Catholic convert, wife and mother, killed by the English for the crime of being Catholic

St. Margaret Clitherow

 

Facts

Feastday: March 26

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St. Margaret Clitherow was born in Middleton, England, in 1555, of protestant parents. Possessed of good looks and full of wit and merriment, she was a charming personality. In 1571, she married John Clitherow, a well-to-do grazier and butcher (to whom she bore two children), and a few years later entered the Catholic Church. Her zeal led her to harbor fugitive priests, for which she was arrested and imprisoned by hostile authorities. Recourse was had to every means in an attempt to make her deny her Faith, but the holy woman stood firm. Finally, she was condemned to be pressed to death on March 25, 1586. She was stretched out on the ground with a sharp rock on her back and crushed under a door over laden with unbearable weights. Her bones were broken and she died within fifteen minutes. The humanity and holiness of this servant of God can be readily glimpsed in her words to a friend when she learned of her condemnation: "The sheriffs have said that I am going to die this coming Friday; and I feel the weakness of my flesh which is troubled at this news, but my spirit rejoices greatly. For the love of God, pray for me and ask all good people to do likewise." Her feast day is March 26th

Pray for the Synod, celebrate the Annunciation says Pope Francis

Pope At General Audience: Synod of Bishops Needs Prayers, Not Gossip

Leads Faithful in Prayer for Synod on the Family in October

    

Rome, March 25, 2015 (Zenit.org) Junno Arocho Esteves   

Pope Francis called on the faithful to join in prayers for the Synod of the Family in October

 

Despite heavy rains in Rome this morning, thousands gathered in St. Peter to listen to the Holy Father. "Good morning but it is not a pretty day," the Pope said regarding the weather. He then asked the faithful to give a round of applause for the sick and disabled who were watching the audience from a big screen at the Paul VI audience hall.
The Pope said that he would "pause for prayer" from his catechesis on the family. The feast of the Annunciation, which the Church celebrates today, shows how "profound is the mystery of the Incarnation, as God wanted, which includes not only the conception in the womb of the mother, but also being welcomed in a true family."
After leading the faithful in praying the Hail Mary, the Pope also noted that today is the World Day for Life and the 20th anniversary of St. John Paul II's encyclical Evangelium vitae  (The Gospel of Life).
"The words of my venerable Predecessor remind us that the human couple was blessed by God from the beginning to form a community of love and life, to which He entrusted the mission of procreation," the Pope said. "Christian spouses, celebrating the Sacrament of Matrimony, open themselves to honour this benediction, with the grace of God, for all of life."
The Jesuit Pope went on to say that the Church is committed to the care of the family, saying that the bond between the Church and the family is "sacred and inviolable."
"The Church, as a mother, never abandons the family, even when it is disheartened, wounded, and mortified in so many ways; it will always do everything to seek to cure and heal it, to invite it to conversion and to reconcile it with the Lord," he said.
'We Need Prayers, Not Gossip'
Pope Francis proposed that the Church once again renew prayers for the Synod of Bishops on the family, in order for the Church to "be animated by the compassion of the Good Shepherd."
The Holy Father continued his appeal saying that the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful are called to pray for the Synod.
"There is need of this, not of gossip!" he exclaimed. "I also invite those who feel far away, or who are not accustomed to do so, to pray. This prayer for the Synod on the Family is for the good of everyone."
Concluding his address, Pope Francis recited a prayer with the faithful, calling on them to recite it often for the Synod of Bishops.
Below is a translation of the prayer:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
In you we contemplate
The splendor of true love,
We turn to you with confidence.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
Make our families, also,
Places of communion and cenacles of prayer,
Authentic schools of the Gospel,
And little domestic Churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth
May our families never more experience
Violence, isolation, and division:
May anyone who was wounded or scandalized
Rapidly experience consolation and healing.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
May the upcoming Synod of Bishops
Reawaken in all an awareness
Of the sacred character and inviolability of the family,
Its beauty in the project of God.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Hear and answer our prayer. Amen.

