2015
#Catholic #Quote to SHARE by Mother Teresa on Kindness "Kind words can be short and easy to speak...
#Actor Mark Wahlberg "I pray every day and try to go to church every day."
It was religion that helped Wahlberg after his parish priest took him under his wing, and he’s retained that faith to this day. “I pray every day and try to go to church every day. My faith in God is what makes me a better man,” he says. “It’s the most important part of my life. I pray that I will live up to my intention to be the best husband and father than I can be. I never would have been able to change my life and have the success and love that I have in my world today without my faith.” “I like having a routine,” he admits. He’s also a devoted father and husband. He has been with model Rhea Durham since 2001, married in 2009, and has four children – two sons and two daughters.
He often talks about his family and fatherhood. “It gets more complicated as they get older,” he smiles. “Once they get to be teenagers I’m sure my wife and I are going to have our hands full.” “But it’s great watching them grow up and it’s interesting to watch their personalities develop. I just try to be around for them as much as I can and be the kind of father who they know will always care and love them with all my heart and soul.” Edited from Interview on Squaremile/Images shared from Google Images
What is the 1st Friday Devotion to the Sacred Heart? 12 Promises to SHARE
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus became widespread as a result of the revelations Our Lord made to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, towards the end of the seventeenth century.
He made twelve promises to those who should practice the devotion to His Sacred Heart. Among the twelve promises of Our Lord in favor of the devotees of His Heart is: "I promise in the excess of the mercy of My Heart, that its all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive communion on the first Friday of every month for nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance, and that they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without the sacraments, and that My Heart shall be their secure refuge at that last hour."
For Prayers, Novena and Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Click Link:
These promises were revealed in one of many private revelations that Jesus gave St. Margaret Mary. Our Lord promised the following:
12 Promises for the 1st Friday Devotion
1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state in life.2. I will establish peace in their families.
3. I will comfort them in their trials.
4. I will be their secure refuge during life, and, above all, in death.
5. I will shed abundant blessings on all their undertakings
6. Sinners will find in My Heart an infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Lukewarm souls will become fervent.
8. Fervent souls will rapidly grow in holiness and perfection.
9. I will bless every place where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. The names of those who promote this devotion will be written in My Heart, never to be blotted out.
12. I promise thee, in the excessive mercy of My Heart, that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.
Latest #News from #Vatican and #PopeFrancis at #HolySee
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05-06-2015 - Year XXII - Num. 104
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Summary (Image: Pope Francis during audience with members of Pontifical Missionary Societies - OSS_ROM) |
| - The Pope receives the president of Chile: further intensify existing good relations |
| - To the Dehonians: be present in the new areopagus of evangelisation |
| - Pontifical Missionary Societies: opening up to geographic and human boundaries |
| - Condolences for victims of explosion in a service station in Accra, Ghana |
| - Solemnity of Corpus Christi: the Eucharist is not a prize for the good |
| - Audiences |
| - Audiences |
| - Other Pontifical Acts |
| - Notice |
| The Pope receives the president of Chile: further intensify existing good relations Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Vatican Apostolic Palace Pope Francis received in audience the president of the Republic of Chile, Michelle Bachelet Jeria, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States. During the cordial discussions, mention was made of the existing good bilateral relations between the Parties, in the hope that they may be further strengthened within the framework of the provisions of international law. Issues of common interest such as the protection of human life, education and social peace were then addressed. In this context, emphasis was placed on the role and the positive contribution of Catholic institutions in Chilean society, especially in relation to human promotion, education and assistance to those most in need. This was followed by an overview of the situation in Latin America, with particular reference to various challenges affecting the continent. |
