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Our Seraphic Father

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:00:18 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations: St. Francis on the Blessed Sacrament (October 4th)

St Francis had such an immeasurable love for the Blessed Sacrament. He understood this sublime Mystery as few others. He exhorted his friars to have the greatest possible reverence for the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, together with His Holy Name and the writings which contain His words, those words which consecrate His Body as well as chalices, corporals and all that is related to the Holy Sacrifice. Let us praise and worship our God and Savior, present in this Most Holy Sacrament, in the words of St Francis:

Let the whole of humanity tremble,
the whole world shake and the heavens exult when our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, is present on the altar in the hands of a priest!
O admirable heights and sublime lowliness!
O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!
That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God, so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides Himself under the little form of bread!

Look at the humility of God and pour out your hearts before Him!
Humble yourselves as well, that you may be exalted by Him.

Therefore, hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves so that He who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally.

Let us pray:

Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of our hearts.
Give us a right faith, a firm hope,
perfect charity and profound humility,
with wisdom and perception, O Lord,
so that we may do what is truly Your Holy Will. Amen.

St. Francis of Assisi’s prayer praising Mary, the Mother of Jesus

Hail, holy Lady, most holy Queen,
Mary, Mother of God, ever Virgin.
You were chosen by the Most High Father in heaven,
consecrated by Him, with His most Holy Beloved Son and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.On you descended and still remains all the fullness of grace and every good.
Hail, His Palace.
Hail His Tabernacle.
Hail His Robe.
Hail His Handmaid.
Hail, His Mother.
and Hail, all holy Virtues, who, by grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are poured into the hearts of the faithful so that from their faithless state, they may be made faithful servants of God through you.

Blessing

May the Lord bless you
and keep you;
may the Lord show his face to you
and have compassion on you!
May he turn his face to you
and give you peace!

Amen.

St. Francis’ Prayer in Praise of God Given to Brother Leo

You are holy, Lord, the only God, and Your deeds are wonderful.
You are strong.
You are great.
You are the Most High.
You are Almighty.
You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth.
You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good.
You are Good, all Good, supreme Good, Lord God, living and true.
You are love.
You are wisdom.
You are humility.
You are endurance.
You are rest.
You are peace.
You are joy and gladness.
You are justice and moderation.
You are all our riches, and You suffice for us.
You are beauty.
You are gentleness.
You are our protector.
You are our guardian and defender.
You are our courage.
You are our haven and our hope.
You are our faith, our great consolation.
You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord, God Almighty, Merciful Savior.

Prayer of St. Francis
Before the Blessed Sacrament

We adore You,
O Lord Jesus Christ,
in this Church and all the Churches of the world,
and we bless You,
because,
by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world

The San Damiano Crucifix

At first?glance, the San Damiano crucifix gives the impression that Christ is merely standing before the cross, not hanging from it in agony. After all, Roman crucifixion was an ugly form of torture that left the condemned hanging from their arms by their own weight to die a slow death of suffocation. Some of the condemned were tied to the cross with ropes, and, in certain cases, as with our Lord, nails were driven through wrists and ankles to grind against raw bone, setting nerves afire with searing pain.

And yet here, in this image, Christ seems to be almost serene. What, then, could be the reason for such an odd depiction of the central mystery of Christian faith?

Well, look a bit closer and notice the background scenes that actually define the shape of the cross.

First, behind the center of Christ?s body, you can see the figures described in John 19:25?27: on the left, his mother Mary along with John himself, and, on the right, first his mother?s sister Mary the wife of Clopas, then Mary of Magdala, and then the centurion who proclaimed, ?Truly this man was the Son of God!? (Mark 15:39). The smaller figures depict the soldier Longinus on the left with his spear, and on the right the man who put the sponge soaked in wine to Christ?s mouth. This central part of the image therefore depicts the mystery of the Crucifixion.

But now look at the arms of Christ. What do you see behind them? That long, dark, rectangular area is Christ?s tomb. But not just the tomb?the empty tomb. Notice the four angels along the bottom and the figures of Peter and John, as described in John 20:2?10, peering into the emptiness with amazement. This part of the background, then, represents the mystery of the Resurrection.

