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Oct 04 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: St. Francis of Assisi

apostolate — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:59:16 +0000

Homily #081004 ( 00min) Play – On this feast day of St. Francis of Assisi celebrated as Solemnity here at the friary, Fr. Ignatius Manfredonia sheds light on this great lover God and Him Crucified.
Ave Maria!
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Meditation on the Christmas Creche; Origin from St. Francis

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Several years ago a priest friend of mine wrote the following mediation while setting up his manger scene and I would like to share it with you:

I think you should consider the words: “For unto you ….. ” in Luke 2:11. As I was putting up my nativity set these three words sprung out at me “For unto you … ” Yes Lord how I need your holy nativity. The visitation of Elizabeth and Mother Mary confirms life is precious in God’s eyes. You and I take our assigned places in God’s providence; mine to stand and offer the sacrifice of Christ’s blood and body for the remission of our sins.

Yet look how low the Son of God stooped to make our salvation possible. A cave and a manger for the Lord of Glory to visit this sin cursed world! A cave that only allows me to bow before his presence to enter in. I held the twig twisted manger that was to be the Lord’s bed. Even poor me, divested of all this world holds dear, is welcome to kneel and adore Jesus!

The two little lambs pointed their faces at the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Our Jesus offers us the sacrifice of the Mass so we will never forget the high cost of our redemption.

The donkey in the corner of the manger gladly bore the weight of the blessed Mother to carry her to Bethlehem meaning the “house of bread”. Yes, Jesus is our living bread that came down from heaven to heal our sinful souls and prepare us to enter heaven.

There is Joseph who suffered much to see God’s holy will fulfilled in the birth of God’s Son. Our life, like Joseph’s, is mixed with buffeting and blessings. God gave Joseph great graces to carry lives challenges and that grace and mercy is renewed to us each day.

There is the blessed Mother dressed in blue; God graced her to be the door that will open God’s heaven to those that love her Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. I prayed the joyful mysteries before the manger and I felt my sorrows flyaway like little birds.

There is the little boy kneeling in awe before the baby Jesus and the wonder of the angel’s song still fills the air. The angel announces “Glory to God in the Highest” and indeed the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father shines brightly in the dark of night.

There is the cow providing much needed heat for the new born Christ Child. To the left are three camels and the three wise kings with their gifts, kneeling in worship before the Savior. To the right are the shepherds, the common working men who labor to provide for their family’s needs. They saw the heavens lit up with the angels from the throne room of God’s heaven and heard the Gospel proclaimed. God’s love was wrapped in the babe of Bethlehem for people of every kindred, tongue and nation of the world!

What place would we take in this manger scene? For me I am like the donkey bearing the many burdens of those in great need at Christmas. Yes the world may consider me an ass but that is only because they refuse to follow me to Bethlehem and see what has come to pass.

Yes, you must allow the light of the star to lead you to the Savior’s crib and adore and worship the King of Kings and Lord of lords.

Glory to God in the Highest!

Fr. JFB

Of all the Christmas decorations we so lovingly place around our homes, the one that is indispensable as it is central to the meaning of Christmas, is the Creche or Nativity Scene. The Christ Child in the manger and other pictures of the story of Bethlehem have been used in church services from the first centuries. But the crib in its present form and its use outside the church originated with St. Francis of Assisi. Through his famous celebration at Greccio, Italy, on Christmas Eve, 1223, with a Bethlehem scene including live animals, he made the crib popular. Since then it has been a familiar sight in Christian homes all over the world.

The Christmas Creche was the inspiration of St. Francis of Assisi. For the Saint, Christmas had always been the Feast of Feasts, yet he did not think it had been celebrated as it could have been, The poverty of Christ had become lost in the extravagance of the Christmas festivities An idea occurred to him and while on a visit to Rome, he received permission from the Pontiff to put his idea to work.

The story of how St. Francis of Assisi “invented” the crib is so delightful and inspiring that it might be told or read to the children every year. We give here the account in the very words of Brother Thomas de Celano, who was there when it happened and who wrote it down:

Blessed Francis called a friend about two weeks before Christmas and said to him: ‘If you desire that we should celebrate this year’s Christmas together at Greccio, go quickly and prepare what I tell you; for I want to enact the memory of the Infant Who was born at Bethlehem, and how He was deprived of all the comforts babies enjoy; how He was bedded in a manger on hay, between an ass and an ox. For once I want to see all this with my own eyes.’ When the good and faithful man had heard this, he departed quickly and prepared in the above-mentioned place everything that the Saint had told him.