Lord of the Rings and the Feast of the Annunciation

The Secret Connection Between The Lord of the Rings and the Annunciation

by John Carswell on March 25, 2015 •

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“I know exactly what you mean by the order of Grace; and of course by your references to Our Lady, upon which all my own small perception of beauty both in majesty and simplicity is founded.” (172)

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In a 1953 letter to Father Robert Murray, Tolkien admitted that “The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision” (172). Tolkien meant that “the religious element was absorbed in the story and the symbolism” (172). While the story contains no explicit reference to Catholicism or Christianity, it is nevertheless heavily infused with them. It is true that Tolkien abhorred allegory and preferred to write stories without heavy and direct symbolism. Nevertheless, on this Feast of the Annunciation, it is worth noting one very clear and quite intentional reference to Tolkien’s faith at the heart of The Lord of the Rings.

The Annunciation – Henry Osawa Tanner – Public Domain

Eucatastrophe & the Incarnation

Do you, like me, tear up when you read the last several chapters of The Lord of the Rings? Do you find that your heart swells when you consider Frodo’s agonizing sacrifice and Sam’s unflagging devotion to his friend and master? Does your soul ring out like a church bell as the Ring is destroyed and the dominion of Sauron comes to a crashing halt?
Tolkien coined the term “eucatastrophe” in reference to the “happy turn” in storytelling, and especially in fairy-tales. (FYI, for Tolkien, a fairy-tale was not a story about little sprites, but a story about dragons, warriors, and strange worlds). He employed eucatastrophe frequently in his stories in order to achieve the effect one feels at these great moments, when hopeless causes come to unexpected triumph, when what was horribly wrong is made gloriously right by a providential twist.
In fact, Tolkien referred to the Birth of Christ as “the eucatastrophe of Man’s history” (72), so it follows then that the Annunciation, when Mary consented to being the God-bearer, is the beginning of this great eucatastrophe. And don’t tell me there weren’t dragons involved! After all, the Annunciation was the quiet moment at which she first crushed the head of the serpent, beginning mankind’s “happy turn” away from evil, slavery, and death.

The Destruction of the Ring

The destruction of One Ring and the end of Sauron’s dominion occurs on March 25th, the same date as the Feast of the Annunciation. And what’s really cool about this is that Tolkien intended it to be a direct connection. In the work Nomenclature (now included in The Lord of the Rings: A Reader’s Companion) he indicated as much.
You see, Tolkien had intended his Middle-earth tales to be something like a pre-Christian mythological history for England. In a way, he connected Middle-earth with our own world, and so it would seem that this rather explicit connection is his way of submitting the tale to its Catholic roots. It’s so cool to consider that Frodo and Sam’s fulfillment of their quest in some way foreshadows the greater redemption that was to come.

Mary & the Hobbits

It should also be noted that in this same letter, Tolkien refers to Mary as “Our Lady, upon which all my own small perception of beauty both in majesty and simplicity is founded” (172). In a way, hobbits are an important reflection of “beauty both in majesty and simplicity.” While there are great battles happening on the Pelennor Fields and at the Gates of Mordor, the more important battle is fought by Frodo and Sam against the temptation of the Ring. The willing self-sacrifice of the hobbits betokens its own heroic beauty.
Elsewhere, Tolkien had spoken of his conviction “that the great policies of world history, ‘the wheels of the world’, are often turned not by Lords and Governors, even gods, but by the seemingly unknown and weak” (xvii). How fitting! The hobbits, like Mary, are the “unknown and weak,” the figures who achieve a mighty victory while the eyes of the great are elsewhere. In his short story “Leaf By Niggle“, Tolkien similarly profiles the destiny of a “little man” who is all but forgotten and written off by the powers of this world but finds the unrecognized works of his life taking on eternal significance.
One need not be knowledgeable or even aware of Tolkien’s Catholicism to enjoy The Lord of the Rings for the masterpiece that it is. However, I would strongly contend that to be more knowledgeable of these elements leads to an even greater appreciation of the story’s richness, and of the ideas going through Tolkien’s own mind. In the end, one of the greatest functions of literature and other art is to express that which seems inexpressible otherwise. Tolkien’s Catholicism undergirds The Lord of the Rings, and further reveals its majesty and beauty.

