St. Clare is the little plant of St. Francis, as she called herself. A blog to my call to become a Poor Clare Colettine. If St. Clare was a "little plant", I am a scraggly weed.
"The wounded hands of Jesus, outstretched, to me entreat, who, running, fall before him to kiss his wounded feet. So, barefoot, as a beggar, may I thy bride, Lord, be. I lay my hand in thine, Lord, for I belong to thee."
- Sr. Miriam Judith of the Holy Trinity PCC Ty Mam Duw, Wales
A heart devoid of poetry is not a Poor Clare heart, I believe Mother Mary Francis said
at one point, and for that matter it would probably not be a
contemplative heart either!
Autobiography
Part I:
While swallows dipped through my heart,
I tilted handfuls of sunlight over my hems:
Braid of fantastic gold. I told the doves
Poised on my shoulder: to be loved is to be lovely!
I am glad I thought of philosophers, God said. Their strenuous efforts swear in public confession How my thoughts are not the thoughts of men.
Engineers to pan all stuff of earth Are good For witness of my ways' meandering With casual mirth the sweat of all invention
Artists to keep my archives in good Order, Poets to epic major enterprises Of mine, spread out my glory everlasting.
The whole arrangement I have made, God said, Has worth. I like that race of theologians Turning my diamond, face by face, on men.
Only I wish someone would chance Along To marvel at a candle through a window, Slosh bare-ankled in the dew, and laugh
Because my ballerina gnats annoy Some larger, graver creatures No one saw, I fear, (God said) The mint blade in the gravel.
I know men are so busy telling The story of me (even if unknowing). I shall not regret the captains, thinkers, Doers, talkers, workers, Even makers. I only wish (God said) There could be someone now to notice things I do just for your pleasure.
A Letter from St. Padre Pio to Annita
Rodote
Pietrelcina, July 25, 1915
From Volume III of Padre
Pio's Letters, "Correspondence with his Spiritual Daughters (1915-1923)"
1st edition (English version),
Fr. Alessio Parente, O.F.M. Cap., Editor; Edizioni Padre Pio da Pietrelcina,
Our Lady of Grace Capuchin Friary, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, 1994, Translated by
Geraldine Nolan, pp. 88-92.
Fr. Francesco D. Colacelli,
representing the above Friary and publisher, has generously given written permission
". . . to Frank M. Rega to use on his website the citation indicated above."
Beloved daughter of Jesus,
May Jesus and our Mother always smile on your soul,
obtaining for it, from Her most holy Son, all the heavenly charisms!
I am writing to you for two reasons: to answer some more questions from your last letter, and to wish you a very happy names-day
in the most sweet Jesus, full of all the most special heavenly graces. Oh! If
Jesus granted my prayers for you or, better still, if only my prayers were worthy of being
granted by Jesus! However, I increase them a hundredfold for your consolation and
salvation, begging Jesus to grant them, not for me but through the heart of his
paternal goodness and infinite mercy.
In order to avoid irreverence and imperfections in the house of God, in church - which the
divine Master calls the house of prayer - I exhort you in the Lord to practice the
following.
Enter the church in silence and with great respect, considering yourself unworthy to
appear before the Lord's Majesty. Amongst other pious considerations, remember that
our soul is the temple of God and, as such, we must keep it pure and spotless before God
and his angels. Let us blush for having given access to the devil and his snares many
times (with his enticements to the world, his pomp, his calling to the flesh) by not being
able to keep our hearts pure and our bodies chaste; for having allowed our enemies to
insinuate themselves into our hearts, thus desecrating the temple of God which we became
through holy Baptism.
Then take holy water and make the sign of the cross carefully and slowly.
As soon as you are before God in the Blessed Sacrament, devoutly genuflect. Once you
have found your place, kneel down and render the tribute of your presence and devotion to
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Confide all your needs to him along with those of
others. Speak to him with filial abandonment, give free rein to your heart and give
him complete freedom to work in you as he thinks best.
When assisting at Holy Mass and the sacred functions, be very composed when standing up,
kneeling down, and sitting, and carry out every religious act with the greatest
devotion. Be modest in your glances; don't turn your head here and there to see who
enters and leaves. Don't laugh, out of reverence for this holy place and also out of
respect for those who are near you. Try not to speak to anybody, except when charity
or strict necessity requests this.
If you pray with others, say the words of the prayer distinctly, observe the pauses well
and never hurry.
In short, behave in such a way that all present are edified by it and, through you, are
urged to glorify and love the heavenly Father.
On leaving the church, you should be recollected and calm. Firstly take your leave
of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament; ask his forgiveness for the shortcomings committed in
his divine presence and do not leave him without asking for and having received his
paternal blessing.
Once you are outside the church, be as every follower of the Nazarene should be.
Above all, be extremely modest in everything, as this is the virtue which, more than any
other, reveals the affections of the heart. Nothing represents an object more
faithfully or clearly than a mirror. In the same way, nothing more widely represents
the good or bad qualities of a soul than the greater or lesser regulation of the exterior,
as when one appears more or less modest. You must be modest in speech, modest in
laughter, modest in your bearing, modest in walking.
All this must be practiced,
not out of vanity in order to display one's self, nor out of hypocrisy in order to appear
to be good to the eyes of others, but rather, for the internal virtue of modesty, which
regulates the external workings of the body.
Therefore, be humble of heart, circumspect in words, prudent in your resolutions.
Always be sparing in your speech, assiduous in good reading, attentive in your work,
modest in your conversation. Don't be disgusting to anybody but be benevolent
towards all and respectful towards your elders. May any sinister glance be far
from you, may no daring word escape your lips, may you never carry out any immodest or
somewhat free action; never a rather free action or a petulant tone of voice.
In short let your whole exterior be a vivid image of the composure of your soul.
Always keep the modesty of the divine Master before your eyes, as an example; this Master
who, according to the words of the Apostle to the Corinthians, placing the modesty of
Jesus Christ on an equal footing with meekness, which was his one particular virtue and
almost his characteristic: "Now I Paul myself beseech you, by the mildness and
modesty of Christ" [Douay-Rheims, 2 Cor. 10:1], and according to such a
perfect model reform all your external operations, which should be faithful reflections
revealing the affections of your interior.
Never forget this divine model, Annita. Try to see a certain lovable majesty in his
presence, a certain pleasant authority in his manner of speaking, a certain pleasant
dignity in walking, in contemplating, speaking, conversing; a certain sweet serenity of
face. Imagine that extremely composed and sweet expression with which he drew the
crowds, making them leave cities and castles, leading them to the mountains, the forests,
to the solitude and deserted beaches of the sea, totally forgetting food, drink and their
domestic duties.
Thus let us try to imitate, as far as we possibly can, such modest and dignified
actions. And let us do our utmost to be, as far as possible, similar to him on this
earth, in order that we might be more perfect and more similar to him for the whole of
eternity in the heavenly Jerusalem.
I end here as I am unable to continue, recommending that you never forget me before Jesus,
especially during these days of extreme affliction for me. I expect the same charity
from the excellent Francesca to whom you will have the kindness to give, in my name,
assurances of my extreme interest in seeing her grow always more in divine love. I
hope she will do me the charity of making a novena of Communions for my intentions.
Don't worry if you are unable to answer my letter for the moment. I know
everything so don't worry. I take my leave of you in the holy kiss of the Lord. I am always your
servant.
Fra Pio, Capuchin
(above from http://www.sanpadrepio.com/PadrePioLetter.htm)
Padre Pio - Rare Footage
This was filmed at Our Lady of Grace
Capuchin Friary which is located in the Gargano Mountains at San
Giovanni Rotondo. At times there is an atmosphere of playfulness
redolent of the Fioretti of St Francis. At the end, they are obviously
teasing him about the camera and he hits the cameraman with his
cincture. We see him in the refectory and in the Church, and there are
scenes of his brothers dealing with the massive postbag which he
generated. Starting at 4'23" there is some footage of Padre Pio as
celebrant at Tridentine Latin Mass.
The Last Mass of St Pio of Pietrelcina
The Final Mass of St. Pio of
Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) celebrated in the Church of Santa Maria delle
Grazie on September 22, 1968, the day before his death.
Padre Pio
was born Francesco Forgione on May 25, 1887 in Pietrelcino, Italy.
Raised in a pious Catholic family, Francesco entered the friary in 1903
and one year later received the Capuchin habit, taking the name Pio. He
was ordained a priest and transferred to several sites until 1916, when
he arrived in San Giovanni Rotondo, where he remained for the last 52
years of his life.
Padre Pio is admired for his fervant love of Christ and the Virgin Mary and is known as the great mystic of modern times.
He
experienced a wide variety of supernatural abilities and miraculous
events including: the reading of souls; prophecy; bilocation (being in
two places at once); the odor of sanctity; discernment of spirits;
living on very little sleep; miraculous healings; personal visits from
Jesus and Mary; and daily communication with his guardian angel.
Padre
Pio's most famous spiritual gift is the stigmata, which he received in
1918 while praying before a crucifix. He is said to have bled from the
five wounds of Christ for the rest of his life, which caused him great
suffering and embarrassment.
Because of Padre Pio's great
holiness and gifts, the devil is said to have waged war on the friar
throughout his life, which included physical attacks resulting in cuts,
bruises and other visible marks.
Padre Pio was devoted to all
those who sought his help, but he was especially devoted to the souls in
purgatory. He once said, "More souls of the dead from purgatory, than
of the living, climb this mountain to attend my Masses and seek my
prayers."
In 1940, Padre Pio began plans to open a hospital in
San Giovanni Rotondo, to be named the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza or
Home for the Relief of Suffering. The hospital opened in 1956, and is
considered one of the most efficient hospitals in Europe.
In
1956, construction began on a new church of Santa Maria delle Grazie to
accommodate the many pilgrims who came to visit Padre Pio. Designed by
Giuseppe Gentile Boiano, the church was consecrated by the Bishop of
Foggia in 1959. This church remains the central focus of the sanctuary
today.
In 1962, Bishop Karol Wojtyła, later Pope John Paul II,
wrote to Padre Pio to ask him to pray to God for Dr. Wanda Poltawska, a
friend in Poland who was suffering from cancer. Later, Dr. Poltawska's
cancer was found to have regressed; medical professionals were unable to
offer an explanation for the regression. It is also rumored that during
this time that Padre Pio had predicted Wojtyła would become Pope.
St. Bernardine of Siena, Confessor († 1444, Feast – May 20)
In that season of the Liturgical Year when we were
kneeling in love and prayer around the crib of the Infant Jesus, one day
was devoted to the celebration of the glory and sweetness of His Name.
Holy Church was full of joy when She pronounced the dear Name chosen
from all eternity by Her Heavenly Spouse; and mankind found consolation
in the thought that the great God Who might so justly have bid us call
Him the Just and the Avenger, willed us henceforth to call Him the Savior.
The devout St. Bernardine of Siena, whose feast we keep today, stood
then before us, holding in his hands this ever blessed Name, surrounded
with rays. He urged the whole earth to venerate with love and confidence
the Sacred Name which expresses the whole economy of our salvation.
The Church, ever attentive to what is for the good of Her children,
adopted the beautiful device. She encouraged them to receive it from
the Saint, as a shield that would protect them against the darts of the
evil spirit, and as an additional means of reminding ourselves of the
exceeding charity wherewith God has loved this world of ours. And
finally, when the loveliness of the Holy Name of Jesus had won all
Christian hearts, She instituted in its honor one of the most beautiful
feasts of Christmastide.
St. Bernardine, the worthy son of St. Francis of Assisi,
returns to us on this 20th day of May, and the sweet flower of the Holy
Name is, of course, in his hand. But if it is not the endearing Name,
respectfully and lovingly whispered by the Virgin-Mother over the crib;
it is the Name whose sound has gone through the whole creation, it is
the trophy of the grandest of victories, it is the fulfillment of all
that was prophesied. The Name of Jesus was a promise to mankind of a
Savior; Jesus has saved mankind, by dying and rising again; he is now Jesus
in the full sense of the word. Go where you will, and you hear this
Name – the Name that has united men into the one great family of the
Church.
The chief priests of the Synagogue strove to stifle the
Name of Jesus, for it was even then winning men's hearts. They forbade
the Apostles to teach in this Name; and it was on this occasion that St. Peter uttered the words which embody the whole energy of the Church: We ought to obey God rather than men (Acts 5: 28-29).
The Synagogue might as well have tried to stay the course of the sun.
So too, when the mighty power of the Roman Empire set itself against
the triumphant progress of this Name, and would annul the decree that every knee should bow
at its sound, its attempt was a complete failure, and at the end of
three centuries the Name of Jesus was heard and loved in every city and
hamlet of the Empire.
Armed with this sacred motto, St. Bernardine traversed the
towns of Italy, which at that period (the 15th century) were at enmity
with each other, and not unfrequently torn with domestic strifes. The
Name of Jesus, which he carried in his hand, became as a rainbow of
reconciliation; and wheresoever he set it up, there every knee bowed
down, every vindictive heart was appeased, and sinners hastened to the
sacrament of pardon. The three letters I H S (a contraction of
the Greek spelling) which represent this Name, became familiar to the
faithful; they were everywhere to be seen carved, or engraven, or
painted; and the Catholic world thus gained a new form whereby to
express its adoration and love of its Savior.
St. Bernardine was a preacher of inspired eloquence. He
was also a distinguished master in the science of sacred things, as is
proved by the writings he has left us. One such regards the apparition
of Jesus to His Blessed Mother after the Resurrection:
"From the fact of there being no mention made in the
Gospel of the visit wherewith Christ consoled His Mother after His
Resurrection, we are not to conclude that this most merciful Jesus, the
source of all grace and consolation, Who was so anxious to gladden His
disciples by His presence, forgot His Mother, Who He knew had drunk so
deeply of the bitterness of His Passion. But it has pleased Divine
Providence that the Gospel should be silent on this subject; and this
for three reasons.
"In the first place, because of the firmness of Mary's
faith. The confidence which the Virgin-Mother had of Her Son's rising
again had never faltered, not even by the slightest doubt. This we can
readily believe, if we reflect on the special grace wherewith She was
filled, She the Mother of the Man-God, the Queen of the Angels, and the
Mistress of the world. To a truly enlightened mind, the silence of
Scripture on this subject says more than any affirmation could have
done. We have learned to know something of Mary by the visit She
received from the Angel, when the Holy Ghost overshadowed Her. We met
Her again at the foot of the Cross, where She, the Mother of Sorrows,
stood nigh Her dying Son. If then the Apostle could say: As ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation (2 Cor. 1: 7),
what share must not the Virgin-Mother have had in the joys of the
Resurrection? We should hold it as a certain truth that Her most sweet
Jesus, after His Resurrection, consoled Her first of all. The Holy
Roman Church would seem to express this, by celebrating at St. Mary
Major's the Station of Easter Sunday. Moreover, if from the silence of
the Evangelists you would conclude that our Risen Lord did not appear to
Her first, you must go farther, and say that He did not appear to Her
at all, inasmuch as these same Evangelists, when relating the several
apparitions, do not mention a single one as made to Her. Now, such a
conclusion as this would savor of impiety.
"In the second place, the silence of the Gospel is
explained by the incredulity of men. The object of the Holy Ghost, when
dictating the Gospels, was to describe such apparitions as would remove
all doubt from carnal-minded men with regard to the Resurrection of
Christ. The fact of Mary's being His Mother would have weakened Her
testimony, at least in their own eyes. For this reason She was not
brought forward as a witness, though most assuredly there never was or
ever will be any creature (the Humanity of Her Son alone excepted) whose
assertion better deserved the confidence of every truly pious soul.
But the text of the Gospel was not to adduce any testimonies, save such
as might be offered to the whole world. As to Jesus' apparition to His
Mother, the Holy Ghost has left it to be believed by those that are
enlightened by His light.
"In the third place, this silence is explained by the
sublime nature of the apparition itself. The Gospel says nothing
regarding the Mother of Christ after the Resurrection; and the reason
is, that Her interviews with Her Son were so sublime and ineffable that
no words could have described them. There are two sorts of visions: one
is merely corporal, and feeble in proportion; the other is mainly in
the soul, and is granted only to such as have been transformed. Say, if
you will, that St. Mary Magdalen was the first to have the merely
corporal vision, provided that you admit that the Blessed Virgin saw,
previously to Magdalen, and in a far sublimer way, Her Risen Jesus, that
She recognised Him, and enjoyed His sweet embraces in Her soul, more
even than in Her body."
Let us now read the Life of the Saint, as given in the Lessons of today's Divine Office:
Bernardine Albizeschi, whose parents were of a noble
family of Siena, gave evident marks of sanctity from his earliest years.
He was well brought up by his pious parents. When studying the first
rudiments of grammar, he despised the favorite pasttimes of children,
and applied himself to works of piety, especially fasting, prayer, and
devotion to the Blessed Virgin. His charity to the poor was
extraordinary. In order the better to practice these virtues, he later
on entered the Confraternity which gave to the Church so many saintly
men, and was attached to the hospital of Our Lady of Scala, in Siena.
It was there that, whilst leading a most mortified life himself, he took
care of the sick with incredible charity during the time when a
terrible pestilence was raging in the city. Amongst his other virtues,
he was preeminent for chastity, although he had many dangers to
encounter, owing to the beauty of his person. Such was the respect he
inspired that no one, however lost to shame, ever dared to say an
improper word in his presence.
After a serious illness of four months, which he bore
with the greatest patience, he began to think of entering the Religious
life. As a preparation for such a step, he hired, in the farthest
outskirts of the city, a little hut, in which he hid himself, leading a
most austere life, and assiduously beseeching God to make known to him
the path he was to follow. A divine inspiration led him to prefer to
all other Orders that of St. Francis. Accordingly he entered, and soon
began to excel in humility, patience, and the other virtues of a
Religious man. The Guardian of the Convent perceived this, and knowing
already that St. Bernardine was well versed in the sacred sciences, he
imposed upon him the duty of preaching. The Saint most humbly accepted
the office, though he was aware that the weakness and hoarseness of his
voice made him unfit for it; but he sought God's help, and was
miraculously freed from these impediments.
Italy was at that time overrun with vice and crime; and
in consequence of deadly factions, all laws, both divine and human, were
disregarded. It was then that St. Bernardine went through the towns
and villages, preaching the Name of Jesus, which was ever on his lips
and heart. Such was the effect of his words and example, that piety
and morals were in great measure restored. Several important cities,
that had witnessed this zeal, petitioned the Pope to allow them to have
St. Bernardine for their Bishop; but the Saint's humility was not to be
overcome, and he rejected every offer. At length, after going through
countless labors in God's service, after many and great miracles, after
writing several pious and learned books, he died a happy death, at the
age of 66, in a town of the Abruzzi, called Aquila. New miracles were
daily being wrought through his intercession, and, at length, in the
sixth year after his death, he was canonized by Pope Nicholas V.
May 20 - Homily: St Bernardine Mary's Preacher
St. Bernardine of Siena was a great reformer of the Franciscan Order, a
preacher who occasioned many conversions. He spread devotion to the
Mother of God and to the Name of Jesus, IHS Ave Maria!
Bernardine
was born in Carrara, Italy, in 1380. Even as a boy he nursed the sick
during a time of pestilence in Siena. During a severe illness he decided
upon entering a monastery and becoming a Franciscan. His superiors
assigned him the task of preaching, and he submitted humbly despite a
throat affliction. God heard his petition, and the ailment was
miraculously cured.
A powerful and eloquent preacher (Pius II
called him "a second Paul") and a zealous apostle, Bernardine traveled
the length and breadth of Italy, inculcating love and reverence toward
the holy Name of Jesus. He exerted a powerful influence upon his
contemporaries, inaugurating a genuine reformation within the Church.
Seldom has a saint had so many and so distinguished followers (including
St. John Capistran). Upon entering a city, Bernardine had a standard
carried before him upon which was the holy Name of Jesus (IHS) encircled
with twelve golden rays and surmounted by a cross.
When he
preached, this symbol was placed alongside the pulpit; or he would hold
in his hand a tablet bearing the divine monogram in letters large enough
to be visible to the entire audience. It was also his zealous appeals
that induced many priests to put the Name of Jesus on the altars and
walls of their churches, or to have little cards with the inscription
distributed among the people. At his instigation the public buildings in
many cities of Italy were adorned with the monogram suitably enlarged,
as can still be seen in Siena. At the Council of Florence St. Bernardine
labored strenuously to end the schism (1439).
— Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.
Bernardine
was born in Carrara, Italy, in 1380. Even as a boy he nursed the sick
during a time of pestilence in Siena. During a severe illness he decided
upon entering a monastery and becoming a Franciscan. His superiors
assigned him the task of preaching, and he submitted humbly despite a
throat affliction. God heard his petition, and the ailment was
miraculously cured.