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October 17, Feast Day of Ignatius of Antioch, also known as Ignatius Theophorus. St. Ignatius of Antioch is the patron saint of the Church in the Eastern Mediterranean and in North Africa. As found in his letters, St. Ignatius of Antioch was the first to use the term “Catholic” to describe the whole Church.
Christianity, during Ignatius time was not much different from today: the Christian faith had faced tribulations, persecution, mistreatment, and discrimination, and worst of all, the deaths of men, women, children, and the elderly simply because they believed in Christ.
Ignatius was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom - where he bravely met the lions in the Circus Maximus - Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence forms a central part of a later collection of works by the Apostolic Fathers. He is considered one of the three most important of these, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. His letters also serve as an example of early Christian theology, and address important topics including ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops.
Born in Syria, Ignatius converted to Christianity and eventually became bishop of Antioch. In the year 107, Emperor Trajan visited Antioch and forced the Christians there to choose between death and apostasy. Ignatius would not deny Christ and thus was condemned to be put to death in Rome.
Ignatius is well known for the seven letters he wrote on the long journey from Antioch to Rome. Five of these letters are to churches in Asia Minor; they urge the Christians there to remain faithful to God and to obey their superiors. He warns them against heretical doctrines, providing them with the solid truths of the Christian faith.
The sixth letter was to Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, who was later martyred for the faith. The final letter begs the Christians in Rome not to try to stop his martyrdom. “The only thing I ask of you is to allow me to offer the libation of my blood to God. I am the wheat of the Lord; may I be ground by the teeth of the beasts to become the immaculate bread of Christ.”
Prayer to Saint Ignatius of Antioch
Most holy Saint Ignatius of Antioch, we know that you are a powerful intercessor because you sacrificed your life for your faith in God. We pray, that just as your glorious passion brought you eternal splendor, so it may also be for us unending protection. Help us to live our lives by your example of courage and faith.
The New York Times' By Christina Caron looked at some reasons people might feel depressed at night and provides some suggestions. She misses the most important one.
Caron writes: "It’s not uncommon for our minds to unleash a torrent of difficult feelings under the cover of darkness: sadness and negative thoughts may surface at night, making sleep hard to come by." On social media and elsewhere people often refer to this as “nighttime depression.” But is that really a thing? And if so, why do some people get blue at night?
Caron mentions anxiety and depression in the same sentence: "While anxiety can also ramp up at night, and tends to make people feel agitated, tense and restless, nighttime depression is best characterized as a low mood." The anxiety link Caron provides. leads to a New York Times piece by Kiera Carter who attempts to answer the question Why Do I Feel More Anxious at Night.? Carter cites a study by the American Psychogical Association, which basically says Americans are stressed because they hate living in the United States.
She also cites Dr. Rafael Pelayo, who claims the purpose of evening anxiety is an evolutionary defense mechanism: "Dr. Rafael Pelayo, a clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences in sleep medicine at Stanford Medicine and author of the book, “How to Sleep.” “Sleep is the most dangerous thing we can do."
Factors Affecting Night Mood Swings
Caron says there are many factors that can tank your mood late at night, including insomnia, loneliness, alcohol, drugs and circadian rhythms, concluding that the night shift may be hazardous to your health: "Studies of night workers, for example, have found that working outside of regular business hours is associated with an increased risk of depression and anxiety, among other health problems." Although nighttime depression can be a symptom of clinical depression, research suggests that most people, including those without mood disorders, will feel worse as a result of staying up too late or waking up, she adds.
Cause-Effect
Is there a physical reason that impacts you night mood? Did you, for example, have too much coffee today, drink alcohol or eat a heavy meal right before bed? What about television? Sleep Disruption: If watching movies affects your sleep schedule, it could lead to fatigue or other health issues. Social Isolation: If it replaces social activities or interactions, it might lead to feelings of loneliness. Sedentary Lifestyle: Spending too much time sitting can contribute to physical health problems.