And today we also remember the Good Thief

St. Dismas

 

Facts

Feastday: March 25

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All that is known of Dismas is that he is the Good Thief crucified with Christ on Calvary. The other thief is known as Gestas. A completely unsubstantiated myth from the Arabic Gospel of the Infancy that enjoyed great popularity in the West during the Middle Ages had two thieves who held up the Holy Family on the way to Egypt. Dismas bought off Gestas with forty drachmas to leave them unmolested, whereupon the Infant predicted that they would be crucified with Him in Jerusalem, and that Dismas would accompany Him to Paradise. His feast day is March 25th.

The Feast of the Annunciation; 9 months until Christmas!

The Annunciation  

The fact of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is related in Luke 1:26-38. The Evangelist tells us that in the sixth month after the conception of St. John the Baptist by Elizabeth, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to the Virgin Mary, at Nazareth, a small town in the mountains of Galilee. Mary was of the house of David, and was espoused (i.e. married) to Joseph, of the same royal family. She had, however, not yet entered the household of her spouse, but was still in her mother's house, working, perhaps, over her dowry. (Bardenhewer, Maria Verk., 69). And the angel having taken the figure and the form of man, came into the house and said to her: "Hail, full of grace (to whom is given grace, favoured one), the Lord is with thee." Mary having heard the greeting words did not speak; she was troubled in spirit, since she knew not the angel, nor the cause of his coming, nor the meaning of the salutation. And the angel continued and said: "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end." The Virgin understood that there was question of the coming Redeemer. But, why should she be elected from amongst women for the splendid dignity of being the mother of the Messiah, having vowed her virginity to God? (St. Augustine). Therefore, not doubting the word of Godlike Zachary, but filled with fear and astonishment, she said: "How shall this be done, because I know not man?"

The angel to remove Mary's anxiety and to assure her that her virginity would be spared, answered: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." In token of the truth of his word he made known to her the conception of St. John, the miraculous pregnancy of her relative now old and sterile: "And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth; she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: because no word shall be impossible with God." Mary may not yet have fully understood the meaning of the heavenly message and how the maternity might be reconciled with her vow of virginity, but clinging to the first words of the angel and trusting to the Omnipotence of God she said: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word."

Since 1889 Holzmann and many Protestant writers have tried to show that the verses Luke 1:34-35, containing the message of conception through the Holy Ghost are interpolated. Usener derives the origin of the "myth" from the heathen hero worship; but Harnack tries to prove that it is of Judaic origin (Isaiah 7:14, Behold a Virgin shall conceive, etc.). Bardenhewer, however, has fully established the authenticity of the text (p. 13). St. Luke may have taken his knowledge of the event from an older account, written in Aramaic or Hebrew. The words: "Blessed art thou among women" (v. 28), are spurious and taken from verse 42, the account of the Visitation. Cardinal Cajetan wanted to understand the words: "because I know not man", not of the future, but only of the past: up to this hour I do not know man. This manifest error, which contradicts the words of the text, has been universally rejected by all Catholic authors. The opinion that Joseph at the time of the Annunciation was an aged widower and Mary twelve or fifteen years of age, is founded only upon apocryphal documents. The local tradition of Nazareth pretends that the angel met Mary and greeted her at the fountain, and when she fled from him in fear, he followed her into the house and there continued his message. (Buhl, Geogr. v. Palaest., 1896.) The year and day of the Annunciation cannot be determined as long as new material does not throw more light on the subject. The present date of the feast (25 March) depends upon the date of the older feast of Christmas.

