Rosary Talk (Family Rosary Rally)

 

Welcome to the Family Rosary Rally! You just heard our bishop’s amazing Rosary talk, followed by five powerful and inspiring testimonies. The purpose of this rally is to encourage families to pray the Rosary together every day.

First, I will give you some tips on praying the Rosary, then I will speak about some fruits and miracles of the Rosary. And finally, I will give you an exhortation to daily pray the family Rosary.

The first tip on praying the Rosary is slow down. Before I was a priest, when I lived in Hays, there was a German woman lead the Rosary. She sounded like an auctioneer. I don’t mean to pick on the Irish, but when I was in seminary, if we wanted a quick Rosary, we’d ask an Irish seminarian to lead it. We are praying to a person, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Before praying the Rosary, we should mention our intentions and pray for the intentions of the Virgin Mary.

How many rosaries can you pray in 20 minutes? I suspect the woman at Hays could pray 2 Rosaries in 20 minutes, which is way too fast. St. Padre Pio prayed 35 Rosaries a day.

Did you know you can pray 30 rosaries in 20 minutes. What! St. Louis de Montfort said, “Somebody who says his Rosary alone only gains the merit of one Rosary, but if he says it together with thirty other people, he gains the merit of thirty Rosaries. This is the law of public prayer. How profitable, how advantageous this is!” 

To pray the Rosary with a group, you receive the same graces as the number of rosaries prayed with the group.

The Rosary is a double prayer. We pray with our mind and we pray with our voice. We need to meditate when we pray the Rosary. Before Mary appeared to St. Dominic in 1205, when the Rosary was prayed, there were no meditations to it. But, when Our Lady gave St. Dominic the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries, and people began to meditate on them, thousands of heretics came back to the Church. The Albigensians believed the body was evil and marriage was bad. When Our Lady gave Dominic the mysteries of the Rosary and told him to preach the Rosary, it helped Catholics return to the true teachings of the Church.

The meditations are really the Gospel in miniature because it covers important events often called mysteries in the lives of Jesus and Mary. When we meditate on the sacred mysteries Mary pours many graces and gifts into our soul, through Her prayers and intercession. The mystery becomes present to us. It increases our faith. We become more like Christ. We grow in virtue by meditating on and attempting to imitate the virtue associated with the mystery. God gives us insights into the mystery, which is what Alex Flood said happens when he prays the Rosary. We receive grace into our souls. Our mind is reminded of the truth associated with the mystery. We avoid falling into error because we experience the divine truth. Because the events involve God, they have eternal effects on our soul. St. Louis de Montfort said to pray the Rosary without meditating is like a body without a soul.

Mary treasured all the mysteries in Her Heart. She helps us to meditate on them, so we too can treasure them in our heart. When we gaze upon the mysteries, we are gazing upon them with the eyes of Mary. We begin to love Jesus as Mary loves Jesus. We feel what Jesus feels. We see what Jesus sees. When we are meditating on a mystery of the Rosary, allow the mystery to come alive in your mind. And be there at the mystery and participate in it. For example, when meditating on the Birth of Jesus, allow Mary to hand the baby Jesus to you and you hold Him in your arms. You see His smile and reach out your finger to touch His nose.

Here are some of the many fruits of the Rosary. The Rosary will bring back fallen away Catholics. The Rosary brought me to Confession from being away from it for 20 years (from 3^rd grade until I was 27). I had never seen my parents go to Confession, nor did they ever encourage me to go to Confession. When my grandmother was dying, I promised her I would pray a Rosary for her. Because I hadn’t prayed the Rosary since I was a child, this motivated me to learn how to pray the Rosary. EWTN was very helpful! The sorrowful mysteries convicted me of my sins and how I hurt Jesus, moved me to go to Confession. Then, after hearing about Our Lady’s messages from Medjugorje, I began to pray the Rosary daily, go to Confession monthly, read the Bible everyday, and attend daily Mass.

When we pray the Rosary, Mary will pray for us, now and at the hour of our death, as April Owens testified on behalf of her brother, who received the Last Rites before he died. The Rosary brought her family members back to the Church and her father became Catholic. The Rosary helped a protestant pastor, Alex Flood and his family become Catholic. Little Molly Leonard woke up and began to eat after her parents prayed the Rosary for her. Angie Marlett testifies the Rosary helps her to stay sober from her battle with alcohol addiction.

Jared and Katie testify that due to their daughter, Julian praying for a new baby girl everyday when the family prayed the Rosary together, they conceived, Kaci, a baby girl.

Jared said men are the spiritual leaders of the family and are responsible for daily family prayer. St. Paul said, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and was handed over for her, so that she may be a spotless bride.” Jesus laid down his life for His bride the Church and this is what all husbands and fathers are to do. Today, we have a crisis of men, who don’t live up to their Christian role has husband and father. Men are called to guardians, defenders and protectors of their wife and family, like St. Joseph was for the Holy Family. It is the duty of the father, the spiritual leader of the house to lead and encourage his family to pray the Rosary.

Men, take up the sword and fight to spiritually protect your wife and family. What is this sword? Do you remember when Boko Ha-ram kidnapped all those girls in Africa? The bishop of that diocese didn’t know what to do, so he went before Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration and begged the Lord to help him. Jesus came out of the Eucharistic Host, and Our Lord handed the bishop a sword. The bishop was astonished and reached out to take the sword and when he grabbed it, it suddenly turned into a large Rosary. Jesus then said to the Bishop, “Boko Haram is gone. Boko Haram is gone. Boko Haram is gone.” After this experience, the bishop told the people his diocese to pray the Rosary as a weapon against Boko Haram and Boko Haram slowly returned the girls on their own. The Rosary overcame this terrible evil.

St. Padre Pio said, “The Rosary is the weapon for these times. Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.”

The Rosary has helped win wars. In 1213, the Battle of Muret was won by the Rosary. 800 crusaders were outnumbered by 20,000. Catholics spent the night praying the rosary. In the morning all went to confession and received Holy Communion. During the battle St. Dominic prayed before a statue of Mary in a nearby church. The opposing army indulged in a night of drunkenness and debauchery. The following day, the Catholics won the war.

