Holy Catholic Feasts and Solemnities

[Kazimiera]

What happened at Fatima?

The story of a famous miracle in Fátima, Portugal, began in May 1917, when three children (ages 7, 9, and 10) claimed to have encountered the Virgin Mary on their way home from tending a flock of sheep. The oldest girl, Lucia, was the only one to speak to her, and Mary told the children that she would reappear to them on the thirteenth day of the next six months. She then vanished.

The children soon told their parents, and while some in the village didn't believe their tale, others did — and told more people. As the weeks and months passed, more and more of the faithful made pilgrimages to Fátima, where the children claimed to receive Mary's visits. Still no one else saw the Virgin Mary; instead, the gathered adults would stand riveted as Lucia took the lead and began to describe her visions.



It was Mary's final appearance, on Oct. 13, 1917, that became the most famous. In his book "Looking for a Miracle," Joe Nickell states that "an estimated 70,000 people were in attendance at the site, anticipating the Virgin's final visit and with many fully expecting that she would work a great miracle. As before, the figure appeared, and again only to the children. Identifying herself as 'the Lady of the Rosary,' she urged repentance and the building of a chapel at the site. After predicting an end to [World War I] and giving the children certain undisclosed visions, the lady lifted her hands to the sky. Thereupon Lucia exclaimed, 'The sun!' As everyone gazed upward, and saw that a silvery disc had emerged from behind clouds, they experienced what is known [as] a 'sun miracle'."

Not everyone reported the same thing; some present claimed they saw the sun dance around the heavens; others said the sun zoomed toward Earth in a zigzag motion that caused them to fear that it might collide with our planet (or, more likely, burn it up). Some people reported seeing brilliant colors spin out of the sun in a psychedelic, pinwheel pattern, and thousands of others present didn't see anything unusual at all.

The whole event took about 10 minutes, and this Miracle of the Sun, as it became known, is one of the best-known events at Fátima.

What happened at Fátima?

So what really happened at Fátima? What did the thousands of reporters and witnesses see? We can start by noting that we know for certain what did not happen: The sun did not really dance in the sky. We know this because, of course, everyone on Earth is under the same sun, and if the closest dying star to us suddenly began doing celestial gymnastics a few billion other people would surely have reported it. It's really not something that anyone else could have failed to notice.

This suggests that the experience was something else. In his book, Nickell suggested that the crowd saw a sundog, a patch of light that sometimes appears beside the sun. Sundogs are stationary, however, so that doesn't explain why people thought they saw the sun moving. So perhaps the "sun dance" appeared in the minds and perceptions of those pilgrims present — not in the skies above them. There must, therefore, be a psychological explanation, and indeed we can find one: an optical illusion caused by thousands of people looking up at the sky, hoping, expecting, and even praying for some sign from God. It is of course dangerous to stare directly at the sun, and to avoid permanently damaging their eyesight, those at Fátima that day were looking up in the sky around the sun, which, if you do it long enough, can give the illusion of the sun moving as the eye muscles tire.

The fact that different people experienced different things — or nothing at all — is also strong evidence of a psychological explanation. No one suggests that those who reported seeing the Miracle of the Sun — or any other miracles at Fátima or elsewhere — are lying or hoaxing. Instead they very likely experienced what they claimed to, though that experience took place mostly in their minds.

And what about the three young children whose visions of Mary put Fátima on the religious map? It's not clear what, if anything, they saw. For the believers, it made sense that Mary might only appear to (and speak to the world through) innocent peasant children, using their humble status to convey her messages of peace and spiritual salvation. Skeptics, however, noted that there was no real evidence of any miracles occurring, and suggested that Lucia was an imaginative girl who influenced her suggestible younger cousins.

There were other, lesser-known aspects of the Fátima story, including secret revelations and prophecies given to Lucia; as Nickell notes, several of the "prophecies" were true, but were actually written after they occurred, and thus were not true prophecies at all. [Related: Nostradamus: Predictions of Things Past]

Pareidolia and the power of suggestion

In addition, there was likely an element of mild mass hysteria involved, where one person sees something and gets excited about it, and others feed off it and start seeing similar things themselves. This is neither dangerous nor uncommon. Mass suggestion can be very powerful, and it's not difficult to find examples in which the religious mind sees images that may not really exist. In fact, Fátima is only one of hundreds of appearances claimed to be of the Virgin Mary over the centuries.

