St. Mary Magdalene

She is called "the Penitent".

St. Mary was given the name 'Magdalen' because, though a Jewish girl, she lived in a Gentile town called Magdale, in northern Galilee, and her culture and manners were those of a Gentile. St. Luke records that she was a notorious sinner, and had seven devils removed from her. She was present at Our Lords' Crucifixion, and with Joanna and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, at Jesus' empty tomb. Fourteen years after Our Lord's death, St. Mary was put in a boat by the Jews without sails or oars - along with Sts. Lazarus and Martha, St. Maximin (who baptized her), St. Sidonius ("the man born blind"), her maid Sera, and the body of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin. They were sent drifting out to sea and landed on the shores of Southern France, where St. Mary spent the rest of her life as a contemplative in a cave known as Sainte-Baume. She was given the Holy Eucharist daily by angels as her only food, and died when she was 72. St. Mary was transported miraculously, just before she died, to the chapel of St. Maximin, where she received the last sacraments.

More about this saint: St. Mary Magdalen (Feast day - July 22) Mary Magdalen was well known as a sinner when she first saw Our Lord. She was very beautiful and very proud, but after she met Jesus, she felt great sorrow for her evil life. When Jesus went to supper at the home of a rich man named Simon, Mary came to weep at His feet. Then with her long beautiful hair, she wiped His feet dry and anointed them with expensive perfume. Some people were surprised that Jesus let such a sinner touch Him, but Our Lord could see into Mary's heart, and He said: "Many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved very much." Then to Mary He said kindly, "Your faith has made you safe; go in peace." From then on, with the other holy women, Mary humbly served Jesus and His Apostles. When Our Lord was crucified, she was there at the foot of His cross, unafraid for herself, and thinking only of His sufferings. No wonder Jesus said of her: "She has loved much." After Jesus' body had been placed in the tomb, Mary went to anoint it with spices early Easter Sunday morning. Not finding the Sacred Body, she began to weep, and seeing someone whom she thought was the gardener, she asked him if he knew where the Body of her beloved Master had been taken. But then the person spoke in a voice she knew so well: "Mary!" It was Jesus, risen from the dead! He had chosen to show Himself first to Mary Magdalen, the repentent sinner.

Spiritual Reading

I just started reading about St. Catherine of Siena and so far I'm really pleased with the writing style of this book. It's an easy and enjoyable read, without being too simple. A perfect choice for spiritual reading while in the presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

Each chapter starts with a quote and while not all of them are from St. Catherine, this one was, and I loved it so much I couldn't resist sharing.

"To the servant of God, every place is the right place, and every time is the right time."

Quick Question

from This Rock

Q: "If a person asks in prayer for assistance but no answer comes, should the person just give up on the prayers? "

A: We all like our prayers answered yesterday. But the Lord knows the best time. He’s the only one who really knows what time it is. To keep praying is to keep trusting him. To keep trusting him is to keep loving him. St. Monica spent 30 years praying for her son’s conversion. When he finally converted, he became a great saint. But all the while she had been praying, she herself became a saint. Don’t give up on God.

Happy Feast Day

"Sisters, be careful where you look, where you go, and with whom you convene. There is always danger in what we see becoming the occasion of offense against God and our vow." ~St. Rita

When I chose St. Rita as my Confirmation saint, I had no real information to go on. Paul and I were in the car, on our way to Sacramento where I would be Baptized, Confirmed, and receive my first Holy Communion. Selecting a saint was something we only thought of hours before leaving, so Paul printed out a list of saints with brief descriptions next to the name, it was actually one word next to each name, telling what they were the patron saints of.

St. Rita was listed as the patron saint of loneliness, and though it may sound sad, that's exactly what drew me to her. So without knowing anything else I decided on St. Rita of Cascia. I'm almost glad I was under pressure otherwise I might have had more trouble choosing a saint.

Once I started reading about her life I realized how perfect it was, not because we are so much alike, but because she is exactly who I should try to emulate. All of St. Rita's strengths are my weaknesses, and because of that I believe we are a perfect match.

I have since realized that she is more commonly known as the saint of the impossible, and after reading her life story I know this to be true. I've read 3 books on St. Rita and I really feel that this one is THE BEST, you should read it. I'm not sure if EWTN will be showing the movie called Saint Rita with Vittoria Belvedere, but if you have not seen it and plan to, DON'T!! Or if you do, watch it with the understanding 98% (my opinion) is not accurate. This movie is very far removed from the true life of this amazing saint, the directors definitely took a great deal of poetic licence.

