JULY 31, 2010 - St. Ignatius of Loyola

St. Ignatius Loyola was born to a noble family in Spain in 1491.He had a very good education. He became a soldier of reknown. He was wounded in a battle in Pamplona, Spain and was confined in bed for some months. While sick, he read many books mostly on the life of Christ. and of the saints. He experienced a religious conversion and later, went to the pilgrimage shrine of the Miraculous Black Madonna in Montserrat near Barcelona, Spain. He had an all-night vigil before our Lady of Monserrat, laid down his sword and dagger before Her and promised to be a Knight of Christ. He stayed in Manresa and lived a contemplative life although offered some hours of volunteer work in a hospital. By studying his life especially his prayer life, he wrote a Book of Spiritual Exercises in order to help others follow Jesus Christ more closely and be a genuine child of God.

The Book of Spiritual Exercises written in 1527 as a handbook of four weeks of meditations : first week on sin and its consequences; second week on Christian life on earth; third week on the Passion of Christ and the fourth week on the Risen Life of Christ. It included a number of instructions called Rules to teach one how to pray and how to elect a vocation in life without being swayed by the love of self or of the world. Nowadays, expositions on these Spiritual Exercises are done during retreats or in missions held during Lent.

St. Ignatius Loyola put the Anima Christi, an ancient prayer in the beginning of his Book of Spiritual Exercises. Hence, its authorship was attributed to him for some time. But many writers had proved that Anima Christi was already in print and found in many manuscripts or prayer books of Popes a hundred years before the saint was born. It is possible that St. Ignatius used the ancient prayer because of its association with the Catholic concept of the Holy Eucharist and the Passion of Christ.

By the way, do you know that the Anima Christi is the prayer said
AFTER receiving COMUNION ?

For those who need to refresh their memory, here it is:

Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me,
Water from the side of Christ, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
Oh, Good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds, hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malignant enemy, defend me
At the hour of my death, call me
Bid me come to Thee
That with Thy saints I may praise Thee
Forever and ever. Amen.

On August 15, 1534, St. Ignatius Loyola gathered six young colleagues from the University of Paris, including St. Francis Xavier at the crypt of the Church of St. Denis in Montmarte, Paris. They called themselves, "The Company of Jesus" or "Friends of the Lord" because they felt they were placed together by Christ. They professed vows of poverty, chastity and obedience especially obedience to the Pope. As more members came into the group, they learned by experience how prayer and penance can be combined with teaching and study. The Society of Jesus, as the group later became known , was approved by Pope Paul III on August 15, 1540 and permitted them to be ordained as priests. Their ideal was to strive for the propagation of the faith, do hospital work and do missionary work in Jerusalem. They believe that the only purpose why we live is to love, to serve and to give glory to God!The study and the obedience to Scripture is a priority in the life of a Jesuit.

The Jesuits, today, form the largest single order of priests and brothers in the Catholic Church. Their contribution lie largely in education and in missionary work. They founded schools throughout Europe, the Americas, Asia and the other continents of the world. Education is the principal and distinct ministry of the Society of Jesus. Jesuit schools played an important role in winning back to Catholicism European countries which were predominantly Protestant then such as Poland and Lithuania.

St. Ignatius Loyola died on July 31, 1556 in Rome and was canonized by Pope Gregory XV on May 22, 1620. His body lies under the altar of the Church of Gesu in Rome.

This prayer on GENEROSITY was written by St. Ignatius Loyola:

Teach me, Oh Lord, to be generous

To serve you as you deserve
To give and not to count the cost
To fight and not to heed the wounds
To toil and not to seek for rest
To labor and not to ask for reward
Save that of knowing that I do your will. Amen.

July 31, 2010- St.John Vianney- Feast Aug. 4th

The celebration of the Year of the Priests was proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI from June 2009 to June 2010. It was to commemorate the 150th death anniversary of
St. John Vianney, Patron Saint of Priests. It was also meant to draw attention and appreciation for priests who do so much for the Church- the People of God.

