The Church and the world need saints! And all the baptized without exception are called to be saints!
Pope John Paul II
"... Every generation has its saints ..."
Steubenville 2013
Why is it still winter.
Happy the man whose words issue from the Holy Spirit and not from himself.
Saint Anthony of Padua
Dear young men and women, I say this to you in all seriousness: have high ideals: everyone can reach the heights, not just a few! Be saints! But is it possible to be saints at your age? Certainly! St. Ambrose, the great saint of your city, says this too in one of his works: “Every age is ripe for Christ” (“De virginitate,” 40). And above all this is demonstrated by the witness of many saints who are your own age, like Domenico Savio or Maria Goretti. Sanctity is the normal path for Christians: it is not only for a few chosen ones, but is open to all. Naturally, [this can be done] with the light and the power of the Holy Spirit – which we will not lack if we raise up our hands and open our heart! – and with the help of Our Mother.
Pope Benedict XVI (June 2, 2012)
Source: zenit.org
The eyes of this world see no further than this life, as mine see no further than this wall when the church door is shut. The eyes of the Christian see deep into eternity.
Saint John Vianney
This is all I desire: to be where God wants me to be.
Bishop Frederic Baraga (1797-1868, servant of God who died in Michigan and whose cause for beatification is ongoing)
Let us learn to cast our hearts into God.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
fathershane reblogged
Even as we are invited by Jesus to become saints, we also recognize that He did not enter this world only for those who were living as saints. He did not found the Church only for saints. In His earthly ministry, Jesus was always found with sinners, and so He founded this Church for sinners, for people like you and me, that we might, by faith in Him and by His grace, become saints. To some extent, in all honesty we could say, Christ is always with sinners still today, because that is all He has to work with!
Bishop Paul Etienne (Cheyenne)
fathershane reblogged
“Communion of Saints. — How shall I explain it? You know what blood-transfusions do for the body? Well that is more or less what the Communion of Saints does for the soul.” -St.Josemaria Escriva
Hi Father. Lately I have been very curious as to what the Church's teaching is on Catholic interaction (through prayer and Bible study) with other Christian denominations (most directly Protestants). I understand the major differences, and clearly I don't agree with their disbelief and belittlement of people that we revere so much such as Mother Mary and the Saints. I also know that our Bibles vary in some ways. But is ok for us to pray and listen to their biblical interpretations? or should we
Sorry to take forever to get back to you!!!!!!!!!
The rest of your question, for the record, was "stick with just us Catholics? I feel like no matter what, we should praise the Lord with anyone we can, but to what extent should Catholics be involved with non Catholics? Thank you for your time and may God bless you."
Sure, we definitely all have a lot to gain from hanging around each other. There's no way we can all work to make Jesus' desire for unity a reality!
If you're confident about your Catholic faith, then you believe that you bring a lot to your Protestant friends: namely, gifts like the Eucharist and Confession that they haven't received in their tradition. And you know as well that they can often teach you a whole lot about enthusiasm for your faith as well as -- of course -- love for the Scriptures and knowledge of them. As the YouCat puts it, "All of the gifts present there, for example, Sacred Scripture, sacraments, faith, hope, love, and other charisms, come originally from Christ. Where the Spirit of Christ lives, there is an inner dynamic leading toward 'reunion,' because what belongs together wants to grow together" (#130).
They have gifts you need, and you have gifts they need. You have to believe that. It's not about just "convincing" them of something or trying to ward off those who convince you of things. It's not about the head or even the heart... it's about God's desires for all of us.
It was human hardness of heart that drove us apart: that's the only way that books of the Bible could be jettisoned in the Reformation (God's inspired Word!) and that Catholics of the time could be so turned against reconciliation. None of us nowadays were responsible for what happened, but we all live with the consequences.
That's where contemporary attitudes come from too: Hardness of heart and of mind is still with us, so that's something to keep in mind and to be realistic about. Sure, you can listen in on other Biblical interpretations, but make sure you know what Catholicism says first. After all, if we really believe that the Biblical interpretation of Popes and Councils down through the centuries have the Spirit's action as the guarantee of their accuracy, then we can't not be loyal to them.
So to be brief: We're all in this together. Catholics need to be involved for Protestants' sake, and Protestants need to be involved for Catholics' sake. Anyone who says otherwise is living in secret fear of the Truth. And we all need to be friends and fellow Christians and missionaries to this world, or we're not really worthy of the names we call ourselves.
God bless you!
- Father Shane
New American Women Saints
This is happening! Glory be to God!
On December 19, Pope Benedict XVI approved a series of decrees by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, advancing a number of candidates toward canonization or beatification.
In 7 cases, involving candidates who have already been beatified, the decrees testified to the authenticity of a miracle attributed to the candidate’s intercession. This fulfills the requirements for canonization in these cases. They include two American women.
- Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680), the “Lily of the Mohawks,” was born in upstate New York and lived both there and in Canada. Baptized by Jesuit missionaries on Easter Sunday in 1676, she died in Quebec 4 years later. Her reputation for sanctity spread quickly, and in 1980 she was beatified by Pope John Paul II. She was the first Native American to be beatified, and will be the first canonized.
- Blessed Marianne Cope (1838-1918) was born in Germany—her name was originally Barbara Koob--but her family moved to the US shortly after her birth. Entering the Franciscan order, she was a teacher and hospital administrator, and eventually a religious superior. In 1883 she and her community moved to Hawaii to care for victims of leprosy, and she continued the St. Damien among the lepers of Molokai. She was beatified in 2005.
Source: catholicculture.org
Anonymous asked:
hi im catholic. my born-again christian friend ask me, why catholics have this symbols/images of Jesus Christ and saints? she said its wrong according to Exodus 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. I dont know the answer. please provide one bec im confused also.
A very important question... The answer is complex! After all, God commands Moses to make statues in Exodus 25 for the Ark of the Covenant, of all things! Here's a very complete answer to your question.
God bless you!
- Father Shane