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The Holy Father’s Words on the beginning of the Year of St. Paul

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 07:00:52 +0000

In the letter to the Galatians, [Saint Paul] provided for us a very personal profession of faith, in which he opens his heart to the reader of all times, and reveals the deep driving force of his life. ‘I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me’ (Gal. 2:20).

Everything that Paul does begins from this center. His faith is the experience of being loved by Jesus Christ in a completely personal way; it is the awareness of the fact that Christ has faced death not for some anonymous person, but out of love for him – for Paul – and that, as the Risen One, he still loves him. Christ gave himself up for him. His faith comes from being transfixed by the love of Jesus Christ, a love that shakes him to his core and transforms him. His faith is not a theory, an opinion about God and the world. His faith is the impact of the love of God on his heart. And thus his faith is itself love for Jesus Christ.

This love is now the law of his life, and in this very way it is the freedom of his life. He speaks and acts on the basis of the responsibility of love. Freedom and responsibility are here united in an inseparable way. Because he stands in the responsibility of love, he is free; because he is someone who loves, he lives completely in the responsibility of this love and does not take freedom as a pretext for willfulness and selfishness.

Benedict XVI
Vespers – Saint Paul Outside the Walls
June 28, 2008

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June 29th: Prayer to Sts. Peter and Paul

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:00:31 +0000

One Minute Meditation

June 29

Blessed Redeemer, Saints Peter and Paul were leaders and models in strengthening the faith of the infant Church, and I ask them to pray for my faith to grow strong. Saint Paul wrote in his second letter to Saint Timothy, “I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have.” Wherever I am still a baby in my relationship with You, weak and uncertain, I ask Saints Peter and Paul to pray for me to grow into spiritual maturity. Help me, O Lord, to increase in faith and trust. Where Your presence is but a spark in me, fan it into a flame that brightens other people’s lives. Saints Peter and Paul, pray for me. Amen.

by Terry Ann Modica from Daily Prayers with the Saints for the New Millenium

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Jun 29 – Homily – Fr Joseph M.: “Pillars of the Church”

apostolate — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 18:04:35 +0000

Homily #150629 ( 12min) Play – This is a reflection given by Fr. Joseph M. McShane on the readings for the Solemnity Mass of Sts. Peter & Paul.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Sts. Peter and Paul – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: act 12:1-11
Resp: psa 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
2nd: 2ti 4:6-8, 17-18
Gsp: mat 16:13-19

Audio (MP3)

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FS #73: Nature in Franciscan Spirituality, Part 3 – May 06 – Homily – Fr Terrance

apostolate — Mon, 06 May 2024 13:30:59 +0000

Fr Terrance gave the homily at Bloomington, IN, on May 06, 2024, where he emphasized the Christian and Franciscan reverence for the human body as both a natural and spiritual temple of God, contrasting historical views that undervalued its sacredness. This is a continuation of his series on Franciscan spirituality and the subsection, “Nature in Franciscan Spirituality,” emphasizing the Franciscan understanding and appreciation of nature and how it should lead us to God.

Father discussed the Christian and Franciscan appreciation of the human body as part of nature in today’s homily. He highlighted how Jesus used natural illustrations to convey spiritual truths and reflected on the new perspective Christianity brought to understanding the human body. Father referenced Saint Paul’s teachings, stating our bodies are God’s temples and should glorify God (1 Corinthians 3:16 – You are God’s temple, God’s Spirit dwells in you; 1 Corinthians 6:20 – You were bought at a price; glorify God in your body). He also noted the body’s symbolism as the mystical body of Christ, where Christ is the head (Colossians 1:18 – Christ is the head of the body, the Church; Ephesians 1:23 – The Church is his body, the fullness of him). Saints like Augustine, John Chrysostom, and Bonaventure emphasized the body’s role in our sanctity and its ultimate resurrection, contrasting early Christian and medieval views that often depicted the body more negatively. Father encouraged honoring our bodies as God’s creation, aligning with Saint Francis’s more positive, integrated spiritual approach, and concluded by invoking Our Lady’s help to care for our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit.

For Further Reading:

1 Corinthians 3:16 – “You are God’s temple, God’s Spirit dwells in you.” – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/3?16
1 Corinthians 6:20 – “You were bought at a price; glorify God in your body.” – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/6?20
Colossians 1:18 – “Christ is the head of the body, the Church.” – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/colossians/1?18
Ephesians 1:23 – “The Church is his body, the fullness of him.” – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/1?23

CCC 364 – “The human body shares in the dignity of the image of God.” – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/364.htm
CCC 365 – “Unity of soul and body.” – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/365.htm
CCC 1004 – “In expectation of resurrection, Christians treat their body with respect and care.” – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1004.htm

00:00 – Introduction to Nature in Franciscan Spirituality
00:30 – Biblical Understanding of the Human Body
00:44 – Dignity and Holiness of the Body
01:10 – Mystical Body of Christ Explained
02:05 – Moral Actions and Physical Body
03:00 – Praise of the Glorified Body
04:55 – Conclusion: Caring for Our Bodies

This is a continuation of his series of homilies on Franciscan Spirituality – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNN151zTIO4&list=PLejh_e0-LN4xgMllKrzSasL2Hljd5BHom
and the subsection “Nature in Franciscan Spirituality.”

The material for this series comes primarily from Ciccarelli, Marciano M., “I capisaldi della spiritualità francescana” in Italian, which translates as “The Cornerstones of Franciscan Spirituality.” No English translations of this book exist at the time of this recording.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Monday 6th Week of Easter – Wkdy
Readings: – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/050624.cfm
1st: act 16:11-15
Resp: psa 149:1-6, 9 0
Gsp: joh 15:26-16:4

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1807

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