“Mondays with Mary” – Mary: The Mother of Life

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Tom Perna

Over the weekend, the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization called the Church together to celebrate Blessed John Paul II encyclical on the Gospel of Life as part of the Year of Faith festivities. The encyclical focuses on the importance of human dignity.

Two main events took place on Saturday. The first was an educational conference titled – The Gospel of Life and the New Evangelization. His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke gave the Keynote Address. The second event was a Holy Hour for Life that consisted of Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction. It took place Santo Spirito in Sassia Church. The main celebrant was His Excellency Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia, O.P., Vice-President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.

The weekend concluded with a Papal Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square. In his homily, Pope Francis said,

“On the basis of the word of God which we have heard, I would like to offer you three simple points of meditation for our faith: first, the Bible reveals to us the Living God, the God who is life and the source of life; second, Jesus Christ bestows life and the Holy Spirit maintains us in life; and third, following God’s way leads to life, whereas following idols leads to death…

…Dear brothers and sisters, let us look to God as the God of Life, let us look to his law, to the Gospel message, as the way to freedom and life. The Living God sets us free! Let us say “Yes” to love and not selfishness. Let us say “Yes” to life and not death. Let us say “Yes” to freedom and not enslavement to the many idols of our time. In a word, let us say “Yes” to the God who is love, life and freedom, and who never disappoints (cf. 1 Jn 4:8; Jn 11:2; Jn 8:32). Only faith in the Living God saves us: in the God who in Jesus Christ has given us his own life, and by the gift of the Holy Spirit has enabled us to live as true sons and daughters of God. This faith brings us freedom and happiness. Let us ask Mary, Mother of Life, to help us receive and bear constant witness to the “Gospel of Life”.”

Picking up where Pope Francis left off asking for Mary, the Mother of Life to help us receive and bear witness to the “Gospel of Life”, I present to you some excerpts from Blessed John Paul II encyclical that focus on Mary and her role as the Mother of Life -

“The one who accepted “Life” in the name of all and for the sake of all was Mary, the Virgin Mother; she is thus most closely and personally associated with the Gospel of life. Mary’s consent at the Annunciation and her motherhood stand at the very beginning of the mystery of life which Christ came to bestow on humanity (cf. Jn 10:10). Through her acceptance and loving care for the life of the Incarnate Word, human life has been rescued from condemnation to final and eternal death…

…For this reason, Mary, “like the Church of which she is the type, is a mother of all who are reborn to life. She is in fact the mother of the Life by which everyone lives, and when she brought it forth from herself she in some way brought to rebirth all those who were to live by that Life”…

…As the Church contemplates Mary’s motherhood, she discovers the meaning of her own motherhood and the way in which she is called to express it. At the same time, the Church’s experience of motherhood leads to a most profound understanding of Mary’s experience as the incomparable model of how life should be welcomed and cared for…

…But the Church cannot forget that her mission was made possible by the motherhood of Mary, who conceived and bore the One who is “God from God”, “true God from true God”. Mary is truly the Mother of God, the Theotokos, in whose motherhood the vocation to motherhood bestowed by God on every woman is raised to its highest level. Thus Mary becomes the model of the Church, called to be the “new Eve”, the mother of believers, the mother of the “living” (cf. Gen 3:20)…

…In the Book of Revelation, the “great portent” of the “woman” (12:1) is accompanied by “another portent which appeared in heaven”: “a great red dragon” (Rev 12:3), which represents Satan, the personal power of evil, as well as all the powers of evil at work in history and opposing the Church’s mission…

…Here too Mary sheds light on the Community of Believers. The hostility of the powers of evil is, in fact, an insidious opposition which, before affecting the disciples of Jesus, is directed against his mother. To save the life of her Son from those who fear him as a dangerous threat, Mary has to flee with Joseph and the Child into Egypt (cf. Mt 2:13-15)…

…Mary thus helps the Church to realize that life is always at the centre of a great struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness. The dragon wishes to devour “the child brought forth” (cf. Rev 12:4), a figure of Christ, whom Mary brought forth “in the fullness of time” (Gal 4:4) and whom the Church must unceasingly offer to people in every age. But in a way that child is also a figure of every person, every child, especially every helpless baby whose life is threatened, because-as the Council reminds us-”by his Incarnation the Son of God has united himself in some fashion with every person”…

…Mary is a living word of comfort for the Church in her struggle against death. Showing us the Son, the Church assures us that in him the forces of death have already been defeated: “Death with life contended: combat strangely ended! Life’s own Champion, slain, yet lives to reign.”

