The post News – Pope Benedict on His New Encyclical Caritas in Veritate first appeared on AirMaria.com.

“My answer is prayer. What we need is for every Parish to come before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in Holy Hours of prayer. ” “The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament … will help bring about an everlasting peace on earth” (Mother Teresa of Calcutta).

Nobel Peace Prize winner and foundress of the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa brought the homeless, sick, destitute and dying home to “die like angels.” She attributed her many charitable works to her daily Holy Hours of prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Mother Teresa said, “I know I would not be able to work one week if it were not for that continual force coming from Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”

Reflections on Eucharistc Adoration from Mother Teresa of Calcutta :

“On the Cross Jesus said: ‘I thirst.’ From the Blessed Sacrament Jesus continues to say to each of us: ‘I thirst.’ He thirsts for our personal love, our intimacy, our union with Him in the Blessed Sacrament. His longing for us to be with Him in the Blessed Sacrament is infinitely greater than our longing to be with Him.”

“The Eucharist is connected with the Passion. If Jesus had not established the Eucharist we would have forgotten the crucifixion. It would have faded into the past and we would have forgotten that Jesus loved us. There is a saying that to be far away from the eyes is to be far away from the heart. To make sure that we do not forget, Jesus gave us the Eucharist as a memorial of his love.”

“When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you. When you look at the Sacred Host you understand how much Jesus loves you now. ”

“Our lives must be woven around the Eucharist … fix your eyes on Him Who is the light; bring your hearts close to His Divine Heart; ask Him to grant you the grace of knowing Him, the love of loving Him, the courage to serve Him. Seek Him fervently.”

“To be alone with Jesus in adoration and intimate union with Him is the greatest gift of love-the tender love of our Father in Heaven.”

“All of us know that unless we believe and can see Jesus in the appearance of bread on the altar, we will not be able to see him in the distressing disguise of the poor. Therefore these two loves are but one in Jesus.”

“If we really understand the Eucharist, if we really centre our lives on Jesus’ Body and Blood, if we nourish our lives with the Bread of the Eucharist, it will be easy for us to see Christ in that hungry one next door, the one lying in the gutter, the alcoholic man we shun, our husband or our wife, or our restless child. For in them, we will recognize the distressing disguises of the poor: Jesus in our midst.”

“Through Mary the cause of our joy you discover that no where on earth are you more welcomed, no where on earth are you more loved, than by Jesus, living and truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament … He is really there in Person waiting just for you.”    “Like Mary, let us never be ashamed to do humble work. Like her, let us always accept the cross in whatever way it comes. (We must) stand near Our Lady to listen to the thirst of Jesus and to answer with your whole heart.”

The Servant of the Poorest of the Poor, beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 19, 2003

Eucharistic Adoration Increases Vocations

“If you are looking for vocations, as a community have adoration every day. It was not until 1973, when we began our daily Holy Hour that our community started to grow and blossom … In our congregation, we used to have adoration once a week for one hour, and then in 1973, we decided to have adoration one hour every day. We have much work to do. Our homes for the sick and dying destitute are full everywhere. And from the time we started having adoration every day, our love for Jesus became more intimate, our love for each other more understanding, our love for the poor more compassionate, and we have double the number of vocations. God has blessed us with many wonderful vocations. The time we spend in having our daily audience with God is the most precious part of the whole day.”

“Our holy hour is our daily family prayer where we get together and pray the Rosary before the exposed Blessed Sacrament, the first half hour, and the second half hour we pray in silence.”

“I am very glad to know about the perpetual adoration rnovement .. Thank God for His love for you-for His presence in you and the joy with which you love and serve Him in the Blessed Sacrament and in each other. Each one of us is a co-worker of Christ-we must labor hard to carry Him to the hearts where He has not yet been known and loved. But unless we have Jesus we cannot give Him; that is why we need the Eucharist. Spend as much time as possible in front of the Blessed Sacrament and He will fill you with His strength and His power. Tell Him, ‘Come to our hearts Lord and stay with us.’ Then you will become instruments of His love, peace and joy.”

“We cannot separate our lives from the Eucharist; the moment we do, something breaks. People ask, “Where do the sisters get the joy and energy to do what they are doing?” The Eucharist involves more than just receiving; it also involves satisfying the hunger of Christ. He says, “Come to Me.” He is hungry for souls. When the sisters are exhausted, up to their eyes in work, when all seems to go awry, they spend and hour in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. This practice has never failed to bear fruit; they experience peace and strength.”

“Perpetual adoration with exposition needs a great push. Perpetual adoration is the most beautiful thing you could ever think of doing. People are hungry for God. Perpetual Adoration, Eucharistic Adoration offers to our people the opportunity to join those in religious life to pray for the salvation of the world, souls everywhere and peace on earth. We cannot underestimate the power of prayer and the difference it will make in our world. Ask your parish priest to have Perpetual Adoration.”

