The birth of Mary, celebrated on September 8, is depicted here in this 17th century painting by Alessandro Turchi (courtesy of WikiCommons)There are times when a mere book can be life-changing. One such book is entitled True Devotion to Mary, by Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, a spiritual introduction to the Marian devotion known as Total Consecration to Our Lady.
In Jesus’ time on earth, the prevailing male attitude toward women was patronizing and condescending at best. Unlike most of His contemporaries, however, Jesus did not devalue women or shun them in public; quite the opposite. To discern this, we need only consult Sacred Scripture.
In his book, Queen of Militants, Father Emil Neubert teaches Christian militants that no attempt to spread the message of salvation to a soul should be attempted without prayer. But once we've done so, he lays out a plan on how to evangelize like Christ in a way that only Mary can teach us.
We find ourselves now well into that lengthy liturgical period termed Ordinary Time. For some of us, there is a tendency to take this season at its name, to treat these weeks as a ho-hum, colorless gap bridging the feasts of Corpus Christi and Christ the King. Give us Lent and Advent, when we can focus on the tough stuff!
Our Lady of Knock Chapel of Apparitions, at Knock Shrine in County Mayo, Ireland (wikimedia)This August marks the 140th anniversary of an event of the highest spiritual significance for the people of Ireland, and in fact, for the faithful of the world.
People watching the sun on October 13, 1917 in Fatima, Portugal (photo courtesy of WikiCommons)We all know the story of the miraculous apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima and her messages beseeching the world to conversion and devotion to Her Immaculate Heart. However, the little-known impact of these apparitions on the country of Portugal, as recounted by Father Emil Neubert, S.M., S.T.D. in his book, Queen of Militants, reveals a steady stream of miraculous events that led to a dramatic restoration of the faith in that country.
August 11th, the Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi (1194 – 1253), offers an opportunity to explore the life of a woman of shining virtue. Her religious vocation was a direct outgrowth of that of her contemporary and mentor, the beloved Saint Francis (1182 – 1226).
There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein, 1891 – 1942)
She was a brilliant scholar, a contemplative mystic, and a “liberated” feminist. At various times she was also a devout Jew, an atheist, a philosopher, a Catholic, and a Carmelite nun. Hers was a heart that hungered for truth, with a passion that burned with such purity and clarity that Pope John Paul II, whose own Mulieris Dignitatem and “Letter to Women” bear the unmistakable imprint of her spirit, canonized her less than fifty years after her death at Auschwitz.
The original Portiuncula, located within the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in AssisiFor Franciscans worldwide, August 2nd marks a very important, special feast day – the Feast of Our Lady of Angels. The title of Our Lady which this feast commemorates has a direct connection to Saint Francis of Assisi (1182 – 1226) and to the Religious Orders which he founded. The “little portion,” or Portiuncula, brings to mind significant events which resound in our hearts as we celebrate this feast day once again.
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