Podcasts about blessed mary

Welcome to Anthem 47 in my attempt to write a new choir anthem every week for a year. I'm Kevin Mulryne and I hope you will enjoy listening to my progress throughout 2024. Please do visit the website Anthem52.com, follow along on x.com - @realanthem52 or Instagram - @realanthem52 and send me a message to show@anthem52.com. I went back to Advent this week - or at least I looked for some more Advent lyrics. It occurred to me that I could find some lyrics in service booklets for Advent Carol Services so I tried to search for those. The second one I found was from The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester's 2020 Advent Carol Service. They performed a carol with words by John Audelay (d. c. 1426). These seemed ideal for what I was trying to write. Here are the words I chose: Words for Anthem 47: There is a flow'r sprung of a tree, the root thereof is called Jesse, a flow'r of price there is none such in paradise. This flow'r is fair and fresh of hue, it fadeth ne'er, but e'er is new; the blessèd branch this flow'r on grew was Mary mild that bare Jesu; a flow'r of grace; against all sorrow it is solace. When Gabriel this maid did meet, with ‘Ave Maria' he did her greet; between them two this flow'r was set and safe was kept, no man should wit, till on a day in Bethlehem it could spread and spray.

11th September, 2024 –  Join us on “Saint of the Week” as we explore the inspiring lives of the saints. In this episode, we delve into the remarkable stories of Blessed Mary of Jesus, a Carmelite contemplative, and Saint John Chrysostom, the “golden-mouthed” preacher of the early Church. Through prayer, reflection, and historical insights, we […] The post E159 | Saint of the Week – Sabrina McKiernan – Blessed Mary of Jesus and Saint John Chrysostom appeared first on Radio Maria Ireland.

26th June, 2024 – On this week's episode Sabrina reflects on the life of Blessed Mary Josephine Catanea (1894-1948), a Carmelite from Ponti Rossi. Sr Maria Giuseppina of Jesus Crucified “who offered herself to Jesus Crucified to be Crucified with him”. The post E149 | Saint of the Week – Sabrina McKiernan – Blessed Mary Josephine Catanea: A Carmelite's Journey of Sacrifice and Devotion appeared first on Radio Maria Ireland.

Friends of the Rosary, Today, we celebrate the solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Precursor or Forerunner of the Lord. John the Baptist is the prophet of hope. He was born, lived, and died to prepare the way for the Good News. The Catholic Church observes a saint's feast day on the day of his death because that day marks his entrance into heaven. However, there are two exceptions: the birthdays of Blessed Mary and St. John the Baptist. Mary, already in the first moment of her existence, was free from original sin, and John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother. John the Baptist spent his adult life preparing the way for Jesus and proclaiming that "the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand." John represented the Old Covenant and the Law.  The Lord willed to announce to men His own coming through the Baptist.  John was born to Zachary and Elizabeth, an elderly married couple. Elizabeth was Mary's cousin, and Zachary was a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem. As a baby in the womb, John recognized Jesus' presence in Mary's womb when Mary visited Elizabeth soon after the Annunciation. Both women were pregnant at the same time. John was probably born in Ain-Karim, southwest of Jerusalem. As a young adult, he lived as a hermit in the desert of Judea until about A.D. 27. When he was 30, he began preaching for repentance and baptizing people in the river waters. When Jesus came to John to be baptized, John recognized Jesus as the Messiah and baptized Him. John continued to preach after Jesus was baptized but was imprisoned not long after by Herod Antipas after he denounced the king's adulterous marriage with Herodias, wife of his half-brother Philip. John was beheaded at the request of Salome, daughter of Herodias. Many, namely the apostles Andrew and John, came to know Jesus through John. Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John the Baptist, Pray for Us! Come, Holy Spirit, come! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel Amigot | RosaryNetwork.com, New York • ⁠June 24, 2024, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Why are there so many appearances of Mary? All over the world, all throughout history... Just what is going on? In this month of May, which is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, we're talking about the big picture of what the Holy Spirit is doing with Marian apparitions, and what it means for you.

What does it mean to be 'blessed'? Stef Liston delivers the first of two Advent Sunday sermons, looking at the account of Mary and Elizabeth in Luke 1:26-56.