Way Forward
According to Caron. Dr. Sarah L. Chellappa, an associate professor at the University of Southampton who has studied the relationship between circadian rhythms and mood, recommended establishing consistent sleep and wake times, avoiding daytime naps and stashing electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime. But it's not just the electronic devices. More like self-mastery to achieve impedance matching, or decompression: and overstimulated brain is not predisposed for a good night's sleep. So what is an impedance matching activity you may ask? Any activity that can transition your brain status to sleep mode, like no overeating prior to going to bed, mediation or praer can do that.
Prayer on the other hand is an integral part of Christian living. We call upon God every time we pray, as stated in Matthew 6:9: "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.'" By praying to God every day to ask for His help and forgiveness, we get closer to Him. Saint Philip Neri's Maxim for October 9 says; "In saying the Pater Noster, we ought to reflect that we have God for our Father in heaven, and so go on making a sort of meditation of it word by word."
Catholics are fortunate for their prayer tool kit is inexhaustible. There's the Paster Noster, but Sacred Scripture is chock full of exhortation to pray for healing, both physical and mental:
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:14-16)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” (Psalm 107:28-30)
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:13-14)
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:22)
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)
In addition to Sacred Scripture, Catholics can resort to intercessors, like the Blessed Virgin Mary and pray the Holy Rosary.
Or they can go directly to God and ask for mercy by praying the Divine Mercy,
or pray to the patron saint of the particular ailment. Catholics are encouraged to pray the Divine Office, also known as The Liturgy of the Hours several times daily. The Liturgy of the Hours, like many other forms of the canonical hours, consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns, readings, and other prayers and antiphons prayed at fixed prayer times. Together with the Mass, it constitutes the public prayer of the church.
Conclusion
Caron concludes saying: "If you find that your low mood isn’t improving during the day and instead persists continually for weeks, then it’s important to seek help from a health care provider, the experts said."
However, if there are no underlying physical conditions that explain your low mood, I'd say, before you turn to a health care provider, turn to mediation or prayer, after all, Jesus came to heal the sick.
Caron also says, if your feelings at night become severe and include fear, paranoia, irritability, impulsivity or suicidal thoughts then it’s necessary to seek care quickly or call 988, the national suicide hotline. I would also suggest you turn to Saint Jude aka Judas Thaddaeus, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes.
Teresa of Ávila, OCD (Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Dávila y Ahumada; also called Saint Teresa of Jesus, (feast day October 15) was a Spanish nun, one of the great mystics and religious women of the Roman Catholic Church, and an author of spiritual classics. She was the originator of the Carmelite Reform, which restored and emphasized the austerity and contemplative character of Carmelite life.
St. Teresa was canonized in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV, abd was elevated to doctor of the church in 1970 by Pope Paul VI, the first of four woman to be so honored.
Teresa lived in an age not unlike 2024, an age of exploration as well as political, social and religious upheaval. The 16th century, like in 2024, was a time of turmoil and reform. Her life began with the culmination of the Protestant Reformation, and ended shortly after the Council of Trent.
Teresa was born in Avila, Castile, Spain, on March 28, 1515 to wealthy parents one of ten brothers and sisters.
From her youth, Teresa showed great zeal and piety, as well as courage and stubbornness. When she was seven years old, Teresa ran away with her brother to the land occupied by the Moors in hopes of attaining the crown of martyrdom. However, they only made it a few miles down the road.
When Teresa was 15 her mother died. Seeing that she needed better guidance, and especially disapproving of the too close relationship between her and her cousin, her father placed Teresa in the care of the Augustinians at Santa Maria de Gracia.
Teresa decided she would enter a convent, but her father would not allow it. As a result of the stress and despair Teresa felt, she became extremely ill. She returned home to become well, and one night she ran away and entered the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation in 1535.
She was held back by her attachments to worldly things, as well as her attachments to others. Eventually, with much struggle she overcame her attachments and her pride, and around the age of forty she experienced a conversion and began to conform her life to God. Her faithfulness to living the Gospel deepened her spiritual life. She began to experience extraordinary favors from God.