On October 7 of 1571 was the Battle of Lepanto off the Italian coast. Before the battle, all 81,000 sailors confessed & received Holy Communion. From the Ottoman Empire 274 Muslim ships outnumbered 208 Christian ships. Pope Saint Pius V asked all Catholics to pray the Holy Rosary. On the day of the battle the wind shifted causing the Catholics to handily beat the Muslims saving Europe from an invasion.

Our Lady of Fatima said if people do not cease offending God, a worse war (World War II) will break out. She said Russia will spread her errors causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. Sister Lucia said Russia’s errors involve atheistic communism. At every apparition of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917, She asked the three children to pray the Rosary.

On August 6, 1945 the first nuclear bomb was detonated over Hiroshima, Japan, killing 140,000 people. Everything within a mile of the blast was annihilated with nothing left standing, no survivors. Yet, just eight blocks from ground zero, there was a two-story house with no damage to it. The community of eight Jesuit priests, who lived there, never suffered any health issues. They prayed the Rosary.

At St. Mark’s parish, they have an ongoing miracle. When WWII started, Msgr. Hackenbroich, the pastor had the parish pray the Rosary, so that all the soldiers would come home after the war. He promised Our Lady that he would build a grotto, if they did. All came home and so the grotto was built. No soldier from St. Mark’s has ever died in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam war or any war since then.

The Rosary helped convert a satanist, Bartolo Longo. He was raised Catholic, but fell away from the Church and became a satanic priest. He eventually went to Confession, but fell into despair. One day, he heard Friar Alberto say, ‘One who propagates my rosary shall be saved.’ From that moment, Bartolo Longo’s life was consumed with devotion to Our Lady and promoting Her Rosary. He built the world’s largest basilica dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, Italy. St. Pope John Paul II added the Luminous mysteries to the Rosary due to St. Bartolo. Today in Rome, Bartolo Longo was canonized by Pope Leo.

Religious orders who pray the Rosary daily have many vocations, and they all wear their habits, including our own Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters of Wichita, the Dominican Sisters of Nashville, the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration, the Sisters of Life, the Benedictine Sisters of Gower, Missouri, etc…

Fr. Don Calloway, a priest of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, said if you pray 3 or 4 Rosaries a day, you will break free of impurity & pornography.

The Rosary has even put our fires. On October 9 of 1871, was the great Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin and Michigan, the greatest fire tragedy in US history killing between 1,200-2,400 people. Near Champion, Wisconsin, Sister Adele Briese and her companions processed a statue of Mary, around the grounds, praying the Rosary and singing hymns to Jesus and the Blessed Mother. A rain came and the fire halted at the fence of the land consecrated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, containing the chapel, school and convent.

When I went to Medjugorje for the first time in 1991, there happened to be popular priest from another country in Medjugorje. Two young ladies and I wanted to go to Confession to him. One of the ladies suggested we pray a Rosary, so that the priest will come to hear our confessions. There were about 20 outdoor confessionals. I told them I thought that foolish to pray the Rosary to get a priest to come to us, especially since he was nowhere around. But I relented and we prayed the Rosary. Just as we finished the Hail Holy Queen, the priest goes directly into the Confessional in front of us and we each confessed to him.

In 2005, in our diocese of Wichita, many parishes put in their bulletin a Seven Sorrows Rosary Novena from May 16^th to May 24th to close the abortion clinic on Central. On the last day of the Rosary Novena, May 24^th, the former feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, the abortion clinic was closed.

A few years after I was ordained, a priest, I went to the March for Life in Washington, DC. While vesting for Mass in the crypt church, since I didn’t know any of the priests there, I decided to pray the Rosary with the intention of priests coming to me to go to Confession. After about a decade, a priest came up to me and said, “Father, will you hear my confession?” I said, “Sure!” After he left, I continued saying the Rosary. By the time I finished praying the Rosary, I heard the Confession of three priests, who I had never met before.

In Africa, in 2014, over 10,000 people in western Africa died from the Ebola outbreak. The Bishop of the Diocese of Gbarnga told the people to daily pray the Rosary. One village gathered faithfully everyday to pray the Rosary and not one person died who lived in that village, while hundreds of people died in the surrounding villages.

A sorority girl went to bed praying the Rosary, and when serial killer, Ted Bundy, came to her room, an invisible force caused him to drop the knife and pushed him out of the room. A priest later determined the Rosary saved her life.

Medjugorje apparitions have not been fully approved, but messages now have ecclesiastical approval. In some messages of Our Lady of Medjugorje, She asks families to daily pray the Rosary together. She asked everyone to pray 3 rosaries a day (joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries). Here are some quotes, that Our Lady said, “Even the rosary alone can work miracles in the world and in your lives.” “I request the families of the parish to pray the family Rosary.” “Dear children! Little children, pray the Rosary and meditate the mysteries of the Rosary because, in your life, you are also passing through joys and sorrows.”

When I was a child, my mother taught my siblings and I to pray the Rosary kneeling before a statue of the Virgin Mary. I also didn’t know how to read and write, yet I learned to pray the Rosary. I wish we would have continued to pray the Rosary as a family, but we didn’t. It would have helped us through the terrible and sad years that were to follow.

Harrison Butker, the Kansas City Chiefs kicker, states that he and his wife and their small children daily pray the Rosary together, even before the children could read and write. He said they learn quickly and even can pray the Rosary in English and Latin.

Several families today testified how they daily pray the Rosary together, even with small children. It’s never perfect, but if you consistently do it daily, it becomes easier and all begin to expect it as their normal routine.

Children complain and fuss when they are told to do their chores, or their homework or to go bed? So don’t be afraid and don’t expect things to be perfect. It’s part of family life. Don’t give in to something so important as praying the family Rosary everyday.