Today, I am going to recount to you several appearances of the Blessed Mother Mary. It's interesting because I first decided to do this when I heard about a shocking rosary miracle in Ukraine that happened about a year ago. I researched some other amazing things yesterday, and then today, when I was about to start recording, I found an article that discusses previous Marian apparitions in Ukraine. It appears our blessed Mother has visited them a few times over the years. So, today I will read the article from Desmond Miller,(CLICK HERE for first article) and then I will read the information from CNA on Facebook about the recent miracle Mary provided some people in Ukraine. (CLICK HERE for second article) My hope in sharing this with you is so that you can see how important the rosary can be and also so that you can see miracles are still going on today.Ukraine as a country has suffered very much and yet has been blessed by apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary.Kievan Rus – the land of Rus (862-1242 CE), a federation of peoples located in the region of modern-day Belarus, Ukraine, and part of Russia, was the first European state to be dedicated to the Mother of God. This was done by Prince Yaroslav the Wise in 1037.It is believed that in about 1505, the Blessed Virgin appeared in Hrushiv and that the local people had planted a willow tree at the site. Sometime later, a spring of water appeared beneath the tree.During a severe cholera epidemic in that area in 1855, a local person dreamed that the Virgin had instructed the residents to clear and reclaim the ancient spring and celebrate Mass. This was done, and not one cholera death was reported thereafter.The first apparition in modern times occurred two weeks before World War I, on May 12, 1914, in the village of Hrushiv. Twenty-two people, who were mowing fields near the local church of the Holy Trinity, all witnessed an apparition of the Virgin Mary. She said to them,“There will be a war. Russia will become a godless country. Ukraine, as a nation, will suffer terribly for eighty years – and will have to live through the world wars, but it will be free afterward.”People gathered from the whole area to see the apparition, which lasted into the next day.Then, on April 26, 1987, seventy-three years later and exactly one year after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster, a bright light covered the church of the Holy Trinity and the surrounding area. From within this, the Virgin Mary appeared and floated above the cupola of the church. Marina Kizyn, a twelve-year-old girl, was the first to see this apparition. She immediately called her mother and some neighbors; all came and witnessed the apparition. Soon, hundreds and then thousands came from all over Russia to see the apparition, which continued daily until August 15, 1987. It is estimated that a total of 500,000 people had seen her by the time these apparitions ended. The Virgin Mary was even seen by the KGB agents! Many priests (from underground Catholic churches) came and provided as many as ten Holy Masses each day in front of the church. Many messages were documented:“I have come on purpose to thank the Ukrainian people because you have suffered most for the church of Christ in the last 70 years. I have come to comfort you and to tell you that your suffering will soon come to an end. Ukraine will become an independent state.”“Teach the children to pray. Teach them to live in truth and live yourselves in truth. Say the Rosary. It is the weapon against Satan. He fears the Rosary. Recite the Rosary at any gathering of people.”“I have come to comfort you and to tell you that your suffering will end soon. I shall protect you for the glory and the future of God's kingdom on earth, which will last for a thousand years. The Kingdom of Heaven and Earth is close at hand. It will come only through penance and the repentance of sins.”“The Eternal God is calling you. This is why I have been sent to you. You in the Ukraine were the first [European] nation to be entrusted to me. Throughout your long persecution you have not lost faith, hope, or love. I always pray for you, my dear children, wherever you are.”“Oppression and wars continue to occupy the minds and hearts of many people. Russia, despite everything, continues to deny my Son. Russia rejects real life and continues to live in darkness. If there is not a return to Christianity in Russia, there will be a Third World War; the whole world will face ruin.”Ukraine had its declaration of independence ratified in Kiev on August 24, 1991 – some 77 years after Blessed Mary's prediction in 1914!Now we are witnessing the Russian invasion of the Ukraine beginning on 24 Feb. 2022 with yet more suffering and the potential for the start of a third world war.I believe that God allows this to happen as a form of chastisement, a purification, a call to turn again to God. We are to repent, to praise and thank Him in every situation. LATEST SHOCKING ROSARY MIRACLE IN UKRAINE      BLESSED VIRGIN MARY MANIFESTED HER GREAT POWER IN UKRAINE | RUSSIA WAR"For 18 Days, 45 of us trapped Underground  By Russian Missile Strikes came out safe  through a Diamond Lady that Kept Us Alive and Nourished Us." Beloved Souls and great Lovers of the Most Holy Rosary of our Lady, I wish to bring this edifying Rosary MIRACLE to strengthen your faith and love towards It. As the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, remains under bombardment with missile strikes and rockets crashing into a residential building, Cathedrals, Churches, etc.The Ukrainian aid workers rescued 45 civilians, mostly women, children, and the aged. We were trapped in the debris of about 2,000 feet underground for 18 days!The rescue of these people who had been feared dead has been described as, I personally believe is an inspiring miracle of the Consecration of Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary,  Queen of Ukraine, Our Lady of Ransom, Our Lady of Good Remedy, Queen of the Holy Rosary.           HERE IS THE TESTIMONY             OF THE RESCUED PERSONS."As we were underground, it was dark and suffocating. Somehow, I accidentally touched my pockets and remembered my Rosary was in it. The moment I pulled it out and recited the first Hail Mary, a woman as shining like a diamond appeared. The moment She appeared, the entire under-earth was filled with light and oxygen. The moment she left, we all felt nourished, well-fed, and our thirst for water quenched. Each time we said our Angelus and Rosary, The Diamond woman would appear to bless us, supply us, leave us with Magnificent Light and Oxygen that accompanies Her Majestic presence."It was so glorious for the victims that when the Ukrainian aid workers, with the use of the latest technology - unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), discovered that human beings were trapped there, and action was taken to rescue them. At the point of the rescue, most of the victims were reluctant to come out. In fact, one of them said, *"I can never come out from here, so I don't miss the company of the Diamond Lady. She is so kind."*It took the Miraculous appearance of our Lady to get her out of the rubbles, who now assured the young girl that She, the Queen of the Holy Rosary, would always be with all of them. *Our Lady then advised them to tell the world that She is the Queen of Peace and can bring Peace to our troubled world if enough of us can pick up our Rosaries and pray to God. For the Rosary is the only weapon through which God has promised to bring peace and save the world.”VICTORIOUS WE OF HEAVEN,  SHOW US THY POWER.As you can see, Mary has a special place in her heart for the people of Ukraine. It is incredible how she not only appeared to provide comfort in the latest miracle but also provided light, oxygen, and nourishment. In all or at least most of her apparitions, she is appealing to us to say the rosary.  It must be important or she wouldn't keep saying it. It only takes 20-30 minutes a day and you can say it anywhere. I like to say it when I am driving in the car. There are apps you can download as well so you don't have to feel as though you are saying it alone.  Also, they are helpful if you aren't sure how to say it or you don't know all the words to all the prayers. If you truly don't have 20-30 minutes a day, or if that commitment seems too overwhelming for you, try just one decade a day. That only takes five minutes or so and by the end of 5 days you will have completed a whole rosary. Think about it, pray, and see where the rosary fits into your life. 

Steve and Ron discuss stone throwing ghosts and blessed Mary paranormal experiences...

True blessedness is not found in morality, nor is it found in thinking Jesus is an amazing man, or even in being His early mother. True blessedness is found in believing into and being obedient to Christ alone.

True blessedness is not found in morality, nor is it found in thinking Jesus is an amazing man, or even in being His early mother. True blessedness is found in believing into and being obedient to Christ alone.

True blessedness is not found in morality, nor is it found in thinking Jesus is an amazing man, or even in being His early mother. True blessedness is found in believing into and being obedient to Christ alone.

Friends of the Rosary: Today, the universal Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the Precursor or Forerunner of the Lord. “Amongst those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist,” Jesus said (Matthew xi, 10-12). Ordinarily, the Church observes the day of a saint's death as his feast, because that day marks his entrance into heaven after ending the trials of this life and gloriously triumphing over the world. To this rule, there are two notable exceptions, the birthdays of Blessed Mary and St. John the Baptist. Mary, already in the first moment of her existence, was free from original sin, and John the Baptist was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother Elizabeth. All other persons were stained with original sin at birth. The Lord willed to announce to men His own coming through John the Baptist, who represented the Old Covenant and the Law. John, who was born in a town of Judea, would precede and recognize the Redeemer instantly. The birth of John is observed on the day of the summer solstice, six months earlier than the nativity of Jesus on December 25 at the time of the winter solstice. In a sense, then, we are celebrating Christ's incarnation today. Christmas is a “light” feast, the same is true today as John's Fire symbolizes Christ the Light. We Christians are the light of the world and we are united in reverence and love for this prophet-saint whose life was an incomparable example of both humility and courage. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 719, states that John the Baptist is “more than a prophet” (Lk 7:26). In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his speaking through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah. He is the “voice” of the Consoler who is coming (Jn 1:23; cf. Isa 40:1-3). As the Spirit of truth will also do, John “came to bear witness to the light” (Jn 1:7; cf. Jn 15:26; 5:35). “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God…. Behold, the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:33-36). Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!St. John the Baptist, Pray for Us! To Jesus through Mary! + Mikel A. | RosaryNetwork.com, New York

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In the Catholic Church the month of May is Mary's month♥️. It's the month we honor Blessed

Questions covered: 02:59 – Before I pray the rosary, do I need to announce my prayer intentions out loud?  14:44 – How do you reconcile the doctrine of hell with Christianity being a religion of “good news”? Does that mean it's only good news for some people?  22:04 – When I visited a Catholic church recently, I saw a statue of Mary that was higher than all the rest (including the ones of Jesus) with a label that said “Blessed Mary, Mother of God, above all things in heaven and on earth.” How is this not worshiping her?  33:14 – Was St. Athanasius ever excommunicated or anathematized? I was talking to a non-Catholic who claimed that disproved papal infallibility.  42:09 – How can someone evangelize to other Christians?  48:26 – In my Bible study the others were saying that when we get to heaven we'll immediately have all knowledge. I thought we still grew in knowledge, not that it was immediate. Am I wrong?  …

The title of the Blessed Mary as Mother of God reminds us of our nature and calling. We are finite humans but we all have divine origin and calling. Let us both value and affirm them. [Luke 2:16-21, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God]

Hey Mama! Ready for a powerful Friday Blessings episode? Holy Spirit showed up in a surprising way

Saint of the Day with Mike Roberts! 

SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY The angel Gabriel said to Mary: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” On today's Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Gospel according to Luke describes a profound moment in human history, where Mary says yes to God. It is the quietest of meetings, Gabriel and Mary face to face. Is it possible that Gabriel knew of Mary's immaculate conception, observing her life from the time she was born? Born without original sin, at the Annunciation, Mary was able to say yes wholeheartedly and without the same brokenness of spirit that we all confront because of sin. Mary's yes undid that other conversation between an angel and a woman, the serpent and Eve, that took place in the Garden of Eden. Mary's question—“How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”—shows that for her it was not a question of whether God could make the incarnation happen but how it would happen. What would it take for me to give the same wholehearted response to God as Mary does? Lord, as Gabriel tells Mary that Jesus will rule over the house of Jacob forever and that of his Kingdom there will be no end and that nothing is impossible for you, wouldn't it have been understandable for Mary to question this? Wouldn't any one of us say, “Wait; stop right there. I will bear a son whose kingdom will never end? I need a minute.” Instead, Mary simply says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Almighty God, grant me the grace of complete confidence in your power and glory. Thank you, God, for the Blessed Virgin Mary's yes. Her fiat—“May it be done to me according to your word.”— is the royal road to the Incarnate Word, Jesus your Son. Lord, let me know and do your will for the praise of your glory. Blessed Mary, Mother of God, pray for us! Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Readings YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lectiodiv/videos Web: https://lectiodiv.wordpress.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lectio-divina-daily/support

SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY The angel Gabriel said to Mary: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” On today's Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Gospel according to Luke describes a profound moment in human history, where Mary says yes to God. It is the quietest of meetings, Gabriel and Mary face to face. Is it possible that Gabriel knew of Mary's immaculate conception, observing her life from the time she was born? Born without original sin, at the Annunciation, Mary was able to say yes wholeheartedly and without the same brokenness of spirit that we all confront because of sin. Mary's yes undid that other conversation between an angel and a woman, the serpent and Eve, that took place in the Garden of Eden. Mary's question—“How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”—shows that for her it was not a question of whether God could make the incarnation happen but how it would happen. What would it take for me to give the same wholehearted response to God as Mary does? Lord, as Gabriel tells Mary that Jesus will rule over the house of Jacob forever and that of his Kingdom there will be no end and that nothing is impossible for you, wouldn't it have been understandable for Mary to question this? Wouldn't any one of us say, “Wait; stop right there. I will bear a son whose kingdom will never end? I need a minute.” Instead, Mary simply says, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Almighty God, grant me the grace of complete confidence in your power and glory. Thank you, God, for the Blessed Virgin Mary's yes. Her fiat—“May it be done to me according to your word.”— is the royal road to the Incarnate Word, Jesus your Son. Lord, let me know and do your will for the praise of your glory. Blessed Mary, Mother of God, pray for us! Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Readings YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lectiodiv/videos Web: https://lectiodiv.wordpress.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lectio-divina-daily/support

Today we take a deep dive into the Confiteor as said in the Traditional Latin Mass. The text in Latin (and its meaning in English) is below. Latin: Confiteor Deo Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Ioanni Baptistæ, sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, et tibi, pater: quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Ioannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes Sanctos, et te pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. Amen. English: I Confess I confess to Almighty God, to Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, to Blessed Michael the Archangel, to Blessed John the Baptist, to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the Saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore, I beseech Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, Blessed Michael the Archangel, Blessed John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me. Amen.   Join me and others in praying the Holy Rosary every day; here are the Spotify quick links to the Rosary: Joyful Mysteries https://open.spotify.com/episode/1yhnGJNSl67psg94j3si3s?si=7IjqIg2wQQaZTJTiDm-Dhw Sorrowful Mysteries https://open.spotify.com/episode/3P0nIdaLuEjesHRMklwfoj?si=6qF7JBYpRiG0ylwuOohFwA Glorious Mysteries https://open.spotify.com/episode/3t7lCF7nFQDR3py1jjTAE1?si=hBb_5Ne5Rwu-993nUUqHqg Luminous Mysteries https://open.spotify.com/episode/6vlAjEGgWPCI79K7Eylh31?si=Hue9USzkTf-L3wrXrK79MQ 15 Decade Rosary https://open.spotify.com/episode/2q33PXMrinZi6fkaV6X7vn?si=Jy_d2xLlTVihD5qa4fSH9g The Latin Prayer Podcast Patreon is finally up and running - for those of you who are able to financially support the podcast please Click Here (https://www.patreon.com/thelatinprayerpodcast). A huge thank you to my patrons! To follow me on other platforms Click on my LinkTree below. linktr.ee/dylandrego If you have any prayers you'd like to request, or comments and/or suggestions - please email me at latinprayerpodcast@gmail.com. Know that if you are listening to this, I am praying for you. Please continue to pray with me and for me and my family. May everything you do be Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam. God Love You! Valete (Goodbye)        

2nd Joyful Mystery The Visitation of Blessed Mary to ElizabethHail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.Amen.

The Holy Father today is consecrating the nations of Russia and Ukraine to our Blessed Mother at St. Peter's Basillica in Rome. He asks that every Catholic and person of Good Will also ask Blessed Mary the same by praying the Consecration Prayer at some point today.That is what our Concert Friday prayer today will be. It is quite long (it takes the entire time) but is also quite beautiful as a meditaiton. So we invite you to find a comfortable place, close your eyes, and let us lift the words of Consecration to the heavens as you pray along in your hearts. And together, let Mary do what we cannot...

Presented by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement to help the humanitarian work of St. Christopher's Inn, the Ave Maria Hour first aired on April 26, 1935, on radio station WOR. The program continued to air until 1969, and was heard on more than 350 stations, including the Armed Forces Radio Service. The show presents dramatizations of the lives of the saints, stories from the Gospel, and inspiring accounts of faith. GSMC Classics presents some of the greatest classic radio broadcasts, classic novels, dramas, comedies, mysteries, and theatrical presentations from a bygone era. The GSMC Classics collection is the embodiment of the best of the golden age of radio. Let Golden State Media Concepts take you on a ride through the classic age of radio, with this compiled collection of episodes from a wide variety of old programs. ***PLEASE NOTE*** GSMC Podcast Network presents these shows as historical content and have brought them to you unedited. Remember that times have changed and some shows might not reflect the standards of today's politically correct society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Golden State Media Concepts or the GSMC Podcast Network. Our goal is to entertain, educate give you a glimpse into the past.

Presented by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement to help the humanitarian work of St. Christopher's Inn, the Ave Maria Hour first aired on April 26, 1935, on radio station WOR. The program continued to air until 1969, and was heard on more than 350 stations, including the Armed Forces Radio Service. The show presents dramatizations of the lives of the saints, stories from the Gospel, and inspiring accounts of faith. GSMC Classics presents some of the greatest classic radio broadcasts, classic novels, dramas, comedies, mysteries, and theatrical presentations from a bygone era. The GSMC Classics collection is the embodiment of the best of the golden age of radio. Let Golden State Media Concepts take you on a ride through the classic age of radio, with this compiled collection of episodes from a wide variety of old programs. ***PLEASE NOTE*** GSMC Podcast Network presents these shows as historical content and have brought them to you unedited. Remember that times have changed and some shows might not reflect the standards of today's politically correct society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Golden State Media Concepts or the GSMC Podcast Network. Our goal is to entertain, educate give you a glimpse into the past.