“Mondays with Mary” – Pope Francis on the “School of Mary, Eucharistic Woman”, Part 2

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Tom Perna

If you are like me, you are truly enjoying the words of our new Holy Father, Pope Francis. He has such simplicity when preaching the Gospel yet his words are reaching the hearts and souls of many – many who have found themselves in the dark or even on the brink of hopelessness. His passion for the Truth of Jesus Christ is contagious and his love for the Blessed Mother is just as devoted as his two predecessors. He has a great love for the poor – both spiritually and materially. He does not mix words, but he speaks with a pastoral heart. Pope Francis is the Shepherd the Church needs as she endures persecution and the reforms of the early 21^st century.

Fr. John Lankeit, Rector of Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix, recently said – if his [Pope Francis] words are not making you uncomfortable yet, you are not paying close enough attention. It is my hope that we all take these words to heart and that they make us uncomfortable in the sense that we should seek to meet Christ as Mary did in her life as the Eucharistic woman.

For today’s “Mondays with Mary”, I give to you the second part of Francis’ understanding of the “School of Mary, Eucharistic Woman” which coincides with the Solemnity of Corpus Christi from yesterday. For part one of this short series, please read – “Mondays with Mary” – Pope Francis on the “School of Mary, Eucharistic Woman” from March 18, 2013.

“Mary, therefore, is a model of the Covenant, between the Lord and His bride the Church, between God and each man. Model of a Covenant that is company of Love, confident and fruitful abandonment and fullness of hope that irradiates joy. All of these virtues become music in the Magnificat of which John Paul II gives us a beautiful Eucharistic vision:

“In the Magnificat, after all, is present the eschatological tension of the Eucharist. Each time the Son of God is presented under the ‘poverty’ of the sacramental species, bread and wine, the world has within it the germ of the new history, in which ‘He hath put down the mighty from their seat’ and ‘hath exalted the humble.’ (cf. Lk 1:52). Mary sings of the ‘new heaven’ and the ‘new earth’ that are anticipated in the Eucharist and, in a certain sense, allows a glimpse into its programmed ‘design.’ Given that the Magnificat expresses the spirituality of Mary, nothing helps us live better the Eucharistic Mystery than this spirituality. The Eucharist has been given to us for our life, as that of Mary’s, all one Magnificat!”

John Paul invited us to enter “the school of Mary, Eucharistic woman.” Now we are shown how within the Magnificat is active and present the “end” or program of this school. End that anticipates – esta is the joyful Good News – the Eucharist, lived as a song of glorification and thankfulness. Thus Mary “anticipates” the “program of God” for history, His plan of salvation, and lives it as a prophetic present. In the joy that inundates her vision of faith; this way also the Eucharist anticipates “in its poverty,” according to John Paul, the creation of the new history…

What the Eucharist accomplishes – in its sacramental poverty – Mary sings in the Magnificat and as she sings it, the Church – and each one of us in it – we are made “contemporaneous” with our Lady and we live of her spirituality, that is life in the Spirit:

The Eucharist, as source and summit of the life and the mission of the Church, must be translated in spiritual terms, in life ‘according the Spirit’ (cf. Rm 8:4 s.; Ga 5:16, 5:25).”” (Palm Sunday Homily 2008 – Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio)

Blog post #200

Corpus Christi – The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Tom Perna

Although we celebrate many solemnities in the Catholic Church, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi has to be one that really stands out since its about the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Blessed John Paul II says, “A particular mention should be made at this point of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ as an act of public worship rendered to Christ present in the Eucharist, a feast instituted by my predecessor Urban IV in memory of the institution of this great Mystery.” (Dominicae Cenae, #3).

This morning, I attended the worldwide Adoration with Pope Francis along with many other Catholics from the universal Church. As Adoration concluded, I left for a bit, but returned for the Holy Mass and the Corpus Christi Procession at Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Phoenix, Arizona.