December 2010, for example, was an especially busy season for Mary, starting when a woman named Mari Valenzuela of Alhambra, California, noticed an image of the Virgin Mary in her melted candle. The lump, about an inch high and made of soft white wax, resembled a woman's head and torso. Valenzuela showed the miracle to her priest, who assured her that it was a sign that her life was on the right path. The Virgin Mary next showed up at a backyard barbecue in McAllen, Texas, when a guest noticed that a darkened oval knot in a wooden fence looked like Mary; her presence was credited with helping a woman recover well from a recent surgery. Then, a few days before Christmas, a woman in Dallas, Texas, photographed a transparent, oblong image through the back window of her Ford Expedition that she believed was of the Virgin Mary.

It's not surprising that human-shaped forms might be interpreted as religious figures, especially around the religious holidays. People see these images for the same reason that they see faces in clouds, Rorschach blots and coffee stains. This phenomenon, called pareidolia, is well known in psychology, and it is the cause of many supposedly mysterious and miraculous events (including the famous "Jesus in the Tortilla"). Whether the sightings are the result of a miracle or a mundane psychological process, they are welcomed by the faithful.

[Kazimiera]

The Solemnity of St Matthias - Martyr

Mathias was one of the first to follow our Savior; and he was an eye-witness of all His divine actions up to the very day of the Ascension. He was one of the seventy-two disciples; but our Lord had not conferred upon him the dignity of an apostle. And yet, he was to have this great glory, for it was of him that David spoke, when he prophesied that another should take the bishopric left vacant by the apostasy of Judas the traitor. In the interval between Jesus' Ascension and the descent of the Holy Ghost, the apostolic college had to complete the mystic number fixed by our Lord Himself, so that there might be the twelve on that solemn day, when the Church, filled with the Holy Ghost, was to manifest herself to the Synagogue. The lot fell on Mathias; he shared with his brother-apostles the persecution in Jerusalem, and, when the time came for the ambassadors of Christ to separate, he set out for the countries allotted to him. Tradition tells us that these were Cappadocia and the provinces bordering on the Caspian Sea.

The virtues, labor, and sufferings of St. Mathias have not been handed down to us: this explains the lack of proper lessons on his life, such as we have for the feasts of the rest of the apostles. Clement of Alexandria records in his writings several sayings of our holy apostle. One of these is so very appropriate to the spirit of the present season, that we consider it a duty to quote it. 'It behooves us to combat the flesh, and make use of it, without pampering it by unlawful gratifications. As to the soul, we must develop her power by faith and knowledge.' How profound is the teaching contained in these few words! Sin has deranged the order which the Creator had established. It gave the outward man such a tendency to grovel in things which degrade him, that the only means left us for the restoration of the image and likeness of God unto which we were created, is the forcible subjection of the body to the spirit. But the spirit itself, that is, the soul, was also impaired by original sin, and her inclinations were made prone to evil; what is to be her protection? Faith and knowledge. Faith humbles her, and then exalts and rewards her; and the reward is knowledge.

[Kazimiera]

The Ascension of our Lord

Today, in many parts of the world, we are celebrating the Ascension of the Lord. The gospel today, recounts the story of the eleven disciples who went to the mountain in Galilee, just like Jesus had commanded them to do. The gospel reading says that the disciples worshiped Jesus when they saw him. That is quite a change in their behavior from the past. In the past, they related to Jesus more like a friend or a teacher, but the whole tone of how they related to Jesus changed when they saw him on the mountain. We would do well to remember this too. Most of us relate to Jesus as a friend too, in our prayers and daily life. He’s there when we need someone to talk to, and share our joys and our sorrows. When we go to mass though, Jesus becomes our Lord and Savior, and we really should show him reverence anytime we encounter his presence in the Eucharist, whether that is at mass or at adoration, and teach our children to do so as well.

The gospel also says that the disciples doubted Christ (even after all he did, by appearing to them many times after his death). It makes you wonder why they didn’t get it, that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and he told them he was actually a part of God Himself, (in what we now know as the Trinity). Jesus’ kingdom was not of this earth, but they were still wishing it was, according to today’s first reading for mass, when they remembered asking Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” All of their doubts were not cleared completely, until after they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost though. Jesus understood that his appearance on earth was breaking new ground with human beings in general, and that was why he sent the Holy Spirit to strengthen their faith to proclaim him to the world, without doubts. He said:

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Didn’t the first reading today contain a beautiful account of the two angels that appeared after Jesus ascended into heaven? It’s interesting that this verse in the scriptures describe the two angels as men dressed in white garments. The disciples were men though, it would make sense that the angels would appear as men to them. Actually, the angels are always described as men in the bible. There is not a single instance of female angels in the bible, nor are the angels, the Trinity, or God himself ever referred to as anything but male. This is not to slight females, but the male figure in the past represented authority in ancient cultures. There is a splinter in the Catholic church today, that lobbies for women to be ordained as priests in the church, but even today men are viewed as figures of authority and leadership. In the United States there has never been a female president either and perhaps it is still for this reason too. Jesus Christ was a man and the priest stands “in persona” (or in the person of) Christ. The Catholic church uses many visual symbols and other visual elements to teach the faith too.

