“It is love alone that gives worth to all things.” – St. Teresa of Avila (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From the first instruction by Saint Vincent of Lerins, priest
Is there to be no development of religion in the Church of Christ? Certainly, there is to be development and on the largest scale.
Who can be so grudging to men, so full of hate for God, as to try to prevent it? But it must truly be development of the faith, not alteration of the faith. Development means that each thing expands to be itself, while alteration means that a thing is changed from one thing into another.
The understanding, knowledge and wisdom of one and all, of individuals as well as of the whole Church, ought then to make great and vigorous progress with the passing of the ages and the centuries, but only along its own line of development, that is, with the same doctrine, the same meaning and the same import.
The religion of souls should follow the law of development of bodies. Though bodies develop and unfold their component parts with the passing of the years, they always remain what they were. There is a great difference between the flower of childhood and the maturity of age, but those who become old are the very same people who were once young. Though the condition and appearance of one and the same individual may change, it is one and the same nature, one and the same person.
The tiny members of unweaned children and the grown members of young men are still the same members. Men have the same number of limbs as children. Whatever develops at a later age was already present in seminal form; there is nothing new in old age that was not already latent in childhood.
There is no doubt, then, that the legitimate and correct rule of development, the established and wonderful order of growth, is this: in older people the fullness of years always brings to completion those members and forms that the wisdom of the Creator fashioned beforehand in their earlier years.
If, however, the human form were to turn into some shape that did not belong to its own nature, or even if something were added to the sum of its members or subtracted from it, the whole body would necessarily perish or become grotesque or at least be enfeebled. In the same way, the doctrine of the Christian religion should properly follow these laws of development, that is, by becoming firmer over the years, more ample in the course of time, more exalted as it advances in age.
In ancient times our ancestors sowed the good seed in the harvest field of the Church. It would be very wrong and unfitting if we, their descendants, were to reap, not the genuine wheat of truth but the intrusive growth of error.
On the contrary, what is right and fitting is this: there should be no inconsistency between first and last, but we should reap true doctrine from the growth of true teaching, so that when, in the course of time, those first sowings yield an increase it may flourish and be tended in our day also.
I watched a friend at prayer.
From the moment her eyes
Met Yours on the Cross,
She was enraptured.What is it that passes between like souls?
The gulf between You, God,
And Your creature is unfathomable,
Yet, Your love spans the distance and dissimilarity
With the intimacy of a mother
Suckling her infant,
All giving, all gift and all grace.I watched my friend at prayer.
The world about her changed.
A holy space surrounded her,
As angels hurried to and fro,
Now bowing, now prostrate, now adoring.All prayer unites,
As earth receives its Savior-God,
As Man exercises dominion,
Freed from Sin and chains.Angels in swift flight,
Aloft on mission-wings ,
Now ascending,
Now descending.Peace on earth
To men of good will,
As Time and Eternity kiss,
Love knowing no distance.I watched my friend at prayer,
As her prayer became my prayer,
You drawing all to Yourself.
Draw me now,
And all will in turn
Run after the odor of Your ointments.©2011 Joann Nelander
Today is the memorial of St. Padre Pio of Pieltrelcina. This letter comes from the book, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (Letters III). More on this somewhat difficult to obtain Italian book, in English, at the bottom.
J.M.J.D.F.C.
Dear daughter of Jesus,
May your heart always be the temple of the most holy Trinity; may Jesus increase in your soul the ardour of his love and may he always smile on you as on all souls whom he loves. May most holy Mary smile on you throughout all the events of your life, and abundantly replace the earthly mother you lack.
May your good guardian angel always watch over you; may he be your guide on the rugged path of life. May he always keep you in the grace of Jesus and sustain you with his hands so that you may not stumble on a stone. May he protect you under his wings from all the snares of the world, the devil and the flesh.
Have great devotion, Annita, to this good angel; how consoling it is to know that near us is a spirit who, from the cradle to the tomb, does not leave us even for an instant, not even when we dare to sin. And this heavenly spirit guides and protects us like a friend, a brother.
But it is extremely consoling to know that this angel prays without ceasing for us; offers to God all our good actions, our thoughts, our desires, if they are pure.
For pity’s sake, don’t forget this invisible companion, always present, always ready to listen to us and even more ready to console us. O delightful intimacy, O delightful company! If we could only understand it!
Always keep him present to your mind’s eye. Often remember the presence of this angel; thank him, pray to him, always keep him good company. Open up yourself to him and confide your suffering to him. Have a constant fear of offending the purity of his gaze. Know this and keep it well imprinted on your mind. He is so delicate, so sensitive. Turn to him in times of supreme anxiety and you will experience his beneficial help.
Never say you are alone in sustaining the battle against your enemies. Never say you have nobody to whom you can open up and confide. You would do this heavenly messenger a grave wrong.
