St Gemma Galgani, the Passion Flower

St Gemma Galgani

"The Gem of Christ"

1878-1903

Saint of the Passion of Jesus

post adapted from http://www.stgemmagalgani.com/ written by

Glenn Dallaire 

I wish, oh Jesus, that my voice could reach to the ends of the world, to call all sinners and tell them to enter into Thy Heart....Oh, if only all sinners would come to Thy Heart!... Come! Come sinners, do not be afraid! The sword of Justice cannot reach you Here!"~St Gemma Galgani

Young saints fascinate me. I gravitate to the stories of the innocent who have dedicated their lives to Christ at a young age. Me, at almost 60, is just now getting the hang of it! How could one not admire, 18 year old Blessed Chiara Luce Badano (see my post on her beatification) and what about the Children of Fatima?  I think their sacrifice, their love and devotion is made even more profound because of the contrast in the behavior of many young folk today.  On that note: I'm so proud of all the youth who had visited Madrid, Spain to see Pope Benedict and those in years past who made the pilgrimage during World Youth Day. How special and blessed they all are!

I first heard of St. Gemma through my brother-in-law, David. He visited Italy where his Italian born mother-in-law "introduced" him to this beautiful saint. David had an immediate soft spot for her. Perhaps, it was his own suffering that helped form this bond. You see, David, suffered a debilitating blood disease. He endured excruciating pain for over 11 years and on many occasions spent his vacation bed-ridden in a hotel room. He hated to deny his young wife the pleasure of traveling and enjoying life, so he forced himself to accompany her on various trips. On one of these trips, he lay in a bed, in a strange country, in a strange room and stared endlessly at a photo of St. Gemma, praying to her to intercede for him and others. David was a saint in his own right. He never complained or asked, "Why me?" Rather, he'd say, "Why not, me?" Over and over, he would ask us to pray for someone who was suffering, too. He was sweet and kind with a generous heart. David died peacefully at the age of 46. I have no doubt that St. Gemma greeted him at Heaven's gate.

Having lost her mother at a young age, St. Gemma, had a deep and intense devotion to the Blessed Mother. “If God has taken away my mother,” she would often say, “He has left me His own.”  .

On Thursday, June 8th, the eve of the Feast of the Sacred Heart, when she began, as usual, to make the Holy Hour, she felt a piercing sorrow for her sins such as she had never experienced, and a peculiarly vivid sense of the sufferings of Jesus. Suddenly she was rapt in ecstasy and found herself in presence of her heavenly Mother and her Guardian Angel. The phenomenon was repeated regularly every Thursday evening. Gemma seemed to pass through all the phases of the Passion and bore in her body all the marks of Christ's physical sufferings: not only the wounds in hands, feet, and side, but the punctures of the crown of thorns, the marks of the scourging, the wound on the shoulder caused by the weight of the Cross, all accompanied with the most excruciating pain. Throughout those hours she engaged in loving conversations and colloquies with Jesus in a low voice, often tenderly pleading for mercy for sinners and offering herself as a victim in expiation for their sins.
Gemma’s whole life indeed was one long uninterrupted sacrifice of the most heroic kind. To win souls for Jesus through prayer and suffering was the one passion of her life. A witness stated, “She was much afflicted by the thought of the sins committed in the world and she often offered herself to God on behalf of sinners.”

Life was not easy for Gemma. Like David, she suffered a series of illness from a severe foot infection to spinal tuberculosis. Her poor health prevented her from entering the religious life. But her devotion to Christ never wavered. Though denied entry into the Passionist community, she modeled her life after the nuns she so admired, and led the life of a Passionist Nun outside the cloister. She strictly adhered to the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience.

St. Gemma during
her illness

Toward the end of her life, Gemma, focused much of her prayers on the establishment of a convent for the Passionist Nuns in Lucca.  She even searched Lucca more than once for a suitable site and interested herself in the material funds necessary for the foundation. Two years after Gemma’s death the first little group of Passionist Sisters came to Lucca, and though they met with many obstacles and disappointments, a full community took possession of the new convent in 1908. Her hope to become a Passionist nun was eventually realized after her death. She was known to have said,“I no longer ask to enter a convent . . . . Jesus has the habit of a Passionist nun waiting for me at the gates of Heaven." And "The Passionist nuns would not accept me,” she had said, “but for all that I wish to be one of them, and I shall be with them when I am dead.”