“The Rosary is scripture on a string, each bead marking a place in the Bible. But it is more than that. It is the rhythmic contemplation of the mysteries of Christ's story. It is the ‘epitome of the whole gospel' (CCC 971). The repeated prayers set the rhythm- the quiet cadence that brings us into his presence. And the scripture stories of our savior give us breath” - Elizabeth Foss,

And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.  Luke 2:19 Our Christmas Octave would not be complete without paying special attention to the glorious Mother of God!  Mary, the mother of Jesus, the mother of the Saviour of the World, is properly called the “Mother of God.”  It is worth reflecting upon this powerful title of our Blessed Mother.  And it's important to understand that this title says just as much about Jesus as it does about His Blessed Mother.  In calling Mary the “Mother of God,” we especially acknowledge one fact of human life.  A mother is not just the source of one's flesh, she is not just the mother of the body of her children, she is the mother of that person.  Being a mother is not just something biological, it is something sacred and holy and is part of the divine order of God's creation.  Jesus was her Child and this Child is God.  Therefore, it is proper logic to call Mary the “Mother of God.”It's an amazing fact to think about.  God has a mother!  He has a particular person who carried Him in her womb, nursed Him, raised Him, taught Him, loved Him, was there for Him, and pondered who He was throughout His life.  This last fact is especially beautiful to look at.The Gospel passage above says, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”  And she did this as a caring mother.  Her love for Jesus was as unique as the love of any mother.  However, it should be noted that she was a mother in perfection and loved Him with a perfect love, He who was not only her Son, but was also God and was perfect in every way.  What does this reveal?  It reveals that the motherly love shared between Mary and Jesus was profound, inspiring, mysterious, glorious and truly sacred!  The mystery of their love is worth reflecting on throughout our lives, keeping it fully alive in our hearts.  She is an example for every mother and is also an example for all of us who seek to love others with a pure and holy heart.  Reflect, today, upon the holy and captivating relationship that Mary would have shared with her Divine Son.  Try to fathom what this love would have been like.  Imagine the deep emotion and passion that would have filled her heart.  Imagine the level of unwavering commitment she would have had.  Imagine the unbreakable bond that was forged as a result of her love.  What a beautiful celebration this is to conclude this Octave of Christmas Day!Dearest Mother Mary, you loved your Divine Son with a perfect love.  Your heart burned with an unquenchable fire of motherly charity.  Your bond with Jesus was one that was perfect in every way.  Help me to open my heart to that same love you share with me.  Come be my mother and care for me as you cared for your Son.  May I also love you with the love Jesus had for you and with the love He now lavishes upon you in Heaven.  Mother Mary, the Mother of God, pray for us.  Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2022 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.

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We continue looking at the Holy Spirit's first interactions in the New Testament, particularly with John the Baptist, Blessed Mary, and Jesus Himself as we see in CCC 717-730. Catechism Class is sponsored in part by Select International Tours. Check them out and thank them for sponsoring the program! Join Catholic podcast veterans and expert teachers Greg and Jennifer Willits from Rosary Army and Adventures in Imperfect Living as they walk with you through the Catechism from beginning to end. It's like the best book club, coffee talk, religious education class, and study group all rolled into one! In Catechism Class we explain what the Catechism is, how to use it, and reveal several little known secrets that'll help explode your discovery of the Bible in light of the Tradition of the Catholic Church. The post Catechism Class 043: John, Mary, Jesus and the Holy Spirit appeared first on Greg and Jennifer Willits.

In this episode, Hope's Garden Spiritual Advisor, Father Michael Stalla, speaks about mercy and the merciful love of Christ the Bridegroom. Pray the Chaplet of the Bridegroom's Merciful Love with us by downloading the pdf at this link: https://hopesgarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Chaplet-of-the-Bridegrooms-Merciful-Love-6-13-21.pdf Here is the opening prayer from the chaplet: "My Beloved Jesus, You are the ever-faithful and merciful Bridegroom of my soul. You look with patience and compassion upon my wandering heart and in Your Merciful Love, You call me to return again and again to the safety of Your Sacred Heart. Blessed Mary, Mother and Bride, teach me to open my desires and my weaknesses to Jesus. Help me to see temptations and even my falls and sins as opportunities to cry out for His saving hand, to receive His healing love, and to trust in His Mercy. Take me by the hand, Mother Mary, and lead me back to His Most Compassionate Heart each and every time I wander astray. Amen."

On this episode, we talk about Our Blessed Mother, Mary, the Mother of God. We have a lot to say, and one episode does not do here justice, but sit/stand and enjoy us formulate what the Church teaches about her and why there is a special place in the heart of the Church for her! Blessed Mary, Mother of God. Ora pro knobs!

Don't forget to follow or subscribe to us on your favorite podcast platform to be notified when new prayers are released! If you have any feedback for The Prayer Podcast, please check out: theprayerpodcast.fm/welcome to connect with us. If you are interested in supporting this ministry, please visit theprayerpodcast.fm/support or patreon.com/theprayerpodcast. May God bless you! -------- Find great Catholic gifts at TheCatholicCompany.com. Free Shipping on orders over $75! (*affiliate) Find Catholic books worth reading at TANBooks.com. Free Shipping on orders over $50! (*affiliate) Find your Catholic match on CatholicMatch.com! (*affiliate) -------- Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of Heaven, Have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us. Holy Mary, pray for us. Holy Mother of God, ... Holy Virgin of virgins, ... Mother of Christ, … Mother of the Church, ... Mother of Mercy, ... Mother of divine grace, ... Mother most pure, ... Mother most chaste, ... Mother inviolate, ... Mother undefiled, ... Mother most amiable, ... Mother most admirable, ... Mother of good counsel, ... Mother of our Creator, ... Mother of our Savior, ... Virgin most prudent, ... Virgin most venerable, ... Virgin most renowned, ... Virgin most powerful, ... Virgin most merciful, ... Virgin most faithful, ... Mirror of justice, ... Seat of wisdom, ... Cause of our joy, ... Spiritual vessel, ... Vessel of honor, ... Singular vessel of devotion, ... Mystical rose, ... Tower of David, ... Tower of ivory, ... House of gold, ... Ark of the Covenant, ... Gate of Heaven, ... Morning star, ... Health of the sick, ... Refuge of sinners, ... Comforter of the afflicted, ... Help of Christians, ... Queen of angels, ... Queen of patriarchs, ... Queen of prophets, ... Queen of apostles, ... Queen of martyrs, ... Queen of confessors, ... Queen of virgins, ... Queen of all saints, ... Queen conceived without Original Sin, ... Queen assumed into Heaven, ... Queen of the most holy Rosary, ... Queen of peace, ... Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we Thy Servants may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin, be delivered from present sorrow and enjoy eternal happiness. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. (https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/devotions/litany-of-loreto-246) *We may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases through links in this post at no additional cost to you.

Join Fr Michael as he meets Br Anthony Maria and they discuss his amazing journey from Seventh Day Adventist Church to a Dominican Novice. They discuss his name selection, the art of preaching, great recommendations, and a special connection to the Blessed Virgin. 

