Homily #090731 ( 08min) Play – St. Ignatius was a worldly soldier when he was wounded and then by reflecting on his past life realized that the true battle was a spiritual one that began with conquering oneself. He then refired Europe and beyond for God with his spiritual army, the Jesuits.
Ave Maria! Mass readings

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( 11min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Ray Noury, a World War II Army Air Corps Sergeant Veteran, recalls his amazing survival story. At an altitude of 15,000 ft, he was knocked unconscious when blown out of his B-24 Bomber.  Waking up at around 5,000 ft., he beheld his shredded parachute streaming above, and reaching for his crucifix, exclaimed: “This is it”…

Ave Maria!

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Homily #101111 ( 10min) Play – St. Martin of Tours from roman soldier, to hermit, to bishop shows us that we can be holy in whatever situation comes our way in life.
Ave Maria! St. Martin of Tours – Thursday in the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time – Mass: OF, – Readings:
1st: phm 1:7-20
Resp: psa 146:7, 8-9, 9-10
Gsp: luk 17:20-25

Audio (MP3)

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2 Pillars #32 ( 09min) Play – In the reading on the Real Presence we continue on the meditation on how the Eucharist is not loved enough and in the visit to Mary the need to be soldiers for the Truth.

Meditations read in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament for our Daily Holy Hour at our Bloomington, Indiana friary from the two books: “Real Presence” by St. Peter Julian Eymard and “A Month with Mary” by Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo

Ave Maria!

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Day #20: Spiritual Combat

MARY: The life of man is warfare on the earth. He, like a soldier, does not have a fixed home, but a provisional one and must go where the will of God calls him. Your first combat must be that undertaken for the defense of the faith. You will often find yourself among people who do not believe or who are so weak in the faith that they give way at the smallest obstacle, often even at the ridicule of fools. You must counter, manifesting your unlimited submission to the wisdom of God, who is the supreme and only Truth, esteeming and appreciating it above all human theories.

If you allow yourself to be carried away or vacillate when some puny scientist of the earth contradicts the eternal Truth, you are not a soldier of Jesus Christ; you are guilty of desertion. The faith is the greatest science; it is not blind or traditional assent to things incomprehensible, but it is the superior revelation of the highest truths which you admit because God has revealed them to you, God who deserves more faith than any scientist of the earth. Therefore you must affirm your faith against all of the snares and contrary affirmations of pathetic earthly wisdom, apostatized from God.

Affirming your faith, you must of necessity show yourself a child of the Catholic Church which possesses the sacred deposit of revealed truths; you must, therefore, fight boldly against every current that would pull you out of the Church and affirm your submission to its authority, to the Pope, to the bishops, to the priests.

You must fight against distrust and show that you trust in God and adore his dispositions, conforming yourself to his divine will. One is not worthy of God who is excessively preoccupied with earthly things, who despairs, who puts his faith back in men, forgetting God. You must fight against the delusions of the world and show yourself a Christian in life; you will never follow what is opposed to the will of God; you will not follow the customs and fashions of the world, even at the cost of being mocked, even at the cost of suffering and martyrdom.

A Christian fights energetically when he lives as a Christian, when he shows himself to be living according to the law of God and of the Church, when he is zealous for the salvation of his own brothers. Life itself is the most beautiful battle and therefore your life is a warfare here on earth.

And the weapon of your spiritual combat is prayer.

Pray because you must fight not only to destroy evil, but also to spread the good; pray because in order to fight you must first conquer yourself and live totally united to God.

As a Christian you must nourish your soul with the sacraments, you must enlighten it with knowledge of and meditation on the eternal truths, you must enliven it with constant union with God, fleeing from sin as from death itself, and humbling yourself in his presence.

ASPIRATION: O Jesus, give me the grace to bear witness before men so that you will then receive me on the day of judgment.

LITTLE WORK: Repeat the act of faith at least three times during the day.

About the Meditations

The daily School of Mary meditations come from the book, A Month with Mary, written by a holy Italian priest Father Dolindo Ruotolo (1882-1970). Originally written as spiritual thoughts to his spiritual daughter, the work is comprised of thirty-one meditations for the month of May.

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Homily #130712 ( 07min) Play – A noble military knight, St. John Gualbert met the murderer of his brother and it was his duty to slay him, but when he begged pardon for the love of Christ which also happened to be on Good Friday, St. John embraced him as a brother in Christ and became a monk. Father explains how the many trials of life are tests of our growth in patience and meekness.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. John Gualbert, Abbot – 3rd Cl – Form: EF, Os Iusti
Commemoration: Sts. Nabor and Felix, Martyrs
Readings: 
1st: sir 45:1-6
Gsp: mat 5:43-48

Audio (MP3)

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The post Jul 12 – Homily – Fr Benedict: St. John Gualbert, Merciful Knight Becomes Monk first appeared on AirMaria.com.

The life of Bl. Benvenute of Gubbio, Confessor, First Order (d. ~1232) for the June 29th Franciscan Saint of the Day. He was an accomplished knight of Gubbio, Italy who joined the Franciscans as a humble lay bother taking care of leper patients at a hospital and developed a deep prayer life and devotion to Mary, accompanied by many mystical experiences.

Reflection is on conformity to God’s will and overcoming self-will.

More on Bl. Benvenute https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5818
Text: https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/blessed-benvenute-of-gubbio.html

Read by Fr. Terrance Chartier, FI from Marion Habig’s “The Franciscan Book of Saints” Revised Edition, Franciscan Herald Press, ISBN: 978-0819907516

Also on https://youtu.be/CK9WkRf8n6M

Ave Maria!

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Fr Ignatius gives the homily at Bloomington, IN on Jun 26, 2021, on how the story of Abraham and Sarah giving birth in old age and how this relates to Mary and the birth of Jesus and having faith in Him as did the Centurion and Mary.

Ave Maria!

Mass: Saturday 12th Week of Ordinary Time – Wkdy
Readings:  – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/062621.cfm
1st: gen 18:1-15
Resp: luk 1:46-55
Gsp: mat 8:5-17

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1431

Also on Facebook:
and YouTube: https://youtu.be/X71fltmlajA

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The Life of Bl. John of Peace, Confessor, Third Order (d. 1340) for the Franciscan Saint of the Day for Nov 15. Bl. John of Peace was a soldier who after being saved in battle entered the third order.  He gave to the poor and started an institution to do so that has lasted many centuries.

Refection on care for the poor and being considerate of their pride and honor and the needs of their children.

For more on Bl. John of Peace
– https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/blessed-john-of-peace.html

Also on Youtube: https://youtu.be/L1tcrOE9bx0

Read by Fr. Terrance Chartier, FI from Marion Habig’s ‘The Franciscan Book of Saints’ Revised Edition, Franciscan Herald Press, ISBN: 978-0819907516

Playlist of Franciscan Saints: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TxcAETrU_k&list=PLejh_e0-LN4wErRczZGry4TXytCZFiLCm

Ave Maria!

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