Feast of Adam and Eve

Today is the feast of Sts. Adam and Eve. The adoption of this feast by the Western Church is what started the tradition of the Christmas tree.

 

Read more about this at the online journal of the Slaves if the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Catholicism.org.

Novena to Saint Dominic - Day 1

O renowned champion of the faith of Christ,
most holy saint Dominic,
who renounced the honor and dignity
of an earthly principality to embrace the poor, laborious and mortified life which should distinguish a disciple of Him Who has said:

"If any man will come after Me,
let him take up his cross and follow Me."

O burning torch, who being thyself consumed with the fire of divine love, and did incessantly work to enkindle that sacred flame in the hearts of others, look down upon me from that throne of glory where you enjoy the reward of all your labors, and obtain that some sparks of that blessed fire may be lighted in my soul, to animate and encourage me under any crosses or trials with which it shall please the divine goodness to visit me.

O great Saint, Who regarded as nothing, all the afflictions you endured, and all the toils you underwent, for the promotion of God's holy cause; obtain, I beseech Thee, that the same ardent love which strengthened you, may make sweet to me labor, humiliations, disgraces, or whatever other mortifications, I may have to suffer for the Name of Jesus.

May I ever bear in mind that nothing can happen to me but by the particular dispensation of a God Who is infinitely wise, and therefore knows what is best for my welfare; infinitely powerful, and consequently able to effect it; and above all, infinitely merciful and loving, Who has laid down His life for my redemption, and continues daily to give new proofs of His love and bounty.

O tender Father of the poor who, when all other resources were exhausted, offered yourself for their relief, obtain for me that true spirit of compassion for the suffering members of Jesus Christ, which shone forth so conspicuously in thy holy life.

May I, by charity to those whom Jesus so dearly loves, lay up for myself treasures in heaven, where you now enjoy that which the eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, but which God has prepared for those who love Him, and who prove themselves His Disciples, by the observance of His Divine precept - love one another.

I praise and thank God for the high degree of sanctity to which He had raised you, and the special privileges by which He has distinguished you.

I conjure thee, by that gratitude with which you shalt for all eternity be penetrated for your Divine Benefactor, implore for me the grace to root out of my heart whatever is not agreeable in His sight,
especially that evil habit by which I most frequently offend Him.
Obtain likewise the favours I request in this Novena, through your powerful intercession.

(Here specify your intentions)

O glorious Mother of God,
Queen of the most sacred Rosary,
you who loved Dominic with the affection
of a mother,
and were most tenderly loved and honored by him, look upon me, for his sake,
with an eye of pity,
deign to join with him in presenting these petitions to your most Blessed Jesus.

I sincerely desire from this moment to love Him with all my heart,
and serve Him with all my strength, and now place myself under your powerful protection,

as a sure means of obtaining all
the graces necessary
to serve Him faithfully here,
that I may eternally rejoice with Him hereafter.

May the Host be with you!

 Priest Celebrates “Star Wars” First Communion

Is it any wonder the Mohammedans are taking over Germany when this is unabashedly going on?

Feast of the Translation of Our Holy Father Saint Dominic

Heaven works the way it wants.  Despite Holy Father Dominic's sincere, humble wishes in his burial, and the best efforts of the Friars to keep miraculous happenings and pious attentions quiet, they knew when to give in when Heaven had other ideas!

Today all Dominicans remember the translation of St. Dominic's relics from his original tomb to a new one on this day in A.D. 1233, which also began the process of his canonization.

Blessed Jordan of Saxony wrote of this:

In its unsearchable wisdom the divine goodness is often accustomed to delay the manifestation of virtue, not that it might slip into oblivion, but rather that after having been hidden, it may be revealed more abundantly at an opportune moment. Whether God wished to so provide greater benefits for the Church or whether for some other reason, certain brothers whose simplicity outweighed their prudence decided that it would be quite sufficient if the glory of Saint Dominic, the servant of the Most High and the founder of the Order of Preachers, were known to God alone. They decided it was not worth the effort to bring that glory to the attention of others.

O God, who has vouchsafed to enlighten Thy Church by the merits and teachings of Thy blessed Confessor, our Holy Father, Saint Dominic, grant at his intercession that it may never be destitute of temporal help, and may always increase in spiritual growth. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint Catherine of Siena

On the Extraordinary calendar, today is the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, virgin, mystic, and Doctor of the Church.  Hardly any known child of Christ is as great as she!

Anyone Can Be Charitible

This was my reply to someone having a hard time understanding why a local parish would no longer allow a parishner publicly living against Church teaching to participate in some ministries run by the parish.

It makes no sense to act as a disciple of Christ while consciously going against His teaching. When we comfort the afflicted, feed the hungry, etc. we are doing much more than temporal works of charity; all such acts are ways of bringing Jesus to those that need Him. If we want to do this in the name of His mystical body (the Church), doesn't it make sense that we would do so in an exemplary manner? If you knowingly persist in not obeying a commandment (actively engaging in wrong doing), how can that be seen as anything but a mixed message? I think of it like a drug counselor trying to help addicts while publicly being active in addiction himself.

Fra Angelico

Portrait of Fra Angelico

"Blessed Fra Angelico was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance who combined the life of a devout friar with that of an accomplished painter. He was called Angelico (Italian for "angelic") and Beato (Italian for "blessed") because the paintings he did were of calm, religious subjects and because of his extraordinary personal piety. Originally named Guido di Pietro, Angelico was born in Vicchio, Tuscany. He entered a Dominican convent in Fiesole in 1418 and about 1425 became a friar using the name Giovanni da Fiesole. Although his teacher is unknown, he apparently began his career as an illuminator of missals and other religious books. He began to paint altarpieces and other panels"

"He died in the Dominican convent in Rome on March 18, 1455. Angelico combined the influence of the elegantly decorative Gothic style of Gentile da Fabriano with the more realistic style of such Renaissance masters as the painter Masaccio and the sculptors Donatello and Ghiberti, all of whom worked in Florence. Angelico was also aware of the theories of perspective proposed by Leon Battista Alberti. Angelico's representation of devout facial expressions and his use of color to heighten emotion are particularly effective. His skill in creating monumental figures, representing motion, and suggesting deep space through the use of linear perspective, especially in the Roman frescoes, mark him as one of the foremost painters of the Renaissance."

from Catholic Online entry on Fra Angelico.

Saint Dominic by Fra Angelico

  

When singing my praise, don't liken my talents to those of Apelles.

Say, rather, that, in the name of Christ, I gave all I had to the poor.

The deeds that count on Earth are not the ones that count in Heaven.
I, Giovanni, am the flower of Tuscany.

                                     --Epitath (translated) on Fra Angelico's tomb

 

The Coronation of the Virgin by Fra Angelico

The Death of St. Dominic by Fra Angelico

See more Fra Angelico's brilliant art at the Web Gallery of Art.