Last July 17, 2010, the relic of St. John Vianney, his heart, visited the Holy Spirit Church in Fremont, California. The HSC was among the few sanctuaries in the Diocese of Oakland chosen to host the veneration of the relic. It was a signal honor indeed!

St. John Vianney happens to be among the saints whose "incorrupt" bodies I have been privileged/blessed to see in the pilgrimages I have so far undertaken. My experience of actually seeing the incorrupt bodies of saints who were in their lifetime ordinary people like us has made me more bold to proclaim , "Truly, there is a God!" The fact that I have actually seen the natural law of human decay suspended after decades, nay, in some cases, centuries in these holy men and women has made my faith more deep and impregnable. Also, the experience of being that close to them in their shrines has carved an indelible imprint in my memory. To date, I have seen the incorrupt bodies of St. John Vianney, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Catherine Laboure, St. Bernadette, St. Clare of Assisi, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and St. Padre Pio. A sister who founded a religious order in Caracas, Venezuela who has been declared "Blessed" but whose name I cannot recall at this time, is also incorrupt after more than 55 years dead at the time of my visit in 1997. Some saints whose whole bodies may not be incorrupt except for only some parts are St. Francis of Assisi, St. Therese of the Child Jesus, St. Faustina and St. Claude de la Colombiere.

St. John Vianney is commonly known as the Cure d' Ars or The Village Priest. He was born in Dardilly, France on May 8, 1786. He grew up as a shepherd and farmer. As a boy, he loved to pray since his mother was a very religious woman. She was constantly teaching him about God and was a frequent church-goer taking John often with her. The influence of his mother was tremendous! He had a special devotion to our Blessed Mother and to St. Philomena. But in school, he struggled in his studies having so little capacity for learning the three R's. He went to a seminary to become a priest but failed twice in Latin. He was the least promising among the students and remained in the lowest quartile of his class. Prayer was his only strong point and was a model for piety. He was one of those of whom St. Paul said, "God chose the weak to confound the wise." The greatest favor God gave John was to befriend Father Balley who saw the seminarian's earnest desire to serve the Lord so that he offered to be his mentor. He exercised the greatest patience in helping his aspiring student.

After a long and difficult struggle, John at age 30 was ordained a priest who could say mass but without the faculty to hear confessions. After two years, the prohibition was lifted and he was assigned to the poorest parish in a tiny remote village called Ars in France. He stayed in Ars for 41 years until his death. His Superior said, " There is not so much love for God in that place. You'll put love into it. " It was poor in material resources and equally poor in the spiritual view. With only 200 inhabitants, there were four taverns because the people were fond of drinking and dancing. Prayer was the most important force in his life and his virtue of humility was of heroic degree. Souls were touched and conversions worked by the power of John's holiness more than by the appeal of his arguments. Soon people became impressed with his selflessness, humility and his powerful love of God. How true is the saying, " The best preacher is the one who loves God the most."

People came to John for confession. He stayed in the confessional from 10 to 13 hours each day though he ate only a meagre meal, slept only for 2 hours to rest and was often tormented by the devil at night. Hundreds to thousands of people came to Ars from all over France and nearby countries to confess to him. While still a priest, the late Pope John Paul II went from Poland to have his Reconciliation with St. John Vianney. Truly, God's thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways! St. John Vianney's weakness; not being allowed to hear confessions at his ordination, later, became his strength.

St. John Vianney organized a most magnificent Feast of Corpus cChristi celebration which became a reason for a yearly pilgrimage of thousands of people from all over France and Europe to Ars. He put Ars in the map of the world!

St. John Vianney died on August 4, 1859 and was canonized in 1925 by
Pope Pius XI. He composed an prayer which runs thus :

Act of Love Prayer

I love you, O my God and my sole desire is to love you
until the last breath of my life
I love you, O infinitely lovable God and I prefer to die loving
you than live an instant without loving you
I love you, O my God and I do not desire anything but heaven
so as to have the joy of loving you perfectly
I love you, O my God and I fear hell because there will not be
the sweet consolation of loving you
O my God, if my tongue cannot say in every moment that I love you
I want my heart to say it in every beat.
Allow me the grace to suffer loving you, to love you suffering
and one day to die loving you and feeling that I love you
And as I approach my end, I beg you to increase and perfect my love for you.