But, the main point of today’s gospel is Jesus’ words, which we really can’t add to:

“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

As a side note, you may not be aware that the Catholic church recognizes all Protestant baptisms as being valid, as long as the person was baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. There are a few Protestant religions though, that only baptize “in the name of Jesus” and we do not consider them to be valid baptisms because of this verse in scripture.

We are a royal priesthood though, even the laity. A lay person is authorized to baptize a person, in imminent danger of death and it is a valid baptism. Sometimes a person accepts Christ at the very last moments of their life and a priest is often not present when this happens. It is also possible that a baby is born, that will only live for a few minutes or hours, and it is a valid baptism if a lay person baptizes them if a priest can not come in time. And on the battlefield, a dying soldier might ask for baptism when only a fellow soldier is present. This baptism is valid as well. Unless it is a person in danger of death though, a priest should baptize all of those who request baptism in the Catholic church, because it really is a communal celebration. One that we are all privileged to witness, and to welcome the new members of our parish communities.

Jesus ended the gospel today with these words and they are a good thought for today as well:

“Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

And he is, most especially in the Eucharist that we celebrated at mass today.

Today’s prayer from mass was:

Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that we, who believe that your Only Begotten Son,
our Redeemer,
ascended this day to the heavens,
may in spirit dwell already in heavenly realms.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity
of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

[Kazimiera]

Pentecost

The timing and origins of Pentecost

Pentecost always occurs 50 days after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and ten days after his ascension into heaven. Because Easter is a moveable feast without a fixed date, and Pentecost depends on the timing of Easter, Pentecost can fall anywhere between May 10 and June 13.

The timing of these feasts is also where Catholics get the concept of the Novena - nine days of prayer - because in Acts 1, Mary and the Apostles prayed together “continuously” for nine days after the Ascension leading up to Pentecost. Traditionally, the Church prays the Novena to the Holy Spirit in the days before Pentecost.

The name of the day itself is derived from the Greek word "pentecoste," meaning 50th.

There is a parallel Jewish holiday, Shavu`ot, which falls 50 days after Passover. Shavu’ot is sometimes called the festival of weeks, referring to the seven weeks since Passover.

Originally a harvest feast, Shavu`ot now commemorates the sealing of the Old Covenant on Mount Sinai, when the Lord revealed the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. Every year, the Jewish people renew their acceptance of the gift of the Torah on this feast.

What happens at Pentecost?

In the Christian tradition, Pentecost is the celebration of the person of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the Upper Room.

A “strong, driving” wind filled the room where they were gathered, and tongues of fire came to rest on their heads, allowing them to speak in different languages so that they could understand each other. It was such a strange phenomenon that some people thought the Christians were just drunk - but Peter pointed out that it was only the morning, and that the phenomenon was caused by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit also gave the apostles the other gifts and fruits necessary to fulfill the great commission - to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations. It fulfills the New Testament promise from Christ (Luke 24:46-49) that the Apostles would be “clothed with power” before they would be sent out to spread the Gospel.

Where’s that in the bible?

The main event of Pentecost (the strong driving wind and tongues of fire) takes place in Acts 2:13, though the events immediately following (Peter’s homily, the baptism of thousands) continue through verse 41.

Happy Birthday, Church

It was right after Pentecost that Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, preached his first homily to Jews and other non-believers, in which he opened the scriptures of the Old Testament, showing how the prophet Joel prophesied events and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

He also told the people that the Jesus they crucified is the Lord and was raised from the dead, which “cut them to the heart.” When they asked what they should do, Peter exhorted them to repent of their sins and to be baptised. According to the account in Acts, about 3,000 people were baptised following Peter’s sermon.

For this reason, Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Church - Peter, the first Pope, preaches for the first time and converts thousands of new believers. The apostles and believers, for the first time, were united by a common language, and a common zeal and purpose to go and preach the Gospel.

Pentecost vestments and customs around the world



Typically, priests will wear red vestments on Pentecost, symbolic of the burning fire of God’s love and the tongues of fire that descended on the apostles.

However, in some parts of the world, Pentecost is also referred to as “WhitSunday”, or White Sunday, referring to the white vestments that are typically worn in Britain and Ireland. The white is symbolic of the dove of the Holy Spirit, and typical of the vestments that catechumens desiring baptism wear on that day.

An Italian Pentecost tradition is to scatter rose leaves from the ceiling of the churches to recall the miracle of the fiery tongues, and so in some places in Italy, Pentecost is sometimes called Pascha Rosatum (Easter roses).

In France, it is tradition to blow trumpets during Mass to recall the sound of the driving wind of the Holy Spirit.

