Podcasts about saint margaret mary alacoque

Full Text of ReadingsSaturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 334The Saint of the day is Saint Claude de la ColombireSaint Claude de la Colombière's Story This is a special day for the Jesuits, who claim today's saint as one of their own. It's also a special day for people who have a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus—a devotion Claude de la Colombière promoted along with his friend and spiritual companion, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. The emphasis on God's love for all was an antidote to the rigorous moralism of the Jansenists, who were popular at the time. Claude showed remarkable preaching skills long before his ordination in 1675. Two months later, he was made superior of a small Jesuit residence in Burgundy. It was there he first encountered Margaret Mary Alacoque. For many years after he served as her confessor. He was next sent to England to serve as confessor to the Duchess of York. He preached by both words and by the example of his holy life, converting a number of Protestants. Tensions arose against Catholics and Claude, rumored to be part of a plot against the king, was imprisoned. He was ultimately banished, but by then his health had been ruined. He died in 1682. Pope John Paul II canonized Claude de la Colombière in 1992. Reflection As a fellow Jesuit and as a promoter of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Saint Claude must be very special to Pope Francis who has so beautifully emphasized the mercy of Jesus. The emphasis on God's love and mercy are characteristic of both men. Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Confident of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

Full Text of ReadingsWednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 469The Saint of the day is Saint Margaret Mary AlacoqueSaint Margaret Mary Alacoque's Story Margaret Mary was chosen by Christ to arouse the Church to a realization of the love of God symbolized by the heart of Jesus. Her early years were marked by sickness and a painful home situation. “The heaviest of my crosses was that I could do nothing to lighten the cross my mother was suffering.” After considering marriage for some time, Margaret Mary entered the Order of the Visitation nuns at the age of 24. A Visitation nun was “not to be extraordinary except by being ordinary,” but the young nun was not to enjoy this anonymity. A fellow novice termed Margaret Mary humble, simple, and frank, but above all, kind and patient under sharp criticism and correction. She could not meditate in the formal way expected, though she tried her best to give up her “prayer of simplicity.” Slow, quiet, and clumsy, she was assigned to help an infirmarian who was a bundle of energy. On December 21, 1674, three years a nun, she received the first of her revelations. She felt “invested” with the presence of God, though always afraid of deceiving herself in such matters. The request of Christ was that his love for humankind be made evident through her. During the next 13 months, Christ appeared to her at intervals. His human heart was to be the symbol of his divine-human love. By her own love Margaret Mary was to make up for the coldness and ingratitude of the world—by frequent and loving Holy Communion, especially on the first Friday of each month, and by an hour's vigil of prayer every Thursday night in memory of his agony and isolation in Gethsemane. He also asked that a feast of reparation be instituted. Like all saints, Margaret Mary had to pay for her gift of holiness. Some of her own sisters were hostile. Theologians who were called in declared her visions delusions and suggested that she eat more heartily. Later, parents of children she taught called her an impostor, an unorthodox innovator. A new confessor, the Jesuit Claude de la Colombière, recognized her genuineness and supported her. Against her great resistance, Christ called her to be a sacrificial victim for the shortcomings of her own sisters, and to make this known. After serving as novice mistress and assistant superior, Margaret Mary died at the age of 43, while being anointed. She said: “I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus.” Reflection Our scientific-materialistic age cannot “prove” private revelations. Theologians, if pressed, admit that we do not have to believe in them. But it is impossible to deny the message Margaret Mary heralded: that God loves us with a passionate love. Her insistence on reparation and prayer and the reminder of final judgment should be sufficient to ward off superstition and superficiality in devotion to the Sacred Heart while preserving its deep Christian meaning. Click here for prayers to the Sacred Heart! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

 In this episode, for the series called “What Are the Sisters Reading” for the month of July, Sister Julia Darrenkamp, FSP, shares about a book called “Come to Me: Living the Nine First Fridays” by Sister Anne Flanagan, FSP.   In a private revelation, Jesus asked Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque to spread the practice of honoring his Sacred Heart by going to Mass and receiving Communion on nine consecutive First Fridays of the month. In her book, Sister Anne accompanies you through this nine-month journey, offering profound insights into the love of Christ and the depths of the relationship to which Jesus invites you. Each month includes a theme and reflection, a saintly witness, and a guided Holy Hour. Whether you are discovering devotion to the Sacred Heart for the first time or seeking to enrich it, this book can bring you closer to Christ's Eucharistic Heart.   To check out more books on the Catholic faith and religious items of interest at the Pauline Books and Media Center at 1025 King Street in Alexandria, please click here.

“Behold the Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming Itself, in order to testify Its love.”Come listen with Jane and Sarah as they hear the rest of Saint Margaret Mary's story! Learn how she became a Sister, found a faithful friend to help her and became the vessel with which Jesus shared the beauty and mystery of His Sacred Heart!  Please rate, review and share with friends and family! Saints Alive is brought to you by the #1 Catholic Prayer App, Hallow! Sign up today with a 30-day free trial! Find resources on the saints, discussion questions and more about our team by visiting our website: https://www.saintsalivepodcast.com/

“I need nothing but God and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus” In today's episode, we'll meet Jane and Sarah: two sisters taking refuge in an English convent during the second world war. Though they are surrounded by the confusion and fear of war, they find solace and hope when Sister Evelyn tells them the incredible story of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. Come listen with Jane and Sarah and learn more about the beauty and peace found in Jesus' Sacred Heart. Parental Guidance Note: The beginning of this episode takes place during WWII - to skip these scenes for little listeners - start the story at 9:15.Please rate, review and share with friends and family! Saints Alive is brought to you by the #1 Catholic Prayer App, Hallow! Sign up today with a 30-day free trial! Find resources on the saints, discussion questions and more about our team by visiting our website: https://www.saintsalivepodcast.com/

