We wish a most blessed and merry Christmas to each and every one of you. It is our great joy to present our gift of Masses and prayers offered for you, our family, friends, and benefactors, for your intentions and for your needs.
During the weeks of Advent, the Church has prayed and prepared for the coming of the Redeemer. Over and over again, the liturgical prayers have repeated the urgent plea: Come, come to save us! At Vespers, on December 23, we chanted the last of the “O Antiphons”:
“O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and salvation, thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God!” We must, each and every one of us, make this plea our very own. As we watch the world fall deeper and deeper into sin and apostasy, we are reminded of our need of and utter dependence upon Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
The holy Liturgy is not simply a happy remembrance or commemoration. The precious and pivotal moments of salvation in history are actually renewed upon the altar. At holy Mass, the moments of Christmas night in the cave of Bethlehem are made present to us. These moments are filled with profound hope to the world. We are also offered a foretaste and participation in the final and infallible victory, the completion of Christ’s coming, which has yet to take place. The great mystery of redemption, both its beginning long ago, and its consummation yet to come, are united in the present moment, realized in each individual soul during the holy Mass. What joy should be ours! A true sharing in the victory already won!
The true joy of Christmas will always be irrepressible, keeping our faith alive even through the darkest of times. It is like a great flaming torch that we can hold high above our heads, the flame of God’s love, which turns despair to hope, sorrow to joy, and death to life. This torch cannot be extinguished, and it is a living flame in the hearts of those who cling to the true meaning of Christmas. May God bless each and every one of you abundantly this Christmas and throughout the new year.
In our Infant King,
Your Capuchin Sisters
When we arrived in July, we learned that the “G” on the house was for “Guthrie”, the original builders/owners. Though town members call it the “G House”, the Sisters call it God’s house, for that is truly what it has become…On December 22, we had everything ready for our very modest Franciscan convent chapel…On Christmas Eve, as the world awaits the birth of our Savior, in our convent…at long last… we truly have Emmanuel, “God with us”, in our tabernacle. All of your intentions are in our hearts and are being offered incessantly to our Divine Spouse.
The feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is very fitting for us to grow in two loves; not those loves that Saint Augustine spoke of which are opposed to each other, but two correlative loves. The holy doctor of Hippo said:
“Two cities have been formed by two loves: the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God; and the heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self. The former, in a word, glories in itself, the latter in the Lord. For the one seeks glory from men; but the greatest glory of the other is God, the witness of our conscience. The one lifts up its head in its own glory; the other says to its God, ‘Thou art my glory, and the lifter up of my head’.”
He said this in his book, The City of God, which is a kind of theology of history of that time. Today, we are not treating of that, but of two holy loves, loves that call to each other and affirm each other. These are love for the Blessed Virgin Mary in her exalted prerogative of the Immaculate Conception and love for the teaching of the Holy Mother Church, the source of light, hope, and salvation. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the most appropriate feasts to witness with what caution, seriousness and scientific rigor the Catholic Church guides itself in fulfilling the mission that Christ himself entrusted to it. Alongside the Sacred Scripture and the Papacy arose the Holy Fathers and the primitive churches which, through their holy customs and their writings, formed the body of the Catholic Church.
After this, very briefly speaking, came the great medieval Doctors with their famous syntheses, which were called Summas. They baptized, so to speak, all of the natural wisdom of humankind and assimilated it to divine revelation. The guiding point is this: God, Who is the Author of the divine revelation, is also the Author of human nature. Therefore, there can be no contradiction between revealed truths and natural ones. That is why they are known as synthesis, that is, unification or assimilation. Everything that could be explained by divine revelation was retained, and everything that opposed it was discarded. Four Doctors of the Church stood out for their writings and their synthetic efforts, although they were not the only ones. Doctor of the Church, the title Holy Mother Church gave to some saints, means that their writings can be read without fear because their doctrine is completely safe.
