Clare's Catholic Clutter

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Fahrenheit 451***

2012-01-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

"Wonder why we're recommending so many books? Read this and feel the urgency, the necessity of literacy and education. Also it is just a great read!"

This book is incredibly well-written. I can not even adequately describe the way Ray Bradbury strings together words into a beautiful masterpiece of a literary work. It absolutely must be read, if only to appreciate the verbal jewel which Bradbury has constructed. Indeed, Bradbury's writing is so superb that I was not satisfied just to read the book but also eagerly devoured the Afterword and Coda. As a sidenote, I highly recommend reading the Coda at the end of the book.

In addition, this book's message is spot-on. It forces one to see the importance of the written word and the dangers of technology. In some ways this book reminded me of the Disney/Pixar movie Wall-E, except that it was better and made more sense. It is a particularly fascinating read at the present time, as our society steadily transitions to a technological society, a "culture of the image," if you will, with increasing dependence on electronic devices.

I especially appreciated how Montag was totally lost until Clarisse's simple love came into his life. All it took was for someone to pay attention to him, to look "straight at me as if I counted." Our simple acts of love can do so much, they can prove to others that they do matter, that they are worth something, and they can change hearts.

Oh and I love that the book ends with a quote from the Bible!

This book is an absolute must-read!

Some quotes:

"Well, after all, this is the age of the disposable tissue. Blow your nose on a person, wad them, flush them away, reach for another, blow, wad, flush. Everyone using everyone else's coattails."

"I like to watch people. Sometimes I ride the subway all day and look at them and listen to them. I just want to figure out who they are and what they want and where they're going."

"We need not to be let alone. We need to be really bothered once in a while. How long is it since you were really bothered? About something important, about something real?"

"The home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school. That's why we've lowered the kindergarten age year after year until now we're almost snatching them from the cradle."

"But Clarisse's favorite subject wasn't herself. It was everyone else, and me. She was the first person in a good many years I've really liked. She was the first person I can remember who looked straight at me as if I counted."

"I often wonder if God recognizes His own Son the way we've dressed Him up, or is it dressed Him down? He's a regular peppermint stick now, all sugar-crystal and saccharine when He isn't making veiled references to certain commercial products that every worshipper absolutely needs."

"The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies."

"In the silence our stage whisper might carry."

"Mistakes can be profited by."

"remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority. Oh the terrible tyranny of the majority."

"you can't make people listen. They have to come 'round in their own time, wondering what happened and why the world blew up under them. It can't last."

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Divine Comedy**

2012-01-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

This work is toweringly beautiful and surprisingly deep. The punishments meted out in the inferno are shocking to modern ears but truly fascinating.

Well, first of all, since the library doesn't seem to understand this, I just want to clarify for everyone that this book is FICTION. Which, somewhat surprisingly, is actually something that I frequently had to remind myself of as I read it. This epic poem depicts Dante's symbolic representations of hell, purgatory, and heaven. The real things are probably nothing like what Dante describes.

If you are going to read this book I would suggest that you get a copy which includes an introduction to each Canto, so you know what's going on, and copious footnotes. I also suggest thtat you read these introductions and footnotes. For myself, I usually skip over such things and get right into the story. The problem with The Divine Comedy, however, is that you really can't understand it without these helpful additions.

T.S. Eliot once said "Dante and Shakespeare divide the world between them, there is no third." In other words, these are the greatest writers of all time. After reading both Shakespeare and Dante I have come to the conclusion that they are so, not because their stories are particularly good (though Shakespeare does have an occasional gem), but because their poetry is superb. Undoubtedly, Dante's writing is exquisite. However, his story is a chore to get through. Frankly, I don't think it's very good. Which is a little ridiculous since he is writing about the afterlife, I mean who would've thought that could be boring? The one thing I can say for his story is that the symbolism is superb. However, you'll never even know it's there if you don't read the footnotes. And interrupting the story every two lines to see what he's talking about makes the experience quite tedious. So if you're about to pick up this book be prepared for a long journey through the labyrinth of Dante's poetry.

In addition, I take theological issue with Dante on several points. Now, as I said before, this is fiction, so I have to give Dante a certain amount of artistic license. But there are certain points in which I think he went too far. For starters, I'm really not a fan of Dante putting actual people in hell. When it comes down to it, it really seems like his entire purpose in writing The Inferno was so that he could put people he didn't like there. Furthermore, I was very annoyed with a particular scenario in which Dante puts the soul of a still living person in hell. This completely contradicts God's mercy and reinforces the theory that Dante is simply writing this poem as revenge.

A few good quotes:

Speaking of Purgatory - "Next you shall see upon a burning mountain souls in fire and yet content in fire, knowing that whensoever it may be they yet will mount into the blessed choir."

"O Christians be more careful as ye move! And be not like a feather to the wind, Nor think that every water will absolve you! Ye have the Testament, both New and Old, The Shepherd of the Church to guide your steps: Let these suffice to lead you to salvation!"

"Christ did not say to His first company: 'Go forth, to preach vain stories to the world,' But for sure foundation gave them truth. So mighty did this truth sound from their mouths That in their battle to enkindle faith They made their shields and lances of the Gospel."

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Art of War***

2011-08-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

This slender volume is a must despite it's seeming incongruity with modern female life. We have to be on our toes all the time and Sun Tzu fully understands and explains how to think about this.

This book had me humming "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan all afternoon.

This book is called The Art of War for a reason. It's all about strategy. Because of this much of it is applicable to everyday life.

Also, I think every Commander in Chief of the United States should be required to read this book. America's being involved in war also gives an interesting perspective to The Art of War.

Good Quotes:

"The Way means virtue. It is first necessary to compare the political leadership of nations at war."

"Therefore it is said that victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."

"If you use the enemy to defeat the enemy, you will be strong wherever you go."

"Using order to deal with the disorderly, using calm to deal with the clamorous, is mastering the heart."

"So the rule of military operations is not to count on opponents not coming, but to rely on having ways of dealing with them; not to count on opponents not attacking, but to rely on having what cannot be attacked."

"A government should not mobilize an army out of anger, military leaders should not provoke war out of wrath. Act when it is beneficial, desist if it is not. Anger can revert to joy, wroth can revert to delight, but a nation destroyed cannot be restored to existence, and the dead cannot be restored to life."

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - This Side of Paradise***

2011-08-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

Another coming of age novel that will keep you at the edge of your seat. This one is all about discovering what one really thinks and why. An astonishing first novel from one of the 20th century's greatest.

I like this book. I wasn't sure if I would because the only other Fitzgerald book I've ever read just confused me. Fitzgerald doesn't always make his point blatantly obvious and so the last novel of his that I read went right over my head and I wasn't able to appreciate it. However, being aware of this problem, I paid attention this time, figured out what he was talking about, and more-or-less agreed with it.

What I got out of this book is that life without God is empty. The main character tries to fill this spiritual vacuum with all different things: ambition, love, etc. but nothing satisfies. The point is made that these idols are "a poor substitute at best."

The ending is well done. It lacks finality, allowing, rather, for the character to exit the stage and walk out into the unknown future; leaving the reader to wonder what path Amory Blaine chose for his life.

Good Quotes:

"I act as an escape from the weariness of agnosticism, and I think I'm the only man who knows his staid old mind is really at sea and longs for a sturdy spar like the Church to cling to."

"Whatever your meter proves to be - religion, architecture, literature - I'm sure you would be much safer anchored to the Church."

"If we could only learn to look on evil as evil, whether it's clothed in filth or mediocrity or magnificence."

"You make a great mistake if you think you can be romantic without religion."

"He wondered that graves ever made people consider life in vain. Somehow he could find nothing hopeless in having lived."

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Prisoner of Zenda****

2011-08-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Dashing adventure, fictional kingdoms and mistaken identity make Anthony Hope's novel sheer delight.

This book seems at first to be just a good story; well-written, clever, and all that, but the last two chapters make it a book that every woman should read. It is indeed a "sheer delight," a thoroughly enjoyable read. It is very well-written with beautiful description. The chapter "A New Use for a Tea-Table" is particularly enjoyable and every woman should aspire to fall in love with a man like Rudolph. I highly recommend this book!

Quotes:

"I can thank God that I love the noblest lady in the world, the most gracious and beautiful, and that there was nothing in my love that made her fall short in her high duty.

"if I can never hold sweet converse again with her, or look upon her face, or know from her her love; why, then, this side of the grave, I will live as becomes the man whom she loves."

"It was a maxim of my Uncle William's that no man should pass through Paris without spending four-and-twenty hours there."

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Paradise Lost**

2011-08-11T17:32:00.000-07:00

This is an all-time world classic and well worth the extra effort. The language may be somewhat unfamiliar to most but will be readily understood with a bit of patience.

Well the first thing to remember is that Milton (the author) was a Protestant. Therefore, he necessarily makes doctrinal errors when discussing theology. Now, I do understand that this is meant to be a novel so there is some poetic license. However, Milton, speaking as a Protestant, does contradict some fundamental points of doctrine and that could be very confusing for someone who is not steeped in Catholic theology.

Paradise Lost is actually an epic poem which was kind of cool at first but gets kind of annoying after a while. The language is difficult to understand and the poetic rhythm gets a bit repetitive. And the book just seems to drag on. By the end I was just sick of it.

Honestly, if I want to read about the fall of man, I'll pick up the Bible.

Quotes:

"But their spite still serves His glory to augment."

"Yet live in hatred, enmity, and strife Among themselves, and levy cruel wars, Wasting the earth, each other to destroy - As if (which might induce us to accord) Man had not hellish foes enough besides, That day and night for his destruction wait"

"in mercy and justice both, Through Heaven and Earth, so shall my glory excel, But mercy, first and last, shall brightest shine"

"How few sometimes may know when thousands err"

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Witch of Blackbird Pond***

2011-08-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Although this is a young-adult novel, it's information and context may help illumine the period for you. Especially nice if you read it along with The Scarlet Letter.

This book was fine but I didn't really think it belonged on a list of books that you should read. I mean it's good if you want to read it but there's nothing about it that really makes me want to convince you to read it. If you choose to read it you'll probably like it. It's a good story, an easy read, enjoyable, and it does have a very good ending.

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Seasoned Timber***

2011-08-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

This novel about age, loneliness, and education, centers around a male lead and the wisdom and peace and intensity of the novel are all quite worthwhile. Very enjoyable.

This story turns on the axis of human dignity. Through all the plots and sub-plots runs this thread.

There is so much to be gained from this novel. It bears incredible insights into human nature, life, love, etc. And it shows the centrality of the dignity of the human person in every aspect of life. This novel taught me about love, education, democracy, dignity, people . . . It taught me about life.

This book is fantastically well-written with beautiful, and startlingly accurate, description.

My only complaint is that there are socialist undertones.

Nevertheless it is a book that every woman (and every American) should read.

Quotes:

"the 20th century battlefield on which human dignity and decency fought for life against a reversion to savagery"

"What visual memories of beauty could be called up to stand against this sick exaggeration of ugliness?"

"Every time I look at a newspaper, these days, I want to hunt me up another kid and tell him, 'Load your gun and cock it and stand guard over the Bill of Rights with your eye peeled, American boy!"

"'Doesn't it sometimes make you wish you could die and get out of the mess?' 'It does not!' said the old man vehemently. 'What'd I want to die for? It makes me want to do something about it!'"

"Nobody's bound to get folks to do what he thinks is the right way. All that's laid on a man is not to let up on trying to."

"It doesn't make any difference whether it is literally illegal or not; it is wrong."

"freedom is not worth fighting for if it means no more than license"

"Timothy stood, not so much listening as borne up on this prodigious ocean of faith, in whose fathomless depths the ponderous, self-defeating, materialistic trust in Caesar sank like a stone"

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Master and Margarita*

2011-07-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

I'm so confused!

So I started reading this book and I had no idea where the author was going with it. And then I finished reading this book and still had no idea where the author was going with it. So, despite my chronic laziness, I turned to the commentary and afterword to try and figure out what the heck I had just read.

From the dust jacket I got this description of the book: "Together they succeed in comically befuddling a population which denies the devil's existence, even as it is confronted with the diabolic results of a magic act gone wrong." So far, so good.

However, as soon as you open this book you are confronted with this quote from Goethe's Faust: ". . . and so, who are you, after all? -I am part of the power which forever wills evil and forever works good." This quote is explained in the commentary which states "the epigraph introduces the theme of heresy, one which will be reinforced throughout this novel . . . Goethe believed in the theory of polarities which is essentially a version of Manichean thought. In the Manichean view, there are two cardinal principles in the world, the light and the dark, the good and the evil. In this scheme of things, as stated by Mephistopheles in Goethe's Faust, God dwells in eternal light, the devils are consigned in darkness, and human beings have only day and night. This sort of dualistic thinking was unacceptable to the Christian faith, which requires that good be stronger than evil, not equal to it; therefore this kind of worldview was considered heretical." So the reader is supposed to understand right from the beginning what becomes clear as the novel progresses, that this is a heretical, and primarily Manichean, work. It comes down to this: "Yeshua (Jesus) does not appear to be more powerful than Woland (Satan), and it is left quite unclear whether there is a power higher than Woland himself." I'm not okay with that and I would never feel comfortable recommending this book to anyone.

In addition to being heretical the book also deals extensively with witchcraft in a way that I was not at all comfortable with.

Furthermore, one basically has to have a working knowledge of Christology and Goethe's Faust to fully comprehend this book.

The author is a good satirist but that's about all I can say for the book. And I'm still not sure what the point of the book was.

If anyone has insights on the book I'd love to hear them as I'm still rather confused.

Good Quotes:

"'Keep in mind that Jesus did exist.' 'You know, Professor,' answered Berlioz with a forced smile, 'we respect your great knowledge, but we happen to have a different point of view regarding that issue.' 'No points of view are necessary,' replied the strange professor. 'He simply existed and that's all there is to it.'"

"What is it with you? Whatever comes up you say doesn't exist."

"'Why the icon?' 'Well the icon . . .' Ivan turned red, 'The icon was what scared them most of all"

"Who ever told you there is no such thing in the world as real, true, everlasting love? May the liar have his despicable tongue cut out!"

Love Carefully

2011-07-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

Every morning on my way to work I have to pass the local Planned Parenthood. A couple weeks ago I saw they had a new banner hanging outside proclaiming the message "Love Carefully."

Love carefully.

I hate to burst your bubble Planned Parenthood but that's not possible.

The nature of love is a complete gift of self. To love is to give yourself entirely to another person, to abandon yourself for the good of another. To love is to forsake your desires in favor of your beloved's. To sacrifice. To make yourself completely vulnerable to another in order to lift them up. That's why the image of love is the cross.

Love is radical. "It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." Love is a total abandonment of self, to the point that you would give your life for the beloved. There is nothing careful about love.

Don't love carefully. Love radically.

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Human Factor**

2011-07-23T19:09:00.000-07:00

"This espionage novel is a fascinating account of human weakness, wisdom and folly. Parsing the moral decisions would take months but the book itself can be read in but a few days. Graham Greene is rich."

This book was just kinda sad. It was cynical, God-less, and rather immoral. The one priest who shows up in the book does a pretty bad job of being a priest. And for an espionage novel it's not very exciting.

Also, it's kind of confusing, especially at the beginning because the author doesn't really tell you the setting or the time period or anything, you just kind of have to figure it out on your own. I'm not totally opposed to this, if the book had been a better book that might have been a really cool writing technique.

One good quote:

"'It's irreplaceable that one.' 'A man's dead,' said Daintry. 'He's irreplaceable too.'"

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Death Comes for the Archbishop***

2011-07-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

"Willa Cather has other books that one might think of as more 'womanly.' She does masterfully craft the strong female character, but this book has striking depth and richness and in our opinion ought to be higher on people's lists."

So this book is basically a Catholic western. I love it!

I wouldn't say that it's an amazing book but it's simple and beautiful. It's based on the life of the historical Bishop John Baptist Lamy, the first bishop of Santa Fe who, just like the Archbishop in the book, built a Cathedral for the diocese and brought from Europe a group of religious sisters to found a school for the Indian and Mexican children as well as other priests and religious to assist throughout the diocese.

The book gives a perfectly fair portrayal of the Church and does a good job of depicting missionary life. As a matter of fact, the chapter "The Month of Mary" is lovely! It gives a beautiful depiction of Fr. Vaillant's deep devotion to Our Blessed Mother and of his burning desire to bring souls back to God and the Church. Similarly, the chapter called "December Night" portrays a true childlike and deep faith. Also, the book devotes several pages to the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe which I greatly appreciated.

Some good quotes:

"Father Joseph said that, as for him, he would rather combat the superstitions of a whole Indian pueblo than the vanity of one white woman.

"The nursery tale could not vie with her [the Blessed Mother] in simplicity, the wisest theologians could not match her profundity."

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Mill on the Floss**

2011-07-19T14:27:00.000-07:00

"This is the story of a young woman's struggle for independence. It doesn't end in a satisfying way but there is so much about youth and love and power here that the book should be re-read many times."

This is, without a doubt, the most depressing book I have ever read in my entire life. The moral of this story is: life stinks and then you die.

First of all, bad families upset me. And Maggie's family is bad. They treat her horribly and it broke my heart from the first page of the book.

This is one of those books that it's hard to say anything about without giving away the whole thing so it looks like this is gonna be a pretty short review. The book is not badly written, I found in it elements reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, Jane Austen, and Jane Eyre, but it is so thouroughly depressing and disatisfying that it's hardly worth reading. It does have a lot of insight into youth and young "love" so that I can understand why it is on this list but I found it so upsetting that I would never want to recommend it to anyone because I would not want to encourage them toward depression.

Some good quotes:

"It was the first sign within the poor child of that new sense which is the gift of sorrow."

"Maggie, with all her keen susceptibility, yet felt as if the sorrow made larger room for her love to flow in."

"'I will not begin any future, even for you,' said Maggie, tremulously, 'with a deliberate consent to what ought not to have been. What I told you at Basset I feel now: I would rather have died than fall into this temptation.'"

"Faithfulness and constancy mean something else besides doing what is easiest and pleasantest to ourselves. They mean renouncing whatever is opposed to the reliance others have in us - whatever would cause misery to those whom the course of our lives has made dependent on us."

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Razor's Edge*

2011-07-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

"If you want to understand the bad-boy appeal and the drive for independence and adventure this is the book for you."

"A profoundly pathetic object," is an appropriate description of each character by the end of this book.

The book started out ok, it certainly wasn't the best book I've ever read but it wasn't the worst. If I hadn't ended up being disgusted with the book I would've just been indifferent towards it. Frankly, it's just depressing and there's not much more I can say for it. If you'd like to have a raincloud hovering over your day, this is the book for you.

In his conclusion, the author maintains that he has written a "success story" because all of the characters "got what they wanted." However, in the end, it's not whether they got what they wanted that really matters, it's whether they got what they needed, and what each one of them really needed was a good slap in the face. And so at the end we are left, as we began, with a cast of "profoundly pathetic object[s]."

A few quotes:

"Marriage is a serious matter on which rest the security of the family and the stability of the state."

"nothing is easier than to bear other people's calamities with fortitude"

"Though not a Catholic, I can never attend Mass without a sense of tremulous awe when the little tinkle of the servitor's bell informs me of the Elevation of the Host; and now, similarly, I shivered as though a cold wind ran through me, I shivered with fear and wonder."

"marriage still remains the most satisfactory profession a woman can adopt"

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Republic***

2011-07-12T17:52:00.000-07:00

"So much of Western thought is colored by knowledge of Plato and his forms, it can be frustrating to try and read a philosophy textbook but actually reading Plato is relatively simple and very satisfying."

Everyone should read this book! It definitely stretched my intellectual muscles - after a month out of school it was nice to know my brain still worked.

All of Plato's works are written in the person of Socrates who is a brilliant debater! After talking circles around one of his opponents the man declares that, "For myself . . . I am quite ready to join your side of the quarrel." His discussion of justice and injustice cuts right to the heart of human nature and he goes on to more or less disprove Greek theology and prove Christianity to the best of his ability.

I don't agree with everything in this book but for the most part they are intellectual disagreements. In other words, even when Socrates/Plato is wrong he doesn't annoy me because he's not just some idiot spewing random opinions - he really believes what he's saying and has intelligent reasoning to back it up. He even goes on to discuss the fact that opinions are only as good as the facts that back them up.

However, speaking of my disagreements with Plato, allow me to enumerate some of them. First of all, the entire section on Women and the Family is terribly disturbing. And, apparently, Plato supports abortion and infanticide, which is definitely not just an intellectual disagreement. The root of Plato's problems is his lack of respect for the individual. The good of the individual is constantly sacrificed for the community. But, what Plato fails to realize is that the community is made up of individuals. For example: Plato will sacrifice the happiness of individuals for the happiness of the community. But communities are made up of individuals so if you sacrifice the happiness of the individual you sacrifice the happiness of the community. And soon enough you'll find that you've sacrificed the happiness of every individual in the community and if everyone in the community is unhappy, how can the community be happy? At the end of the day, someone could write a great sci-fi novel about the society that Plato proposes.

That being said, I reiterate that everyone should read this book, if only to get you to think a little.

Some good quotes:

"the music and literature of a country cannot be altered without major political and social changes"

"it is in education that disorder can most easily creep in unobserved"

"and so, because he knows, we can rightly call his state of mind one of knowledge; and that of the other man, who holds opinions only, opinion"

"they have no right to be annoyed at the truth"

"he's drawn to complete license (which his tempters call complete liberty)"

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Tale of Genji**

2011-06-22T14:35:00.000-07:00

"Ok, you don't have to read this one, but you should learn about it. It is a very long, repetitive work but it is the first novel ever written and it was written by a woman in eleventh century Japan."

So I decided to be an overachiever and read this whole book. I've been working on it since January. It is, indeed, very long and repetitive, not to mention morally repulsive.

It was very difficult for me to read this book due to the fact that it was written long before Christianity came to Japan and is therefore completely void of any Christian influence. My Catholic brain had a very hard time wrapping itself around a culture completely devoid of Christianity.

The book centers around the character of Genji, the son of an Emperor and one of his concubines. It chronicles the life and numerous "amorous exploits" of this man, and then of two of his descendants.

What I learned from this book was that early Japanese culture was pretty hostile to women. Despite the fact that this novel was written by a woman there are a definite lack of strong female characters. There is no lack of females but they are all entirely helpless when it comes to defending their honor, which they need to do quite frequently, as the men of early Japan were apparently not very good at self-control.

In the end I just found this book to be utterly frustrating. It was ridiculously long, it was repetitive, the men were jerks, the women were wimps, and the morality was practically nill. I'm giving it two stars in deference to its historical significance as the first novel ever written. It was also well written. When I first began the book I thought it would be interesting and my hope returned upon reading chapter 45 but, alas, it was not to be. And so I beg you all for your own sanity to avoid reading it! You should learn about it. But don't read it.

Some good quotes:

"There may seem to have been nothing wrong with a woman making her own choice in the first place, when it turns out to be succesful after all and the outcome honors her, but actually, everything I hear suggests that the worst mistake a girl can make is to act as she pleases in secret, merely because of something someone happens to have told her, without a word to her parents or the permission of those from whom she should seek it."

"Yes, she thought, her name would be bandied about shamefully enough, but she meant to answer her own heart's questions with honor."