Full Text of ReadingsThursday after Ash Wednesday Lectionary: 220The Saint of the day is Saint Claude de la ColombireSaint Claude de la Colombière's Story This is a special day for the Jesuits, who claim today's saint as one of their own. It's also a special day for people who have a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus—a devotion Claude de la Colombière promoted along with his friend and spiritual companion, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. The emphasis on God's love for all was an antidote to the rigorous moralism of the Jansenists, who were popular at the time. Claude showed remarkable preaching skills long before his ordination in 1675. Two months later, he was made superior of a small Jesuit residence in Burgundy. It was there he first encountered Margaret Mary Alacoque. For many years after he served as her confessor. He was next sent to England to serve as confessor to the Duchess of York. He preached by both words and by the example of his holy life, converting a number of Protestants. Tensions arose against Catholics and Claude, rumored to be part of a plot against the king, was imprisoned. He was ultimately banished, but by then his health had been ruined. He died in 1682. Pope John Paul II canonized Claude de la Colombière in 1992. Reflection As a fellow Jesuit and as a promoter of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Saint Claude must be very special to Pope Francis who has so beautifully emphasized the mercy of Jesus. The emphasis on God's love and mercy are characteristic of both men. Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The unveiling process for the newly rebuilt spire of Paris' legendary Notre Dame Cathedral began this week, with the process expected to be completed in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics in July. The cathedral has been closed ever since a devastating fire April 15, 2019, saw the spire crash through the centuries-old timber roof. Deconstruction of the scaffolding surrounding the spire — which reaches 330 feet in height — will take several months. The spire's new cross was mounted on December 6, 2023, and on December 16 a golden rooster — a symbol of France — was blessed and added, replacing one that was destroyed in the fire. The spire was not original to the 800-year-old structure, having been added during a 19th-century renovation. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256836/notre-dame-cathedral-spire-to-be-unveiled-nearly-five-years-after-devastating-fire Nearly three dozen Christians have lost their lives in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last October, a Christian aid group in the region said this week. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256828/nearly-3-dozen-christians-have-died-in-gaza-strip-amid-israel-hamas-war-aid-group-says Pope Francis will become the first pope to visit the prestigious Venice Biennale art exhibition when he travels to the “city of canals” this spring. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256826/pope-francis-to-visit-prestigious-venice-biennale-art-exhibition A local police investigation into the vandalization of a Blessed Virgin Mary statue outside a Catholic charitable group's headquarters in Nebraska is currently listed as “inactive” after police were unable to identify the perpetrator, even though one of the building's security cameras caught the vandal on video. Katie Patrick, executive director of Catholic Social Services, told CNA that this was the first time an incident such as this had occurred on their campus. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256834/police-drop-investigation-into-vandalization-of-nebraska-blessed-mother-statue Today, the Church celebrates Saint Claude de la Colombière, the 17th century French Jesuit who authenticated and wrote about Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque's visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-claude-de-la-colombiere-148

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque was a 17th century French nun who experienced mystical visions with Jesus, where He revealed to her His Sacred Heart and His love for her and all humanity. In those visions, she was instructed to tell the world all about this love, and she did. This led to the popularization of venerating the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Programming Note: The next episode of the Christian Mysticism Podcast will air on February 22nd, instead of the usual second Thursday of the month. In March, we will return to our regular podcast schedule of the first and third Thursday of every month.If you would like to order a copy of Dr. Carlos Eire's new book, "They Flew: A History of the Impossible," you can order a copy HERE (Yale University Press) or HERE (Amazon).If you have any questions, you can email us at christianmysticismpodcast@gmail.com. Your question and the answer may appear in a future episode of the podcast.You can visit our podcast website HERE. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's Topics: 1, 2, 3, 4) Gospel - Lk 11:29-32 - While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here." Memorial of Saint Hedwig, Religious Memorial of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin Saints Hedwig and Margaret Mary, pray for us! Bishop Sheen quote of the day Father Charles Murr joins Terry to discuss Freemasonry's infiltration of the Church and his book: Murder in the 33rd Degree: The Gagnon Investigation into Vatican Freemasonry

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque experienced great suffering, but God did not let that get in the way. He took her brokenness and made her the champion of His Sacred Heart.Do you have devotion to the Sacred Heart? Share your thoughts in the comments!—Morning Offering with Fr. Kirby, October 16, 2023—————————Every morning, join Father Jeffrey Kirby as he begins the day with prayer and reflection. In a few short minutes, Father Kirby guides you in prayer, shares a brief reflection grounding your day in the Church's rhythm of feast days and liturgy, and provides you with the encouragement necessary to go forward with peace and strength. Let us do as the saints urge and begin our days in prayer together so as a community of believers we may join the Psalmist in saying, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” (Psalm 5:3-4)