When a family prays the Rosary together, wonderful things will happen. It helps fathers and sons to reconcile. It removes strife from mothers and daughters. It helps husbands and wives to forgive each other. Removes jealousy from siblings. Takes away competitive aspirations between brothers. It causes conversion away from sin. Daily praying the Rosary as a family, fosters love, peace & unity between family members. The Rosary can help the family to grow by bringing a new child into the world. The daily family Rosary can be the cause of physical, spiritual and emotional healing. Praying the Rosary as a family will prevent divorce and maintain marital faithfulness. Two couples independently told me the same thing. They both said, “When we began to pray the Rosary as a couple, we fell in love with each other.”

Today, many distance themselves from God. Prayer has disappeared in families because parents have no time for their children. Many external influences, TV, social media, sports are oppressing families today and making families distant from God. Our Lady of Medjugorje said social media is like cancer destroying the healthy body of the world.

We work a lot, we are busy. Don’t say you don’t have time to pray the Rosary as a family. Time is not the problem. The problem is love. When someone likes something, they find time for it. When there is love, one always finds time for what one wants to do. With love we are capable of anything.

There is so much pain, suffering, hurt feelings and unforgiveness in families and individuals. Our Lady gives us the Rosary to soothe us, console us, and heal our emotional and spiritual wounds. Through the Rosary, we are safe under Mary’s mantle. We fly to our Mother for refuge. What Mary said to Juan Diego, She says to us today, “Am I not your Mother? Do you need anything more?” “Are you not under the shadow of my protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more? Let nothing worry you or disturb you.”

When we pray the Rosary as a family, Our heavenly Mother comes to us. She intercedes for us to help us in our family relationships. Our Lady will help you to forgive and to love. Our Lady will help you to be strong in your faith.

When the family is strong, when the family has faith, when the family loves, it builds up society and the world around us, and so there is peace in our hearts, in our families and in the world.

Pope Pius XI said, “If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors."

Soon we will pray a Family Rosary during the family Holy Hour and at that time you have the opportunity to consecrate your family to the Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The word “consecrate” means to set aside for a sacred purpose or to make holy. By consecrating your family the Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, your family will be protected and set aside to be made holy. Through the consecration, you will allow Jesus, Mary and Joseph to reign over your family and they will help you as a family in all your difficulties. You may wish to consecrate your family regularly, once a month or at least once a year or whenever you have any difficulty.

There are Pledge Forms so you can pledge to daily pray the Rosary as a family. The pledge is a resolution, and is not binding to sin. But, out of love of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, you will resolve to imitate the Holy Family.

Sister Lucia of Fatima once said, “There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary."

May Our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady Queen of Peace inspire families to daily pray the Rosary together, and peace will reign peace in your hearts, in your families and peace in the world.

29th Sunday Rosary & Persevering in Prayer

 

Today’s readings cause us to reflect upon persistent prayer. The story from the book of Exodus, when understood as being symbolic of prayer, shows us that if we keep praying and do not give up, our prayers will be answered. The Israelites battled against the Amalek, who waged war against them. During the battle, when Moses raised his hands, God’s strength and power would be given to the Israelites. But when Moses lowered his hands, the enemy would begin to win. When we raise our hands in prayer, God’s blessings and graces are with us. But when we lower our hands in prayer, because we give up—we lose God’s graces.

This is analogous of praying the Rosary, and so to speak, holding up our hands in prayer for a specific intention.

Some people accuse Catholics of vain repetition when we pray the Rosary, because all they hear are the repeated Hail Marys. But, what they don’t realize is we are meditating on the mystery and when we pray the Hail Marys and Our Fathers we are doing it in love.

Have you ever got tired of telling your spouse, “I love you”? Of course not. So it is with prayer. God never tires of hearing our prayers and we should never tire of praying-- because we love Him, even if we don’t get what we want, when we want it.

God never tires of the angels in heaven repeatedly singing to Him. The book of Revelation describes four living creatures who, day and night, ceaselessly say, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." (Revelation 4:8)

Pope John Paul II in his encyclical “Rosary of the Virgin Mary”, said, “The rosary is nothing more than to contemplate with Mary, the face of Christ.” When we pray the Rosary we pray it in two ways. First, we pray with vocal prayers, as we recite the Our Fathers and the Hail Marys. But second, as we pray the vocal prayers, we also meditate on the life of Jesus and Mary in the mysteries we contemplate. For example, if we meditate on the Birth of Jesus praying the Our Father and 10 Hail Marys, we think about His birth in Bethlehem. In our heart--- we see the face of the Infant Jesus, as Mary holds Him in Her arms and lays Him in a manger.

In the first reading, Joshua mowed down Amalek and his army with the edge of the sword because Moses’ hands were lifted in prayer, so as to defeat the enemy.

Today, what is this sword, with regard to prayer? Do you remember when Boko Ha-ram kidnapped all those girls in Africa? The bishop of that diocese didn’t know what to do, so he went before Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration and begged the Lord to help him. Jesus came out of the Eucharistic Host, and Our Lord handed the bishop a sword. The bishop was astonished and reached and took the sword and when he grabbed it, it suddenly turned into a large Rosary. Jesus then said to the Bishop, “Boko Haram is gone. Boko Haram is gone. Boko Haram is gone.” After this experience, the bishop told the people his diocese to pray the Rosary as a weapon against Boko Haram and Boko Haram slowly returned the girls on their own. The Rosary overcame this terrible evil.

St. Padre Pio said, “The Rosary is the weapon for these times. Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.”

The Rosary has helped win wars. In 1213, the Battle of Muret was won by the Rosary. 800 crusaders were outnumbered by 20,000 heretics. Catholics spent the night praying the rosary. In the morning all went to confession and received Holy Communion. During the battle St. Dominic prayed before a statue of Mary in a nearby church. The opposing army indulged in a night of drunkenness and debauchery. The following day, the Catholics won the war.

On October 7 of 1571 was the Battle of Lepanto off the Italian coast. Before the battle, all 81,000 sailors confessed & received Holy Communion. From the Ottoman Empire 274 Muslim ships outnumbered 208 Christian ships. Pope Saint Pius V asked all Catholics to pray the Holy Rosary. On the day of the battle the wind shifted causing the Catholics to handily beat the Muslims saving Europe from an invasion.