| To the Dehonians: be present in the new areopagus of evangelisation Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Consistory Hall the Pope received in audience 120 participants in the General Chapter of the Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Dehonians), based on the theme “Merciful, in community, with the poor”. Francis took the opportunity to express his best wishes to the new Superior General, Fr. Heiner Wilmer, and to greet all the Dehonians who work “often in difficult conditions in various parts of the world”. “Religious life is indicated as a fully evangelical life, in which the beatitudes are fully realised”, remarked the Pope. “Therefore, as consecrated persons, you are required to be merciful. This means, first and foremost, living in profound communion with God in prayer, in meditation on the Sacred Scripture, in the celebration of the Eucharist, so that all our life may be a path of growth in God's mercy. To the extent to which we make ourselves aware of the freely-given love of the Lord and welcome it in ourselves, our tenderness, understanding and goodness towards the people around us will also grow”. Religious life is also “the cohabitation of believers who feel they are loved by God and who seek to love Him. … In the experience of God's mercy and His love you will also find the point of the harmonisation of your communities. This necessitates the commitment to increasingly savour the mercy that your brethren show to you and to offer them the wealth of your mercy”, said the bishop of Rome to the Dehonians, recalling in this regard the example of their founder, Fr. Leon Dehon (1843-1925). “Mercy is the word that summarises the Gospel; we might say that it is the 'face' of Christ, that face that He showed when he went towards everyone, when he healed the sick, when he shared a table with the sinners, and especially when, nailed to the cross, he forgave: there we find the face of divine mercy. And the Lord calls upon us to be 'channels' of this love firstly towards the least among us, the poorest, who are privileged in His eyes. Let yourselves be continually challenged by the situations of fragility and poverty with which you come into contact, and endeavour to offer in the appropriate ways the witness of charity that the Spirit infuses in your hearts”. The Holy Father concluded, “Mercy will allow you to open up promptly to current needs and to be industriously present in the new areopagus of evangelisation, prioritising – even if this may involve sacrifices – openness towards those situations of extreme need, symptomatic of the maladies of today's society”. |
| Pontifical Missionary Societies: opening up to geographic and human boundaries Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) – Missionary activity is the paradigm of all the work of the Church, said Pope Francis to the participants in the general assembly of the Pontifical Missionary Societies (PMS), and reiterated that the announcement of the Gospel is “the first and constant concern of the Church, her essential task, her greatest challenge, and the source of her renewal. … Without the restlessness and anxiety of evangelisation it is not possible to develop a credible and effective pastoral ministry uniting proclamation and human promotion”. Therefore, the members of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples and the national directors of the PMS have the difficult task of opening up to “the broad and universal horizons of humanity, its geographical and above all human boundaries”, accompanying the life of the young Churches throughout the world and encouraging the People of God to fully live the universal mission. “You know the wonders that the Holy Spirit works for humanity through these Churches, often with scarce resources and even through the difficulties and persecutions they suffer for their faith and their witness to the Word of God and in defence of humanity. In those human peripheries the Church is required to go into the streets, towards the many brothers and sisters of ours who live without the strength, light and consolation of Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to welcome them, without horizons of meaning and of life”. The Pope emphasised that the PMS, on account of their characteristic charism, are attentive and sensitive to the needs of mission territories and, in particular, the poorest human groups. “They are instruments of communion between Churches, promoting and implementing the sharing of people and economic resources. They are committed to supporting seminarians, presbyters and women religious of the young Churches in mission territories in the Pontifical Colleges. Faced with such a beautiful and important task, faith and love of Christ have the capacity to lead us everywhere to announce the Gospel of love, fraternity and justice. This is achieved through prayer, evangelical courage and the witness of the beatitudes”. However, he warned, “be careful not to give in to the temptation to become a non-governmental organisation, an office for the distribution of ordinary and extraordinary aid. Money helps but can also become the ruin of the Mission. Functionalism, when it is placed in the centre or occupies a major space, as if it were the most important issue, will lead you to ruin, as the first way to die is to take the 'sources' for granted – that is, He Who inspires the Mission. Please, with all your plans and programmes, do not cut Jesus Christ out of missionary work, which is His work. A Church that is reduced to pursuing efficiency of the party apparatus at all costs is already dead, even though the structures and programmes in favour of the clergy and 'self-employed' laity could last for centuries”. “True evangelisation is not possible without the sanctifying energy of the Holy Spirit, the only one able to renew, revive and give impetus to the Church in her bold outreach to evangelise all peoples”, concluded the Pope. |