Fr. Don Kline (Pastor) and Fr. Greg Menegay (Parochial Vicar) are really do great things at Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Church. The Holy Mass was one of the most prayerful and reverent liturgies I have attended in some time. The Sacrifice of the Mass is truly an awe-inspiring and prayerful time at this parish. The choir was not it’s own “show” but truly added to the Mass and lifted us up in Heaven. The faithful gathered were just that – faithful! As each processed to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ during Holy Communion, there was a true love in the actions of those present. Nearly everyone stayed and participated in the Eucharistic procession around the parish grounds.

Fr. Greg’s homily was fantastic! Simple, yet theologically sound and to the point on how beautiful and sacred the Holy Eucharist is for us as Catholics. The teaching of the True Presence is a fundamental teaching in the Catholic Church. One of the points he made was that the Holy Mass was an action of thanksgiving from Holy Communion till the end of the liturgy. If you leave early, you are not giving the proper and full thanks to Jesus Christ in this sacrament. The priests at St. Joan of Arc have a good understanding of how they are united by their priesthood to the Eucharist and understand the words of Blessed John Paul II when says,

“Through our ordination – the celebrating which is linked to the holy Mass from the very first liturgical evidence – we are united in a singular and exceptional way to the Eucharist. In a certain way we derive from it and exist for it…The priest fulfills his principal mission and is manifested in all his fullness when he celebrates the Eucharist…” (Dominicae Cenae, #2).

As we walked silently and reverently behind Fr. Greg Mengay carrying Our Lord in the Monstrance, the choir sang hymns in Latin. As we gathered outside near a makeshift altar, we listened to the Gospel passage about the Road to Emmaus. It’s an appropriate passage from the Gospel of Luke since it tells us how two disciples of Jesus walked with him on the day of His Resurrection. During this procession on Corpus Christi, we should be reminded to listen to Our Lord Jesus Christ as we walk through our lives as Christians. After the Gospel reading, we received Benediction (being blessed with the Holy Eucharist in the Monstrance by the priest) from Fr. Menegay. He then proceeded back into the Church with Our Lord and the faithful departed for home.

This Sunday morning was very blessed and special. It was a great day to be Catholic! As I walked to my SUV, I said to myself, “Man, I love being Catholic.” Only in the Catholic and Orthodox Church’s do you see the 2000 – year old Traditions in such magnificent splendor and awe. See the video below of Pope Francis and the Procession of Corpus Christi in Rome.

May Our Lord Jesus Christ be present in our hearts and in our bodies through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. We ask for the intercessions of all the Saints and especially Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament to pray with us to God in Heaven.

Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament with Pope Francis

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Tom Perna

At 8:00 A.M. Arizona Time, tomorrow morning (11:00 A.M. EST), Pope Francis will gather with the universal Church on the Feast of Corpus Christi to adore the Most Blessed Sacrament in Adoration. This historic event in the life of the Church is bringing many graces and giving the people of the Church energy in times of great distress. It’s the event in the Year of Faith uniting Catholics worldwide as one. See the National Catholic Register – Adoration with the Pope Energizing Catholics Worldwide. I encourage you to locate a parish that is offering Adoration tomorrow so you can join Pope Francis and Catholics worldwide in prayer.

Personally, I love the practice of Eucharistic Adoration (currently every Monday night at 8:00 P.M.). I first learned of it when I was an adolescent at my parish here in Arizona when our pastor at the time built an adoration chapel. The parish exploded with great faith, enthusiasm, and love for the Body and Blood of Jesus Church as Perpetual Adoration (24 hours a day) began at the parish. Throughout my life, Eucharistic Adoration has been an important part of my prayer life. From my days in the Saint Ignatius Institute at University of San Francisco as an undergrad to my days as a graduate student at Franciscan University of Steubenville, adoring the Most Blessed Sacrament has been fundamental for my personal friendship with Jesus Christ, His Blessed Mother, and the universal Church.

Although in Adoration most people often pray during their one-hour time with Jesus, I have found myself often reading spiritual books or studying in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I know I am in good company since many of the great Saints and Doctors of the Church did the same thing. St. Thomas Aquinas would often write before the Blessed Sacrament and when he really had a difficult time with a theological concept, would rest his head upon the Tabernacle. It has not come to that for me as of yet, but of course I am nowhere near the theologian Thomas was in his day (not even close!!).

If you don’t sign up for Adoration, you will never go! I say this from experience.

