A Great Prayer in Honor of St. Paul

Here's a great prayer that my parish is using in connection with our special study on the Pauline Epistles for the Year of St. Paul. The prayer was composed initially by the Diocese of Harrisburg, PA, but we liked it so much that we adopted it for use here at St. John, Westminster. It's a really great prayer that touches on a lot of the major themes Paul writes about in his letters. I hope you like it!

Prayer for the Year of St. Paul

God our Father, source of mercy and truth,
through the preaching of St. Paul the Apostle,
You teach us and deepen our faith.

Grant that we may follow St. Paul's example
and grow in holiness.
Strengthen us to continually turn
our hearts and minds to You.

Enliven us to live by the Spirit
in faith, hope, and charity.
Inspire us to hand on to others
what we have received from You.

Fortify us to pour out ourselves
and serve You with humility and compassion.
Move us to unite ourselves
to the sufferings of Christ, that we may
die with Him in order to rise with Him.

Help us to trust that nothing
can separate us from Your love.

Direct us to seek only the things of heaven
so that after running the race
and fighting the good fight,
we might share the crown of glory
promised to those who love You.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
Saint Paul the Apostle, pray for us.

HOPE IN GRACE - THOUGHTS ON FRANCE'S "SAINTLY KILLER"

I've been thinking a lot lately about hope. If you've been following my blog entries for the last couple of months, you may have noticed that I've been experiencing a rather rocky year, especially since the beginning of June. Plans have changed, sin has weighed me down, the struggles of the spiritual life on top of everything else has left me feeling burnt-out and exhausted. And through it all there have been times where I've just wanted to throw up my hands and say: "Forget about it! It's too hard to be a Christian any way!" Fortunately, God has kept such lines of thought from maturing into anything truly dangerous. He's always taken the time through it all to remind me that with Him - if I let Him do what He wishes - all things are possible.

I was deeply moved the other day reading an article about the cause for cononization of a certain French criminal in the Our Sunday Visitor. It was a rather controversial article, and indeed the man it is about is a very controversial figure. The article I speak of had dubbed this man the "saintly killer."

Jacques Fesch was born a Catholic, and even a devout one through his youth, but before long his family was broken to pieces over his not-so-devout father's adulterous escapades. Dissilusioned with his faith, Jacques quickly became an incorrigible juvenile delinquint. He was expelled from his school, and after getting his girlfriend, Pierrette, pregnant, married her at the young age of 21. He had a chance at a more dignified life, of cleaning up his act, when he was offered a position at his father's bank, but he soon found himself leaving that job, and eventually his wife and daughter, Veronique, to pursue a somewhat wild dream to sail away to the South Pacific. His parents would have not part in it, refusing to pay for a boat, leaving Jacques in desperate need of money. Turning to theft, he tried to rob a money changer, but couldn't pull off the heist. As he fled the scene, a police officer by the name of Jean Vergne tried to arrest him, but Jacques did the unthinkable. He pulled out his revolver and shot Vergne three times, killing him. Jacques was soon caught by the angry mob the rose up in response to the officer's shooting, was quickly tried, then sentenced to death.

So far you might be thinking "has the Church lost her mind? This isn't a saint! This guys a cold blodded killer!" And if this were the end of this man's story, I would agree with - and so would the Church for that matter. But there's more to it. After spending a year on death row openly mocking the Catholic faith of his lawyer, something happened very suddenly an unexpectedly on February night in 1955. Recorded in his journal, and quoted from the OSV article, his recounting of his conversion experience went like this:

" 'I was in bed, eyes open, relly suffering for the first time. It was then a cry burst from my breast, and appeal for help. Instantly, like a violent wind which passes over without anyone knowing where it comes from, the spirit of the Lord seized me by the throat. I had an impression of infinite power and kindness and, from that moment onward, I believed with an unshakeable conviction that has never left me.' "

And from that moment onward, Jacques Fesch lived and died in a state of grace. He even reconciled with his wife and daughter the night before he died. What makes this story so powerful is that God would not reject what society counts as a lost cause, an absolute evil, the scum of the earth. No matter how sick with sin, diseased in our hearts we may be, there is hope in Christ! There is great opposition to the canonization of this man, as you may be able to imagine, because of the potential mixed message it may send to society. But I think that the Church has never sent a more clear message about the great saving power of our God. We're in a world today that saps hope from every quarter. We see the media heaping upon our young women impossible demands about how they should look and act, leaving them feeling hopelessly inadequate, and somehow worthless; we see relativism and secularism draining us of our moral and spiritual convictions, reducing them to mere "opinions," instead of the absolute truths that they are; and we see desperate young people, confused, dissillusioned with life, reaching out for something, but finding only ashes in the vain, passing pleasures of this life... and how many of them end their lives so soon...?