On Good Friday, she entered with outstretched arms into a prolonged ecstasy, nailed, as she said, with Jesus to the Cross. The end came peacefully when with a look of seraphic joy on her face she gave up her pure soul to God an hour after midday on Holy Saturday, April 11th, 1903. Gemma Galgani was beatified by Pope Pius XI on May 14th, 1933, and canonized by Pope Pius XII on Ascension Thursday, May 2nd, 1940. Today the Passionist convent in Lucca continues to flourish. Gemma’s body reposes near the altar in the little chapel and the nuns venerate her as their foundress and the patroness of their work. The feast of St Gemma is April 11th (and also May 16th for those in the Passionist Congregation).       St. Gemma Booklet Offer

"I have loved You, oh Jesus. Grant me to love You even more, so that my thoughts turn only to You, all day, and all night, even while sleeping ... I wish my spirit to talk always with You, my soul to converse always with You." -St Gemma Glagani

Much of the credit for this post goes to Glenn Dallaire, a devout Catholic father and husband. His love and admiration of St. Gemma prompted him to write a most remarkable blog, St. Gemma Galgani. I was just fortunate to find it and share it with the wonderful bloggers who read, The Crooked Halo. His outstanding writing doesn't stop here, so read....Mystics Of The Church, Miracles Of The Saints, St. Paul Of The Cross, & Miracles Of The Church.  I feel so blessed to have discovered this wealth of spiritual information and humbled that Christ led me to Glenn's blogs. Oh,  and I bet David had a hand in this "coincidence", too. Thanks, Davey.

Prayer to St Gemma Asking For Her Intercession

Oh holy Gemma, I am near you, help me to pray. You who know what I and those near me need; look after my urgent needs and my spiritual and material wants. You take care of them! I confide in you and entrust all to your loving care.
Offer up to Jesus that tender and constant care that you bore Him here on earth.
Oh holy Gemma, you who physically suffered all the pains of the Passion of Jesus, I beseech of you the grace to meditate on and live the Passion of Jesus, and the sufferings of Holy Mary. Pray that I will be able to walk in the path of humility, simplicity, love and sacrifice, fulfilling at all times and in all ways, the holy will of God. Let me live united with Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and you, for all eternity. Amen  

St. Gemma, pray for us!

GOLGOTHA PICNIC: Blasphemy!

Forgive Us Our Sins, Lord!

Should a secular government help promote blasphemous, pornographic and anti-God events? ...a government funded porn blasphemous show where:

• Actors going through multiple scenes of full and frontal nudity, with a giant screen showing the genitals of the actors and actresses in detail.

• Christ being compared to a terrorist and insulted with such profanity that I cannot reproduce it here.

• There are burlesque imitations of the crucifixion, such as a half-naked woman with a false stigmata -- and a motorcycle helmet with a crown of thorns drawn on it.
Unspeakable!

"In the press kit of Golgotha ​​Picnic, Rodrigo Garcia (director) explains how he built his own biblical imagination, translating it into an obscene language and images. Christ is here called “el diablo puto” (ndmg – whore devil) and is compared to a terrorist. He also shows Christ, crucified surrounded by banknotes. Burgers litter the floor of the stage, trying to parody grotesquelly the multiplication of the loaves. And then the Italian conductor Marino Formenti plays in the piano the “Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross” by Haydn. “ Full article can be found at this link but please be aware that it is foul and disturbing! (teaandpolitics.wordpress.com is an informative, pro-Catholic blog)

Golgotha Picnic is on tour until February 2012 in several cities across France, starting in Paris and just in time for the Feast of the Nativity!

And it gets tax payer money funded by the French Culture Ministry and by prestigious associations such as the Fuoundation Pierre Bergé and the Baron Philippe de Rotschild Society, among others.
See, it is crucial that Christians from all over the world protest this unspeakable blasphemy.

Protest this before the blasphemies that take place in France spreads like a disease to other countries.

As Catholics/Christians, we have the serious obligation to protest and pray in reparation for this atrocious insult to the sacred honor of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Besides sending your E-Protest message, Protest Now! ,to the French Ministry of Culture against GOLGOTHA PICNIC, I ask you to please offer this special prayer of reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Prayer for the Reparation of Sins at America Needs Fatima

Are You A Susie?

Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened, never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

Mortified, he puts his head down and prays, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.” He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher. Has he been discovered? As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!' Suddenly, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to go away.  "You've done enough, you klutz!" Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, “You did that on purpose, didn't you?” Susie whispers back, “I wet my pants once, too.'”

