Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro

On this day in the Year of Our Lord 1926, Padre Miguel Augustin Pro was martyred "courtesy of" Mexican President Plutarco Elias Calles. Pope John Paul II beatified Padre Pro on the birthday of President Calles. God has a great sense of humor! I say, with Padre Pro, Viva Cristo Rey ! And little Jose Sanchez del Rio replies: Que viva !

Saint Ignatius of Antioch

On this Memorial of the great Bishop and Martyr, St. Ignatius of Antioch, through the Liturgy of the Hours, we are given these encouraging words from Saint Peter:

Rejoice in the measure that you share Christ's sufferings. When His glory is revealed, you will rejoice exultantly. Happy are you when you are insulted for the sake of Christ, for then God's spirit in its glory has come to rest on you.

If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend. And I clearly see that if we expect to please him and receive an abundance of his graces, God desires that these graces come to us from the hands of Christ, through his most sacred humanity, in which God takes delight.

What more do we desire from such a good friend at our side? Unlike our friends in the world, he will never abandon us when we are troubled or distressed. Blessed it the one who truly loves him and always keeps him near.

-Saint Teresa of Avila

The liturgy raises hearts to God like no other prayer, Pope says :: EWTN News

The liturgy raises hearts to God like no other prayer, Pope says :: EWTN News

The Little Way

Unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.

For St. Therese the word "little," which many would like to eliminate from her teaching, is the key to everything. She has made the Fatherhood of God live afresh for thousands of the faithful by calling us back from being children with a more or less independent life of our own, to become, as our Lord would have us, littlechildren, with no independent life at all, but depending absolutely on our heavenly Father. ... The present bishop of Lisieux is never weary of saying that St. Therese has shed a new light on one of the oldest and most fundamental of Catholic doctrines: God is our Father.

-From Father Vernon Johnson's Spiritual Childhood, Ignatius Press edition, 2001, pages 10-11

Jose Sanchez del Rio

Here is a real Humble Hero! Relying solely on the grace of God, Blessed Jose gave witness to Christ until the end. This Humble Hero received the martyr’s crown.

Jose Sanchez del Rio was a young Cristero soldier. Jose was horrified to witness personally the persecution of local priests and the desecration of churches in his home town of Sahuayo, Michoacan. When the Cristero War broke out in 1926, his older brothers took up arms and joined the movement, but his mother would not allow Jose to take part. The Cristero general, Prudencio Mendoza, also refused his enlistment. But in the end, Mendoza finally relented and allowed Jose to become the flag bearer of the troop. Jose was known to be one of the youngest members of the Cristero movement. He was nicknamed “Tarcisius” by the Cristeros after the early Christian boy martyr who gave his life to protect the Eucharist from desecration. During heavy fighting on January 25, 1928, Mendoza’s horse was shot out from under him. In an act of great heroism and sacrifice, Jose gave his own horse to the general so that the battle could go on. He then sought cover and fired at the enemy until he ran out of ammunition. Government troops captured the boy and imprisoned him in the sacristy of the local church. Forced to watch the execution of a fellow Cristero, Jose could not be made to break his resolve not to reveal any intelligence. The following is from an alleged eye-witness account of Jose’s gruesome martyrdom on February 10, 1928: “Consequently, they cut the bottom of his feet and obliged him to walk around the town toward the cemetery. They also at times cut him with a machete until he was bleeding from several wounds. He cried and moaned with pain, but he did not give in. At times they stopped him and said, ‘If you shout, ‘Death to Christ the King,’ we will spare your life.’ Jose would only shout, ‘I will never give in. Viva Cristo Rey!’ When they reached the place of execution, they stabbed him numerous times with bayonets. He only shouted louder, ‘Viva Cristo Rey!’” The government commander was so furious that he pulled out his pistol and shot Jose in the head. He was declared a martyr and was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on November 20, 2005.

–Rueben Quezada, For Greater Glory—The Official Companion to the Epic Film (West Covina, CA: Saint Joseph Communications, in association with Ignatius Press, 2012) 60-61.