"Human life is short enough as it is, and we must respect what remains of hers, even if it is no more than a day or two."

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Crime and Punishment****

2011-02-06T14:18:00.000-08:00

I'm having trouble figuring out how to explain the amazingness of this book without giving away the whole thing. Well, as you can see, it is a tale of crime and punishment. In examining a man's sick conscience, it seems that the greatest punishment is always self inflected whereas the punishment of the state can, in fact, be a healing experience, a means of cleansing the soul by making reparation for one's sins. The greatest struggle is admitting that one needs forgiveness and then forgiving oneself. This is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it!

Some quotes:

"'That's enough!' he said, solemnly and decisively. 'Begone, mirages, begone, affected terrors, begone, apparitions! . . . There's a life to be lived! I was alive just now, after all, wasn't I? My life didn't die along with the old woman! May she attain the heavenly kingdom - enough, old lady, it's time you retired! Now is the kingdom of reason and light, and . . . freedom and strength . . . and now we shall see!"

"no, even supposing he knew that he, too, if ever so slightly, was a decent human being . . . well, what was there to be proud of about that? Everyone ought to be a decent human being"

"That's why they have such distaste for the living process of life: they don't want the living soul! The living soul demands to live, the living soul isn't obedient to the laws of mechanics, the living soul is suspicious, the living soul is reactionary! No, what they prefer are souls which can be made out of rubber, even if they do have a smell of corpse-flesh - but at any rate they're not alive, they have no will of their own, they're servile, won't rebel! . . . Their phalansteries may be ready, but the human nature that would fit them is not yet ready, it wants to live, it hasn't yet completed the vital process, it's not ready for the burial-ground!"

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Man Who Was Thursday****

2011-01-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

"Another fabulous book, which like If On A Winter's Night A Traveller . . . defies description. The denouement is as glorious as it nearly defies description."

This book is incredible! It's written by the great G.K. Chesterton who, by the way, is severely underrated. He is one of the finest authors I have ever encountered and it is tragic that he is mostly only known by Catholics. Yes, he was a Catholic and one of the finest Catholic writers that ever lived but beyond that he is simply a fantastic author and it is a tragedy that the majority of the population is not acquainted with his work.

This book is no disappointment, in fact it is one of the best books I have ever read. It does indeed defy description. I came upon a review of this work by Kate Christensen which I think says it best: "It's a wacky, nightmarish, deliriously well-written adventure story for grownups in which nothing is what it seems and everyone wears a mask, whether figurative or literal."

Now, don't let the word nightmare scare you off. After reading Frankenstein I was ready for something a little lighter and this certainly fit the bill. It is positively hilarious in its brilliance.

Also, everyone who aspires to be an artist or author, particularly poet, absolutely must read at least the first chapter of this book. Though by the end of the first chapter you will probably be hooked.

Some great quotes (and it was hard to pick just a few, I literally have 5 full pages of brilliant quotes from this book):

"'Your offer,' he said, 'is far too idiotic to be declined.'"
"Being surrounded with every conceivable kind of revolt from infancy, Gabriel had to revolt into something, so he revolted into the only thing left - sanity."

"It seemed almost as if all friendly words were to him lifeless conveniences, and his only life was hate."
"Like any man he was coward enough to fear great force; but he was not quite coward enough to admire it."
"But he did feel himself as the ambassador of all these common and kindly people in the street, who every day marched into battle to the music of the barrel-organ. And this high pride in being human had lifted him unaccountably to an infinite height above the monstrous men around him. For an instant, at least, he looked down upon all their sprawling eccentricities from the starry pinnacle of the commonplace."
"This very pride in keeping his word was that he was keeping it to miscreants."
"The devils might have captured heaven, but they had not yet captured the cross."
"Energy, he said, was the All. He was lame, shortsighted, and partially paralytic."
"always be comic in a tragedy. What the deuce else can you do?"

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Frankenstein****

2011-01-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

"In an era of genetic experiments, stem cell research and cloning we need a reminder to examine the moral issues surrounding science. Mary Shelley, the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft and the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley, wrote a fascinating novel that can do just that."

This book is fantastic! I was afraid I would hate it cuz I'm really not into the whole scary story thing. But you know what I've discovered? I don't dislike horror novels. But here's the thing: I dislike modern horror. In modern horror the sole purpose of the book or movie is to scare your pants off. So the entire "story," if it can be called that, is merely one grotesque scene after another with little or no plot to connect them. Classic horror, like Frankenstein, on the other hand is a story that happens to be horrific. However, it is horror with a point not just a grouping together of terrifying scenes. And the main point of this book, I would say, is that we wreak our own havoc by our sins. Though Mary Shelley never actually mentions God or religion in this book it is chock full of theological gold. And this book can be analyzed from so many different angles. For example: the monster as an allegory for sin.

When reading this book it is important to read the prologue in order to properly understand the story. It is also important to realize that Frankenstein is the name of the scientist who creates the monster, not the name of the monster itself which is never given a name but only called such things as "the monster" and "the creature."

One of the most horrifying parts of the book is when Frankenstein is creating the monster. This intelligent young man withdraws from society, abandons friends and family, and closes in on himself, focused only on his creation. He haunts cemeteries and morgues to find parts for his creature, abandoning the society of all but the dead. Things which had formerly held pleasure for him are overlooked. He can no longer see the beauty in the nature which he had formerly adored. And it is not until he looks his creature in the eye that he realizes what he has done. He is only cured of his sickness of the mind by suffering through physical illness which he attests to when he says: "I felt also sentiments of joy and affection revive in my bosom, my gloom disappeared and in a short time I became as cheerful as before I was attacked by the fatal passion." But even this cannot undo what he has done and he is haunted for the rest of his life by his monster.

Some great quotes:

"how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow."
"If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections, and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures in which no alloy can possibly mix, then that study is certainly unlawful, that is to say, not befitting the human mind."
"I collected bones from charnel houses and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame. In a solitary chamber, or rather cell, at the top of the house, and separated from all the other apartments by a gallery and staircase, I kept my workshop of filthy creation. My eyeballs were starting from their sockets in attending to the details of my employment. The dissecting room and the slaughterhouse furnished many of my materials and often did my human nature turn with loathing from my occupation, while still urged on by an eagerness which perpetually increased."
"How dare you sport thus with life?"
"Come, Victor, not brooding thoughts of vengeance against the assassin, but with feelings of peace and gentleness, that will heal, instead of festering, the wounds of our minds."
"You are my creator, but I am your master. Obey!"
"Seek happiness in tranquility and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing yourself in science and discoveries."
"I was the slave, not the master, of an impulse which I detested yet could not disobey."

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Animal Farm****

2011-01-04T11:12:00.000-08:00

"This classic Orwell title is both a quick read and a powerful insight into totalitarian regimes. Orwell was himself a Socialist but clearly saw the dangers inherent in the Russian regime."

This is a small, easy-to-read satire of the evils of the Soviet Union. Orwell beautifully simplifies these evils, which have so often been obscured in long, complicated speeches, so that anyone can understand them. As the Complete Woman Blog says, Orwell was indeed a socialist and so it is interesting to see the USSR from the perspective of this purist. He clearly advocates true communism, as evidenced in the early chapters of the book, but sees that what the Soviet Union came to was not Marx's idea of communism. I would be interested to discuss with Orwell how he felt a society could achieve true communism without falling into the vicious cycle of tyranny which seems inevitable in Animal Farm.

This is an important book today as we continue to face the evils of socialism even in America. It is important that we fully understand the consequences of this system.

It is also important, in order to understand the book, to realize from the beginning that this is, as Orwell says, a "fairy story." For example, the animals are able to communicate, not only amongst themselves, but with humans as well.

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - If On A Winter's Night A Traveller*

2011-01-01T20:15:00.000-08:00

"There is no way to describe this book without explaining the entire thing. It is unexpected, profoundly unexpected. It is literary post-modernism and that is, for it, a high compliment. Go out and get a copy and then read about yourself doing so."

The beginning of this book is positively fantastic. It is a novel about novels in which you are reading about reading. It is a book about the reader. It is different, in fact, I think I can guarantee that you will never read another book like it. After reading the first two chapters I was prepared to give it four stars. In chapter three it got a little weird but I waded through it expecting the novel to get back on track in the next chapter. And then I ran headlong into the fourth chapter which was atrocious and the book went rapidly downhill from there. I continued on because I was determined to read all 100 of these books in their entirety. But then chapter six rolled around and destroyed any final hope of this book's redeeming itself. I have now completely abandoned it, never again to darken my mind with it's absurdities.

Basically, this book isn't worth the paper it's printed on. It could have been but it isn't. I hope the author is happy.

One good quote:

"the novel to be read is superimposed by a possible novel to be lived, the continuation of your story . . . or better still, the beginning of a possible story."

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - A Girl of the Limberlost****

2010-12-26T22:14:00.001-08:00

"This coming-of-age novel is engaging on several levels. The naturalist's love of the Limberlost, the tormented mother-daughter relationship and the final realization of perspective and truth all work together in a truly delightful story."

This book is phenomenal! I don't even know where to begin with singing its praises! Well I suppose the best place to begin is with the exceptional main character, Elnora Comstock. She is an incredibly strong and beautiful woman and a fantastic role model for girls. She has a strength that is rooted in herself which gets her through every trial and tribulation which she must endure. Nearly everything that this book teaches flows from Elnora. Perhaps the greatest lesson that Elnora embodies is a control over emotion which allows her to make clear-headed decisions and retain her composure even in the most stressful situations.

In addition, this book is fantastic for highlighting the mother-daughter relationship; showing the effects both of a bad relationship and a good one. It clearly demonstrates the effect that a mother has on her child, how she influences his or her entire life both by the way she raises her child and the way she conducts herself.

Since I am studying to be a teacher I was very excited to find some great advice for teachers in this book:

"You have an hour to put an idea into our heads that will stick for a lifetime and grow for good. That's the way I look at your job. Now, what are you going to give us? We don't want any old silly stuff that has been hashed over and over, we want a big new idea to plant in our hearts."

Another fantastic quote:

"The world is full of happy people but no one ever hears of them."

I wish I could say more about this book, it's so fantastic, but I'm afraid I'll give the whole thing away! So I'll just say that it is an absolute must read!

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius**

2010-12-23T12:02:00.000-08:00

"The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are a fascinating insight into Stoic philosophy and while we don't advocate Stoicism, we do appreciate that he tells you how to get up in the morning when your pillow doesn't want to let you go."

Meditations is basically a book of advice. In virtue of this, it is rather tedious and hard to get through, despite being a fairly small book. It's not a bad book but I wouldn't say it's a necessary read. Marcus Aurelius gets some things right and some things wrong in his meditations. The things that he gets right you can find in the Bible and the things he gets wrong aren't worth reading. It's actually rather frustrating how he comes so close to the truth at some points and then veers rapidly in the other direction.

Happy Birthday Mama Mary!

2010-09-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today is the feast of the birth of the Blessed Mother!!!!! In the eloquent words of Fr. Conrad "Happy your mother's birthday!"

Mary was the only child of Sts. Anne and Joachim. The couple were growing old and it seemed impossible that they would ever have children. They both prayed fervently and each received a vision of angel telling them that Anne would bear a child and they were to name her Mary. Nine months later our blessed mother was born!

So happy your mother's birthday! Go make a cake and get her some flowers!

Saint of the Day - St. Regina

2010-09-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

Regina was born in Autun, France in the 200's. Her parents were pagans but when her mother died in childbirth, Regina's Christian nurse had the child baptised. Regina's father was furious and disowned the girl, who went to live with her nurse as a shepherdess.

Regina grew into a beautiful young woman who soon caught the eye of Olybrius, the prefect of the province. Having dedicated her life to God, Regina rebuked him. Before leaving on a journey, Olybrius threw the girl in prison where she remained until he returned.

The head jailer was Regina's father, who had offered to reconcile with his daughter when he discovered that she had an important suitor. But she rebuked him as well and so, to prove his indifference to his daughter, Regina's father guarded her extra closely, locking her in an iron belt chained to the wall.

When Olybrius returned from his journey he once again approached Regina and she once again refused him. He then had her scourged and tortured. Lying in her cell that night, Regina had a vision of the cross and heard a voice telling her that her release would be soon. The next day she was again tortured and when she still refused to relent Olybrius had her beheaded. Many were converted when they witnessed a dove hovering over Regina's head.

St. Regina is the patroness: of poor people; of shepherdesses; and of victims of torture.

Saint of the Day - Blessed Bertrand

2010-09-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Bertrand was born around 1195 at Garrigue, in the diocese of Nimes, France. Not much is known about his early life, other than that he was a Cistercian priest who was fighting the heresy of Albigensianism.

He met St. Dominic while the saint was traveling with Bishop Diego. The two became lifelong friends and Bertrand assisted in convincing Dominic to join him in fighting heresy. Bertrand was one of the first to join the new Dominican order, taking the habit at Toulouse in 1216. He served as St. Dominic's right hand man, even taking charge of the order while Dominic travelled to Rome to seek papal approval for the order.

Bertrand was later sent on mission to Paris with Matthew of France. These two established and governed the first Dominican foundation at Paris where they developed the Dominican scholarly tradition.

In his later years Bertrand was appointed provincial of Provence. He was known for working miracles, for his austerity and holiness, and his humility. So great were his gifts that some began to refer to him as a second Dominic.

In 1230, Bertrand had travelled on mission to Garrigue to preach to the Cistercian sisters of St. Mary of the Woods. While on this trip he fell ill and passed away. The sisters buried him in their cemetery until it became clear from the vast number of pilgrims coming to visit his tomb, that Bertrand needed a more suitable burying place. Unfortunately, his relics were destroyed during the protestant revolution. Bertrand was beatified by Pope Leo XIII on July 14, 1881.

Saint of the Day - St. Bertin

2010-09-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

Bertin was born around 615 near Constance in France. He spent his childhood studying at the Abbey of Luxeil, France. The monks of this abbey followed the austere rule of St. Columban. Though, being only a student, Bertin was not obliged to follow this rule, he chose to do so anyway and was thus prepared when, upon reaching adulthood, he entered the order.

In 639 Bertin led two other monks in joining his relative, Bishop St. Omer, in the region of Pas-de-Calais in northern France. Their's was a missionary journey, to evangelize to the heathens of this desolate region.

The evangelization did not initially proceed very well. However, the monks took advantage of the opportunity to establish a monastery, which they placed under the patronage of St. Mommolin. Bertin was appointed abbot, a position in which he served until his death.

The new monastery, and the example of the holy monks, served as a beacon for the pagans and soon brought many to the faith. Bertin's example was especially inspiring and he soon had one hundred and fifty monks in his care. Twenty-two of these monks have since been canonized.

Bertin went on frequent missionary trips along with sending other monks on similar trips to England and other parts of France. When, due to old age, he was no longer able to make these trips, Bertin devoted his time to prayer and fasting, preparing himself for a holy death. He passed away of natural causes in 709.

Saint of the Day - St. Rosalia

2010-09-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

Rosalia, a descendant of Charlemagne, was born in 1130 at Palermo, Sicily, the daughter of Duke Sinibald and his wife Quisquina. From a young age Rosalia was aware that she was called to dedicate her life to God.

Upon entering adulthood she abandoned her family home and all worldly possessions to live out her life as a hermitess. A popular legend tells how Rosalia was led by two angels to a cave near her parents home. It was in this cave that she would spend the rest of her life, alone with her Lord. Rosalia expressed this desire when she etched into the wall of the cave the words "I, Rosalia, daughter of Sinibald, Lord of Roses, and Quisquina, have taken the resolution to live in this cave for the love of my Lord, Jesus Christ."

Rosalia spent the rest of her life in this cave, dedicating her life to prayer and fasting. She died alone in this cave, apparently of natural causes, in 1160.

In the year 1625, the plague was raging in Sicily. A man received a vision of this forgotten young woman who implored him to search for her remains. He led a group of monks who discovered Rosalia's cave and, in it, her relics. They paraded these relics through the city of Palermo and within three days the plague had vanished. The intercession of Rosalia was credited for this miracle and she was quickly declared the patroness of Palermo and all of Sicily.

Saint of the Day - Pope St. Gregory the Great

2010-09-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

Gregory was born in in 540 in Rome, Italy the son of Gordianus, a Roman senator. Gregory came from a family of saints, his mother being St. Silvia of Rome, his aunts Sts. Emilia and Tarsilla, and his great-grandfather Pope St. Felix III (who entered the priesthood following the death of his wife).

Gregory began his adult life by following his father in a political career. He served as prefect of Rome for a year before discerning a religious vocation. Upon this realization he sold all his worldly possessions and entered the Benedictine monastery of St. Andrew. He was eventually selected to be abbot of St. Andrew's. The Holy Father also recognized Gregory's talents and named him one of the seven deacons of Rome along with appointing him papal legate and sending him on a diplomatic mission to Constantinople where he remained for five years.

Upon the death of Pope Leo the Great in 590 Gregory was unanimously elected to be the next successor of Peter. Gregory, the first monk ever to be selected as pope, desired nothing more than to remain in his monastery but, after much prayer, he discerned that this was the Lord's will and accepted the invitation to ascend to the chair of Peter. This ascension occured on September 3, 590.

As Pope, Gregory had to deal with civil, as well as spiritual, matters, due to the helplessness of the Byzantine empire. In this role he negotiated a "separate peace" with the Lombards, a tribe of barbarians set on invading Rome and appointed governors to Italian cities. Gregory used the material possessions of the Church to relieve the sufferings of the poor and sent missionaries to France, Spain, Africa, and Britain which he had been particularly devoted to since witnessing the sale of English children in the Roman forum. Gregory insisted on the primacy of the Pope and promoted devotion to the liturgy especially sacred music. From this emerged a style of music known as Gregorian chant.

Gregory also composed numerous theological writings for which, after his death, he was declared one of the four great doctors of the Church.

Pope Gregory I passed away in Rome on March 12, 604 of natural causes. He is the patron saint: against gout; against plague; of choir boys; of educators; of England; of Kercem, Malta; of the diocese of Legazpi, Philippines; of masons; of Montone, Italy; of musicians; of the papacy; of Popes; of San Gregorio nelle Alpi, Italy; of schoolchildren; of singers; of stone masons; of stonecutters; of students; of teachers; and of the West Indies.

Saint of the Day - St. Ingrid of Sweden

2010-09-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

Ingrid was born in Skanninge, Sweden in the 13th century. She spent much of her young life under the spiritual direction of the Dominican priest Father Peter of Dacia.

Upon entering adulthood, Ingrid became the first Swedish woman to take the Dominican habit. In 1281 she founded the first Dominican convent in Sweden, St. Martin's, located in her hometown of Skanninge. She lived a cloistered life in St. Martin's until her death of natural causes in 1282.

Throughout her life, Ingrid was known for her sanctity, and a devotion to her sprang up almost immediately following her death and many miracles have been reported at her tomb.

Ingrid's cause for canonization, which had been brought by the Swedish bishops before the Council of Constance, was disrupted by the reformation. In the upheaval of the reformation St. Martin's was destroyed along with St. Ingrid's relics and her cause for canonization was never again taken up, so she has never been formally canonized, but is regarded as a saint by many and has her feast listed on the liturgical calendar.

Welcome to September!

2010-09-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

In the liturgical year each month is assigned a special devotion. Due to her feast on September 15, the month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. There are seven sorrows of Our Lady, all of which are bound up in her supreme sorrow at the foot of the cross. The seven sorrows are as follows:

1) the prophecy of Simeon - "and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, 'Behold this Child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

2) the flight into Egypt - "When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.' Joseph rose and took the Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt."

3) having lost the Holy Child at Jerusalem - "After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but His parents did not know it. Thinking that He was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for Him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for Him. After three days they found Him in the temple"

4) meeting Jesus on His way to Calvary

5) standing at the foot of the cross - "Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala."

6) Jesus being taken from the cross - "After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took His body."

7) the burial of Christ - "They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where He had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by."

Our Lady is described as having a "martyrdom of the heart" at the foot of the cross. Pope Pius XII states that "She it was who, immune from all sin, personal or inherited, and ever more closely united with her Son, offered Him on Golgotha to the Eternal Father together with the holocaust of her maternal rights and motherly love. As a new Eve, she made this offering for all the children of Adam contaminated through his unhappy fall. Thus she, who was the mother of our Head according to the flesh, became by a new title of sorrow and glory the spiritual mother of all His members."

Also, important as we begin September, are the Holy Father's prayer intentions for the month. First, the Holy Father asks that we pray "that in less developed parts of the world the proclamation of the Word of God may renew people's hearts, encouraging them to work actively toward authentic social progress." Secondly, the Holy Father prays "that by opening our hearts to love we may put an end to the numerous wars and conflicts which continue to bloody our world."

Saint of the Day - St. Giles

2010-09-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

St. Giles was born to a wealthy family in Aegidus, Greece in the 6th century. When his parents passed away Giles distributed his wealth amongst the poor. This action brought him to the attention of many people who desired to follow him. Having no desire for followers, Giles moved to France in 683 to seek the quiet life of a hermit.

Giles settled in a cave in the diocese of Nives, France, where he lived in peace for some time. Giles life was one of extreme poverty so that, legend has it, God sent a hind (female deer) to provide milk for Giles. One day a royal hunting party chased the hind into Giles cave and shot at it, missing and, instead, hitting Giles in the leg. The king sent physicians to care for Giles and became himself a frequent visitor of the hermit, despite Giles protestations.

The king's admiration of Giles caused his fame to spread throughout France. The king built for Giles and his new followers a monastery on the spot of his cave. After Giles death the monastery was deemed the monastery of Saint Gilles du Gard. During his life, Giles served as abbot of the monastery for which he wrote his own rule.

St. Giles died of natural causes in the monastery sometime between 710 and 724. He is the patron saint: against breast cancer; against epilepsy; against fear of night; against insanity; against leprosy; against mental illness; against noctiphobia; against sterility; of beggars; of blacksmiths; of breast feeding; of cancer patients; of cripples; of disabled people; of Edinburgh, Scotland; of epileptics; of forests; of handicapped people; of hermits; of horses; of lepers; of mentally ill people; of noctiphobics; of physically challenged people; of paupers; of poor people; of rams; of spur makers; of Tolfa, Italy; and of woods.

Saint of the Day - St. Fiacre

2010-09-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

St. Fiacre grew up in a monastery in his native Ireland during the 7th century. Monasteries, at this time, were centers of learning so that by the time he reached adulthood, Fiacre was a well educated man. He was especially knowledgeable in the areas of healing and gardening. Gardening, at this time, was not simply a nice pastime for little old ladies but was a necessity to provide the people, and particularly the monks, with food and medicine. Fiacre was well versed in the art of healing which required him to know which herbs ought to be used to treat specific diseases.

Fiacre's reputation as a holy man and accomplished physician spread far and wide. Flocks of people came seeking his assistance, thereby disturbing the peace which he cherished. Fiacre, therefore, fled to France where he established a hermitage.

A famous legend about St. Fiacre recounts how he requested a plot of land from the bishop in order to establish a garden to grow his food and healing herbs. The bishop, St. Faro of Meaux, told Fiacre that he was welcome to take as much land as he could entrench in one day. The following day Fiacre walked around the perimeter of the land he wanted, dragging his spade behind him. In the wake of his spade trees toppled, bushes were uprooted, and all manner of obstacles were removed. A local woman accused Fiacre of sorcery but St. Faro was of the opinion that it was a miracle.