Teresa realized that the life she lived at the convent of the Incarnation was not the way the Carmelite Fathers had originally intended the Carmelite life to be. She vowed that she herself would follow the rule perfectly and "without mitigation." Her sisters at the Incarnation caused her much pain because they did not approve of her aspirations. However, she soon won a few other sisters over to her side, and despite opposition from her sisters and from the townsfolk, she established the convent of St. Joseph on August 24, 1562. She endured much, including a lawsuit, but eventually the resistance subsided, and Teresa enjoyed several years of peace at her convent of St. Joseph. It was during this time that she wrote her beloved Way of Perfection
Her own conversion was no overnight affair; it was an arduous lifelong struggle, involving ongoing purification and suffering. She was misunderstood, misjudged, opposed in her efforts at reform. Yet she struggled on, courageous and faithful; she struggled with her own mediocrity, her illness, her opposition. And in the midst of all this she clung to God in life and in prayer. Her writings on prayer and contemplation are drawn from her experience: powerful, practical and graceful. A woman of prayer; a woman for God.
Her autobiography, The Life of Teresa of Jesus, and her books The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection are prominent works on Christian mysticism and Christian meditation practice. In her autobiography, written as a defense of her ecstatic mystical experiences, she discerns four stages in the ascent of the soul to God: mental prayer and meditation; the prayer of quiet; absorption-in-God; ecstatic consciousness. The Interior Castle, written as a spiritual guide for her Carmelite sisters, uses the illustration of seven mansions within the castle of the soul to describe the different states one's soul can be in during life.
“Give me the grace to recollect myself in the little heaven of my soul where You have established Your dwelling. There You let me find You, there I feel that You are closer to me than anywhere else, and there You prepare my soul quickly to enter into intimacy with You … Help me O Lord, to withdraw my senses from exterior things, make them docile to the commands of my will, so that when I want to converse with You, they will retire at once, like bees shutting themselves up in the hive in order to make honey"
Callixtus I's contemporaries and enemies include Tertullian and Hippolytus of Rome, the author of Philosophumena, writes that denounced as a Christian, Callixtus was sentenced to work in the mines of Sardinia.He was released with other Christians at the request of Hyacinthus, a eunuch presbyter, who represented Marcia, the favorite mistress of Emperor Commodus. At this time his health was so weakened that his fellow Christians sent him to Antium to recuperate and he was given a pension by Pope Victor I.
In 199, Callixtus was ordained a deacon by Pope Zephyrinus and appointed superintendent of the Christian cemetery on the Appian Way. That place, which is to this day called the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, became the burial-ground of many popes and was the first land property owned by the Church.
In 217, when Callixtus followed Zephyrinus as Bishop of Rome, he started to admit into the Church converts from sects or schisms who had not done penance. He fought with success the heretics, and established the practice of absolution of all sins, including adultery and murder.Hippolytus found Callixtus's policy of extending forgiveness of sins to cover sexual transgressions shockingly lax and denounced him for allowing believers to regularize liaisons with their own slaves by recognizing them as valid marriages..As a consequence also of doctrinal differences, Hippolytus was elected as a rival bishop of Rome, the first antipope.
Prayer to Saint Callistus
O God, who raised up Pope Saint Callistus the First to serve the Church and attend devoutly to Christ's faithful departed, strengthen us, we pray, by his witness to the faith, so that, rescued from the slavery of corruption, we may merit an incorruptible inheritance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
The prevalence of African Americans in American professional sports such as basketball, football, and
track is self-evident. And its not restricted to professional sports. We see it in College, and we are seeing it in High School.
African-American youth more often play sports to chase college, pro dreams. At the Aspen Institute’s 2019 Project Play Summit, former NBA and University of Michigan star Chris Webber implored parents of youth basketball players to focus less on future stardom – and more on human development – so their child enjoys a positive experience. Webber said youth coaches today often gain their status simply because they are associated with an emerging talent, not because they helped them grow as an athlete or person.
Corollary: Show me your teachers and I'll show you who you will become
The percentage of the players in the National Basketball AssociatIon (NBA) that were African American in the 2017-2018 season was 73.9% (Lapchik, 2018). Additionally, the percentage of players that were African American in the National Football League (NFL) during the 2016-2017 season was 69.7% (Lapchik, 2018).
