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Historians remember St. Rose of Lima for her piety and chastity. Born in 1586 in Lima, Peru to Spanish colonist, and names Isabel Flores de Olivia, she was exceptionally beautiful.
Her beauty was so great that she was nicknames “Rose,” a name that remains with her to this day. According to legend, a servant had a vision where her face returned into a rose. At her confirmation in 1597, she officially took the name of Rose.
From an early age, Rose wanted to becomes a nun. She often prayed and fasted in secret. She preformed secret penances, some of which were painful and severe. She preformed daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and took daily communion.
As a young woman, her beauty began to attract suitors. To deter these men, St. Rose marred her face, rubbing it with pepper to make it blister. She cropped her hair short.
Her parents opposed her plan to take vow of chastity. This resulted in a clash of wills, because her parents wanted her to marry. Her father eventually relented and gave her a room to herself.
St. Rose kept herself cloistered in her room, spending long periods in prayer. It was said she slept only two hours per nights so as to have more times for prayer.
She quit eating meat altogether, an extreme dietary restrictions for that time.
When she turned 20, she was permitted to join the Third Order of St. Dominic. She continued a life of extreme prayer, fasting and penance. On one occasion she burned her hands as a self-imposed act of penance.
She was known to wear a heavy silver crown, with spikes that could pierce her flesh. The spikes reminded her of the Crown of Thorns. At one point, one of the spikes becomes so lodged in her skull that the crown was removed with great difficulty.
St. Rose died in on August 25, 1617, at the age of 31. According to legend, she accurately predicted the date of her death. Her funeral was a major event attended by all the city’s authorities.
Pope Clement IX beatified her in 1667 and Pope Clement X recognized her as a saint, canonizing her in 1671. Her feast day is August 23 around the world, although some countries, like Peru, celebrate her on August 30.
St. Rose is the patroness of embroiderers, gardeners, florists, those who suffer ridicule for their piety, and people who suffer family problems.
Rose of Lima (30 April 1586 – 24 Agusut 1617) was a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in Lima, Peru, who became known for both her life of severe asceticism and her care of the needy of the city through her own private efforts. A lay member of the Dominican Order, she was declared a saint by the Catholic Church, being the first person born in the Americas to be canonized as such. [1]
As a saint, Rose of Lima has been designated as a co-patroness of the Philippines along with Saint Pudentiana; both saints were moved to second-class patronage in September 1942 by Pope Pius XII, but Rose remains the primary patroness of Peru and of the local people of Latin America. Her image is featured on the highest denomination backnote of Peru.
DID YOU KNOW THAT…Maywood California, contains the largest parish dedicated to Saint Rose!
Who is this that cometh up from the desert, flowing with delights, leaning upon her be-loved? Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array? (Can't. 8, Verse 6; 6, Verse 9).
In the introit for the Assumption we read:
“Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a feast in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, over whose Assumption the angels rejoice and praise the Son of God.”
Mary is proudly proclaimed in the Catholic world as the different woman.
She is different in her beautiful life of virtue. No stain of actual sin ever sullied her pure soul. Even the Protestant poet pays beautiful tribute to her Immaculateness: “Our tainted nature’s solitary boast.”
She is different in her sorrows. A seven-fold lanced her sinless soul. She is different in her death. The Fathers of the Church, especially of the Eastern Church, speak reluctantly of the close of her earthly exile. They avoid the use of the word death. They seek to soften the string of death in her regard to which she was in no wise subject as far as death is a punishment for sin.
They refer gently to her passing as a “Dormition” or “Sleeping Away”.
Mary is especially and uniquely different in her Assumption which is an anticipated resurrection.
Recall here the honored tradition which says that Mary died out of sheer love of God, and was duly buried. Later St. Thomas, who was absent for the interment, returned and asked to see her holy body. At the opening of he tomb it was found emptied of its treasure. Sweet fragrance filled the air, God had not allowed that sacred body, the tabernacle of the Most High, and Christ’s first ciborium upon earth, to suffer the dank corruption of the grave. With a reverent becomingness that holy body, from whose unsullied blood Christ had taken His own earthly humanity, was assumed bodily into Heaven. Christ, for His Mother, anticipated in her person, the resurrection. We know, further, that no one has been so bold as to claim the possession of a relic of Mary’s holy body. And, now, as we go to press, we are happy to note that the Holy Father has made the announcement that on All Saints Day (1950) he will officially declare the Assumption of Mary’s body into heaven an article of faith.