That's why the Church needs a saint like Jacques Fesch, to show us that there is never such a thing as vain hope, so long as our hope is in Christ. He has won for us all the grace necessary to melt the heart of even the most hardened sinner, if only he (or she) opens that door in the tiniest bit. Let us pray for the cause of Jacques Fesch, and let us pray for a great abundance of the virtue of hope in our world. It's never too late to turn back to Him. Let us pray for those who seem lost in darkness, with little hope of finding the light again!

Mary, Queen and Mother.

With all my thoughts lately on holiness, I have been naturally led to reflect on Mary's role in the lives of every follower of Jesus. Tomorrow is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the feast during which we celebrate Mary's yes to God's call for her to be the Mother of His Son, a yes so radical that God took on flesh in her womb. In part to celebrate this feast, I participated in an ancient Marian devotion just this evening: the blessing and vesting with the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

What is a scapular, you ask? A scapular was originally a part of a monk's habit. It was a rectangular cloth, about the width of the shoulders, that hung over the shoulders all the way down the length of the habit, both front and back. The word "scapular" comes from the Latin scapula, which means shoulder, and it symbolizes the yoke of Christ which all Christians are called to bear. Now adays, they have been altered popular use, and not just those who have taken vows with a religious order, although by wearing them, you are considered affiliated in some way with that order. These "lay scapulars" tend to be much smaller, maybe a few square inches in size, and hang over the shoulders by a chain or a ribbon attaching the two sides (see picture below). The Brown Scapular, specifically, is associated with the Carmelite religious order, an order devoted to mysticism and contemplative prayer. The brown scapular was given to the superior general of the order, St. Simon Stock, but Our Lady in a vision in his room in Cambridge, England. That was around 1251. With this gift came an awesome promise: "Whosever shall die while wearing this scapular shall not suffer the eternal fire." Basically this promise means that anyone who lives a good Christian life and dies in the friendship of God (i.e. in the state of grace), while wearing this gift of Mary's, will enjoy forever, in unimaginable bliss, the face of God.

But what's the wearing of little brown cloth have to do with my salvation? Well, in the Catholic mindset, to quote a theology teacher of mine from my College Seminary days: "matter matters." I mean that Catholicism is a religion that acknowledges the importance of the physical in God's plan. After all, He did think it a good idea to take human body so that he could really commiserate with our poor, broken nature. By taking on flesh, Jesus showed us that our bodies are good, and that the material world is His creation, and a source of grace, signifying His presence in our world. That's the whole point of the Incarnation, to catch up into the divine our lowly humanity! And that's why we celebrate the Annunciation, thanking Mary for making it all possible by her "yes," her fiat. By wearing this brown scapular, we are always silently remembering her devotion and love for God and her children. We are all her children, for we are all one body in her Son. By wearing this scapular, we are silently lifting up a perpetual prayer to her, pleading for her protection, and asking her to show us Jesus, just like she did for the shepherds on Christmas day. Mary is our advocate, our defender, our great example, God's promise of our future glory. And by wearing this scapular-by devoting ourselves to Mary without reserve-God showers us with His favors. And what Son would not be pleased in seeing His Mother so honored.

So don't be afraid to devote yourself to our Lady. She gave Christ to the world by her humble obedience, and she can show us how to do the same. She can give birth again and again to Jesus in our own hearts, and the hearts of others. Peace be with you, and Mary keep you!

St. Joseph - Man of Faith

Well, it's certainly been a while since I've written anything. Seminary has been a rich, joyful - and also quite a busy - experience in these past two years. I find it rather amusing looking back over some of my old posts, intending at the time to chronicle my adventures here at the College Seminary--St. Andrew's Hall, and finding that my last post was in September of my first year. And already, it's two months to go before graduation and Major Seminary! It's truly been one amazing ride, an experience that has formed me in my faith and love of God and His people. There have been so many rich blessings over these two years, and I am ever more deeply grateful as each day goes by. But, it must be said that above all that, my time in College Seminary has been a great challenge, in some ways the greatest challenge of my life...