The Annunciation is the beginning of Jesus in His human nature. Through His mother He is a member of the human race. If the virginity of Mary before, during, and after the conception of her Divine Son was always considered part of the deposit of faith, this was done only on account of the historical facts and testimonials. The Incarnation of the Son of God did not in itself necessitate this exception from the laws of nature. Only reasons of expediency are given for it, chiefly, the end of the Incarnation. About to found a new generation of the children of God, The Redeemer does not arrive in the way of earthly generations: the power of the Holy Spirit enters the chaste womb of the Virgin, forming the humanity of Christ. Many holy fathers (Sts. Jerome, Cyril, Ephrem, Augustine) say that the consent of Mary was essential to the redemption. It was the will of God, St. Thomas says (Summa III:30), that the redemption of mankind should depend upon the consent of the Virgin Mary. This does not mean that God in His plans was bound by the will of a creature, and that man would not have been redeemed, if Mary had not consented. It only means that the consent of Mary was foreseen from all eternity, and therefore was received as essential into the design of God.

The Poison of Sin by Pope Francis

Pope's Morning Homily: Christ Took the 'Poison' of Our Sin Upon Himself

Calls on Faithful to Flee From the Temptation of Becoming 'Yes, But' Christians

    

Vatican City, March 24, 2015 (Zenit.org) Junno Arocho Esteves   

In his homily at Casa Santa Marta this morning, Pope Francis called on Christians to pray in this Holy Week for the grace to accept difficult moments.

 

According to Vatican Radio, the Holy Father reflected on today's first reading from the Book of Numbers in which God punished the people of Israel for their complaining by sending fiery serpents that bit and poisoned them.
Drawing comparison from the reading to daily life, the Pope said that many times, even Christians have this tendency to rebel against God or try to seek salvation on their own terms. Calling them, "'Yes, but…' Christians", the Pope said that they do not open their hearts to God's salvation, but rather place conditions.
"'Yes, but this!' 'Yes, yes, yes, I want to be saved but through this path.' Thus the heart becomes poisoned," the Pope said.
However, the 78 year old Pontiff noted, Christ took upon Himself this poison that enters the heart when He was crucified on the cross.
"This tepidness of the soul, this being half-way Christians, 'Yes, but…' Christians…This enthusiasm at the beginning of the way of the Lord and then becoming discontent, can only be healed by looking at the Cross, looking at God who takes our sins: my sin is there."
Saying that many "die in the desert of their sadness" and murmuring, the Pope called on Christians to contemplate on Christ Crucified and ask for the grace to accept the difficult moments in life.
"To accept the divine style of salvation, to accept even this 'light' food of which the Hebrew people complained about, to accept thins…To accept the path through which the Lord takes me forward. May this Holy Week, which begins on Sunday, help us to escape from this temptation to become 'Yes, but…Christians'", Pope Francis concluded.

From Aggie Catholic: A balanced article on applause during Mass

Applause During Mass

March 23, 2015 By Marcel

Q – Clapping during Mass has always bothered me because it seems to distract from the importance of the celebration of the Eucharist. That being said, is clapping right, wrong, or indifferent in the liturgy? Am I being difficult by not liking it?

A – Thanks for the question. There are some Catholics who worry too much about these things (not that you are, but I know some others do). I was once one of them, so I can relate. The Mass is the highest form of worship and a beautiful and important thing, so those who have the responsibility of overseeing the liturgy of the Mass should take this seriously. But, how do we know if we are worrying too much about such things? When we allow them to be a distraction or take away from entering fully into Mass. Now, with that being said, I don’t like applause in Mass. Are you or I being difficult? Not really. Still, it is when this mentality starts to pester you, then it has become too much.
Before Benedict XVI became pope he wrote the following warning about making the Mass into entertainment:

“Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment. Such attraction fades quickly – it cannot compete in the market of leisure pursuits, incorporating as it increasingly does various forms of religious titillation” (Ratzinger, Spirit of the Liturgy).