St. Vincent de Paul, Solidarity, and Subsidiarity

… We also ought to have this same spirit and imitate Christ’s actions, that is, we must take care of the poor, console them, help them, support their cause. Since Christ willed to be born poor, he chose for himself disciples who were poor. He made himself the servant of the poor and shared their poverty. He went so far as to say that he would consider every deed which either helps or harms the poor as done for or against himself. Since God surely loves the poor, he also loves those who love the poor. -Saint Vincent de Paul

All who follow Christ are called to love the poor to care for the needy. And we humans, each being one composite unity of body and soul, have needs that are both spiritual and temporal (temporal, meaning of time and of the body while here on earth). Hence, the Church has formulated the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. It is important that we—Catholics, Christians, Members of the Mystical Body of Christ, followers of Christ—love the needy and provide assistance to them. It’s not the job of the government; it’s our job. That’s what the Church teaches: subsidiarity, try to solve the problems and meet the needs of human persons at the most basic level possible. We need brothers helping brothers—not Big Brother lording it over the helpless. “Entitlements” and government handouts have to stop. Honest, diligent work is precisely one of those activities that are in accord with the dignity of the human person. We should not be paying tribute to the government so that the government can give more handouts and make more and more people dependent upon “Big Brother” or “Uncle Sam.” The more people become dependent upon the State, the more the State has a hold on them and the more the State will be able to take away the rights of persons. The dignity and rights of each and every human person comes from God, the Creator of all, and not from the State. We pay our tribute (that is, worship) to God alone. Our trust is in God alone. Just look at the dollar bill, and hurry—before these secularists print out new bills that leave out the divine reference.

St. Bartholomew, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Paul are Humble Heroes

This reading fits right in with the idea of Humble Heroes: God using the humble to accomplish great things. As Joseph Pearce has said: "We cannot defeat evil by our own power. The triumph of the will does not defeat evil. We have to have grace in order to defeat evil. We have to have the help of an outside agent, God." (Emphasis added.)

From a homily on the first letter to the Corinthians by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop, on the Feast of St. Bartholomew, apostle:

It was clear through unlearned men that the Cross was persuasive, in fact, it persuaded the whole world. Their discourse was not of unimportant matters but of God and true religion, of the Gospel way of life and future judgment, yet it turned plain, uneducated men into philosophers. How the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and his weakness stronger than men!

In what way is it stronger? It made its way throughout the world and overcame all men; countless men sought to eradicate the very name of the Crucified, but that name flourished and grew even mightier. ... The good deeds that tax-collectors and fishermen were able to accomplish by God's grace, the philosophers, the rulers, the countless multitudes cannot even imagine.

It is very clear that today's powers-that-be are once again trying "to eradicate the very name of the Crucified." Let us pledge that we will never allow the Holy Name of Jesus to be erased from our hearts. The more He is despised by "the mighty", the more we will love Him. After all, holy Baptism has put the indelible mark of Christ's Holy Spirit on our souls!

Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

Pope Gregory VII

Today, the Church commemorates a great reforming Pope and Pastor: Pope St. Gregory VII. As Cardinal Hildebrand, he served well the Pope[s] that came before him. Is this not a pattern prevalent also in our day? The then-Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) served valiantly under his predecessor, Pope John Paul the Great. Pope John Paul II was a magnificent adviser to Pope Paul VI, who in his turn (as Cardinal Montini) served well under Pope Pius XII. Furthermore, Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII) served magnificently and valiantly as Secretary of State under his predecessor, Pope Pius XI. I could continue this list if there were sufficient time and space for it. Pope Gregory was the driving force behind a reform of the Church that was so sorely needed. He did this valiantly despite much resistance, which is probably the cause of his crying out shortly before death:

I have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore, I die in exile.

Yet--surprisingly to some--Gregory could be best known as a great and humble Pastor of the Church. Indeed, that is how he is listed in the Missal and in the Liturgy of the Hours. One event in his life shows us why: Pope Gregory absolved Emperor Henry IV. Before all else, Gregory VII was a priest.

The Pope was spending the winter in Canossa in northern Italy. Secretly, Henry traveled from Germany to Canossa, with only one servant, his wife, and his son, crossing the Alps in the depths of one of the severest winters on record. He arrived in January 1077. He took off his royal robes and dressed himself in sackcloth, a rough material worn as a sign of penance. He stood barefoot in the snow outside the castle gates. Some of Gregory's advisers may have warned him that Henry could not be trusted. But Gregory was above all a priest, and when a sinner comes to a priest, doing penance, asking to be forgiven, the priest must give him absolution. Gregory absolved Henry, revoked the excommunication, and restored him to his throne. -Anne Carroll, Christ the King: Lord of History, page 162

A Humble Hero in the U.S.A.

