Ave Maria!

Fr. Angelo preaches the Epiphany Homily at the noon Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel in Griswold CT.

Ave Maria!

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“And going into the dwelling, they found the Child there

with His Mother, Mary, and fell down to worship Him.” (Mt. 2:11)

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A Prayer for Epiphany:

O Lord, reveal Your divinity to all mankind, and just as once You drew the Magi from the East to You, now in like manner unite all peoples and all nations around Your manger. You have shown me that You want my poor cooperation in order to bring about the coming of Your Kingdom. You wish me to pray, suffer, and work for the conversion of those who are near and of those who are far away. You wish that I, too, place before the manger the gifts of the Wise Men : the incense of prayer, the myrrh of mortification and of suffering borne with generosity out of love for You.  And finally, the gold of charity, charity which will make my heart wholly and exclusively Yours, charity which will spur me on to work, to spend myself for the conversion of ‘sinners and infidels, and for the greater sanctification of Your elect.  

 O my loving King, create in me the heart of an apost1e. If only Icould lay at Y our feet today the praise and adoration of everyone on earth!

 Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene OCD

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Homily #090104t ( 07min) Play – God gives us just enough to find him, He wants us to seek, to put effort into finding Him.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
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The post Jan 04 – Special Homily – Fr Tito: God Wants to Be Sought first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #090104 ( 08min) Play – On this Epiphany Sunday Fr. Ignatius explains that the Our Lord manifests himself on this day as he does on the Feast of Cana and at His Baptism by John in the Jordan. And so all naturalistic ways to salvation now cease as is symbolized by the Magi, the gentile astrologers, coming to seek Christ under a new star at Bethlehem.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
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Homily #100103 ( 13min) Play – Epiphany of Our Lord marks the second part of Christmas which is the manifestation of Christ to the whole world as an introduction to His public ministry as an adult. Fr Angelo explains who the Magi were and why God lead them with the star first to King Herod in Jerusalem and only then to Bethlehem and the Christ Child. He contrasts the response of the Magi to that of Herod when they receive the message of the coming of the Messiah.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
1: Isa 60:1-6
R: Ps 72:1-2,7-8,10-13
2: Eph 3:2-3,5-6
G: Mt 2:1-12

Audio (MP3)

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AN EPIPHANY BLESSING OF A HOME +

(one form):

All make the Sign of the Cross.

Head of Household: “Peace be to this house and: to all who dwell here, in the name of tfie Lord.

All: Blessed be God forever.

Reader: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things cme to be through him, and without him nothing came to be….. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Fahter’s only Son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3.14)

After the prayers of the blessing are recited, each room of the home is sprinkled with holy water. The initials of the Magi are inscribed above the doors with the blessed chalk.

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(Casper, Melchior and Balthesar with the first two numerals of the year preceding the

C and the last two numerals of the year placed after the B)

+ 20 + C + M + B + 10 +

(The initials, C, M, B, can also be interpreted as the Latin phrase

“Christus mansionem benedicat” which means “Christ bless this house”.)

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All: Lord God of heaven and earth, you revealed your only begotten Son to every nation by the guidance of a star. Bless this house and all who inhabit it. May we be blessed with health, goodness of heart, gentleness and the keeping of your law. Fill us with the light of Christ, that our love for each other may go out to all. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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A Prayer for Epiphany:

O Lord, reveal Your divinity to all mankind, and just as once You drew the Magi from the East to You, now in like manner unite all peoples and all nations around Your manger. You have shown me that You want my poor cooperation in order to bring about the coming of Your Kingdom. You wish me to pray, suffer, and work for the conversion of those who are near and of those who are far away. You wish that I, too, place before the manger the gifts of the Wise Men : the incense of prayer, the myrrh of mortification and of suffering borne with generosity out of love for You. And finally, the gold of charity, charity which will make my heart wholly and exclusively Yours, charity which will spur me on to work, to spend myself for the conversion of ’sinners and infidels, and for the greater sanctification of Your elect.

O my loving King, create in me the heart of an apost1e. If only Icould lay at Y our feet today the praise and adoration of everyone on earth!

Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene OCD

“And going into the dwelling, they found the Child there with His Mother, Mary, and fell down to worship Him.” (Mt. 2:11)

We also kneel down before Jesus,

most especially our God ’hidden’ in the

most Holy Eucharist.

It is often mentioned that ‘wise men still seek Him’.  We do not need to leave home and country and journey afar but we may need to leave some things behind: those things that keep us separated from God. Whatever causes us not to be in a state of grace must be left behind on our journey to God.  We need to see what are the areas of sin in our lives and these are what we must be divested of.

God will always help us with His grace!  And just as the Three Kings had a star, so we also have Mary, Stella Maris, to be a star and guide for us.  Jesus is still found with His Mother and the vocation of Mary for all time is to lead souls to Him.

Are we adoring Christ now in His Eucharistic Presence?  Are we reverent in the Church building and show this in our silence, demeanor, and dress and by genuflections to the Tabernacle? Our Lord is only physically as far away as that nearest Tabernacle yet for a soul in a state of grace, He is within.