Finally, look at the T-shaped area above Christ?s head. There you can see Christ rising up into heaven; above his head the hand of the Father gives his blessing. For here, at last, is the culmination of his earthly mission and his return to his place at the right hand of the Father: the mystery of the Ascension.

So the entire San Damiano crucifix depicts not just the fact of the crucifixion, but it depicts the three mysteries that reside behind the crucifixion. To the world, the cross is a stumbling block and foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:23); but to the eyes of faith the cross is the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension, in their full simultaneous reality.

This image, of course, is the image that converted Saint Francis from a life of self-indulgence to a life of total obedience to God?s will.

Francis learned to rejoice in the overwhelming beauty of God?s creation?a beauty signfying God?s love?yet he did not desire anything of the material world for his own fulfillment. Instead, he desired nothing but to receive our Lord with a pure heart and chaste body.

And, as he showed through the rest of his life, Francis fully understood the reason for the odd depiction of Christ?s serenity upon the San Damiano crucifix. For when someone accepts injustice, cruelty, and contempt with patience, without being ruffled and without murmuring, and endures it all with charity and total faith, what else can we call it but perfect joy? And so, right from the beginning, Francis understood that the ?background? to all human suffering must be total faith in the ultimate triumph of the Cross.

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Our Seraphic Holy Father Francis

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:00:17 +0000

October 4th: St. Francis of Assisi

Saint Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan Order, has been called “the most beautiful image of Jesus that has ever been in the Catholic Church.” He built the first Christmas crib in 1223. His great devotion was to the sorrows of Jesus. Jesus put the imprint of His wounded hands and feet and side upon Saint Francis’ body in the year. 1224. Saint Francis died in 1226 when he was only forty-four years old.

The Canticle of the Sun

by Francis of Assisi

Most high, all powerful, all good Lord! All praise is yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing. To you, alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.

Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens you have made them, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which you give your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten the night. He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of you; through those who endure sickness and trial. Happy those who endure in peace, for by you, Most High, they will be crowned.

Be praised, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whose embrace no living person can escape. Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Happy those she finds doing your most holy will. The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks, and serve him with great humility.

FROM THE LITTLE FLOWERS OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI _________________________________________________________________

IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OUR CRUCIFIED SAVIOUR, AND OF MARY HIS VIRGIN MOTHER. IN THIS BOOK ARE CONTAINED CERTAIN LITTLE FLOWERS – TO WIT, MIRACLES AND PIOUS EXAMPLES OF THE GLORIOUS SERVANT OF CHRIST ST FRANCIS, AND OF SOME OF HIS HOLY COMPANIONS; TO THE GLORY AND PRAISE OF JESUS CHRIST, AMEN.

CHAPTER VIII

HOW ST FRANCIS, WALKING ONE DAY WITH BROTHER LEO,
EXPLAINED TO HIM WHAT THINGS ARE PERFECT JOY

One day in winter, as St Francis was going with Brother Leo from Perugia to St Mary of the Angels, and was suffering greatly from the cold, he called to Brother Leo, who was walking on before him, and said to him: “Brother Leo, if it were to please God that the Friars Minor should give, in all lands, a great example of holiness and edification, write down, and note carefully, that this would not be perfect joy.”

A little further on, St Francis called to him a second time: “O Brother Leo, if the Friars Minor were to make the lame to walk, if they should make straight the crooked, chase away demons, give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb, and, what is even a far greater work, if they should raise the dead after four days, write that this would not be perfect joy.”

Shortly after, he cried out again: “O Brother Leo, if the Friars Minor knew all languages; if they were versed in all science; if they could explain all Scripture; if they had the gift of prophecy, and could reveal, not only all future things, but likewise the secrets of all consciences and all souls, write that this would not be perfect joy.”

After proceding a few steps farther, he cried out again with a loud voice: “O Brother Leo, thou little lamb of God! if the Friars Minor could speak with the tongues of angels; if they could explain the course of the stars; if they knew the virtues of all plants; if all the treasures of the earth were revealed to them; if they were acquainted with the various qualities of all birds, of all fish, of all animals, of men, of trees, of stones, of roots, and of waters – write that this would not be perfect joy.”