Full Text of ReadingsMonday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 467The Saint of the day is Saint Margaret Mary AlacoqueSaint Margaret Mary Alacoque's Story Margaret Mary was chosen by Christ to arouse the Church to a realization of the love of God symbolized by the heart of Jesus. Her early years were marked by sickness and a painful home situation. “The heaviest of my crosses was that I could do nothing to lighten the cross my mother was suffering.” After considering marriage for some time, Margaret Mary entered the Order of the Visitation nuns at the age of 24. A Visitation nun was “not to be extraordinary except by being ordinary,” but the young nun was not to enjoy this anonymity. A fellow novice termed Margaret Mary humble, simple, and frank, but above all, kind and patient under sharp criticism and correction. She could not meditate in the formal way expected, though she tried her best to give up her “prayer of simplicity.” Slow, quiet, and clumsy, she was assigned to help an infirmarian who was a bundle of energy. On December 21, 1674, three years a nun, she received the first of her revelations. She felt “invested” with the presence of God, though always afraid of deceiving herself in such matters. The request of Christ was that his love for humankind be made evident through her. During the next 13 months, Christ appeared to her at intervals. His human heart was to be the symbol of his divine-human love. By her own love Margaret Mary was to make up for the coldness and ingratitude of the world—by frequent and loving Holy Communion, especially on the first Friday of each month, and by an hour's vigil of prayer every Thursday night in memory of his agony and isolation in Gethsemane. He also asked that a feast of reparation be instituted. Like all saints, Margaret Mary had to pay for her gift of holiness. Some of her own sisters were hostile. Theologians who were called in declared her visions delusions and suggested that she eat more heartily. Later, parents of children she taught called her an impostor, an unorthodox innovator. A new confessor, the Jesuit Claude de la Colombière, recognized her genuineness and supported her. Against her great resistance, Christ called her to be a sacrificial victim for the shortcomings of her own sisters, and to make this known. After serving as novice mistress and assistant superior, Margaret Mary died at the age of 43, while being anointed. She said: “I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus.” Reflection Our scientific-materialistic age cannot “prove” private revelations. Theologians, if pressed, admit that we do not have to believe in them. But it is impossible to deny the message Margaret Mary heralded: that God loves us with a passionate love. Her insistence on reparation and prayer and the reminder of final judgment should be sufficient to ward off superstition and superficiality in devotion to the Sacred Heart while preserving its deep Christian meaning. Click here for prayers to the Sacred Heart! Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The Vatican's Synod on Synodality has passed the halfway mark for this year. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255696/this-week-at-the-synod-on-synodality-participation-focus-comes-amid-possible-early-exit-of-chinese-bishops Midway through the Synod on Synodality, two bishops from mainland China are suddenly departing the assembly early, and as of Monday there is not yet an explanation. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255697/chinese-bishops-leaving-synod-on-synodality-early The Latin Catholic patriarch of Jerusalem has offered to be exchanged for the children being held hostage in the Gaza Strip by Hamas. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255694/jerusalem-cardinal-pizzaballa-offers-to-be-exchanged-for-gaza-hostages Today the Church celebrates Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, the French nun whose visions of Christ helped to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart throughout the Western Church. Her life changed in response to a vision she saw one night while returning from a dance, in which she saw Christ being scourged. Margaret believed she had betrayed Jesus, by pursuing the pleasures of the world rather than her religious vocation, and a the at the age of 22, she decided to enter a convent. Two days after Christmas of 1673, Margaret experienced Christ's presence in an extraordinary way while in prayer. She heard Christ explain that he desired to show his love for the human race in a special way, by encouraging devotion to “the heart that so loved mankind.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-margaret-mary-alacoque-626 The Church also celebrates Saint Gerard Majella. Saint Gerard entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer in 1749 and professed of perpetual vows under the Redemptorist's founder, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, in 1751. He served as tailor and infirmarian and became known for his extraordinary supernatural gifts of bilocation, prophecy, ecstasies, visions, and infused knowledge. Though not ordained to the holy order of priest, his spiritual direction and advice were sought by many among the clergy and communities of nuns, to which he also gave conferences. He was most successful in converting sinners, and was widely known for his sanctity and charity. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-gerard-majella-21

