How Many Hours Do You Have in Your Day?
How Many Hours Do You Have in Your Day?
— Read on cristianmihai.net/2019/10/05/how-many-hours-do-you-have-in-your-day/
5 Reasons Why Mary, Not St. Michael, is the True General of God!
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
This prayer is a staple in every Catholic’s spiritual arsenal. I used to believe that St. Michael was the greatest rival to Satan. Over the course of the past few years, my thoughts on spiritual warfare have developed. While I cannot pinpoint a precise date and time on when my thoughts changed, two distinct books influenced my thinking: Fulton Sheen’s The Word’s First Love: Mary, the Mother of God and St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary. Along with a closer reading and re-reading of Sacred Scripture, I have determined that Mary, not St. Michael the Archangel is the true general of God’s army and greatest rival to the Devil!
Insight from Fulton Sheen
According to Catholic Church tradition, the followers of Christ on Earth are known as members of the church militant. When Jesus ascended to Heaven in Acts 1, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide us. He also gave Mary as mother to all of humanity (see John 19:27). Fulton Sheen put it this way, “God gave hope to our disturbed and weak humanity. Oh, yes! He is our Model, but He is also the Person of God! There ought to be, on some human level, Someone who would give humans hope, Someone who could lead us to Christ, Someone who would mediate between us and Christ as He mediates between us and the Father” (The Word’s First Love: Mary, the Mother of God p. 9).
We are called to be soldiers for God in the spiritual battle against the Devil. May we look to Mary as our general to lead and intercede for us on behalf of Jesus- King of Kings!
Insight from St. Louis de Montfort
Arguably the most influential saint of modern times regarding devotion to Mary, St. Louis de Montfort impacted me greatly during the past few years. In reading his True Devotion to Mary, my wife and I participated in our first consecration to Jesus through Mary this spring! My devotion to Mary and understanding of Mariology increased due to the intercession of the 17th century saint. While his entire treatise on Marian devotion is excellent, I will highlight my favorite passage that I bookmarked and underlined in my copy of True Devotion to Mary. De Montfort says,
Satan fears her not only more than angels and men but in a certain sense more than God himself. This does not mean that the anger, hatred and power of God are not infinitely greater than the Blessed Virgin’s, since her attributes are limited. It simply means that Satan, being so proud, suffers infinitely more in being vanquished and punished by a lowly and humble servant of God, for her humility humiliates him more than the power of God (p.52).
When I first read this passage I immediately re-read it. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Did St. Louis really claim Satan fears Mary more than God? The more I reflected on his intrepid claim, the more I saw his logic. The pride of Satan is so debilitating that he must sink to the level of creature-hood. As a part of creation, the devil’s true adversary would need to be a creature, not the Creator—Mary fits that bill better than St. Michael based off my reading of St. de Montfort.
Insight from Genesis
Along with evidence from the Tradition of the Catholic Church, the Bible references Mary’s adversarial role against Satan. A commonly cited Old Testament text on Mariology is Genesis 3:15. Referred to as the proto-evangelium, or pre-Gospel, this text foreshadows Mary’s role in salvation history of being the Mother of God. God’ promise goes as follows, “I will put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel” (Genesis 3:15). Throughout history, Christian art depicted Mary standing triumphant, crushing Satan’s [represented by a snake] skull. Such imagery reminds me of the Blessed Virgin’s role as a spiritual protector and warrior against evil!
Insight from Judith
Marian figures depicted as a warrior continues in the Old Testament with the Book of Judith. Catholic Church tradition connects the title hero of the Book of Judith as an Old Testament prefiguration of Mary. The official public prayer of the Catholic Church—the Liturgy of the Hours— cites Judith 13:17-18 and 13:18-19 on the mid-morning reading on the Feast of the Assumption and the noon reading on the Feast of Mary’s Birthday respectively.
The praise by King Uzziah on Judith mirrors the angel Gabriel’s announcement of Mary as “Blessed among all woman”. The Old Testament monarch declared to Judith, “Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God, above all the women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, the creator of heaven and earth, who guided your blow at the head of the leader of our enemies” (Judith 13:18). Judith helped free the Israelite people from evil. In similar fashion, Mary is depicted as leading the charge against Satanic forces in the world.