“The axe of the Gospel must now be laid at the roots of the barren tree and the tree must be delivered to the flames with its unfruitful leaves, so that he who has never learned to speak might learn at length to hold his tongue.” Throughout his life, St. Jerome was never far from controversy. Infamously irascible, Jerome often found himself in fierce disagreement with his contemporaries — and he'd let them know it, too. Helvidius was one such hapless victim of Jerome's righteous scorn. Despite little training in eloquence or theology, Helvidius had gained some notoriety as an opponent of monasticism and of virginity as a way of life. This led Helvidius also to deny the perpetual virginity of Mary. Helvidius' book on the subject became a major source of scandal in Rome. And this Jerome could not abide. In his response, Jerome maintains three propositions against Helvidius: that Joseph was considered the husband of Mary as he was considered the father of Jesus, more by repute than by biological fact; that the “brethren” of the Lord referenced in the Gospels were Jesus' cousins, not his brothers; and that virginity is indeed a higher state in life than the married state. And, of course, Jerome's characteristically caustic manner against his opponents is on full display... Links Way of the Fathers, Ep. 37—Jerome, the Curmudgeonly Commentator: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/37jerome-curmudgeonly-commentator/ Dogmatic and Polemical Works, by St. Jerome: https://verbum.com/product/120412/dogmatic-and-polemical-works Against Helvidius full text at CatholicCulture.org: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2314 Follow this link to join the Online Great Books VIP waiting list and get 25% off your first 3 months: https://hj424.isrefer.com/go/ogbmemberships/tmirus/ Go to http://www.catholicculture.org/getaudio to register for FREE access to the full archive of audiobooks beyond the most recent 15 episodes. Donate at: http://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio Theme music: 2 Part Invention, composed by Mark Christopher Brandt, performed by Thomas Mirus. ©️2019 Heart of the Lion Publishing Co./BMI. All rights reserved.

My sisters and brothers, our podcast today is about the Holy Mother of God. Our podcast hymn is, ‘Ave Maria Ave Ave'. Many years ago I longed to write hymns for our Blessed Mother Mary. I have loved her since I was a child under 5 years. Our Blessed Mary was always there for me, like Jesus our Lord was always there for me, but as a child, I didn't know. I only knew that our Heavenly Father was part of a prayer called, the Our Father Prayer, which our dad used to teach my brother and me. I knew there had to be a Holy Ghost because that is how our dad taught us to begin our prayers, with the sign of the Cross. You know, In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen. And of course I knew our Blessed Mary's Holy Son is Jesus, but as a child, I only recognized Jesus as her Baby Jesus. Of course since childhood, Blessed Mary has shown me the way to Jesus, Blessed Mary lead me to knowing her Son Jesus. My Blessed Mother Mary brought me to Jesus! Now the Holy Rosary prayers were then and always will be, a big part of my life. However in my young life and in all my life, my Blessed Mother Mary was and is much more than just a part of my prayers. Blessed Mary for me, was my mother in a heavenly way, and came to me through my cries in a most Profound happening, and not only at that young age of almost five years, but in different profound happenings throughout my life. These can be found in my ‘Journey with Trust and Fire Within' book which was published in 2019. Our Blessed Mary is not a requirement that we need to get to heaven or to pray to God, but, my dear friends, our Blessed Mother Mary, is a most treasured gift which has be chosen by God our Heavenly Father, for His Holy Son Jesus, and JESUS from His Cross gave His Holy Mother Mary to be Mother to all the world. Jesus gave His Mother to you and to me. Such a Blessed Gift. Remember in the Gospel of John, chapter 19, in verses 26 & 27. Jesus, from His Cross, looked at His mother and said to her, Quote: “women, behold, your son”, Unquote. and to his apostle John, who was standing there with Mary, He said,Quote: “behold, your mother”. Unquote: Yes, Ave Maria Ave Ave. I pray this hymn brings Glory to God, for when we sing of Mary, we bring Glory to God the Father, Jesus His Only Begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Homily offered by Father Matthew C. Dallman, Obl.S.B., for the Parish of Tazewell County on the Sunday after the Ascension, 2021. We are taught today by Saint John the Evangelist (also known Saint John the Theologian) that God hath given us eternal life. And, he adds, this life is in His Son. This is to what Saint Paul is referring when he spoke of seeing God face to face. This is also what was described in the three synoptic Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke) in the Transfiguration of Jesus: the three disciples on the mountain with Jesus saw Him transfigured, which is a heavenly vision of His true reality and identity (both fully man, and fully God; or put another way, completely within our conditions of time and space, and at the same time completely beyond and outside time and space conditions). Jesus in Saint John's gospel account so often spoke of Himself using the phrase “I am”—I am the vine; I am the good shepherd; I am way, the truth and the life; I am the bread of life, and so on; in Scripture God also is recorded to have spoken this way, such as when Moses learned that God's name is “I am whom I am.” The gift of eternal life through Christ, the goal of which is to behold God face to face, transfigured along with Him, our own being within God's transfigured self: the vision of God is a participation in His I Am-ness, a participation that begins really and actually in this life through the Sacraments liturgically celebrated, and continues into the next, whereby we are invited to continually grow in God's love and service. Each eucharist we celebrate is like another rung up the ladder to our goal, the divine reality in community with the triune God. Each Eucharist we receive allows us to become what we receive more and more, that we say with Saint Paul, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live.” “Yet,” he adds, “not I, but Christ liveth in me.” This is the mystery that the Upper Room church of 120 souls began to live into as they prayed with one accord in the sacred space Jesus appointed them to after His glorious Ascension. We are told that they prayed together with one accord—meaning, with one heart, with one central purpose, with one liturgy—and we are told that they were full of joy, indeed full of grace, for they had all taken on the heart of Mary, and begun to make her heart their heart, her heart becoming the heart of the Church: for Our Lady, Blessed Mary was with the Church in the Upper Room. And as the other 119 began to share together with Mary in the joyful recognition that Jesus is their light, Jesus is their salvation, and that the I Am-ness of Jesus is with them in the Upper Room, with them wherever two or three are gathered, with them in their heart whenever they call upon His most holy Name for mercy, with them in Holy Communion, with them through Scripture and the preaching of their brother and sister apostles (preeminently in the preaching of the Twelve)—as they began to share together in the joyful knowledge that Jesus is the Way, is the Truth, is the Life, every word of Mary (the bearer of God, or in Greek: the Theotokos) that she shared about her Son, especially the profoundly mysterious moments early in the life (the Annunciation, her Visitation with Elizabeth, the Nativity, the Presentation, and the losing and then finding of Jesus in Temple) had transfiguring power—Christ speaking through Mary—because the disciples in the Upper Room had experienced His blessed Passion and precious Death, His mighty Resurrection and glorious Ascension. The key for them to eternal life is the key for us: having in daily remembrance of the Paschal Mystery of Christ, and ordering our lives—ordering our every day—around Jesus and His most holy Name, for this is how the Church renders unto Jesus most hearty thanks for the innumerably benefits procured unto us by Him. This unfathomable recognition, indeed the true Mystery of Christ, is summarized by Our Lord's words in our Gospel account today: “For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” For us, Christ showed Himself holy, that we might become holy through Him. All of what He revealed to the world during his three or four decades of human life was, and is, for our sakes—that we might be transformed, our hearts illumined and on fire, with true knowledge of Christ's presence everywhere and in all places that, as Saint Paul taught the Church in Thessalonica, we may rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us.