As regards those interior locutions, don’t worry but be calm. What you must avoid is that your heart becomes attached to these locutions. Don’t give too much importance to them; show that you are indifferent. Neither despise love, nor long for such things. Always reply to these voices: “Jesus, if it is you who are speaking to me, let me see the facts and the effects of your words, that is, holy virtue in me.”
Humble yourself before the Lord and confide in him, spending your energies by divine grace, in practicing the virtues, and then let grace work in you as God wishes. It is virtue which sanctifies the soul and not supernatural phenomena.
And don’t confuse yourself by trying to understand which locutions come from God. If God is their author, one of the principle signs is that as soon as those voices are heard, they fill the soul with fear and confusion, but afterwards, they leave a divine peace. On the contrary, when the author of internal locutions is the devil, they begin with a false security, followed by agitation and an unspeakable malaise.
I do not doubt at all that God is the author of those locutions, but one must be very cautious because often, the enemy mixes a lot of his own work through them. But this must not frighten you; this is the trial to which even the greatest saints and most enlightened souls were subjected, and they were acceptable to the Lord. You must simple be careful never to believe in these locutions too easily, especially when they concern how you must behave and what you must do. But you must receive them and submit them to the judgment of him who directs you. Then you should resign yourself to his decision.
Therefore it is best to receive similar locutions with great caution and constant indifference. Behave in this way and everything will increase your merit before the Lord. Don’t worry about your spiritual life; Jesus loves you and very much, and you try to correspond to his love by always advancing more and more in holiness before God and men.
Pray vocally also; as the time has not yet come to leave these prayers, and patiently and humbly bear the difficulties you experience in doing this. Be ready, also, to undergo distractions and aridity, and you must by no means neglect prayer and meditation. It is the Lord who wishes to treat you in this manner for your spiritual advantage.
Forgive me if I end here. Only God knows how much it cost me to write this letter. I am very ill; pray a great deal that the Lord may desire to free me from this body soon.
I bless you along with the excellent Francesca. May you live and die in the arms of Jesus.
F. Pio
This is a three volume series out of Italy and is the 2nd Edition (English). It was not easy to get these books and you must read carefully anything you find at Amazon because they are selling the Italian version. Fr. Perrone originally ordered them for us after he found the books when traveling in Italy.
The letters they had for Padre Pio were broken down into the volumes, to whom they were directed. One volume covers his letters to spiritual directors, another to his spiritual daughters, and the third to his friend Rafaela.
Note that website has multiple language icons at the top, including English (I would be careful about subscribing to anything without checking the language. If anything, use the contacts page to find out if there are any vendors here in the US carrying the book. Catholic book sellers should contact them to stock the book here in the US.
I believe the Assumption Grotto Gift Shop has it stocked. You can call the gift shop and leave a message for them to contact you back. We don’t have a website, but they will ship things out if you ask. The best time to actually reach someone would be weekdays around 8:45 AM to 9:30 AM. (313) 332-4432
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Pope Francis. Credit: Stephen Drsicoll/CNA.“Every unborn child, although unjustly condemned to be aborted, has the face of Jesus Christ, the Lord’s face,” Pope Francis said, adding that like Christ, these aborted children experience the rejection of the world.
The Holy Father asked doctors “who are called to take care of human life in its initial phase” to remind people that “in all its phases and at any age, human life is always sacred.”
“This is a commitment to the new evangelization that often requires going against the current,” he added in his Sept. 20 address. “The Lord counts on you to spread the ‘Gospel of Life.’”
The comments come one day after the publication of an extensive interview with Pope Francis, conducted by the Jesuit-run Italian newspaper La Civiltà Cattolica and translated into English by U.S. Jesuit magazine America.
In the interview, the Pope called Christians to proclaim moral truths in the context of the Gospel and Jesus Christ rather than as “disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently.”
“We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible,” he said. Rather, “when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context,” allowing moral issues to flow from the proclamation of the Gospel.
Several commenters and media outlets interpreted the Pope’s remarks as a shift in Church teaching on moral issues. However, the Holy Father – who has spoken out against abortion several times during his papacy – also explained in the interview that the “teaching of the Church, for that matter, is clear and I am a son of the Church.”
Speaking today before a meeting sponsored by the International Federation of Associations of Catholic Physicians, Pope Francis emphasized the doctor’s role in protecting and promoting all life, which, from the unborn to the elderly, “carries the face of Christ.”
“In the fragile human being each of us is invited to recognize the face of the Lord, who in his human flesh experienced the indifference and loneliness that often condemn the poorest” members of society, he said.
The Pope lamented the “widespread mentality of profit, the ‘throwaway culture,’ which now enslaves the hearts and minds of many,” and “requires the elimination human beings, especially if they are physically or socially weaker.”
“Our response to this mentality is a firm and unhesitating ‘yes’ to life,” he emphasized.
The Holy Father noted that the defense of life in all stages “has become in recent years a real priority of the Magisterium of the Church,” especially with regard to the “most defenseless,” the unborn, elderly and sick.