“Be only all for Jesus and give Jesus to others. That is why Jesus made Himself the Bread of Life. That is why He is there twenty- four hours. That is why He is longing for you and for me to share the joy of loving. And He says: ‘As I have loved you.’ If I can give you any advice, I beg you to get closer to the Eucharist.”

“I beg the Blessed Mother to touch the hearts of all parish priests that they may have Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in their parishes, and that it may spread throughout the entire world.”

The fruit of silence is PRAYER

The fruit of prayer is FAITH

The fruit of faith is LOVE

The fruit of love is SERVICE

The fruit of service is PEACE.

A SHORT BIOGRAPHY:

Mother Teresa, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, died on September 5, 1997, in her convent in India. She was 87. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910 in Skopje, Yugoslavia, she joined the Sisters of Loreto in 1928. She took the name “Teresa” after St. Teresa of Lisieux, patroness of the Missionaries.

In 1948, she came across a half-dead woman lying in front of a Calcutta hospital. She stayed with the woman until she died. From that point on, she dedicated the majority of her life to helping the poorest of the poor in India, thus gaining her the name “Saint of the Gutters.” She founded an order of nuns called the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India dedicated to serving the poor. Almost 50 years later, the Missionaries of Charity have grown from 12 sisters in India to over 3,000 in 517 missions throughout 100 countries worldwide.

In 1952, she founded the Nirmal Hriday Home for the Dying in a former temple in Calcutta. It was there that they would care for the dying Indians that were found on the streets. Mother would see Jesus in everyone that she met. It didn´t matter whether they were dying of AIDS or Leprosy. She wanted them to be able to die in peace and with dignity. For over 50 years, she worked selflessly helping the poor. That devotion towards the poor won her respect throughout the world and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

In the last two decades of her life, Mother had suffered from heart problems. She suffered a heart attack during a 1983 visit with Pope John Paul II. She suffered another, and more serious, heart attack in 1989. It was then that a pacemaker was installed.   She also had suffered from malaria and was treated for a chest infection.   Particularly recently it has come to light that she also suffered from great spiritual aridity or dryness.  She lived for decades in great and heroic faith and trust in God from whom she was receiving no consolations. She is a wonderful example not only of heroic charity in dealing with the physical and spiritual needs of people, but also a pattern of spiritual greatness in the midst of many sufferings both of body and soul.

The post Mother Teresa, What will Save the World? first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Marycast Specials #64 ( 10min) Play – Dr. Mark Miravalle stresses the need to keep hope in the pro-life cause in the current pro-abortion environment, even in the prospect of abortion funding in our national health care. Our Lady will crush the head of this beast. Dr. Mark covers the ethical grounds for saying abortion is immoral and how all those involved in it need to have recourse to God’s loving Mercy.

To ask questions regarding Mary, email Dr Mark Miravalle: marycast@airmaria.com
Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Video – The Woman Against Abortion, Part III – Moral Situations Part 2 – Mcast s64 first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Face of Pro-Life #72 – Progress on the Ave Maria Home ( 30min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Corinn Dahm and Lisa Martin discuss the blossoming effort to raise funds for the Ave Maria Home for pregnant mothers in the Norwich Diocese. These homes will be affiliated with and patterned after the very successful Good Counsel Homes started by Chris Bell and Fr. Benedict Groeschel in NY City.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

The post Video – Face of Pro-life #72: Lisa Martin on Ave Maria Home first appeared on AirMaria.com.

The stone for the tomb of the unborn babies’ bodies

rescued from the Boulder Abortion Clinic–article posted

at the end of the homily

St. Matthew’s Gospel (Mat. 2: 1-18) describes the events that took place in Bethlehem at the time of Christ’s birth and King Herod’s order that all male infants, two years old and younger, then living in and around Bethlehem be killed. He ordered this in an attempt to kill the new born King who he saw as a threat to his own power. The Book of Micah in the Bible predicted that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem: “But you, Bethlehem out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” (Micah 5: 2) We call these Holy Innocents martyrs because they died in the place of Christ. How many infants there were in Bethlehem and the surrounding area is hard to say. It may have been up to 100. In Jesus’ day human life was cheap. St. Matthew is the only writer to record this event for history.

With the coming of Christ new value is placed on human life. Christ reveals man to himself. In Christ we are made aware that each and every human being is made in the image and likeness of God; that each and every human being is unique, precious and unrepeatable. Each and every human being has an eternal destiny to be with God in Heaven.  But a decline in the practice of the Christian faith has led to increasing attacks on human life in our society today. In their document “Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics” in 1998 the American Bishops wrote:

“We are now witnessing the gradual restructuring of American culture according to ideals of utility, productivity and cost-effectiveness. It is a culture where moral questions are submerged by a river of goods and services and where the misuse of marketing and public relations subverts public life.”

