share our JOY

JOY{filled}family

striving to radiate Him always

St. Thomas Aquinas

by Filed Under: 01 January Saints, 03 March Saints, Doctor of the Church, St. Thomas Aquinas

"Regard yourself as more vile and miserable in the sight of God because of your faults than any sinner whatsoever, no matter what his sins." ~ St. Thomas Aquinas

~~~

stthomas

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS
Confessor and Doctor of the Church

WEDNESDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK IN LENT ~ Feria in Lent

Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite ~ March 7

Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite ~ January 28

Commemoration of SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS
Thomas Aquinas (1226-74), a child of noble lineage, was educated at the Abbey of Monte Cassino and as a youth entered the new Dominican Order at the University of Naples, to become one of the greatest philosophers and theologians of all times, and in his day one of Europe’s most popular preachers and teachers. To extraordinary gifts of mind he added a prodigious capacity for work, complete singleness of purpose, and a profoundly mystical holiness of life. His Summa Theologica and Summa contra Gentiles constitute the most reasonable and comprehensive defense of Christian doctrine ever produced, and his Eucharistic prayers and poetry are enshrined in the Church’s liturgy. He is the patron of Catholic education.

~~~

"Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you." ~St. Thomas Aquinas

ELT2007120601403336125881_28_aquinasSt_Thomas_Aquinas

~~~

Resources:aquinas1

~~~

St. Thomas Aquinas ~ ora pro nobis

 

S. Joannis Chrysostomi

by Filed Under: 01 January, 01 January Saints, Doctor of the Church, St. John Chrysostom 1 Comment

“Listen carefully to me, I entreat you. . . . Procure books that will be medicines for the soul. . . . At least get a copy of the New Testament, the Apostle’s epistles, the Acts, the Gospels, for your constant teachers. If you encounter grief, dive into them as into a chest of medicines; take from them comfort for your trouble, whether it be loss, or death, or bereavement over the loss of relations. Don’t simply dive into them. Swim in them. Keep them constantly in your mind. The cause of all evils is the failure to know the Scriptures well.” ~ St. John Chrysostom

~~~

St. John Chrysostom

Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the ChurSt.-John-Chrysostomch

January 27 ~ St. John Chrysostom’s feast day in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite

September 13~ New Calendar

DOUBLE/WHITE

Archbishop of Constantinople in the fourth century, John was surnamed Chrysostom, "the golden-mouthed," because of his moving eloquence. His gifted pen, as well as his sermons drew many to Christ. The saint’s courageous condemnation of sinfulness brought him exile and all manner of ill-usage from his persecutors. Solicitous for the poor of Constantinople, St. John also looked beyond the boundaries of his episcopal see, and sent out missioners among the Scythians, Persians, and Goths. With the praise of God on his lips, this great Doctor of the Eastern Church died in exile on September 14, 407.

~~~

Resources:

~~~

S. Joannis Chrysostomi ~ ora pro nobis

St. Agnes

by Filed Under: 01 January, 01 January Saints, St. Agnes 1 Comment

"Christ made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace and virtue. I belong to Him whom the angels serve." ~ Saint Agnes

"Jesus Christ is my only Spouse." ~ St. Agnes

St. Agnes

Feast Day ~ January 21st in the Traditional and New Calendar

Agnes is the archetype of the virgins who throughout the Christian centuries have followed the Lamb wherever He goes, "first fruits unto God and unto the Lamb" (Apoc. 14:4). She was twelve years old when she was commanded to offer incense before the pagan altar of Minerva at Rome, soon after Emperor Diocletian began his persecution of the Christians in the year 303. The persecutors tried in vain to overcome the virgin’s refusal by flattery and offers of marriage. "Christ is my Spouse," she answered. "He chose me first and His I will be." Her sentence of death was passed and the child martyr died by the sword.

Patron: Affianced couples; betrothed couples; bodily purity; chastity; Children of Mary; Colegio Capranica of Rome; crops; engaged couples; gardeners; girls; rape victims; diocese of Rockville Centre, New York; virgins.

Symbols: Lamb; woman with long hair and a lamb, sometimes with a sword at her throat; woman with a dove which holds a ring in its beak; woman with a lamb at her side.

st_agnes

"This is a virgin’s birthday; let us follow the example of her chastity. It is a martyr’s birthday; let us offer sacrifices; it is the birthday of holy Agnes: let men be filled with wonder, little ones with hope, married woman with awe, and the unmarried with emulation. It seems to me that this child, holy beyond her years and courageous beyond human nature, received the name of Agnes (Greek: pure) not as an earthly designation but as a revelation from God of what she was to be."  ~ St. Augustine

+++

stagnespainting

“May God’s little lamb, St. Agnes of Rome, intercede for us that we would be loyal to the faith she professed!  And should we ever be disloyal, may God’s grace bring us to repentance!”

~ Fr. Miguel Marie Soeherman, MFVA

+++

St. Agnes, Ora Pro Nobis

St. Agnes is the patroness of young girls and her symbol is, naturally, a lamb.

+++

RESOURCES:stAgnes1

RESOURCES FOR KIDS

+++

Prayers to St. Agnes of Rome

O glorious St. Agnes, you served God in humility and confidence on earth and are now in the enjoyment of His beatific Vision in heaven because you persevered till death and gained the crown of eternal life. Remember now the dangers that surround me in the vale of tears, and intercede for me in my needs and troubles. Amen.

