The three Archangels

St. Gabriel St. Raphael St. Michael

"...You should be aware that the word "angel" denotes a function rather than a nature. Those holy spirits of heaven have indeed always been spirits. They can only be called angels when they deliver some message. Moreover, those who deliver messages of lesser importance are called angels; and those who proclaim messages of supreme importance are called archangels.

And so it was that not merely an angel but the archangel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary. It was only fitting that the highest angel should come to announce the greatest of all messages.... So too Gabriel, who is called God's strength, was sent to Mary. He came to announce the One who appeared as a humble man to quell the cosmic powers. Thus God's strength announced the coming of the Lord of the heavenly powers, mighty in battle.

Raphael means...God's remedy, for when he touched Tobit's eyes in order to cure him, he banished the darkness of his blindness. Thus, since he is to heal, he is rightly caused God's remedy.

Whenever some act of wondrous power must be performed, Michael is sent, so that his action and his name may make it clear that no one can do what God does by his superior power..."

- from a homily by Pope Saint Gregory the Great

source

Novenas to St. Therese

"For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy." - Saint Therese of Lisieux



I won't be posting the novena prayers everyday for nine days this time... :-) You could find them down there on the side bar (under novenas) or here.

pic from here

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

I know it's kind of late, but here's a little something I made... The timing is a bit off... only because I made it in one day...

Anyway... Enjoy!

Blessed Charles Spinola

Sorry for such a late post...




"Meanwhile, by night and day, we confirm our souls by exercises of piety, we chastise our bodies by scourging, haircloths, and other like mortifications; and what constitutes our greatest consolation, we minister at the altar daily. And it has surely been by a special providence of God, that vestments and other requisites for the holy sacrifices were introduced unseen by the guards, after we had been at first for several months deprived of them and unable to refresh ourselves with that heavenly bread of angels.

For my own part I am overjoyed at this special benefit of God, accomplishing the desire which chiefly brought me hither, and I esteem it above the splendor of all fleeting dignities. And justly, for Saint Paul, after being once imprisoned triumphed more in the glory of his chains and bonds, than in his very apostleship, calling himself `Bound in the Lord.' I blush for shame when I think how by no merit of mine, I have obtained this great grace; how God, having before so many holy persons who have cultivated this vineyard with such admirable zeal, has cast his eyes on me, the last of all in the gifts of nature and merit.

I, who can aver that I now begin to be a disciple of Christ amid the greatest pain and confinement of prison, even when my strength seemed failing from hunger alone, I was always refreshed by such delights of consolation, that I deemed all my sufferings undergone in the divine service richly rewarded. Were I still to pass several years in this dungeon, the time would seem to me short in my intense desire of suffering for His love, who so lavishly rewards the labors of this life and makes even torture itself sweet and desirable. Yet God is to be served chiefly for himself alone, for He is the fountain of all goodness, and merits all our devotion without any hope of reward."

-Blessed Charles

source

Old meme

Got tagged by Cy and Mom! Thanks! :-D

What picture would I use for my holy card, should I make it to sainthood, and of what cause(s) would I want to be patron(ess) of?

Sorry that I wasn't able to post this earlier... I couldn't find the right picture. :-P (usually I'm the one behind the camera) Haha... actually I was going to post one holding up a camera trying to take a picture of the one who was taking a picture of me, but it turned out that she took the picture first... :-) Then there were a couple of ones of me holding up plates with smiley faces in front of my face... ;-) Anyway, I found a really old one after we moved...

Mom said it was okay because I said that I don't think look like that anymore... (do I?) :-D I picked this one because all holy card pics are old and look old, right? jk :-P :-) I think this one was taken when I was about five or six years old...

Should I make it to sainthood? Um, should I? ;-) I dunno, I was kind of looking forward to writing someone else's saint story who I know! :-) Wouldn't that be fun to do? I'd rather write someone else's story...

Patroness... photographers! The people who are behind the cameras! :-D And maybe young people... Oh! and young vocations too! I found out that there are only about two who are patrons of it! ...But that's not up to me. :-) (updated) But if I could possibly choose, I'd really like to be the patroness of "unknown saints". It's kind of odd, but I've read a lot of saint stories who have stories just good as all those other famous saints. But not just those unknown saints too! I think it would include all those other people living in the present world who are kind of like "unknown saints" helping little by little in little ways to others in secret... Who knows? :-) Maybe there's an unknown saint in your life too! :-D I know plenty of them! Or... (would be my other choice) How about those who are trying to imitate the saints? :-)

I tag whoever would like to play along! :-)