Nuns Headed for Billboard 'Top 100' Again?

The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles are at it again.

Just in time for the Lenten season, they will release their newest album, Lent at Ephesus, on February 11th. Pre-order from their site HERE or at Amazon by clicking on the image below.



Follow their progress on the chart HERE.

About Billboard

Lenten Conferences - Diocese of Buffalo

LOOKING FOR 2013 Men's Conference? CLICK HERE

The 10th Annual Catholic Men's Conference will be held on Saturday, March 24, 2012 at Cardinal O'Hara High School in Tonawanda.  Speakers will include:

• Allen Hunt, nationally known author and radio talk show host
• Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv.
• Sammy Violante, "mentor, coach and survivor"

The theme for this year's conference is "Servant Leadership - The Challenge"

They are asking that those who are able, please bring non-perishable food items to be collected at the entrance.  All donations will be distributed locally to those in need.  

For more information and to register, visit the Catholic Men's Fellowship site HERE.  

____________________________________

The Station of the Cross/WLOF Radio  presents the Buffalo Women's Lenten Conference on Saturday, March 17, 2012.   

The theme for the day of reflection is, “Behold, I Make All Things New” and is to be held at the Hearthstone Manor at 333 Dick Road in Depew, NY.

Speakers will include:

• Maryalice Demler, Emcee 
• Teresa Tomeo author, syndicated talk show host
• Leah Darrow from Catholic Answers
• Mother Yarrow Yaqob the "Mother Teresa of Baghdad"
• Fr. Rick Poblocki, host of "Calling all Catholics," Mass Celebrant and Homilist

Music will be provided by Marian Grace.  This conference is open to all women age 14 and up and a boxed lunch is included in the registration fee.  There is a discounted price for early registration and students receive 25% discount.  Invite all of the women you know!  For more information and to register, click HERE.  

Edited to add:

"We are very excited to announce a special limited time promotion for the upcoming Catholic women's conference, "Behold I Make All Things New." We're offering every woman who purchases tickets through January 30th a chance to win the opportunity to have lunch with our speakers the day of the event. What better way to spend your lunch the day of the conference than with Teresa Tomeo, Leah Darrow, Mother Olga and Maryalice Demler?   Time is limited so we encourage you to buy your tickets now. Call 1-877-888-6279 or visit www.wlof.net  for tickets and details."

Blessings,

Sarah Buttino

Conference Coordinator

Love, Humility and Three Things You Should Always Say to Your Wife

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In this season of Lent I shall share with you a hard won secret which I refer to as the three most important things you should always say to your wife. I, of course, ask for nothing in return, but I do suggest that if you indeed find this advice useful, you give thanks for it in the form of alms. First, however, I would like to make a few remarks about the virtue of humility.

The Catholic Encyclopedia states that “…Humility is annexed to the virtue of temperance (a cardinal virtue) … because temperance includes all those virtues that refrain (or moderate) … the inordinate movements of our desires or appetites. Humility is a … virtue opposed to (or moderating) pride…”

The season of Lent culminates in the greatest act of humility that will ever occur in the history of the mankind, the death of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ -- beaten, naked and nailed to the cross in a form of execution reserved for the scum of the earth. Not only was His Crucifixion the greatest act of Humility, it was also the greatest act of Love.

Rafael Merry del Val (1865-1930) was a Spanish scion who attended St James Roman Catholic School at Baylis House, Slough, Buckinghamshire, England. He liked horses, dancing and the shooting sports. He was considered an excellent shot. He completed his theological studies in Rome, and was a priest by the time he was 23 years old.

Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto (1835 – 1914) was the son of a village postman, and he lived his childhood in poverty together with his three brothers and six sisters. His parents, though poor, understood the value of an education, and, every day, Giuseppe Sarto walked to school which was located 3.5 miles from his home. He was ordained a priest at the age of 23 in 1858.

So here we have two priests: the peasant and the blueblood. History shows us the peasant became Pope Pius X – later canonized Saint Pius X, and the blueblood became his servant Cardinal Merry del Val, Secretary of State of the Holy See. Consider the humility of the request. Consider the humility of the acceptance.