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good.

Remember.....Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. Each and everyone one of us is going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. He’s sending you a Susie.

I ask that you pick six (6) bloggers that you want God to bless and send them a copy of this. If you send me their names & title of their blog,  I will pray for them, too. Not a blogger? Just a name will do. Prayer is one of the best gifts we receive. There is no cost but lots of rewards. Let's continue to pray for one another.

The Prayer: Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and those that I care deeply for, who are reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace. Where there is need, I ask You to fulfill their needs. Bless their homes, families, finances, their comings and goings…..Amen

OBITUARY: Death Of Common Sense

OBITUARY OF AN OLD FRIEND

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

·       Knowing when to come in out of the rain

·       Why the early bird gets the worm

·       Life isn't always fair

·       And maybe it was my fault 

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies: don't spend more than you can earn and reliable strategies: adults, not children, are in charge.

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, link this to a friend.   Remember:

Perversion..Blasphemy, Coming To A Theater Near You!

You are urgently requested to protest this play that shows Our Lady-most pure & holy- as a lesbian. "Adam & Steve" in Central Park Garden of Eden with full frontal nudity. And it will be shown just in time for Christmas!!

Direct quote below from Theater Mirror
"Sandra Heffley's Jane is a bull-dyke, with the build of a line-backer and the attitude of an attack-dog. (Consider a pregnant bull-dyke's interior monolog while giving birth!) And so of course Helen McElwain's Mabel is all New-Age acceptance -- even, eventually, of her destructively violent feelings. It's Mabel who actually gets in touch with God --- and let's face it, the God thing is a big deal here for this quartet who know they were created as exactly what they are but apparently by an ambivalent Deity Who left Steve out of the book. (Upon hearing how babies must be made, the gays all reject it as just too Icky for words!) "
 Icky? Icky? As if homosexual appetites and behavior isn't??!!
As if blaspheming a revered religious figure isn't? As if disrespecting God and honoring Satan isn't?
Icky is putting it mildly! The perverts performing, directing, who penned this and all involved are going to stand before God and feel a lot more than Icky!  E-Protest Now!

The Oklahoma City University School of Theatre plans to host a terrible attack on the Mother of God – a play that depicts Our Lady as a lesbian.

Adam & Steve
(curtainup.com)

The grossly misnamed play, "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told", is scheduled to begin on December 4, and you and I have a chance to get it canceled – but only if you'll join me in speaking out TODAY.

Please let me explain…

Press reports say "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" refers to Our Lady as a lesbian. It presents a homosexual version of the Old Testament, with scenes of "Adam and Steve" in full frontal nudity.

According to The New York Times, the playwright himself is a homosexual, and this is how he describes his play:

"I wanted the Garden of Eden in Central Park, and Mary as a lesbian mother, which would certainly help me comprehend immaculate conception." (The New York Times, 12/06/98)

You and I cannot just sit idly by and let "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" be shown unchallenged at Oklahoma City University.

If you have any doubt of the urgent need for our protest, read this:

According to City Pages: "Contrary to church doctrine, the Virgin Mary turns out to be a flaky lesbian… Adam, Steve, and company have gathered in a Chelsea loft to celebrate Christmas and a second immaculate conception." (City Pages, 01/19/00)

  **** This is an abomination. And you don't need to be Catholic to agree!*****
I ask -- will God bless those who allow His Holy Mother to be dragged into the dirt of lesbian insults? Will He allow the Immaculate Conception to be turned into a homosexual party game?

I really believe we're walking in the shadow of God's anger.

I'm convinced that we must rise to the occasion and protest with all our hearts. We must show Jesus that we care, and that we love His offended Mother, and that we will defend her honor. And our prayerful protest is the only way of showing our gratitude and our only hope of redeeming ourselves.

That's why I'm urging you to speak out. On behalf of the Blessed Mother's honor, please send this email alert far and wide. Spread it. Tweet it. Post it. Blog it. Face book it.

Let's make this peaceful protest so big that the Oklahoma City University officials will feel ashamed and cancel it.

 
Keep up on issues that: Defend our faith, our Mother Mary & our God by visiting America Needs Fatima

Thank you and May God bless you.