In Asia, it is typical to have an extra service, called genuflexion, during which long poems and prayers are recited. In Russia, Mass goers often carry flowers or green branches during Pentecost services.

[Kazimiera]

Trinity Sunday

Trinity Sunday (or the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, as it's known to Roman Catholics) is primarily a commemoration of Western Christian liturgical churches, commonly observed on the first Sunday after Pentecost. It is a celebration of the doctrine of the Trinity, concerning the various interdependent aspects of God commonly known as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is the beginning of Ordinary Time of the Western Christian calendar. In Eastern churches, however, the Trinity is a part of the Pentecost celebration.

The Trinity Doctrine

The doctrine of the Trinity, on which Trinity Sunday is based, holds God to be triune, having the quality of three-in-oneness. In this view, God is a single being existing always and forever as a perfect communion of three distinct persons, which are commonly called the Father (the Source of Eternal Majesty), the Son (the Eternal Word or Logos), and the Holy Spirit.

Some Christians contend that one of the three (often the Father) is the truly supreme God, whereas the Son and the Holy Spirit are considered aspects of the former's divinity. Others believe the three parts of the Trinity are different ways that an eternal God has chosen to manifest himself to humanity. However, most Christians now hold that the Trinity refers to three persons in one substance. From this standpoint, the answer to the question What is God? is infinite, endless divinity, while the answer to the question Who is God? is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Roman Catholic Traditions

For the Roman Catholic Church, Trinity Sunday is a day of transition between the seasons of Pentecost, with its reflections on what the Godly triune has done to accomplish the salvation of mankind, and Ordinary Time, wherein the focus of the Church swings to how people should respond to the infinite love of the Almighty. The color of the vestments and sanctuary for the day is typically white, signifying the pure light of God's love. Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the festival marked the end of a three-week moratorium on Church weddings for the Pentecost season.

For many Christians, Trinity Sunday is an important time of reflection. Between the seasons of Pentecost and Ordinary Time, the celebration allows space for the contemplation of the triune nature of God and the different ways his infinite love is expressed to humanity.

[Kazimiera]

Corpus Christi

The Feast of Corpus Christi (also known as the Feast of the Body of Christ) is celebrated on the eighth Thursday after Easter. The celebration commemorates the ritual of the Eucharist and is a reflection of the Maundy Thursday observance during Holy Week.

The Feast of Corpus Christi (also known as the Feast of the Body of Christ) is celebrated on the eighth Thursday after Easter. The celebration commemorates the ritual of the Eucharist and is a reflection of the Maundy Thursday observance during Holy Week. Corpus Christi is unique in several ways. The feast was not instituted within the Church until the 14th century AD, and its advocates for inclusion in the Church roster of holy days were two women.

The Founders of the Feast

The principal founder of the Feast of the Body was an Augustinian nun, Saint Juliana of Mont Cornillion, in Belgium. Saint Juliana looked upon the Holy Eucharist with great reverence, and desired to have a feast within the Church devoted specifically to its honor. From the earliest days within the Church, the custom for the celebration of the Eucharist fell specifically on Maundy Thursday.

However, Holy Week was often seen as a time of great sorrow and repentance, and Juliana felt that the celebration of the Eucharist should be a time of rejoicing. After receiving a vision concerning the Church and its lack of devotion to the Eucharist, she petitioned Robert de Thorete, the Bishop of Liège. Bishop Robert convened a synod in 1246, where he directed that an office be written for the observance, thereby decreeing that the celebration should take place the following year. Although Bishop Robert died in October of 1246, the Feast of Corpus Christi was observed the following year at Saint Martin in Liège.

Juliana, who longed to see the feast extend to the entire Church, passed away in April of 1258. However, a friend and long-time companion named Eve took up her cause and made a request of Henry of Guelders, the new Bishop of Liège, to petition Pope Urban IV to make the feast universal. In 1264, Pope Urban IV issued the bull transiturus, a declaration ordering the Feast of Corpus Christi extended throughout the entire Church. The date was set for the celebration to be held on the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, at the request of the Pope, wrote the Office for the feast. Pope Urban IV died later that year, and the feast was set aside for other pressing matters, until Pope Clement V ordered its adoption at the General Council of Vienne in 1311. By 1325, the feast had been adopted throughout all of Europe and England.

Customs of Corpus Christi

There are a number of unique customs associated with the Feast of Corpus Christi. Among them are pageants and processions that originated during the Middle Ages. During the Baroque Period of the 17th century many of the processions throughout Europe introduced colorful characters and themes from both legend and the Bible, including the tales of David and Goliath and Saint George and the dragon. However, by the end of the 18thcentury, many of these colorful displays were no longer popular with the Church, resulting in their removal.