The Litany of Humility

By

Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val

O Jesus! Meek and humble of heart,

Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being praised,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being approved,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being humiliated,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged,

Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected,

Deliver me, Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I unnoticed,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

---

The three most important things you must say to your wife:

1. “Yes, Dear.”

2. “It’s all my fault.”

3. “You’re looking especially lovely…” (the rest depends -- we will discuss an example later on.)

OK let’s take them one at a time, but first let me anticipate what may be your first objection: what about “I love you.”? Where is that on your list? Good point. My answer is that it is written all over that list, but not included on the list. That is the way you need to think of using this list. These are words that you need to use and say a lot, and they are words of love. Your challenge is to master the thinking that goes on behind the words, and not necessary the exact words. Then you must apply the thinking behind the words to the situation at hand. The words “I love you.” are great words, and they have great impact, but they would grow tired and lose their meaning if repeated too often. Think about the very first time you met your wife. Did you tell her that you loved her on that occasion? Didn’t it take a while, and perhaps many occasions before you were prepared to make that kind of a statement to her? Love should be special, not banal. The words I have chosen have a higher threshold for avoiding banality than “I love you”. After you have memorized them and used them for a while try to master the thinking and rephrase them, but, for starters, they will do.

“Yes, dear.”

The thinking that goes on behind these words should include thoughts of affirmation and affection. The overall meaning of the phrase is “I hear you”. The message you should be trying to connote to her is that you are at her service in this regard. It may well be, for you, an act of humility. So be it! Suck it up! You are the man! She is the woman. Remember way back when you built that pedestal for her? Your goddess beckons. Go to her. Now!

“It's all my fault.”

No one likes the taste of Crow. Why should you be any different? Rather than finding who’s at fault, it is preferable to take responsibility for a bad outcome, this is especially true where the actual cause of the problem lies in that grey fog where each of you actually may have played a role in the matter. Accentuate your role, and don’t even talk about hers. If it’s your fault, you may then be instrumental in solving the problem or finding a way out of the dilemma. However you must be accepting of the fact that even though you claimed responsibility she may have the solution to the problem. In that case, provided it is rational, for dessert, after eating crow, have a wedge of humble pie, and agree to her solution. The possibility also exists that by you taking responsibility, she begins to see the situation in a new light, and this may lead her to admit to errors she would not otherwise admit, but don’t count on that happening. We are not talking about executing some clever maneuver or lawyer’s trick on your part. We are talking about getting a situation “off the dime” and ending a dispute that has the potential to become very corrosive and non productive to your marriage. Who wants that?

“You’re looking especially lovely…”

It has been said time and again that women are detail oriented, while men are mainly interested in “the big picture”. Let’s take the example, where for months, Gloria, down at the hair salon, has been working on your bride trying to convince her to have her hair highlighted in some new special way. Today, she finally said yes to Gloria, and, now, she has arrived home and is in her kitchen with a kind of expectant air about her, and at about the same time, you, Neanderthal that you are, emerge from the garage after a bout of wrestling with a lawn mower tune up. You may say to yourself, “hmm she looks different, and she’s got that air about her again”, but you cannot pinpoint exactly what change has occurred. Let us restate the problem unequivocally. She’s gone and done something that has changed her appearance, and you don’t know what it is, and you’re not even really sure she’s done that – she’s got that air about her after all. Careful buddy! You are skating on thin ice! Don’t say something like “What did you do to yourself?” That’s really dumb, because it forces her to reveal her secret to you, and that is the last thing you want her to do. Where there is a secret, there is mystery. Where there is mystery, there is enchantment. It’s all part of her charm. So let’s face it, you’re clueless about what she’s done, but she does look kind of cute over there the way she always does. So what do you say? “You’re looking especially lovely this afternoon, my dear. How about a date tonight, after I get this lawn mower grease off my hands and take a shower?”

That’s what you say to your wife. Got it? Great! Go do it!

RIP Churchmouse 5/2013

The Passion of the Lord - in LEGO!

