St. Matthew, one of the twelve Apostles, is the author of the first Gospel.Son of Alphaeus, he lived at Capenaum on Lake Genesareth. He was a Roman tax collector, a position equated with collaboration with the enemy by those from whom he collected taxes. Jesus’ contemporaries were surprised to see the Christ with a traitor, but Jesus explained that he had come “not to call the just, but sinners.” Matthew’s Gospel is given pride of place in the canon of the New Testament, and was written to convince Jewish readers that their anticipated Messiah had come in the person of Jesus. He preached among the Jews for 15 years; his audiences may have included the Jewish enclave in Ethiopia, and places in the East.

Listen to none other than Mark Hart the Bible Geek about the great work of St. Matthew…of course, the Gospel according to St. Matthew[powerpress]

Personal note, my favorite Matthew passage (from Chapter 25): “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.‘ Then the righteous will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

an excerpt from Pope John Paul II’s homily….

 MASS FOR THE CANONIZATION OF KOREAN MARTYRS

Youido Place – Seoul
Sunday, 6 May 1984

“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory“? (Luc. 24, 26)

3. The truth about Jesus Christ also reached Korean soil. It came by means of books brought from China. And in a most marvellous way, divine grace soon moved your scholarly ancestors first to an intellectual quest for the truth of God’s word and then to a living faith in the Risen Savior.

Yearning for an ever greater share in the Christian faith, your ancestors sent one of their own in 1784 to Peking, where he was baptized. From this good seed was born the first Christian community in Korea, a community unique in the history of the Church by reason of the fact that it was founded entirely by lay people. This fledgling Church, so young and yet so strong in faith, withstood wave after wave of fierce persecution. Thus, in less than a century, it could already boast of some ten thousand martyrs. The years 1791, 1801, 1827, 1839, 1846 and 1866 are forever signed with the holy blood of your Martyrs and engraved in your hearts.

Even though the Christians in the first half century had only two priests from China to assist them, and these only for a time, they deepened their unity in Christ through prayer and fraternal love; they disregarded social classes and encouraged religious vocations. And they sought ever closer union with their Bishop in Peking and the Pope in faraway Rome.

After years of pleading for more priests to be sent, your Christian ancestors welcomed the firstFrench missionaries in 1836. Some of these, too, are numbered among the Martyrs who gave their lives for the sake of the Gospel, and who are being canonized today in this historic celebration.

The splendid flowering of the Church in Korea today is indeed the fruit of the heroic witness of the Martyrs. Even today, their undying spirit sustains the Christians in the Church of silence in the North of this tragically divided land.

4. Today then it is given to me, as the Bishop of Rome and Successor of Saint Peter in that Apostolic See, to participate in the Jubilee of the Church on Korean soil. I have already spent several days in your midst as a pilgrim, fulfilling as Bishop and Pope my service to the sons and daughters of the beloved Korean nation. Today’s Liturgy constitutes the culminating point of this pastoral service.

For behold: through this Liturgy of Canonization the Blessed Korean Martyrs are inscribed in the list of the Saints of the Catholic Church. These are true sons and daughters of your nation, and they are joined by a number of missionaries from other lands. They are your ancestors, according to the flesh, language and culture. At the same time they are your fathers and mothers in the faith, a faith to which they bore witness by the shedding of their blood.

From the thirteen-year-old Peter Yu to the seventy-two-year-old Mark Chong, men and women, clergy and laity, rich and poor, ordinary people and nobles, many of them descendants of earlier unsung martyrs – they all gladly died for the sake of Christ.

Listen to the last words of Teresa Kwon, one of the early Martyrs: “Since the Lord of Heaven is the Father of all mankind and the Lord of all creation, how can you ask me to betray him? Even in this world anyone who betrays his own father or mother will not be forgiven. All the more may I never betray him who is the Father of us all”.

A generation later, Peter Yu’s father Augustine firmly declares: “Once having known God, I cannot possibly betray him”. Peter Cho goes even further and says: “Even supposing that one’s own father committed a crime, still one cannot disown him as no longer being one’s father. How then can I say that I do not know the heavenly Lord Father who is so good?”.

And what did the seventeen-year-old Agatha Yi say when she and her younger brother were falsely told that their parents had betrayed the faith? “Whether my parents betrayed or not is their affair. As for us, we cannot betray the Lord of heaven whom we have always served”. Hearing this, six other adult Christians freely delivered themselves to the magistrate to be martyred. Agatha, her parents and those other six are all being canonized today. In addition, there are countless other unknown, humble martyrs who no less faithfully and bravely served the Lord.

