Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

 When the days were completed for their purification

according to the law of Moses,

They took him up to Jerusalem

to present him to the Lord,

just as it is written in the law of the Lord,

Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,

and to offer the sacrifice of

a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,

in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.

This man was righteous and devout,

awaiting the consolation of Israel,

and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit

that he should not see death

before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.

He came in the Spirit into the temple;

and when the parents brought in the child Jesus

to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,

He took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go

in peace, according to your word,

for my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and glory for your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;

and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,

“Behold, this child is destined

for the fall and rise of many in Israel,

and to be a sign that will be contradicted

—and you yourself a sword will pierce—

so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

There was also a prophetess, Anna,

the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.

She was advanced in years,

having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,

and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.

She never left the temple,

but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.

And coming forward at that very time,

she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child

to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions

of the law of the Lord,

they returned to Galilee,

to their own town of Nazareth.

The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom;

and the favor of God was upon him.

Saint John XXIII, Pope

 

October 11: Saint John XXIII, Pope—Optional Memorial

1881–1963
Patron Saint of papal delegates
Canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014
Liturgical Color: White

Since the Lord chose me, unworthy as I am, for this great service, I feel I have no longer any special ties in this life, no family, no earthly country or nation, nor any particular preferences with regard to studies or projects, even good ones. Now, more than ever, I see myself only as the humble and unworthy “servant of God and servant of the servants of God.” The whole world is my family. This sense of belonging to everyone must give character and vigor to my mind, my heart and my actions. ~Saint John XXIII, journal entry

Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was born in Sotto il Monte, a small village in the province of Bergamo, Italy. He came from a materially poor but spiritually rich family of tenant farmers who worked in vineyards and cornfields and who tended cattle. He was the fourth of thirteen children. As a child, he received an excellent education from his parish priest. He was confirmed at the age of eight and received his First Holy Communion a month and a half later. At the age of eleven, he began his eight years at a high school seminary in Bergamo. During this time, he also became a member of the Secular Franciscans. When he was fourteen, he began keeping a journal that he kept throughout his life and which was published after his death. One journal entry at the age of eighteen reflected, “And you, O God…opened my eyes to this light which sheds its radiance around me, you created me. So you are my Master and I am your creature. I am nothing without you, and through you I am all that I am. I can do nothing without you; indeed, if at every moment you did not support me I should slip back whence I came, into nothingness.”

At the age of nineteen, given Angelo’s strong potential for higher studies and priestly ordination, he received a scholarship to study at the Apollinaris Seminary in Rome. Shortly after Angelo arrived in Rome, his brother was drafted into military service. Because his brother was needed at home, Angelo volunteered to take his place and served for one year. After returning to Rome, he completed his studies for the priesthood, earning a doctorate in theology. He was ordained a priest on August 10, 1904, and completed studies in canon law the following year.

In 1905, Father Roncalli was appointed as the secretary to the Bishop of Bergamo and assigned to teach history and patrology in the Bergamo seminary. He served in these roles for the next ten years, assisting the bishop in numerous ways. He participated in a diocesan synod, helped edit the diocesan journal, La Vita Diocesana, assisted with pilgrimages, and engaged in various social works, about which his bishop was passionate. In 1910, he received the additional assignment of the pastoral care of the Catholic Action movement that sought to involve the laity in timely social needs within the Church and wider community. After ten years as a priest, he wrote in his journal, “My dominant thought, in my joy of having accomplished ten years as a priest, is this: I do not belong to myself, or to others; I belong to my Lord, for life and death. The dignity of the priesthood, the ten years full of graces which he has heaped upon me, such a poor, humble creature—all this convinces me that I must crush the self and devote all my energies to nothing else but work for the Kingdom of Jesus in the minds and hearts of men.”

In 1915, the year after the start of World War I, Father Roncalli was drafted into the Italian army, first as a medic, then as a chaplain for soldiers. Upon completing his service in 1918, he returned to Bergamo where he opened a hostel for students, taught in the seminary, and became a chaplain and spiritual director. 

In 1921, Father Roncalli’s life moved from service of his local church to the universal church. Pope Benedict XV called him to Rome and appointed him as the President for Italy of the central council of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In that role, he made many pastoral visits to the Italian dioceses, where he helped to organize missionary activity. In 1925, he was named a bishop by Pope Pius XI and assigned as the Apostolic Visitor to Bulgaria. He chose as his episcopal motto, Oboedientia et Pax (Obedience and Peace), which summarized his ministry for the rest of his life.

After nine years of service in Bulgaria, Bishop Roncalli was appointed as Apostolic Delegate in Turkey and Greece, where he not only cared for the Catholics but also entered into ongoing dialogue with Muslims and Eastern Orthodox. During World War II, he became especially concerned for the welfare of Jews and, according to some estimates, personally assisted several thousand Jews in escaping the Holocaust by providing them with forged baptismal certificates and visas in order to help get them to Palestine. Years later, his actions were honored by the State of Israel when, in 2011, he was posthumously awarded the honor “Righteous Among the Nations.”

