Free Catholic Books and Gifts!

Automated ads not within blogger's control. Report inappropriate ads.


• Verse of the Day

• Recent Comments

  • Br. Michael Anthony on Pontifical Acts
  • Br. Michael Anthony on Pontifical Acts
  • Kristi on Urgent Prayer Requests and Petitions
  • Paul Gauci on Apparition of Our Lady of Laus Approved
  • vanessa on Urgent Prayer Requests and Petitions

•  

  # St. Blog's Parish ? >>
  

  eBay users: Here is a new way to Donate!

  

  
  

  

  
  

• Blogroll

  • Abbey-Roads2
  • Book Store
  • Catholic Library
  • Immaculate Heart of Mary's Hermitage - Videos
  • Prayer Request
  • Professor Juan Mayo Escudero
  • Rev. Bosco Peters' "Liturgy"
  • The Divine Lamp
  • Vivificat!

• Hermitage

  • 
  • 

•  

  December 2007

  S	M	T	W	T	F	S
  « Nov				Jan »
  						1
  2	3	4	5	6	7	8
  9	10	11	12	13	14	15
  16	17	18	19	20	21	22
  23	24	25	26	27	28	29
  30	31

• Archives

  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006

• Brother André Marie’s Theology Weblog

  • Grace Perfects Nature
  • Aristotelian Ontology in Thomistic Christology
  • Modern Philosophical Anthropology and the Catholic Conception of Man
  • Aristotelian Epistemology and Leo XIII’s Thomist Revival
  • Jesus Christ and the Church: The Fullness of Divine Revelation

Unless souls are saved, nothing is saved; there can be no world peace unless there is soul peace. World wars are only projections of the conflicts waged inside the soul of modern men, for nothing happens in the external world that has not happened within a soul.

Share This

  Today, Feast of the Holy Family, the Pope appeared at the window of his private study overlooking St. Peter’s Square to pray the Angelus.
  Addressing the thousands of faithful gathered below his window, the Holy Father explained how today “we celebrate the mystery of a God Who chose to be born of a woman, […]

“The ancient monks were so sure of this truth that they did not bother
to sing the Psalms in their mother tongue. It was enough for them to
know that they were in a way “organs” of the Holy Spirit. They were
convinced that their faith would enable the verses of the Psalms to
release a special “energy” of […]

“Everything Cassian teaches about prayer depends on the Bible. One finds both the interplay of *meditatio* and *oratio* and the link between imageless prayer and the spiritual interpretation of Scripture. In Cassian’s world prayer simply could not exist outside of a biblical environment. His map of progress in prayer leads from multiple forms and words […]

“Our Father Saint Bruno: this title does not raise thoughts in our
minds of lengthy doctrine nor of elaborate teaching but rather the
existence of a mature master who allowed himself to be seduced by the
goodness of God and gave everything up for its sake. He has little
else to tell us except his life in the desert […]

While discussing the eremitic life, solitude, and silence, we must never lose site of the fundamental fact that the hermit, like any other Christian, lives in the community that is the Church. There is no doubt that his (her) form of participation differs from many other brothers and sisters in faith. However, his(her) whole existence […]

See a slideshow about the Carthusians in the portuguese Charterhouse
of Santa Maria Scala Coeli

Share This

  At midday on December 25th, Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, the Holy Father pronounced his traditional Christmas Message from the central loggia of the Vatican Basilica, and imparted the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing.
  Extracts of the Message are given below:
  “‘A holy day has dawned upon us.’ A day of great hope: […]

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Wise Men came from the east to worship him. Some say they were kings, others astrologers. They went to Herod, the king, seeking the newborn king of the Jews, the Savior. Herod was a cruel, clever tyrant. When he heard these Wise Men speak of a newborn king, […]

“Hesychia is but the breathing of the Holy Sprit, a stability in the Spirit of the risen Christ that is attained only at the price of our entirely letting go: of allowing our complications, our resistances, and our narrow, twisted a priori to burned away under the desert sun.”
–A Carthusian, “The Wound of Love”, page […]

by Sgt. Robert Grimes
 
 