Blessed Mary by Locust Grove Church of Christ

Jerome is renowned for his biblical studies and translations, The Church invokes him as Doctor, Father, and Saint. Yet he is just as famous for his curmudgeonly character. He clashed with Augustine and Rufinus, disdained Ambrose and Chrysostom. His insults stand with the best of Mark Twain and Groucho Marx. He is often depicted angry in works of art, and the poet Phyllis McGinley said: “He wasn’t a plaster sort of saint.” Links Justin McClain’s splendid collection, The Quotable Saint Jerome, https://www.amazon.com/Quotable-Saint-Jerome/dp/0813233216/ J.N.D. Kelly’s biography, Jerome: His Life, Writings, and Controversies, https://www.amazon.com/Jerome-His-Life-Writings-Controversies/dp/156563084X/ Jerome, Letter 57: to Pammachius on the Best Method of Translating  https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2362 Jerome, Against Vigilantius (who rejected the veneration of relics and other traditional practices) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2317 Jerome, The Perpetual Virginity of Blessed Mary, against Helvidius https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=2314 Jerome, Lives of Illustrious Men (an early work of patristics) https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3078/ Mike Aquilina’s website https://fathersofthechurch.com Mike Aquilina’s books https://catholicbooksdirect.com/writer/mike-aquilina/ Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of Corpus Christi Watershed http://www.ccwatershed.org Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/users/donate/audio  

Good morning my sisters and brothers, Happy and Blessed Easter and may you experience the Resurrection of Jesus in your very own heart and soul. Our podcast song is, ‘JESUS Lives'. This song was written while on my 15 year mission. It was while living in Pittsfield, N. H. I was a music minister there at our Catholic Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, and wrote this with my guitar, for Easter morning. My folk group and I went over it during the beginning part of Holy Week, and also just before Mass started on Easter morning. We sang it there for the Easter morning entrance and again at the end of Mass. They were absolutely great and they sang it so beautifully. Unfortunately, that year there was also our last year together, for we moved on to continue on our journey. In the churches that I ministered in music, while on my mission, this song was always my Easter morning song, bringing all Glory, Honor and Praise to our Lord Jesus Christ! This song came alive as I pondered on our Blessed Mary, and how she must have been so joyful to see her risen Son conquered death and darkness, and rule in Majesty! Then thoughts of the Resurrection of Jesus filled my soul with so much joy, and to know that He will raise us also, if we believe in Him. Wow, in the Gospel of John 6:40, Jesus himself tells us: Quote: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him [on] the last day.” Unquote. This is the promise Jesus made to us!

With the major exception of none other than Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who is the Eternal Word of God, and Whose Name—Jesus—is the Name above all other names, can there be any doubt that the most significant words ever spoken by a human being in the history of human existence have come from the utterance of Our Lady, Blessed Mary Ever-Virgin? Most blessed Mary is the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of the Church, and Our Lady of the Upper Room—her words, although some may say we have so few of them recorded by the Evangelists, drip with greatness, with sanctity, with humility, with wisdom. She herself who is the beginning in time of Our Lord's works, was brought forth before mountains were settled, before the hills were made, even when Christ prepared the heavens, she was there—blessed Mary, Our Lady, is the soul of every Christian. Mary is the soul of every Christian because her greatness consists in her absolute selfless devotion to Jesus her Son and Lord. To her cousin Saint Elizabeth at the Visitation, after her greeting (which made John Baptist in utero leap for joy, along with the heart of his mother, Elizabeth), Mary sang: “My soul doth magnify the Lord.” She was wholly devoted to the Lord. To the place of poverty she willingly went at Our Lord's Nativity; to the place of shame she willingly went at our Lord's Crucifixion and death; and to the place of promise in the Upper Room she willing went as one of the 120 disciples in the first Christian parish for the Coming of the Holy Spirit of her Son and Lord. Mary is the soul of every Christian because unto a seemingly impossible vocation, she said “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word.” Facing the incomprehensible, she said Yes, according to thy will; facing the utterly paradoxical, she said Yes, according to thy will; facing the most tremendous mystery (the mystery of reality Himself), she said, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” To the opportunity to be given to the Temple at age three, as her parents Anna and Joachim had promised God, she danced (which is a Yes if there ever was a Yes); to the prospect of leaving the Temple (in which she grew up into her teenage years) into marriage to Joseph the carpenter, she said “Yes.” As she heard announced to her by Simeon at Our Lord's Presentation “And a sword shall pierce through your own soul also,” in wonderment and courage, she said “Yes.” And to the final words of her Son on the Cross, Jesus telling her to behold her Son—words she heard from her Son, words now about her Son in a radically new way—she said “Be it unto me according to thy word,” and behold in the beloved disciple John not a resemblance to her Son, not a mere likeness to her Son, not a kinship to her Son: indeed, in John, Mary behold Jesus, her Son. Should it surprise us at all that Mary is the soul of every Christian when within her heart from the first was her Son's Name; within her heart from the first was the Name Jesus, the Name above all names, the Name which is a fortified tower to which the righteous run and are safe; the Name we will walk in for ever and ever; the Name which saves everyone who calls on it? Just as among the first things known to Blessed Joseph about Mary's Son was His Name, so was it for Mary: the Angel Gabriel giving both Joseph and Mary not merely knowledge of the Son of God, but the true knowledge of Him which is His Name. Can we doubt that Mary would say His most Holy Name all the days following her most holy Annunciation? Can we doubt that each time she said His holy Name Jesus, her heart pondered the Mystery of all Mysteries, and was filled with the awe from which comes true wisdom? Can we doubt the joy she shared with Blessed Joseph, her most chaste spouse, in the Name of their Son—a joy in His Name they knew was not only theirs, but the whole of creation? Brothers and sisters, let us be strengthened by the Name of Jesus like Mary and Joseph; let us be emboldened by the Name of Jesus like Mary and Joseph; and let us be obedient and humble to the Name of Jesus, like Mary and Joseph—that with them, we might learn to ponder and watch and keep long silences, thinking of the deep, tender things of Jesus.