In addition to being a gifted physician, Fiacre is also known to have performed miraculous healings.

Fiacre passed away on August 18, 670 of natural causes. His miraculous garden remained a place of pilgrimage for centuries and his relics have been distributed to cathedrals around Europe. St. Fiacre is the patron saint: against barrenness; against fistula; against haemorrhoids; against piles; against sterility; against syphilis; against venereal disease; of box makers; of cab drivers (Fiacre cabs are named for him); of costermongers; of florists; of gardeners; of hosiers; of pewterers; of taxi drivers; and of tile makers.

Saint of the Day - St. Aristides

2010-08-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

St. Aristides was a convert to Catholicism living in Athens during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. He is best known as an apologist and philosopher who composed a treatise in defense of Christianity.

Persecution had once again raised its head in the Roman empire following the emperor's initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries. This act had caused a flare up of pagan zeal leading to persecution of Christians. In response to this, Aristides composed his apologetic treatise and delivered it to the emperor while he was staying in Athens in 126 a.d.

Aristides is believed to have passed away between 133 and 134 a.d.

Saint of the Day - St. Pammachius

2010-08-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

Pammachius was born into the Furii family in the fourth century. As a young man Pammachius attended the schools of rhetoric where he first met his lifelong friend, St. Jerome. In 385 he married the second daughter of St. Paula, Paulina.

Pammachius was one of several people who denounced Jovinian, who was later condemned at a synod in Rome, to Pope St. Siricius. This denunciation caused St. Jerome to write his own criticism of Jovinian's teachings, however, Pammachius criticized this work "for prudential reasons." This led to a correspondence between the friends, in which Jerome thanked his friend but defended his work.

After Paulina's death in 397, Pammachius devoted his life to prayer and works of charity. With the help of St. Fabiola, Pammachius built a hospice for the poor at Porto.

He continued his correspondence with St. Jerome, urging him to translate Origen's "De Principiis." Pammachius also condemned the Donatist heresy and exhorted the people of Numidia to abandon it, for which action he received a letter of thanks from St. Augustine.

Pammachius died in Rome in the year 409.

Saint of the Day - St. Medericus

2010-08-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

St. Medericus, or Merry, was born in Autun, France. Little is known of his life until, at 13, he entered a Benedictine monastery at St. Martin's in Autun. The 54 monks in this community lived lives of prayer and penance.

Merry was eventually chosen abbot of the monastery, much against his will. As abbot he preached by example and the reputation of his sanctity spread throughout the country. He was always aware of the temptation to become prideful due to his position so when he found himself becoming quite popular amongst the monks and lay people he fled to a forest four miles from Autun. He lived here for several years, living by the work of his hands.

His hideout was discovered at the same time that he fell ill, forcing him to return to the monastery. In his old age, Merry led the monks on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Germanus in Paris. He lived in Paris for some time with St. Frou (Frodulf) in a cell next to a chapel dedicated to St. Peter. It was in this cell that he suffered for 3 years from a painful illness before passing away peacefully in 700 a.d.

Saint of the Day - St. Augustine

2010-08-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

Augustine was born on November 13, 354 in Tagaste, Numidia, North Africa, the son of Patricius and St. Monica. Though his mother did her best to raise the boy as a Christian, his studies in Carthage were determined to pull him in the opposite direction.

Away from the influence of his mother, Augustine began to live recklessly. He began drinking and carousing and fathered a son, Adeotadus, out of wedlock. He fell in with the Manicheaen sect, and remained in this moral state for eleven years.

When Augustine returned to his mother in this state she became alarmed and began to pray fervently for her son's conversion. After nine years of anguish, Monica's prayers were answered and her son turned to the faith and was baptised by St. Ambrose. His mother passed away shortly thereafter.

Augustine had long been noted as a scholar and orator and he now used these talents on behalf of the Gospel. After returning home and dividing his property amongst the poor he entered a monastery and began to write treatises culminating in his Confessions, a powerful autobiography, City of God, and Retractiones. He was eventually ordained a priest and, in 396, Bishop of Hippo. As bishop he fought heresies, including Manichaeism and founded religious communities.

He perished during the siege on the Roman empire by the vandals on August 28, 430. He has since been declared a Doctor of the Church.

St. Augustine is the patron saint: against sore eyes; of brewers; of the diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut; of Cagayan de Oro, Philippines; the diocese of Ida, Philippines; of the Isleta Indian Pueblo; of the diocese of Kalamazoo, Michigan; of Ponte Nizza, Italy; of printers; of the city and diocese of St. Augustine, Florida; of the diocese of Superior, Wisconsin; of theologians; of the diocese of Tucson, Arizona; and of Valletta, Malta.

Saint of the Day - St. Monica

2010-08-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

Monica was born, to a Christian family, in 333 A.D. at Tagaste, North Africa. She had a pious upbringing, but, at a young age, was married to a pagan official named Patricius. Monica's prayers and endurance allowed them to have a peaceful marriage in spite of his bad-temper and adultery. Together, they had three children, Augustine, Navigius, and Perpetua.

Monica's constant prayers for her husband led to his deathbed conversion, giving his wife much consolation. However, her prayers were immediately turned to her eldest son, Augustine. He confesses in his writings to having been a lazy and troublesome youth. Throughout the time he spent in school, first in Madaura and then in Carthage, his mother was concerned for the state of his soul. When he returned to her, at the age of 19, as a heretic, having entered the Manichaean sect, she became greatly alarmed and increased in her efforts for his salvation.

Augustine records in his Confessions a dream which Monica received around this time. "In her dream she saw herself standing on a sort of wooden rule, and saw a bright youth approaching her, joyous and smiling at her, while she was grieving and bowed down with sorrow. But when he inquired of her the cause of her sorrow and daily weeping (not to learn from her, but to teach her, as is customary in visions), and when she answered that it was my soul's doom she was lamenting, he bade her rest content and told her to look and see that where she was there I was also. And when she looked she saw me standing near her on the same rule."

Not long after receiving this dream, Monica approached a bishop who had also been a Manichaean before entering the Church. She pleaded with him to intercede with her son but he saw that, at this time, anything he might say would only make the situation worse, since Augustine was not yet open to hearing the truth. However, this bishop assured Monica that "the child of those tears shall never perish."

Monica spent 9 years in anguished prayer for her son, even following him to Rome and Milan. While in Milan, she encountered Bishop Ambrose who assisted in her efforts to bring Augustine to the faith.

The two eventually succeeded and, a few months after Augustine's conversion, Monica passed away in the ancient port city of Ostia where she was buried. Augustine recounted her in his Confessions: "I will not speak of her gifts, but of Thy gift in her; for she neither made herself nor trained herself. Thou didst create her, and neither her father nor mother knew what kind of being was to come forth from them. And it was the rod of Thy Christ, the discipline of Thy only Son, that trained her in Thy fear, in the house of one of Thy faithful ones who was a sound member of Thy Church."

St. Monica is the patroness of: abuse victims; alcoholics; the Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers; Bevilacqua, Italy; difficult marriages; disappointing children; homemakers; housewives; Mabini, Bohol, Philippines; married women; mothers; victims of adultery; victims of unfaithfulness; victims of verbal abuse; widows; and wives.

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Doctor Zhivago***

2010-08-22T18:55:00.000-07:00

"This tale of revolutionary Russia is rich with detail and the character of Lara is almost more fascinating than that of Zhivago himself."

Well . . . I love the Russian writing style! This is only the second Russian novel I've read but they both shared a uniquely Russian style that I really appreciated. This does include some jumping around which can be confusing at first but it all comes together eventually. I also love all the beautiful Russian names, which also can be confusing but the main characters are the ones that keep turning up and the others don't matter as much so don't worry about them.

Now, in terms of the actual story. It literally took me until the last page of the epilogue to decide whether or not I liked the book. In the end I definitely liked it. The book is really more about how people's lives intertwine than about Zhivago or Lara specifically. There is one passage from the book that really illustrates this: "The man who had just died was Private Gimazetdin; the excited officer who had been shouting in the wood was his son, Lieutenant Galiullin; the nurse was Lara. Gordon and Zhivago were the witnesses. All these people were together, in one place. But some of them had never known each other, while others failed to recognize each other now. And there were things about them which were never to be known for certain, while others were not to be revealed until a future time, a later meeting."

On the last page of the epilogue the idea is also put forth that main character of the book is not actually Zhivago but, rather, the city of Moscow. "But Moscow, right below them and stretching into the distance, the author's native city, in which he had spent half his life - Moscow now struck them not as the stage of the events connected with him but as the main protagonist of a long story, the end of which they had reached that evening, book in hand." As a matter of fact, Zhivago, himself, is not a particularly likeable character. Even Lara is not nearly as good as she's painted. By far the best character in the book is Tonia. And poor Pasha is just pitiable.

I think I would have discovered that I enjoyed the book much earlier had I had those two ideas, that the book was about the intertwining of people's lives and that Moscow was the main character, in mind. In fact, I would like to re-read the book and see if I enjoy it any better now that I understand that.

Some great quotes:

"She must stop all this nonsense. Once and for all. Stop playing at being shy, simpering and lowering her eyes - or it would end in disaster. There loomed an imperceptible, a terrifying borderline. One step and you would be hurtled into an abyss."

"and she merely wondered: 'Does one always humiliate those one loves?'

"The intended revolver shot had already gone off in her heart - and it was a matter of complete indifference whom the shot was aimed at. This shot was the only thing that she was conscious of. She heard it all the way to Petrovka Street, and it was aimed at Komarovsky, at herself, at her own fate, and at the wooden target on the Duplyanka oak tree."

"I don't know a movement more self-centered and further removed from the facts than Marxism. Everyone is only worried about proving himself in practical matters, and as for the men in power, they are so anxious to establish the myth of their infallibility that they do their utmost to ignore the truth."

"People must be drawn to good by goodness."
"There are limits to everything. In all this time something definite should have been achieved. But it turns out that those who inspired the revolution aren't at home in anything except change and turmoil, they aren't happy with anything that's on less than a world scale. For them, transitional periods, worlds in the making, are an end in themselves."

Crazy Time

2010-08-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

So it's getting to that crazy time of year known as back-to-school. Due to this I am rather behind in my posting. I will catch up on all the amazing saints and feasts I've missed this weekend but it may not be until next week when I'm settled in Steubenville. Actually, don't hold your breath for posts this week either. I'm a little overwhelmed with packing and other such things that need to get done before next Sunday. So I'll try to catch up and keep up but don't count on it. In the meantime, God Bless!

Saint of the Day - St. Clare

2010-08-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

St. Clare was born on July 16, 1194 in Assisi, Italy. She was the daughter of a count and countess, her mother being Blessed Orsolana. In her childhood Clare was greatly influenced by the piety of her mother and was known to save food from her plate to give to the poor.

As she grew older Clare was recognized as a beautiful girl and many men sought her hand in marriage. However, Clare had long sought to follow God wherever he called her and she discovered this calling upon hearing the preaching of St. Francis.

On the night of Palm Sunday, 1212, Clare fled her family's home to meet St. Francis in the Portiuncula Chapel, one of three churches that St. Francis had literally rebuilt. There, she cast aside her fine garments for a simple dress of sackcloth and a veil, along with parting from her beautiful golden hair. With these simple acts she offered her life to God as the first woman to enter the Franciscan order.

Clare, her cousin Pacifica who had fled with her, and her sister Agnes who joined them the next day, lived for a time with a community of Benedictine nuns at San Paolo delle Abadesse until Francis finished the convent of San Damiano which was being rebuilt for their use. While with the Benedictines, Clare's uncle, her guardian since the death of her father, came with a group of soldiers to bring the girls home. They all refused and when the soldiers attempted to carry Agnes away she cried to Clare to help her. Clare immediately fell to her knees in prayer and Agnes suddenly became too heavy for the soldiers to lift. When they found they were unable to carry any of the girls they gave up for the time being, though Clare's uncle continued in his attempts to bring the girls home, but was never succesful.

The girls eventually moved into San Damiano where they were joined by other ladies, including Clare's mother, many of whom were from Assisi's noble families. Francis, himself, presided over the "Poor Ladies," for a time, before Clare was assigned the role of abbess.

The cloistered sisters devoted their lives to work and prayer. Every Franciscan, both the friars and the sisters, had a task assigned especially to them. Clare's task was embroidery, making the altar cloths used at Mass along with garments for Francis, the friars, and sisters and, eventually, the special bandages for Francis' stigmata wounds.

As abbess Clare defied all attempts to impose a "watered-down" rule on her sisters. She had designed her own rule for the ladies, central to which, was a radical poverty. It was not until two days before her death that Pope Innocent IV confirmed this rule and granted Clare's ultimate desire, that she, and each of the sisters, own nothing.

Throughout their lives Francis and Clare remained close friends. Francis was Clare's "spiritual father," and the two relied on each other for advice, encouragement, and prayers. Clare's intercession was greatly valued by Francis and numerous others. When Francis was discerning whether to live out the remainder of his life as a hermit or continue with his preaching it was Clare to whom he turned for advice and prayers. In his final illness, he came to San Damiano where Clare nursed him until his death and after his funeral at the Portiuncula the friars brought his body to San Damiano for a short time so that Clare and her sisters could pay their last respects.

Many miracles are attributed to St. Clare, two of which are particularly impressive. At one time, while Clare was ill, the Saracens attacked Assisi and were upon the walls of San Damiano. The sisters rushed to Clare's bedside in terror. The abbess calmly rose, took the monstrance, containing the Blessed Sacrament, from the chapel, emerged from the convent, and held out the monstrance over the enemy. The Saracens, for no apparent reason, fell into a panic and rushed in terror from Assisi.

During her final illness, Clare was bedridden and, therefore, unable to attend the first Mass in the newly built Basilica of St. Francis. While praying in her cell an image of the Mass appeared on the wall of her cell so that she was able to witness the entire celebration.

Clare died of natural causes on August 11, 1253. Just two years later, on September 26, 1255, Clare was canonized by Pope Alexander IV. The "Poor Ladies" then changed their name to the Poor Clares, by which title they are still known today. St. Clare is the patroness: against eye disease; of Assisi, Italy; of embroiderers; of eyes; for good weather; of gilders; of gold workers; of goldsmiths; of laundry workers; of needle workers; of Santa Clara Indian Pueblo; of telegraphs; of telephones; of television; of television writers; of this blog; and of me!

Saint of the Day - St. Lawrence

2010-08-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

St. Lawrence was born at Huesca, Spain around 225 A.D. Little is known about his early life.

He held the post of Roman archdeacon under Pope St. Sixtus II. Emperor Valerian ruled the Roman Empire during Sixtus' pontificate, and executed a harsh persecution of Christians.

Pope St. Sixtus II was arrested on the orders of Valerian while he was celebrating Mass in the Cemetery of Praetextatus. When St. Lawrence became aware of this, he immediately rushed to the Pope's side crying, "Where are you going, father, without your son? Where are you going, O priest, without your deacon?" The Pope replied, "My son, you I am not abandoning. Greater strife awaits you. Stop weeping; you will follow me in three days."

Following the execution of the Pope and six other deacons Lawrence was left as the ranking Church official. One of his roles as Roman archdeacon was "keeper of the treasures of the Church." Lawrence used his last three days to disperse what material wealth the Church had amongst the poor of Rome. On August 10 Lawrence was commanded to appear before the Prefect of Rome and bring with him the wealth of the Church. St. Lawrence brought to the Prefect all the beggars he could find on the Roman streets, presenting them as the Church's treasure.

For his insolence, Lawrence was sentenced to be slowly and painfully roasted to death. He was lain on a large, scorching grill where he was to be left until dead. After a period of time St. Lawrence requested that the executioner turn him over, for he was quite well done on that side.

St. Lawrence passed away on August 10, 258. He is buried in the cemetery of Saint Cyriaca in Italy and the grill on which he was killed is kept in San Lorenzo in Lucina. He is the patron saint: against fire; against lumbago; of archives; of armories; of armorers; of brewers; of butchers; of chefs; of comedians; of comics; of confectioners; of cooks; of cutlers; of deacons; of glaziers; of laundry workers; of librarians; of libraries; of paupers; of poor people; of restauranteurs; of schoolchildren; of seminarians; of stained glass workers; of students; of tanners; of vine growers; of vintners; of wine makers; and of multiple towns and dioceses.

Saint of the Day - St. Edith Stein/Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

2010-08-09T16:50:00.000-07:00

Edith Stein was born on October 12, 1891 at Breslaw, Dolnoslaskie, Germany. She was the youngest of seven children in a Jewish family.

At the age of 13, after finishing grammar school, Edith proclaimed that she no longer believed in God and "consciously stopped praying." By 1907 she had begun "a serious search for truth."

In 1911, Edith completed high school and began studies at the University of Breslau where she was a brilliant student and philosopher. It was during this time that she had her first encounter with the Gospel. However, in the summer of 1912, she began to suffer from severe depression stemming from an inability to discern any meaning in life.

In 1913, Edith went to the University of Gottingen to continue her studies. At this time she began to entertain religious questions and obtained the first relief for her depression upon witnessing a presentation of "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." Between her first encounter with Catholicism in 1914 and the year of 1918, Edith's atheism began to fall away, until, in her own words, "my unbelief collapsed." During these years, Edith had served as a Red Cross nurse in World War I and received her PhD in philosophy summa cum laude. It was not until 1921 that Edith began to entertain the idea of Catholicism. Her study of the life of St. Teresa of Avila led her to purchase a missal and catechism and begin "reading herself into" Catholicism before finally working up the courage to approach the parish priest in order to request baptism.

On January 1, 1922, Edith Stein was baptized into the Catholic faith. She began that very day to request permission to enter Carmel, the religious order which her spiritual mother, St. Teresa of Avila, had reformed. On February 2 that same year, Edith was confirmed in the faith. She spent the next ten years teaching and writing, especially about women and the Church. On June 19, 1933, about six months after Hitler's ascension to power, Edith was finally accepted into Carmel. Beginning on July 16 she spent one month as an extern at Carmel before making a final visit to her mother. She officially entered Carmel on October 14, 1933, taking the name Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, and received the habit on April 15, 1934. During her novitiate, the Carmelite provincial requested that Edith continue to compose her autobiography, which she had begun writing the year before. Edith made her first profession of vows as a Carmelite on Easter 1935, her Final Profession of vows on April 21, 1938, and received the Black Veil in Public Ceremony on May 1, 1938.

Seven months later, on November 8, Germany was rent by the horror of Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, in which Nazis throughout the country went on a rampage against Jewish citizens. Edith, being of Jewish heritage, was in great danger. Negotiations immediately began to transfer her to Echt Carmel in Holland. On the night of December 31 she was smuggled across the border.

On March 26, 1939, Edith asked permission of her superiors to offer herself to the Lord in prayer as a "victim for real peace."

In 1940 Edith's sister, Rosa, who had also converted to Catholicism and entered Carmel, joined her sister in Holland. However, the two were not long safe. In 1941 an edict was passed demanding the deportation of all non-Aryan Germans residing in Holland by December 15 of that year. Negotiations again began for Edith and Rosa to be transferred to the Carmel of Le Paquier in Switzerland. On September 1 the government ordered that all Jews, including those of Jewish heritage, wear the Star of David on their clothing. In response to these oppressive edicts the Dutch Bishops issued their Pastoral on Racism and Antisemitism.

The Nazis swiftly retaliated with a move for the deportation of all Catholics of Jewish heritage by the end of the week. At five p.m. on August 2, Edith and Rosa were arrested by the SS while they were at meditation in the Carmel and brought to Amersfoort Prison Camp. On August 5 they were transferred to Westerbork Concentration Camp and on August 7 they began the journey to Auschwitz.

On August 9, 1942 Edith and Rosa Stein were led to their deaths in the gas chamber at Auschwitz. Edith offered this final sacrifice "for real peace."

Edith Stein, Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, was canonized on October 11, 1998 by Pope John Paul II. She is the patron saint: against the death of parents; of Europe; and of martyrs.

Saint of the Day - St. Dominic

2010-08-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

Dominic de Guzman was the son of Blessed Joan of Aza and her husband. The couple had long been childless when Blessed Joan prayed to St. Dominic of Silos, a patron of this problem. She soon became pregnant and decided to name the child Dominic in honor the saint.

While pregnant with her son, Blessed Joan had a dream of her child as a dog "who would set the world on fire with a torch" he carried in his mouth. St. Dominic came to be known as the "watchdog of the Lord," and a dog with a torch in its mouth became a symbol of the Dominican religious order.

Dominic was born in the year 1170 at Calaruega, Burgos, Old Castille. At his baptism his mother had a vision of a star shining from her son's chest. This star became another symbol of the Dominican order and led to St. Dominic's patronage of astronomy.

St. Dominic studied at the University of Palencia, was ordained to the priesthood, and became a canon of St. Augustine. In 1203, Dominic passed through southern France while on a journey with his bishop. In this place, Dominic witnessed firsthand the horrors wrought by the Albigensian heresy. It was then that Dominic discovered his vocation to work amongst heretics. In order to fulfill this calling, the young canon founded the Order of Friars Preachers, now known as Dominicans.

Dominic offered constant penance for the heretics, fasting, holding all-night prayer vigils, and walking barefoot. He is known to have performed many miracles including healing the sick, raising the dead, and multiplying food.

Once, while discouraged in his ministry, Dominic received a vision of Our Lady presenting him with a wreath of roses which represented the rosary. She exhorted him to pray the rosary daily and teach it to all he met. If he did this, she said, true faith would win out. He is believed to have received other visions of Our Lady and Christ as well.

Dominic journeyed to Rome where he received the confirmation of his order from Pope Honorius III, who also bestowed on him two convents, that of St. Sixtus for the Dominican sisters and of Santa Sabina for the friars.

According to legend, St. Dominic dreamt of a beggarman who would also do great things for the faith. The next day Dominic met the beggar, embraced him, and exclaimed "You are my companion and must walk with me. If we hold together, no earthly power can withstand us." The beggar was St. Francis of Assisi. The two men shared a lifelong friendship.

St. Dominic passed away of sheer exhaustion at the age of fifty-one. In his last moments he instructed his distraught friars, "Do not weep, my children, I shall be more useful to you where I am going than I have ever been in this life." He died at noon on August 6, 1221 at Bologna, Italy. St. Dominic was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on July 13, 1234. He is the patron saint: of astronomers; of astronomy; of the prelature of Batanes-Babuyanes, Philippines; of the diocese of Bayombong, Philippines; of the Dominican Republic; of falsely accused people; of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; of Santo Domingo Indian Pueblo; of scientists; and of Valletta, Malta.

Saint of the Day - Pope St. Sixtus II

2010-08-07T06:16:00.000-07:00

Sixtus was born a Greek but nothing else is known about his early life. He appears to have been an adult convert to Christianity. He then became a deacon in Rome and, on August 30, 257, was elected Pope amidst the persecutions of Valerian.

As Pope, Sixtus upheld Pope St. Stephen's teaching that baptism by heretics was legitimate. However, where Pope St. Stephen had threatened to excommunicate the bishops who refused to adhere to this doctrine, Sixtus did not break off relations with these bishops, instead trying to communicate with them.