Our Lady of Fatima said if people do not cease offending God, a worse war (World War II) will break out. She said Russia will spread her errors causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. Sister Lucia said Russia’s errors involve atheistic communism. At every apparition of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917, She asked the three children to pray the Rosary. It is clear to many Communism is spreading throughout the world today including here in our own country. A communist is running for mayor of New York City and many socialist and Marxist politicians have gained office.

On Sunday, in Wichita, the Diocese is holding a Family Rosary Rally at St. Catherine parish at 3pm. Our own Dave and Emily Leonard will speak about how the Rosary helped Molly when she was in the hospital. April Owens will testify how her atheist brother came back to God and received the Last Rites due to the Rosary and how the Rosary caused her mother to go Confession and her father to become Catholic. Kate and Jared Reichenberger will testify that when the family prayed the Rosary every night, their daughter prayed for a baby sister for six years, and how the Rosary helped them conceive their youngest child. Angie Marlett will give witness to how the Rosary keeps her sober from her alcohol addiction. Alex and Erin Flood were Protestants after watching a movie on Fatima, they began to pray the Rosary as a family, which led them to become Catholic.

The Rosary helped convert a satanist, Bartolo Longo. He was raised Catholic, but fell away from the Church and became a satanic priest. He eventually went to Confession, but fell into despair. He said, “I experienced a deep sense of despair and almost committed suicide. Then I heard an echo in my ear of the voice of Friar Alberto repeating the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary: ‘One who propagates my rosary shall be saved.’ Falling to my knees, I exclaimed: ‘If your words are true that he who propagates your rosary will be saved, I shall reach salvation because I shall not leave this earth without propagating your rosary.” From that moment, Bartolo Longo’s life was consumed with devotion to Our Lady and Her Rosary. He began to spread the Rosary wherever he could – preaching missions, giving out rosaries, teaching others to pray it, and encouraging public processions and recitations of the Rosary in areas where the faith had grown cold. He understood the Rosary not only as a private devotion but as a public proclamation of the truths of the Faith. He built the world’s largest basilica dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, Italy.

Pope Leo XIII was elected on May 8^th, the anniversary of the feast of Our Lady of Pompeii. Today, by divine providence, the same day as the Family Rosary Rally, Bartolo Longo, was canonized and made a saint by Pope Leo. Saint Bartolo and St. Preca influenced St. Pope John Paul II to add the Luminous mysteries to the Rosary.

There is no better way to be persistent in prayer then by repeatedly praying the Hail Mary while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and God will answer our prayer because He loves when we pray with love to His Mother asking Her to pray for us now and at the hour of our death.

Saint Bartolo Longo once said, “Oh, if only I could have an immense voice so as to invite all the sinners of the world to love the Rosary of Mary!”

My friends, what we need to do is pray the Rosary every day with your family and pray it when you make your Holy Hour, for by doing so, we will mow down the enemy, Satan and his evil spirits, by the power of the Holy Rosary. Our country and the world will become free of atheistic communism.

And our country and the world will become free of atheistic communism.

Oct 13th Miracle of Fatima

 

This generation is an evil generation, it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.

As humans, we are tempted to doubt and often times don’t go by faith, but rather we seek signs or proofs because of lack of faith. The sign of Jonah was the repentance of the people of Nineveh and that he would be survive three days in the belly of a whale, which is symbolic of our Lord’s three days in the tomb and then rising from the dead.

In one of the 1917 apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima to the children, Mary promised to give a sign to the people, so that they would believe She is appearing to the three children. Mary called the people to do penance, and to pray especially the Rosary.

On Oct. 13^th, 1917 a great miracle occurred in the little town of Fatima, Portugal. The miracle was witnessed by thousands of people, who came to the site in which the Blessed Virgin Mary was appearing to the three little children.

At noon, Our Lady was to appear. Minutes passed and She had not arrived. The crowd became impatient, when suddenly Our Lady appeared to the children. Lucia asked, "What do you want of me?" And Mary said, “I want a chapel built here in my honor. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. The war will end soon, and the soldiers will return to their homes.” Lucia said, "Yes. Yes." "Will you tell me your name?" The Virgin Mary replied, “I am the Lady of the Rosary. Lucia said, "I have many petitions from many people. Will you grant them?" Mary said, “Some I shall grant, and others I must deny. People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend our Lord any more, for He is already too much offended!” Lucia replied, "And is that all you have to ask?" Our Lady said, “There is nothing more.”

As the Lady of the Rosary rises toward the east she turns the palms of her hands toward the dark sky. While the rain had stopped, dark clouds continued to obscure the sun, which suddenly bursts through them and is seen to be a soft spinning disk of silver. Lucia cried out, "Look at the sun!"

From this point two distinct apparitions were seen, that of the phenomenon of the sun seen by the 70,000 or so spectators and that beheld by the children alone. Lucia describes the latter in her memoirs. She said, ‘After our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus seemed to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When, a little later, this apparition disappeared, I saw Our Lord and Our lady; it seemed to me to that it was Our Lady of Sorrows (Dolors). Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Carmel. [Only Lucia saw Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which some believe prophesied her entrance into Carmel some years later.]

Those who witnessed the event said the sun gradually grew pale and appeared as a silver disc, at which all could gaze directly at, without harm to their eyes. All present saw rays of multicolored light shoot in every direction. The sun began to spin madly on its axis like a gigantic wheel of fire. While the crowd fell to its knees in terror, it suddenly seemed to come down closer and closer to earth, as it zigzagged through the skies. People began to scream in horror, “It’s the end of the world.” Others said, “Please God don’t let me die in my sins.”

Suddenly it returned to its normal place, and once again no one was able to look at it. The ground and the people were suddenly dry as though it had never rained. The incredible miracle of the sun was witnessed by tens of thousands of people and reported in newspapers throughout Europe.

In Medjugorje many pilgrims have seen the miracle of the sun, including myself back in September of 1993. Just as in Fatima, Our Lady today is calling people to repentance and pray for peace in the world, in our hearts and families.