In 1944, several months after France was liberated from Nazi Germany, Bishop Roncalli was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to France by Pope Pius XII, where he assisted with the liberated prisoners of war and helped France rebuild after four years of occupation. His love of priestly ministry shone forth during this time as he worked to inspire the faithful and help them renew their faith after an excruciating period of national suffering. He remained in France for nine years, was named a cardinal in 1953, and subsequently made Patriarch of Venice, a traditionally prestigious position in the Church. At the age of seventy-one, Cardinal Roncalli threw himself into the pastoral ministry in Venice, where he planned to spend the rest of his life.

When Pope Pius XII died in 1958, Cardinal Roncalli was among the cardinal-electors. To his surprise and that of many, the seventy-seven-year-old Cardinal Roncalli was elected pope and took the name of his father, Giovanni, making him Pope Giovanni (John) XXIII. He soon became known as the “good pope” because of his humble, kind, and active papacy. His pastoral heart led him to visit the sick and imprisoned, his diplomatic background enabled him to see the world as his family, and his courage led him to make profound changes within the Church and world.

During the four and a half years he served as pope, John XXIII issued eight encyclicals. Among them, two stand out. Mater et magistra (Mother and Teacher) addressed the Church’s role in social progress amidst a time of rapid technological change and increasing social and economic inequality. Pacem in terris (Peace on Earth) dealt with human dignity, rights, and responsibilities of all peoples and nations to seek peace and harmony. He also convened the first Synod of the Diocese of Rome and began a revision of the Code of Canon Law.

The greatest surprise during his papacy came just three months after he was elected when, on January 25, 1959, while making a pastoral visit to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, he announced the twenty-third Ecumenical Council, which came to be known as Vatican II. In 1962, he wrote in his journal, “After three years of preparation, certainly laborious but also joyful and serene, we are now on the slopes of the sacred mountain. May the Lord give us strength to bring everything to a successful conclusion!” Though Pope John XXIII died before the conclusion of the Council, his courageous and pastoral heart is to be credited for the inspiration and instigation of the process that changed the Church in ways never seen before. Though some have criticized some aspects of the aftermath of Vatican II, this pastoral council, initiated by a pastoral pope, has transformed the Church in profound ways. Pope John XXIII was canonized in 2014 by Pope Francis, on the same day that Pope John Paul II was canonized. Many have suggested that their shared canonization prophetically illustrates that Saint John XXIII initiated the Council and Saint John Paul II definitively implemented it.

As we honor this holy pastor of the universal Church, ponder the amazing fact that God could use a poor, humble, and simple man in such a profound way. As a divine institution, God always has and always will guide the Church through the Vicar of Christ. Sinful and weak though even popes are, God’s grace suffices where human weakness is present. Pray for the pope today, and know that he is God’s gift to the Church in our day and age.

Moses

 Hebrew liberator, law giver, and prophet. He belonged to the tribe of Levi and was born in Egypt (10th century B.C.), at a time of grievous persecution, when Pharao had ordered the killing of all male Hebrew children (Exodus 1) Exposed on the waters of the Nile, he was rescued by Pharao’s daughter and educated at court. Having killed an Egyptian to save one of his brethren from ill-treatment, he fled to Madian where he married Jethro’s daughter (Exodus 2). God appeared to him in the burning bush and commanded him to go and deliver his brethren (3), with the help of his brother Aaron, but Pharao stubbornly refused to let the Israelites go, and the terrible chastisements known as the Ten Plagues of Egypt, only hardened his heart (7-10). However the last one, viz., the death of every first born, forced him to yield, and the Hebrews departed, after celebrating the first Pasch (11-13). Then began, under the leadership of Moses, a long and wearisome journey in the direction of the Promised Land, the dramatic episodes of which are related in the remaining chapter of Exodus and in Numbers. Only a few can be enumerated here: The Passage of the Red Sea and the Canticle of Moses (Exodus 14-15); the Manna (16); the promulgation of the Law on Mount Sinai (19-31); the many revolts of the people, who are saved each time by the intervention of their leader (Exodus 16; Numbers 13-14, 21); the march from Mount Sinai to Cades, and the stay at Cades for 38 years during which the present generation is condemned never to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 10-20); Moses himself is excluded from it because of his lack of confidence at the “Waters of Contradiction” (ib., 20); Balaam’s Prophecies (23-24). The Israelites finally reached the banks of the Jordan, after defeating the Amorrhites and Moabites, and Moses died on Mount Nebo after pronouncing the three memorable discourses preserved in Deuteronomy. He was buried in the valley of Moab, but “no man knows his sepulchre” (Deuteronomy 34), and “there arose no more a prophet in Israel like unto Moses” (ib., 10). See also, Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Saint Augustine of Hippo

 Saint Augustine of Hippo, Bishop and Doctor of the Church—Memorial

354–430

Patron Saint of brewers, printers, and theologians

Invoked against sore eyes and vermin

Pre-Congregation canonization

Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Boniface VIII in 1298

Referred to as “Doctor of Grace” by popular acclaim

Liturgical Color: White

Late have I loved You, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved You! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for You. In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which You created. You were with me, but I was not with You. Created things kept me from You; yet if they had not been in You they would not have been at all. You called, You shouted, and You broke through my deafness. You flashed, You shone, and You dispelled my blindness. You breathed your fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for You. I have tasted You, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for Your peace. ~Saint Augustine’s Confessions, Book X

Yesterday, the Church honored Saint Monica, the mother of today’s saint, Saint Augustine. Despite her challenging life, Monica fulfilled her most crucial duty as a mother and wife. She prayed for her family and demonstrated such compelling virtues that her husband, mother-in-law, and all three of her children were converted to Christ. Among them was Saint Augustine of Hippo, one of the Church’s most revered saints.

Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis, known as Augustine, was born in Tagaste, present-day Souk Ahras, Algeria, North Africa. He was the oldest of three children, including a younger brother and sister. His father, Patricius (Patrick) was not wealthy but had civic responsibilities in his city, which was part of the Roman Empire. His father was a pagan, known for his violent temper and immoral lifestyle. Augustine’s mother, known today as Saint Monica, struggled with alcohol at an early age but overcame that vice. She was raised a Christian and wholeheartedly embraced her Catholic faith. Despite suffering due to her husband’s temper and adulterous behavior, Monica was a model of charity, and her prayers eventually converted her whole family.

Augustine’s father would not permit his children to receive baptism, despite their mother’s pleas. Nevertheless, Monica ensured their catechetical formation from an early age, as well as an education in the classics. Monica’s faith instilled within Augustine an awareness of Christ his Savior, but that awareness never fully penetrated his young mind. Instead, he became a troublemaker. For instance, he and his friends once stole some pears, not because they were hungry or because the pears tasted good, but merely for the thrill of it. He later recounted in his Confessions, “I loved my own undoing. I loved my error—not that for which I erred but the error itself…seeking nothing from the shameful deed but shame itself. It was a love of sin.”

Because Augustine excelled in his studies in his hometown, his proud father decided to send him to the thriving nearby city of Carthage to continue his education, once he could find someone to pay for it. This took several months, and Augustine’s idleness during that time only led him into greater mischief. His father died that year, but a wealthy citizen of Tagaste offered to sponsor Augustine’s education. By the time he arrived in Carthage, he was ripe for a life of sin. Many of the other students lived immorally, the theaters stirred up his passions, and he became intoxicated by his literary successes. Shortly after his arrival, he moved in with a young woman and fathered a child out of wedlock. When he was nineteen, he read a book that would begin to change his life: Cicero’s Hortensius. Although that book is now lost to history, it extolled the virtue of wisdom. Reading it awakened a hunger for truth within Augustine, which he began to pursue earnestly. Unfortunately, at this time he started doubting his Christian faith, primarily due to his struggles with the Old Testament, which he perceived as violent and confusing. He then encountered the religious philosophy of Manichaeism, which claimed to have discovered secret knowledge and supported his view that the Bible had contradictions. Manichaeism looked at reality as a struggle between light and dark, good and evil. It regarded the created world as part of the dark side, aiming to trap us in darkness. This new religion influenced him, and he looked into it more. Although he never formally joined, he pursued their teachings in the hope of discovering the wisdom they promised. Several years later, he would abandon them altogether, especially after meeting their leader, Faustis, who proved a disappointment and less than wise.

When Augustine completed his studies in Carthage around the age of nineteen, he returned home to Tagaste with his girlfriend and son and began teaching grammar at a local school. When he told his mother he was considering becoming a Manichaean, she threw him out of her house but later reconciled with him due to divine inspiration she received. He was so successful as a teacher that he was invited back to Carthage a few years later to teach Rhetoric. After several successful years, he received an invitation to Rome, which was a great honor. When he informed his mother, she told him that she was going with him, to which he reluctantly agreed. However, Augustine tricked his mother and left for Rome without her. In Rome, he became disgusted with the students who cheated him out of tuition fees, and after a few years, accepted a position in Milan. It was in Milan, when Augustine was thirty years old, that his mother finally caught up with him and witnessed his conversion.

Still searching for the truth, Augustine met the future saint, Bishop Ambrose of Milan. Ambrose was a great thinker and preacher. He also paid attention to Augustine, listening to him, offering him friendship, and answering his many questions. Ambrose introduced him to the proper reading of the Bible, especially helping him with his difficulties with the Old Testament. When Ambrose came into conflict with the Empress Justina who was trying to take his Cathedral and make it Arian, Ambrose stood his ground in an act of great courage and defiance. She backed off and Augustine was greatly impressed.

One day while sitting in a garden, Augustine heard a child’s voice say to him, “Take and read.” Although he didn’t know where the voice came from, he picked up the Bible next to him and randomly opened to Romans 13:13-14 which read, “…let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and licentiousness, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.” This passage affected him so deeply that he began his conversion in haste.

Augustine spent time with good Catholic friends and had lengthy conversations, which helped him immensely. His mother’s presence was also a great support. Although she was uneducated, her wisdom and insight into the truth were undeniable, and she always held her own with her well-educated son. All of this, coupled with Monica’s tearful prayers, led the thirty-two-year-old Augustine toward his final conversion and baptism the following year by Bishop Ambrose during the Easter Vigil in 387, along with his son. Once baptized, Augustine decided to return to his hometown with his mother, son, and friends. On the way, his mother fell ill just outside of Rome and died. Augustine later recounted her passing in the Confessions, which is one of the most beautiful depictions of a mother and son’s love ever written.

Upon returning to Tagaste, Augustine formed a religious community with his friends. His reputation within the Christian community grew quickly, and their hometown genius who had become a Catholic became a source of hope for many. By acclamation of the people, he became a priest in 391 and was consecrated as bishop of the nearby town of Hippo in 396. During his forty-three years as a Christian, Augustine became one of the greatest, if not the greatest, theologians in the history of the Church. His pastoral work with the people, his regular sermons, and his attentiveness to the people’s needs changed their lives. 