He masterfully sums up the problem of applause in Church. Mass isn’t about our good feelings or about human performance, it is about worshiping God. Giving to the Trinity what is due from us. Unfortunately, we hear most clapping for a human achievement (think of applauding for the choir) and therefore it is not for God. So, it is a misplaced act in most liturgies. But, there are some places where it is explicitly allowed. For instance, in the Rite of Ordination there is an exception for the USA where the congregation can show approval of the act of choosing the men to be ordained and one of the ways proscribed in doing so is applause.
I can certainly understand spontaneous applause during the liturgy for some big events or announcements. For instance, if the long-time pastor announces after his homily that he has been reassigned and will miss the parishioners, all of us would understand the congregation breaking out into spontaneous applause and you and I would probably happily join in.
But, if the applause happens too frequently and is almost expected, then there is a problem. For instance, a priest who thanks asks the congregation to thank the choir every week is distracting the congregation from the reason they came to Mass in the first place.
But, we must remember the Church doesn’t tell us exactly how to act in every motion during Mass. So, don’t get overanxious about clapping, especially if it isn’t a regular thing. Also, there is no reason you have to participate in it if you feel uncomfortable doing so.
I hope this helps

A wise monk, miracle worker, another Saint from Monte Cassino

St. Aldemar

 

Facts

Feastday: March 24
Death: 1080

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Abbot and miracle worker, called "the Wise." Born in Capua, Italy, he became a monk in Monte Cassino and was called to the attention of a Princess Aloara of the region. When she built a new convent in Capua, Alder became the director of the religious in the established house. He performed many miracles in this capacity. Aldemar was reassigned by his abbot to Monte Cassino, a move that angered the princess. As a result, Aldemar went to Boiana, Italy, where a companion involved in the dispute tried to kill him. Aldemar fled into the region of Bocchignano, Abruzzi, where he founded several more religious houses.

Pope reminds us to not judge unjustly

Pope's Morning Homily: No Mercy, No Justice

Denounces Corruption of Those Who Judge Unjustly During Mass at Casa Santa Marta

    

Rome, March 23, 2015 (Zenit.org) Junno Arocho Esteves   

The Word of God makes it clear that only through mercy can true justice can be delivered. This was the reflection given by Pope Francis during his morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta today.

 

According to Vatican Radio, the Holy Father focused on today's readings as well as a different Gospel passage, which presented three different women in history. The first from the Book of Daniel is the wife of Joakim named Susanna, an innocent woman sentenced unjustly to death. The second, from the Gospel, was the adulterous woman sentenced to be stoned and the third, a poor widow in need.
The Pope said that all three are allegorical figures of the Church: the Holy Church, the Sinful Church and the Needy Church. Those who falsely accused, condemned or unjustly wronged them, he noted, were scribes or judges that Jesus denounced as 'hypocrites'.
"These weren't saints, they were corrupt, corrupt because such rigidity can only go forward in a double life and those that condemned these women would then look for her, in secret, to have some fun," he said. "The rigid ones are – I use the word that Jesus gave them – hypocrites: they live double lives. Those who judge, we think of the Church – all three women are allegorical figures of the Church – those who judge the Church with rigidity have double lives. With rigidity one can't even breathe."
Regarding the judges who unjustly sentenced Susanna rather than investigate the truth, the Pope said that their corruption brought them far from understanding the concept of mercy.
"The three women – the saint, the sinner and the needy, are allegorical figures of the Church – they suffer from this lack of mercy," he noted. "Also today, the people of God, when they find these judges, suffer a judgement without mercy, whether civil or ecclesiastical. And where there is no mercy there is no justice."
The 78 year old Pontiff went on to say that this lack of mercy can clearly be seen with those willing to stone the adulterous woman as well. This rigidity, he said, "is called a lack of mercy."
Pope Francis concluding his homily by Jesus response to the lack of mercy shown to the adulterous woman.
"I only want to say one of the most beautiful words of the Gospel that moves me so much: 'Has no one condemned you?' – 'No, no one, Lord' – 'Neither do I condemn you.' Neither I do condemn you: one of the most beautiful words because it is full of mercy," he said.