In France and other portions of Central Europe, the Feast of Corpus Christi is also known as the Day of Wreaths. Large bouquets of flowers are carried in processions on the tops of long wooden poles and wreaths of colorful flowers are placed on houses, gardens, and fields. Cities and towns are adorned with wreaths of delicate flowers and green boughs as processions of both clergy and laity honor the Eucharist.

Perhaps the most obscure custom of the Feast is the naming of bodies of water and places in its honor. Franciscan missionaries originally named the Gulf of Mexico the "Bay of Corpus Christi," and gave the mission there the same name. While in California, the mission at Sacramento and its corresponding river were named in honor of the Eucharist.

While Corpus Christi is, generally speaking, a minor feast of the Church, for many Catholics, particular those in Europe, it is an annual celebration. For the Church on the whole, the Feast of the Body of Christ symbolizes the Eucharist and Communion, identifying the belief in the death of Christ and His resurrection.

[Jacques de Imbelloni]

Feast of Saints Peter and Paul



The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a liturgical feast in honour of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient origin, the date selected being the anniversary of either their death or the translation of their relics.

Eastern Christianity



For Eastern Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic Christians this feast also marks the end of the Apostles' Fast (which began on the Monday following All Saints' Sunday, i.e., the second Monday after Pentecost). It is considered a day of recommended attendance, whereon one should attend the All-Night Vigil (or at least Vespers) on the eve, and the Divine Liturgy on the morning of the feast (there are, however, no "Days of Obligation" in the Eastern Church). For those who follow the traditional Julian calendar, 29 June falls on the Gregorian calendar date of 12 July.

In the Russian Orthodox tradition, Macarius of Unzha's Miracle of the Moose is said to have occurred during the Apostles' Fast and the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul that followed it.

Roman Catholic tradition

In the General Roman Calendar, the celebration is a solemnity. In earlier editions, it was ranked as a Double (Tridentine Calendar), Double of the First Class (e.g., General Roman Calendar of 1954), or First-Class Feast (General Roman Calendar of 1960). Prior to the liturgical reforms of Pope Pius XII, this feast was followed by a common octave.

It is a holy day of obligation in the Latin Church, although individual conferences of bishops can suppress the obligation.[3] In England, Scotland and Wales the feast is observed as a holy day of obligation while in the United States and Canada, it is not. In Malta it is a public holiday and in Maltese known as L-Imnarja.

In 1577 Jan Rubens named his son Peter Paul, because he was born during the office of vespers of this day.[4]

On this feast, newly created metropolitan archbishops receive from the pope the primary symbol of their office, the pallium.

Oriental Orthodoxy tradition

The Coptic Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church are also celebrated on the day 5 Epip which is also the end of the fast of the apostles.[5]
Ecumenical importance

In recent decades, this feast, along with that of Saint Andrew, has been of importance to the modern ecumenical movement as an occasion on which the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople have officiated at services designed to bring their two churches closer to intercommunion. This was especially the case during the pontificate of St Pope John Paul II, as reflected in his encyclical Ut Unum Sint.
Among Doukhobors

Although the Canadian Doukhobors do not venerate saints, the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul has traditionally been a day of celebration for them. Since 1895, it has acquired a new significance as a commemoration of the "Burning of the Arms", the Doukhobors' destruction of their weapons, as a symbol of their refusal to participate in government-sponsored killing.[6] It is celebrated now by their descendants as simply "Peter's Day" (Russian: Petro den.), sometimes referred to as the "Doukhobor Peace Day".[7][8]
Public holiday
The feast is observed in Rome because St. Paul and St. Peter are patron saints of the Eternal City. It is also a public holiday of the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland, as well as parts of the Swiss cantons of Lucerne and Graubünden. It is a public holiday in Peru, in Malta, and in various municipalities of the Philippines.

[Kazimiera]

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Friday that follows the Second Sunday in Time After Pentecost is the Feast of the Sacred Heart which brings to mind all the attributes of His Divine Heart mentioned above. Many Catholics prepare for this Feast by beginning a Novena to the Sacred Heart on the Feast of Corpus Christi, which is the Thursday of the week before. On the Feast of the Sacred Heart itself, we can gain a plenary indulgence by making an Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart.

From the earliest days of the Church, "Christ's open side and the mystery of blood and water were meditated upon, and the Church was beheld issuing from the side of Jesus, as Eve came forth from the side of Adam. It is in the eleventh and twelfth centuries that we find the first unmistakable indications of devotion to the Sacred Heart. Through the wound in the side, the wound in the Heart was gradually reached, and the wound in the Heart symbolized the wound of love." (Catholic Encyclopedia)

This general devotion arose first in Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries of that time, especially in response to the devotion of St. Gertrude the Great, but specific devotions became popularized when St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), a Visitation nun, had a personal revelation involving a series of visions of Christ as she prayed before the Blessed Sacrament. She wrote, "He disclosed to me the marvels of his Love and the inexplicable secrets of his Sacred Heart." Christ emphasized to her His love -- and His woundedness caused by Man's indifference to this love.