As the Ascension closed the divine cycle of Christ’s earthly career so the Assumption is the counterpart for Mary.
Mary’s series of wonders began in eternity when the Blessed Trinity focused their gaze upon this fairest child of earth. They vie with each other in honoring her.
God the Father elects her as His daughter. God the Son chooses her as His Mother. God the Holy Ghost enriches her soul with exquisite adornments and selects her as His Immaculate Spouse.
Pope: Un Food Systems Summit an Opportunity to Build a More Just World
The cry of the Earth
This pandemic, he adds, “has confronted us with the systemic injustices that undermine our unity as a human family,” while the poorest and the Earth itself “cries out for the damage we inflict on it through irresponsible use and abuse of the goods God has placed in it.”
The pope notes that while new technologies are developed in order to increase “the planet’s capacity to bear fruit,” we continue to “exploit nature to the point of sterilization, thus expanding not only external deserts but also internal spiritual deserts.”
The scandal of hunger in a world of plenty
He denounces the “scandal” of hunger in a world that produces enough food for all people, adding that it is a “crime that violates basic human rights.”
Pope Francis underlines that it is everyone’s duty to combat “this injustice through concrete actions and good practices, and through bold local and international policies.”
In this perspective, he says, the careful and correct transformation of food systems have an important role to play.
The Pope underlines that it is “not enough to produce food”; what is also needed is a “new mindset and a new holistic approach and to design food systems that protect the Earth and keep the dignity of the human person at the centre; that ensure enough food globally and promote decent work locally; and that feed the world today, without compromising the future.” In his message, Pope Francis highlights the need to “restore the centrality of the rural sector,” and reaffirm the agricultural sector’s priority role “in the political and economic decision-making process, aimed at outlining the framework of the post-pandemic ‘restart’ process that is being built.”
Small farmers and the family, the Pope points out, are “an essential component of food systems,” adding that policies must be put in place that “fully meet the needs of rural women, promote youth employment, and improve the work of farmers in the poorest and more remote areas.”
Pope Francis notes, “if we want to maintain a fruitful multilateralism and a food system based on responsibility, justice, peace and unity of the human family is paramount.”
He also emphasizes that “the crisis we are currently facing is indeed a unique opportunity to engage in genuine, bold and courageous dialogues, addressing the roots of our unjust food system.”
Concluding his message, the Pope underlines that throughout this important meeting, “we have a responsibility to realise the dream of a world where bread, water, medicine, and work flow in abundance and reach the poorest first.”
He stresses, “The Holy See and the Catholic Church will put themselves at the service of this noble goal, offering their contribution, joining forces and wills, actions and wise decisions.”
Finally, Pope Francis expresses the hope this meeting for the regeneration of food systems will “set us on the path to build a peaceful and prosperous society, and sow the seeds of peace will allow us to walk in true fraternity.”
Papa Francisco: Indulgencia para Abuelos y para Quienes les Visiten
¿Cómo funciona la Indulgencia Plenaria aprbada por el Papa con motivo de la Primera Jornada Mundial de los Abuelos y Mayores?
El Papa Francisco está cerca de todas las personas ancianas del mundo y concedío una indulgencia plenaria con motivo de la próxima Primera Jornada Mundia de los Abuelos y los Mayores que se celebrará el próximo domingo 25 de julio, y espera que ese día los abuelos reciban la visita de un ‘ángel’.
Bajo el lema: “Yo estoy contigo todos los días”, el programa de la jornada prevé que el Pontífice, 84 años, operado al colon y dado de alta el 14 de julio pasado del hospital ‘Gemelli’, presida la Misa dominical en la Basílica Vaticana, hr. 10 a.m de Roma. El Vaticano no ha dado otras disposiciones hasta la fecha.
