FI News #34 – Italian vocation video of the Poor Clares of the Immaculate ( 5min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Here’s a video in Italian. It is a vocation video for the Clarisse dell’Immacolata (Poor Clares of the Immaculate) which is another order started by our founder Fr. Stefano Manelli. It is an order of Poor Clares that follows the Traccia with the Marian vow as do the Franciscans of the Immaculate. Currently they have four convents, all in Italy and have about sixty sisters and are fully contemplative as opposed to the FI sisters who are both active and contemplative. This slide-show video features their convent in Pastena in Lazio. We will probably make an English version of this but we thought we should just get this Italian version up straight away to add a little foreign language flair on AirMaria and to give some exposure to this blessed community.

Ave Maria!

The post FiNews – Poor Clares of the Immaculate Vocations Video first appeared on AirMaria.com.

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.

The post Meditation on the Christmas Creche; Origin from St. Francis first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #091224 ( 04min) Play – On the Vigil of Christmas (Christmas Eve) Father gives the account of the arrival of the Holy Family in Bethlehem. He notes how they are poor, chaste, docile to the will of God and full of charity. Let us imitate them and contemplate these great events.
Ave Maria! Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord – Mass: EF, Hodie Scietis – Readings: 1st: rom 1:1-6 – Gsp: mat 1:18-21

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Dec 24 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: Arrival in Bethlehem first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #100926t ( 06min) Play – The covetousness of the rich is insatiable and the dog shows more sympathy to the beggar. To give to the poor is to lend to the Lord.

Ave Maria! 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Mass: OF, – Readings:
1st: amo 6:1, 4-7
Resp: psa 146:7, 8-9, 9-10
2nd: 1ti 6:11-16
Gsp: luk 16:19-31

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Sep 26 – Homily – Fr Tito: Rich Man Poor Man Need One Another first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #110314 ( 06min) Play – Fr. Dominic preaches on the need to help our neighbor because of their dignity as people but also because we minister to God when we take care of he poor because they are made in His image. This is beautifully conveyed in the Gospel today in the parable of the sheep and the goats.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Monday of the First Week in Lent – Form: EF, Sicut Oculi

Readings:

1st: eze 34:11-16

Gsp: mat 25:31-46

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Mar 14 – Homily – Fr Dominic: The Sheep and the Goats first appeared on AirMaria.com.

( 60min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Roderick Murphy comes to Face of Pro-life to discuss with Corinn Dahm the Problem Pregnancy Center of which he is director and his new book, Stopping Abortion at Death’s Door. He describes how he makes sure that he keeps his crisis center near the local abortion mill and even moves when they move. He often has prayer services and Masses held in the on-premise chapel. He talks about the advertising that includes, Newspaper and TV ads as well as bus ads. He provides services to poor mothers like counseling, free diapers, and more. To help women decide not to have abortions he addresses the many economic needs that women have that bring them to this act of desperation. Working with sidewalk counselors to provide services that women need right as they are walking into death’s door, helping them improve their situation both in regard to moving away from abusive partners and training for better jobs.

His book is meant to be a one stop resource to start a crisis pregnancy center near an abortion clinic.  It includes:

• Fundraising,
• Getting a place,
• How to work with many different people of different faiths to get a community effort going,
• List of all abortion Clinics in the country so that people know where to put their crisis center.

He intends it to be a legacy for all that he has learned in his long pro-life experience.

http://www.stoppingabortions.info/

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Video – Face of Pro-Life #125: On Death’s Door first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #110816 ( 05min) Play – Fr. Bonaventure explains how both the rich and the poor need God’s grace to learn to abandon everything in a human way in order to elevate all in a supernatural way.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Stephen of Hungary – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: jdg 6:11-24
R: psa 85:9, 11-12, 13-14
Gsp: mat 19:23-30

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Aug 16 – Homily – Fr Bonaventure: The Rich and the Poor first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #111117 ( 09min) Play – Fr. Dominic preaches on the Franciscan Third Order Saint, Elizabeth of Hungary who, as one of the first Franciscan Tertiaries, set a very high standard by her selfless help she gave to the poor.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Elizabeth of Hungary – Feast – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: sir 26:1-3, 15-18, 24
Resp: psa 31:8-5, 8-9, 20, 24-25
2nd: 1ti 5:3-10
Gsp: mat 25:31-40

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Nov 17 – Homily – Fr Dominic: St. Elizabeth Helper of the Poor first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #120308 ( 07min) Play – The rich man speaking today, is speaking from hell while Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham is consoled in Heaven. Being rich is not what got the rich man to Hell, but being selfish, and being poor is not what got Lazarus to Heaven, but personal holiness.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Thursday 2nd Week of Lent – Wkdy – Form: OF
Readings: 
1st: jer 17:5-10
Resp: psa 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6
Gsp: luk 16:19-31

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Mar 08 – Homily – Fr Bonaventure: What Gets People to Heaven and Hell first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #120927b ( 06min) Play – Fr. Joachim on the life of St. Vincent de Paul who worked among the poor, forming confraternities throughout France and beyond constituting the basis for much of modern Catholic charitable work.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Vincent de Paul – Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Thursday in the 25th Week in Ordinary Time
1st: ecc 1:2-11
Resp: psa 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
Gsp: luk 9:7-9

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Sep 27 – Homily – Fr Joachim: Saint of Charity first appeared on AirMaria.com.