Euro Gay Pride Touches Rome

This was sent to me as an Email from America Needs Fatima. To read the bibliography and sources cited, please visit:
 http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/homosexual-ideology-satanic-pride.html?utm_campaign=9633&utm_content=E0326&utm_medium=email&utm_source=E0326&utm_term=E0326
The article was written by Luiz Sergio Solimeo and is entitled: Homosexual Ideology, Satanic Pride  

June 11, 2011 saw one more parade to glorify the vice of homosexuality. Dubbed, Europride or Eurogaypride, it was held in Rome, once known as the Eternal City, the center of Catholicism. The expression, "homosexual pride" summarizes the essence of the homosexual ideology. Let us see how.
Pride and revolt against God
Sin is a revolt against the order established by God and, therefore, a revolt against the Creator Himself. The more this revolt becomes manifest, the greater is the sin.
Man can sin out of weakness and feel shame for his sin and desire to make amends; or he can sin with special malice and take pride in his sin. In this case, revolt against the Creator becomes more manifest; for, as Saint Thomas says, "[it] is characteristic of pride to be unwilling to be subject to any superior, and especially to God."[1]
For this reason, the holy Doctor presents "pride or self-love as the beginning of every evil."[2] According to Scripture, "pride is the beginning of all sin."[3]
Pride, the sin of Lucifer
Theologians commonly believe that the sin of Lucifer and of the evil angels was one of pride. Indeed, having no physical body, they could not be carried away by concupiscence as with man. Therefore, their sin had to be one of the spirit.
Two passages from Scripture are usually mentioned to describe this sin. The first is from Isaias:
How have you fallen from the heavens, O morning star [Lucifer],[4] son of the dawn! How are you cut down to the ground, you who mowed down the nations! You said in your heart: "I will scale the heavens; above the stars of God I will set up my throne; I will take my seat on the Mount of Assembly, in the recesses of the North. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will be like the Most High!"[5]
The second is from Prophet Jeremias:
Long ago you broke your yoke, you tore off your bonds, and you said: I will not serve.[6]

Photo taken from MSNBC site entitled, Gay Activits March In Rome

The homosexual ideology's Luciferian pride
To take pride in practicing the homosexual vice and to proclaim this in public in the streets and squares of the world's leading cities is a sin of the spirit, a challenge to the Law of God. It is a denial of reality as such and an adhesion to a utopia and to a pathological fantasy.
It is a manifestation of Lucifer's pride and a repetition of his desperate cry of revolt, "I will not serve."
Hatred of the Catholic Church
Let us return to Rome's "Europride." Italian newspapers and Internet blogs published hundreds of photos from the march. What stands out most—even more than the wild display of lust and the semi-naked bodies and obscene postures and gestures—is the hatred shown against the Catholic Church.
A homosexual sacrilegiously presented himself posing as Our Lord Jesus Christ in dark glasses.
The offenses against the Sovereign Pontiff could not be more vile: a large banner at the front of the march showed a photomontage depicting the Pope with woman's hair, wearing socks and skimpy lingerie. Below, the words, "[She] wears Prada but is a friend of Satan."[7]
Another banner showed a cartoon of Benedict XVI wearing a Nazi medal, holding a crosier with the Nazi symbol, and below the words, "Nazinger [Nazi+Ratzinger] attacks gays." Another banner read, "Ratzinger, love your neighbor but not as Hitler." And yet another, "Real Hell: The Vatican, mental Guantanamo."
Many homosexuals dressed up as bishops or priests in a ridiculous and debauched manner.
Destruction of the notion of good and evil
During the parade, the denial of all morality came across not just through the general in-your-face sexual license but also in scenes such as that reported on under the title, "Rome's Europride amid Angels, Devils and Spouses," by Italy's ANSA News Agency. It carried a picture of two men kissing, one dressed as a devil, with horns and a trident and the other like a good angel, with white wings and halo.[8]
The kissing "devil" and "angel" aptly represent the ultimate goal of the homosexual ideology: the complete denial of the difference between good and evil, right and wrong. Freed from morals and reason, man's will shall become the only rule; good will simply mean what gives pleasure to our instincts and senses; and evil, anything that crosses us.
"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil"
Does this not remind us of the Prophet Sophonias and his rebuke to those "that say in their hearts: The Lord will not do good, nor will he do evil"?[9]
Unto them is the warning of the Prophet Isaias: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness."[10]
Here is where the satanic pride of the homosexual ideology leads us: it transforms light into darkness and darkness into light and wants to impose this darkness on the world, through the dictatorship of law and the propaganda coming from liberal media

Blasphemy! Jerry Springer, The Opera

America Needs Fatima

HERE WE GO AGAIN! The Devil never stops, but we will stop It with our protests!