Sacred Heart of Jesus Friday following the Second Sunday after Pentecost Solemnity; Liturgical Color: White Behold the heart which drips red for love of man It's always the tissue of male heart muscle when the molecular structure of a Eucharistic miracle is examined under a microscope. Jesus had “heart” but, more importantly, He had a heart. The word “heart” is synonymous with grit, soul, intuition, love, strength, generosity, and, in its most total sense, the very center of man. Today's feast embraces all of those meanings. Christ's Sacred Heart teaches us that God loves us as a friend loves a friend, as a parent loves a child, or as a sibling loves his closest brother or sister. That is, Christ loves us in the same way as a person loves us, only more intensely. Our God doesn't shift the planetary order, redirect the rays of the sun, or create a parallel gravitational field to magnetize His love for mankind. Science fiction requires a fluid imagination. Understanding God's love should not, and does not, demand such mental contortionism. Understanding God's love should be as simple as recalling your little hand in your father's big hand as you walked next to him at night as a little girl. It requires remembering running into your mother's soft embrace, cheek to cheek, after skinning your knee. Jesus Christ's love for man is as human and as clear as a beating heart. Simply put, Jesus loves us from just above His solar plexus, where His heart pulsates with emotion for every sacred creature who harbors a human soul. The widely loved devotion to the Sacred Heart is not rooted in a feast of ancient pedigree similar to those of Holy Week. No Christian of the first millenium ever gazed into the haunting eyes of Christ as He stared out from a Sacred Heart image enthroned on the family-room wall. It was only in 1856 that Pope Pius IX placed this feast on the Church's universal calendar. The Pope acted after almost two centuries of devotion to the Sacred Heart, which had grown out of the thinking, preaching, and prayer of the indefatigable Saint John Eudes and out of the visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. Both of these saints were indebted, in turn, to the medieval revelations of the Sacred Heart granted to Saint Gertrude the Great. We love the Heart of Christ because His heart loved us first. We adore the adorer, love the lover, and worship the worshiper. Because God comes first, all of our love for Him is the repayment of a debt. We are not doing God a favor by loving him any more than a hammer does a carpenter a favor by slamming nails into wood. Religion is about raw justice, not doing God favors. That God loves us is not readily apparent from creation itself or from the history of mankind. The gods were many things to many races throughout the ages, but love was not one of them. Christianity had to tell the world that God was love. And Jesus had to attach His arms to a cross and die for that message to be convincing. The visions of Saint Margaret Mary made God's love concrete and comprehensible, while the visions of Saint Faustina Kowolska deepened the meaning of this feast still more. In these challenging visions, Christ rips open His heart to Sister Faustina and shows her a calm and deep ocean of mercy waiting to bathe repentant sinners in its saving waters. Three strands—the Sacred Heart, love, and mercy—are now braided in a tight belt of spiritual truth. True heart is not proven by waving to the crowds from a car in a victory parade or by luxuriating on the beach with friends. Real heart is in the last stretch of the neck over the finish line, in climbing the stage to receive a diploma after years of academic struggle, or in pulling yourself out of bed to go to nocturnal adoration. True heart is synonymous with long suffering, perseverance, and conquering through adversity. True heart is dying on the cross when you didn't deserve it. A true heart is a Sacred Heart. That's the heart of our God. No athlete goes to the Olympics to compete for the silver. Jesus reached for the gold from the dais of the cross, slick with his own blood. There's no need for us to keep on searching for a heart of gold in this world. We know in exactly whose body that heart beats. It's all gold, it's all sacredness, and it loves us like Himself. Sacred Heart of Jesus, You told us to ask and we shall receive, to seek and we shall find, to knock and the door shall be opened. Today, we ask, we seek, and we knock, in the sure and certain hope that you will hear us and answer us.

Full Text of ReadingsWednesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 337The Saint of the day is Saint Claude de la ColombireSaint Claude de la Colombière's Story This is a special day for the Jesuits, who claim today's saint as one of their own. It's also a special day for people who have a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus—a devotion Claude de la Colombière promoted along with his friend and spiritual companion, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. The emphasis on God's love for all was an antidote to the rigorous moralism of the Jansenists, who were popular at the time. Claude showed remarkable preaching skills long before his ordination in 1675. Two months later, he was made superior of a small Jesuit residence in Burgundy. It was there he first encountered Margaret Mary Alacoque. For many years after he served as her confessor. He was next sent to England to serve as confessor to the Duchess of York. He preached by both words and by the example of his holy life, converting a number of Protestants. Tensions arose against Catholics and Claude, rumored to be part of a plot against the king, was imprisoned. He was ultimately banished, but by then his health had been ruined. He died in 1682. Pope John Paul II canonized Claude de la Colombière in 1992. Reflection As a fellow Jesuit and as a promoter of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Saint Claude must be very special to Pope Francis who has so beautifully emphasized the mercy of Jesus. The emphasis on God's love and mercy are characteristic of both men. Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. www.catholicnewsagency.com - The Vatican is joining the Italian government and NGOs in sending help to the suffering people of Turkey and Syria. According to Vatican News, Pope Francis has provided 10,000 thermal shirts for people who do not have adequate shelter in Turkey and Syria. The pope has also sent financial aid to Syria through the country's apostolic nunciature, Vatican almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski told Vatican News. Boxes of thermal shirts took sail from the port of Naples, Italy, on the morning of February 15, together with other aid from NGOs and the Italian government. The shirts were brought to the southern port city on the evening of February 14 by Krajewski. The shirts and other supplies are expected to arrive in Turkey's port city of Iskenderun in two days. The small city was one of those heavily damaged by the February 6 earthquakes believed to have killed more than 41,000 people in the region — a death toll that rises daily as rescuers continue to search through building rubble. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253650/pope-francis-contributes-to-earthquake-relief-efforts-in-syria-and-turkey The beatification date has been announced for Józef and Wiktoria Ulma and their seven children, who were killed by the Nazis for hiding a Jewish family in their home in Poland. The Archdiocese of Przemyska announced Tuesday that the entire Ulma family — including one unborn child — will be beatified on September 10. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, will preside over the beatification ceremony in Markowa, the village in southeast Poland where the Ulma family was executed in 1944. Pope Francis recognized the martyrdom of the couple and their children in a decree signed in December. The World Holocaust Remembrance Center has honored the Ulmas as Righteous Among the Nations for the sacrifice of their lives. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253649/beatification-date-announced-for-married-couple-with-seven-children-martyred-by-nazis Airline workers and travelers flying through the busiest airport in the world can now spend time in the real presence of Christ thanks to the efforts of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's chaplains and the cooperation of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Located in the international terminal, the eucharistic chapel will be a permanent fixture at the airport and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After receiving approval from the archbishop, the tabernacle was installed in November of last year. But because only travelers and airline workers can get past security to access the chapel, the archbishop was not able to officially bless it until this Monday, shortly before his flight departed. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253646/atlanta-airport-gets-a-247-eucharistic-chapel Today, the Church celebrates Saint Claude de la Colombiere, the 17th century French Jesuit who authenticated and wrote about Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque's visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-claude-de-la-colombiere-148