28th Sunday - Lepers (Confession - Eucharist)

 

In the Gospel today, ten lepers have an encounter with Jesus and are healed, but only one, who is a Samaritan (non-Jew), returned to thank Him.

Why would Jesus tell the lepers to go and show themselves to the priests? During the time of Jesus, when someone had a sore and if they thought it may be leprosy, they were required to show it to a priest, who would determine if it was leprosy or not. And if it was leprosy, he would be excluded from the community, to prevent the rest of the community from getting leprosy. Then if the sore went away, the leper would go and show himself to the priests, who would then re-admit them to the community. So the priest was responsible for excluding and re-admitting them to the community.

Leprosy caused the person to have open sores, often times puss oozed out. Lepers lose feeling in their hands and feet, and often times lose their fingers and toes, and have only stubs for hands and feet. Leprosy is contagious, and no one was permitted to touch a leper, for fear of getting the disease, and would therefore become unclean. Not only was the disease terrible to look at, they are unable to have personal contact with others. It must have been painful to not be able to be around family and friends and excluded from others.

Leprosy has been around for thousands of years and many saints, moved with pity, worked with lepers. St. Francis of Assisi worked with lepers, and even kissed their wounds. Saint Damien and Saint Mother Marie Cope ministered to lepers on Molokai, Hawaii. Later Father Damien would eventually succumb to the disease. Saint Mother of Teresa of Calcutta created homes for lepers and helped them to be employed.

During the year 2000, which was a Jubilee Year, I went on a mission trip to Calcutta India and helped Mother Teresa’s sisters take care of the poor. We went to a leper colony where hundreds of people lived who were missing hands and feet from disease.

On the same site they lived, they worked at a factory making clothing for the people of their country. Even though the disease is still around today, it is easily treatable, through antibiotics, but the poor, often times, do not have access to medical care.

Today, when people have a contagious disease while in the hospital, they are in what’s called “isolation”. And those who come into the room are to wear gloves, masks and a gown to protect not only the healthcare workers, but guests come to visit them.

Leprosy is also analogous to mortal sin. In the days of Jesus and even in recent times, lepers were separated from the community for fear that others would catch the disease. But once the disease was cured, as Jesus mentioned in today’s Gospel, the person was to go to the priest to show he was healed. The priest would then admit the person back into the community. Therefore, when someone commits mortal sin, the sin causes the person to be separated from the community (the mystical body of Christ), until he goes and shows his sins to the priest in confession. And once the priest gives absolution, all sins are washed away and the person immediately returns to the mystical body of Christ and is restored to the community.

Jesus Himself instituted the sacrament of confession on the day He rose from the dead and appeared to His apostles in the upper room. Christ told the apostles to follow His example: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you". Just as the apostles were to carry Christ’s message to the whole world, so they were to carry his forgiveness: "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven". “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Our Lord gave them authority and power to forgive sins, and this is has been passed down to the bishops and priests today through the sacrament of Holy Orders.

The Catholic Church, who speaks on behalf of Jesus tells us, if we commit a mortal sin, such as to purposely miss Mass on Sunday without a serious reason, or some other serious sin such as pornography, impurity adultery, or contraception, we are first to go to Confession before we receive Holy Communion. Otherwise, if we fail to go to Confession after committing a mortal sin, and receive Holy Communion when we shouldn’t, we commit an additional mortal sin called a sacrilegious Communion and we receive no grace whatsoever from Communion.

Jesus spoke about ingratitude and sacrilege with regard to the Eucharist, when He appeared to St. Margaret Mary revealing His Sacred Heart. He said, "Behold the Heart which has so loved men that it has spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming Itself, in order to testify Its love; and in return, I receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrilege, and by the coldness and contempt they have for Me in this Sacrament of Love.”

Our Lord was lamenting the fact that there is such ingratitude by those who receive Holy Communion and those who receive the Eucharist without reverence and in a sacrilegious manner.

Due to the Virgin Mary’s alleged apparitions in Medjugorje, where She is asking all Catholics to go to fast on bread and water on Wed and Friday, pray 3 rosaries a day, attend daily Mass, to read a short paragraph from the Bible and to Confess monthly. More and more people throughout the universal Church are confessing their sins monthly and some even more frequently. They are responding to Our Lady’s call.

They come to show their sins to the priest and Jesus with His tender compassion forgives. We were once lost, but are found when we come to Confession to receive the infinite mercy of Jesus. We joyfully return to the mystical body of Christ and therefore after we go to Confession, we return to Jesus by receiving Holy Communion in the state of grace. Recall that the word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving.” And so every time we receive Holy Communion we are to give thanks to the Lord, who comes to dwell within us.

All of us are sinners, whom Jesus came to save, so let us resolve to quickly run to Jesus in Confession to show the priest our sins and let us return to thank Him for forgiving our sins and for receiving the grace of being able to receive Jesus in Holy Communion.

Deep down inside, we all desire to be healed from our sins. We know our sins are ugly to God, to others and to us, and we want our soul to be washed and made clean. We long to hear the words of Jesus, “Stand up and go, your faith has saved you.”

And so, we pray: Thank you Jesus for forgiving my sins and washing me, making me clean. Thank you Jesus for every grace and gift you give to me, especially my life, my faith and my friendship with you. Thank you for entering within me in Holy Communion. Thank you for the gift of Eucharistic Adoration, where I come to adore you and gaze upon you and be with you, because I love you. O Jesus, with every beat of my heart, I thank you and pray that others will be inspired to thank you and to love you. Amen.

27th Sunday - Faith

All the texts of this Sunday's Liturgy speak of faith, which is the foundation of the whole of Christian life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us faith is “the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us” (CCC 1814).

All of us here today believe in Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus is God and that by the power of the Holy Spirit, He came down from heaven into the womb of Mary and was born in Bethlehem. We believe Jesus lived 33 years on this earth and during the last three years of His life, Our Lord worked miracles, He healed the sick, raised the dead, exorcised the possessed, walked on water, multiplied loaves and fish, calmed the storm, changed water into wine, and He proclaimed the Good News.

