The one Name that contains everything


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There are a handful of paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that still leave me breathless because of the profound truths they express in a small package. For example, the description of parrhesia, the essential disposition for coming to our Father in prayer (No. 2778) or "thirst" as a moving metaphor for the union of God and humanity in prayer (No 2650). Among these powerful paragraphs is No 2666, a reflection on the Name of Jesus. On this Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, I invite you to read and ponder its content. It is no small thing to speak the Name of Jesus, the only name that contains the very power it signifies and invites Jesus personally and powerfully into your present circumstances. We should never speak it lightly, but we should invoke it often - THE POWERFUL NAME OF JESUS!!

2666 But the one name that contains everything is the one that the Son of God received in his incarnation: JESUS. The divine name may not be spoken by human lips, but by assuming our humanity The Word of God hands it over to us and we can invoke it: "Jesus," "YHWH saves."16 The name "Jesus" contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray "Jesus" is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him (Rom 10:13; Acts 2:21; 3:15-16; Gal 2:20).

On His Feast Day: The Morning Prayer of St. Basil the Great

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Morning Prayer of Saint Basil the Great

As I rise from sleep, I thank Thee, O Holy Trinity, for through Thy great goodness and patience Thou hast not been angry with me, an idler and sinner, nor hast Thou destroyed me with mine iniquities, but hast shown Thy usual love for mankind; and when I was prostrate in despair, Thou hast raised me up to keep the morning watch and glorify Thy power. And now enlighten my mind’s eye, and open my mouth that I may meditate on Thy words, and understand Thy commandments, and do Thy will, and hymn Thee in heartfelt confession, and sing praises to Thine all-holy name: of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Come, let us worship God, our King.

O Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and God.

O Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ himself, our King and God.

Ever wonder what kind of New Year's Resolutions the Saints made?

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Here's a list from St. Faustina's Diary

13 General Resolutions from St. Faustina’s Diary

861 Particular examen: remains the same; namely, to unite myself with the Merciful Christ (that is; what would Christ do in such and such a case?) and, in spirit, to embrace the whole world, especially Russia and Spain

I. Strict observance of silence - interior silence. 
II. To see the image of God in every sister; all love of neighbor must flow from this motive.  
III. To do the will of God faithfully at every moment of my life and to live by this. 
IV. To give a faithful account of everything to the spiritual director and not to undertake anything of importance without a clear understanding with him.  I shall try to clearly lay bare to him the most secret depths of my soul, bearing in mind that I am dealing with God himself, and that His representative is just a human being, and so I must pray daily that he be given light.  
V. During the evening examination of conscience, I am to ask myself the question: What if He were to call me today?  
VI. Not to look for God far away, but within my own being to abide with Him alone.  
VII.  In sufferings and torments, to take refuge in the tabernacle and to be silent.  
VIII. To join all sufferings, prayers, works and mortifications to the merits of Jesus in order to obtain mercy for the world.  
IX. To use free moments, however short, for prayers for the dying. 
X. There must not be a day in my life when I do not recommend to the Lord the works of our Congregation.  Never have regard for what others think of you [for human respect].  
XI. Have no familiar relationships with anyone.  Gentle firmness toward the girls, boundless patience; punish them severely but with such punishments as these: prayer and self-sacrifice.  The strength that is in the emptying of myself for their sake is for them a [source of] constant remorse and the softening of their obdurate hearts.  
XII. The presence of God is the basis of all my thoughts, words and deeds.  
XIII. To take advantage of all spiritual help.  To always put self-love in its proper place; namely, the 
last.  To perform my spiritual exercises as though I were doing them for the last time in my life, and in like manner to carry out all my duties.

On His Feast: St. Anthony, more than a patron of lost things

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Excerpts from a great book on one of my favorite saints:

 

Anthony of Padua, by Fr. Claude Jarmak, Franciscan

 

"Saint Anthony of Padua deserves to be rediscovered as a saintly teacher for our time. To meet this need, in splendid fashion, Fr. Claude M. Jarmak, a Conventual Franciscan friar, responds in the pages of this book. He helps us know St. Anthony through the Saint's own words, sharing his profound and engaging reflections on the teachings of Jesus.