The joyful day approached. The Franciscans were called from many communities. The men and women of the neighborhood, as best they could, prepared candles and torches to brighten the night. Finally the Saint of God arrived, found everything prepared, saw it and rejoiced. The crib was made ready, hay was brought, the ox and ass were led to the spot and Greccio became a new Bethlehem. The night was radiant with joy. The crowds drew near and rejoiced in the novelty of the celebration. Their voices resounded from the woods, and the rocky cliff echoed the jubilant outburst. As they sang in the praise of God, the whole night rang with exultation. The Saint of God stood before the crib, overcome with devotion and wondrous joy. A solemn Mass was sung at the crib.

The Saint was dressed in deacon’s vestments, for a deacon he was [out of humility, St. Francis never became a priest, remaining a deacon all his life]. He sang the Gospel. Then he preached a delightful sermon to the people who stood around him, speaking about the nativity of the poor King and the humble town of Bethlehem.

The parishioners and pilgrims who came to Greccio for Midnight Mass and witnessed the Christmas manger scene were much impressed with the simplicity of St. Francis’ creche and it was from there that the tradition took hold and spread around the Catholic world.

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Our Lady of the Angels (of the Portiuncula)

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 04:02:44 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

From the Franciscan supplement to the Divine Office:

OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS OF THE PORTIUNCULA Feast

Our Seraphic Father Francis in keeping with his special love for the Blessed Virgin was especially fond of the chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels known as the Portiuncula. It was here in the designs of Divine Providence that he started the Order of Friars Minor, inaugurated the Order of the Poor Clares and brought his sojourn on earth to its holy end.

In this chapel according to tradition our Holy Father obtained the famous indulgence which the Supreme Pontiffs confirmed and extended to many other churches. On account of the many blessings conferred here the celebration of a liturgical feast was granted for this day which marks the anniversary of the dedication of this chapel.

And St. Bonaventure wrote in the Major Life of St. Francis: Francis had great devotion to the Queen of the world and when he saw that the church was deserted, he began to live there constantly in order to repair it. He heard that the Angels often visited it, so that it was called Saint Mary of the Angels, and he decided to stay there permanently out of reverence for the angels and love for the Mother of Christ.

He loved this spot more than any other in the world. It was here he began his religious life in a very small way; it is here he came to a happy end. When he was dying, he commended this spot above all others to the friars, because it was most dear to the Blessed Virgin.

This was the place where Saint Francis founded his Order by divine inspiration and it was divine providence which led him to repair three churches before he founded the Order and began to preach the Gospel. This meant that he progressed from material things to more spiritual achievements, from lesser to greater, in due order, and it gave a prophetic indication of what he would accomplish later.

As he was living there by the church of Our Lady, Francis prayed to her who had conceived the Word, full of grace and truth, begging her insistently and with tears to become his advocate. Then he was granted the true spirit of the Gospel by the intercession of the Mother of mercy and he brought it to fruition. He embraced the Mother of Our Lord Jesus with indescribable love because, as he said, it was she who made the Lord of majesty our brother, and through her we found mercy. After Christ, he put all his trust in her and took her as his patroness for himself and his friars.

Santa Maria degli Angeli

where the Portiuncula is located within the Basilica

A Beautiful Gift : Portiuncula Indulgence

Background on this Grace: Everyone knows how special the Church of The Portiuncula in Assisi was to St. Francis. It is there that he began his service to Christ and His Church. It is there that he was called to rebuild the Church. It is there that he made humble service, obedience, love, and dedication to Our Lord and Our Lady the cornerstones of his unique and inspiring life. It was even there that St. Clare, the spiritual daughter of St. Francis, received her call, lost her locks of hair to the scissors of Francis, and gained her place in the service of God and in the list of great saints.

During one of his many conversations with Jesus and Our Blessed Mother. Francis requested and received this indulgence as a measure and means of God’s Divine Mercy and love for us. Upon receiving the approval of Our Lord, Francis took this cause to the Pope, Honorious III, in who finally approved as well. While the benefits of this indulgence were not taken advantage of in the days of Francis given the difficult travel and poor roads, we are given a unique and fortunate opportunity to benefit today given easier transportation.