Created by 14 and 16 year old brothers. Thanks to Faith and Family Magazine blog for the heads-up. Outstanding job, boys!

Lint at Burger King

My dear husband works in a very busy suburb of Rochester, NY where the traffic often gobbles up half of his one hour lunch break. Last Friday he stopped in at Burger King to grab a fish sandwich since it was not far from work. When he approached the counter and placed his order, the lady looked at him and said, "Okay, what is going on here?! Why are so many people ordering fish today? Something weird is going on." He simply told her that it is Friday and since it is Lent, a lot of people eat fish on that day. She looked at him only further confused and asked, "Lint? What lint?" Known for his gift of brevity, he ditched the opportunity to over-the-counter evangelize and left it up to her fellow employees to explain. I can only imagine what she thought if she worked on Ash Wednesday and saw a lot of people coming in with dirt on their foreheads.

I think I'll put a few Lenten booklets I picked up from the table at church and stuff them in his coat pocket. Next time someone asks him about lint on his lunch break, he can give one to them.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen - 'Spectators of Eros'

What earthly treasures would you be able to give up in order to be closer to God? Would you give your home? Your lifestyle? The contents of your bank account? To what or whom are you consecrated?

______________

Part V to follow.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen - "You Know Not the Hour or the Day"

The fifth and final installment of Archbishop Fulton Sheen's homily given on Good Friday, 1979. For the first four installments, please see below.



"Show me your hands. Do you have scars from giving? Show me your feet. Have you gone about doing good? Show me your heart. Have you left a place for Divine love?"

Archishop Fulton Sheen - Pain: God's Megaphone

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, He speaks to us in our conscience and he shouts to us in our pain."

__________________

When was the last time you asked God "Why?" What was the answer you heard from Him?

_____________________

Part IV next.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen - 'Spectators of Pain and in Pain'

"Whenever I pass a hospital, I always think of how much wasted pain there is. Pain that is not offered up because there is no one to love. Love will not kill pain, but it certainly will suffer it. When one has no one to love, then one is apt to curse..."

_________________________

When looking into your own heart, do you think you have received burdens equal to your failures? How does your sin compare to your pain?

________________________

Part III coming tomorrow.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen - 'Spectators of Indifference'

From his last homily, most fitting for the Lenten season, I offer part one recorded in 1979. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen died months later, on December 9, 1979. There is currently a cause for his Canonization.

Place yourself at Calvary - at 'the place of the skull'. What is your role there? What are you doing? Do you look away? Do you shout out? Do you weep? Are you indifferent?




Part II to follow.

It Took 40 Days

The 'Pillar of Fire Destroyed Darkness of Sin'

There are those among us who would describe the Easter Vigil as 'that long one' and would avoid it at all costs. There are some who have never been blessed to have attended the Easter Vigil and innumerable others are people like myself -- the Catholics who wish every Mass could be more like the Easter Vigil.

Each year as the end of yet another Lenten season approaches, I am frankly quite sad yet look to Holy Week with a longing which is not easily described. I have noticed that in my experience, church attendance during the Easter Triduum is composed primarily of Catholics who take their faith very seriously. The responses seem to be more reverently proclaimed, the homilies free from external noise and distraction and a general air of community that can seem to be lacking during other weeks. We are truly one body in Christ and I feel it most succinctly during Holy Week.

For the second year in a row, it appears that God has placed people in the pew in front of my family with a special purpose during the Easter Vigil. I have been called to pray for them in a very special way, and last night as we immersed ourselves into the arising joy of the Mass, I decided that I should see it as an honor. You see, the five people directly in front of us were probably surprised that the Mass was vastly different from what they may have attended from time to time. (Yes, I said from time to time). They arrived a few minutes prior to the start of Mass and were all clad in jeans and what I would refer to as 'comfy' clothing. Two young men were accompanied by a couple of young ladies and what I believe to be the mother of one of the young women. Both couples appeared to be physically intertwined at all times and each couple moved as if conjoined.

