He was the son of an artisan and a lady of the Irish royal court. Born in Connaught, Ireland, and baptized Lochan, he was educated at Kilmacahil, Kilkenny, where the monks named him Fionnbharr (white head) because of his light hair; he is also known as Bairre and Barr. He went on pilgrimage to Rome with some of the monks, visiting St. David in Wales on the way back. Supposedly, on another visit to Rome the Pope wanted to consecrate him a bishop but was deterred by a vision, notifying the pope …
Month: September 2021
The Prayer Thank You God!: Prayer of the Day for Saturday, September 25, 2021
Dear Loving and Compassionate God,
Giver of all gifts,
we pray especially today for the mercy and love You give
us.
Open our hearts and minds to You.
Give us the grace to accept your mercy.
As we live each day,
we pray for those less fortunate,
especially those who are hurting,
and whose wounds need to be healed.
Help us become involved in ways that show them how deeply we care.
Give us the personal courage to listen to their concerns
and help them find the …
God Fights for Us
The Responsorial Psalm for today talks about hope in the Lord. It implores: “Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight against a faithless people.”
It seems our world today is full of faithless people—people who place possessions over others, people who devalue human beings, people who spend days mired in anger, people anonymously spitting vitriol online, and so much more.
We see them and their behaviors, and it literally hurts.
But the Lord wants us to remember to always have hope in Him and hope that our culture can return to a culture of life.
He knows how tired we get. He knows the weariness of living in a world where human beings rejoice at the “right” to kill vulnerable people—whether they be in the womb or a hospital bed. He understands that sometimes we have no fight left in us to battle the evil of today.
But the Psalm continues: “You, O God, are my strength.”
And in that, we must rejoice! Like a cold drink of water on an extraordinarily hot day, that realization renews us.
What an amazing feeling it is to know that God wants us to lean on Him. He wants us to seek Him out when we feel like we have nothing left to give others.
So that is what we do. We go to Him in prayer. We sit quietly in Adoration. We say a decade of the Rosary. We read His words in the Bible. We talk to Him like a friend.
And we become energized. We realize that hope is more than just wishing for things to change. Hope is rooted in Christ.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.”
Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, we can put away the hopelessness we feel and replace it with hope. We can stop looking at all the negative things in this world and create positive things. We can stop focusing on evil and instead be that source of good that the world so desperately needs.
In short, we must stop allowing the bad things of the world to consume us. Christ does not want that for us. That is why He gives us strength. That is why He wants us to have hope.
So when you feel weary, when you feel exhausted, or when you look around at the world and feel utterly hopeless, remember that Christ fights for us, and He will never stop. His love is unending, and you matter to Him. We all do.
Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 17 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Eleven of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program-an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students.
Feature Image Credit: Luis Ángel Espinosa, https://www.cathopic.com/photo/1859-rostro-cristo
Martyrs of Chalcedon: Saint of the Day for Friday, September 24, 2021
A group of forty-nine Christians slain in Chalcedon during the reign of Emperor Diocletian . Records indicate that the martyrs were members of the choir in the church of Chalcedon.
Haiku Prayer 10: Prayer of the Day for Friday, September 24, 2021
“Haiku” prayers, in Japanese poetical form, have their origin in the fourteenth century. They consist of 17 syllables arranged in three lines (5-7-5). This provides a simple format for composing personal and family prayers. The following haiku prayer is a Canadian example. You are encouraged to develop your own.
Blessed mother, pray
to Jesus for all the world,
pray to Him for us.
Consider Your Ways
Today is the feast of St. Pius of Pietrelcina better known as Padre Pio. The First Reading from Haggai today is quite fitting as Padre Pio was known for the gift of inspired listening while in the confessional. He had the gift of being able to tell the person receiving the sacrament what he/she omitted from a confession, and called the person out about it.
Here’s how I imagine Padre Pio would sum up the First Reading. ‘What I hear you saying is, you work, eat and drink, yet nothing gives you fulfilment or satisfaction. Wake up! Clean up your act! Stop going through the motions and really commit to being your true self and do so authentically. When you work, do so sincerely and with your best effort. The intention behind what you do and why, matters. Then when you offer your works to the Lord, God will be pleased with you. Let your true self come through just like a flower.’
A flower doesn’t give any thought to what it is, how it fits in, or what it looks like. It is a flower and God enjoys each and every flower. It is at peace.
