Today is the Feast Day of St. Therese of Lisieux, one of my favorite saints since childhood.
Since today is her special day and this week of my blog is dedicated to the angels, I am posting a poem St. Therese wrote to her guardian angel.
May it inspire you to seek the intercession of St. Therese and also that of your guardian angel!
of God as we celebrate two feast days in their honor. We will be looking at their function and mission. I encourage you to read my earlier two posts on the angels if you haven't done so already.
St. Thomas Aquinas, called the Angelic Doctor because of his theological and philosophical study of the angels, tells us that the hosts of heaven are divided into three hierarchies of angels with three choirs in each hierarchy. The angel’s hierarchy and choir are directly related to his function and his divine office.
Happy Feast of the Archangels! Yesterday's post began a short study on the angels. We discussed who the angels are and who the angels are not. Today we are going to take a look at the characteristics of the angels.
Angels are marked by a number of characteristics that are specific to the angelic. First, no two angels are alike. Each of them is a separate and distinct creation, his own species if you will, and each one of them reflects a separate and distinct attribute of God’s divine perfection -- His love, His strength, His goodness. Taken all together, the angels represent the Immensity of God (St. Michael and the Angels, pg. 12).
Tomorrow is the Feast of the Archangels (September 29) and Friday is the Feast of the Guardian Angels (October 2). Because of the importance of the angels in God's plan of salvation, their specific intercession for us and the rampant confusion in our day and time regarding them, my blog will offer a short study on the angels for the next couple of days. Each post will close with a suggestion or practical strategy for you to employ. May these posts be a source of clarity and inspiration for you.
foot of the cross. He witnessed first hand her holy grief and affliction, but witnessed as well her steadfast devotion to her Son and her maternal entrance into his sufferings.
So profound was Mary's witness that St. John records the event in his Gospel account. It was the fulfillment of Simeon's prophesy of the Infant Jesus in the temple: "And a sword will pierce you own heart so that the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed." You can read about that moment in the second chapter of St. Luke's Gospel.
Theologians tell us that Mary's fiat to God, her yes, at the moment of her annunciation was also her yes to the all of the contradictions and sorrows that would accompany her motherhood. And it was the grace-filled strength of that yes that held her under that tree for three long hours as she watched her Son's agonizing death.
Steadfast Cross
Steadfast cross, among all other
Thou art a tree of great prize;
In a branch and flower such another
I ne wot non in wood nor rise.
Sweet be the nails, and sweet be the tree,
And sweeter be the burden that hangs upon thee.
Anonymous from the Middle Ages
Yesterday the Church celebrated the Feast of the Birth of Mary and encouraged us to turn our hearts and our minds to her in a special way. She is, after all, the woman whose "yes" birthed Salvation to the world.
Sadly, however, far too many Catholics are leary of Mary. Some fear that a relationship with her will potentially diminish their relationship with Jesus Christ. They fear that to embrace Mary means to let go of Jesus.
Still other Catholics have fallen sway to the Marian misconceptions propagated by Protestantism and proclaimed by its members. They see devotion to her as unbiblical and in some way a sin against the First Commandment.
And finally, some Catholics believe Mary's intercession isn't important-- why bother if they can go straight to Jesus. After all, wasn't devotion to her simply the invention of misguided (or worse yet, corrupt) clerics from the Middle Ages? Who needs her anyway?
The plain fact is -- we all need Mary! Devotion to Mary is not capricious, it is abundantly beneficial. Devotion to her wasn't started by clerics in the Middle Ages, but by her Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible does not prove Marian devotion is non-essential but actually proves just the opposite .
At the Women of Grace Leadership Institute, Martha Nicolli (Boca Raton, Florida, St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church) shared the following poem.
It had been printed in her parish bulletin. Today, I pass it along to you to consider.
Do you trust God? To what extent are you willing to risk to do the will of God? What is He asking you to do now and will you say "yes"?
We receive many letters and emails about situations in life that are not easily resolved. And yet, we know God has a plan for us in the midst of every circumstance and event. Recently, I heard from a woman who had just discovered her husband of nearly twenty years had been cheating on her.
She was devastated and reeling from the shock. However, she wanted to try to make a go of things and wondered if I had ever heard of a couple who were able to repair the damage caused by such a deep and pervasive marital breach.
My sad reply was, "Not many." And I think there is a reason for this. If a marriage has survived infidelity, I doubt the couple would talk about it freely. It is just too private a matter.
But it occurred to me that if there were an anonymous way for individuals who have healed from this pain to offer encouragement, support, and suggestions for others who were experiencing it, then much good might be accomplished.