The percentage of African Americans at the Division I college level in basketball is 53% and 44.2% in football (Lapchik, 2017).
Corollary: Show me your teachers and I'll show you who you will become
According to Sportico'sthe number of scholarship and starting players yield percentages of black participation much higher than 45%. In fact, more than 70% of starters during the 2021 FBS Bowl Season were black, and in the past three recruiting classes, 84% of signees in the SEC were black. And as the Troy/CSRI study showed, the majority of those athletes were recruited by black coaches.
These statistics clearly show that African Americans represent the
majority of the players in these respective sports at a professional level, a subject that is often discussed and debated. Often times these discussions extend further as to why African Americans represent the majority of these leagues. There are two prominent theories as to why African Americans represent the majority of players in certain sports; one attributing it to their genetics and other attributing to
their environment. This paper is not about the nurture versus nature polemic, but about the Inequity of the Pursuit of Equity Over Public Welfare. Others have discussed the two prominent theories that offer explanations as why
African Americans constitute the majority in specific sports and have suggests that their athletic abilities and prevalence in certain sports is attributed to genetic differences, others attribute it to environmental factirs.
Why do you think the NFL promotes the so-called Black National Anthem? To keep African American players in the plantation - which represent over 70% of players in the National Football League (NFL) during the 2016-2017 season (Lapchik, 2018).
And guess what? the Pareto Rule of College Sports says 99% of college players never make it to the professional league.
Wait, there's more: more than 70% of starters during the 2021 FBS Bowl Season were black, and in the past three recruiting classes, 84% of signees in the SEC were black. And as the Troy/CSRI study showed, the majority of those athletes were recruited by black coaches.
References
Allison, R., Davis, A., & Barranco, R. (2018). A comparison of hometown
socioeconomics and demographics for black and white elite football players in
the US. International Review for the Sociology of Sport 53(5), 615-629
Kerr, I. B. (2010). The myth of racial superiority in sports. The Hilltop Review 4(1)
Lapchik, R. E. (2018). College sport: racial & gender report card. TIDES: The Institute
for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.
Lapchik, R. E. (2017). The 2017 racial and gender report card: Major League Baseball.
TIDES: The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.
Lapchik, R. E. (2018). The 2018 racial and gender report card: National Basketball
Association. TIDES: The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.
Lapchik, R. E. (2017). The 2017 racial and gender report card: National Football
League. TIDES: The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport.
Sheldon, J. P., Jayaratne, T. E., & Petty, E. M. (2007). White Americans’ genetic
explanations for a perceived race difference in athleticism: the relation to
prejudice toward and stereotyping of blacks. Athletic Insight: The Online Journal
of Sport Psychology 9(3), 31-54
United States Census Bureau. (2018) Income and poverty in the United States: 2017
U.S. Department of Commerce: Economics and Statistics Administration.
van Sterkenburg, J., & Knoppers, A. (2004). Dominant discourses about race/ethnicity
and gender in sport practice and performance. International Review for the
Sociology of Sport 39(3),
excessive guilt, as stereotypically associated with Catholics.
"I definitely have a lot of Catholic guilt"
The rational guilt is real and its not just a catholic thing. It's about 3 000 years old, for we know, we are all sinners. We also recognize that there are different worldviews:
Hindu sees the human person as a soul trapped in a body.
The Buddhist sees the person as neither a body nor a soul.
The atheist views the person as a body without a soul. For the atheist it is impossible to sin, so she can engage in the most despicable acts, feel and feel proud about it. But because they can't sin, they can't partake of the joy that comes from a personal relationship with the Creator.
We’re each free to believe whatever we want to believe. Sacred Scriptures say life is short, death is real, Hell is hot, eternity is long, and Jesus saves!
The Christian view is that humans are bodies and souls, created in the image and likeness of God. Every human being has a unique and rational soul that animates his human body, whether in the womb or a jail cell
Divine Mercy is when God's love meets us and helps us in the midst of our suffering and sin. In fact, because this side of eternity we're all sinners and because suffering is our lot in life, God's love for us here always takes the form of mercy.