Shortly after, he cried out again: “O Brother Leo, if the Friars Minor had the gift of preaching so as to convert all infidels to the faith of Christ, write that this would not be perfect joy.” Now when this manner of discourse had lasted for the space of two miles, Brother Leo wondered much within himself; and, questioning the saint, he said: “Father, I pray thee teach me wherein is perfect joy.”

St Francis answered: “If, when we shall arrive at St Mary of the Angels, all drenched with rain and trembling with cold, all covered with mud and exhausted from hunger; if, when we knock at the convent-gate, the porter should come angrily and ask us who we are; if, after we have told him, `We are two of the brethren’, he should answer angrily, `What ye say is not the truth; ye are but two impostors going about to deceive the world, and take away the alms of the poor; begone I say’; if then he refuse to open to us, and leave us outside, exposed to the snow and rain, suffering from cold and hunger till nightfall – then, if we accept such injustice, such cruelty and such contempt with patience, without being ruffled and without murmuring, believing with humility and charity that the porter really knows us, and that it is God who maketh him to speak thus against us, write down, O Brother Leo, that this is perfect joy.

And if we knock again, and the porter come out in anger to drive us away with oaths and blows, as if we were vile impostors, saying, `Begone, miserable robbers! To the hospital, for here you shall neither eat nor sleep!’ – and if we accept all this with patience, with joy, and with charity, O Brother Leo, write that this indeed is perfect joy.

And if, urged by cold and hunger, we knock again, calling to the porter and entreating him with many tears to open to us and give us shelter, for the love of God, and if he come out more angry than before, exclaiming, `These are but importunate rascals, I will deal with them as they deserve’; and taking a knotted stick, he seize us by the hood, throwing us on the ground, rolling us in the snow, and shall beat and wound us with the knots in the stick – if we bear all these injuries with patience and joy, thinking of the sufferings of our Blessed Lord, which we would share out of love for him, write, O Brother Leo, that here, finally, is perfect joy.

And now, brother, listen to the conclusion. Above all the graces and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit which Christ grants to his friends, is the grace of overcoming oneself, and accepting willingly, out of love for Christ, all suffering, injury, discomfort and contempt; for in all other gifts of God we cannot glory, seeing they proceed not from ourselves but from God, according to the words of the Apostle, `What hast thou that thou hast not received from God? and if thou hast received it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?’ But in the cross of tribulation and affliction we may glory, because, as the Apostle says again, `I will not glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Amen.”

The Blessing of St. Francis

May the Lord bless you
and keep you;
may the Lord show his face to you
and have compassion on you!
May he turn his face to you
and give you peace!

Amen.

HAIL, O LADY
Mary, holy Mother of God:
you are the Virgin made Church
and the one chosen by the
most holy Father in heaven
whom He consecrated
with His most holy beloved Son
and with the Holy Spirit the Paraclete,
in whom there was and is
the fullness of grace and every good

Hail His Palace!
Hail His Tabernacle!
Hail His Home!
Hail His Robe!
Hail His Servant!
Hail His Mother!

And (hail) all you holy virtues which through the grace and light of the Holy Spirit

are poured into the hearts of the faithful so that from their faithless state

you may make them faithful to God.

AMEN

PRAYER BEFORE A CRUCIFIX
St. Francis of Assisi

We adore you,
Lord Jesus Christ,
here and in all your
churches in the whole world,
and we bless you,
because by your holy cross
you have redeemed the world.

Lord God:
you alone are holy,
you who work wonders!

You are strong, you are great,
you are the Most High,
you are the almighty King,
you, holy Father, King of heaven and earth.

Lord God: you are Three and you are One,
you are goodness, all goodness,
you are the highest Good,
Lord God, living and true.

You are love and charity, you are wisdom,
you are humility, you are patience,
you are beauty, you are sweetness,
you are safety, you are rest, you are joy,
you are our hope
and our delight,
you are justice, you are moderation
you are all our wealth
and riches overflowing.