In our case, it involves two teachers and two disciples, two Dominicans and two Franciscans. We’re talking about the 13th century. The dates are very important. The most well-known of all is Saint Thomas Aquinas of the Dominicans, along with his Franciscan companion and friend, Saint Bonaventure. Saint Thomas’s teacher was Saint Albert the Great, and Saint Bonaventure’s teacher was Alexander of Hales. Let us see what they said about the Immaculate Conception:
Alexander of Hales: It should not be stated according to Catholic doctrine.
Saint Bonaventure: The Blessed Virgin should in no way be excluded from this general rule (the need to be redeemed).
Saint Albert the Great: The Virgin was not sanctified before her Conception; to affirm the contrary is heresy, according to Saint Bernard.
Saint Thomas Aquinas: According to Catholic doctrine, it must be firmly held that every son of Adam, except Christ alone, contracted original sin.
They taught that the Virgin Mary had been sanctified in her mother’s womb, after she had been conceived. The key point of these doctors’ entire argument is that Christ is the universal Redeemer. If someone were born without original sin, they would not have needed such redemption; therefore, Christ would not be the Redeemer of the entire mankind. As we can see, nothing could be further from the mind of the Catholic Church than the supposed idea that it does not consider or respect the divinity or the redemptive character of Christ our Lord.
Finally, the Franciscan, Duns Scotus, received from tradition and developed the idea of preventive redemption, thus reconciling the Immaculate Conception with the redemptive work of Christ. In this way, the Blessed Virgin Mary, because of the honor due to her Divine Motherhood and because of the merits of Christ, was preserved, by anticipation, from original sin. It is important to stress that this prevention does not in any way contradict divine omnipotence or wisdom. Actually, it can be said that it is in accordance with them. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary depends on the redemption wrought by Christ, and it is called preventive redemption. What cannot be clearly understood from the perspective of time, is perfectly understood from the perspective of eternity. So, was the Blessed Virgin Mary redeemed by Christ? Yes. How was her redemption? It was preventive. What does this mean? It means that she was preserved, set apart, because she was the Mother of God, from the common inheritance of original sin. Scotus said: She shouldn’t be excluded from Christ’s redemption, rather, she should be highlighted. On December 8, 1854, the Catholic Church finally highlighted her when Pope Pius IX said:
“We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.”
From the 13th century to the 19th century, five centuries passed. It took Holy Mother Church over 500 years to define the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What was the attitude of the Catholic Church during those 500 years? It was to observe the arguments presented by both sides, giving complete freedom to theologians, since praising the Mother of God does not contradict the decrees of the Most High. Nothing could be further from the spirit of the Church than the alleged intellectual suppression. Therefore, this feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary makes us love the teaching of the Catholic Church, which is infallible, and the infallibility of papal doctrine makes us love the Immaculate Conception of Mary as a truth revealed by God. That is why we say they are two correlative loves; one is related to the other.
So, let us love the Blessed Virgin Mary on this day and congratulate her for the very special place she holds in God’s work. Let us love the doctrine of the Church as it has always been taught, because it is the only way to reach Heaven. Let us love Christ our Lord who gave us such a Mother and let us love the Blessed Virgin Mary who gave us such a Son.