La indulgencia aprobada por el Papa beneficia a los anciandos y a todos los fieles en particular involucra a las personas que visiten a los abuelitos o personas frágiles y les demuestren especial afecto, atención y cuidado.
Indulgencia si visitas enfermos y abandonados
La Jornada también trae “dones espirituales” para todos los que participarán en la Misa, igualmente para quienes se confiesen, reciban la comunión y recen además por las intenciones del Papa.
Asimismo el Sucesor de Pedro aprobó un decreto de la Penitenciaría Apostólica, con el fin de conceder “la Indulgencia Plenaria”, en las condiciones antes señaladas (confesión, comunión, y oración), también podrán aplicarlo como sufragio por las almas del Purgatorio.
En el decreto se lee que este “Tribunal de la Misericordia concede también este mismo día la Indulgencia Plenaria a los fieles que dedicarán un tiempo adecuado a visitar real o virtualemente a sus hermanos mayores necesitados o en dificultad (como enfermos, abandonados, discapacitados y similares)”.
Indulgencia para los mayores enfermos
Asimismo, el Papa aprobó que la Indulgencia Plenaria pueda concederse también a los mayores enfermos y a todos aquellos que no puedan salir de casa por el motivo grave, siempre que se abstengan de todo pecado y tengan la intención de cumplir las tres condiciones habituales lo antes posible.
En eldecreto – firmado por el cardenal Mauro Piacenza, Penitencia-rio Mayor y Monseñor Krzysztof Nykiel Regente – invita a los ancianos que quieran obtene la indulgencia a unirse “espiritualmente a los actos sagrados de la Jronada Mundial”.
Las personas mayores pueden ofrecer “al Dios Misericordioso sus oraciones, dolores o sufrimientos de su vida, sobre todo mientra las palabras del Sumo Pontífice y las celebraciones se transmiten por televisión y radio, per también a través de los nuevos medios de comunicación social”.
Por ello, para que se facilite el acceso al perdón divino, la Penitenciaría rogó “encarecidamente a los sacerdotes, dotados de las facultades oportunas para oír la confesión, que se pongan a disposición, con espíritu dispuesto y generoso, para la celebración de la Penitencia.”
El decreto es válido para la Primera Jornada Mundial de los Abuelos y de los Mayores, independientemente de cualquier disposición en contrario, así lo indica la nota del 13 de mayo de 2021.
Las indulgencias se subscriben en el contexto de la celebración en honor de los abuelos y abuelas instituida al inicio del año por el Papa (31.01.2021), a celebrarse el cuarto domingo de julio cada añ, cerca de la memoria litúrgica de los santos Joaquin y Ana, abuelos de Jesús.
¿Misa celebrada por el Papa?
En Roma, el 25 de julio a las 10:00 horas, se espera que el Papa pueda celebrar la misa con los abuelos y ancianos de su diócesis en la que participará un número limitadode personas, en cumplimiento de la normativa sanitaria que estará en vigor en ese memento.
La presencia del Papa en la misa no es un hecho obvio debido a que fue dado de alta del Hospital Policlínico Gemelli y regresó el 14 de julio a sus residencia en la Casa Santa Marta del Vaticano para seguir su recuperación. Un signo esperanzador fue que el Papa Frnacisco con buen semblante hizo compración ante los fieles congregados para el Ángelus del domingo 18 de julio en la Plaza de San Pedro.
Misas en la diócesis
Por otro lado, el Vaticano indica que cada diócesis y cada parroquia podría dedicar una de sus misas dominicales a la celebración de la Jornada. Y se espera que participe el mayor número posible de abuelos y mayores en persona, para que su presencia sea una señal manifiesta de la importancia que tienen en la comunidad.
Cercanía a los ancianos
Del mismo modo, en los días anteriores y posteriores al 25 de julio, la Iglesia invita a organizar misas u oraciones en hospitales o residencias de ancianos.