Augustine’s voluminous writings remain among the most read and quoted texts today. His works include apologetics, sermons, letters, scripture commentaries, a monastic rule, and philosophical and theological treatises. His greatest work, Confessions, is autobiographical, deeply personal, and humble. It traces his internal conversion and intersperses it with profound theological insights. In his other great work, City of God, he defends the faith and refutes the idea that the sack of Rome in 410 was caused by a rejection of pagan gods. Instead, he compares the city of man with the city of God, pointing society to the ideals to which it is called. He also wrote a famous work on the Trinity, among numerous other works. In total, over five million words written by Augustine have survived until today, numbering over 1,000 documents. In his last year of life, he witnessed the destruction of Hippo as the barbarians invaded, murdered, destroyed churches and buildings, and overthrew the town as they had done in Rome years earlier. They could not, however, destroy the lasting impact Saint Augustine would have. His influence extends far beyond the Church; he has profoundly impacted the entirety of Western thought. 

As we honor this pillar of wisdom, consider especially Augustine’s personal journey towards Christ. In many ways, Saint Augustine lived two lives. At first, he was a weak, confused, and sinful man. After that, he became a sinner who was redeemed and transformed by grace. His struggle led him to the truth and when that happened, God used him in extraordinary ways. His life can be summed up in one of his most famous quotes, “Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you.” Ponder your own story of conversion, and especially any ways that you are restless. Follow this saint’s example and seek the Truth with all your heart, knowing that God will reveal Himself to you when you are ready, so that you can rest in Him.

Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe

 

August 14: Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest and Martyr—Memorial

1894–1941

Patron Saint of drug addicts, families, journalists, prisoners, and the pro-life movement

Canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 10, 1982

Liturgical Color: Red

Remember that you belong exclusively, unconditionally, absolutely, irrevocably to the Immaculate: Whoever you are, whatever you have or can, whatever you do (thoughts, words, action) and endure (pleasant, unpleasant, indifferent things) belong to the Immaculate. Consequently, may she dispose of them according to Her will (and not yours). In the same way it belongs to Her all your intentions; therefore, may she transform them, add others, take them away, as She likes (in fact, She does not offend justice). ~Saint Maximilian Kolbe

     

Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe, born as Raymond, hailed from Zduńska Wola in present-day Poland. At the time of his birth, his hometown had been under the control of the Russian Empire since 1795. Despite their material poverty, his family was spiritually rich, particularly owing to their mother, Maria, who instilled in her children a deep devotion to the Mother of God. They prayed the Angelus, the Litany of Loreto, and the rosary daily. Raymond had two surviving brothers: an older one named Francis and a younger one named Joseph. Two other brothers, Walenty and Antoni, passed away at a young age.

As a child, Raymond was known for his devoutness, as well as his mischief. Whenever he committed any transgressions, he would immediately offer himself for corporal punishment, which was common during that period. After one such prank, his mother exclaimed, “What will become of you!” This question profoundly affected young Raymond, who later prayed to the Blessed Virgin about his future. He was only twelve at the time. His mother observed a significant change in his behavior following this episode. He created an altar for the Blessed Mother in his room and spent long periods in prayer, often to the point of tears. On being questioned about his altered behavior, Raymond shared that after his mother’s reprimand, he had sought guidance from the Blessed Mother, who had appeared before him in the church, offering two crowns—one white signifying purity and one red signifying martyrdom. When she asked which one he chose, he replied, “I choose both!” This encounter further deepened his devotion to the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph.

   

      

Due to the family’s financial constraints, Raymond received most of his early education from his mother and the parish priest. Upon recognizing Raymond’s intellect, a local pharmacist offered to tutor him. At the age of thirteen, Raymond and his older brother Francis attended a retreat organized by the Conventual Franciscans. They were then invited to join the newly established seminary in Lwów, present-day Lviv, Ukraine, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This necessitated crossing the border without a passport, which they accomplished with the aid of their father. In 1907, Raymond and Francis entered the minor seminary.

   

   

In 1910, Raymond and Francis toyed with the idea of leaving the Franciscans to join the military. Before they could decide, their mother showed up and informed them that their younger brother was also joining the Franciscans, so they decided to stay. Their mother further shared that their father was moving to Krakow to live with the Franciscans and that she would be living in Lwów with the Felician Sisters to stay close to her sons. Raymond was given the name Maximilian upon entering the novitiate and made his first vows in 1911. He made his final vows in 1914, also adopting the name Mary, becoming Brother Maximilian Mary Kolbe. He was sent to Rome to complete his studies, earning doctorates in philosophy and theology.

Marianna Dabrowska  moved to Krakow, entered the Felician Sisters, and adopted the name Sister Maria Felicyta

During World War I in 1914, Brother Maximilian’s father joined the Polish Legions fighting for Polish independence. He was subsequently arrested and executed by the Russians. His mother moved to Krakow, entered the Felician Sisters, and adopted the name Sister Maria Felicyta. His brother Francis left the seminary to serve in the military, later marrying and having one child. Unfortunately, he died in a concentration camp in 1943.