The Indulgence Itself

The magnitude of this indulgence is nothing less than the full remission of the punishments due to one’s sins from the day of Baptism to the day one enters the church to perform the indulgence requirements!!

Conditions To Obtain The Plenary Indulgence of The Forgiveness of Assisi
(For oneself or for a departed soul)

*        Sacramental Confession to be in God’s Grace (within 8 days before or after)
*        Participation in the Holy Mass and Eucharist
*        Visit to a Franciscan Church, followed by the Profession of Faith
*        Say the Our Father
*        A Prayer for the Pope

Indulgences as Gifts and Opportunities

Once again we see the beauty, majesty, magnitude, and Divine Mercy of God Almighty! All that Our Lord asks is that we humbly and contritely seek forgiveness, that we receive His Most Sacred Body in The Eucharist that we visit a Franciscan church and profess our faith, that we say The Our Father, and that we pray for the Pope. Despite those things on which we may not agree with the Pope, this indulgence provides us with the opportunity to declare our eternal loyalty to preserving the Faith and not abandoning our mission and duty to be soldiers for our God.

Eventually, the Church modified the conditions and said the faithful could obtain the indulgence either on August 2nd or on the following Sunday and by going to any Catholic church with the intention of gaining this special indulgence. May we take advantage of this beautiful gift and the opportunities which it provides to approach our God in renewed contrite purity, love, appreciation, and loyalty!

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Thoughts on Pilgrimage

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:00:27 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

I ask your prayers as I prepare for a pilgrimage to holy places in Italy

including Siena, Assisi, and Rome. Ave Maria! SrJMMfti

Prayers for Pilgrims

Pilgrimage is traditionally a journey to a holy place — a place where saints have walked, a place where God has met people and blessed them.

People through the ages have journeyed with God on pilgrimage — to perform a penance, to ask for healing, to pray for places where there is war or national disaster, to pray for friends.

Pilgrimage is an opportunity to travel lightly, to walk free of daily routines, to meet people, to make friends, to enjoy and celebrate God’s creation. An opportunity, too, in the traveling, in the conversations, and in the silences to reflect on the journey of our lives and on our journey homeward to God.

Prayers before setting out on a pilgrimage

God of the guiding star, the bush that blazes
SHOW US YOUR WAY
God of the stormy seas, the Bread that nourishes
TEACH US YOUR TRUTH
God of the still, small voice, the wind that blows where it chooses
FILL US WITH LIFE
God of the elements, of our inward and outward journeys
SET OUR FEET ON YOUR ROAD TODAY.
MAY GOD BLESS US WITH A SAFE JOURNEY
MAY THE ANGELS AND SAINTS TRAVEL WITH US
MAY WE LIVE THIS DAY IN JUSTICE AND JOY. AMEN.

[P]ilgrimage is … a sign of contradiction, and of resistance to our prevailing value system, that of the market. Pilgrimage, after all, has no function other than itself; its means is as important as its end, its process as its product. Its utility value is small, and its benefits cannot be quantified or costed. Its value is intrinsic. It is something that is good to do because it is good to do. It states clearly that the extravagant gesture (because it is extravagant in terms of time and commitment) is an irrepressible part of what it means to be human and to walk on the earth. And whether the context for pilgrimage is solitude or community, we will be drawn deeper into the mystery of God and the care of creation. (Kathy Galloway)

Bless to us, O God,
the earth beneath our feet.
Bless to us, O God,
the path whereon we go.
Bless to us, O God,
the people whom we meet. Amen.

Pilgrimage

Pray for all pilgrims and seekers
and companions on the way;
for all travellers.
Christ, may I walk together with you,
in solidarity with the poor and
with all of God’s creation.

Pilgrimage is feet-on-the-ground spirituality. (Jan Sutch Pickard)

Follow truth wherever you find it.
Even if it takes you outside your preconceived ideas of God or life.
Even if it takes you outside your own country
into the most insignificant alien places
like Bethlehem.
Be courageous. But concentrate on your search.
Truth is one. All roads lead to home. (George MacLeod)

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from This is the Day: Readings and Meditations from the Iona Community,

Neil Paynter, ed., Glasgow, UK: Wild Goose Publications, 2002

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Clare

I met you in Assisi from ages past,
in your place of prayer, on the step stone paths.
In those who follow yet your way,
your presence is felt by pilgrims and
friends who seek God as we quietly pray.