Any pilgrim in Ars will see the incorrupt body of St. John Vianney on the high altar of the huge basilica. Displayed in a room are some crutches of the sick whom our saint healed in the course of his ministry.Thank-you letters, medals and plaques hang on the walls. A small shack standing in a corner of the churchgrounds houses the bedroom of St. John Vianney with the simple wooden bed and a small table showing his Breviary and the instruments of his personal mortification. He indulged in punishing himself with whips having pointed tips as a form of mortification for all the sins confessed to him. Some wounds on his body, however, were those inflicted by the devil who often visited him at night. St. John Vianney is considered one of the most admired and venerated saints of God in being the Patron Saint of Priests.

July 18, 2010 - BIBLE STUDY - For the Day

It is not until the 12th chapter of Genesis that we are able to place a date when God called Abram to go to Canaan. It was about 1850 B.C. At that time Abram was 75 years old. God made him three promises of blessings which later became "covenants." They were the following:

1. A Nation - Made a covenant in Genesis 15 and fulfilled in Moses

2. A Name - A kingdom/dynasty which was made a covenant in
Genesis 17 fulfilled in David

3. A Wordwide Blessing - Made a covenant in Genesis 22 and
fulfilled in Jesus Christ

For today's first Reading, Abraham had his name changed which now means "Father of many nations" and was 99 years old, also, along with all male members of his household have just been circumcised. He was near a terebinth (a small tree that yields resinous liquid , also called a turpentine tree) when three strangers came. He offered food and comfort to the strangers and was assured a son by the same time the next year. Sarai who was within hearing, laughed because she was advanced in years. So, the stranger said that the boy would be named "Isaac" which means laughter.

The Second Reading tells of Paul's role in proclaiming the Gospel. The phrase, "filling up what is lacking in Christ" does not mean that Jesus Christ's work was insufficient. It meant that Paul as an apostle is to complete the preaching of the Gospel by bringing the Good News to places where Christ was never preached. In being an apostle for Christ, Paul explains that suffering is entailed but the suffering is one that purifies and focuses all the more on working head-on for Jesus. He said, "Persecution is "reward" for discipleship.

The Gospel today relates of Jesus being in Bethany where Martha busily prepares food for Him while Mary sits by His feet listening intently to His words. The Gospel shows Jesus acting contrary to the accepted cultural norm of the day in three ways:

1. He is alone with women who are not His relatives
2. He is being served by a woman
3. He is teaching a woman in her own house

In ancient Israel, women were second-class citizens. They amounted to servers, practically subservient to men and are not meant to be seen with men. By being with women, Jesus elevated the status of women, making it known that women deserve recognition and respect.

Todays's Readings and Gospel clearly points out the virtue of "Hospitality."
This is the basic theme which we as followers of Jesus should try to develop in our lives. Sharing is a mark of a child of God!

Another point brought out today is the value of both Active and Contemplative Prayer Life. Christianity needs both Marthas and Marys in our desire to bring Jesus known in this world. Also, the Gospel gives us a lesson in prayer. Martha approaches Jesus with a problem and the solution she wants. Our Blessed Mother at the wedding feast at Cana points out the problem to Jesus and left it up to Him to work out the solution. Do we
"dictate" to Jesus the solution to our problem which He is to do? Or do we lift up our problem to Him and leaves it up to Him to provide the solution in His time and in the form/way He sees fit for us?

By the way, let us remember the acronym - A C T S when we pray.

First, we offer our Adoration and praise to God. A litany of praise on the attributes of God would be wonderful:

Jesus, King of Kings, Praise you, Jesus!
Jesus, Lord of Lords, Praise you, Jesus!
Jesus, The Way,The Truth and The Life, Praise you, Jesus!
Jesus, The Resurrection and The Life, Praise you, Jesus!
Jesus, Our Divine Healer, Praise you, Jesus!
Jesus, My Strength, Praise you, Jesus!
Jesus, My Patience, Praise you, Jesus

Second, we declare our Contrition for our sins
Third, we offer our Thanks for all God's Blessings upon us and our family
Fourth, we state our needs in all forms/ways - Supplication.