“For a Child is born to us, and a Son is given to us, and the government is upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace. His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace: He shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and forever: the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this”. (Isaias 9, 6-7)
Pax et Bonum! This past week, we celebrated the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. We were blessed with a beautiful sung Mass, where we remembered all of your intentions. How appropriate that this feast is followed tomorrow by that of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, since we cannot reflect upon the Cross without contemplating her standing with unwavering Faith and love at its foot. On Wednesday, we will celebrate the feast of the Stigmata of our Seraphic Father and Founder, St. Francis of Assisi. St. Bonaventure wrote of him that he was adorned with the Sacred Stigmata and bore the image of the Crucified, not carved in wood or stone by the hand of an artist, but engraved upon his flesh by the finger of the living God. These three feasts make for a very beautiful and grace filled week in the Franciscan Order, an Order particularly devoted to the Passion and Death of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
We have a few pieces of news to share with you. This past week, we welcomed a young lady from Louisiana who is discerning her vocation to the religious life. Every religious vocation, especially in this time of crisis in the Church, is a miracle and a great grace for holy mother Church. It seems to be almost entirely forgotten that the lives of prayer and sacrifices of the religious are especially necessary to stay the hand of God and draw down from heaven the graces of conversion for our families, our cities, our country, and the entire world. Please keep her in your prayers. Also, we were recently surprised with the gift (on loan) of a tabernacle. It is a very old but very beautiful piece that needs repair. We are now very joyfully working on all that is necessary to make it ready for the Divine Guest. A friend, who is extremely talented at woodworking, has offered to make the repairs, and the Sisters will complete all of the silk, linen and embroidery work. We are praying very fervently for benefactors so that we may construct a little portable chapel here while we continue to implore heaven to help us find a permanent home. We ask your prayers for this intention also, as it is necessary that we have a permanent home in order to continue to accept vocations and grow our Franciscan convent.
Finally, we wish to share with you some reflections that we hope may be of help, especially to mothers. We often hear from parents regarding their teenage children. The problems, as well as the solutions, are generally the same. What is modeled for the children shapes who they will become. If the Faith is not the center of your home-life, it cannot be expected that it will be the center of your child’s life. The most important duty in the lives of parents is the formation of their children. This is not a personal opinion but, rather, the teaching of the Church. Time wasted is time that can never be returned to you and, in the blink of an eye, the children are grown, and the consequences of a tepid home life have taken deep root. If, then, you are troubled that your children are being swept along in the current of the world, it is necessary to take a look at life in your family home.
First, does your family pray together, and what place does prayer hold in your home? The family Rosary is so important! In fact, at all six of her apparitions in Fatima, Our Lady asked for the Rosary to be said every day and warned that it, along with devotion to the Immaculate Heart, is the last remedy for the world. Your children need to see mom and dad on their knees with a dedicated time to pray. So often, we hear the term “Rosary ride.” It seems that it has become a trend to pray the Rosary in the car while on the way to some event. While it can readily be understood that this may be necessary from time to time and a very good custom for an extra Rosary, what message does it give when the daily Rosary is specifically set aside for a car ride, so that it can be checked off of the to-do list in order to do things one considers more important or more enjoyable at home? Does it foster a love for prayer and reflection on the mysteries of our Faith? The same could be said for holy Mass when families make it a custom to arrive at the last minute and leave immediately after Mass, without making a preparation for or thanksgiving after Holy Communion. Do you and/or your children miss Mass on Sundays or holy days in order to take part in sporting or other events? This is a violation of a precept of the Church, a grave sin, and yet it seems to be more and more common. We deceive ourselves if we say our Faith is the most important thing in our lives while putting prayer and the holy Mass in the second place. These are good questions by which to examine ourselves.
A formation in strong moral principles is also extremely important. We frequently hear about teenage girls leaving home as quickly as possible after graduating, “dating” young men of questionable character, and making bad decisions that come with life-altering consequences. It is true that even if parents do everything possible to properly form their children and set a good example in the home, many will still stray from the Faith and make bad decisions. The current of the world is very strong, and swimming against the current requires great fortitude, which can only be attained by prayer and sacrifice, which children should learn from their parents.
Concerning this formation of your children, it is necessary to ask what place the television holds in your home? Even in what are considered “more wholesome” movies or shows, the values of the world are often presented, and your children are being formed by what they see and hear. Most notably are the tendencies to present divorced and remarried couples as acceptable and even the norm, entitled or back-talking children, career women who do not submit to their husbands and husbands who do not honor their wives, immodest fashions, “dating” and company-keeping, even among children, which is an occasion of mortal sin, etc., etc. etc. The show may be considered “clean”, but what are your children learning as they watch these shows day after day? In the sixteenth century, St. Teresa of Avila was shown her place in hell for reading what were called “chivalry books.” Certainly those books were nothing in comparison to what is on television today.
