Feast of the Guardian Angels

October 2, is the Feast of the Guardian Angels.

No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your tent, for to His Angels God has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways. Upon their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone - Psalm 91:10-12

“Beside each believer stands an angel protector and shepherd leading him to life."

-- St. Basil the Great

The following is an excerpt of a homily by St. Bernard of Clairvaux  and is used in the Roman Office Readings for October 2nd: 

He has given his angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways. Let them thank the Lord for his mercy; his wonderful works are for the children of men. Let them give thanks and say among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them. O Lord, what is man that you have made yourself known to him, or why do you incline your heart to him? And you do incline your heart to him; you show him your care and your concern. Finally, you send your only Son and the grace of your Spirit, and promise him a vision of your countenance. And so, that nothing in heaven should be wanting in your concern for us, you send those blessed spirits to serve us, assigning them as our guardians and our teachers.

Life is Very Much Like Fishing

By Todd Sylvester, Mobile, Ala. - St. Ignatius

Life is very much like fishing. There are great days with perfect weather and great company. All your gear works perfectly, from the boat to no tangled lines, and the fish bite so well that you catch your limit in no time. You relax thinking about how great it will all taste. Then there are bad days with horrible weather and people you don’t get along with and frankly, don’t like. The boat won’t start, and once it does, you can’t keep it running. You've got tangled lines, your favorite lure is lost to the sea, and not one fish is hauled in. But in both instances, you’re fishing.

I saw a great bumper sticker that said, “A bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work.” And if you substitute “Fishing” for “Life” and “Work” for the opposite of “Life” then our perspective is opened to God’s Truth. Life is GOOD, regardless of the circumstances. Whether your day goes exceedingly well or is the worst you’ve experienced thus far- it’s still a day of Life, and Life is Good. I hope God grants you lots of days and I do hope they are great, but even if they’re not, I’m still grateful that God gave you the gift of Life. Peace, Todd

How Do You Know Me?

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP, posts an interesting homily for today:

Back in the Bad Old Days before I came into the Church, I had friends who dabbled in angel worship, or more specially, angelic magic. Using books they had purchased from Borders, these friends constructed elaborate angelic altars and performed rituals designed to summon and command God's heavenly messengers. As a nascent neo-pagan myself, I found their obsession with angels to be both intriguing and weird. Read more ...

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels

September 29 is the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels, a feast day known in some countries as Michaelmas.

"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world -- he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." -- Revelation 12:7-9

"In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." --Luke 1:26-28

"Raphael called the two men aside privately and said to them: "Thank God! Give him the praise and the glory. Before all the living, acknowledge the many good things he has done for you, by blessing and extolling his name in song. Before all men, honor and proclaim God's deeds, and do not be slack in praising him." -- Tobit 12:6

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

Feast of St. Wenceslaus

September 28 is the Feast of St. Wenceslaus, martyr, died 935 - murdered on his way to church. Pictured here is the statue of Wenceslause in Wenceslause Square, Prague. St. Wenceslaus is the primary patron of the Czech state.

This morning Pope Benedict XVI spoke of St. Wenceslaus in his homily at Stará Boleslav:

"This morning, we are gathered around the altar for the glorious commemoration of the martyr Saint Wenceslaus, whose relics I was able to venerate before Mass in the Basilica dedicated to him. He shed his blood in your land, and his eagle, which – as the Cardinal Archbishop has just mentioned – you chose as a symbol for this visit, constitutes the historical emblem of the noble Czech nation. This great saint, whom you are pleased to call the "eternal" Prince of the Czechs, invites us always to follow Christ faithfully, he invites us to be holy. He himself is a model of holiness for all people, especially the leaders of communities and peoples. Yet we ask ourselves: in our day, is holiness still relevant? Or is it now considered unattractive and unimportant? Do we not place more value today on worldly success and glory? Yet how long does earthly success last, and what value does it have?"

Feast of St. Pio of Pietrelcina

"Pray, pray to the Lord with me, because the whole world needs prayer. And every day, when your heart especially feels the loneliness of life, pray. Pray to the Lord, because even God needs our prayers."
— St. Pio of Pietrelcina

What Do You Know About What You Know?

By Bill Harkins, Mobile, Ala. - St. Ignatius

Like all of us, I work to live up to my commitments, especially as a Catholic husband, father and son. We at the Men of St. Joseph share views and thoughts every Tuesday that help me in this struggle. Each week I am impressed with the knowledge of our Faith that my Tuesday morning team-mates possess. I don’t always appreciate it as I should, but I know the Holy Spirit is talking through them to me. I just have to listen.

How do these guys gain the knowledge they have about Scripture and Tradition? Some have the gift to understand issues immediately upon reading about or discussing them. Others have to read and re-read Faith filled texts and articles in order to develop their knowledge. Their gift is the discipline to devote time to study. There are even people today, as throughout the history of the Church, who receive knowledge and wisdom directly from God. We can’t choose the gifts our Lord presents us for our journey, but we are obligated to take full advantage of them.

I challenge all Men of St. Joseph to really contemplate their gifts. How do you gain insight about the Catholic Church? How do we apply what we learn? How do we use our gifts to influence others to make decisions that will move them toward heaven? Take advantage of your gifts to learn more. Be inquisitive. Read. Ask questions of those you know who have a solid understanding of what it means to be a Catholic in today’s world. Devote time to your study and apply what you learn. You will be rewarded greatly.