CHRISTMAS REVERIE IN A GERMAN PRISON
STALAG LUFT IV 1944
Silvery moonbeams infiltrate the boarded windows of my prison room, Falling gently across the faces of my slumbering comrades, Like ghostly fingers of an Omnipresent God splashing His love and benediction across the barren walls and into each sad and hurting heart.
The freshly fallen […]

St. John was a fisherman in Galilee. He was called to be an apostle with his brother, St. James. Jesus gave these sons of Zebedee the nickname, “sons of thunder.” St. John was the youngest apostle. He was dearly loved by the Lord. At the Last Supper, it was John who was permitted to lean […]

  Shortly before midday today, feast of St. Stephen, deacon and protomartyr, Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square below.
  The Pope recalled how St. Stephen “was stoned at the gates of Jerusalem and died, like Jesus, invoking forgiveness for his killers. […]

Stephen’s name means crown. He was the first disciple of Jesus to receive the martyr’s crown. Stephen was a deacon in the early Church. We read about him in chapters 6 and 7 of the Acts of the Apostles. Peter and the apostles had found that they needed helpers to look after the care of […]

Says They Have Vocation to Be Where Jesus Lived
The patriarch of Jerusalem says Christians in the Holy Land have a vocation to live in the land of Jesus, and not elsewhere in the world.Archbishop Michel Sabbah affirmed this at Christmas Midnight Mass, telling Christians pressured to leave the Middle East to “listen to the voice […]

Today a great light and hope entered the world, but humility is needed in order to see and accept it, said Benedict XVI in his traditional Christmas message.The Pope affirmed this today from the central balcony at St. Peter’s. He gave a Christmas greeting in 63 languages then gave his blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the […]

Here is the text of the Christmas Midnight Mass homily of Archbishop Michel Sabbah, patriarch of Jerusalem. The translation was provided by the patriarchate.* * *
Christmas Homily 2007
Brothers and Sisters,
I wish you all a Blessed Christmas.
Mr. President,
1. This holy night, we pray for you, for your difficult task, for the security and unity of the […]

Here is a Vatican translation of Benedict XVI’s Christmas message, which he delivered from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica today at noon.* * *
“A holy day has dawned upon us.
Come you nations and adore the Lord.
Today a great light has come upon the earth.”
(Day Mass of Christmas, Gospel Acclamation)
Dear Brothers and Sisters! “A […]

“Tell me the weight of a snowflake,” a coalmouse asked a wild dove.
“Nothing more than nothing,” the dove answered.
“In that case I must tell you a marvelous story,” the coalmouse said. “I sat on a fir branch close to the trunk when it began to snow. Not heavily, not in a raging blizzard. […]

The lyrics to Ave Maria:
Latin:
Ave Maria gratia plena,
Maria gratia plena,
Maria gratia plena.
Ave, ave Dominus.
Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus.
Et benedictus.
Et benedictus fructus ventris,
Ventris tui Iesus.
Ave Maria.
Ave Maria Mater Dei.
Ora pro nobis pecatoribus.
Ora ora pro nobis.
Ora ora pro nobis peccatoribus.
Nunc et in hora mortis.
In hora mortis nostrae.
In hora mortis mortis nostrae.
In hora mortis nostrae.
Ave Maria.
Engalish:
Hail, Mary, full […]

The time had come for the Son of God to become man for love of us. His mother Mary and St. Joseph had to leave their home in Nazareth and go to Bethlehem. The reason for this journey was the Roman emperor’s request to count the number of his subjects. So every Jewish family had […]

“Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole
chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended,
the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death
is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is
removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, […]

Here is a Vatican translation of Benedict XVI’s homily today at Christmas Midnight Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
“The time came for Mary to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room […]

Gospel Commentary for Christmas Mass at Midnight
By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM CapAn ancient custom for the feast of Christmas foresees three Masses, called respectively “at night,” “at dawn,” “during the day.” In each Mass, through readings that vary, a different aspect of the mystery is presented, in such a way that we get, so to […]

” THE GRAND INQUISITOR”
+
Dear Revd Fathers, Mothers, Brothers and Sisters;
Peace be with you on this holy night as we journey to the manger together. ” The Lord comes! Go to meet him and say; Great is His reign, and his kingdom will have no end. He is God the strong one, the Ruler of the […]

Cardinal Delly Offers Message of Charity and Hope This Christmas. A reduction in violence has not removed the fear with which Iraq’s Catholics are celebrating Christmas, says the archbishop of Baghdad. Yet, Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly on Monday asked emigrants to return home, the Associated Press reported. “Let’s hope it’s getting better, but I think […]

Christmas message delivered on Christmas 1996 by the Prior to the Monks of St. Hugh’s at Parkminster, also on the occasion of the Simple Profession of a Cloister Monk can be read here.