November 16: Saint Gertrude, Virgin 1256–1302Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of nuns and of the Diocese of Magdeburg, GermanyIncandescent visions of Christ drew her into the deepToday's saint, known as Saint Gertrude the Great, is one of the most provocative spiritual writers in the long and rich history of the Church. When just a child, she was placed in the care of Benedictine nuns, perhaps because of her parents' early deaths. The high walls surrounding the cloister broadened the young girl's mind, instead of confining it. For Gertrude, as for so many women of her era restricted by custom to narrow cultural lanes, a monastery-sponsored education amidst a self-governing community of women was superior to the forms of life otherwise available to them. Gertrude flourished in religious life and became well versed in the humanities, theology, and Latin, a language which she showed mastery of in her spiritual writings. At the age of twenty-five, Sister Gertrude had a jarring spiritual experience which would divide her life dramatically into two halves, “before” and “after.” “Before,” Gertrude was a faithful nun but overly interested in secular writers and knowledge for knowledge's sake. “After,” she buried her head in Scripture, read widely in the Fathers of the Church, and melted under the high-amperage gaze beaming at her from the eyes of Christ.Gertrude struggled to convey in words the richness of her spiritual experiences. A distillation of her visions covers five volumes known in English as the Revelations of Saint Gertrude. Metaphors, adjectives, and other superlatives flow from our saint's pen on page after page as she tries to capture the incandescent mystery of what she sees, hears, and feels. In a heavy, syrupy style common to her era, Saint Gertrude oozes about the intense love of Christ for mankind as symbolized by His Sacred Heart. More than three centuries before the visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in France, Saint Gertrude had visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! In one vision, Saint John the Evangelist placed Gertrude close to Christ's wounded side, where she could feel His pulsating heart. Gertrude asks John why he did not reveal the mystery of Christ's loving heart to mankind. Saint John responds that his duty was to reveal the very person of Christ, but it was for later ages, colder and more arid in their love of God, to discover His Sacred Heart.Gertrude lived a “nuptial mysticism” in which she was Christ's bride and the Mass was the wedding banquet at which a chaste self-giving consummated the sacred bond of lover and beloved. Gertrude's vowed virginity was the proof and basis of her enduring commitment to Christ, a promise made in the company of His mother, Mary, and all the angels and saints. Gertrude composed her spiritual diaries at the express command of her spouse, Christ. Their hymns, prayers, and reflections also show a profound concern for the holy souls in purgatory. Gertrude continually begged Christ's mercy on them, and Christ responded that merely petitioning for the release of such souls was sufficient for Him to grant the favor.In Gertrude's visions, Jesus speaks to her almost exclusively at Mass and during the Liturgy of the Hours. This is consoling. Most Catholics meet Christ more through the Sacraments than through books, so Christ appearing in priestly vestments, holding a chalice, or standing at an altar is absolutely congruent with our experience of Sunday Mass. Apart from her writings, few details of Gertrude's life are known. She left virtually no footprint besides her life of quiet fidelity as a contemplative nun. Like John the Baptist, she decreased so the Lord could increase. Gertrude's alluring private revelations became common spiritual reading among the saints of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and continue to fire the imagination of all who read them today.Saint Gertrude, as we turn the pages of your mystical revelations, we meet the true Christ, so powerful yet so close to us in His Sacred Heart. May we respond as you did to Jesus' invitation and dedicate our lives totally to Him. 

October 16: Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin1647–1690Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: WhitePatron Saint of those with polio, devotees of the Sacred Heart, loss of parentsA cloistered nun's visions of the Sacred Heart impact the Church like a meteorToday's saint, in the eyes of the world, was nothing special. She grew up in a medium-sized town, never traveled, received a standard education, was not wealthy, had normal intelligence, and died at the age of forty-three. But she had visions. Powerful, thought-provoking, descriptive visions. If she were not a nun, people would probably have whispered that Margaret was eccentric and then politely ignored her. But Margaret's austere life as a cloistered nun buttressed her credibility. And when a holy Jesuit priest, Saint Claude de la Colombière, disseminated the content of her visions, it sparked broader interest, which eventually spread like wildfire around the globe. The innumerable cells in the body of Christ carried Margaret Mary's visions one to the other, until devotion to the Sacred Heart became so common as to be prototypically Catholic. But it was not always so. It was today's saint who made devotion to the Sacred Heart commonplace.Saint Margaret Mary grew up in a large, pious, middle-class family in France in the middle of its great century of Catholic revival. She was a daughter, so to speak, of Saints Francis de Sales and Jane Frances de Chantal. The latter founded the Order of the Visitation after being inspired by the life and writings of Francis de Sales. Margaret joined her local Visitandine convent in 1671 in Paray-le-Monial, just ten years after Jane had died. Margaret suffered from serious physical ailments and so was not outstanding for her practical service to the convent. But she was especially devout and dedicated to mental prayer.From her childhood she had experienced a closeness to Jesus Christ so unique that she thought everyone experienced it. In the convent Jesus visited her often, speaking to her as if they were old friends. And like an old friend, He opened His heart to her and told her things He told no one else. He said He was sad. He said He was disappointed in the laxity of so many of the faithful, especially the laxity of those consecrated to Him. And then one day He did something extraordinary—He showed Margaret His human heart, red as a ruby.These were not visions of the exalted, seated Christ as King of the Universe, nor of Jesus the High Priest consecrating the world to the Father surrounded by saints and angels. This was the humble, slightly sad and discouraged Jesus wondering where all His friends had gone: “I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrileges, and by the coldness and contempt they have for me in this sacrament of love….” It was all about the Blessed Sacrament. Jesus wanted more devotion to Him in the tabernacle, and He wanted it at specific times. He asked Margaret to come before Him for one hour at 11 p.m. every first Thursday of the month. He made promises to those who received Holy Communion on nine consecutive First Fridays. This was the seventeenth-century version of the twentieth-century Divine Mercy devotion.Saint Margaret Mary was not the first person, nor the first saint, to talk about the Sacred Heart. But she was the first dedicated ambassador of this message of mercy. And God used her effectively. As part of her canonization process, her tomb was opened in 1830 and she worked a miracle of healing. Images of the Sacred Heart were commonly enthroned in Catholic homes with its promises described in detail. In 1919 in Paris, an enormous Basilica on Montmartre was dedicated to the Sacred Heart. Saint Margaret Mary was canonized in 1920. Her body can be seen under an altar in the chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart at Paray-le-Monial.Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, your life of prayer and devotion to Jesus was that of a prolonged discussion with an intimate friend. Help us to dialogue with Jesus like you, knowing Him and loving Him in the hiddenness of the tabernacle.