5. The Korean Martyrs ave borne witness to the crucified and risen Christ. Through the sacrifice of their own lives they have become like Christ in a very special way. The words of Saint Paul the Apostle could truly have been spoken by them: We are “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies . . . We are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh”.

The death of the martyrs is similar to the death of Christ on the Cross, because like his, theirs has become the beginning of new life. This new life was manifested not only in themselves – in those who underwent death for Christ – but it was also extended to others. It became the leaven of the Church as the living community of disciples and witnesses to Jesus Christ. “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians“: this phrase from the first centuries of Christianity is confirmed before our eyes. (more…)

800+ years later,
it still holds up….
now that’s the work of
the Holy Spirit!

“Standing by the cross of Jesus”

[powerpress=”daily-scripture”]

an excerpt from today’s reflection by Don Schwager:

Does suffering or sorrow weigh you down? The cross brings us face to face with Jesus’ suffering. He was alone. All his disciples had deserted him except for his mother and three women along with John, the beloved disciple. The apostles had fled in fear. But Mary, the mother of Jesus and three other women who loved him were present at the cross. They demonstrate the power of love for overcoming fear (1 John 4:18).

At the beginning of Jesus’ birth, when he was presented in the temple, Simeon had predicted that Mary would suffer greatly – a sword will pierce through your own soul (see Luke 2:33-35). Many have called Mary a martyr in spirit. Bernard of Clairvaux said: Jesus “died in body through a love greater than anyone had known. She died in spirit through a love unlike any other since his.” Mary did not despair in her sorrow and loss, since her faith and hope were sustained by her trust in God and the love she had for her Son. Jesus, in his grief and suffering, did not forget his mother. He entrusted her care to John, as well as John to her. No loss, no suffering can keep us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35-39). Paul the Apostle says that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:3). We can find no greater proof of God’s love for us than the willing sacrifice of his Son on the cross. Do you know the love that enables you to bear your cross and to endure trial and difficulties with faith and hope in God?

“Lord Jesus Christ, by your death on the cross you have won pardon for us and freedom from the tyranny of sin and death. May I live in the joy and freedom of your victory over sin and death.”

for the full reflection visit : Daily Reading and Meditation

Ave Maria…the invocation of the name of Mary is a powerful prayer…Ave Maria…every time we say it we cry out to our Mother.  What mother doesn’t rush to the aid of her child when he or she cries out her name?  Hail Mary. Not just a name, but a supreme gift of grace to us all…the gift of a mother who loves unconditionally, who loves always, who loves each and every one of her children given to her by God.  Hail Mary, when we say it we unlatch the door and allow our mother in, when we say it we pick up the phone and converse with the greatest of human counselors, when we say it  we acknowledge the reality of the presence of the “Woman” clothed with the Sun, with the moon under her feet, crowned with the stars who labors to see all of her children “birthed” into heaven.  Mary….Mary….Mary.   The Holy Name of….Mary.

This has become for me a very precious feast day.  Once, when I was traveling on a personal pilgrimage alone, I was feeling achingly isolated, rejected and lost, literally thousands of miles from home.  A terrible darkness had shrouded over me emotionally and spiritually.  In a very poignant and unexpected way, Our Lady made her presence  known to me on this date.  It would involve an encounter with a little woman from Africa who looked like my grandmother and spoke no English, and a long plane ride home..this coming together would grow into a gentle, loving exchange  between strangers…I didn’t realize it, but it was what my broken “pierced” heart had been aching for.  Without fanfare or expectation, out of nowhere came the name of Mary, literally…a moment which illuminated for me the bright light of the Blessed Mother’s presence, and not just at that particular moment in time.  Like the brightest star in the night sky, it became clear to me that she had been there truly, truly guiding me all along, even in the darkest moments of doubt and pain.  That she had not, and would never, “leave me alone”.  That I was indeed responding to HER call and in turn she had responded to mine.  Mary.  It was she who traveled with me on that journey and who would continue to do so in the days and years ahead.  Mary.

Well, the entirety of this story is really for another time, I just wanted to share with those who may read this, that I, unqualified and without hesitation,  with my whole unworthy heart, love Our Blessed Mother…I love “Mary”.  I hope and pray you do too.  If not, listen today for her name…call out to the one who is waiting…she WILL race to your aid.  Mary.  She is your mother, a gift to us all from her Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  A precious, precious gift.  Do not toss her aside.   She will never, ever leave you alone.