Mass was often celebrated in the catacombs, literally underground, to avoid capture by the authorities during the persecutions. The Cemetery of Calixtus was most frequently used, however, by the time of Pope Sixtus' reign, this place had become known to the authorities. Therefore, Sixtus relocated the celebration of Mass to the Cemetery of Praetextatus. However, despite these precautions, the authorities located the Pope and, in early August 258, arrested the Pope and his deacons at the cemetery while they were celebrating Mass. They were taken to the prefect for a formal judgment.

St. Lawrence, the chief deacon, had not been present during the arrest and, upon hearing the news, rushed to Sixtus' side, desiring to die with him. He said to the Pope, "Where are you going, father, without your son? Where are you going, O priest, without your deacon?" Sixtus replied, "My son, you I am not abandoning. Greater strife awaits you. Stop weeping; you will follow me in three days."

On August 6, Pope Sixtus was brought back to the Cemetery of Praetextatus where he was beheaded. He was buried in the Cemetery of Calixtus. He had been Pope for less than a year.

Pope St. Sixtus II is the patron saint of Bellegra, Italy.

Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord

2010-08-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord as recorded in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke. Both evangelists state that Christ took Sts. Peter, James, and John "up a high mountain," "to pray." While there "His face changed in appearance," so that it "shone like the sun," "and His clothes became white as light." "And behold, two men were conversing with Him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His exodus that He was going to accomplish in Jerusalem." "As they were about to part from Him, Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.'" "While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud came a voice that said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.' When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, 'Rise, and do not be afraid.' And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone."

This event occurred soon after Christ had begun to reveal to his disciples that He must die and rise. The presence of Moses and Elijah signify the testimony of the Law and the Prophets that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

There are two explanations of the arigin of the Transfiguration as a feast. One tells how St. Gregory the Illuminator "substituted it for a pagan feast of Aphrodite called Vartavarh (roseflame), retaining the old appellation of the feast, because Christ opened His glory like a rose on Mount Thabor." However, it is more likely that the feast of the Transfiguration replaced a pagan nature-feast, "somewhere in the highlands of Asia." Many dioceses adopted the feast in the liturgy around the tenth century. Pope Callixtus II extended the feast to the Universal Church in 1456.

St. Peter himself emphasizes the importance of this feast in his second letter, saying, "We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received honor and glory from God the Father when that unique declaration came to Him from the majestic glory, 'This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice come from Heaven while we were with Him on the holy mountain."

Prayer

O God, who on the holy mount didst reveal to chosen witnesses thy well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in His beauty; who with Thee, O Father, and Thee, O Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth, one God, world without end.

Saint of the Day - Our Lady of the Snows

2010-08-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

Today marks the dedication of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. A popular legend tells of a Roman patrician, named John, and his wife who were childless. In their old age they age they asked Our Lady to make known to them how to dispose of their money for when they died. That night they both received a dream in which Our Lady requested that they use their wealth to pay for the construction of a church in her honor. She directed them to the Esquiline Hill, instructing that they would know the exact spot for the church by the area in which the snow had fallen. Pope Liberius received a similar dream, also directing him to the Esquiline Hill.

The next day, August 5, 352, John and his wife and the Pope all arrived at Esquiline hill to find "a large area marked by freshly, thick snow!" "The men immediately staked off the area," and, in two years, the church of Santa Maria Maggiore was completed. It was consecrated by Pope Liberius and an eight line dedicatory inscription was later added by Pope Sixtus III.

Today's feast was originally celebrated only at Santa Maria Maggiore but, in the fourteenth century, it was extended to all the churches in Rome and, eventually, at the instruction of Pope Pius V, extended to the universal Church.

The church of Santa Maria Maggiore was the first, and the largest, church in Rome to be dedicated to Our Lady. It also houses the "Salus Populi Romani" (The Protectress of the People of Rome) painting, depicting the Madonna and Child. This painting was brought to Rome from the Holy Land by St. Helen, the mother of Emperor Constantine and several miracles have been attributed to it.

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - A Vindication of the Rights of Woman**

2010-08-04T16:11:00.000-07:00

"This early feminist work is full of insights into the perception of women in nineteenth-century England. Read it for a renewed appreciation of simply having access to higher education and for a contrast to feminism of the lipstick variety."

It's actually more like 2 1/2 stars but I don't know how to make a half star so we'll just leave it at 2.

Well . . . it was decent. I thought I was going to hate it. Because this is pretty much the original feminist work so I naturally assumed it was gonna be a little crazy. But it was definitely not as bad as I expected.

The author, Mary Wollstonecraft, made some good points especially regarding marriage and motherhood. However she also made some bad statements regarding marriage and motherhood and some other stuff. Most of her problems lie in one of three things: #1 - in combating the "subjugation" of women she swings too far in the opposite direction; #2 - she advocates certain actions which we now know, having implemented many of them, do not work in the way she predicted and often created a worse problem than the one we started with; #3 - she suffers from a flawed theology which leads to her having a flawed philosophy.

Mary Wollstonecraft was raised as an Anglican protestant but as an adult became good friends with a man named Richard Price, one of the leaders of another group of protestants, the Rational Dissenters. She began attending his chapel and was greatly influenced by the ideas of the Dissenters, later the Unitarians, including a rejection of the concept of original sin and eternal punishment. These ideas are weaved throughout her writing. (As a sidenote, the founder of modern conservatism, Edmund Burke, was not a fan of Mary's)

Another theme I found was a very puritan attitude, on the part of Miss Wollstonecraft, in her idea of love. This book being the foundation of modern feminism, I would not be surprised if this attitude has helped to form society's current detachment of love from sex. The woman seriously could've used some Theology of the Body.

The book also proves to be rather confusing because Miss Wollstonecraft uses certain words, particularly "innocence" and "virtue," in a different sense than that in which we understand them.

However, there is truth in everything, and this book does contain some very truthful quotes:

- "But what a weak barrier is truth when it stands in the way of an hypothesis!"

- "Educated in slavish dependence, and enervated by luxury and sloth, where shall we find men who will stand forth to assert the rights of man, or claim the privilege of moral beings, who should have but one road to excellence?"

- "people are never respected, though filling an important station, who are not respectable"

- "viewing education in a false light; not considering it as the first step to form a being advancing gradually towards perfection; but only as a preparation for life"

- "for children will never be properly educated till friendship subsists between parents. Virtue flies from a house divided against itself - and a whole legion of devils take up their residence there."

Saint of the Day - St. John Vianney

2010-08-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

John Vianney was born into a farming family in Dardilly, Lyons, France on May 8, 1786. As a child John spent much of his time teaching the other children their prayers and catechism. Then, as a young man, he served in the French army under Napoleon. When his term in the army was finished, John entered the seminary to begin his studies for the priesthood. John struggled greatly with his studies, especially Latin, having had very little schooling. Many doubted that he would ever become a priest.

However, in 1815, John Vianney was ordained priesthood. The new priest was assigned to the tiny parish of Ars-sur-Formans, France, where the bishop felt this un-talented priest would be out of the way.

Once in Ars, Fr. Vianney zealously performed his duties, visiting parishioners, caring for the poor and sick, hearing confessions, and celebrating Mass. He showed great care for his parishioners, doing penance and spending hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament in prayer for them.

Fr. Vianney came to be known for his work with penitents so that, by the end of his life, hundreds of people would come to him for confession so that he was spending 14 to 18 hours a day in the confessional. He is known to have been blessed with the gifts of discernment of spirits, prophecy, and hidden knowledge in addition to having performed several miracles. Evil spirits tormented St. John throughout his life, especially when he tried to get his 2 to 3 hours of sleep.

John Vianney spent 40 years as a parish priest at Ars before passing away in his parish on May 8, 1786 of natural causes. He was entombed in the Basilica of Ars where his body remains. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 31, 1925. St. John Vianney is the patron saint: of confessors; of the Personal Apostolic Administration of St. John Mary Vianney; of priests, especially parish priests; of the archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa; of the diocese of Kamloops, British Colombia; of the archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas; and of the archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Saint of the Day - St. Lydia

2010-08-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

Lydia's early life is unknown to us, though we can guess that she was born in Thyatira in Asia Minor, the town where she lived as an adult. Our knowledge of Lydia comes from the Acts of the Apostles in which we learn that she was a businesswoman dealing in dyed cloth, the trade of the town. Lydia dealt specifically in purple cloth which earned her the title "Purpuria," meaning "purple-seller." Due to this she is sometimes referred to as St. Lydia Purpuria.

Lydia was the first person we know of who was converted by St. Paul. As St. Luke states: "On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river where we thought there would be a place of prayer. We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there. One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper of God, listened, and the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying. After she and her household had been baptized, she offered us an invitation, 'If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home,' and she prevailed on us." (Acts 16:13-15)

Following her conversion Lydia appears to have opened her home to her fellow Christians and received Paul and Silas into her home following their escape from prison. St. Luke records, "When they had come out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house where they saw and encouraged the brothers, and then they left." (Acts. 16:40)

St. Lydia is the patroness of dyers.

Saint of the Day - Pope St. Stephen I

2010-08-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

Stephen was born in the third century A.D., the son of Jovius, a Roman. Little is known about Stephen's life until he became Archdeacon under Pope Lucius I. Tradition holds that, when about to be martyred, Lucius directed that care of the Church be handed on to Stephen.

Stephen ascended to the pontificate on May 12, 254. As the twenty-third Pope, Stephen "explicitly proclaimed the primacy of the diocese of Rome in matters of theology, and the current understanding of Christ's statement to St. Peter: 'You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church.'" Stephen instructed that special clothing, which came to be our modern-day vestments, must be used for celebrating Mass. These vestments were not to be worn outside of the Eucharistic celebration and street clothes were not to be worn while celebrating Mass.

Pope Stephen also clarified that there was no need to re-baptize heretics, as the Carthagnians were doing. He also made clear that baptisms performed by heretics are valid baptisms so long as none of the essential rites of the sacrament were ommited or changed. This is why a person who is baptized into the Lutheran faith, for example, and subsequently converts to Catholicism, does not need to be re-baptized into the Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Baptism constitutes the foundation of communion among all Christians, including those who are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church: 'For men who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in some, though imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church. Justified by faith in Baptism, [they] are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church.' 'Baptism therefore constitutes the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn.'"

Old documents have stated that Stephen died as a martyr but no evidence has been found to substantiate this theory. We do know that Stephen died on August 2, 257 and was buried in the Papal crypt of Callistus on the Appian Way. His body was later transferred to St. Stephen's monastery on the orders of Pope St. Paul I. Pope St. Stephen I is the patron saint of Fiano, Romano, Italy.

Saint of the Day - St. Alphonsus Liguori

2010-08-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

The oldest of the seven Liguori children was born on September 27, 1696 at Marianelli, near Naples, Italy. The child was baptised Alphonsus Marie Antony John Cosmos Damien Michael Gaspard de Liguori (but you can call him Alphonsus). His was a pious and well-to-do family, the father being a naval officer and captain of the Royal Galleys.

Alphonsus proved to be a child prodigy, graduating from the University of Naples with his doctorate at 16 years old. At 21 the young man had his own legal practice and was one of the most sought-after lawyers in Naples. Continuing in his pious lifestyle, Alphonsus never went to court without attending Mass first.

However, despite his fame as a lawyer, Alphonsus found that he was more and more drawn to religious. This call became clear to him during a visit to the local Hospital for Incurables. He faced opposition from his family, who had already arranged a marriage for their son. But Alphonsus overcame their objections and, at the age of 29, was ordained to the priesthood.

He served for six years as a "home missionary" in Naples. He was known for his writing and preaching and as a master theologian. In 1730 Alphonsus founded the Redemporistines women's group and in 1732 finally succeeded in founding the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer or Redemptorists.

Alphonsus was ordained a bishop, by the orders of Pope Clement XIII, in 1762. He was assigned to the Diocese of St. Agatha of the Goths. He performed his duties as bishop, teaching, caring for the poor and sick, and instructing the faithful, while beginning to suffer from rheumatism. He was left paralyzed after an attack of rheumatoid fever but remained bishop for 6 more years.

Due to his failing sight, Alphonsus was tricked into signing a document which altered the rule for the Redemptorists and excluded him from his own order. Alphonsus suffered great agony due to this but by the time of his death on August 1, 1787 he was at peace with himself and God.

Alphonsus Liguori was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI on May 26, 1839. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1871. St. Alphonsus is the patron saint: against arthritis; against scrupulosity; of confessors; of final perseverance; of moralists; of scrupulous people; of theologians; of vocations; of Pagani, Italy; and of St. Agatha of the Goths, Italy.

Saint of the Day - St. Ignatius of Loyola

2010-07-31T15:07:00.000-07:00

Ignatius of Loyola was born in 1491, at Loyola, Guipuzcoa, Spain, the youngest of 13 children. When he was 16 years old, Ignatius got a job serving as a page to the treasurer of the Kingdom of Castille. Being at the court, Ignatius developed many of the vices associated with courtly living.

Ignatius was trained in the military arts and in May 1521, at the age of 30, was "an officer defending the fortress of the town of Pamplona against the French." Ignatius was hit by a cannonball which broke one of his legs. The French showed compassion on this brave young soldier and allowed him to return to Loyola for recovery. For the rest of his life, Ignatius would walk with a limp.

Being increasingly bored throughout his recovery, Ignatius asked for novels to read but the only books to be found were on the life of Christ and the lives of the saints. Desperate, Ignatius began to read these. These books opened Ignatius' eyes to the joy of following Christ.

Once he was completely recovered, Ignatius left Loyola and lived for 10 months as a hermit outside the town of Manresa. He then made a pilgrimage to Rome where he asked permission of the Holy Father, Pope Adrian VI, to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Pope assented but when Ignatius arrived the Franciscan superior, having authority over the Catholics in the Holy Land, told Ignatius that it was too dangerous and ordered him to leave. Ignatius refused until he was threatened with excommunication.

At 33 years old, Ignatius went back to Barcelona to begin studying for the priesthood. He later went to the University of Paris to finish his studies. It was here that he met Francis Xavier and Peter Faber and the three, along with others, eventually founded the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits. Ignatius was unanimously elected superior. He served as superior for 15 years, along with teaching the Catechism and serving the poor.

On July 31, 1556 Ignatius succumbed to fever. He was canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622. St. Ignatius is the patron: of Basque; of the diocese of Bilbao, Spain; of Bizkaia, Spain; of Gipuzkoa, Spain; of the Jesuit order; of Jesuits; of the military ordinariate of the Philippines; of retreats; of soldiers; of Spiritual Exercises; and of Vizcaya, Spain.

Saint of the Day - St. Peter Chrysologus

2010-07-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

Peter was born in 406 A.D. in Imola, Italy. He converted to Catholicism as an adult, after which, he studied under Bishop Cornelius of Imola. He was ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Cornelius.

Upon the death of the Archbishop of Ravenna in 433, Peter was sent with Bishop Cornelius to present the name of the clergy's choice for Archbishop to Pope Sixtus III for his approval. By the intercession of St. Peter the Apostle, Sixtus saw that it was the young deacon who should be made Archbishop, not the clergy's man.

Peter had to work hard to gain the acceptance of the people of Ravenna but his high standing in the eyes of Emperor Valentinian III and Pope St. Leo the Great (the succesor to Pope Sixtus) greatly increased his respectability.

Peter fought against paganism and heresy in his diocese, along with campaigning against abuse and caring for the poor. He earned the title Chrysologus, meaning "the golden word," in recognition of his fantastic sermons. One hundred seventy six of these sermons still survive today. It is in virtue of these that Pope Benedict XIII declared St. Peter Chrysologus a Doctor of the Church in 1729.

Knowing that his death was near, St. Peter retired to his hometown of Imola, where, after urging the clergy to take care in the choice of his successor, he passed away on December 2, 450. He is buried in the Church of St. Cassian.

Saint of the Day - St. Martha

2010-07-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

Our information about St. Martha comes primarily from the Gospels of St. Luke and St. John.

St. John first mentions Martha as the sister of St. Lazarus and St. Mary of Bethany (possibly St. Mary Magdalene). The evangelist writes that "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." At one time, Martha and Mary sent word to the Lord that their brother was ill. By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarushad passed away and been buried for four days. Martha ran to meet the Lord and confronted Him with these words, "'Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. [But] even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.' Jesus said to her, 'Your brother will rise.' Martha said to Him, 'I know he will rise, in the ressurection on the last day.' Jesus told her, 'I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?' She said to Him, 'Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.'"

Following this dialogue, Christ sent Martha to fetch her sister Mary, and the two sisters conducted the Lord to Lazarus' tomb where Christ raised him from the dead.

Both St. Luke and St. John record that, following this event, Jesus went to the home of the family, who gave a dinner in His honor. While Martha was serving the Lord, Mary sat at His feet listening to His words. Martha complained to the Lord, "'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.' The Lord said to her in reply, 'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.'"

We know very little of Martha's life following the resurrection, only that she "may have been part of an early mission to France," and that she died of natural causes around 80 A.D. However, it is clear from the above passages that Martha was dearly loved by Our Lord and therefore worthy of veneration.

St. Martha is the patroness of: butlers; cooks; dieticians; domestic servants; homemakers; hotel-keepers; housemaids; housewives; innkeepers; laundry workers; maids; manservants; servants; servers; single laywomen; travellers; and Villajoyosa, Spain (because a flash flood saved the village from a Moorish invasion on St. Martha's feast day in 1538).

Saint of the Day - St. Samson

2010-07-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

Samson was born around 490 A.D. in southern Wales. His noble parents were Amon of Dyfed and Anna of Gwynedd.

In his infancy, Samson's parents dedicated him to God and sent him to the monastery of Llantwit Major under the care of St. Illtyd. Samson studied for the priesthood and was ordained in 512 by St. Dubric.

Following his ordination, Fr. Samson retired to a secluded monastery on Caldey Island, of which he was later appointed abbot.

Some Irish monks, returning from a pilgrimage to Rome, sought shelter at Samson's monastery. Samson was so impressed by their holy lives that he accompanied them back to Ireland. He stayed there for some time, during which "he received the submission of an Irish monastery." When he was compelled to return to Wales, Samson sent his uncle to oversee this monastery.

By this time, Samson's fame as a saintly man had spread and he was constantly assailed by his admirers. He, therefore, went, with several other monks, to a secluded place "on the banks of the Severn." However, his devotees soon found him out and compelled him to become abbot of yet another monastery, this one having been formerly by St. Germanus.

He was made a bishop, at the hands of St. Dubric, in 520. Soon after this he was instructed in a vision to evangelize in Brittany. He founded a monastery in Dol which served as his "home base," so to speak, while he was serving in the district. While visiting Paris, at one time, King Childebert nominated Samson for Bishop of Dol.

Samson passed away at Brittany in 565 of natural causes and was buried at Dol.

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Lilith*

2010-07-27T15:32:00.001-07:00

"This fantasy title is richly mysterious and difficult to summarize. Lilith was Adam's first wife (before Eve) and this story plays with the myth and displays a rich world of delight."

This is the dumbest piece of heretical trash it has been my misfortune to encounter.

First of all - it's not even interesting. The beginning is tedious. The author attempts to be deep and philosophical but only succeeds in thoroughly confusing the reader. I would guess that most people would not get past the first couple of chapters (the only reason I did is because I want to be able to say I've read the whole list of 100 Books Every Woman Should Read). At 3/4 of the way through the book you still have no idea what the heck is going on or where this is all going. And the ending is attrocious! I think the author is attempting to make some sort of theological point but, once again, he only succeeds in utterly confounding the reader.

Secondly, once the story actually gets going, at 3/4 of the way through the book, it's heretical. The whole thing is so theologically incorrect it's not even funny and forget any concept of angelology (the study of angels).

Lilith was written prior to The Chronicles of Narnia and Lewis credited the author, George MacDonald, with inspiring his writing style. However, Lewis soars far above and beyond MacDonald in contributions to the literary world. Did I not know that Lilith preceded Narnia I would say that it seems as though MacDonald was attempting to write a Narnia-esque story but fell abysmally short. The beginning, indeed, comes off more like The Phantom Tollbooth (which is a good book but definitely not in the same class as Narnia) and the author then enters into all sorts of heresy which, to the best of my knowledge, C.S. Lewis never did, despite the fact that he never became a Catholic.

The sole redeeming quality of the book is the scattering of good quotes throughout:

"We are often unable to tell people what they need to know, because they want to know something else."
"The part of philanthropist is indeed a dangerous one; and the man who would do his neighbor good must first study how not to do him evil, and must begin by pulling the beam out of his own eye."
"The man who grounds his action on another's cowardice, is essentially a coward himself."
(speaking of the tyrannical princess) "She it is who keeps us safe and free and rich!"
"The birth of children is in her eyes the death of their parents, and every new generation the enemy of the last."

Saint of the Day - Sts. Anne and Joachim

2010-07-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

Saints Anne and Joachim were the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and hence the grandparents of Jesus. Very little is known about them for certain. The information we do have comes from the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James and from legend.

One account states that St. Joachim was a shepherd who provided sheep to the Temple of Jerusalem for sacrifices, while another account states that the couple was actually rather well-to-do. St. Joachim is believed to have been a Galilean.

A traditional legend tells that as an elderly couple Joachim and Anne had no children. Joachim went into the desert to pray and fast, asking the Lord for a child, while Anne was at home praying for the same gift. They each received a vision from an angel who told them that Anne would have a child whom they were to name Mary.

The couple traditionally gave their child in service to the Temple at the age of three.

The tomb of Sts. Anne and Joachim is located in Jerusalem.

St. Anne is the patroness: against poverty; against sterility; of broommakers; of cabinetmakers; of carpenters; of childless people; of equestrians; of expectant mothers; of grandmothers; of grandparents; of homemakers; of horse men; of horse women; of housewives; of lace makers; of lace workers; of lost articles; of miners; of mothers; of old-clothes dealers; of poor people; of pregnancy; of pregnant wome; of riders; of seamstresses; of stablemen; of turners; and of women in labour. St. Joachim is the patron saint of: Adjuntas, Puerto Rico; fathers; grandfathers; and grandparents.

Saint of the Day - St. James the Greater

2010-07-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

James was the son of Zebedee and Salome and the brother of St. John the Evangelist. He, his father, and his brother were fishermen and were out fixing their nets one day when Christ came and called the two sons to be "fishers of men". St. James is called the greater in order to distinguish him from St. James the Lesser who became an apostle after St. James the Greater.

St. James was one of the privileged few, along with his brother John and St. Peter, who were present at the raising of Jairus' daughter, the transfiguration of Our Lord, and during Our Lord's agony in the garden of Gethsemene.

After the assumption of Our Lord, St. James departed to preach the Gospel in Samaria, Judea, and Spain, which he appears to have been especially devoted to.

A popular legend regarding a miracle attributed to St. James tells of the resurrection to life of a boy who had been unjustly hanged. When the boy's father was told, during his supper, about the miracle, the man replied that his son was no more alive than the fowl on the table. The bird promptly stood up, stretched its wings, and flew away.

James and John requested of Our Lord that, in the Kingdom of Heaven, they be permitted to sit on His right and His left. Jesus replied, asking if they were prepared to drink the cup of suffering that He must drink. They replied that they were. It is not surprising then that St. James was the first of the Apostles to be martyred. The Acts of the Apostles records "About that time King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword."

Legend has it that angels put St. James' body into a rudderless, unattended boat which eventually landed in Spain "where a massive rock closed around it." His relics still remain in Spain.