Jerry Springer, The Opera: Excerpt from Theater Mania:
To put it mildly, this is a highly scatological piece of work, every bit as vulgar and lurid as the trash TV talk show that inspired it. Furthermore, unlike TV, the four letter words aren't bleeped out -- and very popular words they are in the book and lyrics by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas (who is also the composer). Indeed, the F-word becomes poetry beyond even David Mamet's imagination, at one point used in a Handel-like run of competitive male coloratura between a baritone and a tenor as Satan and Jesus. Oh, did I mention that the show also mocks Christian ideology?

Please protest the Southern California Premiere of the blasphemous show Jerry Springer: The Opera, which is full of profanity, impurity and blasphemous content, such as

• The Crucifixion is mocked and the Eucharist is trashed

• There is a lady singing "Jerry eleison" (mocking the Mass: Kyrie Eleison)

• Jesus is introduced as "the hypocrite son of the fascist tyrant on high." He wears a diaper, is fat and effeminate.

• Eve gropes Jesus in a manner too indecent to describe while the Annunciation is described as immorality.

• God is a fat man in a white suit who complains about being blamed for everyone's problems. He invites Jerry Springer to join Him to "sit in Heaven beside me, hold my hand and guide me." At the end, Jerry emerges as the true savior of mankind.

You and I cannot accept such insults to Our Lord and the Catholic Faith!

Stop this Opera, NOW!  E-Protest here.

KKK scene from The Opera
(the playgoer)

It only takes a few seconds, so please do it now. The honor of the Faith is precious and cannot be brushed aside.
For the love of Our Lord and the Catholic Church, please send your message today, and consider forwarding this email to all the Catholics you know.

May God bless you!

America Needs Fatima, Now More Than Ever!

Call To Prayer: Nation In Crisis

This email had been sent to pastors throughout the U.S.A. It is bold, but brave and much needed in these desperate times in our world....in our nation!
Many will be angry because of the Separation of Church & State issue. Let them. I love my nation, my family & friends too much to let misguided sentiments stop me from petitioning God for His help! Please keep August 6, 2011 as a Day of Prayer & Fasting! God Bless America.

In a most unusual move, Texas Governor Rick Perry has asked the other 49 governors to join him in calling a Joel 2 “solemn assembly,” a day of prayer, fasting and worship. How long has it been since a governor has called for a “solemn assembly?”

Furthermore, it appears that no governor in American history has invited all other governors to join him in such a call.  Read his proclamation here

Come to Houston
forThe Response:
a call to prayer for a nation in crisis
August 6, 2011
On Saturday, August 6, the nation will come together at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX
for a solemn gathering of prayer and fasting for our country
Every Christian pastor in America should be present
Learn more at  TheResponseUSA.com

Allow me to be candid. You and I both know America is in trouble. Our communities and congregations are besieged by moral disintegration, overwhelming debt, employment uncertainty, global terrorism, national disasters and more.

As Christian pastors and leaders, it's time to unite on our knees before God. The Response is not an entertainment event, a day to celebrate America, or a time to cast blame on others for the current crisis in our country. It is a trumpet call to prayer and fasting, to authentic humility and personal repentance on the part of every Christian in the nation.

We believe that there is hope for America - and we will find it as we call on Jesus' name and ask our Heavenly Father for His mercy on us as a people.

Go to The Response  website to learn who is endorsing this gathering, to register, and to find materials you can use to invite your congregation to join you. Check back regularly, as new information and endorsements are added daily.

I sincerely hope I see you there!
  Jim Garlow
The Response National Church Mobilization
Senior Pastor, Skyline Church, San Diego, CA
Chairman/CEO, Renewing American Leadership, Washington, DC

Our Lady Insulted & Degraded, Again! E-Protest

How to hurt Our Lord? By insulting and degrading His mother! We must stop this now!

The blasphemous art exhibit "Our Lady and Other Queer Santas", by the self-avowed lesbian Alma Lopez, will be on display at the University College Cork and is open to the general public.

As you know, the digital photo collage 'Our Lady' shows Our Lady of Guadalupe in a floral bikini, hands on hips, held up by a bare breasted angel.

On June 24th, the University College Cork (Ireland) is hosting the blasphemous art exhibit "Our Lady and Other Queer Santas" as part of a conference on Hispanic Studies.

Tell the University College Cork (Ireland) how shocked you are by this. E-Protest Blasphemy To Our Lady

At the same conference on Hispanic Studies, Alma Lopez will talk about "Our Lady and Other Queer Santas."