August 19: Saint John Eudes, Priest1601–1680Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: WhitePatron Saint of the Diocese of Baie-Comeau, QuébecHis fine education led to a life of deep prayer and identity with JesusMany educated Catholics are familiar with the great Spanish saints of the 1500s: Saints Ignatius Loyola, Francis Xavier, John of the Cross, Teresa of Ávila, and many more. They are saints of the counter-reformation era but not counter-reformation saints. Due to the reforms of a visionary Spanish cardinal long before Father Luther went mad, there was no reformation in Spain that needed countering. This sixteenth-century, Spanish golden age has a counterpart in seventeenth-century France. France in the 1600s produced Saints Francis de Sales, Vincent de Paul, John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jane Frances de Chantal and today's saint, John Eudes, among many other men and women outstanding in holiness. The reforms of the Council of Trent were slow to be implemented in France, but their seeds eventually sprouted abundant spiritual, theological, and missionary fruit, including the founding of Québec, Canada, and Ville Marie de Montreal, a specifically Catholic settlement.John Eudes was born to pious but uneducated parents in a tiny town in Normandy just as the hot religious wars of the 1500s in France simmered to a boil. He was deeply impressed with his Jesuit teachers at a Catholic high school and began to think about religious life. As he fell under the holy sway of some of the great priests of his era, he decided to emulate their pattern of life. He was ordained a priest for a French version of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri in 1625. Father John then became a tireless preacher of parish missions for many years. He preferred to preach in a town for at least six weeks in order to counter the widespread religious ignorance of the faithful. He desired of his hearers nothing less than a total change of life, a complete conversion. He used processions, works of theater, mimes, and whatever else he could think of to draw a congregation. Once in his presence, they learned the creed, the sacraments, an examination of conscience, the laws of morality, and all the fundamentals of the faith. Father Eudes preached Christ in full—a total God who demanded a total human response.Essential to Father Eudes' spirituality was a profound identity with the emotions and humanity of Jesus. He thought that the mysteries of the Word of God are forever unfolding, that there are always hidden depths of Scripture remaining to be discovered. The meaning of the Word of God, both written and in the flesh, will never be exhausted on earth. This means that Christ's divinity is accessed through his humanity but is never exhausted by his humanity. There is always more God to know and more God to love. This accords with Christian common sense. To assert that a passage of Scripture has been understood in its totality is to limit God's providence and to place one's own mind over God's. That Scripture does not contain error is not the sole proof of its perfection. Scripture is inspired not just for being error free but for what it will communicate, one day, in heaven. God, the Lord and Giver of Life in the Holy Spirit, is the primary author of Scripture, meaning divine truths await discovery, and, more subtly, will always await discovery.As a door of entry into the mystery of Christ and His Blessed Mother, Saint John Eudes tirelessly promoted a liturgical feast in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and what he termed the “Holy” Heart of Mary. Saint John's Sacred Heart devotion was more theological, and less anatomical, than the similar devotion advocated by his contemporary, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. Christ's heart, for Saint John, was emblematic of His interiority, His hiddenness. It was a symbol of the heart of all mankind encased in the chest of God. John's devotion to the Sacred Heart led, inevitably, to a very high ideal of the Catholic priest as a man after the heart of Christ, a would-be saint who acts in the person of the one high priest, Jesus Christ. This “French school” of theology and spirituality was fresh thinking in the seventeenth century and put a dagger in the heart of any conception of the priest as a Church bureaucrat who merely performs rituals, for a certain price, to dispense God's grace.John suffered grievous calumnies and attacks from many in the Church when he left the Oratory to start his own Congregation of secular priests. His promotion of a feast to the Sacred Heart also incurred enemies who misunderstand his theology. The Congregation of Jesus and Mary, commonly known as the Eudists, is still active in parish missions and in teaching in several countries, though France's historic anti-Catholicism removed them from many of their prior apostolates. There is presently an active effort in the Holy See, spearheaded by French priests and bishops, to have Saint John Eudes declared a Doctor of the Church.Saint John Eudes, your deep identification with the person, emotions, and heart of Jesus Christ inspired all who heard and knew you. May your tireless pastoral efforts, life of prayer, preaching, and writing give powerful example to all priests, whose sacramental dignity you championed.