| Condolences for victims of explosion in a service station in Accra, Ghana Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) – Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin has sent a telegram of condolences on behalf of the Holy Father to Bishop Joseph Osei-Bonsu of Konongo-Mampong, president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference, for the many victims of the explosion and subsequent fire in a petrol station in Accra. “Deeply saddened to learn of the tragic incident at a petrol station in Accra in which so many people died or were seriously injured, the Holy Father sends heartfelt condolences to the relatives of the deceased and injured, to the authorities and to the entire nation. His Holiness commends the souls of the departed to Almighty God and willingly invokes the divine gifts of consolation and strength upon those who mourn and upon all who have been affected by this tragedy”. |
| Solemnity of Corpus Christi: the Eucharist is not a prize for the good Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) – Yesterday, on the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), the Holy Father celebrated Holy Mass before thousands of people at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. The Eucharist the procession began, led by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar of His Holiness for the diocese of Rome, along the Via Merulana to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where the Pope imparted his solemn blessing with the Holy Sacrament. In his homily, the Pope recalled that during the Last Supper, Jesus gives us His Body and Blood in the bread and wine, to leave us the memorial of His sacrifice of infinite love, and by means of this 'viaticum', full of grace, the disciples have everything that is necessary for their path through history, to extend the kingdom of God to all. As the responsory of today's liturgy shows, “See in this bread the body of Christ which hung upon the cross, and in this cup the blood which flowed from His side. Take His body, then, and eat it; take His blood and drink it, and you will become His members. The body of Christ is the bond which unites you to Him: eat it, or you will have no part in Him. The blood is the price He paid for your redemption: drink it, lest you despair of your sinfulness”. Francis explained the meaning today of being torn from Him and of despairing, as cowards. “We are torn from Him when we are not obedient to the Word of the Lord, when we do not live brotherhood between us, when we race to occupy the first places, … when we find the courage to witness to charity, when we are unable to offer hope. The Eucharist allows us to be not torn from Him, for it is the bond of communion, is the fulfilment of the Covenant … that we might remain united. … The Christ present in our midst, in the signs of bread and wine, requires that the power of love exceed every laceration, and at the same time that it become communion with the poor, support for the weak, fraternal attention to those who are struggling to carry the weight of everyday life and are in danger of losing faith”. To be cowardly, to despair of our sinfulness, he said, “means to let ourselves be affected by the idolatries of our time: appearance, consumption, the self at the centre of everything; but also being competitive, arrogance as the winning attitude, the idea that one never need admit to a mistake or to find oneself in need. All this demeans us, makes us mediocre, lukewarm, insipid Christians, pagans”. “Jesus shed his blood as a ransom and as a lavacrum – a cleansing agent, that we might be purified of all sins”, he continued, “that we might be preserved from the risk of corruption. … The Blood of Christ will … give us back our dignity. ... We will be His eyes that go in search of Zacchaeus and of the Magdalene; we will be His hand who helps the sick in body and spirit; we will be His heart that loves those in need of reconciliation and understanding. … In this way we understand that the Eucharist is not a reward for the good, but rather strength for the weak, for sinners. It is forgiveness, the viaticum that helps us on our way”. “Today, the feast of Corpus Christi, we have the joy not only of celebrating this mystery, but also of praising Him and singing in the streets of our city”, he continued. “May the procession we will make at the end of the Mass, express our gratitude for all the journey that God has allowed us to make through the desert of our poverty, to take us out of slavery, by nourishing us with His love through the Sacrament of his Body and the Blood. Soon, as we walk the streets, let us perceive ourselves in communion with our many brothers and sisters who do not have the freedom to express their faith in the Lord Jesus. Let us feel that we are united with them, let us sing with them, praise with them, worship with them. And we venerate in our hearts those brothers and sisters who have been asked to sacrifice their lives for their fidelity to Christ. May their blood, united to that of the Lord, be a pledge of peace and reconciliation for the whole world”. |