Jesus works miracles by faith. He told the blind man, “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

At the Last Supper Jesus changed wine into His blood and bread into His body. We believe Jesus suffered and died on the Cross and after three days He raised Himself from the dead with a new resurrected body. We believe He appeared to His apostles and many others and He ascended into heaven. We believe Jesus is at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Yet, though we cannot see Him, we believe Jesus is always at our side and that He loves us. Our faith tells us God is the author of the bible and used men to convey Himself to us through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

We believe at every Mass the crucifixion event becomes present on the altar. We believe at Mass, heaven is opened and we join the angels and saints worshiping God. We believe at Mass, Jesus through the words of the priest changes bread and wine into His body and blood and then we receive Jesus in Holy Communion. We believe Jesus is united to us in Communion for at least 10 minutes.

We believe Jesus in the priest baptizes babies and adults. We believe Jesus unites couples in marriage. We believe Jesus anoints the sick and dying. We believe Jesus, through the priest, absolves our sins in confession. We believe Jesus sends the Holy Spirit upon us to confirm us at our Confirmation. We believe when a man is ordained by the bishop, Jesus configures his soul and acts through the priest sacramentally to pastor the people to heaven.

We believe in the Blessed Trinity, that there are three persons in one God. We believe Jesus has two natures, both human and divine and yet the person of Jesus is divine.

We believe in heaven, in hell and in purgatory. We believe at the moment of death, we will be judged. We believe at the end of the world is the general judgment and we will all rise from the dead at the general resurrection. We believe saints can intercede for us and obtain favors from us.

We believe Jesus loves us and hears our prayers even when they are not answered when and how we would like them to be answered.

In the first reading today the prophet Habakkuk had difficulty because his prayer was not answered, and so, he cried out to God, “How long, Lord, am I to cry for help while you will not listen?” But, by faith we believe, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

In the Gospel, the apostles realized they needed more faith, and so they said to Jesus, “Increase our faith!” and Jesus said, “Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea’, and it would obey you.”

Pope Benedict XVI in a homily said, “Jesus taught his disciples to grow in faith, to believe and to entrust themselves increasingly to him, in order to build their own lives on the rock. For this reason they asked him "increase our faith!". What they asked the Lord for is beautiful, it is the fundamental request: disciples do not ask for material gifts, they do not ask for privileges but for the grace of faith, which guides and illumines the whole of life; they ask for the grace to recognize God and to be in a close relationship with him...”

All of us here today, have faith and we can always grow in our faith too. Faith is needed to help overcome life’s problems and difficulties. If we lack faith, we should ask God for the gift of faith and He we trust He will give it.

Some non-Catholics believe in faith alone. But, the early Christians (who were Catholic) believe in faith and works, as the Book of James, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James is stating something very simple, if we truly have faith, we will live by faith, causing us to show our love for our neighbor helping them in all their needs.

We cannot therefore say, “I believe in Jesus, and then don’t do what Jesus asks of us.” We can’t say we love Jesus, if we fail keep His commandments. He said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” If we don’t repent of our sins, (the times we failed to keep God’s commandments) our faith will be weakened and can be lost, as St. Paul said, “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.“ (1 Timothy 1:9) Peter, our first Pope, helps us to see the joy that comes from believing in Jesus. He said, “Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” (1 Peter 1:8-9)

Jesus gives us a promise of never dying. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11: 25)

Our Lord said, if we believe in Him, we will have eternal life and be raised us on the last day. (John 6:40)

Jesus, I believe in you and because I believe in You, I will live my life as a Christian doing works of love for my neighbor, because that is what You want me to do. Out of faith, the Virgin Mary, said yes, to become your Mother, and when She stood at the foot of Your Cross, when all seemed lost, She believed you would rise from the dead, and so, I believe in You, O Lord, because I desire to be with you forever in heaven.

St. Francis of Assisi - Oct 4th - Prophecy

 

Yesterday was the memorial of St. Francis of Assisi. Bishop Kemme invited Franciscans to open a friary in Wichita, which has now been opened for several months. For these reasons, I decided to preach on St. Francis of Assisi.

Is St. Francis of Assisi the patron of Global Warming and Population Control? NO! But, he is the patron of nature because he preached the Word of God to birds, who listened to him. St. Francis literally took the words of Jesus to heart, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”. (Mark 15:9) The birds, which landed on his shoulder would leave only after he made the sign of the Cross. God wants us to respect creation, and show us the power of God’s Word over creation.

Is there really climate change? Can the Church say there is or isn’t climate change? The short answer is its up to scientists to determine if there is climate change or not because the question deals with science. The Church has no authority to determine matters relating to science, but the Church has authority over faith and morals. This was true when Paul V in 1600’s wrongly condemned Galileo who believed the earth revolved around the sun. In 1992, Pope John Paul II, apologized for the error of Pope Paul V, 300 years earlier.

Some Globalists believe climate change is caused by an excessive number of people on earth, and to prevent it, they believe the world’s population must be reduced by lowering births through abortion, contraception and sterilization.

However, Cardinal Rigali, on Respect Life Sunday in 2009, said, “As used by population control advocates, the innocuous term ‘family planning’ includes abortifacient contraceptives, sterilization, and manual vacuum aspiration abortions. Death is not a solution to life’s problems. Only those who are blind to the transcendent reality and meaning of human life could support killing human beings to mitigate economic, social or environmental problems.”

Some have hijacked St. Francis Assisi’s love of nature, to make him the patron of the global movement, climate change and protecting “mother earth”, but this is really sacrilegious. “The Earth is, as St. Francis of Assisi explained, our Sister, not our Mother. That is, the earth is yet another part of God’s creation with no authority over us. It’s we who reign over the earth.” (National Catholic Register)

Who is the real St. Francis of Assisi? He is known as “the little beggar”. Born in 1182 in Assisi, Italy he received the baptismal name John, but his father renamed him Francesco, in honor of his love for France. The son of a wealthy merchant, Francis had time and money to host lavish banquets for young nobles. Parties and selling cloth left Francis little time for God. A charming and educated young man, he spent his early life leading young nobles to parties. He dreamed of knighthood and longed for the adventurous life of chivalry. In pursuit of that dream, he joined in the war between Assisi and Perugia at the age of 20. He was wounded and taken prisoner. While in a dungeon for a year, he contracted malaria. Ransomed by his father, a more reflective Francis returned to Assisi.