Este año 2021, el Papa ha querido expresar especial cercanía a los ancianos del mundo, considerando el peso de la soledad y de su fragilidad sportando durante la pandemia. Ya antes había manifestaso; >.
El Vaticano a través de un documento de la Pontificia Academia de la Vida había denunciado en febrero pasado una verdadera > durante la pandemia porque la mayoria murieron en hogares o asilos para la tercera edad. Además, indicaba que la personas mayores que estuvieron en su propia casa, estuvieron más protegidos.
Our Lady’s Promise of the Holy Scapular
The Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel has promised to save those who wear the scapular from the fires of hell; She will also shorten their stay in purgatory if they should pass from this world still owing some debt of punishment.
This promise is found in a Bull of Pope John XXII. The Blessed Virgin appeared to him and, speaking of those who wear the Brown Scapular, said, “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.”
Our Lady assigned certain conditions which must be fulfilled:
Wear the Brow Scapular continuously.
Observe chastity according to one’s state in life.
Recite daily the “Little Office of the Blessed Virgin.”
3(a) Observe the required fast of the Church as well a abstaining for meat on Wednesday and Saturday
3(b) Recite the Rosary daily
Pope Benedict XV, the celebrated World War 1 Pontiff, granted 500 days indulgence of devoutly kissing you scapular.
O my God, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary (here kiss the scapular as a sign of you consecration). I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus from all the altars throughout the world, joining with It the offering of my every thought, word, and action of this day. O my Jesus, I desire today to gain every indulgence and merit I can, and I offer them, together with myself, to May Immaculate, that she may best apply them to the interests of Thy most Sacred Heart. Precious Blood of Jesus, save us! Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!
The Popes and the Brown Scapular
Pope Leo XIII: “The Carmelite Scapular’s nobility of origin, its extraordinary spread among Christian peoples for many centuries, the spiritualizing effects produced by t and the outstanding miracles worked in virtue of it render the Scapular of Carmel commendable to a wondrous degree.”
Pope Pius XI: “In consideration of the munificent goodness of the heavenly Mother towards her children, it surely ought to be sufficient merely to exhort those who belong to the Scapular Confraternity to preserve in the holy exercises which have been prescribed for the gaining of the indulgences to which they are entitled.”
Pope Pius XII: “All Carmelites, whether they live in the cloisters of the First or Second Orders or are members of the Third Order or of the Confraternities, belong to the same family of our Most Blessed Mother and are attached to it by a special bond of love. May they all see in the keepsake of the Virgen herself a mirror if humility and purity; may they read in the very simplicity of the Garment a concise lesson in modesty and simplicity; above all, may they behold in this same Garment, which they wear day and night, the eloquent expressive symbol of their prayers for divine assistance.”
Pope John XXII: He spoke “of the Mother of God who is honored in this Church of Our Lady of Mount Caramel. Devotion to her becomes a necessity; towards Our Lady of Mount Caramel we are drawn which a most tender, yet irresistible, attraction.”
Pope Paul VI,  speaking of Marian devotions, especially of the Scapular, says “Let the faithful hold in high esteem the practices and devotions to the Blessed Virgin approved by the teaching authority of the Church. It is Our conviction that the Rosary of Mary and the Scapular of Carmel are among these recommended practices. The Scapular is a practice of piety, which by its very simplicity is suited to everyone.”
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Brown Scapular
Also called simply the Brown Scapular, this small scapular is the most well known and likely the earliest form of the devotional scapular. It may even be referred to merely as “the scapular,” where all other scapulae are referred to in the full name or by some distinguishing characteristic, Along the same line, the prase “The Feast of the Scapular” refers to the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Pious tradition holds that the Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Simon Stock on July 16, 1251 in England, with a scapular in her hand and said to him, “Take, beloved son this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire. It is the sig of salvation, a safeguard in dangers, a pledge of peace and the covenant.” According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, these precise words of Our Lady only appeared in written from in 1642, in a document that said these words had been dictated by Simon to his secretary and confessor. Historical documents cannot support the exact details or words, but the content is held to be reliable. That is to say, it is credible that Our Lady assured St. Simon Stock in a supernatural manner of her special protection over his whole order and all who would wear the Carmelite habit, indirectly extending to all Christian faithful who should wear the scapular as a badge of devotion, even if we cannot place the exact words.