| Audiences Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father received in audience: - Michelle Bachelet Jeria, president of the Republic of Chile, and entourage; - Archbishop Leon Kalenga Badikebele, apostolic nuncio in El Salvador and in Belize; - Claudio Descalzi, chief executive officer of ENI SpA., with his family. |
| Audiences Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father received in audience: - Michelle Bachelet Jeria, president of the Republic of Chile, and entourage; - Archbishop Leon Kalenga Badikebele, apostolic nuncio in El Salvador and in Belize; - Claudio Descalzi, chief executive officer of ENI SpA., with his family. |
| Other Pontifical Acts Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has: - accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Cologne, Germany, presented by Bishop Manfred Melzer, in accordance with canons 401 para. 2 and 411 of the Code of Canon Law. - Fr. Oscar Munera Ochoa as apostolic vicar of Tierradentro (area 2,087, population 68,000, Catholics 64,000, priests 15, religious 17), Colombia. The bishop-elect was born in San Pedro de los Milagros, Colombia in 1962 and was ordained a priest in 1988. He holds a licentiate in philosophy and religious sciences at the Catholic University of Oriente, Colombia and a diploma in “Missione ad gentes y etnias” from the Pontifical Xavierian University, Bogota, Colombia. He has served in a number of pastoral roles in the diocese of Santa Rosa de Osos, including parish vicar, spiritual director and subsequently rector of the Apostolic School in Liborina, diocesan delegate for youth and vocational pastoral ministry, director of the department of youth in the Episcopal Conference of Colombia; episcopal vicar for the western sector of the diocese; vicar for pastoral ministry and bursar, and director of the department for missions of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia. He is currently parish priest of the “Senor de los Milagros de San Pedro” parish. - appointed Libero Milone as auditor general of the Holy See and Vatican City State. On Thursday 4 June, the Holy Father appointed Bishop Joseph Dinh Duc Dao, auxiliary of the Xuan Loc, Vietnam, as coadjutor of the same diocese. |
| Notice Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) – A special edition of the Vatican Information Service bulletin will be transmitted tomorrow, Saturday 6 June, on the occasion of Pope Francis' apostolic trip to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. |
Today's Mass Readings and Video : Friday June 5, 2015
Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
Lectionary: 357
Reading 1TB 11:5-17
Anna sat watching the road by which her son was to come.
When she saw him coming, she exclaimed to his father,
“Tobit, your son is coming, and the man who traveled with him!”
Raphael said to Tobiah before he reached his father:
“I am certain that his eyes will be opened.
Smear the fish gall on them.
This medicine will make the cataracts shrink and peel off from his eyes;
then your father will again be able to see the light of day.”
Then Anna ran up to her son, threw her arms around him,
and said to him,
“Now that I have seen you again, son, I am ready to die!”
And she sobbed aloud.
Tobit got up and stumbled out through the courtyard gate.
Tobiah went up to him with the fish gall in his hand,
and holding him firmly, blew into his eyes.
“Courage, father,” he said.
Next he smeared the medicine on his eyes, and it made them smart.
Then, beginning at the corners of Tobit’s eyes,
Tobiah used both hands to peel off the cataracts.
When Tobit saw his son, he threw his arms around him and wept.
He exclaimed, “I can see you, son, the light of my eyes!”
Then he said:
“Blessed be God,
and praised be his great name,
and blessed be all his holy angels.
May his holy name be praised
throughout all the ages,
Because it was he who scourged me,
and it is he who has had mercy on me.
Behold, I now see my son Tobiah!”
Then Tobit went back in, rejoicing and praising God with full voice
for everything that had happened.
Tobiah told his father that
the Lord God had granted him a successful journey;
that he had brought back the money;
and that he had married Raguel’s daughter Sarah,
who would arrive shortly,
for she was approaching the gate of Nineveh.
Tobit and Anna rejoiced
and went out to the gate of Nineveh
to meet their daughter-in-law.
When the people of Nineveh saw Tobit walking along briskly,
with no one leading him by the hand, they were amazed.
Before them all Tobit proclaimed
how God had mercifully restored sight to his eyes.
When Tobit reached Sarah, the wife of his son Tobiah,
he greeted her: “Welcome, my daughter!
Blessed be your God for bringing you to us, daughter!
Blessed is your father, and blessed is my son Tobiah,
and blessed are you, daughter!
Welcome to your home with blessing and joy.
Come in, daughter!”
That day there was joy for all the Jews who lived in Nineveh.
When she saw him coming, she exclaimed to his father,
“Tobit, your son is coming, and the man who traveled with him!”
Raphael said to Tobiah before he reached his father:
“I am certain that his eyes will be opened.
Smear the fish gall on them.
This medicine will make the cataracts shrink and peel off from his eyes;
then your father will again be able to see the light of day.”
Then Anna ran up to her son, threw her arms around him,
and said to him,
“Now that I have seen you again, son, I am ready to die!”
And she sobbed aloud.