This book is an aid for reflective prayer, a resources for preaching and teaching, and a reference for Franciscan spirituality, and much more. This is because St. Anthony's lively intellect an prayerful reading of the Gospel of Jesus open up fresh understanding of the parables and offer uplifting insights on topics which range from the Blessed Trinity through Mary, the Mother of God, the means of holiness." - His Eminence William Keeler

 

"As the author Fr. Claude Jarmak himself tell us in the foreword, this book is subtitled 'Reflections of Saint Anthony of Padua', and not 'Reflections about Saint Anthony of Padua', since the Saint's own thoughts and words are used to explain Sacred Scripture and to teach a moral lesson... This is an excellent insight into Franciscan thought, which will be greatly enjoyed by devotees of St. Anthony throughout the world" - Messenger of St. Anthony

 

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Excerpts From Chapter XX - A man of Prayer (Saint Anthony).

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To establish and maintain a personal relationship with anyone, some form of communication is essential, whether it be a conversation, correspondence, body language, or any other form of exchange. The same is true of our personal relationship with God. This communication is called prayer. Prayer is not a monologue, but a dialogue with God, to whom we speak and who speaks to us.

 

Thomas of Celano wrote that St. Francis of Assisi: "directed al his attention and affection to the Lord, not so much praying as becoming himself a prayer, indicating that prayer was not something Francis did, but something that he was, that his whole life, his whole being, became prayer. In Francis there was perfect fusion between life and prayer.

 

The same holds true for St. Anthony, a true disciple of Francis of Assisi. When Francis chose Anthony to teach theology for the brothers, he wrote to him: "It pleases me that you teach theology to the brothers, as long as, in the words of the Rule, you do not extinguish the Spirit of prayer an devotion with study of this kind". The admonition was unnecessary inasmuch as Anthony integrated prayer and study so well in his life that he served as an example for all other brothers.

 

Saint Anthony's quotes:

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Definition of prayer

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"Prayer is an expression of a person's love for God, a devout and familiar conversation, an abandonment of a soul, illumined by grace to enjoy the Lord" - In accordance with Franciscan spirituality, Anthony emphasizes more the importance of the affective element of love, which he says is "an affective clinging to God", rather than one based on understanding or intellectual comprehension. For St. Anthony the heart plays a more important role in prayer than does the mind.

 

In the Sermon for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, the Saint uses a passage from the Psalms (86:4): "Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my face." Anthony writes: "To raise one's face to God means to elevate the heart to contemplate the Sublime reality. Pray to Him and He will hear you. A good man prays (Ps 86:1): 'Incline your ear, O Lord, answer me'."

 

Prayer, for Anthony, was not so much an elevation of mind, but rather of the heart, the seat of love and affection, to the Lord God. We should not attempt to comprehend God, but express our adoration, gratitude and love for one who "has loved us first."

 

In commenting on the Scripture excerpt from Matthew (6:25), "Look at the birds in the sky," St. Anthony quotes a passage from the book of Tobit: "Sara went into an upper chamber of her house, and for three days and three nights did neither eat nor drink, but continued to pray, and with tears she besought the Lord." Anthony points out the fact that she went " into an upper chamber" to pray. "In the same way, a just person must enter the upper chamber of his soul to pray," that is, to elevate one's heart to God. He says that a good person offers prayers to God both in the good times of prosperity, as well as in bad times of adversity. Saint Anthony points to the order of words: "First she went to an upper chamber, she did not eat or drink, but persisted in prayer; she cried." Saint Anthony then concludes "Whosoever wishes to fly like the birds during prayer, ought to follow the same order. He must first elevate this soul above earthly cares, mortify his body; persist in prayer an beseech the Lord with tears."