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Homily #100110 ( 09min) Play – Today we celebrate, according to the Old Calendar, the feast of the Holy Family in honor of Jesus, Joseph and Mary.  (Baptism of Our Lord according to the New Calendar.) Fr Ignatius preaches on the importance of the family and how far we have slid in regard to marriage statistics. He stresses that this loss of family life is related to lack of love, first to love God and then to love our neighbor and then he stresses the connection between love and sacrifice.
Ave Maria! Sunday after Epiphany – Feast of the Holy Family – Mass: EF, Exsultat Gaudio – Readings: 1st: col 3:12-17 – Gsp: luk 2:42-52

Audio (MP3)

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Homily #110102 ( 15min) Play – In today’s Gospel on this Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord we have the story of the three Magi or wise men from the east who, following the star, come to the newborn Savior with the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Fr Bonaventure explains the significance of these gifts as well as the three wise men in the public manifestation (epiphany) of the newborn Christ, fulfilling the ancient prophecies and pointing to the events of His life, especially the other epiphany events, His Baptism, the Miracle at Cana and the Transfiguration.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Epiphany of the Lord – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: isa 60:1-6
Resp: psa 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
2nd: eph 3:2-3, 5-6
Gsp: mat 2:1-12

Audio (MP3)

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The post Jan 02 – Homily – Fr Bonaventure: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh first appeared on AirMaria.com.

But now a change comes over the scene, which seems at first sight but little in keeping with the characteristic lowliness of Bethlehem. A cavalcade from the Far East comes up this way. The camel bells are tinkling. A retinue of attendants accompanies Three Kings of different Oriental tribes, who come with their various offerings to the new-born Babe. It is a history more romantic than romance itself would dare to be. Those swarthy men are among the wisest of the studious East. They represent the lore and science of their day. Yet have they done what the world would surely esteem the most foolish of actions. They were men whose science led them to God, men, we may be sure, of meditative habits, of ascetic lives, and of habitual prayer. The fragments of early tradition and the obscure records of ancient prophecies, belonging to their nations, have been to them as precious deposits which spoke of God and were filled with hidden truth. The corruption of the world which they, as Kings, might see from their elevation far and wide, pressed heavily upon their loving hearts. They too pined for a Redeemer, for some heavenly Visitant, for a new beginning of the world, for the coming of a Son of God, for one who should save them from their sins. Their tribes doubtless lived in close alliance; and they themselves were bound together by the ties of a friendship which the same pure yearnings after greater goodness and higher things cemented. Never yet had Kings more royal souls. In the dark blue of the lustrous sky there rose a new or hitherto unnoticed star. Its ap­parition could not escape the notice of these Oriental sages, who nightly watched the skies; for their science was also their theology. It was the star of which an ancient prophecy had spoken. Perhaps it drooped low toward earth, and wheeled a too swift course to be like one of the other stars. Perhaps it trailed a line of light after it, slowly, yet with visible movement, and so little above the horizon, or with such obvious downward slanting course, that it seemed as if it beckoned to them, as if an angel were bearing a lamp to light the feet of pilgrims, and timed his going to their slowness, and had not shot too far ahead during the bright day, but was found and welcomed each night as a faithful indicator pointing to the Cave of Bethlehem. How often God prefers to teach by night rather than by day! Meanwhile, doubtless, the instincts of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of these wise rulers drew them toward the star. They followed it as men follow a vocation, hardly seeing clearly at first that they are following a divine lead. Wild and romantic as the conduct of these wise enthusiasts seemed, they did not hesitate. After due counsel, they pronounced the luminous finger to be the star of the old prophecy, and therefore God was come. They left their homes, their state, and their affairs, and journeyed westward, they knew not whither, led nightly by the star that slipped onward in its silent groove. They were the representatives of the heathen world moving forward to the feet of the universal Savior. They came to the gates of Jerusalem; and there God did honor to his Church. He withdrew the guidance of the star, because now the better guidance of the synagogue was at their command. The oracles of the law pronounced that Beth­lehem was to be the birthplace of Messias; and the wise men passed onward to the humble village. Again the star shone out in the blue heavens, and slowly sank earthward over the Cave of Bethlehem; and presently the devout Kings were at the feet of Jesus. Fr. Faber  (Bethlehem)

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Arise, be enlightened, O Jerusalem: for thy light us come….And the gentiles shall walk in thy light, and kings in the brightness of thy rising….All they from Saba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense, and showing forth praise to the Lord. (Isaias 60, 1-6)

A star often appears in the heaven of our souls; it is the inspiration from God, clear and intimate, urging us to greater generosity and calling us to a life of closer union with Him. Like the Magi, we too must always follow our star with faith, promptness and selfless generosity. If we allow it to guide us, it will certainly lead us to God; it will bring us to the One whom we are seeking.

The Magi did not give up their quest, although the star- at one point- disappeared from their sight. We should follow their example and their perseverance, even when we are in interior darkness. This is a trial of faith which is overcome only by the exercise of pure, naked faith. I know that He wills it, I know that God is calling, and this suffices for me: Scio cui credidi et certus sum (2 Timothy 1:12); I know whom I have believed. No matter what happens, I shall trust Him.

Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene (Divine Intimacy)

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