St. Bridget of Sweden (feast day is July 23rd) composed 15 special prayers on Our Lord’s Passion; this is the first of the fifteen:

O Jesus Christ! Eternal Sweetness to those who love Thee, joy surpassing all joy and all desire, Salvation and Hope of all sinners, Who hast proved that Thou hast no greater desire than to be among men, even assuming human nature at the fullness of time for the love of men, recall all the sufferings Thou hast endured from the instant of Thy conception, and especially during Thy Passion, as it was decreed and ordained from eternity in the Divine plan. 

 Remember, O Lord, that during the Last Supper with Thy disciples having washed their feet, Thou gavest them Thy Most Precious Body and Blood, and while at the same time Thou didst sweetly console them, Thou didst fortell them Thy coming Passion.  Remember the sadness and bitterness which Thou didst experience in Thy Soul as Thou Thyself bore witness saying: “My Soul is sorrowful even unto death.”

Remember all the fear, anguish and pain that Thou didst suffer in Thy delicate Body before the torment of the Crucifixion, when, after having prayed three times, bathed in a sweat of blood, Thou wast betrayed by Judas, Thy disciple, arrested by the people of a nation Thou hadst chosen and elevated, accused by false witnesses, unjustly judged by three judges during the flower of Thy youth and during the solemn Paschal season. 

Remember that Thou wast despoiled of Thy garments and clothed in those of derision; that Thy Face and Eyes were veiled, that Thou wast buffeted, crowned with thorns, a reed placed in Thy Hands, that Thou wast crushed with blows and overwhelmed with affronts and outrages. In memory of all these pains and sufferings which Thou didst endure before Thy Passion on the Cross, grant me before my death true contrition, a sincere and entire confession, worthy satisfaction and the remission all my sins. Amen.

The post Meditations on the Passion first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #140723n ( 06min) Play – Father Maximilian comments on the life of St. Bridget of Sweden, and focuses on her intense meditations on the passion of Jesus. He asks why we give so much focus on what looks like a altogether unfortunate event? The answer is that the Sufferings of Jesus are the greatest sign of Love offered to us by God, and that  by meditating on the sorrows of Jesus, we learn how to accept and benefit from our own sufferings which Father compares to the plowing which prepares the soil of our souls for the grace of God. Let us welcome the action of God in our lives as He prepares and purifies us for eternity.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Birgitta – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Wednesday in the 16th Week in Ordinary Time
1st: jer 1:1, 4-10
Resp: psa 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15, 17
Gsp: mat 13:1-9

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Jul 23 – Homily – Fr Maximilian W: Greatest Sign of Love first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #150723b ( 08min) Play – Fr. Elias preaches on the lives of the two saints Cunegunda (Kinga) of Hungary and Bridget of Sweden, both of whom have their feast day today and who also share many other things in common. Both lived at about the same time. Both where born into royalty and married saintly men. Both entered a convent after being widowed. And both were Franciscans.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. Cunegunda – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Thursday 16th Week of Ordinary Time
1st: exo 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20
Resp: dan 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
Gsp: mat 13:10-17

Audio (MP3)

+++

The post Jul 23 – Homily – Fr Elias: Sts. Cunegunda and Bridget first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

Fr. Joachim Mudd gives the fifth and last talk at the 2019 MIM Annual Retreat called “Spiritual Weapons” and how Mary as Mediatrix, Coredemptrix and Advocate is needed to win the spiritual fight.

Mary is in scripture and her Son is our one mediator who gives a mediator role to all, but to her, He gives a unique, all-powerful mediation, face to face, mother to Son. We must cooperate with this gift of Mary’s unique mediation by frequently asking her intercession. He gives many examples from, Fathers of the Church, and Saints and mystics and many analogies of Mary found in culture and nature.

This series of talks is from the 2019 annual MIM Retreat held each fall in Bloomington, Indiana on September 27-29 2019 at the Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center.

To view the rest of the talks in this series: http://dev.airmaria.com/tag/mim-retreat-2019/

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdi86QP4sDE&list=PLejh_e0-LN4x166tYGpueCXOOxVH0WJTW

The Mission of the Immaculate Mediatrix (MIM) is a lay association dedicated to growing in and spreading the Marian spiritual life based on the spirituality of St. Maximilian Kolbe under the direction of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate.

https://marymediatrix.com/m-i-m/

Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center – http://www.maryschildren.com/

+++

The post Mary: Mediatrix, Coredemptrix and Advocate – #5/5 – Spiritual Weapons – MIM Retreat 2019 – Fr. Joachim – CONF 534 first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Jul 22, 2025, feast of St. Mary Magdalene, where he reflects on St. Mary Magdalene’s transformation, emphasizing her repentant love for Jesus and the universal search for divine love, as illustrated by the Song of Songs and her fidelity at the cross.

Father explores St. Mary Magdalene’s journey, celebrated on her feast day, elevated by Pope Francis in 2016 during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, coinciding with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart. He reflects on her deliverance from seven demons, symbolizing the seven vices, as noted in Luke 8:2, and her search for love, mirrored in the Song of Songs. The bride’s longing, “On my bed at night I sought Him whom my heart or my soul loves” (Song 3:1), reflects Magdalene’s futile pursuit of fulfillment in worldly pleasures until Jesus found her. Her encounter with Christ, especially at the cross, shows a love “to the point of folly,” as she stood firm when others fled. Father ties this to the gospel where Jesus tells her, “Stop holding on to me” (John 20:17), and the Psalm’s cry, “My soul is thirsting for the living God” (Psalm 63:8). He connects humility to St. John the Baptist’s words, “He, Jesus, must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Father urges us to emulate Magdalene’s repentance and love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, emphasizing God’s mercy (CCC 270) and the call to deeper communion (CCC 2014). Her role as the first evangelizer of the resurrection underscores her transformative faith.

For Further Reading

Luke 8:2 – NAB – Jesus delivers Mary Magdalene from demons – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/8?2
Song of Songs 3:1 – NAB – The bride seeks her beloved – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/songofsongs/3?1
Song of Songs 3:2 – NAB – Searching the city for love – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/songofsongs/3?2
Song of Songs 3:4 – NAB – Finding the beloved, holding fast – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/songofsongs/3?4
John 20:17 – NAB – Jesus speaks to Mary Magdalene – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20?17
Psalm 63:8 – NAB – Soul clings to God – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/63?8
John 3:30 – NAB – Jesus must increase, I decrease – https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/3?30
Catechism of the Catholic Church #270 – God’s infinite mercy – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p1s2c1p3.htm#270
Catechism of the Catholic Church #2014 – Spiritual progress through love – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s1c3a2.htm#2013
Catholic Answers – Mary Magdalene’s Conversion – https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/who-is-mary-magdalene

00:00 – Introduction
00:08 – Mary Magdalene’s feast elevated
00:47 – Readings for Mary Magdalene
01:00 – Seven demons, seven vices
01:29 – Seeking love in Song
02:08 – Mary’s search for love
03:22 – Emptiness of city life
04:18 – Dream sequence in liturgy
05:04 – Finding Jesus, holding fast
06:11 – Magdalene’s love at the Cross
07:13 – Call to tenacious love

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. Mary Magdalene – Feast – http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=83
Readings:  – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/072225.cfm
1st: son 3:1-4
Resp: psa 78:18-19, 23-28
Gsp: joh 20:1-2, 11-18

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1112

Also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16hbLa7vaH/
and YouTube: https://youtu.be/fZtS169Rp7E

The post Feast of St Mary Magdalene – Jul 22 – Homily – Fr Terrance first appeared on AirMaria.com.