Insight from Judges
Another Old Testament figure traditionally interpreted as a type, or foreshadowing of Mary is the judge from the Book of Judges. Judges 5 contains the Song of Deborah which is a hymn proclaiming the wisdom and strength Deborah demonstrated in leading victory over the Israelite’s oppressors. As a good general, Deborah delegated authority to her special forces agent- Jael. It was Jael who snuck into the enemy camp and killed Sisera the evil Canaanite general. According to Franciscan University professor Mark Miraville,
“The crushing of the head of Sisera by Jael and the victory over the Canaanites by Deborah and Barak brings peace for a generation after them. This is also a foreshadowing of the peace Christ and Mary will bring, “through the blood of His Cross,” for all generations!”
Both Scripture and Tradition attest to the prefiguration and eventual role of Mary as general of the Church militant. Seeing Mary as the spiritual commander obedient to the King of all Kings has helped me better understand the honor we bestow on the Blessed Mother. Mary is not greater than the Holy Spirit, rather she is the servant of servants. Let us reflect on the words from the Majestic Queen of Heaven Prayer and ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom to properly treat Mary with respect and dignity:
Majestic Queen of Heaven and Mistress of the Angels, thou didst receive from God the power and commission to crush the head of Satan; wherefore we humbly beseech thee, send forth the legions of heaven, that, under thy command, they may seek out all evil spirits, engage them everywhere in battle, curb their insolence, and hurl them back into the pit of hell. “Who is like unto God?”
O good and tender Mother, thou shalt ever be our hope and the object of our love.
O Mother of God, send forth the holy Angels to defend me and drive far from me the cruel foe.
Holy Angels and Archangels, defend us and keep us.
Why Does God Want Me to Give?
Why Does God Want Me to Give?
— Read on godandi.blog/2019/09/26/why-does-god-want-me-to-give/
Why Does God Want Me to Give?
Why You Should Be a Change Agent in Catholic Church
💡💡💡If you are unhappy with the state of things you can do two things:
1️⃣ Do nothing except complain
2️⃣ Be an agent of change yourself
I used to simply lament about my situation. Vent. Vent. More venting. Some days I took up so much hot air I could have probably filled a hot-air balloon!
Taking perspective and focusing on being more self-aware. According to 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.” Trusting in Jesus has helped to energize me and in turn motivate me to act toward bettering me life.
Saintly Agents in the War on Evil
Athanasius of Alexandria, Catherine of Siena, Francis of Assisi, John Paul II all lived during transitory and tumultuous times. Times when it appeared truth would lose. Cooperating with the Holy Spirit, these saints were granted a tremendous ability to push for change.
More Examples of Change Agents
My literary heroes C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien both lamented about the lack of quality content in their niche. What did they do? They become the leading experts and content creators in the fantasy genre. Without their initiative we would not know about hobbits or the magical world of Narnia 🦁.
Today, I am seeing the Catholic Church in a dismal state. Theological confusion from leadership and abuses scandals test the laity’s faith. This leaves many disengaged & disheartened by the current states of affairs.
Fight or Flight in the Face of Flames?
🔥It is easy to leave a burning building when it is going up in flames. But what if that building contains the very thing that gives you life, excitement, tenacity, peace, joy, courage, & wonder? Would it be so easy to leave?
🔥Our life is not our own. We were created to love God first, others second, & ourselves third.
🔥Do you abandon the ark away from the flames into the watery chaos of the secular world?
🔥Or do you plunge further into the flames of suffering as a means to meet the true fire of God’s love?
🔥Will you be an agent of change or simply complain, do nothing, & eventually leave?
🔥The choice is yours. Be a Change Agent and help cleanse the Church!
Living Out Your Purpose—Transform the World!
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on 🔥.” —St. Catherine of Siena
🔥 You are valuable. Unique. One of a kind. Think about the gifts you have. How can you help others? Those less fortunate than you. Less privileged.
🔥Life is 100% about love. Natural fire destroys. The supernatural fire of divine love transforms.
🔥Catherine did not have the pedigree of a princess or the formal education of a professor.
🔥Her impact on the world and 14th century was because she embraced her role— persistence toward truth and justice. She called out the greed of popes! To me that is the definition of heroism.
🔥St. Catherine has become a major influence in my life. Her writings inspire and give me hope. I consider her my mentor, a best friend, and spiritual sister.
🔥Embrace Love humbly and truthfully. The result will be an amazing transformation and impact. Love now!
Saints of the New Springtime: Hope for the Catholic Church in 2020 and Beyond
By: Laura Ricketts
- ❗️The annihilation and remaking of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.
- ❗️The looming Amazonian Synod.
- ❗️The defrocked Mr. McCarrick.
- ❗️Archbishop Vigano’s explosive letters.