During his day, there was widespread confusion, scandals among the clergy and a decline in attendance threatened the Church.

One day, he walked inside San Damiano church falling down from old age. He knelt to pray, and asked God, what he wanted him to do, with his life. Jesus spoke to St. Francis from the cross, and said, “Build my Church, as you can see it is falling into ruin.” Francis thought the Lord wanted him to build the old church that was falling down, and so, he began to collect stones to repair it.

On the feast of St. Matthias, in 1209, he was revealed the way of life he was to follow. The Gospel of the Mass was Matthew 10: And going, preach, saying The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.... Freely have you received, freely give. Take neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses . . . nor two coats nor shoes nor a staff.... Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves.... These words suddenly became Christ's command to him. His doubts over, he cast off shoes, staff, and leather girdle, but kept his rough woolen coat, which he tied about him with a rope. Francis begged for food, wore old clothes, and preached peace. He began to speak to the people he met on the shortness of life, the need of repentance, and the love of God. His salutation to those he passed on the road was, "Our Lord give you peace." He came to discover God wanted him to start a religious order of men to spiritually build and repair Holy Mother Church.

He began to attract followers, and in 1209 with the papal blessing he founded the Friars Minor (Franciscans). Then in 1212 with St. Clare of Assisi he founded the foundation of the cloistered nuns called the “Poor Ladies," now known as the "Poor Clares." He also founded the "Third Order of Penance" (the Third Order) which included lay people. Thousands of people throughout the world began to follow his way of life, which renewed the Church.

St. Francis had a tremendous devotion to the Passion of Christ. One day, while praying, on or about the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, he asked Jesus to allow himself to experience in a small way, what Our Lord experienced on the Cross. He then had a vision of a winged seraph, nailed to a cross, flying towards him; he also felt keen stabs of pain in hands, feet, and sides. When the vision vanished, he discovered on his body the stigmata of the crucified Christ. He is the first person (recorded) to receive the stigmata (the five wounds of Christ) in 1224. He believed his wounds were a sign of God’s love for him. The wounds given by God to St. Francis were an outward indication that St. Francis embraced his life of pain and suffering which he united to the Cross of Jesus for the salvation of souls.

One Christmas night, Francis created the first live Nativity scene, with an altar in which had real animals, a manger, and people dressed up like St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary. However, they didn’t have a child to play the baby Jesus. During the outdoor Mass, after the consecration, when the bread changed into the body of Christ, and when the priest raised the Eucharist, all present witnessed, the baby Jesus suddenly appear in the arms of St. Francis. Since then, nativity sets began to be created and placed in churches and homes.

Followers of St. Francis are also responsible for putting Stations of the Cross in churches. If it wasn’t for St. Francis, most likely churches wouldn’t have them today on their walls, nor have nativity sets at churches and in homes.

St. Francis and his followers lived a very poor life, not owning anything. He felt if he had any material objects, they would take his heart and mind away from Jesus. He had a nickname for poverty, he called it, Lady Poverty because he respected poverty as though it were a lady, who deserved respect. St. Francis saw his new way of life as rejecting riches, worldliness, and pride by living a life of poverty, penance and humility, preaching peace, conversion and repentance.

He had a great devotion to Mary. Here is one of his prayers: “Holy Virgin Mary, among women, there is no one like you born into the world, you are the daughter and the servant of the most high, and supreme King and Father of heaven, you are the Mother of our most holy Lord Jesus Christ, you are the spouse of the Holy Spirit. Pray for us, with St. Michael the archangel, and all the powers of heaven and all the saints, to your most holy and beloved Son, our Lord and Master, Amen.”

Because of Saint Francis’ devotion to the Eucharist, he wanted churches to be clean, in good repair, and beautiful to honor Jesus. He spent much of his time in prayer in the Church of San Damiano, and one of his early works of charity was to repair churches. Although he greatly valued poverty and did not spend money on himself, he wanted the best, most beautiful sacred vessels to be used in churches. He wrote, “Above everything else, I want this most Holy Sacrament to be honored and venerated and reserved in places which are richly ornamented.”

Highlighting his respect for priests, the Mass, and the Eucharist, he said, “Let the whole of mankind tremble, the whole world shake, and the heavens exalt, when Christ, the Son of the living God, is present on the altar, in the hands of the priest. O admirable heights, and sublime lowliness! O sublime humility! O humble sublimity! That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation, He hides Himself under the little form of bread! Look brothers at the humility of God and pour out your hearts before Him!”

Besides introducing devotions to Catholicism, like the Nativity scene, the stations of the Cross, devotion to Mary, devotion to Christ’s Passion, he is also know for introducing Eucharistic Adoration, which began to blossom throughout the world because of him.

St. Francis is known for a prophecy. He said, “The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase. The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death. Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it. There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God. Those who preserve in their fervor and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and, persecutions as rebels and schismatics. Choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy. Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. The sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Jesus Christ will send them not a true pastor, but a destroyer."

Francis died at the age of 44 on October 3rd, 1226 at Assisi in church of Our Lady of the Angels called the Portiuncula. He was canonized by Pope Gregory IX less than two years later.

Today, let us grow in our devotion and love of St. Francis of Assisi. The next time you see a bird bath with St. Francis, don’t think of him as merely a nature lover, but think of him as one who repaired the Church, by living and preaching the Gospel, accepting suffering, meditating on the Passion of Christ, his devotion Mary and Jesus in the Eucharist and his life of penance, humility, conversion and peace, rejecting the world with its riches and pride.

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us, and please help us repair the Church today, who as you can see is falling into ruin.

Guardian Angels Oct 2nd

 

I’m going to ask you a question, and most likely you have never done what I’m going to ask you. Have you ever told your guardian angel, “I love you!” Why not, he loves you! I would like to encourage you to do that today and also in the future.