Mother and daughter were both chewing bubble gum vigorously and each of the five appeared to be quite intrigued with the lighting of the new fire. All was good until a young priest began to proclaim the long form of the Exsultet. Unhushed chatter permeated the remainder of the two hours though I had long since decided that I would offer up the Mass for the people in front of us. I will no longer beleaguer the topic and only wish to share that I wondered what they did with their bubble gum when the two chewers approached the Holy Eucharist and Blood of Christ. At one point, I was so moved I reached out my hand behind them below the back of the pew and boldly asked the Holy Spirit to come to these people in the name of Jesus. I looked at my husband beside me to see if my gesture had been noticed and it apparently had not.

Having enjoyed fully this Lenten season and the spiritual fruits it has borne into my life once again, I look forward to next year with joyful anticipation. Thankfully, we have 50 days of Easter to celebrate and of course, as Catholics 'we are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song' as St. Augustine so eloquently once said. I wonder if this little 'tradition' God and I have going at the Easter Vigil will continue next year. Certainly only He knows and I'm well aware that He will let me know the answer in His own time.

I leave you with a bit of the Exsultet and pray that you and I may go forth as commissioned Christians sharing the Word and cleaving to God most merciful:

Father, how wonderful your care for us! How boundless your merciful love! To ransom a slave you gave away your Son.

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!

Dominus vobiscum.

Good Friday 2008

My Lord,
your son has suffered so much, shed so much blood.
I was born with so many faults
and my nature is so full of weakness,
and yet your son Jesus has died on the cross.
For me.
I know your grace has the power
to cleanse me of my many sins
and to make me more like your Son.
Thank you for your goodness and love for me.
I ask you, Father, to watch over me - always.

Fifth Sorrowful Mystery

The Crucifixion

+Our Father+

In you, O Lord, I seek refuge;

do not let me ever be put to shame;

in your righteousness deliver me. Psalm 31:1

+Hail Mary+

Into your hand I commit my spirit... Psalm 31:5a

+Hail Mary+

You have redeemed me,

O Lord, faithful God. Psalm 31:5b

+Hail Mary+

I am the scorn of all my adversaries,

a horror to my neighbors,

an object of dread to my acquaintances;

those who see me in the street flee from me. Psalm 31:11

+Hail Mary+

I have passed out of mind like one who is dead;

I have become like a broken vessel. Psalm 31:12

+Hail Mary+

But I trust in you, O Lord;

I say, "You are my God." Psalm 31:14

+Hail Mary+

My times are in your hand;

deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. Psalm 31:15

+Hail Mary+

Let your face shine upon your servant;

save me in your steadfast love. Psalm 31:16

+Hail Mary+

Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

all you who wait for the Lord. Psalm 31:24

+Hail Mary+

+Glory Be+

+Oh My Jesus+

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To you do we cry poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, O most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement! O loving! O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Holy Thursday

Loving Provider,
you gather me in this upper room with your son,
to be fed by your love.
At that supper, Jesus told us to "love one another"
and I know that is the heart of his gift,
his sacrifice for me.
I ask that I might find the source of my own heart,
the meaning for my own life,
in that Eucharist.
Guide me to the fullness of your love and life.

Fourth Sorrowful Mystery

The Carrying of the Cross

+Our Father+

I gave my back to those who struck me,

and my cheeks to those

who pulled out my beard... Isaiah 50:6a

+Hail Mary+

I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. Isaiah 50:6b

+Hail Mary+

The Lord God helps me... Isaiah 50:7a

+Hail Mary+

Therefore I have set my face like flint,

and I know that I shall not be put to shame. Isaiah 50:7b

+Hail Mary+

[Jesus Christ] emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness... Philippians 2:7

+Hail Mary+

And being found in human form,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death -

even death on a cross. Philippians 2:8

+Hail Mary+

Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name. Philippians 2:9

+Hail Mary+

So that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend... Philippians 2:10

+Hail Mary+

And every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:11

+Hail Mary+

Let the same mind be in you that

was in Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5

+Hail Mary+

+Glory Be+

+Oh My Jesus+