She will also sign copies of her blasphemous book called "Our Lady of Controversy: Alma Lopez's 'Irreverent' Apparition," which has that same blasphemous and impure collage of Our Lady of Guadalupe on its cover.

The offenses against the Blessed Virgin Mary's purity seem endless!

And in response, you and I must console Our Lady by offering Her Son our fervent prayers and most heartfelt acts of reparation.

Beloved Father, I exalt you and praise you for your generosity with the human race, for accepting the sacrifice of your most beloved Son Our Lord Jesus Christ in reparation for all our sins, for permitting the Precious Blood of Jesus to wash our souls and to purify us anew in your holy image. 

Prayer to the Blessed Mother In Reparation For Blasphemy:
Mary, my Immaculate Mother, I desire to offer you reparation for the offenses which your Immaculate Heart receives from the horrible blasphemies which are uttered against you. I offer you these praises to console you for so many ungrateful children who so not love you, and to console the Heart of your Divine Son Who is so deeply offended by the insults offered to you. 
For Additional Prayers of Reparation visit America Needs Fatima

Love, Honor & A Four-Letter Word

The word is Obey, dear readers ;) And it's a word that often rubs people the wrong way. At least in this day and age. No one wants to obey...anyone or anything it seems. Not the police, teacher, parent, clergy/nuns, or spouse. God is at the bottom of the obey list.  Rules are made to be broken, right, so why obey them? Don't get me started.
The definition of obey is: to comply with or follow the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions of. I like the word "wishes".  It implies emotion, camaraderie, a desire to please. Obedient means: to agree to obey. Notice the word, agree. It doesn't say demand. It doesn't say twist one's arm. Agree is: consent...mutual consent.
On several occasions, broadcasters excitedly announced that the words-love, honor and obey would not be used in the vows at the recent royal wedding. Apparently, Prince Charles and Lady Diana were the first royal couple to omit the word, obey, and substitute cherish. Cherish Diana? Charles never did. His adulterous affair turned the word cherish into a fluff word with cotton candy substance. Don't get me started.
Cherish is a word used by most of us. I cherish my alone-time, old photographs and memories. Cling to & worship are definitions of cherish. I'm surprised feminists and today's free-thinkers like the word cherish any more than the word obey, in the light of these definitions. One example of the word cherish is: Many cherished the book. Gee, that's special. It would be remiss of me not to mention that cherish has some sweet meanings like, to feel affection for. I would reserve this for my pet, not my husband.

Obey is a much misunderstood word, especially when associated with the Sacrament of Matrimony. St. Peter set off an explosion when he commanded wives, “be submissive to your husbands, so that some, though they do not obey the word, may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, when they see your reverent and chaste behavior.”  What person doesn't know that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar? Why should St. Peter's words cause such a stir? Why wouldn't a sweet disposition..a woman going out of her way for her husband not reap amazing benefits and maybe even, change?

A man who is right with God, who is considerate and loving, would never abuse the word, obey.  My husband wouldn't abuse the word, my son wouldn't and my nephews, too. Good men do exist. But, I guess that's not the experience for many women. How sad that women don't realize that the Holy Spirit guides the actions of a good man. How sad that it's not understood that our marriage vows are bonds of trust.

We are asked by Christ to love deeply, to love unselfishly. Obedience is when two people pledge to put the needs of the other ahead of their own. What a shame that we've dropped this word from wedding vows and lost the essence of a gospel-based marriage. One blogger wrote that obedience speaks of a sense of duty. What's wrong with ethical or moral principles governing a person's thoughts and actions, especially between a husband and wife? Don't get me started.
Why isn't the Holy Couple mentioned more often as an ideal portrait of marriage? St. Joseph didn't brow-beat the Blessed Mother. They had a most loving relationship. Mary is the epitome of obedience to both her earthly husband and to God. She is strong, decisive, independent & confident, yet feminine, compassionate, gentle and full of grace, a real woman.
I found this piece by Elizabeth Ficocelli at http://www.catholicplanet.com/articles/article72.htm  a wealth of inspiration and logic: There is no dispute that women are equal in dignity, grace and worth and certainly equally loved by God. In fact, God's plan for women has always been to elevate them to a position of honor and esteem in the home and, for a long time, the role of wife and mother was highly regarded by all. However, the increasing power struggle between wives and husbands in this past century has bred broken relationships, rebellious children, lack of love and divorce. Women have lost their value, becoming subject to man and degraded by society - exactly the opposite of what “women's lib” set out to achieve. The gospel call for the husband to be an authority figure, balancing complete submission to the will of his creator and perfect reverence for his spouse, is not an easy one, and one that comes with much responsibility and accountability.
If I were to renew my wedding vows today, they would be...love, honor, obey & protect. Why?  Sometimes, at night before I fall asleep, my husband holds me close and whispers, "I've got your back". I know in that moment that I am loved, secure and protected. I am flesh of his flesh, bone of his bone.  Obey is an equal opportunity...opportunity.