If your parish does not host Perpetual Adoration, then go to your Pastor and ask him to start it. It’s his responsibility to do so! If he refuses, locate another parish and attend Adoration there.

To conclude, I give you the words of Blessed John Paul II from his Encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, in the hope that his words will give you the strength to spend one hour a week with Our Lord Jesus Christ in His Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar –

“”The worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass is of inestimable value for the life of the Church. This worship is strictly linked to the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice…It is the responsibility of pastors to encourage, also by their personal witness, the practice of Eucharistic adoration, and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in particular, as well as prayer of adoration before Christ present under the Eucharistic species…This practice, repeatedly praised and recommended by the Magisterium, is supported by the example of the saints…St. Alphonus Liguori, who wrote: “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us”” (#25).

Let us pray that we come to love and adore the Most Blessed Sacrament of our Lord Jesus Christ more each day through the celebration of the Holy Mass but also through the worship and adoration of His most precious Body outside of the Liturgy. We ask all the Saints and the Blessed Mother under title of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament to intercede and pray for us each day.

Pentecost, Playing with Fire, and the New Evangelization

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Tom Perna

In the 1991 film, Backdraft, there is a scene when Robert De Niro’s character asks Donald Sutherland’s character (an imprisoned pyromaniac), “what do you want to do to the whole world Ronald”, and he replies “burn it all.” If you have never see the movie, I encourage you to see because it’s a great film, however the reason why I quote this film is because as Catholic Christians living in the world, we should want to do the same thing to the world, but in a Evangelistic way. We should be seeking to light the world on fire with the light of the Holy Spirit.

As Catholics, we should be spiritual fire-starters for Jesus Christ and His Church. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says, “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled” (Lk 12:49). Now I am not talking about starting literal fires, but I am speaking about playing with the fire of Pentecost and the fire that we receive in the Sacrament of Confirmation. As Catholic Christians, it is our fundamental duty to evangelize the world by playing with the fire of the Holy Spirit.

At the direction of a good friend of mine, who is also in the trenches fighting for Jesus Christ, I have begun reading George Weigel’s latest book – Evangelical Catholicism. To say the least – it’s simply fantastic! His understanding of the Catholic Church and the deep reform (not doctrinal reform) that is needed for the Church in the 21^st century is beyond compare. Having read other titles by Mr. Weigel, I can honestly say that he could be the greatest catholic author in the last half century. His arguments are concise, clear, and follow simple common sense. In Chapter 1, there is a section called – Pentecost, Again. He begins this section by stating that through the pontificates of Blessed John XXIII (and the Second Vatican Council) and Blessed John Paul II, a new Pentecost is on the horizon in the Catholic Church. The marching orders that will lead this new Pentecost is the New Evangelization. Now this is no easy task, but if the mission can be met, it means that we who take on this great call will have to play with fire.

Instead of providing a commentary on the readings from this year’s liturgical cycle on Pentecost, I provide you with some dynamic and powerful quotes from Evangelical Catholicism and the section on the new Pentecost -

Quoting Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger –

“the Holy Spirit is fire; whoever does not want to be burned should not come near him.” This fire…”is an “inimitable” part of the “relationship between Christ, Holy Spirit, and Church.””

Fire of the Holy Spirit and the Body of Christ –

“The fire of the Holy Spirit purifies, inspires, and fuses men and women together into a new human community, the Church. Through each of its members, and in them as a whole, the Church is the Body of Christ on earth.”

Fire of the Holy Spirit, Cardinal Ratzinger –

“Faith is a tongue of fire that burns us and melts us so that ever more it is true: I am no longer I…When we yield to the burning fire of the Holy Spirit, being Christian becomes comfortable only as first glance…Only when we do not fear the tongue of fire and the storm it brings with it does the Church become the icon of the Holy Spirit. And only then does she open the world to the light of God.”

Evangelical Catholicism is Not Easy –

“The cultural Catholicism of the past was “comfortable” because it fit neatly within the ambient public culture, causing little chafing between one’s life “in the Church” and one’s life “in the world.”…Evangelical Catholicism does not seek to “get along”; it seeks to convert.”