Tobit got up and stumbled out through the courtyard gate.
Tobiah went up to him with the fish gall in his hand,
and holding him firmly, blew into his eyes.
“Courage, father,” he said.
Next he smeared the medicine on his eyes, and it made them smart.
Then, beginning at the corners of Tobit’s eyes,
Tobiah used both hands to peel off the cataracts.
When Tobit saw his son, he threw his arms around him and wept.
He exclaimed, “I can see you, son, the light of my eyes!”
Then he said:
“Blessed be God,
and praised be his great name,
and blessed be all his holy angels.
May his holy name be praised
throughout all the ages,
Because it was he who scourged me,
and it is he who has had mercy on me.
Behold, I now see my son Tobiah!”
Then Tobit went back in, rejoicing and praising God with full voice
for everything that had happened.
Tobiah told his father that
the Lord God had granted him a successful journey;
that he had brought back the money;
and that he had married Raguel’s daughter Sarah,
who would arrive shortly,
for she was approaching the gate of Nineveh.
Tobit and Anna rejoiced
and went out to the gate of Nineveh
to meet their daughter-in-law.
When the people of Nineveh saw Tobit walking along briskly,
with no one leading him by the hand, they were amazed.
Before them all Tobit proclaimed
how God had mercifully restored sight to his eyes.
When Tobit reached Sarah, the wife of his son Tobiah,
he greeted her: “Welcome, my daughter!
Blessed be your God for bringing you to us, daughter!
Blessed is your father, and blessed is my son Tobiah,
and blessed are you, daughter!
Welcome to your home with blessing and joy.
Come in, daughter!”
That day there was joy for all the Jews who lived in Nineveh.
Responsorial PsalmPS 146:1B-2, 6C-7, 8-9A, 9BC-10
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, O my soul;
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts
The LORD shall reign forever,
your God, O Zion, through all generations! Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, O my soul;
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts
The LORD shall reign forever,
your God, O Zion, through all generations! Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 14:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him
and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 12:35-37
As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said,
“How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?
David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said:
The Lord said to my lord,
‘Sit at my right hand
until I place your enemies under your feet.’
David himself calls him ‘lord’;
so how is he his son?”
The great crowd heard this with delight.
“How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?
David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said:
The Lord said to my lord,
‘Sit at my right hand
until I place your enemies under your feet.’
David himself calls him ‘lord’;
so how is he his son?”
The great crowd heard this with delight.
Saint June 5 : St. Boniface : Patron of #Tailors and #Brewers - Apostle of #Germany
BISHOP, MARTYR
Feast: June 5
Information:
| Isolated missionary groups had penetrated central Germany in earlier times, but not until the eighth century was there a systematic effort to Christianize the vast pagan wilderness. To the English monk Boniface belongs the honor of opening up this region and creating a hierarchy under direct commission from the Holy See. Thirty-six years of missionary labor under difficult and dangerous conditions, ending at last in martyrdom, entitle this good and courageous man to the designation, "Apostle of Germany." Boniface, or Winfrid, to give him his baptismal name, was born into a Christian family of noble rank, probably at Crediton in Devonshire, about the year 680. The reorganized English Church, still under the inspiration brought to it from Rome two generations earlier by Augustine of Canterbury, was full of fervor and vitality. Winfrid was a very small boy when he found himself listening to the conversation of some monks who were visiting his home. He resolved then to enter the Church, and this resolution never weakened. Winfrid's father had other plans for his clever son, but a serious illness altered his attitude, and he sent the boy to the neighboring abbey of Exeter to be educated. Some years later, Winfrid went to the abbey of Bursling, in the diocese of Winchester. After completing his studies there, he was appointed head of the school. His teaching skill attracted many students, and for their use he wrote a grammar which is still extant. The pupils diligently took notes at his classes, and these were copied and circulated in other monasteries, where they were eagerly studied. At the age of thirty he was ordained priest, and now added preaching to teaching and administrative work. Winfrid was assured of rapid advancement in the English Church, but God revealed to him that his work was to be in foreign lands, where need was greater. Northern Europe and most of Central Europe were still in pagan darkness. In Friesland, which then included modern Netherlands and lands to the east, the Northumbrian missionary Willibrord had long been striving to bring the Gospel to the people. It was to this region that Winfrid felt himself called. Having obtained the consent of his abbot, he and two companions set out in