Feast of Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph - Patron and Protector of the Universal Church

How does Saint Joseph exercise his role as protector ??

Discreetly, humbly, and silently but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve year old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the spouse of Mary he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem, in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight to Egypt; during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and in the day to day life at Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus Christ.

How does Saint Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus, and the Universal Church ?? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God's presence and receptive to God's plans not simply to his own.

Saint Joseph is a "Protector" because he is able to hear God's voice and be guided by his will;and for this reason, he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his care.

In him, we learn how to respond to God's Call readily and willingly but we also see the core of the "Christian Vocation", which is Christ !!

In this Month of March, dedicated to Saint Joseph, let us seek his intercession that he helps us to preserve and uphold the family as the first social institution established by God on earth. (Genesis 1:27-28)

A Second Note to Readers

For the Month of March, there will be just one more post. It will be on the 19th of March for the Feast of Saint Joseph. After that, there will be 3 posts in the month of April for Good Friday 2014, Easter Sunday 2014, and Divine Mercy Sunday2014.

For the Month of May, there will be just one post. It will be for the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima on the 13th of May.

For June, there will be 2 posts one for Corpus Christi Sunday 2014 and one for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Thereafter, my Blog will be taking a break till September 2014 when I will resume posting again.

Drop a comment or two at my Blog.

Observing Lent in India

From the carrying of a Cross uphill in Kerala, to the Canon's procession in Goa, to attending the Way of the Cross each morning in Orissa, there are many ways in which Lent is observed in India.

Kerala is the cradle of Christianity in India. In this state, Lent is observed with passion. Some faithful carry a cross uphill and plant it on Saint Thomas Mount in Malayatoor which the Apostle visited during his stay in India and which has become a pilgrimage site.

Goa is another State with a large Christian Population. It is situated on the West Coast of India. Here, the procession of the Canons is a unique Lenten ritual where about 12 Canons - mostly retired Catholic Priests - walk, singing, mournful dirges at "Se Cathedral" in Old Goa on Good Friday.

This ritual follows the main Good Friday service; here the Canons decked out in long black habits and hoods lead a procession re-enacting the taking of Christ's body to the sepulchre. their mournful dirges stop before the body is finally laid at the foot of the cross at one of the chapels within the Cathedral.

Yet another Lenten practice popularised by the Society of Pilar in the Archdiocese of Goa is a Lenten Play which makes the rounds in various parishes. The Society of Pilar is a Catholic Religious Order based in Goa.

In Orissa's Kandhamal District in Eastern India which has seen anti-christian violence in recent years, some Catholic Villagers attend the "Way of the Cross" every day. Retreats are organised in every parish. The baptism of new catholics takes place only on Easter Sunday, while First Holy Communion is given to children only during Holy Week.

Credits : The Examiner, Mumbai
              Vol 162, No 17
               April 23, 2011

2 Awesome Catholic Classics for Lent The Precious Blood by Father Faber and the Foot of the Cross by Father Faber

1) The Precious Blood by Father Faber -

Our Lord Jesus Christ died on the Cross from loss of Blood. Hence, his precious blood is in truth the instrument of our salvation.

With this thought being central to his book, Father Faber explores all the implications of the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ in our lives- its mystery and necessity, its history, the devotion we poor souls should have towards it and the sway of the Empire of the Precious Blood.

For it is from the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ alone that our salvation comes. The "Precious Blood" by Father Faber is therefore a study in our salvation;but it is also a resume of our faith and of our "Holy Catholic Christian Religion" from the standpoint of this dominant insight.

This Book has a strong scriptural aura about it.

Read the whole Book here in PDF Format :

https://ia600303.us.archive.org/29/items/preciousbloodorp00fabe/preciousbloodorp00fabe.pdf

2) The Foot of the Cross by Father Faber -

This Lenten Catholic Classic is "Self Explanatory". It is based on the "Sorrows of Mary".

Read the whole Book here in PDF Format :

https://ia600201.us.archive.org/2/items/a580635100fabeuoft/a580635100fabeuoft.pdf

A Note to Readers

From now on, for the next two months I will be posting articles on Lent and on Easter specially on their "Spiritual Significance".

There will be just 1 post on Catholic Classics that will be most probably next week. It will be a "Catholic Classics Special" for Lent.

Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes 11th February 2014 World Day of the Sick

The Grotto of Massabielle is the heart of Lourdes. In the town, the road signs do not indicate "the Sanctuary" rather "The Grotto". Until recently, "The Grotto" was the name of the organisation  which managed the sanctuary.

The vault of the Grotto has been preserved in its original state, as we can see from the oldest photographs available. The engravings are less accurate as they present the area as a theatrical scene. The Grotto faces north and the sun never penetrates within. It is the Blessed Virgin herself who illuminates it with her presence, her smile, and her beauty. The symbolism speaks for itself.

In  Lourdes, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubirous 18 times from 11th February to 16th July 1858 that year at a little niche and delivered messages through her to the world.

Bernadette obedient to Our Lady's command scratched the ground near the grotto and Lo and Behold a trickle of water issued forth from the ground she had scratched. This is the source of the miraculous waters of Lourdes.

Many Miraculous cures have been attributed to the waters from this spring which continues to flow to this day. Doctors have had no explanations for these scientifically inexplicable cures. One can see crutches hanging around the grotto left by pilgrims who were cured.

All in all Lourdes in France is a "Must Visit Destination" for anyone or everyone specially those who are sick with terminal illnesses or incurable diseases.

Check out the Sanctuary in Lourdes

http://en.lourdes-france.org/

Tallest Statue of Divine Mercy installed in India

Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Oct 2, 2013 / 04:11 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sept. 30, Cardinal George Alencherry unveiled and blessed a shrine featuring a statue of the Divine Mercy of Jesus, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

“The statue is 43-feet tall and it proclaims that the Lord is ever merciful to all those who seek him,” Bishop Anthony Chirayath of the Syro-Malabarese Diocese of Sagar told CNA Sept. 28.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. It is of the East Syrian rite, and is headed by Cardinal Alencherry, who is Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly. Nearly all 3.8 million Syro-Malabarese Catholics are in India, though there is an eparchy located in the U.S.

Some 20 bishops attended the blessing, as well as around 100 priests and religious. When he spoke to CNA, Bishop Chirayath said that “a presence of about 3,000 Catholic devotees of the Divine Mercy is expected, including pilgrims from the U.S., Canada, France, Germany and Italy,” adding that “a great participation of staunch devotees, even of other faiths, is to be witnessed.”

Read more here http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/divine-mercy-statue-in-india-receives-cardinals-blessing/