Share This

Forty-eight religious from the Legion of Christ were ordained to the priesthood Saturday in Rome.
Archbishop Luigi de Magistris, retired pro-major penitentiary, celebrated Saturday’s ordination Mass in the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
In addition to 12 new priests from the United States, the Legion of Christ’s first priests from Singapore and El Salvador were also ordained. […]

Tony Blair’s decision to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church has been welcomed “with respect” by the Holy See, according to a Vatican spokesman.Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, commented on the conversion to Catholicism of the former British prime minister. This is “good news that we welcome with […]

Here is the text of the Dec. 19 Christmas message from the patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Michel Sabbah.* * *
Christmas Message 2007
Brothers and Sisters,
I wish you all a Blessed Christmas.
1. “The grace and love of God have appeared to us” (Titus 3, 4). We joyfully celebrate Christmas, hoping to see better days in our Holy […]

Gospel Commentary for 4th Sunday of Advent
By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM CapThere is something that the three readings have in common this Sunday: In each one a birth is spoken of: “Behold the Virgin will conceive and will give birth to a son and he shall be called Emmanuel, God-with-us” (first reading); “Jesus Christ … […]

“Nothing Is More Beautiful Than Freely Giving What We Have Freely Received”
Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI delivered today before reciting the midday Angelus with several thousand people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Only one day separates the Fourth Sunday of Advent from holy Christmas. Tomorrow night we […]

“In any case, what benefits and divine exultation the silence and
solitude of the desert hold in store for those who love it, only those
who have experienced it can know…For here [Charterhouse] men [women]
of strong will can enter into themselves and remain there as much as
they like, diligently cultivating the seeds of virtue, and eating the
fruits […]

The main gate of the Portuguese charterhouse Santa Maria Scala Coeli, in Évora, opened for the first time to a group of 55 persons of the political and intellectual “jetset” and several journalists on the last 18 December.
The pretext was the launch of the new book “O Segredo da Cartuxa” (The Secret of the Charterhouse) […]

Chapter 40: On the Measure of Drink
Mar. 19 - July 19 - Nov. 18
“Everyone has her own gift from God, one in this way and another in
that” (1 Cor. 7:7). It is therefore with some misgiving that we
regulate the measure of others’ sustenance.
Nevertheless, keeping in view the needs of the weak, we believe that
a hemina […]

An ecumenical chapel at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls is one of the first initiatives of the upcoming Pauline year.Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, archpriest of the papal basilica, announced plans for the chapel in an interview with L’Osservatore Romano.
The chapel will offer “the possibility for non-Catholic Christian communities to come and pray at […]

French President Backs Viewing Religion as an Asset
By Jesús ColinaThe president of France said laicism should not try to separate a nation from its Christian roots.
In a speech Thursday at St. John Lateran, Nicolas Sarkozy said, “No one denies that the French system of laicism is a guarantee of liberty: liberty to believe or not; […]

The U.S. Senate confirmed President George Bush’s nomination of Mary Ann Glendon as the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. The Wednesday approval means that Glendon will succeed Francis Rooney, who has represented the United States before the Holy See since 2005. A date for her succession has not been set. Glendon is the president […]

“Spe Gaudentes — Joyful in Hope”
Here is a translation of the third Advent sermon delivered today by Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, Pontifical Household preacher, in the presence of Benedict XVI and members of the Roman Curia in preparation for Christmas.* * *
1. Jesus the Son
In this third and last meditation, leaving the prophets and John […]