St. James is the patron saint: against arthritis; against rheumatism; of Altopascio, Lucca, Italy; of Antigua, Guatemala; of apothecaries; of arthritis sufferers; of the diocese of Bangued, Phillipines; of blacksmiths; of Brentino Belluno, Italy; of Caltagirone, Italy; of Cassine, Italy; of Chile; of Cicala, Catanzaro, Italy; of Comitini, Italy; of Compostela, Spain; of druggists; of equestrians; of furriers; of Galicia, Spain; of Gavi, Italy; of Guatemala; of Hettstedt, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany; of horsemen; of Jemez Indian Pueblo; of knights; of laborers; of Loiza, Puerto Rico; of Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina; of Montreal, Canada; of Nicaragua; of pharmacists; of pilgrims; of Pistoia, Italy; of rheumatoid sufferers; of riders; of Rivarolo Canavese, Italy; of Sahuayo, Mexico; of the archdiocese of Seattle, Washington; of soldiers; of Spain; of Spanish conquistadors; of tanners; of Tesuque Indian Pueblo; and of veterinarians.

Saint of the Day - St. John Boste, Bl. George Swallowell, and Bl. John Ingram

2010-07-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

John Boste was born in Dufton, Westmoreland, England around the year 1544. From 1569-1572 he studied at Queen's College, Oxford and was made a Fellow of the college. However, in 1576 he converted to Catholicism, forcing him to resign his fellowship. He left to study in Rheims for the priesthood and was ordained on March 4, 1581. Later in the year, he returned to England to minister to the persecuted Church. A nationwide manhunt was ordered for this priest. He made use of disguises, particularly that of a servant of one Lord Montacute, in order to evade capture. However, on July 5, 1593, he was betrayed by Francis Ecclesfield and was captured while at the home of a man named William Claxton.

George Swallowell was born in Shadforth, Durham, England. He was raised protestant and even became a minister. However, while working as a schoolteacher, he converted to the Catholic faith and was eventually arrested for this "crime."

John Ingram was born in 1565 at Stoke Edith, Herefordshire, England, the son of Anthony Ingram of Wolford, Warwickshire and Dorothy, daughter of Sir John Hungerford. He studied at Worcesteshire and New College, Oxford. It was during his time as a student that he converted to Catholicism. Like St. John Boste, John Ingram went to Rheims to study for the priesthood under Cardinal William Allen. He continued his studies at the Jesuit College, Pont-a-Mousson, France and later at the English College in Rome where he was eventually ordained in 1589. Following his ordination he was sent to minister in Dunbar, Scotland. Due to the Catholic persecutions in Scotland which posed an imminent threat to his life, Bl. John fled across the border to England where he laid low for five hours before attempting to return to his mission. It was at this time, while he was crossing the Tweed, that he arrested.

All three men were eventually imprisoned in the Tower of London where they were tortured in an attempt to make them recant their faith, and, due to fear, George Swallowell did. John Boste later convinced him to repent and granted him absolution in the presence of the whole court.

John Boste and John Ingram were convicted of the high crime of priesthood and all three men were sentenced to death by being hanged, drawn and quartered. St. John Boste was executed on July 24, 1594 at Dryburn, near Durham, England. Blesseds George Swallowell and John Ingram were executed on July 26, 1594, George at Darlington, England and John at Newcastle-on-Tyne near Durham, England. John Ingram's last words were "I take God and His holy angels to the record that I die only for the holy Catholic faith and religion, and do rejoice and thank God with all my heart that He made me worthy to testify my faith therein by the spending of my blood in this manner."

John Boste was canonized in 1970 by Pope Paul VI. The canonizations of George Swallowell and John Ingram are still pending.

Saint of the Day - St. Bridget of Sweden

2010-07-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

Bridget was born in either 1302 or 1303 at Finsta Castle, Uppsala, Sweden. Her father was Birger Persson, "the governor and provincial judge of Uppland," and her mother was Ingeborg Bengtsdotter, a pious woman. The family lived in well-to-do circumstances and were descended from the Swedish royal house. Bridget was a relative of St. Ingrid of Sweden.

Bridget's mother passed away when the child was only twelve and the girl was thereafter raised by an aunt.

One year later, at the age of thirteen, Bridget was married to Ulfo of Nercia. They had eight children together, one of whom was St. Catherine of Sweden, though some of the other children abandoned the Church.

Bridget had begun receiving visions from Our Lord, most of His crucifixion, at the age of seven. Throughout her life Bridget counseled and befriended many priests and theologians. She also rebuked Popes Clement VI, Gregory XI, and Urban VI for living at Avignon when the seat of the papacy is in Rome. Bridget was honored to hold the position of chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Blanche of Namur, from which position she was able to advise the King and Queen.

She was also able to influence her husband in religious matters, and the two made a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Shortly after their return in 1344, Ulfo took ill and passed away in the Cistercian monastery of Alvastra.

Bridget now turned to the religious life and renounced her title as princess. She began to record her visions which, at this time, became more frequent. In 1346 Bridget founded the Order of the Most Holy Saviour, sometimes called Bridgettines, at Vadstena, Sweden. The king and queen, due to their close relationship with Bridget, lent their support to the order.

Bridget travelled to Rome in 1350 to seek Papal authorization for her order, which she received in 1370. She spent most of her remaining years in Rome but made a pilgrimage to the Holy land near the end of her life.

St. Bridget passed away on July 23, 1373 in Rome and was buried at her convent in Vadstena, Sweden. She was canonized on October 7, 1391 by Pope Boniface IX. St. Bridget is the patroness: of Europe; of Sweden; and of widows.

Saint of the Day - St. Mary Magdalene

2010-07-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

Saint Mary, though a Jew, lived in a Gentile (non-Jewish) town called Magdale, hence acquiring her title of Magdalene.

The little information we have about St. Mary begins in the Bible. She is known to have been a notorious sinner but upon first encountering Jesus she felt great remorse for her evil life. Mary forced her way into the house of a rich man named Simon, with whom Jesus was dining, in order to pay homage to Our Lord. She wept for her sins and then dried Our Lord's feet, which were damp from her tears, with her hair and anointed them with costly perfume. St. Luke also that Jesus exorcised seven demons from her.

Mary was present at the foot of the Cross and was one of the women who brought perfumes and spices to Our Lord's tomb in order to anoint His Body. When Mary was in agony over the empty tomb, thinking someone had stolen Our Lord's Body, Christ appeared to her, in the first appearance since His resurrection, and instructed her to announce His resurrection to the disciples.

The legend surrounding Mary's life after the Crucifixion runs as follows. Fourteen years after Our Lord's resurrection the Jews put Mary into a boat without sails or oars, along with St. Lazarus, St. Martha, St. Maximin (who had baptized Mary), St. Sidonius ("the man born blind"), Mary's maid, Sera, and the body of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Mother. They were put out on the ocean and eventually landed on the shores of Marseilles, France. St. Mary lived out the rest of her life as a contemplative hermitess in the cave of Sainte-Baume. Legend says that she ate nothing but the Holy Eucharist which was brought to her daily by angels.

Mary died of natural causes at the age of 72. Legend holds that she was miraculously transported, by nine angels, to the Chapel of St. Maximin where she received Last Rites. Her relics, including her head, were eventually returned to Sainte-Baume where they remain today.

St. Mary Magdalene is the patronees: against sexual temptation; of Anguiano, Spain; of apothecaries; of Atrani, Salerno, Italy; of Casamicciola, Italy; of contemplative life; of contemplatives; of converts; of druggists; of Elantxobe, Spain; of Foglizzo, Italy; of glove makers; of hairdressers; of hairstylists; of La Magdeleine, Italy; of penitent sinners; of penitent women; of people ridiculed for their piety; of perfumeries; of perfumers; of pharmacists; of reformed prostitutes; of tanners; and of women.

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Ivanhoe**

2010-07-21T14:58:00.001-07:00

I have two very conflicting thoughts toward this book. Number 1: IT IS FANTASTIC!!!!! Number 2: It's kind of anti-Catholic, I hate it.

So let's begin with number 1. There are a multitude of good points about this book. For starters, Sir Walter Scott is a FANTASTIC writer! The description in this book is fabulous! I could really envision the characters as though they were standing right in front of me. But, Scott doesn't stop at giving the reader a peerless description of the characters' outward appearance, rather, he goes on to develop their personalities to perfection! Each character is so fully himself. I have never read a book with better description (and I've read a lot of books).

I can definitely understand why this book is on a list of 100 Books Every Woman Should Read. The two women are by far the best characters in the book (though Wamba is quite epic as well). Each has her own personality, most noticable in Rowena's demure nature versus Rebecca's forthrightness, but they are equally strong women.

Finally, this book is HILARIOUS!!!! Wamba, the jester, absolutely makes the book!

Now for the bad news. The book started out slow but picked up speed and got me hooked. I was absolutely loving it! But then I began to encounter ignorant statements about the Catholic faith. I at first attributed them merely to, as I said, ignorance. But by the end of the book they were becoming blatantly purposeful misstatements. Particularly egregious was the brazen mischaracterization of the sacrament of confession. In addition, not a single clergyman or religious was portrayed as being faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Jewish Rebecca was oftentimes a better Catholic than the Catholics in the book.

The author of Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott, was a member of the Episcopal Church of Scotland and lived during a time when anti-Catholicism was expected and applauded. He, himself, had been raised in a very religious Episcopalian household which he grew to resent. However, Roman Christendom has an interesting take on the author's attitude toward Catholicism.

Ultimately, I feel that I cannot recommend this book because the subtle mischaracterizations of the Church and Church teachings are so rampant that they could easily lead a person to misunderstandings of essential Church doctrine. In the words of the great Bishop Fulton J. Sheen "There are not more than 100 people in the world who truly hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they perceive to be the Catholic Church." I can't encourage you to read something that perpetuates lies about the Catholic Church.

The good quotes from the book are listed below:

"The knights are dust, And their swords are rust, Their souls are with the saints we trust"

"My strength thou mayest indeed overpower, for God made women weak, and trusted their defence to man's generosity."

"'What if the youth perish! - if he die in our custody, shall we not be held guilty of his blood, and be torn to pieces by the multitude?' 'He will not die, my father,' said Rebecca, gently extricating herself from the grasp of Isaac - 'he will not die, unless we abandon him, and if so, we are indeed answerable for his blood to God and to man.'"

"But thy conduct was wrong, as he that would stop a runaway steed, and seizing by the stirrup instead of the bridle, receiveth injury himself, instead of accomplishing his purpose."

"I am a maiden unskilled to dispute for my religion, but I can die for it, if it be God's will."

"no one will risk to break a lance for the innocent"

"I were undeserving his grace did I not peril it for his good."

"and they loved each other the more, from the recollection of the obstacles which had impeded their union"

Saint of the Day - St. Lawrence of Brindisi

2010-07-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

St. Lawrence was born in 1559 to Guglielmo de Rossi and Elisabetta Masella, who had their child baptized Julius Caesar Rossi. The boy was educated in his native Brindisi by the Friars Minor Conventuals and later studied in Venice. When Julius was twelve years old his father passed away.

Four years later, at the age of sixteen, Julius joined the Capuchin Friars and took the name of Brother Lawrence. As a young friar, Brother Lawrence continued his studies in theology along with becoming proficient in French, German, Greek, Spanish, Hebrew, and Syriac/Bohemian. After finishing his studies Brother Lawrence was ordained to the priesthood.

Now Father Lawrence travelled throughout Europe preaching the Gospel. The Capuchin was well known for being an "effective and forceful preacher." His great knowledge of languages allowed him to preach in numerous countries, taking him to such places as Vienna, Prague, and Graz where he founded convents.

In 1601, Fr. Lawrence served as chaplain of the Holy Roman Empire. Around this time the Turks mounted an invasion of Europe and Fr. Lawrence "rallied the German princes to fight." Carrying nothing but a crucifix, Fr. Lawrence led the army into battle against the superior Turkish force. The battle was won. Fr. Lawrence also served as the spiritual director of the Bavarian Army.

St. Lawrence served as master general of his order from 1602-1605 and was selected for a second term but refused.

His two great loves were the Mass and the Blessed Mother. He is known to have often "fall[en] into ecstasies when celebrating Mass," once taking sixteen hours to complete a Mass.

Fr. Lawrence was, several times, sent on peace missions, all of which were succesful. He died of natural causes while on his final peace mission to Spain. He is "buried in the cemetery of the Poor Clares on Villafranca." Pope Leo XIII canonized Fr. Lawrence on December 8, 1881 and Pope John XXIII declared him a doctor of the Church, due to his extensive writings, in 1959. St. Lawrence is the patron saint of his native home of Brindisi, Italy.

Saint of the Day - St. Margaret of Antioch

2010-07-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

Margaret was born in Pisidian, Antioch, Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) the daughter of a pagan priest. Her mother died while the girl was still an infant so Margaret was raised by her Christian nurse. As she grew older, Margaret made the decision to convert to Christianity and consecrate herself, and her virginity, to God. For these actions her father disowned her and she was officially adopted by her nurse.

While one day tending her flock of sheep, Margaret's beauty attracted the lustful eye of a Roman prefect named Olybius. He attempted, first through flattery and then by threats, to convince Margaret to be either his concubine or his wife. When she steadfastly refused, Olybrius denounced her as a Christian and had her brought to a public trial in Antioch.

Margaret was given a choice: renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods or be killed. Margaret refused to renounce her faith and so was sentenced to be burned to death. However, when her jailers attempted to execute the sentence they found that the flames would not burn her. The executioners then bound her hands and feet and threw her into a cauldron of boiling oil but, at Margaret's prayers, her bonds were broken and she arose unharmed. She was finally martyred by beheading. It is believed that the martyrdom of St. Margaret occured during the persecutions of Diocletian which occured from 303-305 A.D.

A famous legend about St. Margaret tells of the devil appearing before her in the form of a dragon. In this guise he swallowed the saint but expelled her unharmed when a cross which she carried irritated the dragon's innards.

St. Margaret is also well-known for being one of St. Joan of Arc's famous "voices."

St. Margaret is the patroness: against kidney disease; against loss of milk by nursing mothers; against sterility; of childbirth; of dying people; of escape from devils; of exiles; of expectant mothers; of falsely accused people; for safe childbirth; of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England; of martyrs; of Montefiascone, Italy; of nurses; of peasants; of people in exile; of pregnant women; of Queens College Cambridge; of Rixtel, Netherlands; of Sannat, Gozo, Malta; of women; and of women in labour.

Saint of the Day - St. Arsenius

2010-07-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

St. Arsenius was born in 350 A.D. in Rome. His family was very wealthy being that his father was a judge.

Arsenius was brought up in the Church and was eventually ordained a deacon. Upon the death of his parents, Arsenius and his sister gave all their wealth to the poor and lived as hermits.

St. Damascus recommended Arsenius when he heard that Emperor Theodosius was looking for a tutor for his children. Arsenius got the job and moved to Constantinople in 383 A.D.

Arsenius served in the court for over ten years before feeling the call to leave Constantinople in order to join the monks of Alexandria. He lived here a life of prayer and abstinence. He learned Aramaic - the language of Christ - and imposed poverty on himself. When a wealthy relative of his passed away, leaving Arsenius his heir, the monk refused to accept it. While living in Alexandria Arsenius became a student of St. John the Short.

In his old age Arsenius retired to the rock of Troe where he passed away in 450.

Fun Fact: If the pictures are correct, he had a very impressive beard.

Saint of the Day - St. Frederick

2010-07-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

St. Frederick, grandson of King Radbon of the Frisians, was educated by the clergy in his hometown of Utrecht in the Netherlands where he was known for his knowledge and piety. After being ordained to the priesthood Frederick was charged with the care and instruction of converts to the faith. Upon the death of Bishop Ricfried of Utrecht, Frederick was appointed to the post.

The new bishop was zealous in advancing the faith, sending missionaries, including St. Odulf, into the northern areas of his diocese where paganism still flourished. Due to his forceful attack on all forms of sin that he encountered, St. Frederick was not particularly well liked. The most troublesome of the pagan areas, the town of Walcheren, St. Frederick dealt with personally.

He also encountered an enemy in the Empress Judith. She and her husband, Emperor Louis the Debonair, were engaged in a conflict with the emperor's sons (her step-sons) who claimed that the empress was involved in many gross immoralities including adultery. St. Frederick charitably but forcefully rebuked the empress, for which action he received her lasting resentment.

On July 18, 838, while offering his thanksgiving after Mass, St. Frederick was stabbed to death by two assassins. He died moments later while reciting Psalm 144 "I will praise the Lord in the land of the living."

Some have speculated that the Empress Judith hired the assassins but it is more likely that they came from Walcheren and were angry at the saint's attack on their pagan religion.

Saint of the Day - The Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne

2010-07-17T17:16:00.000-07:00

While France reeled in the throws of the revolution a group of 16 Carmelite nuns continued their prayerful lives in the cloister.

On October 29, 1789 the sisters were directly affected for the first time by the revolution when the government decreed that the profession of vows for all religious orders was to be suspended. The prioress of the Carmelites - Mother Therese of St. Augustine - was distressed with this order because it prevented their sole novice, Sr. Constance, from making her final profession of vows. Sr. Constance was no stranger to objections to her vocation. As Mother Therese wrote "Sr. Constance remains always a novice here. Troubles have not been lacking on the side of her family: now they do not want her letters anymore or to hear her spoken of. The Lord permits this to be assured of her fidelity, and she accounts herself happy if they leave her in peace as at present. She hopes that the good God will at last touch their hearts and that they will look on her perseverance without sorrow."

The government's next attack on the Church came in the Civil Constitution on the Clergy which, among other things, ordered the suppresion of all religious orders and the "liberation" of any monks or nuns who should wish to renounce their vows. Government officials arrived at the monastery at Compiegne on August 15, 1790 to offer the sisters their "freedom." The sisters unanimously declared that they had no intention of renouncing their vows. Some of the sisters were rather more forceful. Sister of Jesus Crucified declared "For fifty-six years I have been a Carmelite. I desire to have the same number of years more to be consecrated to the Lord." Sister Euphrasie stated "I became a religious by my own will. I have made up my mind to go on wearing this habit, even if I have to purchase this joy with my own blood." Sister Saint Francis Xavier displayed her love of the Lord when she stated "A good spouse desires to remain with her husband. I do not wish to abandon my spouse." Sister Therese of the Heart of Mary finished "If I will be able to double the bonds of my attachment to God, then, with all my strength and zeal, I will do so."

The infamous guillotine was erected in Paris two weeks after Easter in 1792. At this time Mother Therese instructed her sisters to offer everything they could for an end to the massacres; in her own words "in order that the Divine peace which Christ has brought to the world may be restored to the Church and to the State."

The government continued in its persecution of the Church with a decree that all religious orders must take the Oath of Liberte-Egalite and, three days later, that all monasteries must be vacated. On September 14, 1792 the Carmelites of Compiegne took on secular clothing and divided into four groups to live inconspicuously in the town. For two years the Sisters struggled to maintain their religious life in the world outside the cloister.

In the summer of 1793 Maximilien Robespierre and his Jacobin henchmen attained power and instituted the infamous Reign of Terror which led thousands of French citizens, many of whom were clergy and religious, to the guillotine.

Sister Marie and Mother Therese were obliged to go to Paris in March 1794 for family reasons. While walking down the street the sisters were confronted with the sight of tumbrils carrying victims to the guillotine. Sister Marie attempted to avert Mother Therese' gaze but she told her sister "allow me the sad consolation of seeing how martyrs go to their death."

Upon the return of Mother Therese to Compiegne she received the report from her sisters that all four of their houses had been searched by the Committee for Revolutionary Surveillance and all their papers and food had been seized.

Shortly after the sisters were arrested. Their names were as follows: Mother Therese of St. Augustine, Prioress; Mother St. Louis, sub-prioress; Mother Henriette of Jesus, novice mistress; Sr. Charlotte of the Resurrection, the oldest of the sisters; Sr. of Jesus Crucified; Sr. Therese of the Heart of Mary; Sr. Therese of St. Ignatius; Sr. Julie-Louise of Jesus; Sr. Marie-Henriette of Providence; Sr. Euphrasie of the Immaculate Conception; Sr. Marie of the Holy Spirit, lay sister; Sr. St. Martha, lay sister; Sr. St. Francis Xavier, lay sister; and Sr. Constance, novice and youngest of the sisters. Also arrested with the sisters were two women, blood sisters, who served the community, Anne-Catherine Soiron and Therese Soiron. On the day of their arrest Anne-Catherine begged Mother Therese not to allow herself and her sister to be separated from the Carmelites.

On June 23 the sisters entered their first imprisonement in the Maison de Reclusion where they remained for three weeks with little and sickening food. The Revolutionary Committee of Compiegne arrived to transfer the Sisters to the dreaded Conciergerie in Paris while the sisters were doing their wash on July 12. Having no dry clothes but their religious habits the sisters once again donned their habits and proceeded to their trial as brides to the altar.

The sisters awaited their trial in prayer and works of charity, ministering to the other prisoners, especially the sick.

On July 17 at 9:00 a.m. the sisters were led before three judges and the infamous Antoine Fouquiere-Tinville. He read the Act of Accusation which included the accusation of "fanatical puerility." When Sr. Marie-Henriette asked Fouquier-Tinville to explain this phrase he responded "What I mean is your attachment to your childish beliefs, your stupid religious practices." She then turned to her sisters, proclaiming "My dear Mother and sisters, let us rejoice in the Lord for this. We are going to die for the cause of our holy religion, our faith, our reliance in the holy Roman Catholic Church."

Mother Therese offered to the judges that she herself was responsible for any misconduct of the sisters and that, if they desired a victim, she alone was it. The judges replied that her sisters were accomplices and sentenced all sixteen to the guillotine.

The sisters were summoned that evening while praying the Office for the Dead. Clothed in their religious habits, though their veils had been cut short so as not to interfere with the guillotine's work, the sisters boarded the tumbril carts which would take them to their deaths. While on their journey, disguised priests granted them absolution, as the sisters renewed their baptismal and religious vows and Sister Constance at last made her final profession of vows. The jeers of the crowds subsided as the sisters' chanted prayers rang out.

Mother Therese was informed that she would go last to the guillotine so that she must watch her sisters die. The nuns were called by their given names from youngest to oldest, beginning with Sister Constance.

The young sister had been in a panic moments before because she had been unable to finish the divine office. Mother Therese said to her "Be strong daughter. You will finish it in Paradise!" She now advanced with the strength of knowing that she would die as a professed Carmelite. Sister Constance knelt before Mother Therese and received her superior's blessing. Mother then offered a clay statue of the Virgin and Child for Sister Constance to kiss. The new Carmelite looked up at her mother superior and asked "Permission to die, Mother?" to which Mother Therese replied "Go, my daughter!" As she ascended the scaffold Sister Constance began to intone the psalm Laudate Dominum omnes gentes which St. Teresa of Avila had sung 190 years before "at the foundation of a new Carmel." The song was taken up by all the sisters.

Each sister knelt before Mother Therese to receive her blessing, kiss the image of Virgin and Child, and ask permission to die, while the chorus continued. Sister of Jesus Crucified informed the executioner and his assistants that "I forgive you with all my heart, as I desire forgiveness from God."

Mother Therese mounted the scaffold last, still intoning the psalm which ended abruptly at the fall of the guillotine's blade. The sisters were interred in a mass grave with other of the guillotine's victims.

These were the last executions to take place save those of Maximilien Robespierre and Antoine Fouquiere-Tinville who were guillotined ten days after the sisters, thereby ending the Reign of Terror. The sisters made every sacrifice, culminating in that of their lives, for an end to the violence of the revolution.

The decree on their martyrdom was promulgated on June 24, 1905 and they were beatified by Pope Pius X on May 17, 1906. Their canonization is still pending.

Saint of the Day - Our Lady of Mount Carmel

2010-07-16T14:06:00.001-07:00

The Carmelite order has existed since before the time of Christ as a group dedicated to the virgin who would bring forth the Savior.

By 1251 the Carmelite order had reached England where St. Simon Stock lived as a Carmelite friar. The order was, at that time, suffering oppression which the friars were ardently petitioning Our Lady to relieve them from. While praying for this intention Friar Simon received a vision of Our Lady holding the child Jesus in one arm and two pieces of brown cloth connected by a string in the other.

This garment was the first scapular which Our Lady presented to St. Simon saying "Take, beloved son this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is the sign of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and of the covenant."

Our Lady has appeared at other times as the Lady of Carmel such as at her final apparitions at Lourdes and Fatima.

Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

O, most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, blessed mother of the Son of God, immaculate virgin, assist me in my necessity. O, star of the sea, help me and show me herein, you are my mother. Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Sons and Lovers ***

2010-07-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

"More about sons than lovers this novel clearly illustrates the potential tragedy of loving one's children too selfishly. A mother is discontent in her own marriage and sows discontent in her sons."

This book is a wonderful argument against pre-marital sex. It is also a good argument against hasty marriage, bad parenting, extramarital affairs, divorce, and general stupidity. It is so because it vividly portrays the consequences of these terrible choices.

The author (D.H. Lawrence) is an extremely good writer. I absolutely loved how he really put me inside the characters' heads. I knew exactly what their thoughts, experiences, feelings, emotions, motivations, and ideas were. It was really fascinating. I think anyone interested in psychology would love this book. The book is semi-autobiographical which is why the author was able to portray with such acute accuracy the thoughts and experiences of the characters; because they were, in fact, his own thoughts and experiences. (That said, from what I've heard of Lawrence's other books I would definitely NOT suggest reading them.)

I feel that I now better understand the people I know who come from broken homes. I don't understand them in the sense that I now condone the way they are living their lives but rather in the sense that I have a better understanding of their motivations and of how truly hurt they are. I also feel that I have a better understanding of exactly how being in a broken home affects the children and how a child's relationship with his/her mother and father individually affects the child. The book also really depicts the importance of fathers, by depicting what happens when they shirk their responsibilities. To paraphrase the great Professor Cassidy: the majority of people who have problems have father issues.

The book should get you to think, both about the issues that I mentioned above and about yourself and your own character flaws. Not a single character in this book was a truly good character. They were all substantially flawed.

I do have to say I was kind of disappointed with the ending. Most of the loose ends were tied up but the author left one big one hanging, namely, the main character's life. Nothing was resolved for him. The last sentence was something along the lines of: Paul walked down the street. The End. I felt like the book ended but the story didn't, it just stopped abruptly. This is probably because the book was semi-autobiographical and the author had not figured out his own life so he didn't have any answers to offer for the issues that he/the main character were dealing with, hence, he couldn't write a really satisfying ending.

This is definitely a sad book, my brother would even classify it as depressing. However, it does make a point, as opposed to just being mindless depression (however I would recommend doing something fun after reading it - like going to see Toy Story 3 which I highly recommend!).

Now, this book would definitely be rated PG-13 but I think it's worth reading. Just be warned that there are definitely some scandalous parts. There are some parts of the book that I would certainly have tweaked, but overall it was very good so I give it three stars.

Some good quotes:

1) "Why don't you be more manly? To do nothing but find fault with a girl and then pretend you're engaged to her!"

2) "She is like that, and if you choose her - well, you can't grumble."

3) "'You think she's a man-hater?' 'She thinks she is.'"

4) "He could not leave her, because in one way she did hold the best of him. He could not stay with her because she did not take the rest of him."

5) "She sort of wants me so much that I can't give myself."

6) [In speaking of their affair] "But is it me you want, or is it It?"

7) "He became, not a man with a mind, but a great instinct."

Saint of the Day - St. Bonaventure

2010-07-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

St. Bonaventure was born in 1221 in Bagnoregio, Tuscany, Italy the son of Giovanni di Fidenza and his wife Ritella. St. Bonaventure was baptized Giovanni after his father. Legend states that, through the prayers of St. Francis of Assisi, young Giovanni was cured of a childhood illness.

At the age of 22 Giovanni entered the Franciscan Order of Friars Minar and took the name Bonaventure. The young friar was sent to Paris to complete his education. It was here that he first met St. Thomas Aquinas who would be a life-long friend. He also befriended King St. Louis IX for whom he composed an office of the Passion of Our Lord.

In 1257, the 35 year old Bonaventure was elected minister general of the entire Franciscan order. He was so succesful in this position that his brothers bestowed on him the title of "Second Founder" of the Friars Minor. In addition he was known to be an excellent preacher who also produced several written works such as his biography of St. Francis, Commentary on the Franciscan Rule, and Journey of the Soul to God.

Pope Gregory X raised Bonaventure to the stature of Cardinal and appointed him to the see of Albano (though the humble friar stubbornly protested that he did not desire these appointments).

St. Bonaventure was a moving force behind the Council of Lyons but died of natural causes on July 15, 1274, before the close of the Council. He was canonized on April 14, 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV. He is the patron saint: against intestinal problems; of Bagnoregio, Italy; of the Cochiti Indian Pueblo; and of St. Bonaventure University in New York.

Saint of the Day - St. Camillus de Lellis

2010-07-14T19:20:00.001-07:00

Camillus de Lellis was born on May 25, 1550 at Bocchiavico, Abruzzi, in Naples, Italy. He was the son of army captain Giovanni de Lellis and his nearly sixty year old wife, Camilla Compelli de Laureto. Prior to her son's birth, Camilla had a dream of her son with a cross on his chest leading other men also bearing this cross. At this time the cross signified those who were condemned to death by hanging. The mother feared that her son would become the leader of a gang of criminals.

The mother died when Camillus was only thirteen, not living to see her son's reckless youth. The young man followed his father into the army where he received a leg wound that would torment him the rest of his life. His free time was mostly spent in gambling due to which he nearly fell into poverty.

His circumstances forced Camillus to take a job doing construction for the Capuchin friars. These holy men converted Camillus who, at the age of 25, "resolved to reform his life and dedicate himself to the service of God." He "entered the Capuchin novitiate three times" but, each time, a recurrence of his leg injury forced him to leave.

In search of better medical care Camillus departed for Rome where he met St. Philip Neri who became his confessor.

Camillus founded the Congregation of the Servants of the Sick which began as a small "group of good men willing to dedicate themselves to the sick." He led a veritable army of these Servants in fighting the plague and other epidemics sweeping Rome. All the Servants had a red cross emblazoned on the front of their black cassocks, thereby fulfilling the mother's dream.

Camillus studied for the priesthood and was ordained at the age of 24.

After a lifetime spent in service of the sick, Camillus himself fell ill and died on July 14, 1614 in Genoa, Italy of natural causes. He was canonized on June 29, 1746 by Pope Benedict XIV. Camillus de Lellis is the patron saint: against bodily ills; against illness; against sickness; of hospitals; of hospital workers; of nurses; and of sick people.

Saint of the Day - St. Henry II

2010-07-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

Henry was born in 972 A.D. to Henry II (the Quarrelsome), Duke of Bavaria, and Gisella of Burgundy. He received an excellent education under the tutelage of Bishop Wolfgang of Regensburg at the Cathedral school in Hildesheim. Although he aspired to the priesthood, the death of Henry's father in 995 necessitated that he take upon himself the role of Duke of Bavaria, thereby foregoing his dreams of the priesthood. He was later crowned King of Germany in 1002 and King of Italy in 1004. In 1014 Pope Benedict VIII crowned Henry Holy Roman Emperor.

Henry was married to St. Cunegunda. They never had children and some accounts state that they had a celibate marriage but this can not be proven.

Henry was forced to do battle against his two brothers-in-law when they rebelled against him. Though they were defeated, Henry forgave them and the three were later reconciled.

Henry was involved in reform movements within the Church, while still respecting her independence. He made the city of Bamberg, Germany a center for missions to Slavic countries and began the construction of the Cathedral at Basel, Switzerland. Henry is said to have been cured of an unspecified illness by the touch of St. Benedict. Both he and St. Cunegunda were known to be prayerful and good to the poor.

After St. Cunegunda's death Henry desired to become a monk and sent his application to the abbey of Saint-Vanne at Verdun, France. The abbot refused his application however, telling him "to keep his place in the world where he could do much good for people and the advancement of God's kingdom."

Henry died on July 13, 1024 in Pfalz Grona, Saxony of natural causes. He was canonized by Pope Blessed Eugene III in 1146. He is the patron saint: against sterility; of the diocese of Bamberg, Germany; of Basel, Switzerland; of Benedictine Oblates; of childless people; of disabled people; of dukes; of handicapped people; of kings; of people rejected by religious orders; and of physically challenged people.

Saint of the Day - St. John Gualbert

2010-07-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

John Gualbert was born in 985 A.D. in Florence, Italy, the son of Florentine nobility. Though he was raised in piety John had no sooner entered adult life than he grew attached to worldly pleasures. After the murder of his brother, Hugh, John, a soldier, hunted down the murderer with the intent to kill him. When, on Good Friday, John encountered his adversary, he had a vision of Christ on the Cross which he taook as a sign to pardon the man and return to Christianity. In answer to the man's cries for mercy John replied "I cannot refuse what you ask in Christ's name. I grant you not only your life, but my friendship. Pray that God may forgive me my sin!"

John then went in haste to a nearby abbatial church where he fervently prayed for Our Lord to forgive his sins. At this, the figure of Our Lord on the crucifix bowed its head toward John as if to signify that his request was granted.

Following this experience John, against the wishes of his family, joined the Benedictine order at San Miniato del Monte monastery. When the abbot of this monastery passed away the monks implored John to replace him but John fled rather than accept this position. He settled at the monastery of Vallombrosa which he had founded and built by hand. He also founded, and helped to build, abbeys at San Salvi, Moscetta, Rozzuolo, Monte Salario, and Passignano.

Many miraculous accounts surround St. John Gualbert's life. In one instance, his prayers are said to have multiplied the provisions of the monks during a time of famine so that they had enough grain to give to all the poor who came to them.

John was away when his enemies plundered the abbey of San Salvi and beat the monks. Upon his return, John said "Now you are true monks. Oh how I envy your lot!"

John died at Passignano, Italy of natural causes in 1073. He was canonized in 1193 by Pope Celestine III. He is the patron saint of: forest workers; foresters; park services; and parks.

Saint of the Day - St. Benedict

2010-07-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

St. Benedict was born in Nursia, Umbria, Italy, in 480 A.D. He and his twin sister, St. Scholastica, were born into a noble family. Benedict lived and studied in Rome throughout his youth. At some point during his teenage years (his exact age at the time is disputed) Benedict left Rome with his servant and settled for a short time in the city of Enfide with "a company of virtuous men." St. Benedict abandoned Enfide after performing his first miracle: the reparation of an earthenware wheat-sifter which his servant had broken. He was then so hounded by the local townspeople that he fled Enfide on his own for the small town of Subiaco.

It was at this time that Benedict first resolved to live the life of a poor laborer. He met, on his way to Subiaco, a monk by the name of Romanus. Romanus invested Benedict with the monk's habit and advised him to spend some time as a hermit. For three years Benedict lived in a secluded cave near a lake, unknown to all but Romanus whom he visited frequently.

By the end of these three years he had become known to neighboring peoples for his sanctity. When the abbot of a nearby monastary passed away the people begged Benedict to take his place. Though Benedict knew that the rule of the monastary differed greatly from his own ideas he was overcome by the entreaties of the people and agreed to their request. The experiment ended in the monks attempting to poison St. Benedict who then returned to his cave with a large group of followers.

For these followers Benedict built a total of twelve monastaries while keeping a few followers with him in the cave. Benedict, himself, was the abbot of all these. With the increasing notoriety of Benedict's monastaries came jealousy and persecution. In order to protect his followers from this Benedict left the cave for the town of Monte Cassino.

In this place Benedict destroyed a temple to the roman god Apollo and put an end to pagan and satanic practices. On the site of the temple Benedict built the oratory of St. Martin and an oratory of St. John. He then converted the people by his preaching and built a new monastery. It was most likely here that St. Benedict wrote his rule for monastic life.

St. Benedict died on March 21, 547 of a fever while praying at Monte Cassino. He is buried at Monte Cassino with his sister, St. Scholastica. Benedict was canonized by Pope Honorius III in 1220. He is the patron saint: against erysipelas; against fever; against gall stones; against inflammatory diseases; against kidney disease; against nettle rash; against poison; against temptations; against witchcraft; of agricultural workers; of cavers; of civil engineers; of coppersmiths; of dying people; of Europe; of farm workers; of farmers; of Heerdt, Germany; of Italian architects; of monks; of Norcia, Italy; of people in religious orders; of school children; of servants who have broken their master's belongings; of speliologists; of spelunkers; of students; and of Subiaco, Italy.

Prayer to St. Benedict

Glorious Saint Benedict, sublime model of virtue, pure vessel of God's grace! Behold me humbly kneeling at your feet. I implore you in your loving kindness to pray for me before the throne of God. To you I have recourse in the dangers that daily surround me. Shield me against my selfishness and my indifference to God and to my neighbor. Inspire me to imitate you in all things. May your blessing be with me always, so that I may see and serve Christ in others and owrk for His kingdom. Graciously obtain for me from God those favors and graces which I need so much in the trials, miseries and afflictions of life. Your heart was always full of love, compassion and mercy toward those who were afflicted or troubled in any way. You never dismissed without consolation and assistance anyone who had recourse to you. I therefore invoke your powerful intercession, confident in the hope that you will hear my prayers and obtain for me the special grace and favor I earnestly implore. {mention your petition} Help me, great Saint Benedict, to live and die as a faithful child of God, to run in the sweetness of His loving will, and to attain the eternal happiness of heaven. Amen.

Saint of the Day - Sts. Rufina and Secunda

2010-07-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

Sts. Rufina and Secunda were sisters in the Roman Empire, daughters of a man named Asterius from a senatorian family. The girls were promised in marriage to two Christian men. However, when the Valerian persecutions began both men abandoned their faith in fear. The sisters refused to follow their fiances example and fled Rome. They were captured, brought back to Rome, and tortured. They were then condemned by the prefect of Rome, one Junius Donatus, to death by beheading. The girls were brought to a place twelve miles outside of Rome called the Black Forest (Sylva Nigra) and executed. They were buried in the same place which began to be known as the White Forest (Sylva Candida) in honor of the two girls. Their martyrdom occured in 257 A.D.

A chapel was built over their grave which was later replaced, at the direction of Pope Damascus, by a large church. After a barbarian invasion, which destroyed the church, the relics of the saints were moved to St. John Latteran in Rome.

100 Books Every Woman Should Read

2010-07-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

Due to technical difficulties with their website I was not previously able to link to the list of 100 Books Every Woman Should Read. However, everything seems to be running smoothly now so here's the link: Part 1: http://www.thecompletewomanblog.com/2009/01/100-books-every-woman-should-read-1/ Part 2: http://www.thecompletewomanblog.com/2009/01/100-books-every-woman-should-read-part-2/.

For those of you curious, the reason I started the blog entries with King Arthur rather than starting at the beginning is because my computer crashed a couple months ago and I lost all the notes I had taken on the books prior to King Arthur :-( It was quite tragic. So maybe once I finish the rest of the list I'll go back and re-read those and take new notes. In the meantime I am currently working on reading Sons and Lovers. I'll let you know how it goes.

Saint of the Day - St. Veronica Giuliani

2010-07-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

St. Veronica was born in Italy in 1660, the daughter of the wealthy couple Francesco Giuliani and Benedetta Mancini. The child was baptised Ursula Giuliani. Her first words were spoken at the age of eighteen months when she said to a crooked merchant "Do justice, God sees you." At the age of three she began to receive visions from Our Lord. Throughout her youth she was known to be a pious child though she was prone to anger, especially when others did not readily join in her religious practices, at which times she could also become quite domineering. She finally recognized these imperfections when, at the age of sixteen, she received a vision of her own heart as a heart of steel. From then on she worked to correct these faults. She also confessed in her writings to a great pleasure in the worldly things which she enjoyed in her parents' home.

However, Ursula had long been resolved to enter the religious life despite her father's desire for her to marry. When he began to bring suitors to her the girl fell ill causing her father to relent and give his blessing to her call to the religious life.

In 1677, at the age of 17, Ursula Giuliani entered the convent of the Capuchin Poor Clares in Citt' di Castello, Italy. She took, at this time, the name of Veronica, in memory of Christ's Passion. Throughout her novitiate, Veronica suffered great temptations to return to the world. Soon after her profession of vows in 1678, at which she started to desire to share Christ's sufferings for the conversion of sinners, Veronica began to experience a severe pain in her heart. After her death an image of the Cross was found imprinted on her heart. The pain this caused was a prelude to a life spent in suffering for the conversion of sinners. Fifteen years after first experiencing this pain Veronica received a vision of the chalice which represented "the Divine Passion which was to be re-enacted in her own soul. At first she shrank from accepting it and only by great effort eventually submitted. She then began to endure intense spiritual suffering." One year later she received the first of the stigmata, the imprint of the crown of thorns about her head. In obedience to the Bishop, Sister Veronica submitted to medical treatment but obtained no relief. She also had to undergo scrutiny from Church authorities (in order to ascertain that this was in fact a mystical occurence) which increased when, on Good Friday 1697, she received the complete stigmata: the wounds of Christ in her hands, feet, and side.

Despite her mystical experiences, Sister Veronica was known to be a highly practical woman. While serving as novice mistress in the convent she refused to allow the young women to read anything related to mysticism, "insisting that they become practical brides of Christ." Later, as abbess of her house, Sister Veronica enlarged the convent and had a system of water-pipes installed.

Sister Veronica died of natural causes on July 9, 1727 at the convent. Her body remains incorrupt. She was canonized on May 26, 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI.

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - The Odyssey ***

2010-07-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

The Complete Woman Blog says: "This tale of homecoming has fascinated for millenia and the Robert Fitzgerald translation makes it as engaging and fast-paced as Homer ought to be. The final destruction of the suitors is hugely satisfying."

When I thought of reading The Odyssey I envisioned a giant tome that would take at least a year to get through. What I got was an easy to read paperback that I finished in two days. Granted, my job allows me 8 straight hours of reading a day, but still.

I would recommend The Odyssey. It's a good story, easy to read, entertaining, and a classic (which means you'll sound intelligent when you say you've read it). There was no glaring immorality in it and even contained, one could argue, a defense of fidelity. I was fascinated by the piety of the characters. If they had been worshipping the one, true God I would have been cheering them on. Nevertheless, I think a lot of Catholics could learn from the piety displayed in this book, given, of course, that they understand that this piety should be directed to God: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and not to some bizarre idol (or idols, as the case may be).

One quote that I found thought-provoking was:

"My word, how mortals take the gods to task!
All their afflictions come from us we hear.
And what of their own failings? Greed and folly
double the suffering in the lot of man."

I think this is perfectly theologically true in view of our sins. We often blame suffering on God with no recognition that our sins are the cause of suffering in the first place. That is not to say that the less you sin the less you will suffer, but rather, the closer you are to God the better you will be able to understand and cope with your suffering. This is because you will recognize that this is the price mankind has had to pay for our transgressions and it is a far cry from what we would have had to endure had Christ not suffered Himself and died for us. Due to His great love for mankind God sent His only Son to take our sins and punishment upon Himself. If we truly understand this we will rejoice to share in His sufferings.

Three stars for the Odyssey.

Saint of the Day - St. Grimbald

2010-07-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

Grimbald was born around 825 A.D. in Therouanne (Pas-de-Calais), France. He became a Benedictine monk around the year 840 and was ordained a priest in 870. Following his ordination, Grimbald was appointed abbot of Saint-Bertin.

Grimbald's first encounter with King Alfred (of England) came while on his way to Rome in 886. Alfred was so impressed with Grimbald that, a year later, he invited him to come to England. Grimbald accepted. He would reside in a small monastery in Winchester while serving as court scholar.

Grimbald went on to help found the University of Oxford where he served as its first professor of divinity. Alfred even offered Grimbald the prestigious Archbishopric of Canterbury but Grimbald declined, preferring the position of dean of the secular canons of New Minster at Winchester, the town Church.

In his final days, the fast deteriorating Grimbald prostrated himself on the floor in order to receive Holy Communion. He then requested that he be left alone with God for three days. On the fourth day the monks were called to his chamber where he passed away peacefully amidst their prayers.

Saint of the Day - Blesseds Roger Dickenson and Ralph Milner

2010-07-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

Ralph Milner was born in Flacsted, Hants, England, in the sixteenth century, during the reign of the Tudors. He spent the majority of his life as a farm laborer in his native village where he and his wife had 8 children. Ralph was raised as an Anglican but after observing the pious example of his Catholic neighbors he made the decision to enter the Church.

However, at the time, England was in the midst of the Catholic persecutions ordered by Queen Elizabeth I. Due to this, Ralph was arrested on the same day that he received his first Holy Communion.

Because the jailer took a liking to Ralph he was often let out on parole. It was during this time that he met the undercover Catholic priest "Mr." Roger Dickenson. Ralph would act as escort to Fr. Dickenson "conducting [him] to the different villages to minister to the spiritual needs of the scattered and persecuted flock."

Eventually both men were caught in the act and placed in close confinement while awaiting their trial. At the trial the judge had pity on Ralph because of his large family and offered him a deal. If Ralph would just once attend a Protestant Church he could go free. Ralph refused "to embrace a counsel so disagreeable to the maxims of the Gospel."

He and Fr. Dickenson were led to the gallows on July 7, 1591. Ralph's 8 children were brought to him as he awaited the hangman in a last-ditch attempt to convince him to renounce his faith. Instead, Ralph gave his children his final blessing and declared that "he could wish them no greater happiness than to die for the like cause." He and Fr. Dickenson then went bravely to their execution by means of hanging, drawing and quartering.

Saint of the Day St. Maria Goretti

2010-07-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

Maria Goretti was born on October 16, 1890 in Corinaldo, Italy, the daughter of poor sharecroppers Luigi Goretti and Assunta Carlini. Six years after Maria's birth Mr. Goretti moved his family from Corinaldo to Ferriere di Conca in search of work. The Gorettis moved in with the Serenelli family on their farm. Soon after the move Maria's father succumbed to malaria, leaving his wife, Assunta, to care for their six children. In the wake of this loss Maria "developed great strength and maturity," in addition to growing in grace and holiness. It was noted that Maria forsook playing in the dusty streets with the other children in order to cheerfully perform mundane household chores.

The highlight of Maria's short life was her first Holy Communion on June 16, 1901 in the Church of Conca. Her careful preparations displayed an eager anticipation to receive the sacraments.

Maria had long been sexually harassed by the twenty year old Alessandro Serenelli, the son of the couple with whom the Goretti's shared a house. Alessandro later wrote that "Looking back on my past, I can see that in my early youth, I chose a bad path which led me to ruin myself. My behavior was influenced by print, mass-media and bad examples which are followed by the majority of young people without even thinking. And I did the same. I was not worried. There were a lot of generous and devoted people who surrounded me, but I paid no attention to them because a violent force blinded me and pushed me toward a wrong way of life." On July 5, 1902 Alessandro attemted to rape the twelve year old Maria. The young girl fought her attacker, shouting "No! It is a sin! God does not want it!" When unable to subdue the young girl, Alessandro stabbed her fourteen times. Maria suffered for twenty hours while doctors struggled to save her life. All the while she prayed for Alessandro. She received the Anointing of the Sick a little over one year after her first Communion. Maria passed away the day after the attack while holding a crucifix and a medal of Our Lady.

Alessandro Serenelli was sentenced to thirty years hard labor - a short sentence because he was a minor. By his sixth year in prison Alessandro was on the brink of despair. As he lay in his cell one night he had a vision of Maria gathering lilies - the flower symbolic of purity. She smiled and encouraged him to take some of the flowers. As he took them, each flower transformer into a still white flame, after which Maria disappeared.

This apparition led to Alessandro's conversion. When his prison sentence was finished Alessandro retired to a Capuchin Franciscan monastery where he worked in the garden. He asked, and received, forgiveness of Maria's mother whom he accompanied to Christmas Mass at the parish Church where he also asked forgiveness of God and the community. He later testified at Maria's cause for beatification and accompanied her mother to Maria's canonization by Pope Pius XII on June 24, 1950. This was the first time a parent had witnessed her child's canonization.

Alessandro passed away on May 6, 1970 in the Capuschin Convent of Macerata, after writing his short testimony.

Maria is the patron saint: against poverty; against the death of parents; of the diocese of Albano, Italy; of children; of Children of Mary; of girls; of martyrs; of poor people; of rape victims; and of young people.

Official Prayer to St. Maria Goretti
Oh Saint Maria Goretti who, strengthened by God's grace, did not hesitate even at the age of twelve to shed your blood and sacrifice life itself to defend your virginal purity, look graciously on the unhappy human race which has strayed far from the path of eternal salvation. Teach us all, and especially youth, with what courage and promptitude we should flee for the love of Jesus anything that could offend Him or stain our souls with sin. Obtain for us from our Lord victory in temptation, comfort in the sorrows of life, and the grace which we earnestly beg of thee (here insert intention), and may we one day enjoy with thee the imperishable glory of Heaven. Amen.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be to the Father, etc.St. Maria Goretti, pray for us!

100 Books Every Woman Should Read - Le Morte D'Arthur **

2010-07-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

Last year I came across a list of 100 Books Every Woman Should Read. So I began to read them. And I've decided that I'm going to start doing reviews of each of them on here as I finish. The asterisks next to the book title in the heading represent my rating of the book out of a total of 4 stars (or, in this case, asterisks). Oh, and just because it's a list of books every woman should read doesn't mean men can't read them too (though you can find a list of 100 Books Every Man Should Read here). And so we begin today with Le Morte D'Arthur.

Here's what The Complete Woman Blog has to say about the book: "And speaking of Malory . . . his compendium of Arthurian lore is a classic and well worth reading. It is commonly known as Le Morte D'Arthur or "The Death of Arthur" but that is properly only the title of the final section. There is much to love about this book, not the least of which is its gorgeous Middle English prose."

Le Morte D'Arthur translated literally means The Death of Arthur. Though technically only the title for the last section of the book, Le Morte D'Arthur has come to be used as the title for the entire collection of the tales of King Arthur. And no, I didn't read it in French, I'm not that talented.

I began reading Le Morte D'Arthur with the typical idea of knights in shining armor and suchwhat. Unfortunately, for the first 14 books of the volume I found myself sadly misled. The morality of these 14 books was incredibly screwed up. A common frustration was knights committing particularly agregious adulteries but then making a point of stating that they were daily Communicants. It was not until the entrance of Sir Galahad and the quest for the Sangreal that any legitimate morality or theology appeared. Unfortunately, though always nice, the religious tales were not always theologically correct. In addition to all this there is a significant demonization, throughout the book, of the "old law," meaning the thousands of years of Judaism prior to Christ. Well now isn't that dumb. Y'know considering that Christ WAS Jewish and said Himself in regards to the law that "I come not to abolish, but to fulfill." I really have nothing to add to that.

So, now, under the good points of the book we find a plethora of excellent quotes (mostly from the quest for the Sangreal) which I will allow to speak for themselves (for the most part):

Sir Launcelot's recognition of his sin was one of the highlights of the book: "My sin and my wickedness have brought me unto great dishonour. For when I sought worldly adventures for worldly desires, I ever enchieved them and had the better in every place, and never was I discomfit in no quarrel, were it right or wrong. And now I take upon me the adventures of holy things, and now I see and understand that mine old sin hindereth me and shameth me, so that I had no power to stir nor speak when the Holy Blood appeared afore me."

The book also contains a fantastic explanation of why we cannot receive the Eucharist while in a state of mortal sin: "And for your presumption to take upon you in deadly sin for to be in His presence, where His flesh and His blood was, that caused you ye might not see it with worldly eyes; for He will not appear where such sinners be, but if it be unto their great hurt and unto their great shame; and there is no knight living now that ought to give God so great thank as ye, for He hath given you beauty, seemliness, and great strength above all other knights; and therefore ye are the more beholding unto God than any other man, to love Him and dread Him, for your strength and manhood will little avail you an God be against you." The Sangreal (or Holy Grail) helps to emphasize this point in the book, however it is something that we need to be aware of every time we receive the Eucharist at Mass.

There is a beautiful story told of King Solomon and the Virgin Mary (it's not actually Biblical but the message is true): "This Solomon had an evil wife, wherethrough he weened that there had been no good woman, and so he despised them in his books. So answer a voice him once: Solomon, if heaviness come to a man by a woman ne reck thou never; for yet shall there come a woman whereof there shall come greater joy to man an hundred times more than this heaviness giveth sorrow; and that woman shall be born of thy lineage. Tho when Solomon heard these words he held himself but a fool and the truth he perceived by old books. Also the Holy Ghost showed him the coming of the glorious Virgin Mary."

I absolutely loved this one: "For if they misdid against God, the vengeance is not ours, but to Him which hath power thereof." I mean, it's pretty much taken straight from the Bible so you know it's good.

Le Morte D'Arthur also contains a superb argument against euthanasia: "In the name of God, said an old man, for I do you verily to wit he is not dead, but he is so full of life as the mightiest of you all; and therefore I counsel you taht he be well kept till God send him life again." Basically, until they actually die, we never really know if a person will recover. For example, I remember reading about a woman who was in a coma for sixteen years and then recovered. I'm sure there have been people who have been in a coma longer than that and recovered. What it comes down to is: it's not our job to decide when people die! God will take a person home when it's their time and if we start fooling around with death we're gonna make some serious errors.

Sir Galahad displays sanctity throughout his adventures but never more so than in this passage which gives an excellent explanation of the glory of God: "And Galahad fell in his prayer long time to Our Lord, that at what time he asked, that he should pass out of this world. So much he prayed till a voice said to him: Galahad, thou shalt have thy request; and when thou askest the death of thy body thou shalt have it and then shalt thou find the life of the soul. Percivale heard this, and prayed him, of fellowship that was between them, to tell him wherefore he asked such things. That shall I tell you, said Galahad; the other day when we saw a part of the adventures of the Sangreal I was in such a joy of heart, that I trow never man was that was earthly. And therefore I wot well, when my body is dead my soul shall be in great joy to see the blessed Trinity every day, and the majesty of Our Lord, Jesu Christ."

One aspect of this book that I absolutely love is a real understanding of the Eucharist and the Mass. Here are the best examples:

"So came there out of a chamber a good man which was a priest and bare God's Body in a cup."

"Then he looked up in the midst of the chamber, and saw a table of silver, and the Holy Vessel, covered with red samite, and many angels about it, whereof one held a candle of wax burning, and the other held a cross, and the ornaments of an altar. And before the Holy Vessel he saw a good man clothed as a priest. And it seemed that he was at the sacring of the Mass. And it seemed to Launcelot that above the priest's hands were three men, whereof the two put the youngest by likeness between the priest's hands; and so he lift it up right high, and it seemed to show so to the people."

"And then he took an ubblie which was made in likeness of bread. And at the lifting up there came a figure in likeness of a child, and the visage was as red and as bright as any fire, and smote Himself into the bread, so that they all saw it that the bread was formed of a flshly man; and then he put it into the Holy Vessel again, and then he did that longed to a priest to do to a Mass."

It comes down to this: from the quest for the Sangreal to the end of the book is worth reading. The end, in fact, with it's tales of repentance and salvation, almost made the rest of the book worth it. Almost. I appreciate that the first 14 books were (somewhat) necessary backround information but they were immoral, tedious, and just an absolute chore to read. So I would give the end of the book 3 stars and the rest of it 1 star. So, to compromise, I give the book as a whole 2 stars. And my recommendation is: if you absolutely must read about King Arthur just read from the entrance of Sir Galahad and the beginning of the quest for the Sangreal to the end. Skip all that other stuff, it's just not worth it.

Oh, I almost forgot, my very favorite part of the book was the note at the end from Sir Thomas Mallory, the translator, asking the reader to pray for him. If I ever wrote a book that's how I'd want to end it.

Saint of the Day - St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria

2010-07-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

Anthony Mary Zaccaria was born in 1502 to a noble family in Cremona, Lombardy, Italy. His father died two years later leaving Anthony's eighteen year old mother to raise their son.

The only story we have of Anthony's childhood tells that on his way home from school Anthony gave his cape to a beggar.

Anthony studied medicine and philosophy in Padua, earning his doctorate at the age of 22. He never officially practiced medicine though he did use his knowledge to minister to the poor. He also worked as a Catechist, gathering children together in order to teach them the Catechism and gathering adults for Scripture reading and meditation.

Anthony was ordained to the priesthood in January 1529 and legend holds that angels were seen around the altar during his first Mass. Following his ordination Anthony's catechetical gatherings developed into a structured group to which he delivered his sermons. He continued his outreach to the poor and sick, most especially during the plague of 1528. Anthony also served as spiritual director to several different groups and individuals.

Anthony's most commemorated achievement was his transformation of the feeble Oratory of Eternal Wisdom into "a new and original religious community, consisting of three families: priests, sisters, and lay people." The priestly family was named Sons of St. Paul though they acquired the title of Barnabites once they began to inhabit the Church of St. Barnabas. The family of sisters took the name Angelics of St. Paul and the lay family became known as the Marrieds of St. Paul.

Anthony passed away due to illness at his mother's home in Cremona on the octave of the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, July 5, 1539. He was canonized on May 27, 1897 by Pope Leo XIII.

Saint of the Day Double Duty - St. Elizabeth of Portugal

2010-07-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Today is one of the exciting days in the year when we celebrate not one saint but two! Our second saint today is St. Elizabeth of Portugal.

St. Elizabeth was born in 1271 in Aragon, Spain, the daughter of King Pedro III of Aragon. She was the great-niece of St. Elizabeth of Hungary for whom she was named. Elizabeth was a pious child, who went to daily Mass, prayed the liturgy of the hours, and did frequent penance.

At the age of 12 Elizabeth was wed to King Diniz of Portugal making her the Queen of Portugal. The King's morals were severely lacking and the royal court to which Elizabeth was brought was entirely corrupt. Nevertheless, Elizabeth persisted in her life of piety, continuing her daily prayers and devotions and doing acts of charity. She was known for caring for the poor and sick and even pressing her ladies-in-waiting to accompany her in her works of charity. King Diniz finally repented of his sins late in his life due to the unfailing prayers of St. Elizabeth.

Elizabeth and Diniz had two children, Constantia and Affonso. Affonso so resented the favors that his father granted to his illegitimate sons that Affonso raised an army against his father. Elizabeth became known as peacemaker when she personally rode to the battlefield to reconcile her husband and son.

Upon the death of King Diniz, Elizabeth retired to a Poor Clare convent wishing to live out her life in obscurity, praying and doing works of charity.

She once more earned the title of peacemaker when she journeyed from the convent to the battlefield of Estremoz, Portugal to reconcile Affonso to his son-in-law, the King of Castile, who had been an abusive husband to Affonso's daughter Maria. However, this journey caused her final illness and she died at Estremoz of a fever on July 4, 1336.

She was canonized by Pope Urban VIII on May 25, 1625. Her feast was originally celebrated on July 8 but has since been moved to July 4.

She is the patron saint: against jealousy; of brides; of charitable societies; of charitable workers; of charity workers; of charities; of Coimbra, Portugal; of difficult marriages; of falsely accused people, of peace; of queens; of tertiaries; of victims of adultery; of victims of jealousy; of victims of unfaithfulness; and of widows. She is also invoked in time of war.

Saint of the Day - St. Ulric

2010-07-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

St. Ulric was born in 890 A.D. at Kyburg, Zurich, Switzerland. His father was Count Hucpald through whom Ulric was related to the dukes of Alamannia and the imperial family.

A sickly child, it was predicted that Ulric would not live long. However, his life of prayer and study at the monastic school of St. Gall (where he was an excellent student) did more for his health than all the doctors' remedies.

Ulric served as chamberlain to his uncle, Blessed Adalbero, the Bishop of Augsburg, before being appointed Bishop himself. As Bishop, Ulric was fully devoted to his parishioners to whom he offered instruction, comfort, and relief. Butler's Lives of the Saints states "He excused himself from attending the court, knowing of what importance the presence of a bishop is to his flock, for which he is to give a severe account to God." Ulric further devoted himself to building as many churches as possible in order to make the blessings of the Church more accessible to the common people. He was known for a strict adherence to the laws of the Church, which he also demanded of his clergy.

When barbarians attacked his diocese of Augsburg, St. Ulric led the people in prayer which included processions and devotions. Their prayers were answered when the invaders were seized with fear and fled in a panic. They were met and defeated by Emperor Otho.

Ulric passed away on July 4, 973. In his last hours he had ashes strewn on the floor in the shape of a cross and sprinkled with holy water. He was then laid upon this cross on which he died while the clergy sang the litany. He was buried in the Church of St. Afra which he had rebuilt.

St. Ulric was the first saint to be canonized by a pope (Pope John XV) which led to the canonical process which the church uses today to determine sainthood.

He is the patron saint against birth complications and of pregnant women because legend states that pregnant women who drank from his chalice had easy deliveries. Similarly, the touch of his pastoral cross was said to heal those bitten by rabid dogs and earth from his grave is said to repel rodents making him the patron saint against mice and moles. He is also patron saint: against faintness; against dizziness; against fever; against frenzy; against vertigo; of the city and diocese of Augsburg, Germany; of Creazzo, Italy; of happy death; and of weavers.

Saint of the Day - St. Thomas the Apostle

2010-07-03T18:11:00.001-07:00

Did you know that in the Church every day is a feast day? That's right, each day of the year is the feast of at least one saint. So I've decided that I'm going to start doing a daily feature on the saint of the day. Today - St. Thomas the Apostle.

St. Thomas is best known as "doubting Thomas," the apostle who told his fellow disciples that he would not believe that Christ had risen and had appeared to them "unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side." A week later, according to the Gospel of John, Christ appeared again to the apostles and instructed Thomas to "put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving but believe."

St. Thomas is mentioned in the Gospels several times prior to this. Catholic Online describes him as a "dedicated but impetuous follower of Christ." This is due primarily to the occasion described in John's Gospel when Jesus informs His followers that He is going to Judea to serve His friend Lazarus, who is ill. The apostles immediately remind Jesus that during their recent stay in Judea the Jews tried to stone him to death. When Jesus is adament that He will go Thomas implores the disciples "Let us also go to die with Him," displaying his love, unto death, for the Lord.

He is mentioned once more in the Gospel of John as the apostle who, at the Last Supper, says to Christ "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" In answer to his plea St. Thomas received the "beautiful assurance" from Our Lord that "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."

St. Thomas is mentioned throughout the Gospels as one of the apostles and also as one of those present in the upper room at Pentecost.

Little is known for certain about St. Thomas' later life but tradition holds that he "was sent to evangelize the Parthians, Medes, and Persians; he ultimately reached India, carrying the faith to the Malabar coast, which still boasts a large native population calling themselves 'Christians of St. Thomas.'" He was ultimately martyred circa 72 A.D. when he was stabbed with a spear while in prayer.

St. Thomas is often pictured with a builder's square for several reasons. First, tradition holds that he built the first Church in India with his own hands. The builder's square further represents building a strong spiritual foundation.

St. Thomas is the patron saint: of architects, against blindness, against doubt, of blind people, of builders, of Certaldo, Italy, of construction workers, of Ceylon, of the East Indies, of geometricians, of India, of masons, of Pakistan, of people in doubt, of Sri Lanka, of stone masons, of stonecutters, of surveyors, and of theologians.

The Assault on Women

2009-08-26T18:30:00.001-07:00

So apparently today is Women's Equality Day (I think classes should have been cancelled) so it seemed like the perfect day to write this post.

The reason the devil revolted against God was because of pride. He was infuriated that God was going to make him subordinate to these creatures (humans). And the icing on the cake was when God told him that he would have to bow to a human, and not just any human, but a woman, a human of the weaker sex, who God would raise to be the Queen of the Angels, of Heaven and Earth.

From there the devil not only abandoned God but began to actively wage war on Him. And his first attack was on a woman, Eve. He tempted her with the sin he himself had commited, pride, the desire to be greater than God. As we all know, she fell into the trap.

In order to turn the human race back to God, Christ was born and gave Himself as a sacrifice for humanity. To bring His Son into the world God created a woman without sin, the Blessed Virgin Mary, to give birth to the Savior of the World. And this woman was raised above all human beings to be the Queen of the Angels. (As a sidenote, it's kind of ironic that what the devil wanted so much to avoid, a woman being exalted, he brought upon himself. Because if he had never tempted Eve, she would never have sinned, and there would have been no need for a Savior, and therefore no need for a woman without sin. See how God brings good out of evil? If Eve had never sinned we'd have no Mama Mary.)

But the devil has never given up his assault on women, if anything he has become more vicious since the exultation of Our Blessed Mother. Throughout periods of history women have been slaves, have been treated as barely human, as little more than commodities. Then came women's rights. Women gained protection under the law along with the right to vote, etc. But the devil used this to his advantage. In complete opposition to the principles of the original women's rights movement, led by women such as Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, today's feminist movement has not settled for being equal with men but wishes for women both to be superior to men and alike to men. The devil has taken his original fear, the exultation of a woman, and used it to destroy women. The most tragic example of this is how he has made the mutilation of a woman's body and the destruction of human life a "woman's right" through the horror of abortion.

In this morally turbulent time men and women need to watch out for each other. It used to be that women were the safeguards of morals. One of my teachers told me that "women have forgotten how to be women and therefore men have forgotten how to be men." Women need to step up and take their place again as the protectors of morality. Men need to hold women accountable to this standard and treat us as such.

The devil's first enemy was woman. Women, we need to fight him. Men, please help to defend us.

Regina Angelorum pray for us

Note To Self

2009-08-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

The devil is the one who is tempting you right now.

The same devil who brought evil into the world.

Because of him your brothers have been exposed to things that hurt them.

Because of him your cousin left the Church.

Because of him your friend has fallen into depression.

Because of him you've been stabbed in the back by people you thought loved you.

Remember how much you hate him for all of that?

You're gonna make him happy if you give in to this temptation.

And you're gonna hurt Jesus.

The Jesus who died on the Cross for you.

The Jesus who got you through all this pain the devil put you through.

If you give in you're gonna hurt Jesus the same way the devil has hurt you.

Health Care

2009-08-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

My younger brother has Asperger Syndrome which is a form of autism, a mental disorder. Basically it means that he's socially awkward and has severe anger problems. As you can imagine my parents have had to take him to alot of doctors over the years which means they have had to pay alot of doctor's bills. On top of this my brother also developed a digestive disorder called celiac disease, I have anxiety disorder, and then you throw in all the regular pediatrician, dentist, and orthodontist bills and it adds up to alot. Honestly, I have no idea how my parents have managed to pay all these doctor bills and still keep a roof over our heads. But my dad worked overtime, my mom got a job, they sacrificed alot, and now my brother is on the right medications and his anger is basically under control, as is my anxiety.

Now the government is going to come in and tell us that we have to get on line. We may not be able to see the doctors who have been taking care of us for all these years. We may not be able to get the medications we need.

So why did my parents even bother? It would have saved them alot of money to just ignore our problems. We could've afforded to add on to the house like my mom's always wanted to. We could've gone on more expensive vacations. Honestly, why should they bother spending all that money taking care of us when the government's just gonna come in and tell them we can't get the care anyway?

Oh wait! That's called child abuse. So why is it that when parents deny their children medical care it's called abuse but when the government does it it's called "fairness"?

Thoughts on Sarah

2009-07-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge Sarah Palin fan. So naturally I was shocked when Sarah announced yesterday that she will be resigning as Governor of Alaska. In the following hours I heard many comments regarding this development from many different people. Some have said don't worry, this means she is gearing up to run for president. Others have said this means she's out of politics for good. However, running through everyone's comments are, why did she really do this?! Simply asking this question has led us to make ridiculous speculations. In doing such we are simply proving Sarah's point when she spoke about the magnet on her parents' refrigerator that states "Don't explain, your friends won't care, and your enemies won't believe you anyway." Politicians and journalists do not believe that Sarah could possibly be resigning for the reasons she stated, the good of her family and the good of the state of Alaska, because Washington has never seen a politician who did not operate out of ulterior motives. Therefore, they can't believe that she doesn't. Yesterday Sarah asked us to trust her with this decision. She has never lied to the American people before, I don't think she's gonna start now.

Thoughts From Literature

2009-06-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

I recently read Leo Tolstoy's classic novel Anna Karenina. In it I found this incredible passage which I wanted to share with you:

"Levin walked along the highroad with great strides, attending not so much to his own thoughts (he was still unable to disentagle them) as to a spiritual condition he had never experienced before.

The peasant's words had affected his soul like an electric spark, suddenly transforming and fusing into one a whole swarm of disjointed, impotent individual thoughts that had never stopped interesting him. These thoughts had occupied his mind, though he hadn't known it, even while he had been talking about letting the land.

He felt something new in his soul, and palpated this new thing with pleasure, not yet knowing what it was.

To live not for one's needs, but for God. For what God? And what could you say that was more senseless than what he said? He said it was unnecessary to live for one's own needs; that is, it's not necessary to live for what we understand, for what we're drawn to, for what we want, but we must live for something incomprehensible, for God which no one can understand or define. Well, and what of it? Didn't I understand those senseless words of Theodore's? And after I understood did I have any doubt of their truth? Did I find them stupid, obscure, inexact?

No, I understood them, just as he understands them; I understood them completely, and more clearly than I understand anything in life; I've never doubted it in my life, nor can I doubt it. And not I alone, but everyone, the whole world understands this alone completely, it's the only thing it has no doubt of and always agrees with.

Theodore says that Kirilov the house porter lives for his belly. That's understandable and rational. As rational creatures none of us can live in any other way than for our bellies. Then suddenly this same Theodore says living for your belly is bad, and that you have to live for the truth, for God, and I understand him from a mere hint! And I and millions of people who lived ages ago and are living now, peasants, the poor in spirit, and wise men who've thought and written about this, and said the same thing in their unclear way - we all agree on this one thing: what we should live for, and what it is that's good. There's only one thing I , together with everyone, know with certainty, know clearly and beyond question, and this piece of knowledge cannot be explained by reason - it is beyond that; it has no causes and can have no consequences.

If goodness has a cause, it is no longer goodness; if it has a consequence it is also not goodness. Consequently, goodness is outside the chain of cause and effect.

It is just this that I know, and that we all know.

And I had been seeking miracles; I regretted not having seen a miracle that would have convinced me. And here is a miracle, the only possible one, everlasting, surrounding me on all sides - and I never noticed it!

What miracle can be greater than that?

Can I really have found the solution of everything? Can my suffering really be over now? thought Leving, striding along the dusty road, unaware of either the heat or his fatigue, and with a feeling of relief after long-drawn-out suffering. This feeling gave him so much joy it seemed to him improbable. He was panting with excitement; incapable of walking any farther he left the road for the woods, and sat down on the uncut grass in the shade of the aspens. He took his hat off his sweating head and lay down, leaning on his elbows in the juicy, feathery forest grass.

Yes, I must think it through and clear things up, he thought, staring intently at the untrodden grass before him, and watching the movements of a little green beetle that was climbing up a stalk of couch grass and being hindered by a leaf of goutwort. Let's start all over again, he said to himself, turning aside the leaf of goutwort so that it wouldn't be in the beetle's way, and bending down another blade of grass for the beetle to pass on to. What is making me so happy? What have I discovered?

Before I used to say that in my body, in the body of this grass and of this beetle (there, he didn't want that blade of grass, it's spread its wings and flown away) a certain transformation of matter was accomplished in accordance with physical, chemical, and physiological laws. And in all of us, including the aspens, the clouds, and the misty nebulaein space, evolution takes place. Evolution from what? Into what? Infinite evolution and struggle? As though there could be any direction or struggle in the infinite! And I was astonished that in spite of the greatest mental concentration along those lines the meaning of life was not revealed to me, the meaning of my impulses and my aspirations. Whereas the meaning of my impulses is so clear to me that I live by them constantly, and I was astonished and overjoyed when a peasont expressed it to me: to live for God, for the soul.

I've discovered nothing. I've simply learned what I knew already. I've understood the force that gave me life not in the past alone, but is giving me life at this very moment. I've liberated myself from deception; I've learned to know my Master.

He summarized to himself the whole course of his thinking during the preceding two years, the beginning of which had been a clear, obvious thought about death at the sight of his beloved brother hopelessly ill.

At that time, having understood clearly for the first time that for every human being and for himself nothing lay ahead but suffering, death, and eternal oblivion, he decided that it was impossible to live that way, that he either had to interpret his life in such a way that it did not seem to be an evil mockery on the part of some devil, or else shoot himself.

But he did neither one thing nor the other; he went on living, thinking, and feeling; he even married at just this time, had many joys, and was happy whenever he wasn't thinking about the meaning of his life.

What did that mean? It meant he was living well but thinking badly.

He was living (without being aware of it) in accordance with the spiritual truths he had drunk in with his mother's milk, but he was thinking not only without acknowledging these truths but taking pains to evade them.

Now it was clear to him that he could live only thanks to those beliefs in which he had been brought up.

What would I be, how would I have lived my life, if I had lacked those beliefs? If I hadn't known you had to live for God and not for your own needs? I should have robbed, lied, murdered. None of the things that constitute the chief joys of my life would have existed for me. And though he made the greatest effort of the imagination he could nevertheless not picture to himself the bestial creature he himself would have been if he hadn't known what he was living for.

I was looking for an answer to my question. But thinking could not give me any answer to my question - it is not commensurate with it. It was life itself that gave me the answer, through my knowledge of what is good and what is bad. And I didn't acquire this knowledge in any special way; it was given to me just as it is to everyone - given just because I couldn't have gotten it anywhere.

Where did I get it from? Was it through reason that I managed to see that you had to love your neighbor and not throttle him? I was told that as a child, and I was glad to believe it because what was told me was what I already had in my soul. But who discovered it? Not reason. Reason discovered the struggle for existence and the law requiring anyone who interfered with the satisfaction of my desires to be throttled. That is a deduction made by reason. But it was not reason that could have discovered love of one's fellows, because that is unreasonable.

"Levin recalled a recent scene with Dolly and her children. The children, who had been left alone, had begun cooking raspberries over candles and squirting jets of milk into their mouths. Their mother, who had caught them in the act, tried to impress on them in front of Levin how much work it had taken the grown-ups to make what they were destroying, that the work had been done on their behalf, and if they broke the cups they wouldn't have anything to drink tea out of, and if they spilled the milk they wouldn't have anything to eat and would die of hunger.

And Levin was struck by the stolid, weary skepticism with which the children listened to what their mother was telling them. They were only annoyed that their absorbing game had been stopped, and didn't believe a word of what she was saying. Nor could they have believed, since they were unable to imagine the full volume of everything they made use of, and so could not realize that what they were destroying was the same as what they lived on.

All that comes about by itself, they thought, and there's nothing the least bit interesting or important about it, because it's always been that way and always will be. It's always the same thing over and over again. There's no reason for us to think about it, it's all there ready for us; what we want is to think up something of our own, something novel. Now there we thought up the idea of putting raspberries into a cup and cooking them over a candle and squirting the milk into each other's mouth. That's something novel, it's fun and not in the least worse than drinking out of cups.

Don't we do the same thing, didn't I do the same thing when I was using reason to look for the meaning of the forces of nature and the point of human existence? Levin went on thinking.

And don't all philosophical theories do the same thing when they embark on ways of thought strange and alien to man in order to lead him to a knowledge of what he's known for a long time, and knows with such certainty that he couldn't even go on living without it? Isn't it obvious and clear in the development of every philosopher's theory that he starts off by knowing just as unquestionably as the peasant, Theodore, and not in any way more clearly, the cardinal meaning of life, and simply wants to take a dubious intellectual path in order to return to what everyone knows?

Well then, what if the children were left alone to get hold of or manufacture cups for themselves, milk the cows, and so on? Would they start any mischief? They would just die of hunger. And suppose we were left with all our nonsense and ideas, with no conception of the one God, the Creator! With no conception of what goodness is, no explanation of moral evil!

Just try to build anything without these conceptions!

We destroy because we are spiritually sated. We're just children after all!

Where did I get the joyful knowledge I have in common with the peasant, which is the only thing that gives me any peace of mind? Where did I get it?

I who have been brought up in the conception of God, as a Christian, and have filled my whole life with those spiritual blessings given me by Christianity, overflowing with these blessings and living by them, I too am a destroyer just like the children, that is, I want to destroy what I live by. And the moment an important moment in life comes, just like the children when they're cold and hungry, I go to Him, and I feel even less than the children when they're scolded by their mother for their childish mischief than my own childish attempts at wanton madness should be reckoned against me.

Yes - what I know I don't know by reason, it has been given to me, disclosed to me, and I know it by my heart, and by my faith in the chief things taught by the Church.

The Church? The Church! Levin repeated to himself, turning over on the other side; leaning on his elbow he began gazing into the distance at a herd of cattle that were going down to the river along the farther side.

But can I believe in everything taught by the Church? he thought, testing himself by thinking up everything that might destroy his present peace of mind. He deliberately began recalling all the doctrines of the Church that had always seemed to him the most strange and used to put him off. The Creation? But how did I explain existence? By existence? By nothing? The Devil, sin? But how do I explain evil? Atonement?

But I know nothing, nothing, and there's nothing I can know except what is told to me as to everyone.

And now it seemed to him that there was not a single one of the beliefs of the Church that disturbed the chief thing - faith in God, in goodness, as the sole purpose of mankind.

Every doctrine of the Church could be led back to the belief in the service of the truth rather than of personal needs. And each one would not only not disturb that, but was necessary for the consummation of the principal miracle constantly being manifested on earth, which consists in enabling every individual, in common with millions of the most diverse human beings, sages and fools, children and graybeards - everyone, the peasant, Lvov, Kitty, paupers and kings - to understand beyond question one and the same thing, and to live that life of the spirit that is the only thing worth living for and the only thing we cherish.

Lying on his back now he gazed high up into the cloudless sky. Don't I know that to be infinite space, and not a rounded vault? But no matter how I screw up my eyes and strain my eyesight I cannot help seeing it as rounded and limited, and in spite of my knowledge of its being infinite space I'm undoubtedly right in seeing it as a firm blue vault; I'm more right than when I strain to see beyond it.

Levin had stopped thinking now and was merely listening in as it were to mystic voices that seemed to be carrying on a gay and earnest discussion of something.

Can this be faith? he thought, afraid to believe in his happiness. 'I thank Thee, my God!' he murmured, gulping down the sobs that were rising within him, and with both hands wiping away the tears that filled his eyes.

The Freedom of "Choice" Act

2009-05-30T14:26:00.001-07:00

This is a video of a talk I gave this morning at the Youth and the Future of the Pro-Life Movement Conference at Nassau Community College. It's followed by a transcript of my speech because the video is kind of hard to hear.

Being that “surgical abortion is an invasive procedure in which sharp instruments are placed inside the uterus, a small organ in the woman’s body” and which in some cases requires an anesthetic, it would seem that all people, both pro-life and pro-choice, could agree that certain safeguards need to be in place to protect the woman undergoing this procedure. Certainly we should at least be able to agree that abortion merits the same safeguards as other surgeries. However, abortion supporters in the government have, in the past five months, focused much of their attention on trying to force through a bill, questionably titled the Freedom of Choice Act, or FOCA, which repeals all safety measures currently in place, and bans any future such safeguards.

The Freedom of Choice Act would make invalid any state laws regarding parental notification and consent. Such laws typically require that the abortionist notify at least one parent of “an unemancipated minor daughter prior to abortion.” Most states with such laws only require notification of the parents, however, some require their consent. Mr. Stephen Wagner, in his book Common Ground Without Compromise, offers that if we were all to “adopt the pro-choice position for a moment and say that abortion is the removal of a mass of tissue,” it would then resemble liposuction. “Can’t we all agree that no minor girl should be allowed to get liposuction without parental notification? Abortion and liposuction are similarly invasive. We would never trust a minor child to select her own physician for liposuction or make sure on her own that she receives the correct post-operative care in order to heal properly.” It seems to make sense that parents of minors should at the very least know about any sort of surgery, particularly such an invasive and dangerous surgery as abortion, that their daughter will be undergoing, especially, being that, if the girl suffers any complications from the operation her parents are responsible for her. Proper medical care can not be given to anyone if the cause of the medical problem is unknown. Therefore, if a girl’s own parents do not know that the injuries she is suffering from could be due to her recent abortion, how is a doctor supposed to administer proper treatment? Especially, considering that the girl herself has most likely not been informed of the possible complications of abortion.

This highlights a further issue with FOCA. In all other surgeries, “the doctor is required to explain in detail what the procedure is, its possible complications, etc. Only then does the patient give ‘informed’ consent.” Once again FOCA would overturn all current laws requiring informed consent and ban all future such laws. Surely, this can not be in the best interests of women. Essentially, while elected officials trumpet the Freedom of Choice Act they are removing the ability for any sort of informed choice. Under the Freedom of Choice Act abortionists are not only allowed to withhold information from their patients but even to avoid direct questions by the patient. This attitude was deplored by pro-choice feminist Naomi Wolf in her 1995 article “Our Bodies, Our Souls” when she stated that “To insist that truth is in poor taste is the very height of hypocrisy. Besides if these images are often the facts of the matter, and if we then claim that it is offensive for pro-choice women to be confronted with them, then we are making the judgment that women are too inherently weak to face a truth about which they have to make a grave decision. This view is unworthy of feminism.” Though I certainly have no expectation of abortionists showing photos of aborted children to women wishing to have an abortion, as Naomi Wolf speaks of pro-lifers doing, I believe it is at the very least to be expected that these so-called respectable doctors would inform a woman going in for an abortion of “the full factual information on the surgery, its possible complications [both] immediate and long-term, and, also, full details about ‘what she carries,’” as is done in other surgeries, such as liposuction, to use our previous example. Certainly, it is insulting to women to forego presenting them with “the best arguments and facts on both sides,” thereby effectively refusing them “choice.”

Of course, in all my references thus far to those who perform abortions I have used the word doctors. However, FOCA proposes to make it acceptable for any medical professional, such as nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, and even dentists, to perform abortions. Abortionist Dr. William Rashbaum stated that “A high level of operator skill is at least as important in abortion as it is in any surgical endeavor. Abortion is a blind procedure that proceeds by touch, awareness of the nuances of sensations provided by instruments, honesty, and caution. While competent orientation in the performance of an abortion is essential, abortion, almost more than any other operation, demands experience to develop skill . . . Well trained, highly experienced and reputable gynecologists found, to their dismay, that when abortions became legal and they began performing them, the complication rates were frequently quite high.” If the complication rates are so high even among such “highly experienced and reputable gynecologists” what can we expect from medical professionals who have no experience in the gynecological field? I am reminded of a case in 1980, right here on Long Island, at an abortion mill run by Mr. William Baird, in which an ear, nose, and throat doctor attempted to perform an abortion. Nineteen year-old Robin, on whom he operated, was 20 weeks pregnant, not the 11-12 weeks that the physician had supposed. Robin went into shock during the procedure, was walked downstairs by staff members, and sent in a taxi to the hospital. Robin underwent a hysterectomy, needed 16 units of blood, and 6 hours of surgery. A month of Robin’s life was spent in the hospital, 4 days of which were in the Intensive Care Unit. After her discharge from the hospital Robin continued to suffer physical problems with her legs and bladder. This is only one example of what can happen when unqualified persons perform complex and potentially life-threatening surgeries. In fact, let us reverse the situation, would you want an abortionist to remove your tonsils? Then why would you allow an ear, nose, and throat doctor to perform the far more complex abortion procedure? Another honest abortionist, Dr. William Rashbaum, stated that “After I had done a thousand [abortions], I thought I was an expert, but, by the time I had done 5,000, I realized I was learning a lot. At this point, having done somewhere around 12,000 procedures, I’m beginning to think I’m reasonably competent.” After performing 12,000 abortions this doctor is only reasonably competent and yet the pro-choice politicians wish to allow dentists and ear nose and throat doctors, who have no training and no experience in the realm of abortion to perform this complex and dangerous procedure. These politicians could in no way be more flippant towards the health and safety of women.

These are only a very small sampling of the horrors which the Freedom of Choice Act wishes to inflict on women. With the strong public outcry against FOCA following President Obama’s election, politicians have resorted to underhanded tactics in order to deceive the American people. While the president continues to insist that the Freedom of Choice Act is no longer a priority, he and the Congress continue to pass it piece-by-piece. Do not allow them to get away with this! I encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with this heinous act in order to oppose it in all its forms.

Notre Shame

2009-05-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

I am furious that Notre Dame University has invited President Obama to give their commencement address on Sunday. This is 100% inappropriate behavior for a Catholic University, particularly the University which has formerly been regarded as THE Catholic University in America. As a sidenote, Notre Dame has long been distancing itself from this title and with this move has finally forfeited all right to such.

Now, there are appropriate ways to respond to this abomination and there are inappropriate ways. Students at Notre Dame have been the paramount example of the appropriate way to respond. On their website, http://www.ndresponse.com/, students have laid out their plans for protest. These plans are appropriate, above all, because they are rooted in PRAYER. In fact, what better way to fight a battle than by calling on aid from those more powerful than oneself? The action of the University is a direct offense to "Notre Dame" (French for "Our Lady"), what better way to deal with it then, than by appealing to her Son?

The protest which the student group has GAINED PERMISSION FOR (note how they appropriately continue show respect for their university and it's faculty), on Saturday and Sunday, begins at 9:30 p.m. Saturday night with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in an on-campus chapel. Bishop D'Arcy, the bishop of South Bend, Indiana where the University of Notre Dame resides, will be attending Adoration (for the first time in years he will not be attending Notre Dame's commencement). Adoration will conclude at 10:45 a.m. Sunday with Benediction. At 11:15 a.m. Sunday Mass will be celebrated followed at 12:30 p.m. by "a rally affirming the uniquely Catholic and pro-life foundation of Notre Dame" ( http://www.ndresponse.com/commencement.html). The rally will include six speakers linked with Notre Dame: Rev. John Raphael, SSJ; ND '89, Elizabeth Naquin Borger; ND '78, former Chairman of the Board of the Women's Care Center, Dr. David Solomon; Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame; W.P. and H.B. White Director of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture; Chair of the steering committee for the Notre Dame Fund to Protect Human Life, Rev. Wilson Miscamble, CSC; ND '77 (M.A.), '80 (Ph.D.), '87 (M. Div.); Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, Lacy Dodd; ND '99; Room at the Inn Board of Directors, Charlotte, North Carolina; and Chris Godfrey; ND Law '93; Life Athletes (Founder and President); starting offensive guard for Super Bowl XXI Champion New York Giants.

At 2:00 seniors who have made the admirable decision to forego their graduation, invite supporters to join them for a Vigil for Life at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. "Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, will be leading a Scriptural Rosary during this prayer vigil." (http://www.ndresponse.com/commencement.html) At 3:45 there will be a final blessing before the departure of travelers. At 6:00 NDaffirmLife.org will be hosting a post-commencement party for the courageous students who chose to forego their own graduation in order to stand up for life.

Every moment of this protest shines forth the love of Christ which all Catholics are called to radiate. The kindness of thinking to include a post-commencement party for those courageous students who have glorified Christ through their foregoing an event so long and happily anticipated, in order to stand up for the little ones, is truly moving. I am truly impressed with the students of Notre Dame for organizing this protest, which so beautifully represents what the Catholic Church stands for.

In addition the students of ND Response have been organizing protests ever since the university's announcement of President Obama as the commencement speaker. Following Palm Sunday Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on April 5, 2009, students participated in the first official demonstration, a prayerful rally held in front of the University's main building. On Friday, April 17, the first Notre Dame March for Life began at 6:00 p.m. in the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes followed by speakers and a march. Two ongoing events have been a nightly Rosary at the Grotto and a Red Envelope campaign to Fr. John Jenkins, the President of the University, who is responsible for bringing President Obama to Notre Dame. All supporters, both students and non-students, have been asked to address a red envelope to Fr. Jenkins and include this message on the outside of the envelope: "Fr. Jenkins, This envelope represents one child who died because of an abortion. It is empty because the life that was taken is now unable to be a part of our world. This envelope was going to be sent to President Obama on March 31st. However, as he is scheduled to receive an Honarary Doctorate of Laws Degree from Notre Dame on May 17th, we ask that you deliver it to him on our behalf at that time." Non-student supporters are also asked to pray a nightly Rosary in communion with those at the Grotto, and, from April 8 to May 17, the forty days leading up to the commencement, supporters have been asked to assist in praying 1 million Rosaries for a conversion of heart for President Obama. In addition, the students also encouraged student supporters to attend the University's Fifth Annual Eucharistic Procession on April 26, not for the purpose of causing any disruption, but to take the opportunity to "pray for Our Lady's University" (http://www.ndresponse.com/commencement.html).

In stark contrast with the students of Notre Dame, we have also had some shining examples of inappropriate ways to deal with the University of Notre Dame's abhorrent actions. I am happy for students of Notre Dame that none of their own have been involved in such inappropriate protests. However, there have been those who have seen fit to take matters into their own hands, and even go so far as to criticize Bishops(!) for not engaging in their antiquated tactics which have had no effect whatsoever. Randall Terry is a good man who has, sadly, never lost the Operation Rescue mentality. Getting arrested saved lives and made a difference at the time. It has not been feasible for many years. It is certainly not appropriate in this situation. And it is certainly not appropriate for the recently converted Terry to think himself equal to reprimanding Bishops (St. Padre Pio once belted a guy for daring to criticize a bishop). Where the Notre Dame students have admirably shown respect to all, even to those who have forfeited any right they had to respect, others have acted with contempt. Clearly, all involved have good intentions, however, when it becomes obvious that one's actions are causing more harm than good, it is appropriate for one to cease such actions immediately. I would call on all those acting in contempt of Notre Dame's policy that on-campus demonstrations be organized by students and approved by the university, to cease their divisive actions and place themselves at the
service of the Notre Dame Response students.

That being said, the University has also acted heinously towards protesters. There are certain actions, such as parading around baby dolls covered in fake blood, which I would absolutely support the University's dealing appropriately with. However, for a Catholic university to arrest men and women for praying the Rosary is despicable. The video below shows the aggressive arrest of the 80 year old Father Norman Weslin. I can not think of words horrendous enough to describe the day when Our Lady's University authorised the arrest of a priest in the service of the Son of Our Lady.

The following is the official video of ND Response:

Book Review

2009-05-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

COMMON GROUND WITHOUT COMPROMISE
by Stephen Wagner

By far the best book I have read on the abortion issue! Should be read by those on both sides of the issue and those who take no side. The more people who follow the advice laid out in this book, both in terms of the abortion issue and in all aspects of life, the better off we will be.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

2009-04-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

On April 7 Janet Napolitano, the head of homeland security, released a nine page document warning of "radicals on right". Not 10 days later CNN's Susan Roesgen was reporting from the Chicago tax day tea party which was organized to protest the bailouts, stimulus package, wasteful spending, and all around misuse of American's tax dollars:

"This is anti-cnn since it is highly promoted by the right wing conservative network Fox". You see, what this document does is allow the leftist media to come out of the closet. Whereas they used to at least have to put up the pretense of being unbiased, now they will surely present it as their patriotic duty to beat up on the right.

The Washington Times reports that "A footnote attached to the report by the Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines "rightwing extremism in the United States" as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority"

First off, racist? Umm, clearly Ms Napolitano must have failed history cuz umm, who freed the slaves? The right. Who supported the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments? The right. Shall I go on?

Secondly, "groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority"? Once again Ms. Napolitano insists on advertising her ignorance because the United States was founded as 13 independent states united under a very loose federal government. This country was founded on loyalty to individual states not to a massive federal government which has long since overstepped it's bounds.

"It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration," Which is why the pro-life movement has to remain a 100% peaceful organization. Pro-Lifers: please remember, the devil hates us. And he will do anything and everything to trip you up. Screaming at people, especially at women entering clinics, is not pro-life and you are not helping anyone when you do that. That is the devil twisting your righteous anger and using it to hurt the cause.

"The report . . . makes clear that the Homeland Security Department does not have 'specific information that domestic rightwing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence.'It warns that fringe organizations are gaining recruits, but it provides no numbers." Well then what's the point of publishing it? Oh, of course, silly me, to smear the right, and give the left an excuse to treat us unfairly. In fact, could this be a ploy to implement the "fairness" doctrine?

As a p.s. here are two little notes of interest about cnn's reporting:

Susan Roesgen tells the man with whom she is arguing that the stimulus will give $50 billion to Illinois, but how much of that do you think this guy is gonna get? I would be willing to bet most of my possessions that it's a whopping ZERO!

She goes on to state that "this is not really family viewing" yet later on the very same network it was perfectly acceptable for Anderson Cooper to state that "It's hard to talk when you're teabagging."