the spring of 716. Soon after landing at Doerstadt they learned that Duke Radbold of Friesland, an enemy of Christianity, was warring with Charles Martel, the Frankish duke, and that Willibrord had been obliged to retire to his monastery at Echternacht. Realizing that the time was inauspicious, the missionaries prudently returned to England in the autumn. Winfrid's monks at Bursling tried to keep him there, and wished to elect him abbot, but he was not to be turned from his purpose. This first attempt had shown him that to be effective as a missionary he must have a direct commission from the Pope, so in 718, with commendatory letters from the bishop of Winchester, he presented himself in Rome before Gregory II. The Pope welcomed him warmly, kept him in Rome until spring of the following year, when traveling conditions were favorable, and then sent him forth with a general commission to preach the word of God to the heathen. At this time Winfrid's name was changed to Boniface (from the Latin, Boniface had little difficulty in making himself understood as a preacher, since the dialects of the various Teutonic tribes closely resembled his native Anglo-Saxon. He won the interest of two powerful local chieftains, Dettic and Deorulf, who at some previous time had been baptized. For lack of instruction they had remained little better than pagans; now they became zealous Christians and influenced many others to be baptized. They also gave Boniface a grant of land on which he later founded the monastery of Amoeneburg. Boniface was able to report such remarkable gains that the Pope summoned him back to Rome to be ordained bishop. In Rome on St. Andrew's Day, November 30, 722, Pope Gregory II consecrated him as regionary bishop with a general jurisdiction over "the races in the parts of Germany and east of the Rhine who live in error, in the shadow of death." The Pope also gave him a letter to the powerful Charles Martel, "The Hammer." When Boniface delivered it to the Frankish duke on his way back to Germany, he received the valuable gift of a sealed pledge of Frankish protection. Armed thus with authority from both the Church and the civil power, the prestige of Boniface was vastly enhanced. On his return to Hesse, he decided to try to root out the pagan superstitions which seriously affected the stability of his converts. On a day publicly announced, and in the midst of an awe-struck crowd, Boniface and one or two of his followers attacked with axes Thor's sacred oak. These German tribes, along with many other primitive peoples, were tree-worshipers. Thor, god of thunder, was one of the principal Teutonic deities, and this ancient oak, which stood on the summit of Mt. Gudenberg, was sacred to him. After a few blows, the huge tree crashed to earth, splitting into four parts. The terrified tribesmen, who had expected a punishment to fall instantly on the perpetrators of such an outrage, now saw that their god was powerless to protect even his own sanctuary. To signalize the victory, Boniface built a chapel on the spot. From that time the work of evangelization in Hesse proceeded steadily. Moving east into Thuringia, Boniface continued his crusade. He found a few undisciplined Celtic and Irish priests, who tended to be a hindrance; many of them held heretical beliefs and others lived immoral lives. Boniface restored order among them, although his chief aim was to win over the pagan tribes. At Ohrdruff, near Gotha, he established a second monastery, dedicated to St. Michael, as a missionary center. Everywhere the people were ready to listen, but there was a critical lack of teachers. Boniface appealed to the English monasteries and convents, and their response was so wholehearted that for several years bands of monks, schoolmasters, and nuns came over to place themselves under his direction. The two monasteries already built were enlarged and new ones founded. Among the new English missionaries were Lullus, who was to succeed Boniface at Mainz, Eoban, who was to share his martyrdom, Burchard, and Wigbert; the nuns included Thecla, Chunitrude, and Boniface's beautiful and learned young cousin, Lioba, later to become abbess of Bischofsheim and friend of Hildegarde, Charlemagne's wife. Pope Gregory III sent Boniface the pallium in 731, appointing him archbishop and metropolitan of all Germany beyond the Rhine, with authority to found new bishoprics. A few years later Boniface made his third trip to Rome to confer about the churches he had founded, and at this time he was appointed apostolic legate. Stopping at Monte Cassino, he enlisted more missionaries. In his capacity as legate he traveled into Bavaria to organize the Church there into the four bishoprics of Regensburg, Freising, Salzburg, and Passau. From Bavaria he returned to his own field and founded new bishoprics at Erfurt for Thuringia, Buraburg for Hesse, Wurzburg for Franconia, and Eichstadt for the Nordgau. An English monk was placed at the head of each new diocese. In 741 the great Benedictine abbey at Fulda was founded in Prussia to serve as the fountainhead of German monastic culture. Its first abbot was Boniface's young Bavarian disciple, Sturm or Sturmio. In the early Middle Ages Fulda produced a host of scholars and teachers, and became known as the Monte Cassino of Germany. While the evangelization of Germany was proceeding steadily, the