Happy feast day St. Rita!!

Saints Gallery

Our Lady of Mount Carmalpencil drawing Mariola K. Paini

Quoting Paul

The other night Paul said something that I just knew was a quotable quote, in fact as soon as the words came out of his mouth I stopped him from speaking further so I could right down exactly what he said. I thought it was perfect, especially since it came from a discussion about St. Zita.

"We do God's work when we do our own well, and with the right intentions." ~Paul

Saint Zita

St. Zita was born into a poor but holy Christian family. Her older sister became a Cistercian nun and her uncle Graziano was a hermit whom the local people regarded as a saint.

Zita herself always tried to do God's will obediently whenever it was pointed out to her by her mother. At the age of twelve Zita became a housekeeper in the house of a rich weaver in Lucca, Italy, eight miles from her home at Monte Sagrati. As things turned out, she stayed with that family for the last forty-eight years of her life. She found time every day to attend Mass and to recite many prayers, as well as to carry out her household duties so perfectly that the other servants were jealous of her. Indeed, her work was part of her religion! She use to say: "a servant is not holy if she is not busy; lazy people of our position is fake holiness."

At first, her employers were upset by her generous gifts of food to the poor, but in time, they were completely won over by her patience and goodness and she became a very close friend. St. Zita was given a free reign over her working schedule and busied herself with visits to the sick and those in prison. Word spread rapidly in Lucca of her good deeds and the heavenly visions that appeared to her.

She was sought out by the important people, and at her death in 1278 the people acclaimed her as a saint.

She is the patroness of domestic workers.

Felt Softies

I found a really cute shop on Etsy that makes saint dolls out of felt. They are just adorable and look to be really well made. Now when ever I look through anything about saints I always look for Saint Rita of Cascia, so that's the picture I'm going to share with you.

I hope you check out this shop (HERE), I think these would make a great gift to any newly Confirmed Catholics or those who will be and have already chosen their patron saint.

Saint Colette

Colette was born in Corbie, France. At 21 she began to follow the Third Order Rule and became an anchoress, a woman walled into a room whose only opening was a window into a church.

After four years of prayer and penance in this cell, she left it. With the approval and encouragement of the pope, she joined the Poor Clares and reintroduced the primitive Rule of St. Clare in the 17 monasteries she established. Her sisters were known for their poverty—they rejected any fixed income—and for their perpetual fast. Colette’s reform movement spread to other countries and is still thriving today. Colette was canonized in 1807.

Holy Card

Prayer of St. Ephraim

O Lord and Master of my life,

give me not the spirit of laziness,

despair, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of sobriety,

humility, patience and love to Thy servant.

Yea, O Lord and King,

grant me to see my own transgressions

and not to judge my brother,

for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages.

Amen

Happy Feast Day!

St. Rita was born at Spoleto, Italy in 1381. At an early age, she begged her parents to allow her to enter a convent. Instead they arranged a marriage for her. Rita became a good wife and mother, but her husband was a man of violent temper. In anger he often mistreated his wife. He taught their children his own evil ways.

Rita tried to perform her duties faithfully and to pray and receive the sacraments frequently. After nearly twenty years of marriage, her husband was stabbed by an enemy but before he died, he repented because Rita prayed for him. Shortly afterwards, her two sons died, and Rita was alone in the world. Prayer, fasting, penances of many kinds, and good works filled her days. She was admitted to the convent of the Augustinian nuns at Cascia in Umbria, and began a life of perfect obedience and great charity.

Sister Rita had a great devotion to the Passion of Christ. "Please let me suffer like you, Divine Saviour," she said one day, and suddenly one of the thorns from the crucifix struck her on the forehead. It left a deep wound which did not heal and which caused her much suffering for the rest of her life. She died on May 22, 1457. She is the patroness of impossible cases. Her feast day is May 22.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=205

St. Patrick's Day

A National Holiday in Ireland, St Patrick's Day began as an annual feast day in honor of the Patron Saint, Patrick,(Circa 385-461 AD), in the early 17th century. Usually celebrated on the 17th of March, it was primarily a feast and a holy day for the Roman Catholics in Ireland. Traditionally, families attended church services early in the day and followed up with a big feast throughout the day.