Conditions of Receiving the Graces of the Scapular.
The promise and the following conditions are typically associated with a vision and Bull of Pope John XXII. The Bull that has been handed down since 1400’s was never mentioned for over 100 years after its supposed promulgation in 1322 and no record of such a document exists in the writings of Pope John XXII. It has been generally assumed that the extant text of the Bull is not authentic document but the promises and conditions are valid and several popes have given the Carmelites permission to preach them.
From of the Scapular
The scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel should be brown though black is acceptable as well, and must be wool. To have an image of Our Lady presenting the Scapular to Simon Stock on the scapular itself is quite common, but the scapular may also be blank. It is also common to have an inscription of Our Lady’s promise on the scapular. It may also have other images on it. For example there are Brown Scapulae bearing images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Scared Heart, St. Charbel, St. Benedict, and others.
12 Things to Know and Share About The Holy Trinity
Where does the word “Trinity” come from? It comes from the Latin word trinitas, which means “three” or “triad”. The Greek equivalent is triados.
When was it first used? The first surviving use of the term (there may have been earlier uses that are now lost) was around A.D. 170 by Theophilus of Antioch, who wrote: In like manner also the three days which were before the luminaries, are types of the Trinity, of God, and His Word, and His wisdom. And the fourth is the type of man, who needs light, that so there may be God, the Word, wisdom, man [To Autolycus 2:15]. The Father generates the Son [CCC 48].
What is the trinity? The Compendium of the Catholic Church explains it this way: The Church expresses her trinitarian faith by professing a belief in the oneness of God in whom there are three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three divine Persons are only one God because each of them equally possesses the fullness of the one indivisible divine nature. They are really distinct from each other by reason of the relations which place them in correspondence to each other. The Father generates the Son; the Son is generated by the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. [CCC 48].
Is the Trinity the central mystery of the Christian Faith? Yes. The Compendium explains: The central mystery of Christian faith and life is the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity. Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit [CCC 44].
When did the Church infallibly define the Trinity? The dogma of the Trinity was defined in two stages, at the First Council of Nicaea and the First Council of Constantinope. First Nicaea defines the divinity of the Son and wrote the part of the Creed that deals with the Son.
How can the Trinity be proved? The Trinity can only be proved through the divine revelation that Jesus brought us. It cannot be proved by the natural reason or from the Old Testament alone. The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: God has left some traced of his trinitarian begin in creation and in the Old Testament but his inmost being as the Holy Trinity is a mystery which was revealed by Jesus Christ and it is a source of all the other mysteries.
How can we show from Scripture that there is only one God? The fact that there is only one God was already made clear in the Old Testament. For example, the book of Isaiah proclaims: “You are my witnesses,” says the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me [Isaiah 43:10]. Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; beside me there is no god” [Isaiah 44:6].
How can we show that the Father is God? The Father is proclaimed as God numerous times in the New Testament. For example, St. Paul declares: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort [2 Corinthians 1:3]. There is . . . one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all [Ephesians 4:4-6].
How can we show that the Son is God? This is proclaimed in a variety of places in the New Testament, including at the beginning of the Gospel of John: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father [John 1:1, 14]. And later: Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” [John 20:27-28].
How can we show that the Holy Spirit is God?  In the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit is portrayed as a divine Person who speaks and who can be lied to: While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said “Set apart for me the Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? . . . You have not lied to men but to God” [Acts 5:3-4].
