This Friday we celebrate the Feast of St. Bernadette Soubirous. She was the humble, peasant girl, on whom was bestowed one of the greatest of earthly blessings...to be visited and spoken to by Our Blessed Mother, Mary. It is a remarkable story that sadly, even many Catholics, are not familiar with.
Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he had told her. -Jn 20:11-18 (via USCCB)
Simon Peter said to him, “Master, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later.” Peter said to him, “Master, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times.” - Jn 13:36-38
This Thursday, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, a day very near and dear to the heart of Women of Grace.
You know the scene well. In the sixth month of her cousin Elizabeth's miraculous pregnancy, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” He told her that she would conceive in her womb and bear a son, the Son of the Most High, and His name would be Jesus.
Happy Feast Day of St. Patrick tomorrow! And happy early Solemnity of St. Joseph, which we will celebrate this Friday, March 19th!!!
Wouldn't it be wonderful if the world gave as much acclaim to St. Joseph as they did to St. Patrick? Though we love St. Patrick and all of the wonderful festivities that surround his special day, this year, not only do we celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph, but we do it during the Year of St. Joseph, as proclaimed by our Holy Father, Pope Francis. Shouldn't we mark this occasion in a remarkable way?
One wonderful Catholic tradition is the St. Joseph altar! New Orleans is particularly known for embracing this tradition. Many families and parishes go so far as to compete with each other, with one altar more beautiful than the next. Each is covered in festive decorations and delicious-looking breads, designed to highlight St. Joseph’s special role in salvation history and family life. Here are just a few pictures that can be found across the internet.
St. Joseph Altars in New OrleansIt is fitting that we honor St. Joseph. After all, not only was he the earthly father of Jesus and the spouse of Our Lady, he is the patron of the Universal Church, as proclaimed by Pope John XXIII on March 19, 1961. On the occasion of his proclamation, he prayed:
"O St. Joseph!
Here, here is where you belong as Protector Universalis Ecclesiae! ... Always be our protector. May thy inner spirit of peace, of silence, of good work, and of prayer for the cause of Holy Church always be an inspiration to us and bring us joy in union with thy blessed spouse, our most sweet and gentle and Immaculate Mother, and in the strong yet tender love of Jesus, the glorious and immortal King of all ages and peoples. Amen." - Pope John XXIII
This week as we pray our Rosary Crusade together, let us ask St. Patrick, and especially St. Joseph to intercede for us, as we embrace each other and our intentions in prayer.
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Can you believe we are about halfway through our Lenten journey?
How is your Lent going? Has it been fruitful? Have you kept your promises to the Lord? Is it time to begin again?
In January, I picked up my old, dusty, worn-out copy of the book, Victories of the Early Martyrs by St. Alphonsus Liguori and have been so inspired by the faith and zeal of our brothers and sisters who lived in the earliest centuries of the Church.
This Saturday is the Feast of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, both Roman martyrs. Their story was recorded by Perpetua's own hand in an account known as The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity.
Lent begins tomorrow. Have you considered what your Lent is going to look like? Will you give something up? Will you take something up?
Last Friday we lost the very talented actor, Christopher Plummer. He rose to fame in a bygone era when men were men and movies that portrayed heroism and virtue were still acceptable. For Catholics, his most notable movies are The Sound of Music and The Scarlet and the Black.