  

Maximilian Kolbe commemorated on a West German stamp from 1973. Issued by Deutsche Bundespost

In 1917, while praying in the seminary chapel, Brother Maximilian was inspired to form the Militia Immaculatae, the “Army of the Immaculate One,” particularly in response to witnessing anti-Catholic sentiments during the war. The organization aimed for the conversion of sinners, heretics, schismatics—particularly Freemasons—and the sanctification of all people under the guidance of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Following his ordination as a priest, Father Kolbe relocated to Krakow, where he taught Church history and expanded his Militia Immaculatae.

Knight of The Immaculate

In 1922, Father Kolbe started publishing a monthly magazine titled “Knight of the Immaculata.” In 1927, he founded a new Franciscan friary near Warsaw called Niepokalanów, or “City of the Immaculate Mother of God.” In 1930, Father Kolbe established a religious house near Nagasaki, Japan, where the friars produced a Japanese version of their magazine, eventually printing 50,000 monthly papers. He returned to Niepokalanów in 1936. By 1939, the friary had become one of the largest religious houses in the world, also housing his Militia Immaculatae. They printed their materials from the friary, eventually reaching over a million households each month. His younger brother, now named Father Alphonse, aided him in his endeavors. 

World War II broke out in 1939 when the Germans invaded Poland. Father Kolbe and his friars did their utmost to help those being persecuted. At first, they were forced out of their friary but were later permitted to return. Once they returned, they recommitted themselves to their work. At that desperate time, their publications inspired people and gave them hope. Though the friars were careful in what they wrote, the German authorities eventually designated them as enemies. Furthermore, the friars provided refuge to thousands of Poles, including 2,000 Jews whom they protected from the concentration camps. After two years of German occupation, the Gestapo had had enough.

On February 17, 1941, the German Gestapo showed up at Niepokalanów where Father Kolbe warmly greeted them. By the end of their visit, however, the Gestapo arrested Father Kolbe and four of his friars, sending them to the Pawiak prison. In this first prison, Father Kolbe did all that he could to inspire faith and hope in his fellow inmates. He endured harsh treatment from some of the guards but always responded with charity. He heard confessions of fellow inmates, pointed them to Christ, and prayed with them.

  

Father Kolbe was transferred to Auschwitz as prisoner #16670 on May 28. Auschwitz was a death sentence, and those who went there knew it. This didn’t deter Father Kolbe from his divine mission. Though he exchanged his Franciscan habit for a blood-stained prisoner’s uniform, he continued to minister to the people all around him. In Auschwitz, Father Kolbe and the other prisoners endured the harshest of treatment. They were beaten to the point of death and then expected to work. After one harsh beating that Father Kolbe survived, he was brought to the infirmary by fellow prisoners. The doctor who tended to him later testified, “I can say with certainty that during my four years at Auschwitz, I have never seen such a sublime example of God’s love for one’s neighbor.”

In July, after a man escaped from Father Kolbe’s barracks, ten men were selected to die by starvation as punishment and as a deterrent to others who thought of escaping. Among the selected was Franciszek Gajowniczek, who cried out, “My poor wife, my poor children!” Father Kolbe’s heart was moved to compassion in that inhumane environment, and he requested permission to take Franciszek’s place, explaining to the guard that he had no wife or children. Permission was granted. He survived for two weeks before the impatient guards, needing the bunker for other purposes, administered a lethal injection. Father Kolbe willingly offered his arm, showing no fear of death. Soon after his death, word of his martyrdom of charity spread throughout Auschwitz and inspired many with faith and hope.

Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe’s vision had come true. He first received the crown of purity and then the crown of martyrdom. His work to spread the Gospel through the Militia Immaculatae had a powerful effect upon the people of his time. His love, to lay his life down for a stranger, will live on until the end of time. Ponder the depth of love it would take to do such a thing, and pray that this same love will permeate your own life in imitation of this holy saint of God.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest

 Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest—Memorial

1491–1556

Patron Saint of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), Spiritual Exercises, soldiers, and retreats

Canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622

Liturgical Color: White

Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul. And the other things on the face of the earth are created for man and that they may help him in prosecuting the end for which he is created. From this it follows that man is to use them as much as they help him on to his end, and ought to rid himself of them so far as they hinder him as to it. For this it is necessary to make ourselves indifferent to all created things in all that is allowed to the choice of our free will and is not prohibited to it; so that, on our part, we want not health rather than sickness, riches rather than poverty, honor rather than dishonor, long rather than short life, and so in all the rest; desiring and choosing only what is most conducive for us to the end for which we are created. ~Principle and Foundation of the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius

Íñigo López de Oñaz y Loyola (Ignatius in Latin) was born at the Castle of Loyola in the municipality of Azpeitia, in modern-day Gipuzkoa, Spain. He was the youngest of thirteen children. Shortly after his birth, his mother died, and he was cared for by a local woman named Maria. When he was seven, his father died, and he was sent to live with a local noble family where he fulfilled the duties of a page, introducing him to the idea of knighthood and military service. As a result, Ignatius became an enthusiastic man who dreamed of being a great military officer. Captivated by thoughts of worldly honor and glory, he became a soldier around the age of seventeen. For the next twelve years he fought in many battles and advanced in rank. In 1521, at the age of thirty, Ignatius was wounded in battle and bedridden for months as his wounded leg healed. In his boredom, he asked for books to read. He had hoped to receive some books on chivalry and romance for entertainment, but no such books were in the house where he was recovering. Instead, he was given The Life of Christ by Ludolph of Saxony, a Carthusian monk, and Flowers of the Saints. As he read and re-read these two books, he began to be inspired and started to imagine himself living a saintly life.