Father, in the video below, talks about the orgin of this feast day… it’s really quite a lovely homily.

On this day, September 5, 1997, Mother Teresa of Calcutta died.  Oh, I remember that day…it was a week of shocks.  First, Princess Di’s death made the news and then Mother Teresa’s…two completely different women, but boy what an impact emotionally their respective deaths had on the hearts of millions.  Yes, one was clearly a saint, the other a wounded icon of the culture.  Some will roll their eyes, that I even dared the comparison on this blog spot, but for this now 50 year old woman, this was a big moment and still speaks to my heart  today. 

I got up early to watch their funerals, and cried during both. I cried for the Mother of the Poor, whose witness and example I would miss, but who I was sure was brought to the glory of heaven…no doubt!   And I cried for Princess Di.  She and I were the same age. I remember getting up to watch her wedding on TV…she really was the People’s Princess; England’s and mine.  She was so battle weary from livng and enduring the culture of our times…oh how I wished for her happiness (because then maybe, just maybe, fairytales do come true, and our secret fantasies and longings might come true as well).  It broke my heart on occassion to see how miserable she was in how her story-book marriage, and I cheered her on when we watched her persevere while trying to do good for others, whatever the motivation.   It was so sad how her life ended; it was a major reality check for all of us who dreamt of story-book things.

And that’s what was so great about Mother Teresa, somehow she brought us back to reality and showed us what true love really was and what truly fulfills our heart’s deepest desire.  She implored all of us to seek Jesus and that the answer to our heart’s longing could be found serving and loving Jesus in our brothers and sisters in need…the poor, the unborn…in actuality, everyone…all of the Father’s children.

And now the woman whose face was on every tabloid, every magazine, every TV screen, every you name it, all the time…Princess Diana… her essence is  beginning to fade from our memories, but not so with Mother Teresa.  This day now and forever after in the life of the Church will stand as a lasting memorial of Mother Teresa’s  life and work for God’s glory (some think she may even be declared a Doctor of the Church one day).   I don’t even recall the actual date Princess Di died, but I know it’s around Blessed Teresa of Calcutta’s feast day.  Interesting…one was a life seeking to soothe the ache of  love, in someways, through the consumption of the things of the world  (though she so obviously did love her little boys), and another, who’s life was seeking  love by renouncing the things of the world and completely giving to others  (who on every level did great good, which was the fruit of that renunciation).

Very interesting, God’s timing on all this…I love the image of Mother Teresa holding Princess Di’s hand.  I’d like to think that this is what Mother Teresa did for Diana on her journey to the Kingdom…that’s the job of saints, ya know…to help us all to get to heaven.

In Mother Teresa’s case, she’s leading many of us from the 20th century and beyond to Jesus and the Gate of Heaven.

No podcasts or videos on this post, just a prayerful hope that both women will one day behold the beatific vision together…one a saint, and one, like the rest of us, hopefully, eventually, a saint in the making.  Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us and for this member of the walking wounded who is still pondering all these things after all these years……

Pope Benedict proclaimed St. John of Avila Doctor of the Universal church on Saturday at a Mass for young seminarians in the cathedral of Santa María la Real de La Almudena in Madrid.

St. John Eudes,  the great disciple of the two hearts of  Jesus and Mary….it is ALL about the heart! 

He believed in the unity of the hearts of Jesus and Mary and wrote:”You must never separate what God has so perfectly united. So closely are Jesus and Mary bound up with each other that whoever beholds Jesus sees Mary; whoever loves Jesus, loves Mary; whoever has devotion to Jesus, has devotion to Mary.”

We “heart” St. John Eudes!
May this great lover of the two hearts, pray for us!

                                           

What is a relic?  What are the categories?  Why is this an important part of our rich Catholic tradition?  But more than the clinic response to these questions, Thomas Craughwell once again points us to the power of grace found in the lives of the saints whose relics we venerate.  I love his Tom’s work and talking with him about these extraordinary aspects of our tradition.