Evangelical Catholicism in the Church –

“…Lukewarm Catholicism has no future: submitting to the transforming fire of the Holy Spirit is not longer optional…Evangelical requires a generosity about time from the laity, who must make time amid the rush of postmodern life for a deeper encounter with Christ than that permitted by an hour’s worth of weekly worship…more attention to sacramental preparation and sacramental discipline…”

Evangelical Catholicism, Community, and Holiness –

“Evangelical Catholicism builds up the community of the faithful not for the sake of the community but for the sake of a common reception of the mysteries of the faith, which in turn become the fonts of grace…The tongues of from which the Church is formed thus become the fire of mission by which the world is set ablaze…Evangelical Catholicism calls the entire Church to holiness for the sake of mission.”

I don’t know about you, but these words from George Weigel get me fired up…pun intended! As Catholics, it is time for us to light the world on fire with the love of Jesus Christ and the Church. Find strength in the Sacraments, especially the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist. Cardinal Timothy Dolan has said, “The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the Sacrament of the New Evangelization.”

In the his book, The Spirit of Catholicism, Karl Adam says, “Twelve simple, uneducated fishermen revolutionized the world, and that with no other instrument than their new faith and their readiness to die for that faith.”

If the Apostles could do this, imagine what we can do with 2,000 years of Scripture and Tradition behind us. Catholics – Go! And the set the world on fire!

Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Tom Perna

During this month of Mary, we celebrate the great day known to us MOTHER’S DAY. It is a day where we honor those women in our lives that cared for us in the womb before we were born, that nurtured us and supported us as young children, that watched us take our first step and, cried when we went to school for the first time. It’s a day where we say thank you to the women who washed our clothes, cleaned up after us, shopped for our food, and were just always there with love and prayers. Thank you to all the mother’s out there that chose life and that continue to choose life today. You are all beautiful witnesses to a world that does not value human life sacred. Thank you for being Pro-Life!

As an example of great motherhood, we have our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary. We honor her during this month for not only being the Mother of our Lord, but we honor her for being our Mother. Jesus gave her to us, through St. John, while he was on the Cross at Calvary. Mary is our Queen Mother. She intercedes for us and brings our petitions to our King – Jesus Christ. Someone who knew the great love of Mary’s love was Blessed John Paul II. When his own mother passed away, he asked the Blessed Mother to be his Mother. Please read – Mary, Motherhood, and Blessed John Paul II. I hope you can read it and share it with others. Also, please watch the video below and share with your family and friends – it’s very touching. It’s a great example of artistic license with the life of Christ.

To my own mother – I say thank you for the continued support even in my adult years. Your love and prayers are felt in the most difficult times. To my sister – watching you with the baby is amazing. You are a great mother and support her upbringing so well. To my girlfriend – you are a fantastic mother! The girls always want to be with you…that should say how much they love you.

2nd Anniversary of the Beatification of Blessed John Paul II

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Tom Perna

Today is the Second Anniversary of the Beatification of Blessed John Paul II. On May 1, 2011, I had friends over for a Beatification Watch Party while I was living in Austin, Texas. Since at the time of the Beatification, I was not writing this blog yet, I wrote about the party last year. Please read – The Beatification of Blessed John Paul II. If I can’t make it to Rome for his potential Canonization on October 20, 2013, there is no doubt I will throw one BIG Canonization Party here in Arizona.

(Listen to the voice of Blessed John Paul II as he speaks to Seminarians)

Blessed John Paul II on the Importance of Work

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Tom Perna

In 1955, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast day of Saint Joseph the Worker. This day corresponds with the day of labor that is commemorated in many countries across the world. In the Sacred Scriptures, Jesus Christ is often referred to as “the son of a carpenter.” Sacred Tradition holds that Jesus was trained as a carpenter under his foster-father, Joseph. Human work, no matter how extraordinary or ordinary the labor is, can be made holy. Sanctified work can assist us increase in holiness and increase the work of Jesus’ passion and redemption, which in turn increases good work and holiness among the Body of Christ. Carrying our own crosses takes hard work.

The video below is the scene – “Tall Table, Tall Chairs” from the film, The Passion of the Christ. Although this scene is not revealed in the Scriptures to us, it is still a good scene (artistic license) showing our Lord at work as a carpenter. It’s a scene that brings joy to my heart since it’s a scene with Mary. Hope you enjoy it.

Since today is the feast day of Saint Joseph the Worker, I give you the encyclical letter, Laborem Exercens, the letter to the Church on Human Work on the ninetieth anniversary of Rerum Novarum. It was promulgated on the Triumph of the Cross – September 14, 1981. Rerum Novarum is the encyclical written by Pope Leo XII on Capital and Labor.