~~~

O sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, source of all virtue, lover of virgins, most powerful conqueror of demons, most severe extirpator of vice! Deign to cast Thine eyes upon my weakness, and through the intercession of Mary most blessed, mother and virgin, and of thy beloved spouse, St. Agnes, glorious virgin and martyr, grant me the aid of thy heavenly grace, in order that I may learn to despise all earthly things, and to love what is heavenly, to oppose vice and to be proof against temptation; to walk firmly in the path of virtue, not to seek honors, to shun pleasures, to bewail my past offences, to keep far from the occasions of evil, to keep free from bad habits, to seek the company of the good, and persevere in righteousness, so that, by the assistance of thy grace, I may deserve the crown of eternal life, together with St. Agnes and all the saints, forever and ever, in thy kingdom.  Amen. [St.+Agnes.bmp]

~~~

St. Bathildis ~ Patience ~ Lily of the Valley

by Filed Under: 01 January, 01 January Saints, Patience, St. Bathildis, Wreath III 1 Comment

P1140010I met for my fifth Little Flowers meeting for 2011-2012.  We had a wonderful time coming together to celebrate Mass, learn about a new saint and study a virtue.  Eleven of the girls were with Father L for preparation for First Holy Communion.  They joined us for the second half of the meeting.  Thirty-two girls were in attendance.
We did the normal routine; grace, snack, review last month’s saint and virtue, introduce the saint and virtue of the month, listen to a talk from Father L, receive a blessing, work on a related craft,  update LF binders, and close with a prayer.
This month’s saint was St. Bathildis.
saint-bathildes-queen

Feast Day – January 30
Paton: against bodily ills, against illness, against sickness, children, sick people, and widows.
Represented: crowned nun often performing menial tasks of giving alms to the poor, ladder extending into heaven, or standing before an altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The girls were intrigued by the story of St. Bathildis.  She was newLeonhard Beck (German, 1480-1552) . Sancta Bathildis (St. Bathilda). to us all.  I told the girls about how St. Bathildis was kidnapped in her youth.  When asked if they would be scared to be on a pirate ship without family, C replied, “No, I wouldn’t be alone.  I would have my guardian angel with me.”  Her words were such a beautiful testament to child-like faith.  The other girls agreed, God and the Blessed Virgin Mary are always with them.  The girls took turns guessing how St. Bathildis’s story unraveled from being a slave.  They were on the seat of their chairs to hear about the heroic virtue that St. Bathildis displayed.  Most noteable was St. Bathildis’s patience.

Patience – the virtue (Fruit of the Spirit) that prevents us from being disturbed by the evil around us.
We are not obliged to pray for crosses and sufferings, as some of the saints have done; but it is absolutely necessary that we should bear the trials which God sees fit to send us, with patience and loving confidence in Him.  ~ Father Lasance, Catholic Girls Guide

I extended the lesson of patience into the craft.  I chose something that would be new and a bit challenging—something that required a significant amount of patience.  I chose finger knitting.
P1140034
The girls were excited to learn finger knitting.  They caught on faster than I had anticipated.  The diligently worked on their knitting as they exercised the virtue of patience.  They did not complain, say “I can’t,” yell for help, ort all together give up.  It was a bit of a challenge at times but all the girls, including my five year olds, were able to successfully acquire the skill of finger knitting.
P1140030
Father L stopped by for a visit after his First Holy Communion lesson.  He reviewed the most recent feast days.  Then he quizzed the girls on St. Bathildis.  He, too, was intrigued by her story.  Father gave the girls their blessing before he departed.  Please keep father L in your prayers.

St. Bathilidis ~ ora pro nobis

Resources:st bathildis statue
Handouts:

Resources:



Finally, look up to heaven. Behold the eternal beauty and blessedness of paradise. If for a brief period you suffer here with courage and patience, you will after death be released from all suffering and enjoy unspeakable bliss for evermore. Such are the blessed fruits of patience.  ~ Father Lasance, Catholic Girls Guide


The Feast of the Holy Family


 by  Filed Under: 01 January, 01 January Saints, Holy Family 1 Comment
clip_image002


 The special devotion which proposes the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as the model of virtue of all Christian households began in the XVIIth century. It started almost simultaneously in Canada and France. — The Association of the Holy Family being founded in Montreal in 1663, and the Daughters of the Holy Family in Paris in 1674. Numerous other congregations and associations under the Patronage of the Holy Family have been established, since that time, and they are spread over the world. The Archconfraternity was established by Pius IX in 1847. In 1893 Leo XIII approved a feast for Canada, and Pope Benedict XV extended the Feast of the Holy Family to the whole Church and ordered its celebration to be kept on the Sunday after the Epiphany.


holyfamilyFIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY     
The Feast of the Holy Family


O Lord Jesus Christ, who by thy wondrous holiness didst adorn a human home, and by thy subjection to Mary and Joseph didst consecrate the order of earthly families ; grant that we being enlightened by the example of their life with thee in thy Holy Family, and assisted by their prayers ; may at last be joined with them in thine eternal fellowship.  Who livest and reignest with the Father. Amen.