Lorelei Savaryn, a Protestant convert, in the piece titled What’s The Deal with Catholic Guilt?, discusses how she discovered the rational catholic guilt: Before becoming Catholic, I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about the ways I rejected or blocked God (Love) out of my life. Some of the churches I attended would have a moment for such reflections. But it was usually just that, a moment. And, to be honest, in those moments I most often thought “meh- I think I’m doing pretty good, comparatively speaking.” I shake my head at my past self now. And I’m still not exactly sure who I was comparing myself to… those convicted of crimes against humanity? The people in pews beside me, as some sort of holiness version of keeping up with the Joneses? Just the general sense that, in the grand scale of humanity, I was doing okay?
And then the service would move on and I would move on and I continue along my merry way. I knew I could ask God for forgiveness, but as someone who had come from a Once Saved, Always Saved tradition (for much of my life), I didn’t have an ingrained sense that my confession mattered. I had ‘invited Jesus into my heart’ as a child. And if you are Once Saved, Always Saved, then the moment you say that prayer, it’s a done deal.
Father Mike Schmitz supports Lorelei's argument in his YouTube video: First, when it comes to “Catholic guilt,” it might be helpful to cut through this right away. I’m sure that all of us have heard of “Catholic guilt.” But is that really a thing? My mom used to say, “There is nothing ‘Catholic’ about guilt … it’s just guilt. If I’ve done something wrong, then I ought to feel guilty; there is nothing specifically ‘Catholic’ about it!” That always made sense to me.
So if the rational guilt is real, is not just catholic, and is 3 000 years old, for we know, we are all sinners, isn't that just slicing and dicing?
No! Because we also know that where sin abounds, grace abounds even more. Saint Philip Neri's Maxim for October 9 says: "In saying the Pater Noster, we ought to reflect that we have God for our Father in heaven, and so go on making a sort of meditation of it word by word." Why, you might ask. Because it is a big deal. In fact, it’s such a big deal that the Lord’s Prayer has often been called the “summary of the whole gospel.” Michael Rossmann, SJ in the Jesuit Post writes that " We don’t start the Lord’s Prayer by saying, “Almighty God” or “Lord God,” or even just “God.” Instead, we pray, “Our Father.” The creator of the universe is not far-off and impersonal. Instead, Jesus shows us that God is as close to us as our own family members." If God is our Father, then all people are our brothers and sisters.
Christ said as much at the crucifixion: "Mother, behold your son."
Each time we pray the Our Father, we ask for God to give us all that sustains us, to forgive us our sins, to guide us away from temptation, and to deliver us from evil.
The Truth About Dishonesty & The Catholic Confession
God’s kingdom is God’s kingdom; it’s first and foremost a gift and an initiative of the Lord. But our Father invites us to participate partially in that kingdom right now, and to pray that it might become fully present soon.
You might recall that even after Job had lost everything instead of cursing Good, he exclaimed: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21). Perhaps Burt F. Bacharach was having a Job Moment when he wrote: Raindrops are falling on my head: … But there's one thing I know The blues they send to meet me Won't defeat me, it won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me.." Job answered the LORD and said: I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know. I had heard of you by word of mouth, but now my eye has seen you. Therefore I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes. Thus the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his earlier ones ( JB 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17 ).
Yes, the Catholic guilt is a thing, it is not just catholic, though. Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.
No wonder empirically, anecdotally and scientifically, we are a happy bunch!
Although few people had as great an impact on the 20th century as Pope John XXIII, he avoided the limelight as much as possible, writes American Catholic.org. "Indeed, one writer has noted that his 'ordinariness' seems one of his most remarkable qualities." On 5 July 2013, Pope Francis – bypassing the traditionally required second miracle – declared John XXIII a saint, based on his virtuous, model lifestyle, and because of the good which had come from his opening of the Second Vatican Council.