Blessed John Paul II said…

Work in General: “Through work, man must earn his daily bread and contribute to the continual advance of science and technology and, above all, to elevating unceasingly the cultural and moral level of the society within which he lives in community with those who belong to the same family. And work means any activity by man, whether manual or intellectual, whatever its nature or circumstances; it means any human activity that can and must be recognized as work, in the midst of all the many activities of which man is capable and to which he is predisposed by his very nature, by virtue of humanity itself.” (Introduction)

A Threat to Values: “…the danger of treating work as a special kind of “merchandise”, or as an impersonal “force” needed for production (the expression “workforce” is in fact in common use) always exists, especially when the whole way of looking at the question of economics is marked by the premises of materialistic economism.” (Section II, Paragraph 7)

Dignity of Work: “And yet, in spite of all this toil-perhaps, in a sense, because of it-work is a good thing for man. Even though it bears the mark of a bonum arduum, in the terminology of Saint Thomas this does not take away the fact that, as such, it is a good thing for man. It is not only good in the sense that it is useful or something to enjoy; it is also good as being something worthy, that is to say, something that corresponds to man’s dignity, that expresses this dignity and increases it. If one wishes to define more clearly the ethical meaning of work, it is this truth that one must particularly keep in mind. Work is a good thing for man-a good thing for his humanity-because through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own needs, but he also achieves fulfilment as a human being and indeed, in a sense, becomes “more a human being.” (Section II, Paragraph 9)

(A young Karol Wojtyla as a factory worker)

Work and the Family: “Work constitutes a foundation for the formation of family life, which is a natural right and something that man is called to…In a way, work is a condition for making it possible to found a family, since the family requires the means of subsistence which man normally gains through work. Work and industriousness also influence the whole process of education in the family, for the very reason that everyone “becomes a human being” through, among other things, work, and becoming a human being is precisely the main purpose of the whole process of education.” (Section II; Paragraph 10)

Work and the Church: “Since work in its subjective aspect is always a personal action, an actus personae, it follows that the whole person, body and spirit, participates in it, whether it is manual or intellectual work. It is also to the whole person that the word of the living God is directed, the evangelical message of salvation, in which we find many points which concern human work and which throw particular light on it.” (Section V; Paragraph 24)

Work in Light of the Cross of Christ: “The Christian finds in human work a small part of the Cross of Christ and accepts it in the same spirit of redemption in which Christ accepted his Cross for us. In work, thanks to the light that penetrates us from the Resurrection of Christ, we always find a glimmer of new life, of the new good, as if it were an announcement of “the new heavens and the new earth” in which man and the world participate precisely through the toil that goes with work. Through toil-and never without it.” (Section V, Paragraph 27)

Let us pray that we have the ability to work well and not feel the need to be victimized and not work. We pray that we have passion and zeal for the work we do and that we offer up our work to God, no matter if it’s working for the Church, teaching in the classroom, financial advisement, painting houses, healing the sick, landscaping, or running a major corporation. Lord Jesus Christ, make our work holy and us holy in return.

The Saintly Life of St. Gianna Beretta Molla

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Tom Perna

On May 16, 2004, Blessed Pope John Paul II canonized six new saints of the Catholic Church. One of those saints was Saint Gianna Beretta Molla. The Holy Father said,

“Gianna Beretta Molla was a simple, but more than ever, significant messenger of divine love. In a letter to her future husband a few days before their marriage, she wrote: “Love is the most beautiful sentiment the Lord has put into the soul of men and women”.

Following the example of Christ, who “having loved his own… loved them to the end” (Jn 13: 1), this holy mother of a family remained heroically faithful to the commitment she made on the day of her marriage. The extreme sacrifice she sealed with her life testifies that only those who have the courage to give of themselves totally to God and to others are able to fulfill themselves.

Through the example of Gianna Beretta Molla, may our age rediscover the pure, chaste and fruitful beauty of conjugal love, lived as a response to the divine call!”

For my blog post on this self-sacrificing saint written last year, please read – St. Gianna Beretta Molla. I would also encourage you to watch the 5-minute video below that gives a great explanation of her live here on earth.