He promised that, in response to those who consecrate themselves and make reparations to His Sacred Heart, that:

• He will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
• He will establish peace in their homes.
• He will comfort them in all their afflictions.
• He will be their secure refuge during life, and above all, in death.
• He will bestow abundant blessings upon all their undertakings.
• Sinners will find in His Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
• Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.
• Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection.
• He will bless every place in which an image of His Heart is exposed and honored.
• He will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
• Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in His Heart.

In the excessive mercy of His Heart that His all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in His disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. His divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

[Kazimiera]

The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated on July 16, was first instituted in the late 14th century in commemoration of the approval of the rule of the Carmelite Order a hundred years earlier. According to legend, a religious community was established even before the time of Christ on Mount Carmel. This is the mountain overlooking the Mediterranean Sea on which the prophet Elijah successfully challenged the priests of Baal and won the people to the true God. The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel entered the Calendar of the universal Church in the early 18th century.

Although there is no historical evidence for the pre-Christian Carmelite community, references in the 12th century record a community of monks on the holy mountain. Despite continual difficulties, the community built a monastery and church dedicated to the Virgin Mary on Mount Carmel in 1263. Saint Louis, King of France, had visited Mount Carmel in 1254, and brought back six French hermits for whom he built a convent near Paris.

Mount Carmel was taken by the Muslims in 1291, and the brothers were killed and the convent burned. The spread of the Carmelites in Europe is largely attributable to the work of Saint Simon Stock (1247-1265). The Carmelite Order was formally approved in 1274 at the Council of Lyon.

The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel



The brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, according to the Carmelite tradition, was presented by Our Lady to St. Simon Stock, the then Father General on July 16, 1251. Our Lady gave St. Simon a scapular for the Carmelites with the following promise, saying : "Receive, My beloved son, this habit of thy order: this shall be to thee and to all Carmelites a privilege, that whosoever dies clothed in this shall never suffer eternal fire .... It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of peace."

Another important aspect of wearing the Scapular is the Sabbatine Privilege. This concerns a promise made by Our Lady to Pope John XXII. In a papal letter he issued, he recounted a vision that he had had. He stated that the Blessed Virgin had said to him in this vision, concerning those who wear the Brown Scapular: "I, the Mother of Grace, shall descend on the Saturday after their death and whomsoever I shall find in Purgatory, I shall free, so that I may lead them to the holy mountain of life everlasting."

Many popes and saints have strongly recommended wearing the Brown Scapular to the Catholic Faithful. Pope Pius XII said: "The Scapular is a practice of piety which by its very simplicity is suited to everyone, and has spread widely among the faithful of Christ to their spiritual profit." In our own times, Pope Paul VI said: "Let the faithful hold in high esteem the practices and devotions to the Blessed Virgin ... the Rosary and the Scapular of Carmel" and in another place referred to the Scapular as: "so highly recommended by our illustrious predecessors."

According to Church tradition, there are three conditions necessary to participate in this Privilege and share in the other spiritual benefits of the Scapular: wear the Brown Scapular, observe chastity according to your state in life, and pray the Rosary. In addition to the Sabbatine Privilege, enrollment in the Brown Scapular also makes a person part of the Carmelite family throughout the world. They therefore share in all of the prayers and good works of the Carmelite Orders.

In order to receive the spiritual blessings associated with the Scapular, it is necessary to be formally enrolled in the Brown Scapular. The enrollment is made only once by a priest or authorized person. The Scapular can be replaced afterwards by a medal, which has on one side the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the other, the image of Mary.

There a short form for giving the scapular: "Receive this Scapular, a sign of your special relationship with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, whom you pledge to imitate. May it be a reminder to you of your dignity as a Christian in serving others and imitating Mary. Wear it as a sign of her protection and of belonging to the family of Carmel, voluntarily doing the will of God and devoting yourself to building a world true to his plan of community, justice and peace."

The scapular stands for:

- A commitment to follow Jesus, like Mary, the perfect model of all the disciples of Christ. This commitment finds its origin in baptism.

- It leads into the community of Carmel, a community of religious men and women, which has existed in the Church for over eight centuries.

- It reminds of the example of the saints of Carmel, with whom it establishes a close bond as brothers and sisters.

- It is an expression of the belief that the bearers of the scapular will meet God in eternal life, aided by the intercession and prayers of Mary.

