Marycast #70 ( 09min) Play – In this episode, Dr. Miravalle continues his discussion on Marian consecration, which theologians and saints call the climax or the crowning of Marian devotion.

What is Marian consecration?  Dr. Miravalle says, “It is a gift of self and a promise of love whereby we give ourselves entirely to Mary so that She can use Her intercessory power to help us to live our full baptismal promises to Jesus Christ.”  In other words, it is the giving of oneself to Our Lady so that She can give us entirely to Her Son.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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HAIL Mary, hope of Christians, hear the prayer of a sinner who loves you tenderly, who honors you in a special manner, who places in you the hope of his salvation. I owe you my life.

You obtain for all the grace of your Divine Son. You are the sure pledge of my eternal happiness. I entreat you, deliver me from the burden of my sins, take away the darkness of my mind, destroy the earthly affections of my heart, defeat the temptations of my ene­mies, and rule all the actions of my life so that with you as guide I may arrive at the eternal happiness of heaven.

St. John Damascene

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Homily #121204 ( 03min) Play– Fr. Ignatius preaches on St. John Damascene, priest and Doctor of the Church, “Conserver of the Faith”, and “Doctor of Christian Art”.

Ave Maria!
Mass: St. John Damascene – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Tuesday in the 1st Week in Advent
1st: isa 11:1-10
Resp: psa 72:1, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Gsp: luk 10:21-24

Audio (MP3)

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St. John Damascene is one of the Doctors of the Church, often called “The Doctor of the Assumption” for his writings on the Dormition of Mary.  St. John was also a valiant defender of icons in an iconoclastic age. He died December 4, 749 and is considered the last of the Fathers of the Church.

From his writings:
There was need of her who in childbirth had preserved intact, be preserved incorrupt after death. There was need that she who had carried her Creator as a babe on her bosom, would linger lovingly in the dwelling of her God. There was need that the bride whom the Father had betrothed to Himself should live in the bridal chamber in heaven, that she who had looked so closely upon her own Son on the Cross, and who there felt in her heart the sword-pangs of sorrow which in bearing Him she had been spared, should look upon Him seated with His Father. There was need that God’s Mother should enter into her Son’s possessions, and as a Mother of God and handmaid, be reverenced by all creation.

A Prayer:

No one stands between Son and Mother. … Accept, then, my good-will, which is greater than my capacity, and give us salvation. Heal our passions, Cure our diseases, Help us out of our difficulties, Make our lives peaceful, Send us the illumination of the Spirit.

Inflame us with the desire of thy son. Render us pleasing to Him, so that we may enjoy happiness with Him, seeing thee resplendent with thy Son’s glory, rejoicing forever, keeping feast in the Church with those who worthily celebrate Him who worked our salvation through thee, Christ the Son of God, and our God.

To Him be glory and majesty, with the uncreated Father and the all-holy and life-giving Spirit, now and forever, through the endless ages of eternity. Amen.

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Homily #131204b ( 07min) Play – Fr. Joachim on the life of St. John Damascene how he defended the Church against the Iconoclasts, was the last of the Greek Fathers, a poet who wrote eloquently on Our Lady and encouraged Christians who were subjected to Muslim rule.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. John Damascene – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Wednesday in the 1st Week in Advent
1st: isa 25:6-10
Resp: psa 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6
Gsp: mat 15:29-37

Audio (MP3)

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Homily #141204b ( 09min) Play – Fr. Elias on the teachings of St. John Damascene, including that Mary was pre-purified, an early expression of the dogma of Immaculate Conception. Father reflects on this early expression of a recently declared dogma as a sign that the Church is the guarantee of doctrine since it is built by Christ on the rock of Peter.
Ave Maria!
Mass: St. John Damascene – Opt Mem – Form: OF
Readings: Thursday in the 1st Week in Advent
1st: isa 26:1-6
Resp: psa 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, 25-27
Gsp: mat 7:21, 24-27

Audio (MP3)

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In the homily for the memorial of St. John Damascene (Priest and Doctor of the Church, Dec 04), Fr Alan relates Damascene’s refutation of the heresy of the iconoclasts, and points out that today a similar but more pernicious heresy threatens our religious freedom.

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. John Damascene – Opt Mem

Readings: Tuesday in the 1st Week in Advent
1st: Is 11:1-10
Resp: Ps 72:1, 7-8, 12-13, 17
Gsp: Lk 10:21-24

Quotation from St. John Damascene found in Voices of the Saints: A 365-Day Journey with Our Spiritual Companions by Bert Ghezzi (http://www.bertghezzi.com/books/#voices-of-the-saints).

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1207&r=1248

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Fr John Lawrence gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Dec 04, 2023, on the life and theological contributions of St. John Damascene, an Arab Christian monk and theologian.

St. John Damascene was born in Damascus under Muslim rule, St. John initially worked for the Caliph before becoming a monk and dedicating his life to theology. He gave a rigorous and thorough defense of the veneration of religious images during the iconoclast controversy. He argued for the legitimacy of religious images based on the Incarnation, stating that since God has been seen in the flesh, it is now permissible to depict Him. St. John also wrote a comprehensive work on Christian theology, including criticisms of Islam and a detailed summary of Christian beliefs. He wrote homilies on the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, emphasizing her role and significance in Christian theology. St. John Damascene was declared a doctor of the Church in 1890 by Pope Leo XIII.

Catholic Encyclopedia – Detailed biography of St. John Damascene – https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08459b.htm

Ave Maria!

Mass: St. John Damascene – Opt Mem – http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=66
Readings: Monday in the 1st Week in Advent (Short) – http://usccb.org/bible/readings/120423.cfm
1st: isa 4:2-6
Resp: psa 122:1-4, 8-9
Gsp: mat 8:5-11

More on the Readings: http://dev.airmaria.com/r?m=1207&r=1273

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