You are beauty, you are gentleness,
you are our shelter, our guard
and our defender,
you are strength, you are refreshment,
you are our hope.
you are our faith.
you are our love,
you are our complete consolation,
you are our life everlasting,
great and wonderful Lord,
all powerful God, merciful Savior!

Amen.

The Exhortation to the Praises of God

Let the whole of humanity tremble,

the whole world shake and the heavens exult when

Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God

is present on the altar in the hands of a priest!

O admirable heights and sublime lowliness!
O sublime humility! O humble sublimity!

That the Lord of the universe, God and the Son of God,

so humbles Himself that for our salvation He hides

Himself under the little form of bread!

Look at the humility of God and pour out your hearts before Him!

Humble yourselves as well, that you may be exalted by Him.

Therefore, hold back nothing of yourselves for yourselves

so that He who gives Himself totally to you may receive you totally.

THE PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

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Our Lady is Queen of the Seraphic Order

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:00:53 +0000

Ave Maria Meditations

December 15th: Feast of Our Lady, Queen of the Seraphic Order

Saint Francis’ Greetings to the Blessed Virgin:

Hail, Lady and Queen, holy Mary, Mother of God,
Virgin who became the Church,
chosen by the Father in heaven,
consecrated by His beloved Son
and His Spirit, the Comforter:
in you was and remains,
the whole fullness of grace
and everything that is good.

Hail, His palace,
Hail, His tabernacle,
Hail, His dwelling,
Hail, His robe,
Hail, His handmaid,
Hail, His mother!

O holy Mother,
sweet and fair to see,
for us beseech the King,
your dearest Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
to death for us delivered:
that in His pitying clemency,
and by virtue of His most holy incarnation
and bitter death,
He may pardon our sins.

Holy Virgin Mary,
among all the women of the world,
there is none like you.
You are the daughter and handmaid of the most high King,
Father of heaven.
You are the Mother of our most holy Lord Jesus Christ.
You are the bride of the Holy Spirit.
Pray for us, with St. Michael the archangel,
and all the powers of heaven
and all the saints,
to your most holy and beloved Son, our Lord and Master, Amen.

Act of Consecration:

Padre Pio prayed this Act of Consecration on the first Saturday of every month.

O Mary, Virgin most powerful and Mother of mercy, Queen of heaven and Refuge of sinners, we consecrate ourselves to your Immaculate Heart. We consecrate to you our very being and our whole life; all that we have, all that we love, all that we are. To you we give our bodies, our hearts and our souls; to you we give our homes, our families, our country. We desire that all that is in us and around us may belong to you, and may share in the benefits of your motherly benediction.

And that this act of consecration may be truly efficacious and lasting, we renew this day at your feet the promises of our Baptism and our first Holy Communion. We pledge ourselves to profess courageously and at all times the truths, of our Holy Faith, and to live as Catholics who are duly submissive to all the directions of the Pope and the Bishops in communion with him. We pledge ourselves to keep the commandments of God and His Church, in particular to keep holy the Lord’s day. We likewise pledge ourselves to make the consoling practices of the Christian religion, and above all, Holy Communion, an integral part of our lives, in so far as we shall be able to do so.

Finally, we promise you, O glorious Mother of God and loving Mother of all, to devote ourselves whole-heartedly to your service, in order to hasten and assure, through the sovereignty of your Immaculate Heart, the coming of the kingdom of the Sacred Heart of your adorable Son, in our own hearts and in the hearts of all, in our country and in all the world, as in heaven, so on earth. Amen.

In a letter St. Pio gave vent to a delicate filial gentleness, writing: “Here we are at last in the month of our beautiful Mother once again…. This dear Mother continues to lavish her maternal care upon me, especially during the present month. She takes care of me to an exceeding degree…. I am all aflame although there is no fire. I feel myself held fast and bound to the Son by means of this Mother…. I’d like to fly off to invite all creatures to love Jesus and Mary.”

Ave Maria!