~~~


Mother Teresa’s Prayer for Families


Heavenly Father, you have given us the model of life in the Holy Family of Nazareth.  Help us, O Loving Father,to make our family another Nazareth where love, peace and joy reign.


May it be deeply contemplative, intensely EucharisNativity-Bicci-di-Lorenzo-detail1-300x225tic, revived with joy.  Help us to stay together in joy and sorrow in family prayer.


Teach us to see Jesus in the members of our families, especially in their distressing disguise.  


May the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus make our hearts humble like his and help us to carry out our family duties in a holy way.


May we love one another as God loves each one of us, more and more each day, and forgive each other’s faults as you forgive our sins.


Help us, O Loving Father, to take whatever you give and give whatever you take with a big smile. 


Immaculate Heart of Mary, cause of our joy, pray for us.  
St. Joseph, pray for us.     
Holy Guardian Angels, be always with us, guide and protect us.     
Amen.


~~~


Lesson V


To all fathers of families, Joseph is verily the best model of paternal vigilance and care.  In the most holy Virgin Mother of God, mothers may find an excellent example of love, modesty, resignation of spirit, and the perfecting of faith.  And in Jesus, who was subject to his parents, the children of the family have a divine pattern of obedience which they can admire, reverence, and imitate.  Those who are of noble birth may learn, from this Family of royal blood, how to live simply in times of prosperity, and how to retain their dignity in times of distress.  The rich may learn that moral worth is to be more highly esteemed than wealth.  Artisans, and all such as are bitterly grieved by the narrow and slender means of their families, if they would but consider the sublime holiness of the members of this domestic fellowship, cannot fail to find some cause for rejoicing in their lot, rather than for being merely dissatisfied with it.  In common with the Holy Family, they have to work, and to provide for the daily wants of life.  Joseph had to engage in trade, in order to live ; even the divine hands laboured at an artisan’s calling.  It is not to be wondered at, that the wealthiest men, if truly wise, have been willing to cast away their riches, and to embrace a life of poverty with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.


~~~


Holy-family


Resources:



 


~~~


Prayer to the Holy Family


This prayer is taken from Prayer Book for Religious, compiled by Fr. F. X. Lasance, S.J. (Benziger Brothers, 1904)


O most loving Jesus, Who by Thy sublime and beautiful virtues of humility, obedience, poverty, modesty, charity, patience and gentleness, and by the example of Thy domestic life, didst bless with peace and happiness the family Thou didst choose on earth, in Thy clemency look down upon this household, humbly prostrate before Thee and imploring Thy mercy. Remember that this family belongs to Thee; for to Thee we have in a special way dedicated and devoted ourselves. Look upon us in Thy loving kindness; preserve us from danger; give us help in time of need, and grant us the grace to persevere to the end in the imitation of Thy Holy Family; that having revered Thee and loved Thee faithfully on earth, we may bless and praise Thee eternally in heaven. 


O Mary, most sweet Mother, to thy intercession we have recourse, knowing that thy Divine Son will hear thy prayers. 


And do thou, O glorious Patriarch, St. Joseph, assist us by thy powerful mediation, and offer, by the hands of Mary, our prayers to Jesus. Amen. 


~~~


Sancta Familia ~ ora pro nobis






Subscribe to our Newsletter