Jesus' Folded Napkin: UnFolded

I receive a lot of emails as I'm sure you do. I delete a lot of emails after reading the first line. I dislike emails that have a fluff sentiment, whether religious or secular, THAT states- if you send this email to 8 friends you will have good luck, prayer answered, a financial wind-fall, blah, blah, blah. Phooey, that's Christian voodoo!

I make a habit of checking out suspect emails. I look at a few fact-checking sites like Snopes.com...but I don't always trust this source either. It tends to have liberal leanings and if the questionable email is political...I look at a couple of  other sources. The one time I didn't research and passed on an email...I got nailed by my brother-in-law. Ouch. So I try to be careful...and if it's a darling email, I will forward it with the note: I'm not sure if this is true, but it's a nice thought.

Okay, now that I've stated this: the email below is a lovely one. BUT, I had to research it. I will let you read it for the pure enjoyment. The message is beautiful and uplifting..full of hope. After the story, I'll tell you what I found:

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?

The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. It was neatly folded and placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. (The body of Our Lord was missing)

She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple...Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple out ran Peter and got there first. He stopped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in.

Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.

Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.
When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it.

The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished..

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table.

The servant would then know to clear the table.. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm finished."

But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because..........

The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!" (end of email)

Numerous Bible study sources have been checked out and nothing about this alleged Jewish custom of the folded napkins had been found.  No Bible scholars could verify the meaning of the folded napkin. If you find one, please, let me know.
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Additionally, a Jewish rabbi of TruthOrFiction.com who has been a life-long Orthodox Jew, a Jewish scholar, and lives in Jerusalem, Israel, said he’d never heard of it.

 In my search for the "truth", I didn't find much more than the above...until I came to the comments left at
http://www.returningking.com/?p=78. The following are the ones of interest:

1) According to Jewish tradition, which by the way still goes on today, when a Jewish male is buried his Prayer Shawl (Tallit) is used to wrap the the head where the face is showing. The other disciple, which is John, KNEW every little detail of The Lord’s habits. When men attended the Synagogue, each man left his Tallit there. Since all the Tallit looked the same, the only way a man could distinguish his from all the others was the way it was folded. John immediately KNEW Jesus had risen…………all because John recognized our Lord’s “SIGNATURE” (fold)!!!!!  (Carl)

2) I was told it was a tradition of ‘carpenters’ of that day. When a job was finished and the persons ordering the work were not present, the carpenter would fold and leave behind the handkerchief he used to wipe his brow. This was the equivalent of passing a self-imposed “final inspection and a certificate of completion”, as they did not have building inspectors then. This signaled that the job was done. (jeffery Cory)

3) The position or form of the clothes was seen by the early Church especially to support the clear and unmistakable affirmation that the body had not been removed, for had the body been stolen, grave robbers would not have taken the time to unwrap the linens and certainly not have placed the soudarion rolled up neatly in its place. (from the Catholic Bulletin.com)

They all make sense. #2 was most interesting given the fact that Jesus was a carpenter, and if this comment is true, He would be familiar with this signal. If it were a customary thing to do, then the apostles would be familiar with this, too. I don't believe that the cloth was left folded for no apparent reason. I don't believe it was mentioned in the Holy Bible just for good script-reading. There's a reason for everything with God. Nothing is coincidental with Him.

When I have dinner guests, I use lovely cloth napkins. After I clear away the dishes, I brush off the tablecloth, and reset the table for dessert. At each guest's setting, I always shake out his/her napkin, refold it, and place it neatly by the dessert plate. I am readying the table for my guests return. The savory part of the meal is complete...the sweet course is yet to come. It is what most guests look forward to, dessert. Interestingly, the word comes from the French language, desservir, "to clear the table" and "to serve" Could this be more appropriate? Our Lord came to serve and we are born to serve Him with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul and with all our strength. Is there anything more sweet than the thought of Christ's Return? Is there anything more sweet than the thought of eternal happiness in heaven...the sweet by-and-by?
Perhaps, the "folded napkin" email does nothing more than get us all thinking about His Coming. There's nothing wrong with dialogue between Christians and sometimes it takes a controversial, yet innocent email to get the dialogue started. Always seek the truth. And may the image of the folded napkin remind us that the Greatest, Most Honored Guest will return and He will invite His faithful to feast at the banquet table of the Father.

