ordained priest and bishop and sent to Peru, where he found colonialism at it...