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Sanctification in Daily Work
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St. Monica, Model Wife and Mother

nullToday we celebrated the feast of the mother of one of the Church’s most celebrated saints. St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine (whose feast day is tomorrow), prayed unceasingly for the conversion of her famous son, and, as we all know, was happily obliged by Our Lord. Not only that, but her husband, Patricius, a pagan with a terrible temper, converted to Christianity and was baptized a year before his death thanks to her prayers as well. She is a wonderful example for married couples and parents who are called to care above all for the spiritual well being of their spouse and children. I believe that it was not only her prayers, but also her example as a pious Christian woman that also won over her husband and son. This passage from 1 Peter makes me think of St. Monica and the example that all married women should give:

Likewise, you wives should be subordinate to your husbands so that, even if some disobey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct when they observe your reverent and chaste behavior. Your adornment should not be an external one: braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or dressing in fine clothes, but rather the hidden character of the heart, expressed in the imperishable beauty of a gentle and calm disposition, which is precious in the sight of God.
1 Peter 3:1-5

She is also an example to all of us of our call to persevere in prayer. The conversion of St. Augustine did not happen overnight. It was a long, turbulent journey (20 years or more) during which the reluctant saint fell in and out of serious sin and his mother deeper and deeper into a conversation with Christ on behalf of her son, storming the gates of heaven with her constant tears and prayer. In the end this great mother witnessed the baptism of one of our greatest saints and spent the last days of her life reflecting with him and longing for the joys of heaven:

“Son, as far as I am concerned, nothing in this life now gives me any pleasure. I do not know why I am still here, since I have no further hopes in this world. I did have one reason for wanting to live a little longer: to see you become a Catholic Christian before I died. God has lavished his gifts on me in that respect, for I know that you have renounced earthly happiness to be his servant. So what am I doing here?”
from St. Augustine’s Confessions

Her final request was that her son, who became a priest and bishop, remember her “at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be.”

Offering Joys to the Lord

I have been saying the morning offering every morning for quite some time and it never really hit me until just recently that through that prayer we offer to Jesus not only our daily work and sufferings – something that seems pretty common for us to offer – but we also offer our JOYS:

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world.

It seems to me that this is something that is often overlooked. It is easy to think of the Lord in times of trouble or sorrow, and we should, in those times unite our sufferings to Jesus on the cross. But Christ wants to share in every part of our lives, that includes our joys! The next time things are going well, or you are enjoying a particularly peaceful or happy moment with friends, family, or even alone in nature, think of Our Lord, thank Him and ask Him to enjoy that moment with you. For without Him, that moment would not be possible!

Pray for Holy Marriages

St. Joachim and St. AnneToday is the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne (my patron saint), believed to be the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Magnificat book today suggests that this memorial “gives reason to rejoice in the gift of family life and to reflect on the mutual responsibility parents and children have to love one another and lead one another to holiness.” This is the meaning of true marriage and family vocations. In his forward to Christopher West’s book, Good News About Sex and Marriage Archbishop Chaput says that the “most fundamental vocations crisis of all” is marriage and family life. With the divorce rate among Catholics equal to the national average, it is obvious we have a problem on our hands.

Today as we celebrate this very holy couple, blessed to be the parents of the Mother of God, let us pray for greater, and stronger, marriage and family vocations, from which, no doubt, will come more priestly and religious vocations! Let us also thank God for those holy couples and families that exist today, helping to strengthen the Church and society.

Mt. Carmel Novena Over

I must apologize. I was having server problems yesterday, so I was not able to post the final novena prayer. I tried to keep it going all nine days, but I ran into circumstances beyond my control yesterday. My humble apologies to all.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
Ninth Day

O Most Holy Mother of Mount Carmel, when asked by a saint to grant privileges to the family of Carmel, you gave assurance of your Motherly love and help to those faithful to you and to your Son.
Behold us, your children.
We glory in wearing your holy habit, which makes us members of your family of Carmel, through which we shall have your powerful protection in life, at death and even after death.
Look down with love, O Gate of Heaven, on all those now in their last agony!
Look down graciously, O Virgin, Flower of Carmel, on all those in need of help!
Look down mercifully, O Mother of our Savior, on all those who do not know that they are numbered among your children.
Look down tenderly, O Queen of All Saints, on the poor souls!
(pause and mention petitions)

Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Mt. Carmel Novena – Days 7 & 8

I just got back from my two hour adoration time and realized that I forgot to post the novena prayer for Saturday. I apologize for that. So here are the prayers for Sat. and Sun.