The Carthusian monk only has one focus: God. “The Father asks to be
worshipped in spirit and in truth”. The Carthusian has answered this
call. The first commandment sums up his whole life: “You shall love
and adore God alone, above all else”. And when one speaks of God, one
speaks to every age. All those who seek spiritual […]

keep looking »

• Recent Posts

  • Holy See Website Now Available in Latin
  • Plenary Assembly on Emigrant and Itinerant Families
  • Respect for Life, the Foundation of Civil Coexistence
  • Rome and Jerusalem: Faith and Wisdom for the World
  • Catholic Church: a Point of Reference in Hungary
  • Cause Opens for US Priest
  • The Feast of the Most Holy Trinity
  • Where Religious Liberty Suffers
  • Cardinal Bertone Gets a Special Honor
  • The Fruits of Our Solitude; Comunion
  • Benedict XVI’s Pentecost Homily
  • Pope Invites a Rediscovery of Baptism’s Beauty
  • On Pentecost
  • New Saint of the Rosary
  • The Way of Prayer
  • Feast of the Holy Abbots of Cluny
  • Vigil for Pentecost
  • Novena of the Holy Spirit Day Nine
  • Asking the Holy Spirit for Unity of the Church
  • Novena of the Holy Spirit Day Eight
  • St. Thérèse’s Parents’ Remains to Be Moved
  • Australian Bishops Hope the Lapsed “Reconnect”
  • Pontiff to Visit Shrines in Genoa, Savona
  • In US, Pope Showed His Old Self
  • Pope Briefed on Latin American Mission
  • Schedule of Pope’s Pastoral Visit to Genoa and Savona
  • Pontifical Acts
  • Pope to Young French Pilgrims to Lourdes
  • Pope Urges More Eucharistic Adoration
  • Caviezel Shares Fears, Joys in Adopting
  • Novena of the Holy Spirit Day Seven
  • The Apparition of Saint Michael
  • Papal Message on Disarmament, Development and Peace
  • Social Scientists Conclude Session on Solidarity, Subsidiarity
  • Chinese Perform Mozart for Benedict XVI
  • The Church Is Always in a State of Pentecost
  • Prayer of Saint Casimir
  • Greetings from the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe
  • Novena of the Holy Spirit Day Six
  • Apparition of Our Lady of Laus Approved
  • Third of US ‘08 Ordinands Are Foreign-born
  • Official Visit of Catholicos Karekin II
  • Telegram for Victems of Cyclone in Myanmar
  • Novena of the Holy Spirit Day Five
  • Opus Dei Cardinal Forbids Communion in the Hand
  • Caritas at Work in Cyclone-Devastated Myanmar
  • D.C. Prelate: Communion Issue Is Up to Local Bishops
  • Rosary Is Not a Pious Practice Relegated to the Past
  • Cardinals Take Possession of Titular Church, Diaconate
  • Thirty-Three New Swiss Guards to Be Sworn in Tomorrow
  • Pope Thanks Swiss Guard for Their Service
  • Novena of the Holy Spirit Day Four
  • Transforming Love
  • Growing Hunger Seen as a Problem of the Will
  • Christian Group Wary of Pakistani Promises
  • On Jesus’ Return to the Father
  • Papal Address to Social Sciences Academy
  • Bishop Named for Saskatoon Eparchy
  • Why Are You Staring at the Sky?
  • Sancta Familia Academy
  • A Modern Day Marquesa
  • Novena of the Holy Spirit Day Three

• Categories

  • Ascension Parish
  • Carthusian
  • Devotion
  • Diocese of Orlando
  • Doctor of the Church
  • Encyclical
  • Father Cantalamessa
  • General
  • Hermitage
  • History
  • Holy Family Chapel
  • Humor
  • Intercession
  • Latin
  • Liturgy
  • Marian Devotion
  • News
  • Poetry
  • Pope
  • Pope Benedict XVI
  • Pope John Paul II
  • Pope Paul VI
  • Pope Pius XII
  • Prayer
  • Pro Life
  • Reviews
  • Saint of the Day
  • SSPX
  • Summorum Pontificum
  • Symbols
  • Theology
  • Uncategorized
  • USA Features
  • Vocation
  • World Features

•  

  

• StBlogs Contest

•  

  

• Reviews by Dr. Ramos