 

Whatever you ask my Father

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In the Sermon for the Rogation days, St. Anthony uses a Scripture passage from Luke (11:9) "Ask and you shall receive." In commenting on this excerpt, Anthony quotes the Prophet Zechariah (10:1) "Ask of the Lord rain in the evening and He will send you snow; He will give you abundant rain and grassy fields." Then the Saint comments: "Snow, which is white an cold, symbolizes the whiteness of chastity; abundant rain signifies compunction for sins accompanied by abundant tears; the grassy fields symbolize compassion for the needs of our sisters and brothers, which should always grow abundantly in our hearts." 

 

Anthony mentions a priority of precedence when asking for anything in prayer: "We should ask the Lord for three things, even if not in the first place, at least "in the evening", that is, in the second place. We ought to seek the kingdom of God and its justice above everything else. Worldly minded people primarily seek material things, and only afterwards do they seek the things that are of heaven. We should begin with heaven, for "where our treasure is found, there you will find our hearts as well as our requests."

 

"Seek and you will find." The bride in the Song of Songs (3:2) says: "I will rise then and go about the city; in the streets and crossings, I will seek him whom my heart loves." In explaining this passage, Anthony writes: "The city symbolizes our eternal home which contains streets and crossings, that is to say, different hierarchies of angels, major and minor. "I will rise" refers to the soul rising above material things in prayer. The Soul "goes about" when it"

 

admires the ardent love for God of the Seraphim,

when it observes the wisdom in regard to God of the Cherubim

and of the other choirs of angels among whom the soul seeks its spouse.

 

Saint Anthony concludes this section with a quote from the prophet Sophonias (2:3) "Seek the Lord, all you meek of this world, you that have wrought his judgment. Seek the just one, seek the meek one, so that you may be hidden in the day of the Lord's indignation."

 

Different kinds of prayer

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Spiritual writers divide prayers into four different kinds: prayer of adoration, thanksgiving, contrition, and petition. ...

 

Saint Anthony says that "prayer is threefold: mental, vocal, and manual. The book of Sirach (35:17) speaks of mental prayer: "The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds". Psalm 88:3 speaks of vocal prayer: 'Let my prayer come before you.' And the Apostle Paul (1 Thes 5:17) says of manual prayer: 'never cease praying'. He who does not cease to do good, never ceases to pray. That is why we say 'Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call,' that is, the sound of the heart, the sound of my mouth and the sound of my good deeds, with which I cry out to you."

 

Prayer, according to the Saint, must not only be vertical, that is, directed to the Lord, but it must also be horizontal, extending itself to other people, especially those in needs. He equates doing goo deeds with praying unceasingly: He, who does not cease to do good, does not cease to pray." To do good and to pray are two complementary acts, both glorifying God.

 

In His life Anthony exemplified this perfectly. While teaching, preaching, or writing, he never lost sight of God, he never ceased to pray and do good. The unifying factor in praying and good works is the fact that prayer is an essential and necessary component of doing good. This is what St. Anthony meant when he wrote in his Sermon for the Feast of the Circumcision: "Deeds without devotion are like a lamp without oil," meaning that deeds without prayer are useless and ineffective. On the Feast of the Chair of Peter, speaking of bread as a staple on everyone's table, Anthony comments: "Sorrow for sings ought in the same way be a staple of the food for the soul, because all deeds are insipid without devotion."

 

Necessity of Silence

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...."Solitude for material things distracts the soul and divides it. The devil seizes the divided soul an drags it to hell." It is difficult to pray when the mind and heart is divided. God is one, and when we pray, we should be one with Him, not having, as St. Anthony says "Corpus in choro et cor in foro", which is to have "the body in the choir, and the heart in the town square"....