 

St. Rita, Patroness of Impossible Cases...Feast May 22nd

I would be ashamed of myself if I didn't acknowledge the Feast of St. Rita of Cascia, one of my most favorite and beloved women of our faith. Both Catholic Online & Catholic Encyclopedia (newadvent.org) had short biographies of St. Rita...but neither did her extraordinary life justice. But Wikipedia did!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rita_of_Cascia.  I was at the Cathedral of the Divine Mercy in Massachusetts browsing the book store when I found the DVD of her life starring beautiful Vittoria Belvedere. St. Rita DVD at Amazon.com What a fabulous story! It had all the excitement, action and romance of any epic movie.

St. Rita was born at Roccaporena near Spoleto, Umbria, Italy. She married at age 12 to Paolo Ferdinando. Her parents (Antonio Mancini and Amata Ferri) arranged her marriage, despite the fact that she repeatedly begged them to allow her to enter a convent. Ferdinando was a rich, quick-tempered, immoral man, who had many enemies in the region. St. Rita endured his insults, abuse and infidelities for years. Through humility, kindness and patience, Rita "converted her cruel husband from his wicked ways, making their home a peaceful sanctuary of holy bliss". (St. Rita of Cascia) They bore two sons, Giangiacomo(Giovanni)Antonio and Paulo Maria, who grew up God-loving children. Although Paolo Ferdinando became congenial, his allies betrayed him and he was violently stabbed to death.
As her sons advanced in years (one now 16), their character began to change. **(Biographers write that the sons were twins). The sons wished to exact revenge on their father's murderers. This unauthorized right of revenge in Italy at the time was called La Vendetta. Fearing that her sons would lose their souls, Rita tried to persuade them from retaliating, but to no avail. Instead, she prayed to God. Her sons died of natural causes (dysentery) a year later, well prepared to die and go before God.
After the deaths of her husband and sons, St. Rita desired to enter the monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene at Cascia but was turned away. Although the convent acknowledged Rita's good character and piety, it was afraid of being associated with her due to the scandal of her husband's violent death. However, she persisted in her cause and was given a condition before the convent could accept her; the difficult task of reconciling her family with her husband's murderers. She was able to resolve the conflicts between the families and, at the age of 36, was allowed to enter the monastery.^[1]
Her actual entrance into the monastery has been described as a miracle. During the night, when the doors to the monastery were locked and the sisters were asleep, St. Rita was miraculously transported into the convent by her patron saints Saint John the Baptist, Saint Augustine, and Saint Nicholas of Tolentino^{[citation needed]}. When she was found inside the convent in the morning and the sisters learned of how she entered, they could not turn her away. She remained at the monastery, living the Augustinian Rule, until her death.
One day, while living at the convent Rita said, "Please let me suffer like you, Divine Saviour". Suddenly, a thorn from a figure of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ fell from the crown of thorns and left a deep wound in Rita's forehead. This wound never healed and caused her great suffering for the rest of her life.^{[citation needed]} As a result, depictions of St. Rita show a forehead wound to represent this event.

The Story of the Rose & The Fig:

When St. Rita was bedridden in the convent, a cousin visited her and asked her if she desired anything from her old home. St. Rita responded by asking for a rose and a fig from the garden. It was January and her cousin did not expect to find anything due to the snowy weather. However, when her relative went to the house, a single blooming rose was found in the garden as well as a fully ripened and edible fig, and her cousin brought the rose and fig back to St. Rita at the convent.^{[citation needed]} The rose bush is still alive and often in bloom today.^{[citation needed]}
The rose is thought to represent God's love for Rita and Rita's ability to intercede on behalf of lost causes or impossible cases. Rita is often depicted holding roses or with roses nearby. On her feast day, May 22, churches and shrines of St. Rita provide roses to the congregation that are blessed by priests during Mass.

Look for the prayer to St. Rita on my blog. It's on the left sidebar. Please scroll down to find it.
St. Rita of Cascia pray for us!