Homily offered by Father Matthew C. Dallman, Obl.S.B., for the Parish of Tazewell County on Ash Wednesday, 2020. The story of Jonah is one we all know so well that thinking of it as food for our Lenten journey might be difficult. The story begins by telling us that “the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amit′tai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nin′eveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.'” But instead of the obedience of Our Lady, Blessed Mary, who despite having questions about how to cooperate with God, nonetheless answered God, “Let it be unto me according to Thy Word,” Jonah fled. He fled not to Christ, as we are always to do when faced with temptation. Rather, Jonah fled not to, but from, the Lord. Confronted by the Light of God's guidance, by His Word as a lantern under our feet, and a light unto our paths, Jonah chose instead to turn to his shadows and dwell in them. He chose to pretend his conscience did not hear God's call. He pretended to forget God's law. Jonah fled by boat, and while on the boat, the great wind of the demons made for a mighty tempest on the sea. His conscience began to gnaw at him, and he offered himself up, to be thrown off the boat. Better to become suicidal than to simply say yes to God, Jonah evidently concluded. God saw all this, for His eyes are always upon those who fear Him—and, deep down, Jonah did fear the Lord, deep down, Jonah was in awe of God's majesty and power, despite his attempts at avoidance—and taking control of the great fish, God's working of love and protection kept Jonah in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights. And during these three days and three night, Jonah prayed to God—when left to his own devices and free-will, Jonah filled with pride and chose his own will not God's will; but put into a three-day, three-night time-out by God, Jonah remembered that he was a creature, and God creator of all. His prayer while in the belly of the whale deserves to be heard this day: “I called to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and thou didst hear my voice. For thou didst cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood was round about me; all thy waves and thy billows passed over me. Then I said, ‘I am cast out from thy presence; how shall I again look upon thy holy temple?' The waters closed in over me, the deep was round about me; weeds were wrapped about my head at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me for ever; yet thou didst bring up my life from the Pit, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer came to thee, into thy holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their true loyalty. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to thee; what I have vowed I will pay. Deliverance belongs to the Lord!” Indeed, deliverance does belong to the Lord. And this refrain is taken up into the third Psalm, which reads, “Deliverance belongs to the Lord, thy blessing be upon thy people!” And after this glorious prayer by Jonah, upon being vomited out of the fish upon the dry land—and vomiting is indeed a rich metaphor for what it means to purge our sinful ways—Jonah again heard the word of the Lord; and this time, he began to imitate Our Lady's “Let it be.” He arose and went to Ninevah, according to the Word of the Lord. And in the city, he cried, “Yet forty days, and Ninevah shall be overthrown!” And in a great surprise to Jonah, the people of Ninevah believed him, and began to repent of their sinful ways. And because they were honest about themselves—because they were reality-based, which is another word for “humility”—God did not destroy the city, but continued to keep it afloat in the ocean of His grace. And yet, instead of rejoicing, Jonah was exceedingly displeased, and he was angry. His prayer to God takes a remarkable turn: “I knew that Thou art a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and repentest of evil.” But then, “Therefore now, O Lord, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” Again, suicidal! And to prove his petulance, out of the city he went and sat under a plant God made for him out of His love to provide shade. Then to prove again His power, the plant withered the next day from a God-appointed worm. Again in anger Jonah asked for suicide. Brothers and sisters, it is fair to say that Jonah was a hot mess. He knew God's will, He knew God's love, He knew God's power, and was constantly fighting it, then embracing it in odd ways, and the fighting, embracing, back and forth. Now we might find the story of Jonah comical as to be a farce. And yet, brothers and sisters, how far away from Jonah are we really, in our lives? Are not we closer to Jonah than we might care to admit? Saint Paul wrote these words to the Romans: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Is this not us? Are not we, too, a hot mess? The appropriate response to recognizing this difficult truth, revealed to us by God's grace through the shining light of His Son Jesus on the Cross, is the response of the tax collector, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” The Church turned the words of the tax collector in a prayer that is now ancient, called the “Jesus Prayer”: Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. There is nothing more that needs to be said this Lent than that; no need to make it more complicated or qualified than those simple words. For if we make it more complicated and qualified, our prayer is not the prayer of the tax collector, but of the Pharisee. Let us this Lent, held up by God's love in the ocean of His grace, not even lift up our eyes to heaven, but beat our breast, and say, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

Homily offered by Father Matthew C. Dallman, Obl.S.B., for the Parish of Tazewell County on the Feast of All Saints, 2019. If the Saints were not central to the Christian faith, and if active and living communion with them not obligatory upon all Christians, then we would not, in the baptismal creed of the Church called the “Apostles' Creed,” proclaim a belief in the Communion of the Saints. But the fact of the matter is that we do proclaim our belief in the Communion of the Saints at our baptism. And the Church professes her belief in the Communion of the Saints every morning in Matins and every evening in Evensong. Any feast day that shows up in the creeds of the Church, or can be found by thinking about the creeds, is by definition a major feast. In the creeds, for example, we can easily find Christmas, Holy Week and Easter, Ascension, Christ the King, Pentecost—and in the Apostles' Creed we find All Saints. This should not be surprising, because it was through a communion of Saints that the Church of Jesus Christ was born. One hundred and twenty Saints were gathered in the Upper Room, told to go there by Jesus Christ to await the promise of the Father, the Coming of the Holy Ghost. This was the first Church. Gathered in the Upper Room for nine days were Blessed Mary, whom the Church quickly saw as Mother of the Church, along with other holy women, Mary Magdalene, her sister Martha, Mary the wife of Cleopas, perhaps Peter's mother-in-law; along of course with the Eleven men singled out by Jesus for a particular task, soon joined by Matthias taking over for Judas. It was from and through this communion of Saints, this gathering of Saints, this fellowship of Saints—all of whom were apostles because “apostle” means someone sent and each Saint in the Upper Room was sent there by Christ to wait for the Holy Ghost, and in a more general sense sent by Christ to proclaim to the nations the Truth that can only be found in Him; it was through this all-star communion of Saints: their daily prayer, their breaking of bread, and their fellowship and teaching, that the Church came to be by God's action through them. God acts through His Saints. God reveals Himself through His Saints. God brings about that which is new through His Saints. God transforms the world through His Saints. How does this happen? It happens because the Saints are those people who, in the words of Saint Paul, have the eyes of their hearts enlightened by God. “The eyes of their hearts enlightened”—Paul teaches—so that persons who receive such grace know what is the hope to which God has called us, according to His great might which He accomplished in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and made Him sit at His Right Hand in the heavenly places. It starts with the enlightenment of the eyes of the heart. God accomplishes His mission through those whose heart has enlightened eyes. Not eyes that do not see God in the world, but rather eyes that see God in the world through all things good, beautiful, and true. Not eyes that are impatient with the world, but eyes of patience and humility that look for Him even when He might be hard to find. Not eyes that do nothing but judge others for their sins and inadequacies, but eyes that see Jesus in the face of every person they meet. Not eyes of suspicious, but eyes of love—indeed, enlightened eyes of the heart means the eyes of Jesus, the eyes of His sacred humanity. Eyes of compassion and mercy, eyes that forgive—eyes through which grace in its fullness can be found, because such eyes of the heart is Christ in us. Brothers and sisters, all of this is biblical Christianity, and this is why churches such as ours who seek to participate in historic, sacramental Christianity usually take a Saint as a patron of the parish—in our case, Saint Paul, and in our sister congregation, all the Saints. And, likewise, this is why God has led our Parish to see Saint Teresa of Calcutta as our patron of our Mission in Tazewell County. She is a powerful example for us of how to embody the Gospel as we encounter others in our day to day lives. “We are to be Christ to the world, and to every person we meet,” she teaches us. “The greatest disease in the West today is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for,” she teaches us. “Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you,” she teaches us. That teaching is the Gospel. Through that teaching, Christ acts. Through that teaching by this Saint, God reveals Himself. Through that teaching God brings about that which is new. And through that teaching by this Saint, who in her words captures what's fundamental about Christ's teaching to His Church, through that teaching God transforms the world. Let us be led, brothers and sisters, by this teaching—led in our mission in Tazewell County. Icon by the hand of Aidan Hart.