The Vita Christi (Life of Christ), also known as the Speculum vitae Christi (Mirror of the Life of Christ) is the principal work of Ludolph of Saxony, completed in 1374.

Ignatius also spent much time daydreaming about romance, chivalry, and other worldly endeavors. But since he was only in possession of these two books, his imagination would wander between the two: Christ and the saints, then romance and chivalry. But there was a difference. Ignatius noticed that even though both of these trains of thought excited him, the worldly thoughts eventually left him feeling dry and sad, whereas the thoughts about Christ and the saints left him inspired and enthused long after he had ended his daydream. It was this realization that first compelled him to intensify his conversion, and it was this insight that led to much of the wisdom that he would later leave to his followers and to the Church.

After his recovery, Ignatius desired to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Before embarking on that trip, he first made a journey to the town of Montserrat. Two powerful influences on him during that time were his penitential practices and his thorough confession. For penance, he wore clothing that was rough and uncomfortable, tied a cord below his knee, and only wore one shoe. He spent much time in prayer and spoke to our Lord and our Blessed Mother while kneeling and standing for long periods. While in Montserrat, he spent three days preparing for a general confession of the sins of his whole life. During his confession, Ignatius also revealed to his confessor, for the first time, his intention to devote his entire life to the service of God. After his confession, he consecrated himself to our Lord and our Blessed Mother, and spent the entire night in prayer. Thus, Ignatius had begun a very radical journey toward a life of sainthood.

  

Cave of Saint Ignatius

Manresa, Spain

After his short stay in Montserrat, Ignatius journeyed to the town of Manresa and stayed there from March 25, 1522, until mid-February 1523. His months in Manresa were months of deep conversion. He spent many long hours in prayer, attended daily Mass, engaged in severe penances, sought out spiritual counsel, and studied the Gospels. He spent much time in silence and solitude, especially in a cave that he frequented. Ignatius neglected his physical appearance and sought only to beautify his soul.

This period of interior formation had a profound impact on Ignatius, and he began to experience deep spiritual insights and consolations from God. However, soon after these consolations arrived, he also began to experience severe interior trials that left him agitated and struggling. These struggles began when he sensed the evil one saying to him that he could never keep up this life of vigor, zeal, and penance. The evil one tried to lead him to doubt and despair, but Ignatius ultimately discerned the voice of the evil one and rebuked his lies, reminding the evil spirit that he could offer him nothing of value. In the end, these trials were a gift in that they allowed Ignatius to grow deeper and deeper in his resolve to seek out and follow the will of God for his life while rejecting the lies of the evil one.

At this time, Ignatius also suffered severe scruples. He regularly recollected various sins he had committed that he feared he had never confessed. This struggle with scrupulosity caused much interior suffering. In fact, at one point, the scruples were so severe that he briefly considered suicide. In the end, God broke Ignatius free, once he was able to discern that his irrational thinking was not from God but from the evil one. Once he understood this, Ignatius rebuked and rejected these scrupulous and erroneous thoughts, and God freed him from this burden.

While in Manresa, Ignatius continued to engage in severe fasts (at one point neither eating nor drinking for seven days), scourged himself three times daily, and spent seven hours a day in prayer. Our Blessed Mother and Jesus regularly communicated with him, revealing deep spiritual truths to his soul. It was in Manresa that Ignatius began to write what has become one of the great spiritual classics in the Church: The Spiritual Exercises.

The Spiritual Exercises are not so much a book as they are a guide for a structured thirty-day retreat. The ideal way to accomplish this is for the individual to enter into silence and solitude for thirty days under the direction of a well-trained spiritual director who is able to lead the individual through the structure set forth by Saint Ignatius. This structure provides directions for what the retreatant should do each day, under the guidance of the spiritual director, as well as rules by which a director leads the directee toward discernment of God’s will.

After this period of prayer and the completion of the first draft of his exercises, Ignatius spent the next several years studying at Barcelona, Alcalá, and Salamanca where he also began promoting his new ideas. His writings, however, were scrutinized by the Spanish Inquisition, and he was briefly imprisoned a few times before being cleared of the charge of heresy. Afterward, he moved to Paris to obtain a master’s degree in theology, and it was there that he met Francis Xavier and Peter Faber, both of whom would later become saints.

In 1537, Ignatius and his companions moved to Venice and were ordained priests. Then in 1540, Ignatius, Francis, and Peter co-founded what would become the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits. The following year, Ignatius was elected the first superior, a role he would hold until his death. Over the next two decades, the Jesuits grew to an estimated 1,000 members, served in about thirty-five schools they founded, and became missionaries to non-Christian territories. Over the next century, the Jesuits played a significant role in the Catholic Counter-Reformation, becoming staunch defenders of orthodoxy and the pope.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola is one of the most inspirational figures in the history of the Church. He left behind a spiritual classic in The Spiritual Exercises, helped found the Jesuits who became one of the most consequential religious orders in the Church, and left behind other writings, including an estimated 7,000 letters filled with his wisdom. As we honor Saint Ignatius, ponder his initial conversion that led to so much good fruit. He noticed that God’s will produced a joy and peace that remained, versus worldly excitement that quickly passed and resulted in dryness. That insight has led countless people to discern God’s will for their lives through the use of Ignatius’ method. Ponder God’s will for your life today. As you do, learn from Saint Ignatius and seek that path which leads to great joy and ongoing spiritual peace and consolation.