And so I find myself thinking of Lent - the Great Season of Penance. That time each year where we turn our backs to sin and look with trembling to God our Father, confident in His never failing Mercies. For all the great blessings He has shed upon me, I'm still so far from being the kind of man that He wishes me to be. It's so hard to stay pure, focused, and mindful of God's presence in my life. I find myself so easily discouraged, and sometimes disillusioned with my dreams of priesthood and holiness. It seems like so lofty a goal, so far and high above me. How can I ever dare to be an alter christus when I can't even treat my brothers and sisters in Christ with all the respect and charity that I aught! And it's so hard to find time to pray. It's so easy to just bury myself in my work (or play) and forget to take time out to spend before Jesus in the Tabernacle and just have a real heart-to-heart. Perhaps it's my dreams that are far to lofty, too high, too unrealistic. But even if they are what they should be, the challenges would still be great.

That's why I admired St. Joseph. His was a faith unquestioning, unwavering. I can't imagine what it must have been like for him to suddenly find his beloved fiancee was pregnant! Yet he trusted in God and took Mary into his home, even though to all appearances it seems that she broke the Law. How absurd it must have sounded to Him to hear that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit! Yet, he believed, despite the looks, despite the whispering and the gossip! If only I were so untouched by anxiety over my own reputation... He was found worthy by God to take into his care the Second Person of the Holy Trinity! How amazing! And how unworthy am I to take Him under my own roof every day at Mass? Joseph's faith was an extraordinary faith - he was ready to give up everything for the ones that he loved, starting with God. He even threw himself amidst a pagan people to protect his wife and Son. My only prayer is that he would teach me-teach all of us-the meaning of true faith and trust in God, that when the crosses become hard to bear, we might cling ever more tightly to Jesus, rather than caving into our desire to have it easy. Jesus is the only thing worth clinging to. Letting our selves get dragged down by the desire for comfort is a sure sign of disordered self-love. And how empty these worldly pleasure are! We must strive always to love God more, despite ourselves and the whims of the moment. Isn't this the meaning and purpose of Lent as well? A valuable lesson, O Christian. Pray for us, O blessed Joseph, that this Lent, and every day of our lives, my be a lesson in the true meaning of Faith in Jesus...

A thought on Mary of Magdala

http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=92999

"The Pope highlighted the figure of Mary Magdalene today... saying that she 'plays a principal role in the Gospel.'"

Just a thought for those out there who, like silly lemings, run after Dan Brown's version of the Gospel. Dan Brown asserts that the Church, under the big-bad St. Peter, tried to stamp out and smear the place of Mary in the Gospels. I think it needs to be noted for all those who treat a work of fiction like some historical essay, that Mary Magdalene, according to the Gospels, was the one chosen by Christ to proclaim His Resurrection to all the world. Those big-bad apostles did a real good job ruining her reputation, huh?

So, what's with the name?

Well, the other day I was talking to a budy of mine who checked out this blog the other day and came back to me saying how he had honest-to-gosh thought that my name was Angelo Faquino. I excused the mistake, but realized how odd my screen name may seem to some. My screen name is supposed to be pronounced Angel of Aquino, although I have to admit, the mistake has a nice ring to it.

I chose this name after this prayer book that my mother gave to me for confirmation. It was a hand-me-down from my grandfather, whom I never knew. I was flattered, because my confirmation saint was Thomas Aquinas, who would be the "Angel of Aquino" in question, and I thought it was cool to have this connection with a family member I never got the chance to meet. We both shared a devotion to this really incredible saint. I wish I could go into detail why Thomas Aquinas is so awesome, but I just simply don't have the time. So, to make up for it, I'm going to put a link to a really good site on the guy. If you wanna check out some good biographies on the man, G.K. Chesterton has the best that I know of. I was really impressed with it myself. But what I will say about the man is that I was so impressed with his humble intelligence. Thomas Aquinas is one of the greatest philosophers the world has ever known, and his contributions to the Faith can't be overvalued. Basically, he had a lot to do with the wedding of Faith with Reason. In other words, having Faith didn't make one a dummy, or stupid, or foolish. Becuase, according to Thomas (and JP II, for that matter) Faith makes sense.

Anyway, I guess you could say I wanted to dedicate this blog to him. He's up there in heaven right now lookin' out for me like a little brother. And I see him as my role model, because I, too, have the gift of a great intelligence. I want to use it, just like he did, to the glory of God. But sometimes that seems like an undertaking too great for my strength. Thank God God is omnipotent! So, that would be the origin of my screen name and the title of my blog. I hope that clears some things up!