Sacred Heart of JesusFriday following the Second Sunday after PentecostSolemnity; Liturgical Color: WhiteBehold the heart which drips red for love of manIt's always the tissue of male heart muscle when the molecular structure of a Eucharistic miracle is examined under a microscope. Jesus had “heart” but, more importantly, He had a heart. The word “heart” is synonymous with grit, soul, intuition, love, strength, generosity, and, in its most total sense, the very center of man. Today's feast embraces all of those meanings. Christ's Sacred Heart teaches us that God loves us as a friend loves a friend, as a parent loves a child, or as a sibling loves his closest brother or sister. That is, Christ loves us in the same way as a person loves us, only more intensely. Our God doesn't shift the planetary order, redirect the rays of the sun, or create a parallel gravitational field to magnetize His love for mankind. Science fiction requires a fluid imagination. Understanding God's love should not, and does not, demand such mental contortionism. Understanding God's love should be as simple as recalling your little hand in your father's big hand as you walked next to him at night as a little girl. It requires remembering running into your mother's soft embrace, cheek to cheek, after skinning your knee. Jesus Christ's love for man is as human and as clear as a beating heart. Simply put, Jesus loves us from just above His solar plexus, where His heart pulsates with emotion for every sacred creature who harbors a human soul.The widely loved devotion to the Sacred Heart is not rooted in a feast of ancient pedigree similar to those of Holy Week. No Christian of the first millenium ever gazed into the haunting eyes of Christ as He stared out from a Sacred Heart image enthroned on the family-room wall. It was only in 1856 that Pope Pius IX placed this feast on the Church's universal calendar. The Pope acted after almost two centuries of devotion to the Sacred Heart, which had grown out of the thinking, preaching, and prayer of the indefatigable Saint John Eudes and out of the visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. Both of these saints were indebted, in turn, to the medieval revelations of the Sacred Heart granted to Saint Gertrude the Great.We love the Heart of Christ because His heart loved us first. We adore the adorer, love the lover, and worship the worshiper. Because God comes first, all of our love for Him is the repayment of a debt. We are not doing God a favor by loving him any more than a hammer does a carpenter a favor by slamming nails into wood. Religion is about raw justice, not doing God favors. That God loves us is not readily apparent from creation itself or from the history of mankind. The gods were many things to many races throughout the ages, but love was not one of them. Christianity had to tell the world that God was love. And Jesus had to attach His arms to a cross and die for that message to be convincing. The visions of Saint Margaret Mary made God's love concrete and comprehensible, while the visions of Saint Faustina Kowolska deepened the meaning of this feast still more. In these challenging visions, Christ rips open His heart to Sister Faustina and shows her a calm and deep ocean of mercy waiting to bathe repentant sinners in its saving waters. Three strands—the Sacred Heart, love, and mercy—are now braided in a tight belt of spiritual truth.True heart is not proven by waving to the crowds from a car in a victory parade or by luxuriating on the beach with friends. Real heart is in the last stretch of the neck over the finish line, in climbing the stage to receive a diploma after years of academic struggle, or in pulling yourself out of bed to go to nocturnal adoration. True heart is synonymous with long suffering, perseverance, and conquering through adversity. True heart is dying on the cross when you didn't deserve it. A true heart is a Sacred Heart. That's the heart of our God. No athlete goes to the Olympics to compete for the silver. Jesus reached for the gold from the dais of the cross, slick with his own blood. There's no need for us to keep on searching for a heart of gold in this world. We know in exactly whose body that heart beats. It's all gold, it's all sacredness, and it loves us like Himself.Sacred Heart of Jesus, You told us to ask and we shall receive, to seek and we shall find, to knock and the door shall be opened. Today, we ask, we seek, and we knock, in the sure and certain hope that you will hear us and answer us.

Today's Topics: 1, 2)  Who is Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque? https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=443 3) Adopted Child Syndrome https://www.mentalhelp.net/parenting/psychological-issues-faced-by-adopted-children-and-adults/ 4) Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus https://www.padrepio.org/pray/efficacious-novena/ https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/12-promises-of-the-sacred-heart-13683

The account of how the Sacred Heart Devotion was given to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. Journey to Paray-le-Monial to the Convent of the Visitation where St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received apparitions of Jesus, where He showed her His Sacred Heart, and gave her the promises of the Sacred Heart. Learn about St. Claude Colombiere and how he, along with St. Margaret Mary, was responsible for our devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.Support the show (https://bobandpennylord.store/pages/about-us)