John XXIII, also known as "Good Pope John," was nearly 77 at his coronation and, because of his advanced age, was widely regarded as a stopgap pope who wasn't going to make waves. Instead, he called the Vatican II Council, which promulgated one of the most far-reaching and controversial reforms in the Roman Catholic Church's history
Roncalli was among 13 children born to Marianna Mazzola and Giovanni Battista Roncalli in a family of sharecroppers who lived in Sotto il Monte, a village in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy. He was ordained to the priesthood on 10 August 1904.Roncalli was always proud of his down-to-earth roots. In Bergamo’s diocesan seminary, he joined the Secular Franciscan Order.
After his ordination in 1904, Fr. Roncalli returned to Rome for canon law studies. He soon worked as his bishop’s secretary, Church history teacher in the seminary, and as publisher of the diocesan paper.
His service as a stretcher-bearer for the Italian army during World War I gave him a firsthand knowledge of war. In 1921, Fr. Roncalli was made national director in Italy of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. He also found time to teach patristics at a seminary in the Eternal City. He served in a number of posts, as nuncio in France and a delegate to Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. In a consistory on 12 January 1953 Pope Pius XII made Roncalli a cardinal as the Cardinal-priest of Santa Prisca in addition to naming him as the Patriarch of Venice.
Roncalli was unexpectedly elected pope on 28 October 1958 at age 76 after eleven ballots. Pope John XXIII surprised those who expected him to be a caretaker pope by calling the historic Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), the first session opening on 11 October 1962, which is now his feast.
St. Abraham, Patriarch: From Abram to Father of Israel & Christians
Saint John Henry Newman: Anglican coverted to Catholicism. John Henry Newman stepped “out of the shadows and images into the truth.” Pope Francis canonized him in 2019.
Sts. Denis, Bishop, and Companions Martyrs of Paris. Saint Denis is patron of France and the first bishop of Paris. According legend after he was martyred on Montmartre. he carried his head to a village northeast of the city.
St. John Leonardi, Founder of the Clerics Regular of the Mother of God
St. Abraham, Patriarch: From Abram to Father of Israel & Christians
Saint Abraham was initially known as Abram. In verse 5 of Genesis 17, God signaled a new stage in His relationship with Abram by changing his name to Abraham- 17:15–22, the Lord further kept His promise of posterity to Abraham by changing Sarai's name to Sarah as a part of the covenant. Just as Abraham was to be the father of many nations, Sarah was to be the mother of many nations.
This name is very similar to the Hebrew phrase meaning "father of a multitude," emphasizing that Abraham will be the father of nations and that kings would come from him.He was born in Ur, which is now known as modern-day Iraq, around 2000 B.C.
When Abraham was young, his father moved the family down to Harlan, which is now modern-day Turkey. Abraham believed in God even as a child and lived his life to please him.
After his father died, Abrahan was said to have been instructed by God to move onward to Canaan. He was promised abundance to live on and a prosperous generation.As a man who genuinely believed in God’s words, he did exactly as he was told. He traveled on to Canaan with his wife Sarah, who was then known as Sarai, his nephew, and his servants
Brothers and sisters: Realize that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham. Scripture, which saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, foretold the good news to Abraham, saying, Through you shall all the nations be blessed. Consequently, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith. For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law. And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear, for the one who is righteous by faith will live. But the law does not depend on faith; rather, the one who does these things will live by them. Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith - Galatians 3:7
Sts. Denis, Bishop, and Companions Martyrs of Paris.
Saint Denis is patron of France and the first bishop of Paris. A legend recorded in the 9th century recounts that Denis was beheaded on Montmartre —literally, “mountain of martyrs”—in Paris, and that his decapitated corpse carried his head to the area northeast of Paris where the Benedictine abbey of St. Denis was founded.
According to St. Gregory of Tours’s 6th-century Historia Francorum, Denis was one of seven bishops sent to Gaul to convert the people in the reign of the Roman emperor Decius. It is believed that he was martyred during the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Decius in 251 or Valerian in 258.