Church in Gaul, under the Merovingian kings, was disintegrating. High ecclesiastical offices were either kept vacant, sold to the highest bidder, or bestowed on unworthy favorites. Pluralism, the holding by one man of many offices, each of which should demand his full time, was common. The great mass of the clergy was ignorant and undisciplined. No synod or church council had been held for eighty-four years. Charles Martel had been conquering and consolidating the regions of western Europe, and now regarded himself as an ally of the papacy and the chief champion of the Church, yet he had persistently plundered it to obtain funds for his wars and did nothing to help the work of reform. His death, however, in 74I, and the accession of his sons, Carloman and Pepin the Short, provided an opportunity which Boniface quickly seized. Carloman, the elder, was very devout and held Boniface in great veneration; Boniface had no trouble in persuading him to call a synod to deal with errors and abuses in the Church in Austrasia, Alemannia, and Thuringia. The first assembly was followed by several others. Boniface presided over them all, and was able to carry through many important reforms. The vacant bishoprics and parishes were filled, discipline reestablished, and fresh vigor infused into the Frankish Church. A heretic who had been creating much disturbance, one Adalbert of Neustria, was condemned by the synod of Soissons in 744. In 747 another general council of the Frankish clergy drew up a profession of faith and fidelity which was sent to Rome and laid upon the altar in the crypt of St. Peter's. After five years' labor Boniface had succeeded in restoring the Church of Gaul to its former greatness. Now Boniface desired that Britain too should share in this reform movement. At his request and that of Pope Zacharias, the archbishop of Canterbury held a council at Clovesho, in 747, which adopted many of the resolutions passed in Gaul. This was also the year when Boniface was given a metropolitan see. Cologne was at first proposed as his cathedral city, but Mainz was finally chosen. Even when Cologne and other cities became archiepiscopal sees, Mainz retained the primacy. The Pope also made Boniface primate of Germany as well as apostolic legate for both Germany and Gaul. Carloman now retired to a monastery, but his successor, Pepin, who brought all Gaul under his control, gave Boniface his support. "Without the patronage of the Frankish chiefs," Boniface wrote in a letter to England, "I cannot govern the people or exercise discipline over the clergy and monks, or check the practice of paganism." As apostolic legate, Boniface crowned Pepin at Soissons in 75I, thus giving papal sanction to the assumption of royal power by the father of Charlemagne. Boniface, beginning to feel the weight of his years, made Lullus his coadjutor. Yet even now, when he was past seventy, his missionary zeal burned ardently. He wished to spend his last years laboring among those first converts in Friesland, who, since Willibrord's death, were relapsing once more into paganism. Leaving all things in order for Lullus, who was to become his successor, he embarked with some fifty companions and sailed down the Rhine. At Utrecht the party was joined by Eoban, bishop of that diocese. They set to work reclaiming the relapsed Christians, and during the following months made fruitful contact with the hitherto untouched tribes to the northeast. Boniface arranged to hold a great confirmation service on Whitsun Eve on the plain of Dokkum, near the banks of the little river Borne. While awaiting the arrival of the converts, Boniface was quietly reading in his tent. Suddenly a band of armed pagans appeared in the center of the encampment. His companions would have tried to defend their leader, but Boniface would not allow them to do so. Even as he was telling them to trust in God and welcome the prospect of dying for Him, the Germans attacked. Boniface was one of the first to fall; his companions shared his fate. The pagans, expecting to carry away rich booty, were disgusted when they found, besides provisions, only a box of holy relics and a few books They did not bother to carry away these objects, which were later collected by the Christians who came to avenge the martyrs and rescue their remains. The body of Boniface was carried to Fulda for burial, and there it still rests. The book the bishop was reading and which he is said to have lifted above his head to save it when the blow fell is also one of Fulda's treasures. Boniface has been called the pro-consul of the papacy. His administrative and organizing genius left its mark on the German Church throughout the Middle Ages. Though Boniface was primarily a man of action, his literary remains are extensive. Especially interesting and important from the point of view of Church dogma and history are his letters. Among the emblems of Boniface are an oak, an axe, a sword, a book. |
source: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/B/stboniface.asp#ixzz1wuwLr1wN
June is Dedicated to the Heart of #Jesus - Consecration - Novena - Litany to SHARE
Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Thee I consecrate and offer up my person and my life, my actions, trials, and sufferings, that my entire being may henceforth only be employed in loving, honoring and glorifying Thee.