“Long before there were cameras and videos to record for posterity, relics had become the visible reminder of great, heroic and holy lives—remembrances of heroes of the faith. Saints Preserved: An Encyclopedia of Relics gives an account of the lives of those heroes and provides renewed inspiration for Christians everywhere who face many of the challenges that were a part of the lives of the saints.” —Cardinal Donald Wuerl, co-author of The Mass and author of The Catholic Way

[powerpress]

 

Find out more about the book here

WHAT A LIFE…

St. Helen was born in the middle of the third century, in what is now Great Britain; she was a good wife and mother. Life was pretty good.  And then she was dumped by her ambitious husband for another woman in order to advance in rank (she was definitely done wrong!), and vanishes from history.  Things look bad for Helen, UNTIL her son becomes emperor of Rome.  Constantine, her son (yes, THE Constantine),  brings her to Rome and sits her at his right hand, naming her “Augusta”, which means essentially, empress of all Rome (take that husband).  What a good son he was! He made up to his mom what bad dad did to her!

OK, so far the story has gotten much better for our saint don’t you think, but wait it gets even better.

Her faith becomes so fervent that we are told by one of the Fathers of the Church, Eusebius, that  her son the emperor finances a complete pilgrimage for Helen to the Holy Land (what a good son). Now remember this IS the early 300’s and you can’t just hop on a plane or train. No sir,  if you’re now traveling royality, you have to have soldiers, priests, and whole lot of others to help you on your way.  Helen, because she is the “Augusta”,  establishes countless churches all along that way.  She also  finds the places where Jesus lived and preached, and she establishes churches in those places too.  In her travels she finds the True Cross and brings that, along with the steps of Pontius Pilates’ Staircase (which you can climb today in a building just outside St. John Lateran’s in Rome, but do it on your knees and make sure, ladies, your shirts have sleeves,otherwise you will get yelled at by this little old guy in a suit, but I digress…)

 

OK, now where was I… oh yes, St. Helen brings all those things (along with a huge boat load of Holy Land dirt) back to Rome.  So thanks to the pilgrimage of St. Helen, when you and I go to Rome, we too can venerate the True Cross in the Church of the Holy Cross, which is just down the street from St. John Lateran (this is to say nothing of all the little pieces of the Cross that have been given away and are now all over the world).  We can also visit the Holy Land in Rome, because of the “holy” dirt she brought back.

 

It’s all kind of neat when you think of it.  Just when life seemed to hit rock bottom for Helen, it all turned around in an extraordinary way.  An abandoned wife in England,  becomes the empress of the known world of her time.  So try to remember when you think you have hit rock bottom and can’t possibly get back up, ask St. Helen…all things are possible with God.

What ever happened to St. Helen after her wonderous pilgrimage? She died a devout and pious woman, the mother of the emperor, living into her 80″s, embracing the cross literally and figuratively.  Wow, what a life.  She is considered by many  the patron saint for those divorced or divorcing!

 Evelyn Waugh, the author of BridesheadRevisited, wrote a wonderful novel centered on St. Helen.  It’s really a fantastic  read.

 

Take a listen to Thomas Craughwell suggest that  St. Helen could be a patron saint for anyone who is divorced or divorcing (she’s been there).

[powerpress = “Morning-Show”]

Bruce and I talk with Thomas about Helen, along with a host of other marvelous members of the Cloud of Witnesses who become patron saints for us as we journey on our pilgrimage to heaven.

On this date, in 1909, a remarkable woman died…Mother Mary MacKillop.  Her story is almost as wild as the outback she grew up in.  Born the oldest of 7 children, her parents sojourn to Australia alone would have been quite the tale.  Taken as a whole, the life of St. Mary MacKillop should have been the “Australia” movie made recently, instead of that Baz Lurhman never-ending epic thing.  Her life was filled with adventure, struggle, suffering, persecution (she was even excommunicated at one point, but later completely exonerated), joy, triumph, and, to be sure, a great deal of faith, hope and love.

She was foundress of the School Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart (known affectionately as the Brown Joeys).  She and her community were dedicated to the education of the poor.  Think about that…Australia…late 1800’s…former criminal colony…poor…outback…wow, what a challenge (not to mention the big heavy brown habits).  And of course, throw Pope Leo XIII into the story as well (St. Katherine Drexel and St Therese the Little Flower can tell you about him); now HERE is the movie that should be made!  I wonder who could play her…maybe Emily Blunt.  Anyway…she is Australia’s ONLY saint (recognized as a saint October 2010).  Let’s pray for more…her homeland can use more right now.  Acutally, we all could use more heroes of virtue right now.   You can read more about her here.

It seems appropriate to honor her life with this production done by an Australian confirmation student.  It’s a little hard to read sometimes, but I think it would make St. Mary MacKillop smile.

(and I think she would have smiled at the use of Beyonce too…reclaiming the temporal order.  Way to go kid!)