Truly, Rick Santorum is an American hero. He is an “icon” of the little guy, the immigrant, the American who worked hard to serve God and country. He believes there is a God and—consequently—a moral order in the universe. He knows the Founding Fathers believed in the natural moral law and in the divinity of Christ. Had he been elected, he would have upheld the Constitution as the law of the land, which is more than we can say of our current President.
On a shoestring budget, going door-to-door he won eleven states in the Republican Primary. That’s quite an accomplishment considering that he had so little resources to work with. People—voters—saw him as “real.” He was not a man to seek to tickle your ears. He said what he thought and never hesitated to stand up for what is right. True Americans appreciate that.
He fought for the little guy, for the immigrant, for smaller government, for that “little guy,” the average American, to have a chance to advance by means of honest work and kindness toward one’s neighbor.
He believed in the family and in the right to life from conception to natural death. When he was a U.S. Senator, a debate was taking place over abortion and a baby in the room began to cry. Senator Richard John Santorum held the baby up for all to see.
His own baby, there-year-old Isabella, has a congenital disease. She was in the hospital on Friday, just a few days before Tuesday, April 10, that is, Tuesday within the Octave of Easter. On Tuesday, April 10, Rick Santorum made the announcement that his race for the White House had been suspended. One could just picture the Democrats smiling with glee. Even they knew that Obama just might not be able to defeat a man of true principle and true grit, one who will speak out in favor of the natural rights of the human person, including the Constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of religion and the right to life from conception until natural death. The Founding Fathers insisted that Congress is to make no law respecting the establishment of a national religion. While they did not want any one religion to be the official government religion, they nonetheless wanted the practice of religion—including natural law morality—to be encouraged and to grow. For, they knew that without the free practice of Judeo-Christian religion and morality the nation would perish. And if the government and the culture continue to squash our right to freedom of religion, the nation will indeed perish. I do not know what it will become, but it will cease to be the great United States of America, last best hope of the free world.
O yes, back to “Bella.” It’s interesting: her needing to be hospitalized on Good Friday, the day Christ died to save us, and her father bowing out of the Presidential Race just four days later. The Santorum family has given such marvelous Christian witness to our nation . “Bella” is another example of that. Mr. Santorum knows that—as he is married—his primary vocation in life is to be husband and Abba—Daddy—Father. May America turn back to God and may God the Father of All bestow His blessing upon Rick Santorum and all Americans.

Wisdom to the Simple

Every man can be wise. You don't need a college degree to be wise; some farmers are actually wiser than some professors. God gave us the natural law, which we can know because we are creatures with ratio or reason. The natural law is nonetheless revealed to us by God in the Ten Commandments. The natural law, says St. Thomas Aquinas, is "nothing more than the rational creature's participation in the Eternal Law." Follow this law, which God has given to man, and you will be wise.

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple. -Psalm 19

Saint Agnes, Virgin Martyr

From a treatise On Virgins by Saint Ambrose, bishop:

Today is the birthday of a virgin; let us imitate her purity. It is the birthday of a martyr; let us offer ourselves in sacrifice. It is the birthday of Saint Agnes, who is said to have suffered martyrdom at the age of twelve. The cruelty that did not spare her youth shows all the more clearly the power of faith in finding one so young to bear it witness.

Now behold how St. Ambrose describes the execution:

You could see fear in the eyes of the executioner, as if he were the one condemned; his right hand trembled, his face grew pale as he saw the girl's peril, while she had no fear for herself. ... Agnes ... gained a martyr's crown.

Almighty ever-living God, who choose what is weak in the world to confound the strong, mercifully grant, that we, who celebrate the heavenly birthday of your martyr Saint Agnes, may follow her constancy in the faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Farmer Pope

St. Fabian was a farmer who became Pope and, later, martyr. He reigned from A.D. 236 until A.D. 250. He defended the Deposit of the Faith against heresy. St. Cyprian calls him an incomparable man.

In A.D. 250, Roman Emperor Decius required everyone in Rome to offer public sacrifice to the pagan gods of Rome or be killed--and the law was applied first of all to the bishops, especially the Bishop of Rome, who enjoys primacy over the whole Church. Pope Fabian suffered martyrdom rather than deny his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

God chooses the weak and makes them strong in bearing witness to Him.