Posts Tagged ‘Saints’

Holiness A Calling For All – Pope Benedict

YouCat

In his audience earlier this week, Pope Benedict XVI drew attention to different types of holiness , a point echoed by YouCat – The Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church which reminds youngsters of their ultimate calling, to sainthood, or in other words, to Christianity.

The CTS recently published two books on Spiritual Masters, where the Holy Father concentrated his vast learning on important saints in the history of the Church.

Different ways to God

But now he has spoken about the less-celebrated holy people:

“I look also to “simple” saints, those good people I see in my life who will never be canonized, who are normal people, so to speak, without visible heroism, but in whose everyday goodness I see the truth of faith.

“This goodness which has matured them in the faith of the Church is for me the surest defence of Christianity and a sign of where the truth is.”

The vocation of each and every Christian

Pope Benedict went on to speak of the holiness to which each Christian is called:

“Holiness is the fullness of the Christian life, a life in Christ; it consists in our being united to Christ, making our own his thoughts and actions, and conforming our lives to his. As such, it is chiefly the work of the Holy Spirit who is poured forth into our hearts through Baptism.”

Age is no barrier

YouCat echoes the Pope’s words in its question 342:

Are we all supposed to become “saints”?

Yes. The purpose of our life is to be united with God in love and to correspond entirely to God’s wishes. We should allow God “to live his life in us” (Mother Teresa). That is what it means to be holy: a “saint”. [2012–2016, 2028–2029]

Every man asks himself the question: Who am I and why am I here, how do I find myself? Faith answers: Only in holiness does man become that for which God created him. Only in holiness does man find real harmony between himself and his Creator. Holiness, however, is not some sort of self-made perfection; rather, it is union with the incarnate love that is Christ. Anyone who gains new life in this way finds himself and becomes holy.

This is just an example of how the new Catechism beautifully re-words and re-works the teaching of the Church, which – to paraphrase St Augustine – is “Forever ancient and forever new.”

YouCat is available from CTS priced £9.95

Of related interest:

Love and purity True Love – Passion & Purity - This booklet helps the reader gain an insightful understanding of our deepest need to love and be loved, and what place our sexuality has in this important aspect of our lives.
Saints made How Saints are Canonised - Through baptism, all Christians are called to be saints, and yet there are also ‘saints’ who are ‘canonised’ by the Church. This booklet gives an overview of the history and process of beatification and canonisation in the Catholic Church.
How to Discover Vocation How to Discover your Vocation - This booklet will help you to think and pray about your vocation and become clearer about where God is leading you. It answers many of the practical questions you may be asking: What are the different Christian vocations? How does God guide us and speak to us? How can I be more open to my vocation, and come to a decision?
Friday, 15 April 2011 09:00

Secondary School – How Was it For You?

School

What was secondary school like for you? One hears horror stories of bad dinners, vile bus journeys and bullying.

Secondary school can be tricky for many reasons, because it is a difficult period physically and psychologically, in which we learn, often painfully, about making friends, keeping them and trying to develop our own character.

Of course it was not like that for everyone, but what is true for all is how vital this period is. In order to help, CTS has produced a new leaflet called ‘Making the Best of Secondary School’

Saints for particular problems

Aside from offering simple, practical tips and a daily study prayer, it reminds us that we have not only a mind, but a spirit, and that part of us needs educating too.

On the back is a list of Saints to remember and pray to for particular problems, which is well worth learning:

If you are being bullied, turn to St Damien of Molokai, who was bullied at school because of his accent.

If your appearance is an issue, remember St Thomas Aquinas, who was fat and not considered clever as a child, but became one of the greatest theologians the Church ever produced.

If you know you care about clothes and computer games a little too much, think of St Ignatius of Loyola, a dedicated follower of fashion who, after accepting Christ, became a great missionary and founder of the world-famous Jesuits.

Some call school “the best years of your life,” an idea I have always found rather depressing – surely the purpose of school is to prepare you for those “best years” – but it is a time to learn about the world God lovingly created and about yourself whom God loves even more.

Making the Best of Secondary School can be bought in packs of 25 from the CTS website.

Of related interest:

Youth YouCat – Published in many languages, YouCat, short for Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, has been developed with the help of young Catholics and written for secondary-school-age students and young adults.
Educating Educating Together in Catholic Schools – The third in a trio of documents on Catholic Schools which encourages religious and lay teachers to provide an education which is imbued with the light of truth, in a spirit of Communion.
How to Discover Vocation How to Discover your Vocation - This booklet will help you to think and pray about your vocation and become clearer about where God is leading you. It answers many of the practical questions you may be asking: What are the different Christian vocations? How does God guide us and speak to us? How can I be more open to my vocation, and come to a decision?
Wednesday, 13 April 2011 09:10

St Gemma Galgani – The First 20th Century Saint

Gemma Glagani

Gemma Galgani was the first canonised person to have lived in the 20th century. In a biography for the CTS Great Saints Series, John-Paul Kirkham brings us closer to this “True Gem of Christ.”

Born in Lucca in North-Western Italy, in 1878, she would go on to have a difficult life and die aged only 25, however her prayer and intense union with the sufferings of Jesus, make her an incredible sign of hope in the modern world.

As Kirkham writes:

“It is this sharing of suffering that holds the key to understanding the sanctity of St Gemma. The real treasure she found was not in the form of any self inflicted harm or pain to herself, but in a willingness to participate in Jesus’ suffering and accepting the will of God.