Father Matthew C. Dallman, Obl.S.B. preaching on the Memorial of Saint Romuald (2019) in the Lady Chapel of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame during solemn Evensong, a service he was also asked to plan. Romuald is a true saint for the domestic church. He was a Benedictine monk who fell asleep on this day in the year AD 1027. In Dante's Divine Comedy, we find at one point Saint Benedict himself indicating to the pilgrim the presence of contemplatives, who are named “fires,” and these included Macarius (a desert father) and Romuald. His devotion to Christ was fueled by his many mystical experiences of God's presence in solitude while praying the Psalms. So much so that he felt driven out of a strictly coenobitic life in Benedictine community and rather devoutly experiment with the eremitic life, so as that between the life of community and the life of a hermit in solitude and what he saw as inherent tension between the two, there might be forged a new kind of harmony. His biography was written by none other than Saint Peter Damien, holy doctor of the Church, he is the founder of the Camaldolese Order (an outgrowth of the Order of Saint Benedict), and Romuald left us a Brief Rule that I think might be seen as a “How to Get Started” chapter in as yet unwritten, but probably never to be written, “Operations Manual” for the domestic church. But to explain that, I first need to back up. http://akensideinstitute.org/images/romuald_preaching.jpgIt was at last summer liturgy conferences that Dr O'Malley asked me to put together a plainsong Evensong in the Anglican tradition for this year's conference. It had become known (because I use social media more than the average person) that I had been conducting an experiment in my home, based in plainsong and the daily Offices (the Anglican equivalent to the Liturgy of the Hours) – that my family (my wife and our then four daughters whom we were homeschooling) might be ready to make the leap from the short, ten-minute form of daily chant developed from my study of Anglican pastoral theologian and priest Martin Thornton that we had used for four years, into chanting Matins and Evensong (Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer) everyday. Sufficed to say, the experiment has taken. Two years in, and it has become the anchors of our family's life, both in terms of routine but more importantly, in terms of our devotion to the Most Holy Trinity, it has spread within our parish, where we have daily Matins and Evensong in our chapel and have formed a plainsong choir in our parish (now 14 people strong) that has had three solemn Evensong services within the liturgical calendar (Eve of Michaelmas, Eve of Presentation, and Eve of Pentecost), and, we are here. Let me report that it is mind-blowingly wild that the waves of a homeschooling experiment in Pekin, Illinois might come to shore in the Lady Chapel of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The Providence of God is real and active, and grace has been bestowed in two ways: one, to hear His invitation to give this experiment in domestic church a try, and two, to be steady during the ups and downs of its implementation which were adventurous as most things in a family often are. I arrived at this prayer of thanksgiving, not to boast in anything I have done, but to boast in what our loving Lord has done; and my gratitude was clarified by our two lessons of sacred scripture, as well as the example of Saint Romuald – all three of which present to the question of the domestic church the Light of Christ. The account of Samuel's encounter with the Lord draws our attention to the domestic environment, the unique culture of our homes. We want the environment, the ecology, of our homes to be such wherein the space of our home, and the pattern of our life in it, is one where God can be heard: like Samuel heard God, even where God calls our name, like he called Samuel's name. Also, our passage helps us t o dispense with the need for our home life to be a perfect haven of pure devotion by all members of the family. God called Samuel despite the word of the Lord being rare in those days and no frequent vision. The only concrete description was that Samuel was sleeping in relative proximity to the Ark of God, which for us is a prefigurement of Our Lady. In his introduction to Redemptoris Mater, Joseph Ratzinger wrote that Mary's faith means trust in God and obedience, even when one walks in darkness. Perhaps in terms of concrete practice, devotion to Our Lady within the domestic church, even one that may seem far from a space that realizes the sacred, is a sure foundation for an environment to emerge and grow in the home in which we can hear God, and is the way to begin to develop one, that our response to God's call of us is not slothfully ignored but rather that of Samuel, “Here I am!” It is to the characteristic of adventure in prayer that Saint Luke's account of the parents of Jesus finding Him in the Temple when He was twelve years old draws us towards. Let us assume that the domestic church life of the Holy Family was the ideal model of sanctity, fellowship, prayer – and really, the type of the eucharistic life realized in the home. All the more reason for us to be encouraged in our family lives by the fact that even for Mary and Joseph, whose intimacy and closeness with Jesus are a permanent and inexhaustible catechesis for the Church, even for them there were moments when Jesus felt far away. This is all part of the ebb and flow of the Christian life – between consolation and desolation, between presence and absence, between real communion and desire for communion. This is the Christian adventure, and it demands heroism on the part often of parents, who are uniquely empowered by God by the grace of their marriage to help the whole family find Jesus again; and it demands native heroism on the part of children, who through their curiosity and wonder show new ways to find Jesus, to echo Samuel's “Here I am.” http://akensideinstitute.org/images/romuald_ladychapel2.jpgAll of this would be “Saint Romuald approved,” and here I circle back to my assertion that Romuald is a true saint for the domestic church, with particular emphasis on the helpfulness of something he wrote, called his Brief Rule. First of all let us recognize that the patterns of day to day life today compared with 150 years ago are dramatically different, a primary reason for which is the technology of the automobile dramatically transforming cities, so much so that life for many of us in our homes is more like the life of Christian hermits than we might be comfortable admitting. Although we gather in social spaces of our cities and towns (I don't think Bowling Alone is quite right as whenever I bowl, the lanes are filled with large groups of people) and of course although we gather in our parish churches, we often do not know our neighbors, or many of them, or see our fellow parishioner but once a week, if not less often. Home life, even with large families, is often analogous to the hermit's cell – we are not divorced from wider society, but we often encounter them in in strikingly anti-incarnational ways on social media and even the telephone, and families often “do their own thing.” And so the first sentence of Romuald's Brief Rule is topical. It reads, “Sit in your cell as in paradise.” We would translate, “Be in your home as in paradise,” not because we falsely think our homes are the Church Triumphant itself in microcosm, but rather “paradise” as Jesus described it to the confessing thief next to Him on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Our homes are this kind of paradise: where we work by grace through the process of everyday purification and purgation knowing that Jesus is very close with us, and has chosen to come close to us and walk with us. And that process of everyday purification – the home as paradise – is the arranging of our lives in and through the pattern of home life so as to be like Samuel, sleeping by the Ark of God, or for us, with a daily family devotion to Our Lady in the home, thereby able to hear God calling his name. That parents and children can hear God calling to them and guiding them. Later in his Brief Rule, Romuald teaches us to “take every opportunity you can to sing the Psalms in your heart and to understand them with your mind.” He continues, “And, if your mind wanders as you read, do not give up; hurry back and apply your mind to the words once more.” So yet, let us pray the Psalms in our homes. Yet there is another insight here: Just as if our mind wanders, hurry and apply it to the words again, if we lose our sense of the presence of Christ amid the ebb and flow of religious life like Mary and Joseph lost track of Jesus, let us not beat ourselves up, but go immediately and passionately to find Him. In doing so, we let ourselves be found by Him. Mary and Joseph passionately sought Jesus; let us persevere to find Him in the Psalms, or even as he taught one Psalm, because as he taught, “It is better to pray one psalm with devotion and compunction than a hundred with distraction.” Romuald finishes his Brief Rule with these words: “Realize above all that you are in God's presence, and stand there with the attitude of one who stands before the emperor. Empty yourself completely and sit waiting, content with the grace of God, like the chick who tastes nothing and eats nothing but what his mother brings him.” Mary brings us Jesus, and so in that sense, the traditional image of the mama pelican who pecks at her breast to feel her children is also an image of Our Lady, whose own soul was also pierced with a sword, the sword of the Spirit, that her sorrow and eucharistic glory at the foot of the Cross might guide us and feed us. Blessed Mary, Mother of God, and Saint Romuald, pray for us.

Father Thomas Naval proclaims the Gospel (Luke 2:16-21) and breaks open the word on the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. O God, who through the fruitful virginity of Blessed Mary bestowed on the human race the grace of eternal salvation, grant, we pray, that we may experience the intercession of her, through whom we were found worthy to receive the author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. (Collect Prayer) Words for your Way from Santiago de Compostela Catholic Church, Lake Forest, California.

sermon from Luke 1