 

 

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BOOK LINK: http://t.co/jHbP9SI via @amazon

 

The book "If you seek miracles - Reflections of Saint Anthony of Padua" is divided into sections, each of which containing various chapters:

 

Section One: Reflects on the Word of God

Section Two: Reflects on the Triune God

Section Three: Reflects on the Mother of God

Section Four: Reflects on Holiness and virtue

Section Five: Reflects on Prayer

Section Six: Reflects on the Cross, the Church, and penance

Section Seven: Reflects on God's creatures

 

Enjoy! (Special thanks to Jennie Baraun for excerpts)

 


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Our Last Day

It's hard to believe that today is our last day in Israel!  Today we celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation in the village where it occured, Ein Kerem, visited the Valley of Elah, where David faced Goliath, ate at a Kosher McDonald's and visited Mini-Israel a 1/8 scale model of the entire country of modern Israel where we could visually revisit all the sites we experienced over the last 8 days.  Tonight we have a farewell dinner and then head to the airport at 7:45 for our midnight flight back to the U.S!

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Today was a full day beginning at Peter Gallicantu, where we remember Peter's betrayal and celebrate his later restoration. Beneath the Church is the prison of Caiphas, the High Priest who tried Jesus the night of the Last Supper.  We visited the Upper Room, the Western (Wailing Wall), the Rabbinic Tunnels and the recently excavated Southern Steps of the ancient Temple. Tomorrow is our last day in the land! We will be outside of Jerusalem (a God-send because tomorrow is "Jerusalem Day" so many streets will be closed for festivities and celebrations).  We will visit Ein Kerem, the location of the Visitation on the Feast of the Visitation, Mini-Israel and the Valley where David faced Goliath!

Pic from Peter Gallicantu Church:

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Via Dolorosa & more

Today we began very early (at 5 am!) for the Via Dolorosa and Mass on Mount Calvary, it was a very moving morning. We returned to the Hotel for breakfast and then visited the Temple Mount and a variety of choices for afternoon activities. Sorry no pictures to post but your family and friends will share photos from Via Dolorosa and our group picture with you. Tomorrow we visit the Western or Wailing Wall, Peter Gallicantu Church and more. Everyone is doing well, although we are tired but filled with gratitude and joy.

Into the Wilderness

Today we had a decompression day where we visited Masada, En Gedi, Qumran and floated in the Dead Sea. We actually woke up to rain in Jerusalem (the first time I have seen this in 6 years).  It made for a wonderful cool Mass in the desert where we celebrated an outdoor mass at the site of Christ's baptism in the Jordan.

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Tracing the Footsteps of Jesus

Today we begin at the Church of Pater Noster (Our Father) and traced the Triumphal Entry down the Mount of Olives ending in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  It was a "shorter" day but emotionally and physically exhausting as we navigated the footsteps of Jesus.

We were especially blessed to be able to venerate the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux who is traveling the Holy Land.  It was a special grace for those in our group who have a devotion to her and her Little Way.

Relics of St. Therese at Pater Noster

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Our group celebrating Mass in Gethsemane:

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Tomorrow we will be able to "decompress" a little in Masada, Qumran and "floating" in the Dead Sea.


 

 

 

We've arrived at Jerusalem!

We had a very long but glorious day today. We visited Mount Tabor, made the drive to Bethlehem and spent the afternoon there before reaching our hotel tonight in Jerusalem.  All are well and it will be nice to be in one hotel now for the balance of the trip.

Here's a shot from our Mass on Mount Tabor at the Church of the Transfiguration

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About

Thomas was a Protestant minister who was received into the Catholic Church in 1996. Bringing a wealth of experience and insight on the Word of God to audiences across the U.S., Thomas is a repeat guest on EWTN and Catholic radio as well as a sought after parish mission and conference speaker. He is the co-author of “Adventures in Revelation: The Kingdom Yet to Come” and an international presenter for the Great Adventure Bible Timeline. He has taught as an adjunct professor at the St. Francis School of Theology in Denver, and is the former Director of the Denver Catholic Biblical School and the Denver Catechetical School. Thomas lives on his family ranch in southeastern Idaho where he works and writes.

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