Blessed Anna Maria Taigi

 

Anna Maria Taigi (29 May 1769 - 9 June 1837), born Anna Maria Giannetti, was an Italian Roman Catholic professed member from the Secular Trinitarians. She married Domenico Taigi, a brash and impulsive individual though devoted to his wife. Taigi experienced a series of ecstasies during her life and was reported to have heard the voices of God and Jesus Christ on several occasions. She became a Secular Trinitarian after experiencing a sudden religious conversion. That happened in the winter of 1790 at Saint Peter's Basilica when Taigi came into contact with a range of cardinals and luminaries, which included Vincent Strambi and the bishop Benedict Joseph Flaget.

The beatification process opened in 1863 under Pope Pius IX after she was titled as a Servant of God and Pope Benedict XV later beatified her in mid-1920.

Saint Agatha

 

The Church containing the relics of St Agatha of Sicily was recently vandalized and the ‘body’ desecrated by the vandals.

According to local reports, the vandals broke into the Church of St. Agatha al Collegio in Caltanissetta, Sicily, Italy where the relics of St Agatha is place.

Suspected men therefore vandalized the tabernacle.

They also stole some religious artifacts and depictions, broke hosts (Holy Communion ) and destroyed the depictions of the Virgin Mary at the alter.

Although the main body of St. Agatha was buried at the Church of the Abbey of St. Agatha in Catania, her relics is at Church of St. Agatha al Collegio in Caltanissetta which the Church dedicated to her is the one vandalized.

body of St Agatha of Sicily vandalised

St Agatha is one of the over 250 Saints of the Catholic Church whose body was preserved from decay.

Saints’ remains are said to have ‘incorrupt’ body after their bodies or a part of it showed no sign of decomposition.

However, two men have already been arrested in connection with the incident after some of the missing items were found in their possession.

 

The Catholic Church will be celebrating the feast day of St. Agatha on Feb. 5.  She is the patron saint of breast cancer.

St. Agatha was born in Catania, Sicily.   She died a martyr in 251.  She is one of seven women memorialized in the cannon of the Mass.

Her legendary story tells us she was tortured for her faith. After being imprisoned in a brothel by Quintian, she was then sent to prison. When she persisted in the faith, she was tortured by having her breasts amputated. She was then martyred. During a vision she had of St. Peter, she was healed.

Because of this torture, she is considered the patron saint of breast cancer victims.

St. Agatha died while in prison. In art she is shown with her amputated breasts on a platter.

 

The following quotes are attributed to St. Agatha:

“My courage and my thought be so firmly founded upon the firm stone of Jesus Christ, that for no pain it may not be changed, your words be not wind, your promises be but rain, and your menaces be as rivers that pass, and how will that all these things hurtle at the fundament of my courage, yet for that it shall not move.”

Quote of St. Agatha

“Jesus Christ, Lord of all things! You see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am — you alone.       I am your sheep; make me worthy to overcome the devil.”

Quote of St. Agatha

Lord Jesus Christ, you created me, you watched over me from infancy,

kept my body from defilement, preserved me from love of the world,

made me able to withstand torture, and granted me the virtue of patience

in the midst of torments.

  

Prayer to Saint Agatha

O St. Agatha,

who withstood the unwelcome advances

from unwanted suitors,

and suffered pain and torture

for your devotion to Our Lord,

we celebrate your faith, dignity, and martyrdom.

Protect us against rape and other violations,

guard us against breast cancer

and other afflictions of women,

and inspire us to overcome adversity.

O St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr,

mercifully grant that we who venerate your sacrifice,

may receive your intercession.

Amen

Burial of St Agatha, by Giulio Campi, 1537

Saint Charbel Makhlouf

  Saint Sharbel (Charbel) Makhlūf, Priest, Hermit—Optional Memorial

1828–1898

Patron Saint of Lebanon

Canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 9, 1977

Liturgical Color: White

Yes, the kind of holiness practiced by Charbel Makhlouf is of great weight, not only for the glory of God, but for the vitality of the Church…Pastors are needed, who gather the people of God…We need theologians…evangelizers and missionaries…catechists…people who are directly dedicated to helping their brothers…But we also need people who offer themselves as victims for the salvation of the world, in a freely accepted penance, in an unceasing prayer of intercession…in a passionate search for the Absolute, testifying that God is worth worshiping and loving for himself. The lifestyle of these religious, of these monks, of these hermits is not offered to everyone as an imitable charisma; but in their pure state, in a radical way, they embody a spirit from which no faithful of Christ is exempt, they exercise a function which the Church cannot do without, they remind us of a salutary way for all. ~Pope Paul VI, Homily for the canonization of Saint Sharbel

Jousef Antoun Makhlouf was born in the village of Bekaa Kafra, North Lebanon. The youngest of five children, he was baptized into the Maronite Rite of the Catholic Church. The Makhlouf family lived in the highest mountain village in Lebanon and were peasant farmers. His father, who died when Jousef was only three, was a mule driver. After his father’s death, his mother remarried; his stepfather later was ordained a priest where he ministered at the local parish. It is the long-standing custom within the Maronite Catholic Church that married men may become priests.