“He has given His angels charge over you, to guard you in all your ways.” Today, we celebrate the memorial of the Guardian Angels.

There are three hierarchies of angels. The highest are angels, which offer continuous praise to God. The middle hierarchy of angels are those, which serve Him as messengers. And the lowest hierarchy is those who serve as guardians of men, here on earth.

Those who serve God as guardians and protectors of men on earth are called Guardian Angels. Jesus refers to guardian angels in today’s gospel. He said, “…for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

As Catholics, we believe each person has a Guardian Angel, who watches over us during the whole course of our life.

There is a 7 minute video called “The Veil Removed.” It shows what mystics believe happens during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. In the video, a pregnant woman is sitting in the pew and she suddenly sees two angels (one is her guardian angel and the other is the guardian angel of her unborn baby).

It is generally accepted doctrine that communities, the Church, dioceses, and nations also have angels which watch over them. For example, the angel, who appeared to the three children of Fatima, is believed to the angel of Portugal, who identified himself as the Angel of Peace.

Guardian angels defend us from the assaults of the demons, endeavoring to preserve us from sin and the occasions of sin. They strive to keep us on the right path; if we fall they will help us to rise back up again. They encourage us to be more and more virtuous. They suggest good thoughts and holy desires. They offer our prayers and actions to God and above all they assist us at the hour of death.

We know that some saints such as St. Padre Pio have seen their angels and had conversations with them. Padre Pio was assaulted by demons, but was also protected and comforted by his Guardian angel. He wrote a letter to his spiritual director in whom he speaks about his attacks from devils, but also mentions his guardian angel. After the attack happened, Padre Pio’s angel said to him, “I am always near you, dear friend. I will always walk near you…This love I have for you-- will not end, even when you die.”

By these words of St. Padre Pio, we can see that our angels are always near us, walk with us and that they love us, not only now but through all eternity.

As the book of Exodus states, “See I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on your way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to Him and heed his voice.”

Today and every day, may we pray to our Guardian Angel in times of temptations, when we want to know what to do, and when we seek advice on how to grow in holiness. And may Our Lady, Queen of the Angels, send holy angels to care for our every need, that we ever draw closer to Her Son!

St. Therese of Lisieux Oct 1st (Follow Me!)

In the Gospel today, Jesus and His disciples were on a journey, when Jesus said, “Follow me”. The man wanted to do something else before following Jesus. But Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow, and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.” In other words, Jesus was telling him, he needs to follow Him now, not later.

When Jesus began to travel many different towns, as He traveled, He healed many, who were sick. Many would come to listen to His talks, and wanted to follow Him, and do what He would tell them to do. Some said they would do what He told them, but only after they did other things first. However, Jesus wanted them to follow right away, because He knew if they wouldn’t follow Him now, they would later change their mind and not follow Him at all.

Today is the memorial of St. Therese of Lisieux. From the young age of nine, St. Therese knew she was called to be a Carmelite nun, a spouse of Christ. Unlike the men in the Gospel who wanted to do other things before they followed Jesus, she had no intentions of delaying her call.

When she first sought permission at age 14, she was not granted entrance into the Convent. The priest-director did not want her to enter until she was twenty-one.

St. Therese then asked the bishop, to let her enter when she was fifteen. She even tried to appear more mature by putting her hair up. Her effort was once again unsuccessful. Therese’s father strongly believed in her calling that he decided to take her on a pilgrimage to Rome in hope of asking the pope for permission to pursue her calling.

In her book, Story of a Soul, St. Therese shares her memory of this day: “We entered the Vatican through the sovereign Pontiff’s chapel. Our emotion was profound when we saw him [Pope Leo XIII] enter to celebrate the Holy Mass.

After the Mass, the audience began… We passed in front of him in procession; each pilgrim knelt in turn, kissed the foot and hand of Leo XIII received his blessing, and two guards touched [the pilgrims] as a sign to rise. Before entering the pontifical apartment, I was really determined to speak, but I felt my courage weaken when I saw Father Reverony [leader of the pilgrimage] standing by the Holy Father’s right side. Almost at the same instant, they told us on the Pope’s behalf that is was forbidden to speak, as this would prolong the audience too much. I turned toward my (sister) dear Celine for advice: “Speak!”, she said. A moment later I was at the Holy Father’s feet. I kissed his slipper, and he presented his hand, but instead of kissing it I joined my own lifting my tear-filled eyes to his face, I cried out: “Most Holy Father, I have a great favor to ask you!” The Sovereign Pontiff lowered his head toward me and I saw his eyes… fixed on me and they seemed to penetrate to the depths of my soul. “Holy Father, in honor of your Jubilee, permit me to enter Carmel at the age of fifteen!” Emotion undoubtedly made my voice tremble. He turned to Father Reverony who was staring at me with surprise and displeasure and said: “I don’t understand very well.” “Most Holy Father,” answered the Vicar General, “this is a child who wants to enter Carmel at the age of fifteen, but the Superiors are considering the matter at the moment.” The Holy Father replied, looking kindly, “Well, my child,” “do what the Superiors tell you!” I made a final effort, stating in a suppliant voice: “Oh! Holy Father, if you say yes, everybody will agree!” He gazed at me steadily, speaking these words and stressing each syllable: “Go… go… You will enter if God wills it!” The two guards touched me politely to make me rise. As this was not enough, they took me by the arms and Father Reverony helped them lift me, for I stayed there with joined hands resting on the knees of Leo XIII. It was with force they dragged me from his feet. At that moment I was thus lifted, the Holy Father place his hands on my lips then raised it to bless me. The two guards literally carried me to the door.

On January 1, 1888, the bishop gave St. Therese the answer she was waiting for. She was granted permission to enter Le Carmel but had to wait three until after her sixteenth birthday. On April 9th, 1888, she began her life as a novice and lived as a religious sister in the convent for nine years, until her death at age twenty-four.

Today, pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life, may young people respond without delay to the voice of Jesus saying, “Follow Me!” taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.