He noted that, paradoxically, in medicine today, “the health professions are sometimes induced to disregard life itself” while at the same time trying to care for patients.
“The paradoxical situation can be seen in the fact that while the person is given new rights, sometimes only presumed rights, life as a primary value and basic right of every man is not always protected,” he said.
But despite the culture’s denial, the “final objective of doctor is always the defense and promotion of life,” Pope Francis affirmed.
Doctors must not discard life, which is at the center of social development, he emphasized. The intrinsic dignity of the human person is beyond any measurable worth, and no human life is “more sacred” or “more significant” than another.
With this understanding of the human person, he challenged the doctors present to “be witnesses and speakers of this ‘culture of life,’” helping the contemporary culture to recognize “the transcendent dimension” of human life from “the moment of conception.”
The Pope encouraged doctors to pray for “the strength to do your job well and to witness with courage.”
Be Holy! 
http://wp.me/p3NlHB-116
Mary is not a Co-redeemer, or co- redemptrix, …
Mary is not god, she is Not the saviour of the World…
Jesus christ Alone is the saviour of the world,
NO ONE comes to the father i.e.. God, But by Him,,
Acts 4:12
You need to get yourself a bible…preferably a king james bible and get a ‘reality’ check up..!!
Jesus christ Alone is the saviour of the world,
NO ONE comes to the father i.e.. God, But by Him,,
Acts 4:12
The pre-fix “co” means “with”
Luke 1: 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit”
Matt 2:1111After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Mary was the instrument of God’s chosing, whose consent God asked and honored. She is no more or less than the instrument God used to bring about Salvation when sending His Son into the world. Jesus spend 30 years with her and looked down upon her from His Cross when his friends had abandoned Him.
Jesus Christ is the sole Author of Salvation, which he purchased with HIS Blood on the Cross.
Two Other Persons participated big time in authoring Salvation and that is presented in Genesis. All Three Person are the One and Only God. Mary is not God. Mary is His lowly handmaid as she herself proclaims in all humility. What a glorious instrument in the Hands of God!
Mary, Virgin, Mother of God,
The perfectly fashioned,
And tuned instrument,
A violin,
In the hands of God,
As He plays His music
For the Son.
©2012 Joann Nelander
Mary is never described as Mother of God in the Scriptures.
The 3 magi did not worship Mary though..
You are right when you say Mary is not God and that the 3 magi did not worship Mary, neither do Catholics! According to the Catholic Church “latare” is the worship we offer only to God. “dulia” is reverence we give to those we should honor according to their office and mertit, and hyper-dulia the the reverence we owe Mary for her unique role according to God’s plan and Word. The Church is very careful in how it carries out the commandment to “honor your mother and father” as was Jesus who rightly honored His mother though He was also her God and her Son.
I do not disrespect Mary…But I will not venerate her, or attempt to pray to her, or in her name….
I agree that mary was a chosen vessel unto God,…But Mary said herself, that whatever jesus says…
that Do,…
but the catholic so called church does not do that.
I really think that not having anything to do with the catholic so called church is the best course of action..
stick to what the Bible says…
I hope you will not take offence when I say that….
Be careful when you disrespect the Catholic Church. They gave us the New Testament scriptures which we both venerate i.e. hold in high regard.
We certainly agree with Mary as she said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” I can only assume that you would agree that Jesus obeyed the commandments His Father gave and more than any other person, most perfectly, honored his motheer (4th commandment)
Honor:Synonyms:
verb: honour, respect, esteem, venerate, revere, dignify
noun: honour, credit, respect, homage, dignity, glory
The Catholic Church seeks only to imitate Christ in this and no more honor given to His mother is possible. If we can imitate Jesus in this we will be honoring the command Mary gave the servants.
I seriously doubt whether Jesus actually needed to learn anything at all from Mary..
She was born a sinner, died a sinner,
she did not die a virgin,…and she does not have it in her power to save anyone…
Mary was a disciple of jesus christ, and had to believe in jesus christ as lord, and saviour, to be saved herself…
which of course meant she would have had to acknowledge/repent of her sins, just like any other person..
Mary was indeed a blessed person,
but she was Not God, and Not to be prayed to.
(Not that I believe it possible to pray to Mary )…
Have you ever spent 9 months contemplating a single, solitary word? We’ll, Mary did! That word was “the Word”, spoken by God before all Ages for the glory of God and the Salvation on Man. That Word was taking flesh from her flesh and drawing nourishment fro her blood. Such is the Mystery of the Christ’s meekness and humility, coming forth according to the Father’s Will.
Mary “contemplated these things in her heart.”
In everything, “Mary was with child by the Holy Spirit.” Her “fiat” welcomed and began the unfolding of a divine mystery that now embraces us to be with God in the evangelization of all peoples throughout Time unto Eternity.
Joann Nelander
lionessblog.com