The day of the feast, or St. Patrick's Day, has been moved on occasions at the direction of the church authorities when the holiday falls during Holy Week. This has been done both in 1940 and as recent as 2008; a somewhat controversial decision. One can see from this that St Patrick's Day in Ireland has a more religious tone than the celebrations outside of Ireland, and as celebrations become more secular, more controversy has been generated around the nature of the celebrations.

An act of Parliament created the March 17th holiday in 1903. A law which required pubs to be closed on that day, was passed shortly after and was only repealed as late as the 1970's. So the custom of imbibing huge amounts of liquor on St Patrick's Day was by no means a custom in Ireland. The first St Patrick's Day parades were organized by Irish immigrants in the United States as early as the 18th century. It was not until 1931 that Dublin hosted the first St Patrick's Day parade in Ireland.

Much later in 1996, the first St Patrick's Day Festival was held on March 17th and has grown from a one day to a one week celebration. The festival theme has been introduced by the Irish government as a means to promote Ireland and its culture. But behind all the parades and festivals, St Patrick's Day celebration in Ireland remains primarily, a religious one.

Many government officials as well as representatives of the major political parties of Northern Island and the Republic of Ireland, attend ceremonies at home and as guests of other countries where St Patrick's Day is celebrated. The Irish Taoisigh (the head of the Government of Ireland) is present at special functions both in Ireland and abroad during the week long celebrations and has presented Shamrocks to the US President and House Speaker. It is common practice for the President of Ireland and the Taoiseach to be away from Ireland during their own festivities, celebrating the holiday in different US States, Hong Kong, South Africa and Japan, to name a few.

A visitor to Ireland would have many choices of where to celebrate...

To read the whole article click here

Collage Of Christ & Saints

St. John Joseph of the Cross

St. John Joseph of the Cross was born about the middle of the seventeenth century in the beautiful island of Ischia, near Naples. From his childhood he was the model of virtue, and in his sixteenth year he entered the Franciscan Order of the Strictest Observance, or Reform of St. Peter of Alcantara. Such was the edification he gave in his Order, that within three years after his profession he was sent to found a monastery in Piedmont. He became a priest out of obedience, and obtained, as it seems, an inspired knowledge of moral theology. With his superiors' permission he built another convent and drew up rules for that community, which were confirmed by the Holy See. He afterward became Master of Novices. Sometimes later he was made provincial of the province of Naples, erected in the beginning of the eightheenth century by Clement XI. He labored hard to establish in Italy that branch of his Order which the sovereign Pontiff had separated from the one in Spain. In his work he suffered much, and became the victim of numerous calumnies. However, the saint succeeded in his labors, endeavoring to instill in the hearts of his subjects, the double spirit of contemplation and penance bequeathed to his Reform by St. Peter of Alcantara. St. John Joseph exemplified the most sublime virtues, especially humility and religious discipline. He also possessed numerous gifts in the supernatural order, such as those of prophesy and miracles. Finally,consumed by labors for the glory of God, he was called to his reward. Stricken with apoplexy, he died an octogenarian in his convent at Naples on March 5, 1734. His feast day is March 5th.

Prayer's For Employment

There are many people who either are, or will be, facing some tough financial challenges. There have been stories on the news of people who are so overcome with fear, doubt, and helplessness, that they have taken their own lives.

The most recent story was tonight. A woman who couldn't pay her rent after losing a job, and was evicted after 6months of trying to make mini-payments, she was found inside the property this afternoon. She had lost all hope.

I was told this while listen to a loved one talk about her day at work.

Please keep all of those who have suffered because of the economic situation the world is in today in your prayers and in your hearts.

Prayer to Saint Joseph

Dear Saint Joseph, you were yourself once faced with the responsibility of providing the necessities of life for Jesus and Mary. Look down with fatherly compassion upon me in my anxiety over my present inability to support my family. Please help me to find gainful employment very soon, so that this heavy burden of concern will be lifted from my heart and that I am soon able to provide for those whom God has entrusted to my care.
Help us to guard against bitterness and discouragement, so that we may emerge from this trial spiritually enriched and with even greater blessings from God.