- ❗️Continuing revelations and investigations in Dioceses across the country relating to the abuse scandals.
- ❗️Unanswered Dubia.
It is no secret that we live in interesting and even troubling times. Such scandals remind us of the papacies of old. Jealousies, subterfuge, and politics were par for the course. When priests and prelates had factions and the talk of schism was real and present. It can lead even the most faithful among us to ask, “What are we to do?”
The Timeless Answer
The answer has already been given to us.
“Be not afraid.” This phrase is mentioned more than 365 times!
Saint Pope John Paul II also reminded us to never fear. The Polish pope left both an example to follow and the seeds of hope. Almost 20 years after his passing, a New Springtime is upon the Church.
As long ago as 1990, in Redemptor Hominis, John Paul II was speaking of this New Springtime. For those who grew up in the “JPII Generation,” many of us thought and hoped that it would mean a dramatic and unmistakable revival. A huge event. But that is often not how God works.
The seeds of this New Springtime were planted by the Polish Pope himself, in the hearts and minds of the young people to whom he felt a special connection and responsibility. Those “young people” are now the mothers, fathers, religious, priests, young and brave bishops who are coming into their own within the Church. They are professors, teachers, and theologians. They are catechists and pastors. And they have the example of John Paul II to follow to navigate these interesting times.
Impact of the Family
When he was Fr. Karol, John Paul II met with what came to be known as the “Little Family” (Mala Rodzina) and grew into what was called “Srodowisko.” This gathering of lay people with Fr. Karol helped him form his thoughts about love, man, and marriage, family—later known as Theology of the Body. He remarked that this little family became like his family. This experience formed the foundation of his Christological humanism and later, his first encyclical, Redeptor Hominis—the Redeemer of Man.
Hope During the Storms
What a beautiful way to follow the late pope’s example and to continue to water the flowers of the New Springtime! Within our own families and in our own parishes and communities we can form our own “Srodowiskos.” We can learn with and encourage our own friends, children, families, priests, and neighbors.
With the former Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family removing the study of moral theology from its courses, we, the JPII Generation, can continue to learn and teach and study as John Paul II intended, just as he himself started. We have his Theology of the Body for a text book. We have the writings of Janet Smith, Edward Sri, Pope Benedict XVI, the von Hildebrands, and Mgr Livio Melina, and Fr José Noriega as we continue. We have the sacraments, the Liturgy, and Cardinals like Sarah and Arinze to encourage us as we strive to be Holy and to help each other on the way to Heaven.
With the Amazonian Synod threatening to shake the foundations we know to be unshakeable, we have the Deposit of the Faith that is unchangeable. We have recourse to the Blessed Mother, to whom John Paul II constantly turned and consecrated himself and the Church. We can repeat after him, “Totus Tuus ego sum, et omnia mea tua sunt!”
Trust God Wholeheartedly
Despite the whispers of schism, allegations, accusations, and denials flying, we can have confidence that even in the most difficult of circumstances God’s Will shall prevail. Truth always shines forth in the end!
If Divine Providence can orchestrate the election of man who saw all of his family members die by his 20th birthday, survived WWII, withstood dangerous communist regimes, and survived an assassination attempt, imagine what He can do when we follow the example of John Paul II. Be one of the saints of the New Springtime!
Laura is a wife, mother, and the wearer of many hats. She is a Client and Marketing Manager for And Then There Were None, and a Birth and Bereavement Doula for her ministry FiLumena Birth and Bereavement. She is certified in Psychological First Aid and Grief and Loss Counseling. When she isn’t wearing one of those hats she can be found reading about her hero and spiritual father, Pope St. John Paul II, kayaking, crocheting, or exploring with her husband, her kids and her cats in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia! Check out her content at filumenabirth.com and Prolifewomen.com.
On the Eucharist and Education—Returning to Catholic Basics in 2019
📍The #Eucharist is the most precious and powerful gift in the world.
📍 #Catechesis has to start in the home, but it is continued and supported by the community of believers.
📍My three year old son recognizes the importance of the Mass. Every week during the Eucharistic prayer he shout “I see Body of Christ. I want to get more Body of Christ.”
📍Through his simple utterance I have learned so much about our faith. Children can be great teachers.
📍Should we not return the favor ourselves?
👍Stellar work Pete Socks and your team at Catholic Brain Educators! The Catholic Church is blessed by your gifts.
#catholic #catholiceducation
Learn more about the importance of the sacrament of the Eucharist in the link ⤵️
http://www.catholicbraineducators.com/returning-to-faith-in-the-eucharist/