The Carmelites insist that the scapular is not:

- A magical charm to protect someone.
- An automatic guarantee of salvation.
- An excuse for not living up to the demands of the Christian life

It is instead a sign which has been approved by the Church for over seven centuries and which stands for the decision to

- Follow Jesus like Mary:
- Be open to God and to his will.
- Be guided by faith, hope, and love.
- To pray at all times
- To discover God present in all that happens around us.

[Kazimiera]

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Protestants as well as Catholics believe that the Body of Jesus Christ is now in heaven.

This doctrine is called the Ascension and is explicitly revealed in the Bible. All Christians believe, too, that the bodies of the just will be united to their souls at the end of the world and be glorified in heaven after the manner of the Risen Body of Christ. This is also revealed explicitly in the New Testament. It follows, therefore, that the bodies and souls of the departed saints are now separated, that their souls are in heaven and their bodies in the grave. Christians of every conceivable denomination are agreed on these two dogmas.

After that, however, Protestants and Catholics part company, for Catholics believe that the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary is also in heaven. We call this doctrine the Assumption. By it we hold that the glorification of the flesh, which will take place for us only at the end of time, was granted to Mary at the end of her earthly life. We believe, therefore, that the bodies of both Jesus and Mary are now in heaven. There is, however, this difference: Jesus arose from the tomb and ascended into heaven by his own power, whereas Mary's body was taken up to heaven by the power of her Son. For that reason we use two different words: the Ascension of Christ and the Assumption of Mary.

Historical Data

There is no positive historical data in proof of the historical fact of the Assumption.

"It is impossible to accept the popular and late legend, according to which the Apostles, having been present at the Virgin's death, later found her tomb empty or saw her body wafted away by angels" (Jean Guitton).

There are however, negative historical conditions which are quite impressive. Among others are these:

1. At no time in history has Christendom venerated a grave or tomb of the Blessed Virgin.
2. Until the 5th century of Christianity there was not even a legend concerning her place of burial.
3. There is absolutely no relic of Our Lady's body in existence; nor has any person or city ever claimed possession of such a relic.
4. "From the earliest ages of the Church the faithful venerated the remains of the Saints, and in instances even strove for the honor of possessing them. Relics of the Apostles and of thousands of martyrs are preserved in richly adorned shrines and caskets. The sacred remains of Mary could not have been lost or neglected; that is a hypothesis which it would be impossible to entertain" (Father Canice, OFM Cap.).
5. In the first sixteen centuries of Christianity no reputable theologian or school of theology ever questioned the dogma of the Assumption. It is notable how theologians have been more unanimous in accepting the Assumption than the Immaculate Conception.

Implicit in Bible

The Bible nowhere mentions explicitly this glorification of Mary's Immaculate body. That it has been revealed by God is nevertheless certain; otherwise it could not have been defined as a dogma of faith, A public revelation of the Assumption must have been made to the Apostles, or at least to one of them, because public revelation closed with the death of the last Apostle. There are, however, several implicit revelations of the Assumption in the Bible. The most important texts are: Gen. 3:15; Lk. 1:28; Apoc. 12:1-2.

Reasons for the Assumption

Ancient belief in the Assumption was based on the Christian conviction that Christ willed his holy Mother to participate in all his prerogatives. Therefore he associated her in his own glorification by an anticipated resurrection.

The corruption of the grave is a punishment for sin (Gen. 3:19). Our flesh is a "flesh of sin" (Rom. 8:3). Through the desires of this flesh the majority of our sins are committed. In Mary, however, there is not the slightest stain of sin. By her Immaculate Conception and fulness of grace she was entitled to immunity from corruption in her body. The principle of corruption which we bear within us did not exist in her. "Flesh and blood," says the Bible, "cannot possess the kingdom of God" (I Cor. 15:15). Even the bodies of the saints do not deserve to enter the kingdom of God. They must first be renewed by the hand of God. But Mary's body — Immaculate, pure, sinless — is consequently incorruptible.

From the first moment of her conception the state of the Blessed Virgin Mary was analogous, but superior, to the state of Adam and Eve before the Fall. Had they not sinned they would not have heard the divine malediction: "Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return" (Gen. 3,19). Doesn't justice therefore demand that Mary be preserved from a malediction never merited by her?

Mary's Immaculate Body was, in a sense, the origin of sanctification of all mankind. Her flesh was used to form the flesh of her Son; the flesh which he used on the Cross to destroy death and sin, and which he gave to us that we might rise from the dead. Was this flesh, Mary's flesh, Christ's flesh, the instrument of our redemption and resurrection, to be subject to the corruption of the grave?

"The womb that bore Jesus Christ, the hands that caressed him, the arms that embraced him, the breasts that nourished him, the heart that so loved him — it is impossible to think that these crumbled into dust" (Father Canice, OFM Cap.).