I met you at Holy Island and Gate
in ages present in your place of prayer,
in your hospitality shared and kindness of gifts,
your presence welcomed by pilgrims and friends
coming once or again and again.

I will meet you again in places and times yet to be named.
For Claire will be there in a place of prayer,
serving her God for all of creation to share.

Blessing of Pilgrims

590 Whether in a traditional or a modern form, a pilgrimage to a holy place, to the tomb of a saint, or to a shrine should be regarded as having pastoral value. Pilgrimages are occasions for conversion, spiritual growth, and the advance of the apostolate.

591 The proper, that is, spiritual, character of the Christian pilgrimage must be carefully explained and inculcated ahead of time, so that the pilgrims will truly be “traveling heralds of Christ” and will experience fully the good effects of their pilgrimage.

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Oct 04 – Homily – Fr Bonaventure: Feast of the Poverello

apostolate — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:31:23 +0000

Homily #091004 ( 23min) Play – Today is the Feast of St Francis of Assisi (New Advent), the Poverello, who is the founder of the Franciscan Orders and so his feast supersedes Sunday’s liturgy at our Franciscan friary. Fr. Bonaventure explains the importance of the love of poverty that was so central to St. Francis’ spirituality and how this relates to devotion to Christ and Mary and the importance of the incarnation and the bodily death of Christ and to the renewal of the Church in our materialistic times.
Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Nov 16 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: St Agnes Sister of Clare

apostolate — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:57:14 +0000

Homily #091116 ( 06min) Play – St Agnes of Assisi followed her sister St Clare who had already followed the example of St Francis to embrace the Seraphic Spirit of love of God, humility, and detachment from things.
Ave Maria! Readings EF – 1st: 2co 10:17-2 – Gsp: mat 25:1-13

Audio (MP3)

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Behold the Man 2010 – St Francis of Assisi

Carol Girard — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:00:30 +0000

Apr 16 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: Blessings of Pope Benedict

apostolate — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:52:52 +0000

Homily #100416 ( 05min) Play – Fr Ignatius preaches on the blessings that we have in Pope Benedict, how he has been acclaimed as perhaps the greatest theologian pope in the history of the Church. His encyclical Caritas et Veritate is so sensible as a world plan for peace, social justice and prosperity that one wonders why he is being targeted by the global mass media. Father relates this to today’s Gospel:

14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words: going forth out of that house or city shake off the dust from your feet. 15 Amen I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Ave Maria! Votive Mass of St Francis of Assisi – Mass: EF, – Readings: 1st: sir 50:1-, 3-7 – Gsp: mat 10:7–15

Audio (MP3)

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Oct 04 – Homily – Fr Dominic: St Francis, Rebuilder of the Church

apostolate — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:51:18 +0000

Homily #101004 ( 07min) Play – On the feast of St Francis of Assisi Fr. Dominic preaches on how the founder of our order was the great rebuilder of the Church at a time when it was crumbling. All Franciscans are called to carry on this work as did many Franciscan saints like Bonaventure, Anthony, Padre Pio and many more.
Ave Maria! Our Holy Father Francis – Mass: OF, – Readings:
1st: sir 50:1, 3-4, 6-7
Resp: psa 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11
2nd: gal 6:14-18
Gsp: mat 11:25-30

Audio (MP3)

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Pope invites leaders of the world’s religions to Assisi, to pray for peace

apostolate — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 23:20:01 +0000

Pope Benedict XVI condemned anti-Christian violence, persecution and discrimination, along with all religious intolerance, in a New Year’s appeal that came just hours after a bomb exploded outside a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt as worshippers left Mass, killing more than 20 people.

In addition to appeals to political leaders to take concrete steps to end religious discrimination, the Holy Father issued an invitation to leaders of all the world’s religions to meet with him in Assisi this coming October to mark the 25th anniversary of the 1st World Day of Prayer for Peace.

via Pope invites leaders of the world’s religions to Assisi, to pray for peace.

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