Please share this post, last years post, and the video below with your family and friends via Email or through the Social Media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc). Here is the public figure page of St. Gianna on Facebook. There are many of us who know and love this great saint, but I have also noticed this past year that there are many Catholics who do not know her story. We must get the word out about St. Gianna Beretta Molla! Her life of self-sacrifice is needed in the world we live in today.

Today’s blog post on St. Gianna Beretta Molla is dedicated to my girlfriend’s daughter, Gianna Bella. May she have the protection and intercession of St. Gianna throughout her entire life as well as emulate the actions of this great modern saint of the Catholic Church.

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla…Pray For Us!

“Mondays with Mary” – Christ’s Friendship with the Priest and Mary’s Role In It

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Tom Perna

Since yesterday was the 50^th Day of Prayer for Vocations and Good Shepherd Sunday, today’s “Mondays with Mary” comes from the Holy Thursday Letter of Blessed John Paul II – Behold Your Mother: Mary in the Life of the Priest. As many of you know, I have a great devotion to Blessed John Paul II and have written about him many times on this blog. He is the one “Blessed” that I go too most often when asking for the intercession of prayers.

When my girlfriend and I pray each night, we also ask for his intercession when praying for our relationship. The reason we do this is because as a priest, Fr. Karol Wojtyla counseled many couples preparing for marriage. He also gave us the Theology of the Body. This great body of work is already making large waves in the Catholic Church and will continue to be a major foundation of support for those looking to love their spouses (as man and woman) with the dignity we all deserve. If you are interested in learning more about the Theology of Body, contact the Catholic Publisher – Ascension Press. They offer fantastic trainings for individuals who want to know more about TOB and other Catholic topics.

The below excerpt is from the paragraph 6 in the aforementioned letter by Blessed John Paul II -

Meeting today, on Holy Thursday, at the birthplace of our priesthood, we desire to read its fullest meaning through the prism of the Council teaching about the Church and her mission. The figure of the Mother of God belongs to this teaching in its entirety, as do the reflections of the present meditation.

Speaking from the cross on Golgotha, Christ said to the disciple: “Behold, your mother.” And the disciple “took her to his own home” as Mother. Let us also take Mary as Mother into the interior “home” of our priesthood. For we belong to the “faithful in whose rebirth and development” the Mother of God “cooperates with a maternal love.” Yes we have, in a certain sense, a special “right” to this love in consideration of the mystery of the Upper Room. Christ said: “No longer do I call you servants…, but I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15). Without this “friendship” it would be difficult to think that, after the apostles, he would entrust to us the sacrament of his Body and Blood, the sacrament of his redeeming death and resurrection, in order that we might celebrate this ineffable sacrament in his name, indeed, in persona Christi. Without this special “friendship” it would also be difficult to think about Easter evening, when the Risen Lord appeared in the midst of the apostles, saying to them: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn 20:22-23).

Such a friendship involves a commitment. Such a friendship should instill a holy fear, a much greater sense of responsibility, a much greater readiness to give of oneself all that one can, with the help of God. In the Upper Room such a friendship has been profoundly sealed with the promise of the Paraclete: “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you…He will bear witness to me, and you also are witnesses” (Jn 14:26; 15:26-27).

We always feel unworthy of Christ’s friendship. But it is a good thing that we should have a holy fear of not remaining faithful to it.

The Mother of Christ knows all this. She herself has understood most completely the meaning of the words spoken to her during his agony on the cross: “Woman, behold, your son…Behold, your mother.” They referred to her and to the disciple-one of those to whom Christ said in the Upper Room: “You are my friends” (Jn 15:14); they referred to John and to all those who, through the mystery of the Last Supper, share in the same “friendship.” The Mother of God, who (as the Council teaches) cooperates, with a mother’s love, in the rebirth and the training of all those who become brothers of her Son-who become his friends-will do everything in her power so that they may not betray this holy friendship. So that they may be worthy of it.

Let us pray that our priests will be men of holiness and friendship so they can mirror Jesus Christ. We ask the Blessed Mother to guide them in their priestly ministry so that they can bring save souls for the Kingdom of God. We pray for the intercession of all the saints that are priests, especially Blessed John Paul II, to direct them in the correct practices and disciplines as holy priests.

TOM PERNA

The Education and Engagement of the Catholic Faithful in the New Evangelization by the JP2 Generation

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