I am human. God enjoys each and every part of my authentic self. I do not have to be the best in any way, shape, or form. I just have to try as best I am able in the moment, and to use the God given gifts and the talents I’ve developed throughout my life. I need to find a way to do those things with good intentions that are not selfish or miserly. I need to live in peace and unity with the kingdom He entrusted to humankind.
Padre Pio wrote, “There is only one thing the soul should regret, and that is offending God.”
My actions and thoughts need to be formed with this in mind.
Oh Lord, I want you to take pleasure in all the facets of life. With the help of my Guardian Angel, enlighten and guide me to do your will in every action, thought, deed and prayer. Amen.
Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She is a Secular Franciscan (OFS) and a practicing spiritual director. Beth shares smiles, prayers, laughter, a listening ear and her heart with all of creation. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.
Feature Image Credit: Sarah Loestcher, https://pixabay.com/photos/flora-flower-meadow-spring-nature-2261860/
St. Padre Pio: Saint of the Day for Thursday, September 23, 2021
St. Padre Pio was an Italian priest who was known for his piety and charity, as well as the gift of the stigmata, which has never been explained.
St. Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione, on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy. His parents were peasant farmers. He had an older brother and three younger sisters, as well as two other siblings who died in infancy. As a child, he was very religious and by the age of five he reportedly made the decision to dedicate his life to God.
Fortunately, …
Prayer for Women with Breast Cancer: Prayer of the Day for Thursday, September 23, 2021
Father, for the strength you have given me I thank you.
For the health you have blessed me with, I thank you.
For the women who are going through breast cancer and their families
I ask you to strengthen and to heal as you see fit.
Lord we know you want us to be in good health and to prosper.
Lord use us to do the work you have for us to do.
For we know time is getting short on this earth.
Lord be with every woman who is sick
and encourage them as only you can.
I know …
The Lord Provides
I love the Gospel passages when Jesus summons the Twelve apostles, gives them their mission and sends them forth. Maybe it’s because I work for the Church and can easily see myself in their shoes as I receive my mission, my vocation as a youth minister, from the Lord and am sent forth into my parish to serve the young people. Maybe it’s something different.
However, what strikes me about this particular Gospel, is not the action of the sending forth; rather, it’s the instructions that Jesus gives them. “Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic.”
Um, what did He say? Take nothing? Really? That would have been my immediate gut reaction if I was really in the apostles’ shoes. A walking stick or a second tunic probably would have been helpful for a journey such as this, let alone food and money. There is no mention of complaining or second-guessing in the rest of the Gospel passage, though. The apostles went out and did what they were told – proclaimed the good news and cured diseases.
Jesus was trying to teach the apostles – and us, by extension – a lesson in trust, in total reliance upon Him. The apostles didn’t need to bring food or money on their journey because the Lord would provide for all of their needs, which included their physical and material needs.
We can never learn too many lessons about trusting in the Lord. It’s something that we can all grow in, all the time, and I’ll be the first one to admit it. I know I need to trust the Lord more in my daily life, in my spiritual life, in youth ministry, in everything. Again, maybe that’s why I like this passage so much, because it invites me to grow in trust like the apostles did. I am reminded that He will provide for me and for His Church.
As you prepare to go out on your journey, in your mission, how can you invite the Lord to provide for your needs today? For this week? A simple prayer to the Holy Spirit is a great way to start!
Erin Madden is a Cleveland native and graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is passionate about the Lord Jesus, all things college sports and telling stories and she is blessed enough to get paid for all three of her passions. You can catch her on old episodes of the Clarence & Peter Podcast on YouTube as well as follow her on Twitter@erinmadden2016.
Feature Image Credit: Galen Crout, https://unsplash.com/photos/fItRJ7AHak8
St. Thomas of Villanueva: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, September 22, 2021
Augustinian bishop. Born at Fuentellana, Castile, Spain, he was the son of a miller. He studied at the University of Alcala, earned a licentiate in theology, and became a professor there at the age of twenty-six. He declined the chair of philosophy at the university of Salamanca and instead entered the Order of St Augustine
at Salamanca in 1516. Ordained in 1520, he served as prior of several houses in Salamanca, Burgos, and Valladolid, as provincial ofAndal usia and Castile, and then court …