St. Denis is venerated as one of the 14 Holy Helpers, an assemblage of saints who were especially popular in the Middle Ages for their powers of intercession
Leonardi was the youngest of seven children born to middle-class parents in Diecimo, in the Republic of Lucca. At age 17, he studied to become a certified pharmacist's assistant in Lucca. Afterward, he studied for the priesthood and was ordained in 1572, as a member of the Apostolic Clerics of St. Jerome. He dedicated himself to the Christian formation of adolescents in his local Lucca parish. After his ordination, Fr. Leonardi became very active in the works of the ministry, especially in hospitals and prisons. The example and dedication of his work attracted several young laymen who began to assist him. They later became priests themselves.
In 1574, he founded a group charged with deepening Christian faith and devotion; this foundation was part of the wider movement of the Counter-Reformation. Leonardi worked with this group to spread devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and devotion to the Forty Hours, as well as spreading the message of the importance of frequent communion.
He died on October 9, 1609, of influenza, which he contracted while ministering to his brothers suffering from the epidemic raging in Rome at the time..His memory was held so high in Rome that Pope Leo XIII added his name to the Roman Martyrology, and ordered Roman clergy to celebrate his Mass and Office, an honor otherwise strictly limited to beatified popes.
Leonardi was beatified in 1861 and canonized in 1938 by Pope Pius XI.
The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, is celebrated on October 7, the anniversary of the decisive victory of the combined fleet of the Holy League of 1571 over the Ottoman navy at the Battle of Lepanto.
The feast was introduced by Pope St. Pius V (1504-1572) in the year 1571 to commemorate the miraculous victory of the Christian forces in the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. The pope attributed more to the "arms" of the Rosary than the power of cannons and the valor of the soldiers who fought there. In 1571 when the Catholic League entered into battle against the Ottoman Empire to protect Italy from invasion. The Turks were on a warpath to overthrow all of Europe, killing millions of people and forcing Islamic conversion on survivors. They had conquered the Middle East and Mediterranean islands of Cyrus and Crete; Italy was next.
As the impending battle loomed, Pope Pius V called on various religious communities throughout Europe to join him in praying the Rosary, including public recitations, to defeat the Islamic threat. Heading into battle, every man in the Catholic League’s forces carried a Rosary. Their fleet was no match for the competition; they were vastly outnumbered.
Miraculously, the Catholic League returned victorious after a daylong battle known as the Battle of Lepanto that took place off the coast of Greece. In thanksgiving for Mary’s intercession and protection, Pope Pius V declared the day — October 7 — as a feast day for Our Lady of the Rosary. To celebrate, a Rosary procession was held in Saint Peter’s Square.
The purpose of the Rosary is to help keep in memory certain principal events in the history of our salvation. There are twenty mysteries reflected upon in the Rosary, and these are divided into the five Joyful Mysteries (said on Monday and Saturday), the five Luminous Mysteries (said on Thursday), the five Sorrowful Mysteries (said on Tuesday and Friday), and the five Glorious Mysteries (said on Wednesday and Sunday). As an exception, the Joyful Mysteries may be said on Sundays during Advent and Christmas, while the Sorrowful Mysteries may be said on the Sundays of Lent.
The mysteries of the Rosary are based on the incidents in the life of Our Lord and His Mother that are celebrated in the Liturgy. There is a parallel between the main feasts honoring our Lord and his Mother in the liturgical year, and the twenty mysteries of the Rosary. Consequently, one who recites the twenty mysteries of the Rosary inm one day reflects on the whole liturgical cycle that the Church commemorates during the course of each year. That is why some of the Popes have referred to the Rosary as a compendium of the Gospel:
Pope Pius XII (papacy: 1939-1958) said the Rosary is " a compendium of the entire Gospel" (AAS 38 [1946] p. 419). The Rosary draws its mysteries from the New Testament and is centered on the great events of the Incarnation and Redemption
John Paul II called the Rosary his favorite prayer, in which we meditate with Mary upon the mysteries which she as a mother meditated on in her heart (Lk. 2:19) (Osservatore Romano, 44; 30 Oct. 1979).0ĺ
The Rosary Center offer several different modes of praying the Rosary, including a scriptural-based mode:
