Everyone who knows that my children attend Catholic schools was surprised that they have school today. But their schools made sure they got to church. I went to church with my younger saints-in-training at the church attached to their school. It was so full of students and parishioners that my children didn’t know I was there, but that was OK.

I enjoyed hearing a homily that was geared toward the children but not insulting to the grownups in the assembly. The deacon compared “being a saint” to “getting into the Hall of Fame.” Sports analogies are useful tools when talking to kids, and this was no exception. He talked about how Hall-of-Famers aren’t athletes who had ONE good season; they are the ones who were great through their whole careers. The same goes for the saints.

The children learned that the saints worked hard to live the Beatitudes–which they heard in today’s Gospel. They were encouraged to do their best to live the Beatitudes in their own lives, so that they, too, can become saints.

After Communion, the third grade presented their own litany of patron saints. The children had done reports on their patron saints in preparation for this day. They brought along their illustrations for the reports, and as the names of the saints were read (and we responded “Pray for us”) the children would hold up the saint’s picture. Very sweet! I know how hard these children worked, since one of the third-graders is my godchild and she told me all about her saint report.

It was great to celebrate the Feast of All Saints in a standing-room-only church full of aspiring saints.

Father Altier’s homily on Saint Luke really hits home with me. As a parent, this is what I want to teach my children to do. This is the kind of example I hope I am setting for them, even in little ways.

Our part, then, is to learn from the disciples of the Lord because we are His disciples today, and we have to learn what He did with them and we have to learn to do what they did. The Lord sent them out as sheep among wolves. That is certainly the case today for anyone who wants to bring the Gospel into this world. Even with that, we need to continue to bring the Gospel message to as many people as we can and to have the courage to stand alone because we know that what we are preaching is truth.

Via ukok.

Prayer of St. Francis to the Crucified Christ:
“O Lord, I beg of you two graces before I die–to experience personally and in all possible fullness the pain of your bitter passion, and to feel for you the same love that moved you to sacrifice yourself for us.” (Little Flowers of St. Francis)

“Praise and bless my Lord, and give Him thanks, and serve Him with great humility.”

He is a tough act to follow, to be sure.

If you’re interested in learning more about Francis of Assisi, I strongly suggest you start by reading Chesterton’s biography of the saint. There’s nothing sappy, sentimental, or touchy-feely there, and it’s absolutely fascinating and motivating.

Image credit

Jean at Catholic Fire has a post today called “The Many Faces of Our Lady of Sorrows.” All the images she gathered for that post are beautiful and expressive, but oh my, this one really hits hard.

How can you look at those eyes and not feel a little piece of the Blessed Mother’s sorrow?

Image Credit

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula.

It’s a biggie for all Franciscans because the Church of Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula is the little abandoned chapel that Francis rebuilt stone by stone. Later he founded the Franciscan order there and all Franciscan work began there, and this is where he asked to be placed when he was dying. A large church was built around the little chapel.

In the Mirror of Perfection, Francis wrote:

“Holy of Holies is this Place of Places,
Meetly held worthy of surpassing honor!
Happy thereof of the surname, of the Angels.
Happier yet the name, Blessed Mary.
Now a true omen the third name conferreth,
The Little Portion on the Little Brethren:
Here where by night a presence oft of Angels
Singing sweet hymns illumineth the watches.
Here was the old world’s broad highway made narrow,
Here the way made broader for the Chosen People;
Here grew the rule, here Poverty, here Our Lady,
Smiting back pride, called back the Cross amongst us.”
(Mirror of Perfection #84)

Prayer to Our Lady of the Angels

O Virgin of the Angels, who has for centuries established your throne of mercy at the
Porziuncula,
hear the prayer of your children,
who trust in you.
From this truly holy place and the habitation of the Lord,
so dear to the heart of saint Francis,
you have always invited all men to love.
Your tender eyes assure us of a never failing motherly help
and a promise of divine help to all those who humbly have recourse to your throne,
or who from afar, turn to you to ask for help.
You are, indeed, our sweet Queen and our only hope.
O Lady of the Angels, obtain for us,
through the intercession of blessed Francis,
pardon for our sins, help us to keep away from sin and indifference,
so that we shall be worthy of calling you our Mother for evermore.
Bless our homes, our toil and our rest,
by giving us that same serenity we experience within the walls of the Porziuncula, where hate, guilt and tears turn into a song of joy
like that once was sung by the Angels and the seraphic Francis.
Help those who are in need and hungry,
those who are in danger of body and soul,
those who are sad and downhearted,
those who are sick and dying.
Bless us, your most beloved children, and, we pray you,
bless also with the same motherly gesture,
all those who are innocent, together with those are guilty;
those who are faithful, together with those who have gone astray;
those who believe, together with those who are in doubt.
Bless all humanity, so that all men acknowledging that they are God’s children,
would find through love, real Peace and real Good.
Amen.

Today is the feast of St. Anthony of Padua.

St. Anthony is definitely part of the fabric of my life as a Franciscan. The parish my grandmother attended, where I was part of the fourth generation in my family to attend the same Catholic elementary school, has a shrine to St. Anthony.

The shrine is the little building on the right. I’ve been in there countless times, generally in the company of my grandmother. I remember feeling that it was like another world in there. Before such things were considered “against fire code” all the candles (and there were many) were real. You lit a candle by picking up one of the long wicks from a holder on the side of the candle stand, lighting the wick from a candle already burning, and then lighting another candle. The little shrine always smelled like wax and flowers. It was cool and quiet, with a dark slate floor. Because of all the candles, there wasn’t much need for lighting beyond the flickering votives.

It was just a little building, but there was something about it–something that would make you automatically get quiet when you walked in; as a friend and fellow Franciscan tells fidgety children, “quiet on the outside, quiet on the inside.” And I’m not sure how to explain it, except to say that you could almost feel the prayers that had been whispered within those walls.

My grandmother left behind many prayer cards with images of Saint Anthony, and those are mine now. If I had a scanner I’d post some here. Micki’s got a pretty one pictured at her site, along with a link explaining St. Anthony’s Bread.

Speaking of St. Anthony’s Bread, there is a ministry in Providence, Rhode Island that is committed to providing 300 homeless adults with a hot beverage and sandwiches to go, 3 days a week. It’s called Bread and Blessings. My uncle is the Franciscan friar who coordinates this ministry. If you feel moved to donate to this program, either for the sandwich fund or for a special fund for blankets, winter boots, or household goods for people transitioning from shelter life to new living opportunities, please email me for contact information.

Visit this link to find novena prayers and other prayers in honor of Saint Anthony.

If you’d like to read a good biography of St. Anthony, I recommend A Rich Young Man by John Beahn. I’m not sure if it’s still in print but used copies are available at online booksellers.