How can we show that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are distinct Persons? The distinction of the persons can be shown, for example, in the fact that Jesus speaks to his Father. This would make no sense if they were one and the same person. At that time Jesus declared, ‘I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will’ [Matthew 11:25-26]. The fact that Jesus is not the same Person as the Holy Spirit is revealed when Jesus – Who has been functioning as the Counselor (Greek, Parakletos) of the disciples–says he will pray to the Father and the Father will given then “another Counselor,” who is the Holy Spirit. This shows the distinction of all three Persons: Jesus who prays; the Father who sends; and the Spirit who comes: And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you [John 14;16-17]
How can we show that the Son is generated by the Father and that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son? The fact that the Son is generated by the Father is indicated by the names of these Persons. Sons are generated by fathers. The Second Person of the Trinity would not be in Son if he were not generated by the First Person as his Father. The fact that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son is reflected in another statement of Jesus: But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceed from the Father, he will bear witness to me [John 15:26]. This depicts the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son (“whom I shall send”). Here the outward operations of the Persons of the Trinity reflect their mutual relations with each other. It may also be said that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son.
What are the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations. (CCC, 1831)
Wisdom: Wisdom is no the quoting of facts. Wisdom is a gift that allows a person to understand things from God’s point of view. In other words, Wisdom allows a person to recognize truth. A person with the Gift of Wisdom is able to take this truth and use it to glorify God by choosing Godly solutions to problems.
Understanding: Understanding is the second gift of the Holy Spirit, and people sometimes have a hard time understanding (no pun intended) how it differs from wisdom. While wisdom is the desire to contemplate the things of God, understanding allows us grasp, at least in a limited way, the very essence of the truths of the Catholic Faith. Through understanding, we gain a certitude about our beliefs that moves beyond faith.
Counsel: The Gift of Counsel is also known as a Gift of Right Judgement. Counsel the third gift of the Holy Spirit, is the perfection of the cardinal virtue of prudence. Prudence can be practiced by anyone, but counsel is supernatural. Through this gift of the Holy Spirit, we are able to judge how best to act almost by intuition. Because of the gift of counsel, Christians need not fear to stand up for the truths of the Faith, because of the Holy Spirit will guide us in defending those truths.
Fortitude: The Gift of Fortitude is also known as the Gifts of Courage. Through this Gift a person is no longer afraid to stand up for God and His truths. A person who has the Gift of Fortitude will stand up for good against evil and is convicted to take a stand when the occasion arises.
Knowledge: The Gift of Knowledge allows a person to understand the meaning and purpose God has for him and to live up to this meaning. It differs from wisdom in that it is an action, not just a desire to live up to the ways of God. It differs from Understanding in that it is not just ability, it is a knowing.
Piety: Piety, the sixth gift to the Holy Spirit, is the perfection of the virtue of religion. While we tend to think of religion today as the external elements of our faith, it really means the willingness to worship and to serve God. Piety takes that willingness beyond a sense of duty, so that we desire to worship God and to serve Him out of love, the way that we desire to honor our parents and do what they wish.
Fear of the Lord: The Gift of Fear of the Lord puts God in the proper prospective. A person with the Gift of understands the greatness and awesomeness of the Lord. They want to serve Him because of who He is. A person with the Gift of Fear of the Lord understands who they are and why they are here in relationship to God; In other words, everything they are is due to the wonder, love, grace, and perfection of God. They are totally dependent on the Lord as a child is to a parent. The Gift of Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. Once a person understands things from God’s point of view or have Wisdom.
Consecration to St. Joseph
Welcome to the Consecration to St. Joseph! You are about to begin a journey that will change your life.
What does it mean to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph?
What does it mean for a person to be consecrated to St. Joseph? Well, it basically means that you acknowledge that he is your spiritual father, and you want to be like him. To show it, you entrust yourself entirely into his parental care so that he can help you acquire his virtues and become holy. Total consecration to St. Joseph means you make a formal act of filial entrustment to you spiritual father so that he can take care of you spiritual well-being and lead you to God. The person who consecrates himself to St. Joseph wants to be as close to their spiritual father as possible, to the point of resembling him in virtue and holiness. Saint Joseph, in turn, will give those consecrated to him his undivided attention, protection, and guidance.
If you have already consecrated yourself to the Virgin Mary, can you be consecrated to St. Joseph, as well?