The losers in this ethical sea change will be those who are elderly, poor, disabled and politically marginalized. None of these pass the utility test; and yet, they at least have a presence. They at least have the possibility of organizing to be heard. Those who are unborn, infirm and terminally ill have no such advantage. They have no “utility,” and worse, they have no voice.

As we tinker with the beginning, the end and even the intimate cell structure of life, we tinker with our own identity as a free nation dedicated to the dignity of the human person. When American political life becomes an experiment on people rather than for and by them, it will no longer be worth conducting. We are arguably moving closer to that day. Today, when the inviolable rights of the human person are proclaimed and the value of life publicly affirmed, the most basic human right, “the right to life, is being denied or trampled upon, especially at the more significant moments of existence: the moment of birth and the moment of death” (Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life [Evangelium Vitae], 18).

When Christ is valued before self, human life is given its proper respect. When self is valued above Christ human life is endangered.

Below is a passage from “Pope John Paul II from his Letter to Families in 1994”:

Birth and Danger

21. It is significant that the brief account of the infancy of Jesus mentions, practically at the same time, his birth and the danger which he immediately had to confront. Luke records the prophetic words uttered by the aged Simeon when the Child was presented to the Lord in the Temple forty days after his birth. Simeon speaks of “light” and of a “sign of contradiction”. He goes on to predict of Mary: “And a sword will pierce through your own soul also” (cf. Lk 2:32-35). Matthew, for his part, tells of the plot of Herod against Jesus. Informed by the Magi who came from the East to see the new king who was to be born (cf. Mt 2:2), Herod senses a threat to his power, and after their departure he orders the death of all male children aged two years or under in Bethlehem and the surrounding towns. Jesus escapes from the hands of Herod thanks to a special divine intervention and the fatherly care of Joseph, who takes him with his mother into Egypt, where they remain until Herod’s death. The Holy Family then returns to Nazareth, their home town, and begins what for many years would be a hidden life, marked by the carrying out of daily tasks with fidelity and generosity (cf. Mt 2:1-23; Lk 2:39-52).

The fact that Jesus, from his very birth, had to face threats and dangers has a certain prophetic eloquence. Even as a Child, Jesus is a “sign of contradiction”. Prophetically eloquent also is the tragedy of the innocent children of Bethlehem, slaughtered at Herod’s command. According to the Church’s ancient liturgy, they shared in the birth and saving passion of Christ. Through their own “passion”, they complete “what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church” (Col 1:24).

In the infancy Gospel, the proclamation of life, which comes about in a wondrous way in the birth of the Redeemer, is thus put in sharp contrast with the threat to life, a life which embraces the mystery of the Incarnation and of the divine-human reality of Christ in its entirety. The Word was made flesh (cf. Jn 1:14): God became man. The Fathers of the Church frequently call attention to this sublime mystery: “God became man, so that we might become gods”. This truth of faith is likewise the truth about the human being. It clearly indicates the gravity of all attempts on the life of a child in the womb of its mother. Precisely in this situation we encounter everything which is diametrically opposed to “fairest love”. If an individual is exclusively concerned with “use”, he can reach the point of killing love by killing the fruit of love. For the culture of use, the “blessed fruit of your womb” (Lk 1:42) becomes in a certain sense an “accursed fruit”.

How can we not recall, in this regard, the aberrations that the so-called constitutional State has tolerated in so many countries? The law of God is univocal and categorical with respect to human life. God commands: “You shall not kill” (Ex 20:13). No human lawgiver can therefore assert: it is permissible for you to kill, you have the right to kill, or you should kill. Tragically, in the history of our century, this has actually occurred when certain political forces have come to power, even by democratic means, and have passed laws contrary to the right to life of every human being, in the name of eugenic, ethnic or other reasons, as unfounded as they are mistaken. A no less serious phenomenon, also because it meets with widespread acquiescence or consensus in public opinion, is that of laws which fail to respect the right to life from the moment of conception. How can one morally accept laws that permit the killing of a human being not yet born, but already alive in the mother’s womb? The right to life becomes an exclusive prerogative of adults who even manipulate legislatures in order to carry out their own plans and pursue their own interests.

We are facing an immense threat to life: not only to the life of individuals but also to that of civilization itself. The statement that civilization has become, in some areas, a “civilization of death” is being confirmed in disturbing ways. Was it not a prophetic event that the birth of Christ was accompanied by danger to his life? Yes, even the life of the One who is at the same time Son of Man and Son of God was threatened. It was endangered from the very beginning, and only by a miracle did he escape death.

Nevertheless, in the last few decades some consoling signs of a reawakening of conscience have appeared: both among intellectuals and in public opinion itself. There is a new and growing sense of respect for life from the first moment of conception, especially among young people. “Pro- life” movements are beginning to spread. This is a leaven of hope for the future of the family and of all humanity.

(Click here for the entire document)

Pope John Paul II recognized that respect for life is an integral part of the Gospel that we are called to believe and proclaim. Every Christian is called to be unconditionally pro-life, and to proclaim this Gospel by word and deed. Every Christian is also called to proclaim God’s mercy and love, helping to reconcile sinners to God and the Church.

In the slaughter of the Holy Innocents we see Jeremiah’s prophecy fulfilled: “A Voice is heard in Ramah, weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Jer. 31:15)

This passage of the Bible was the inspiration for the Project Rachel post-abortion healing program: www.hopeafterabortion.com and Rachel’s Vineyard Retreats.  If you know someone who has had an abortion or a man or woman was in any way responsible for a decision to have an abortion, please encourage them to seek and accept God’s forgiveness and to make this retreat. Catholics should also be encouraged to return to the Sacrament of Penance.

In his Encyclical Letter “the Gospel of Life” Pope John Paul II writes:

99. …I would now like to say a special word to women who have had an abortion. The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced your decision, and she does not doubt that in many cases it was a painful and even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may not yet have healed. Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. Try rather to understand what happened and face it honestly. If you have not already done so, give yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance. The Father of mercies is ready to give you his forgiveness and his peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. You will come to understand that nothing is definitively lost and you will also be able to ask forgiveness from your child, who is now living in the Lord. With the friendly and expert help and advice of other people, and as a result of your own painful experience, you can be among the most eloquent defenders of everyone’s right to life. Through your commitment to life, whether by accepting the birth of other children or by welcoming and caring for those most in need of someone to be close to them, you will become promoters of a new way of looking at human life.  (Click here for entire document)

Jesus took on our human flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was born for us at Bethlehem and died for us in Jerusalem so that our sins would be forgiven and we might have everlasting life. There is no sin to big that God is unable or unwilling to forgive if we repent and turn back to Him.

Ask the Holy Innocents to intercede for us that we may bring about a renewed respect for human life in our society, to build a culture of life, protect the innocents in our day and comfort those who mourn.

Fr. Peter West

Priests for Life

The Memorial Wall is to honor and remember unborn babies; those lost to abortion, miscarriage, or stillborn. The Wall’s beginnings date back to 1996 when the Boulder Abortion Clinic contracted with a local mortuary to cremate and dispose of remains from abortions. According to Colorado state law, “infectious waste consisting of recognizable human anatomical remains shall not be disposed of by burial at a landfill disposal facility, but shall be disposed of by incineration or internment” thereby requiring the abortion clinic to hire a crematorium for the disposal. The director of the mortuary found that the fetus remains being delivered were not just “tissue” and working with the remains of abortions was “very disturbing.” The director contacted the pastor of Sacred Heart of Mary, Father Andrew Kemberling, who agreed to perform a prayer service for the babies’ remains and then to bury the ashes of the babies in the church cemetery. After two years of working with the mortuary, the director moved to another facility and the agreement and services ended. At that time, all of the ashes were buried beneath the statue of the Risen Christ located in front of the Memorial Wall for the Unborn.

In February 2000, a subcommittee was formed under the Respect Life Committee at the church and construction of the Wall took place during the spring and summer with the support of Father Dorino De Lazzer, the new pastor of Sacred Heart of Mary Church. The land on which the Wall is built was donated by Sacred Heart of Mary Cemetery. The Wall, as well as the surrounding landscaping was funded primarily by private donations. Father Dorino dedicated the Wall on June 25, 2000, the Feast of Corpus Christi.

In November 2001, the Church began receiving the ashes again from a different mortuary in Boulder. Burials occurred following a regular Sunday Mass as announced in the church bulletin for those who wanted to attend. Burials occurred every 6-9 months through January 23, 2005. The ashes were buried in sites that surround the Memorial Wall and the Risen Christ statue. Approximately 5,500 unborn aborted babies have been buried in this area. Individual burials are continuing at the Memorial Wall. Mass burials are available upon request.

The Memorial is a 16 foot granite wall and provides a place for small brass plaques with words to remember an unborn child. Anyone who is suffering from the loss of an unborn baby, whether by abortion, miscarriage or stillbirth, is welcome to place a plaque on the Memorial Wall for the Unborn. Many people have found that personally naming their child is a huge step in the healing process. We encourage you to order a plaque for your child and to visit the site. The Wall is open to all, regardless of religious affiliation.
Sacred Heart of Mary Church, Boulder, Colorado

The post A Voice is Heard in Ramah: Weeping for Her Children first appeared on AirMaria.com.