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts. - Ukrainian Catholic bishops in the U-S are asking for your prayers as the Russian military gathers at the Ukrainian border. The bishops prayed for the safety and courage of the people of Ukraine, and prayed that the Lord would preserve Ukraine. Super Bowl champion Harrison Butker is speaking out in support of the Traditional Latin Mass. The 26-year-old is the starting placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs. His team won the Super Bowl in 2020. Butker has said the Traditional Latin Mass played a large role in his return to the Catholic Church while in college. Vatican firefighters successfully rescued a cat today, after the cat became stuck on top of the colonnade surrounding Saint Peter's Square. It's unclear who the cat belongs to, or how it was able to ascend the colonnade. Today is the feast of the 17th century French Jesuit, Saint Claude de la Colombiere. He is remembered for authenticating and writing about Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque's visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Full Text of ReadingsTuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 336All podcast readings are produced by the USCCB and are from the Catholic Lectionary, based on the New American Bible and approved for use in the United States _______________________________________The Saint of the day is Saint Claude de la ColombireThis is a special day for the Jesuits, who claim today's saint as one of their own. It's also a special day for people who have a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus—a devotion Claude de la Colombière promoted along with his friend and spiritual companion, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. The emphasis on God's love for all was an antidote to the rigorous moralism of the Jansenists, who were popular at the time. Claude showed remarkable preaching skills long before his ordination in 1675. Two months later, he was made superior of a small Jesuit residence in Burgundy. It was there he first encountered Margaret Mary Alacoque. For many years after he served as her confessor. He was next sent to England to serve as confessor to the Duchess of York. He preached by both words and by the example of his holy life, converting a number of Protestants. Tensions arose against Catholics and Claude, rumored to be part of a plot against the king, was imprisoned. He was ultimately banished, but by then his health had been ruined. He died in 1682. Pope John Paul II canonized Claude de la Colombière in 1992. Reflection As a fellow Jesuit and as a promoter of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Saint Claude must be very special to Pope Francis who has so beautifully emphasized the mercy of Jesus. The emphasis on God's love and mercy are characteristic of both men. Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. What a babe. Because of her faithfulness to the Lord, we benefit from a better understanding of His Sacred Heart! Amazing.Resources for this episode:Heaven Help Ushttps://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/12-promises-of-the-sacred-heart-13683https://youtu.be/h1e9opauJ-EThank you to:Catherine Bryant for the musicJacque Szczepanski for the cover artMSP Catholic and CEND.Follow me:Instagram:  deadfriendsaintsEmail:  deadfriendsaints@gmail.comFacebook: facebook.com/deadfriendsaintsTikTok: @deadfriendsaintsDead Friend, pray for us!

GospelAt that time Jesus answered: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,for although you have hidden these thingsfrom the wise and the learnedyou have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father,and no one knows the Father except the Sonand anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,for I am meek and humble of heart;and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." (Mt 11:25-30)

These difficult times demand that we turn back to the beautiful mystery of who God is and what it means to be His cherished children. Listen in to the daily homilies from the Marian Fathers at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, including Fr. Chris Alar, Fr. Kaz Chwalek, and many more. May they help you to live by God's will that you may play an active and effective role in a world whose wellbeing requires authentic Christian witness!Support our Ministries here. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Life of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Sacred Heart DevotionThe account of how the Sacred Heart Devotion was given to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque.We traveled to Paray-le-Monial to the Convent of the Visitation where St. Margaret Mary Alacoque received apparitions of Jesus, where He showed her His Sacred Heart, and gave her the promises of the Sacred Heart. Learn about St. Claude Colombiere and how he, along with St. Margaret Mary, was responsible for our devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque and Sacred Heart DevotionJourneys of Faith Bob and Penny Lord's StoreJourneys of Faith Blog Subscribe to our Free Blog Easy PeasyBob and Penny Lord TV Channel Miracles of the Eucharist, Apparitions of Mary, and lives of the Saints videos on demand.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bobandpennylord?fan_landing=true)

Highlights of Visions of Heaven Hell and Purgatory Book:336 PagesIs there a Heaven? 19Is there a Hell? 33Is there a Purgatory? 43Visions of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino 1245-1305 65Visions of Saint Margaret of Cortona 1247-1297 77Visions of Saint Gertrude 1256-1302 87Visions of Saint Clare of Montefalco 1268-1308 103Visions of Saint Catherine of Siena 1347-1380 113Visions of Saint Frances of Rome 1384-1440    123Visions of Saint Catherine of Genoa 1447-1510 139Visions of Saint Teresa of Avila 1515-1582 147Visions of Saint Philip Neri 1515-1595 163Visions of Saint Catherine de'Ricci 1552-1590 175Visions of Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi 1566-1607 191Visions of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque 1647-1690 213Visions of the Saint John Vianney - Cure of Ars 1786-1859 223Visions of Saint John Bosco 1815-1888 233Saint Bernadette and the Sounds of Hell 1858 251Visions of Saint Padre Pio 1887-1968 257Visions of the Children of Fatima 1917 269Saint Faustina and Divine Mercy 277The Miracles of the Scapular 283The Battle Rages on   313Saved by the Blood of the Lamb 321Visions of Heaven Hell and Purgatory bookVisions of Heaven Hell and Purgatory Media LinksSupport the show (https://bobandpennylord.store/pages/we-need-your-help)

[Comment: Our Senses Fail] Friends of the Rosary, We pay too much attention to our senses; to what we perceive and what we feel. In the 12th century, St. Thomas Aquinas composed the Tantum Ergo hymnal, and in one verse he mentioned the failure of the senses. He literally wrote in Latin: praestet fides supplementum, sensuum defectui, which means: let faith provide a supplement for the failure of the senses. The faith imprinted in our soul can help grasp what human existence is all about and how the Heavens and earth are connected. Friends, knowing that we are incapable of understanding the immense power of the Holy Spirit, we should react with humility and pray. Prioritizing our senses, mixed with our fears and frustration, is the wrong approach. Let's be open to receive the Holy Spirit. [Written by Mikel A | The Rosary Network, New York] __ For renewing our devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus today in the Memorial Day of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, the Seventeenth-century French nun and mystic. Jesus Christ revealed to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin. For understanding that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the source of love, mercy, grace, sanctification, and salvation. For properly carrying our own crosses, and offering our suffering for the conversion of sinners and in reparation of the sins committed against the immaculate heart of Mary and the sacred heart of Jesus [Today's Rosary in Video]