The answer is a resounding “Yes!” God desires that all children be committed to the care of a mother and a father. You are not a member of a single-parent spiritual family. Mary is your spiritual mother, and St. Joseph is your spiritual father. The spiritual fatherhood of St. Joseph is extremely important for your spiritual growth. Total consecration to Mary is not diminished by total consecration to St. Joseph. Mary wants you to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph! Jesus wants you to consecrate yourself to St. Joseph! Everything you have given to Jesus and Mary can also be given to St. Joseph. The hearts of Jesus, Mary, and St. Joseph are one.
Consecration to St. Joseph emulates the tried-and-true preparation method employed by St. Louis de Montfort in his Marian consecration highlighting many of St. Joseph’s titles, privileges, and heroic virtues.
The program of preparation and consecration takes 33 days.
It can be undertaken on your own or in a group.
How to make your consecration as an individual
Choose a consecration date.
it’s recommended to choose a day that coincides with a liturgical feast of St. Joseph. Your consecration date is day 33 of the program.
You’ll spend about 20-30 minuets a day on a short exposition on one of the invocations in the powerful Litany of St. Joseph, followed by a reading on St. Joseph, concluding with the recitation of the Litany of St. Joseph.
If you miss a day, just make it up and continue your preparation.
On the day of your consecration, feel free to use whichever act of consecration you like best; you can also make up your own, if you like.
Corpus Christi by Pope Francis
Clearly, this miracle is not intended merely to satisfy hunger for a day, but rather it signals what Christ wants to accomplish for the salvation of all mankind, giving His own flesh and blood.
Twice the Apostle Paul, writing to the community in Corinth, recalls this command of Jesus in his account of the institution of the Eucharist. It is the oldest testimony we have to the words of Christ at the Las Supper.
“Do this”. That is, take bread, gives thanks and break it; take the chalice, give thanks, and share it. Jesus gives the command to repeat this action by which he instituted the memorial of his own Pasch, and in so doing gives us his Body and his Blood. This action reaches us today: it is the “doing” of this Eucharist which always has Jesus as its subject, but which is made real through our poor hands anointed by the Holy Spirit.
“Do this”. Jesus on a previous occasion asked his disciples  to “do” what was so clear to him, in obedience to the will of the Father. In the Gospel passage that we have just heard, Jesus says to the disciples in front of the tires and hungry crowds: “Give them something to eat yourselves” (Lk9:13). Indeed, it is Jesus  who blesses and breaks the loaves and  two fish. Jesus wanted it this way: that, instead of the disciples, who distribute these to the people. This too is the disciples “doing” with Jesus; with him they are able to “give them something to eat”. Clearly this miracle was not intended merely to satisfy hunger for a day, but rather its signals what Christ wants to accomplish for the salvation of all mankind, giving his own flesh and blood (cf. Jn 6:48-58). And yet this needs always to happen through those two small actions: offering the few loaves and fish which we have; receiving the bread broken by the hands of Jesus and giving it to all.
Breaking: this is the other word explaining the meaning of those words: “Do this in remembrance of me”. Jesus was broken; he is broken for us. And he asks us to give ourselves, to break ourselves, as it were, for others. This “breaking bread” became the icon, the sign for recognizing Christ and Christians. We think of Emmaus: they knew him “in the breaking of the bread” (LK24:35). We recall the first community of Jerusalem: “They held steadfastly…to the breaking of the bread” (Acts 2:42). From the outset it is the Eucharist which becomes the center and patter of the life of the Church. But we think also of all the saints – famous or anonymous – who have “broken” themselves, their own life, in order to “give something to eat” to their brothers and sisters. How many mothers, how many fathers, together with the slices of bread they provide each day on the tables of their homes, have broken their hearts to let their children  grow, and grow well! How many Christians, as responsible citizens, have broken their own lives to defend the dignity of all, especially the poorest, the marginalized and those discriminated ! Where do they find the strength to do this? It is in the Eucharist: in the power of the Risen Lord’s love, who today too breaks bread for us and repeats: “Do this in remembrance of me”.
May this action of the Eucharistic procession, which we will carry out shortly, respond to Jesus’ command. An action to commemorate him; an action to give food to the crowds of today; an act to break open our faith and our lives as a sign of Christ’s love for this city and for the whole world.