Our Lady of Mt. CarmelSeventh Day

O Mary, Help of Christians, you assured us that wearing your Scapular worthily would keep us safe from harm. Protect us in both body and soul with your continual aid. may all that we do be pleasing to your Son and to you.
(pause and mention petitions)

Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Eighth Day

You give us hope, O Mother of Mercy, that through your Scapular promise we might quickly pass through the fires of purgatory to the Kingdom of your Son. Be our comfort and our hope.
Grant that our hope may not be in vain but that, ever faithful to your Son and to you, we may speedily enjoy after death the blessed company of Jesus and the saints.
(pause and mention petitions)

Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Mt. Carmel Novena – Day 6

Our Lady of Mt. CarmelSixth Day

With loving provident care, O Mother Most Amiable, you covered us with your Scapular as a shield of defense against the Evil One.
Through your assistance, may we bravely struggle against the powers of evil, always open to your Son Jesus Christ.
(pause and mention petitions)

Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Mt. Carmel Novena – Day 5

Our Lady of Mt. CarmelFifth Day

O Mother of Fair Love, through your goodness, as your children, we are called to live in the spirit of Carmel. Help us to live in charity with one another, prayerful as Elijah of old, and mindful of our call to minister to God’s people.
(pause and mention petitions)

Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Asking For Our Lady’s Help

Our Lady of Mt. CarmelI know Chelsea is posting each day about the Novena to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

This is the statue of her in the Carmelite chapel where the novena is held each evening during Mass.

I’ve only been able to attend one evening so far due to travel.

As Chelsea said in an earlier post, the nuns like to decorate with flowers and you can see some of them below the statue here.

A Sign of Christian Faith and Commitment

brown scapularAs you have probably noticed, much of the Mt. Carmel novena has focussed on the scapular – shown on the right. But what about the scapular? The sisters at our Carmelite monastery use a booklet for their novena that offers some information on this popular devotion that is often associated with the novena:

Ask someone about the “Scapular” and you will likely be told it is a religious object associated with the Blessed Virgin.
The Brown Scapular consists of two small panels of cloth joined by strings and worn over the shoulders. Generally, one panel bears a woven or printed image showing the vision of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel to St. Simon Stock, while the other bears the image of Our Lady with the Child Jesus.
For centuries, the Scapular has been one of the most popular Marian devotions, second only to Our Lady’s Rosary. As a sacramental, it has been enriched by the Church with many spiritual blessings.
On July 16, 1261, at Aylesford in Kent England, according to tradition, Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite, and made the Scapular a sign of her protection. With it came the promise that whoever wore her “habit” devoutly would be assured of eternal salvation. This is the Scapular promise of eternal perseverance.
Carmelites have always regarded themselves as “Brothers of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel,” and place their lives of Christ-centered prayer under her patronage.
~ Rev. Eamon R. Carroll, O. Carm.

Signs in Ordinary Human Life
The world in which we live is full of material things which have symbolic meaning to us, such as, light, fire and water.
There are also, in every day life, experiences of relationships between human beings. These experiences express and symbolize deeper meanings in our lives. Sharing a meal is a sign of friendship; joining together in a national celebration is a sign of our identity.
We need signs and symbols to help us understand what is happening at present, or what happened before, and to give us an awareness of who we are, as individuals and as groups.

Signs in Christian Life
Jesus is the great sign and the embodiment of the Father’s love. he founded the Church as a sign and instrument of His love.
Christian life also has its signs. Jesus used bread, wine and water to help us understand higher things…things which we can neither see nor touch.
All our Christian celebrations, particularly the sacraments, are signs with special meaning. At the Eucharist the sign is bread and wine; during baptism it is water; as hands are laid on the sick it is the anointing with oil; and in the marriage ceremony it is the giving and receiving of rings. Each of these signs brings us into communion with God, Who, in different ways, is present in each of them.

The Scapular is a Sign of Mary
It is a sign approved by the Church and endorsed by the Crmelite Order as an external sign of Mary’s love for us. It confirms our love and trust in her, and our commitment to live like her.
With the passage of time,l people began to give symbolic meaning to the Scapular as a sign of commitment to follow Jesus Christ, our Savior, in the spirit of Mary.

The Scapular is not:

  • A magical charm to protect you
    An automatic guarantee of salvation
    An excuse for not living up to the demands of the Christian life
  • However the Scapular:

  • points to a renewed hope of encountering God in eternal life with the help of Mary’s protection and intercession
    stands for thee decision to follow Jesus and imitate Mary, calling us to be…
    – open to God and to His Will
    – guided by faith, hope and love
    – close to the needs of people
    – prayerful, penitent and chaste
    – conscious of God present in all that happens around us
  • I have been wearing the brown Scapular for a number of years and it has become like a kind of uniform for me. Actually, in the art of spiritual warfare, I have often heard it referred as just that – the Rosary is our weapon and the Scapular our uniform or shield. I think of it as an extra little sign, a personal reminder of devotion and commitment to the Blessed Virgin, through whom we strive to know and love Jesus and work for the salvation of souls.

    Mt. Carmel Novena – Day 4

    Our Lady of Mt. CarmelFourth Day

    When you gave us, Gracious Lady, the Scapular as our Habit, you called us to be not only servants, but also your own children.
    We ask you to gain for us from your Son the grace to live as you children in joy, peace and love. (pause and mention petitions)

    Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

    Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

    Mt. Carmel Novena – Day 3

    O.L. Mt. CarmelThird Day

    O Queen of Heaven, you gave us the Scapular as an outward sign by which we might be known as your faithful children. may we always wear it with honor by avoiding sin and imitating your virtues. Help us to be faithful to this desire of ours.
    (pause and mention petitions) s)

    Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.

    Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

    Mt. Carmel Novena – Day 2

    O.L. Mt. CarmelSecond Day

    Most Holy Mary, Our Mother, in your great love for us you gave us the Holy Scapular of Mount Carmel, having heard the prayers of your chosen son Saint Simon Stock. Help us now to wear it faithfully and with devotion. May it be a sign to us of our desire to grow in holiness.
    (pause and mention petitions)

    Say: Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

    Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

    Mt. Carmel Novena – Day 1

    Today is the start of the Novena to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Every year we try to pray this novena with the Carmelites who live in the cloistered monastery next door to our Cathedral parish. It is always a very popular event among devoted Catholics in our town. I look forward to it every year. I especially love to see the beautiful floral arrangements that the nuns put together around their chapel. It’s like they bring their entire garden inside for these nine days of prayer.

    O.L. Mt. CarmelFirst Day

    O Beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a pure virgin, assist us in our necessity! O Star of the Sea, help and protect us! Show us that you are our Mother!
    (pause and mention petitions)

    Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be

    Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

    Also, get readyf

    To Our First Martyrs in Rome

    Today is the feast of the first martyrs in Rome. These are the martyrs who suffered death under the emperor Nero after the burning of Rome. Their blood helped build the early Church. On this feast day let us pray for those who are still being martyred in all parts of the world. Here is a video about Christians in Palestine who are heavily persecuted for their faith:

    But even we, here in America, face a different kind of persecution. We are very often ridiculed for our deeply held convictions which causes many of the faithful to reject those beliefs altogether. It is not popular to be Catholic in the western world today. We are a target for criticism, hatred and any sort of mockery under the sun. So let us pray to those first martyrs in Rome to obtain for us the strength to face this current persecution with the same grace, faith and hope in the love and mercy of our Lord Jesus. Whether we are being tortured and killed in Palestine or ridiculed and marginalized in America, may our faithfulness and humility win for our Lord the heart and soul of even the most ruthless sinners.

    Happy Father’s Day!

    Very late blessings to all you Fathers out there! Fathers are often the forgotten heroes of the American family, yet none would be complete without them. Thank you for all of the hard work you do to support, protect and be an example to your children and grandchildren. A special thank you to God our Almighty Father and all of our priests and spiritual fathers everywhere!

    A Father’s Day Prayer
    by Gaynell Bordes Cronin

    Thank you, friend Jesus,
    for my father who loves me,
    for my grandfather who cares for me,
    and for God, your father and mine,
    who made me and is always with me.

    How lucky I am!