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Dec 15 – Homily – Fr Angelo: Our Lady Queen of the Seraphic Order

apostolate — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:51:59 +0000

Homily #091215 ( 08min) Play – Today is the feast of Our Lady Queen of the Seraphic Order where we Franciscan celebrate Mary as Queen of our order. Fr. Angelo recalls the role that Franciscans played in defending the titles of Our Lady in the Church, including the Immaculate Conception and many other ways that Franciscans honor Our Lady.
Ave Maria! Our Lady Queen of the Seraphic Order – Mass: EF, Egredimini Et – Readings: 1st: sir 24:11–13, 15-19 – Gsp: luk 1:26–33

Audio (MP3)

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Nov 29 – Homily – Fr. Agnellus Murphy: Heroic Sons and Daughters of St Francis

apostolate — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:39:43 +0000

Homily #111129k ( 04min) Play – A radical living of the Gospel is the very essence of Franciscan Spirituality.
Ave Maria!
Mass: All Saints of the Franciscan Ord. – 2nd Cl – Form: EF,
Readings:

Audio (MP3)

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Dec 15 – Homily – Fr Dominic: Franciscans and Our Lady

apostolate — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:46:14 +0000

Homily #111215 ( 06min) Play – On this Franciscan Feast of Our Lady Queen of the Seraphic Order Fr. Dominic preaches on how the Franciscan devotion to Our Lady is the key to the great contribution that the Franciscans have made to the Church.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Our Lady Queen of the Seraphic Order – 2nd Cl – Form: EF, Egredimini Et
Readings:
1st: sir 24:7-8, 10-14
Gsp: luk 1:26-33

Audio (MP3)

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Sep 29 – Homily – Fr Elias: Seraphic Angels

apostolate — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 17:40:31 +0000

Homily #120929bs ( 10min) Play – Fr. Elias gives the homily for the MIM retreat which has the theme of the “The San Damiano Crucifix and the Marian Foundations of the Seraphic Order.” He points out that the highest angels like the Archangels which we honor today are really seraphic angels since they are so close to the ultimate fire of love who is God. And just as St. Francis wanted to be, not just an ordinary servant of God, but a seraphic one like the archangels and started the Seraphic Order, so should we strive to light this fire within, asking the help of St. Francis and the archangels.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (alt Reading) – Feast – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: rev 12:7-12
Resp: psa 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5
Gsp: joh 1:47-51

Audio (MP3)

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Nov 29 – Homily – Fr George: All Franciscan Saints and Blesseds

apostolate — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 16:32:42 +0000

Homily #121129 ( 10min) Play– Fr. George preaches on this feast of all the saints and blesseds of the Franciscan orders, who faithfully lived out their vows by following the Rule of St. Francis. May they inspire and encourage us all to follow in their footsteps. Ave Maria!

Mass: All Saints of the Franciscan Ord. – Feast – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: sir 44:1, 10-15
Resp: psa 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Gsp: mar 10:17-21

Audio (MP3)

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Sep 25 – Homily – Fr Alan: St. Francis Applies the Parable of the Lamp

apostolate — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 10:21:59 +0000

In the Parable of the Lamp, Our Lord admonishes: “Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away” (Lk. 8:18). St. Francis teaches us to listen with simplicity and great faith, to internalize the word of God and let it fill our hearts to overflowing. This takes detachment from other creatures so that we too can say with St. Francis: “My God and my all.”

Ave Maria!

Mass: Monday 25th Week of Ordinary Time – Wkdy

Readings:
1st: Ezra 1:1-6
Resp: Ps 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
Gsp: Lk 8:16-18

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Mary, Queen of the Seraphic Order – Dec 15 – Homily – Fr Terrance

apostolate — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 15:39:17 +0000

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN on Dec 15, 2020, the feast of Our Lady Queen of the Seraphic Order, on how Mary is, indeed, the Queen of the Franciscans and explains why this order is called “seraphic” and how this points to the responsibility of all the friars and those related to it and Mary’s role in fulfilling them.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Queen of the Seraphic Order – Feast

Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1358
1st: sir 24:7-8, 10-14
Resp: psa 45:10, 13-18
Gsp: luk 1:26-33

Also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/90378558559/videos/3133360350098983
and YouTube: https://youtu.be/f3cbtVOvJGE

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