July 16, 2010 - Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and also the birthday anniversary of my late mother, Carmen Miranda Calara. So to me this day is doubly significant! My devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel stemmed from what I have seen and observed from my mother during my growing-up years till the time of her passing. She lived a life truly devoted to our Virgin Mary and in every possible way imitated her virtues especially of humility, generosity, and a vibrant prayer life.In one of my older blogs, I narrated my mother's remarkable affinity to Our Lady of Lourdes and the extent to which she managed to hand down to her family especially her daughters said devotion. To this day, our profession of faith is as strong as ever!

Mount Carmel is a coastal mountain range in Northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. On the sloped mountainside is luxuriant vegetation and laurel trees. The steep sides are covered with rocks and many caves. In ancient Canaanite culture, high places were considered sacred. Mount Carmel was held sacred since the 15th Century. The prophet Elijah is associated with this mountain in Jewish, Christian and Islamic thought. In 1 Kings:18 Elijah challenges 450 prophets of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel to determine whose deity was in control of Israel. The challenge was to see which deity could light a sacrifice by fire. After the Baal prophets failed to achieve this, Elijah had water poured over his sacrifice several times and then prostrated himself in prayer. Then fire fell from the sky and consumed the sacrifice. Afterwards, the clouds gathered, the sky turned black and rain fell heavily ending a long drought.

A Catholic religious order was founded on Mount Carmel in the 12th Century by a man named Berthold who was either a crusader or a pilgrim. It was located at the site which was known to be Elijah's Cave - a place where Jewish hermits were supposed to have lived in holy penitence.
Later, a Carmelite monastery was built dedicated to our Blessed Mother in her attribute as "Star of the Sea" - Stella Maris. Elijah's Cave forms the crypt of this monastic church. Inside this grotto is a statue of Elijah and an altar. Right above on a higher level, in fact, the Chapter Room of the Carmelite Monastery, sits the beautiful image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel with Baby Jesus and the Brown Scapular. It was a total surprise for me to see the image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in a sitting position! In the many churches I have so far visited in Asia, Europe and America, She is represented standing with her Baby in her arms with the Brown Scapular. Yes, my daughter, Marissa, and I along with my cousin Joe (God bless his soul), his wife Tina and sister-in-law Nieves had gone on a pilgrimage to Rocamadour, France where our Blessed Virgin sits, enthroned and venerated but not in her title as Lady of Mount Carmel.

The Brown Scapular is a sacramental signifying the wearer's devotion to Mary. Tradition says, that St. Simon Stock, a Prior General of the Carmelite Order had a vision of the Blessed Mother in which She gave him the Brown Scapular promising that those who died wearing it would be saved. In 1996, a doctrinal statement approved by the the Congregation of Divine Worship states that, "The Scapular is both a sign and a pledge - a sign belonging to Mary and a pledge of her motherly protection not only in this life but also after death. It is a sign signifying three elements: firstly, belonging to a religious family consecrated to Mary; secondly, consecration to Mary especially a devotion to her Immaculate Heart; thirdly, a desire to become like Mary by imitating her virtues especially her humility, chastity and spirit of prayer."

The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel every July 16th was instituted in 1376.

My visits to the Carmelites' Stella Maris Church on Mount Carmel have always been exceptionally soul-stirring and edifying because of the magnificent setting of the place. It is situated on the highest mountain terrain which happens to be a promontory. As such, it shoots out into the lovely Mediterranean Sea. Looking at the slow rolling waves of the royal blue waters of this fabled sea in rhythmic cadence with the soft caress of a gentle breeze on my dry, wrinkled face lifts me up into heavenly bliss! To me, it is a touch of heaven on earth! I inevitably associate the scenery with Jesus as He says, "I am the Spring of Living Water!"