Christ's perfect victory over Satan included victory over sin and death. But Mary, the Mother of God, was most intimately associated with Jesus in his victory over Satan. She not only furnished the flesh which Christ sacrificed for our Redemption, but she also had a definite role of cooperation in this Redemption. She was associated with him in the different parts of his triumph. Hence she was associated with him in his victory over death by her anticipated resurrection and Assumption. This argument is used by Pope Pius IX in the Bull Ineffabilis Deus.

In the virginal conception and birth of his Son, God performed an absolutely unique miracle. This miracle was an act of divine respect for the flesh of the Mother of God. Against all the laws of nature he preserved the corporal integrity of his Mother. Would he later allow that Immaculate flesh to suffer the immeasurably greater lesion of the corruption of the grave?

It is a basic principle of Catholic teaching that all the prerogatives and glories of Mary are because of Jesus Christ. His divine dignity presupposes and demands such perfection in his Mother. The flesh of Mary was the Flesh of Christ; and Christ owed it to himself to preserve from dissolution the body that had served to form his own Body. Mary's body, like her soul, had to be sinless and undefiled. The humiliation of the Mother would have been the humiliation of the Son.

Silence of Early Centuries

The first person known to have asked what happened to Mary's body was St. Epiphanius. He was a 4th century Bishop, close to the scene of events, who had devoted himself seriously to the study of Mary's death. On the occasion of the controversy against the Antidico-marianites, opponents of Mary's virginity, he apparently had no knowledge of even the existence of a tradition concerning the end of Mary's life. In fact, he seemed to be of the opinion as are many mariologists today, that Our Lady did not die. Here are his exact words:

"The Sacred Scriptures do not say that Mary remained in the house of St. John, and the probable reason for the silence of Holy Writ concerning Mary's later life may be found in the fact that her life was so completely heavenly and wonderful that mankind could not possibly have borne the spectacle. Perhaps the Apocalypse (12,13) would show by the woman who was snatched from the dragon, that Mary escaped death. If she did die, her death was kept hidden, that people might not think too carnally about Mary."

Origin of Feast

From the middle of the 5th century a feast called "Commemoration of the Mother of God" was celebrated on August 15th in a shrine located near Jerusalem. Near the end of the 6th century this became a feast commemorating the end of Mary's sojourn on earth and was called the "Dormition of Our Lady." In the beginning of the 8th century Pope Sergius introduced the feast into Rome together with three other feasts of the Blessed Virgin. From Rome it spread rapidly throughout western Europe. It was Pope Hadrian who, at the end of the 8th century, gave it the name of the "Assumption of St. Mary." The Greek Church became interested in this question long before the Latin Church did. Both Greek and Latin writers, however, readily acknowledged their ignorance of the way in which the Blessed Virgin Mary had left this world.

Development and Definition

When Pope Pius IX defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, it drew attention to the possibility of a dogmatic definition of the Assumption. Both are truths not found explicitly in the Bible. Many began to petition the Apostolic See for its immediate definition. Between 1849 and 1940 more than 2,500 such petitions were received from bishops and superiors of religious orders. These represented 73% of the Catholic hierarchy. On May 1st, 1946, Pope Pius XII sent an Encyclical Letter ("Deiparae Virginis") to all the bishops of the world asking them to make known to him the belief and devotion of themselves, their clergy, and their people regarding the Assumption. 1185 bishops answered that the dogma could safely be defined, and only 16 questioned the advisability of the proclamation at that time. It was therefore a quasi-unanimity. On November 1st of the Holy Year, 1950, the day after the closing of the 8th International Marian Congress, held that year in Rome, Pius XII solemnly defined the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven. This great event took place in the Piazza of St. Peter's in the presence of 40 Cardinals, 500 bishops, thousands of priests, and close to one million lay persons. The exact words of the dogma of faith definition, extracted from the Bull "Munificentissimus Deus," were:

"Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory."

Just as Mary received Christ on earth, so Christ in turn received Mary in heaven. Having deigned to descend to her, it was fitting that he should raise her to himself in his glory. The place of the Mother of God is in the splendors of eternal glory and not in the gloom of the sepulchre.

"The Virgin, who gave history its impetus, was herself soon detached from it, to become instead an emblem of history's goal." — Jean Guitton

Prayer of Pope Pius XII

"O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and Mother of Men, — we believe with all the fervor of our Faith in your triumphal Assumption, both in body and soul, into heaven where you are acclaimed as Queen of all the choirs of angels and all the legions of the Saints; and we unite with them to praise and bless the Lord Who has exalted you above all other pure creatures, and to offer you the tribute of our devotion and our love." (from the Assumption Prayer of Pope Pius XII)