Amen

Saint Rita

There is a Nation Shrine To Saint Rita Of Cascia, and it is beautiful. I hope that someday I am able to go there, hopefully on her Feast Day. That would be wonderful. If you go to the website you can take a virtual tour. Just click on the link above.

St. Catherine de Ricci

St. Catherine was born in Florence in 1522. Her baptismal name was Alexandrina, but she took the name of Catherine upon entering religion. From her earliest infancy she manifested a great love of prayer, and in her sixth year, her father placed her in the convent of Monticelli in Florence, where her aunt, Louisa de Ricci, was a nun. After a brief return home, she entered the convent of the Dominican nuns at Prat in Tuscany, in her fourteenth year. While very young, she was chosen Mistress of Novices, then subprioress, and at twenty-five years of age she became perpetual prioress. The reputation of her sanctity drew to her side many illustrious personages, among whom three later sat in the chair of Peter, namely Cerveni, Alexander de Medicis, and Aldo Brandini, and afterward Marcellus II, Clement VIII, and Leo XI respectively. She corresponded with St. Philip Neri and, while still living, she appeared to him in Rome in a miraculous manner. She is famous for the "Ecstacy of the Passion" which she experienced every Thursday from noon until Friday at 4:00 p.m. for twelve years. After a long illness she passed away in 1589. Her feast day is February 13.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=587

"Charity may be a very short word, but with its tremendous meaning of pure love, it sums up man's entire relation to God and to his neighbor." ~ St Aelred of Rievaulx

St. John of the Cross

Born in Spain in 1542, John learned the importance of self-sacrificing love from his parents. His father gave up wealth, status, and comfort when he married a weaver's daughter and was disowned by his noble family. After his father died, his mother kept the destitute family together as they wandered homeless in search of work. These were the examples of sacrifice that John followed with his own great love -- God.
When the family finally found work, John still went hungry in the middle of the wealthiest city in Spain. At fourteen, John took a job caring for hospital patients who suffered from incurable diseases and madness. It was out of this poverty and suffering, that John learned to search for beauty and happiness not in the world, but in God.
After John joined the Carmelite order, Saint Teresa of Avila asked him to help her reform movement. John supported her belief that the order should return to its life of prayer. But many Carmelites felt threatened by this reform, and some members of John's own order kidnapped him. He was locked in a cell six feet by ten feet and beaten three times a week by the monks. There was only one tiny window high up near the ceiling. Yet in that unbearable dark, cold, and desolation, his love and faith were like fire and light. He had nothing left but God -- and God brought John his greatest joys in that tiny cell.
After nine months, John escaped by unscrewing the lock on his door and creeping past the guard. Taking only the mystical poetry he had written in his cell, he climbed out a window using a rope made of stirps of blankets. With no idea where he was, he followed a dog to civilization. He hid from pursuers in a convent infirmary where he read his poetry to the nuns. From then on his life was devoted to sharing and explaining his experience of God's love.
His life of poverty and persecution could have produced a bitter cynic. Instead it gave birth to a compassionate mystic, who lived by the beliefs that "Who has ever seen people persuaded to love God by harshness?" and "Where there is no love, put love -- and you will find love."
John left us many books of practical advice on spiritual growth and prayer that are just as relevant today as they were then. These books include:
Ascent of Mount Carmel
Dark Night of the Soul
and A Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and the Bridegroom Christ
Since joy comes only from God, John believed that someone who seeks happiness in the world is like "a famished person who opens his mouth to satisfy himself with air." He taught that only by breaking the rope of our desires could we fly up to God. Above all, he was concerned for those who suffered dryness or depression in their spiritual life and offered encouragement that God loved them and was leading them deeper into faith.
"What more do you want, o soul! And what else do you search for outside, when within yourself you possess your riches, delights, satisfaction and kingdom -- your beloved whom you desire and seek? Desire him there, adore him there. Do not go in pursuit of him outside yourself. You will only become distracted and you won't find him, or enjoy him more than by seeking him within you." -- Saint John of the Cross In His Footsteps:
John of the Cross believed it was just as dangerous to get attached to spiritual delights as worldly pleasures. Do you expect to get something -- a good feeling, a sense of God -- from prayer or worship? Do you continue to pray and worship when you feel alone or dry? Prayer:
Saint John of the Cross, in the darkness of your worst moments, when you were alone and persecuted, you found God. Help me to have faith that God is there especially in the times when God seems absent and far away. Amen