God is all

“From childhood Gemma followed a self imposed rule that ‘she was nothing and that God was all’. Although gifted in languages, art, music and poetry all of these talents were buried and she would only wish to be remembered as being a worthless, wicked, lowly, contemptible creature and a great sinner.”

She suffered illness, attacks of the devil and being orphaned at the age of nineteen, but in all these things, she saw the love of God for her. Attracted to the Passionist order, and with the help of some of its holy members, Gemma was able to remain close to Christ through all her trials. The young stigmatist died in 1903 after long illness and was buried on Easter Sunday of that year.

Her road to Sainthood

“In October 1903 Pope Pius X authorised the foundation of a Passionist convent in the city of Lucca. Soon, numerous graces and favours were being reported due to the intercession of this new ‘Spiritual Daughter of St Paul of the Cross’.

“In 1923 the body of the saint in waiting was exhumed and moved in a large procession from the local cemetery to be placed within a glass tomb. This tomb is displayed and forms the main altar in the Passionist Sanctuary that today is consecrated in her name.”

On May 2nd 1940, as the world descended into the depths of its second destructive World War, this unassuming young girl was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius XII.

Kirkham concludes:

“In 1989 Pope John Paul II visited St Gemma Galgani’s Sanctuary Church and spoke of ‘her littleness and hiddenness’. He affirmed that St Gemma lived out the work of the reconciliation of man with God by participating in Christ’s Passion with special intensity by the total offering of her-self.”

St Gemma Galgani is the Patron Saint of Students, Pharmacists, those suffering from any spinal or back disorder, those suffering from tuberculosis, those who have lost parents and those struggling with temptations.

Her feast day is on April 11th.

Extracts from Gemma Galgani – Gem of Christ by John-Paul Kirkham

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Wednesday, 23 February 2011 12:59

Sister Healed by John Paul II In Her Own Words

Santo Subito

Sister Marie Simon-Pierre, of the French community of Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood, was diagnosed in 2001 as having Parkinson’s disease, the same illness as Pope John Paul II suffered in his later years.

She tells the story of her cure in the updated CTS biography of John Paul II.

She was so afraid of just how much her condition would deteriorate that she could not even bear to watch her beloved Pope on television. His condition was a reminder of how she would soon be.

Stopping her work

Sister enjoyed her work on a maternity ward in Aix-en-Provence and was responsible for a number of staff.

She remembered clearly the morning of 2nd June 2005. “I was totally disabled and could no longer carry on.” She could no longer write legibly. She couldn’t drive or move around easily and was in so much pain that she couldn’t sleep. She had reached her limit and that morning she asked her Superior if she might resign her post and give up work.

Peace and serenity

Her request to stand down was gently declined. Instead, her Superior suggested that she ask the recently deceased John Paul II to intercede for a cure for her. At that moment the two nuns experienced the atmosphere in the office change.

“There came a great feeling of peace and serenity. I felt at peace and so did my Superior. This feeling of deep peace within and around us lasted for several minutes.”

The Superior then asked her to write John Paul II’s name on a piece of paper. The Parkinson’s disease, though, had progressed so much that her left arm and hand trembled uncontrollably and she could not write. “Perhaps a miracle will happen if I just believe,” Sister told herself.

That night she slept well, not experiencing the usual insomnia caused by pain from the disease.

An interior joy

At 4.30 on the morning of the 3rd June she woke up feeling completely different:

“I was no longer the same. I had an interior joy and great peace. Later on I was surprised by the movements I was able to make with my body,” she reported. At the same time, she experienced “a great urge to pray. It was not a set prayer-time but I prayed anyway.” She reports that she went to the maternity ward chapel and there, before the tabernacle, prayed “with deep joy”.

She joined the rest of the community for their usual 6am Mass:

“I realised that my left arm was no longer immobile when I walked, but swung back and forth normally. During the Mass I became convinced that I was cured, I went to another sister and showed her my hand. It wasn’t shaking. I said, ‘John Paul has obtained my cure’. She looked at me wide eyed and we stood in silence.”

That day Sister Marie Simon-Pierre was able to work on the maternity ward, assisting at a caesarean section and registering the baby’s birth in her own handwriting.

The Little Sister of Catholic Motherhood recounted all these events to journalists on 14th January 2011. On that very day Pope Benedict XVI approved her cure as the necessary miracle for the beatification of Pope John Paul II.

From John Paul II – The Road to Sainthood by Jim Gallagher

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Monday, 21 February 2011 09:32

John Paul II – The Road to Sainthood

Santo Subito

May 1st will see the beatification of Pope John Paul II. In celebration of this momentous event, the CTS has updated their biography of the beloved Polish Pope. We spoke to the author, Jim Gallagher, about what has been included in this new text.

“I am delighted that the Catholic Truth Society is issuing an updated version of our earlier biography of Papa Wojtyla,” he told us.

“In this expanded and updated edition, we have included the testimony of the French nun – a member of the Little Sisters of Catholic Motherhood – who was cured of Parkinson’s Disease after her superior told her to seek John Paul’s intercession.”

“There are also reflections from the Polish priest who promoted John Paul’s Cause for Beatification, the Postulator, Fr Slawomir Oder.

“He highlights key aspects of Karol Wojtyla’s life which illustrate his sanctity. And he points out that it is no accident that Pope Benedict will beatify his predecessor on Divine Mercy Sunday (the first Sunday after Easter), the feast which John Paul himself instituted, when he canonised Sister Faustina, the Polish sister who received divine messages about the mercy of God.

“This will be the first time in more than a thousand years that a pope has beatified his immediate predecessor!”

Read more ...

Wednesday, 16 February 2011 09:00
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