From a young age, Jousef lived a holy and devout life. Two of his uncles were hermits, and Jousef was inspired by their example. As a youth, he tended the cattle and often spent long periods of prayer in the wilderness while his cattle grazed. He was especially devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary and set up a shrine to her in a nearby cave. From an early age, he knew God was calling him to the priesthood and the monastic life, especially as a hermit.

MONASTERY OF OUR LADY OF ILIGE, MAYFOUK

In 1851, at the age of twenty-three, Jousef left his family, never to return, and entered the Monastery of Our Lady in Mayfouq, of the Maronite Catholic Church. His mother later wrote to him saying, “If you weren’t to be a good religious, I would say to you: Come back home. But I know now that the Lord wants you in His service. And in my pain at being separated from you, I say to him, resigned: May He bless you, my child.” As a newly professed monk, Jousef took the name Sharbel, after Saint Charbel the Martyr, a second century military officer who was martyred in Antioch during a persecution by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

As a monk, Brother Sharbel longed to be a hermit and made the request to his superiors many times. For the first twenty-four years of his religious life, his superiors required that he live in community with the other monks. He was first transferred to the Monastery of Saint Maroun in Annaya where he professed his vows, was then sent to the Monastery of Saints Cyprian and Justina where he studied theology and philosophy, was ordained a priest in 1859 at the age of thirty-one, and returned to the Monastery of Saint Maroun where he remained for the next sixteen years.

  

Though some monks lived as hermits, that vocation was reserved for those who proved themselves capable of such solitude and asceticism. In 1875, at the age of forty-seven, Father Sharbel was given permission to enter the Hermitage of Saints Peter and Paul to live as a hermit after a miraculous event took place. Some of his fellow monks decided to play a prank on him, filling his oil lamp with water. When he returned to his cell, he took his water-filled lamp, lit it, and it burned. When the superiors heard about this, they inspected the lamp and found it to be filled with water. Unable to explain the miracle, the superiors saw it as a sign of his sanctity and agreed to permit him to become a hermit, according to his desire. He was sent to the Hermitage of Saints Peter and Paul where he spent the next twenty-three years in solitude, embracing a strict regime of daily prayer, manual work, and severe asceticism. In 1898, at the age of seventy, Brother Sharbel suffered a stroke while offering Mass and died eight days later on Christmas Eve. He was buried in the ground without a coffin, according to the custom of his order.

Though Saint Sharbel lived a life of extraordinary holiness, it wasn’t until after his death that his holiness became well-known beyond the walls of the monasteries. After his burial, light was seen shining forth from his grave. This phenomenon drew the attention of many villagers who braved the cold and snow to see this mysterious light. After four months, permission was granted by the Church authorities to exhume his body. To the wonderment of all, his body was found to be completely incorrupt. His skin and joints were like one who was sleeping, soft and flexible. He was cleaned of the dirt and mud from his gravesite and placed in a coffin in the monastery chapel. Then something else began to happen. Blood and sweat appeared to be coming forth from his pores, soaking his habit. It was so pronounced that his clothing needed to be changed twice a week. Finally, in 1927, his body was carefully examined by two physicians from Beiurut, placed in another coffin, and sealed in a tomb inside the monastery wall.

A little more than two decades later, a blood-like liquid was seen coming from the corner of the wall behind which Sharbel was buried. In the 1950’s, his tomb was opened three times. One of those times was broadcast on television and attended by high-ranking state officials, religious officials, medical doctors and scientists. In 1965 his body was found, once again, to be incorrupt and exuding the same blood and sweat. Finally, in 1976, the year before his canonization, his body was found to have finally decayed, only the bones remaining. Interestingly, the decay of Sharbel’s body coincided with the early days of the devastating civil war that broke out in Lebanon in 1975. In 1976, the Damour massacre took place. Palestinians attacked the Maronite Christian town. Many of Damour’s residents were killed in battle, massacred, or forced to flee.

 

 

 Ever since Sharbel’s burial, those who have visited his grave have attributed many miracles to his intercession. This was especially the case in the 1950’s when he was found incorrupt after fifty years. At that time, the monks started to keep track of miraculous cures that were attributed to Father Sharbel’s intercession. Within two years, they had a list of more than twelve thousand reported cures. Devotion to him and his incorrupt body spread rapidly. The devotion, coupled with reports of numerous miracles, led to a new evangelization across Lebanon.

God uses us all in varied ways. Saint Sharbel was used after his death to evangelize Lebanon and beyond. In life, he was deeply united to God. He responded to his vocation as a hermit, living a life of daily penance, sacrifice, deep prayer, and humble service as a priest. As a result, he became one of the most influential saints of the past century. Saint Sharbel did great things for the simple reason that he prayed and followed the will of God. Each of us is capable of doing the same. Ponder God’s will for your life today and resolve to fulfill that mission without any hesitation. Doing so will enable our divine Lord to do great things through you in ways that you might not ever even know until Heaven.