This is my irrevocable will, to belong entirely to Thee, and to do all for Thy love, renouncing with my whole heart all that can displease Thee. I take Thee, O Sacred Heart, for the sole object of my love, the protection of my life, the pledge of my salvation, the remedy of my frailty and inconstancy, the reparation for all the defects of my life, and my secure refuge at the hour of my death. Be Thou, O Most Merciful Heart, my justification before God Thy Father, and screen me from His anger which I have so justly merited. I fear all from my own weakness and malice, but placing my entire confidence in Thee, O Heart of Love, I hope all from Thine infinite Goodness. Annihilate in me all that can displease or resist Thee. Imprint Thy pure love so deeply in my heart that I may never forget Thee or be separated from Thee.
I beseech Thee, through Thine infinite Goodness, grant that my name be engraved upon Thy Heart, for in this I place all my happiness and all my glory, to live and to die as one of Thy devoted servants. Amen. . -- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
Efficacious Novena To The Sacred Heart Of Jesus
(This novena prayer was recited every day by Padre Pio for all those who asked his prayers)
I. O my Jesus, You have said, ‘Truly I say to you, ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.’ Behold, I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of… Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be to the Father… Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
II. O my Jesus, You have said, ‘Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, He will give it to you.’ Behold, in Your name, I ask the Father for the grace of… Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be to the Father… Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
III. O my Jesus, You have said, ‘Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.’ Encouraged by Your infallible words, I now ask for the grace of… Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory be to the Father… Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us poor sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of You, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate heart of Mary, Your tender mother and ours.
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, O most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us. And after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen…
St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us
Litany Of The Sacred Heart Of Jesus
Lord, have mercy
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Lord, have mercy
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Christ, have mercy
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Christ, have mercy
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Lord, have mercy
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Lord, have mercy
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God our Father in heaven
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have mercy on us
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God the Son, Redeemer of the world
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have mercy on us
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God the Holy Spirit
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have mercy on us
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Holy Trinity, one God
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, Son of the eternal Father
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in
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the womb of the Virgin Mother
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, one with the eternal Word
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, infinite in majesty
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, holy temple of God
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, tabernacle of the Most High
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, house of God and gate of
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heaven
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, aflame with love for us
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, source of justice and love
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, full of goodness and love
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, well-spring of all virtue
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, worthy of all praise
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, king and center of all hearts
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, treasure-house of wisdom
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and knowledge
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, in whom there dwells the
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fullness of God
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, in whom the Father is
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Well pleased
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, from whose fullness we
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have all received
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, desire of the eternal hills
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, patient and full of mercy
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, generous to all who turn
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to you
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, fountain of life and holiness
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, atonement for our sins
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, overwhelmed with insults
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, broken for our sins
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, obedient even to death
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, pierced by a lance
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, source of all consolation
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, our life and resurrection
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, our peace and reconciliation have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, victim of our sins
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, salvation of all who trust
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in you
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, hope of all who die in you
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have mercy on us
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Heart of Jesus, delight of all the saints
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have mercy on us
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Lamb of God, you take away
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the sins of the world
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have mercy on us
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Lamb of God, you take away
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the sins of the world
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have mercy on us
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Lamb of God, you take away
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the sins of the world
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have mercy on us
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Jesus, gentle and humble of heart.
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Touch our hearts
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and make them like your own.
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Let us pray.
Father, we rejoice in the gifts of love we have received from the heart of Jesus your Son. Open our hearts to share his life and continue to bless us with his love. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.
Father, we rejoice in the gifts of love we have received from the heart of Jesus your Son. Open our hearts to share his life and continue to bless us with his love. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.
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