Are your children exposed to bad companions? St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis de Sales, St. John Bosco, St. Alphonsus Liguori, and many other saints warned of the dangers to the immortal souls of children by this occasion of sin. It is extremely important that your children, no matter what age, are not permitted to go out with friends without a chaperone. It only takes one brief moment, a glance, a picture, or a suggestion for your child’s curiosity to be aroused and innocence to be lost, even little by little. If you have not yet read it, we highly recommend the books , The Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco. If the dangers were so strong in that period, what would the saint think of the perils we expose our children to today?
Are your children attending public school? Many parents will argue they have no choice in this matter. It is not our purpose here to debate, so we will focus our attention on those parents who do have a choice and who, for reasons of sports, scholarships, or convenience, place the immortal souls of their children in danger. Not considering only the multitude of dangers your children are exposed to in public schools (the LGBTQ agenda, impurity, indoctrination with anti-Catholic teaching, to name only a few), the Catholic Church (prior to Vatican II) strongly cautioned against sending children to public schools and often explicitly forbade it, primarily viewing them as threats to the Catholic Faith due to their secular or Protestant foundations. The teaching of the Church is that the primary duty of parents is to ensure that their children receive a proper Catholic education and formation. In 1890, Pope Leo XIII identified public schools as hostile to religion and “the stronghold of the powers of darkness.” In 1929, Pope Pius XI reaffirmed that parents have the primary right and duty to educate their children and declared the secular school to be fundamentally flawed. Are sports and scholarships, which are here today and gone tomorrow, worth putting your child’s immortal soul at risk?
Mothers, how do you dress? Do you make concessions in order to “fit in” or appear more fashionable? Do you consider that Mary-like modesty is only for church, failing to consider that both in and out of Church Almighty God is present, and men are equally tempted by immodesty outside of the church as inside? Our Lady of Fatima warned in 1917 about immodest fashions and that more souls go to hell for sins of the flesh than any other sin. If she was offended by the fashions in 1917, what would she think of leggings, tight pants and jeans, shorts, mini-skirts, low cut tops, bathing suits, girls and boys swimming together half-naked, etc.? The clergy and the sisters are often met with the objection from women that fashions change with the times. The fashions of our world, a world over which Satan is the prince, are rapidly changing to undress the woman and to lead souls to sin and, ultimately, to hell. There are resources for modest clothing and, even if we must be creative, it is our duty to make war against the immodest fashions of our day. Remember that, at your judgment, you will render an account of your own sins of immodesty, as well as all of the sins that were committed as a result of your scandal.
Parents, do you correct your children, or is your home a democracy? Are your children permitted to tell you what they will and will not eat, what they do and do not want to do, what time they will get up in the morning and go to bed at night, etc? Are they allowed to speak disrespectfully to you or as if they are your equal? Unless a child learns to obey promptly and without question, he or she will become master of the household. You must exercise the necessary firmness with your children at an early age in these and all matters for, if you do not exercise your authority through laziness, poor judgment, or a mistaken notion of kindness and tenderness, you will quickly see that it is too late. These seemingly small things lead to a world of problems for the future of your children. If they are not taught to obey authority and to practice mortification and self-restraint while they are young, evil tendencies will set in, and they will likely have great difficulty controlling their need to gratify themselves, opening wide the door to sensuality and all manners of vice.
Finally, let us consider the topic company-keeping (“dating”). Company-keeping has for its purpose marriage. Even if the period of dating does not end with marriage because the couple discovers that marriage is out of the question for them, the purpose of testing and of finding out was still kept. When marriage is unlawful, impossible, or entirely out of the question (as is certainly the case with your school-age children), there is no moral justification for dating and exposing oneself to the intrinsic danger of such relationships. Teenagers who are permitted to date are placed in a very strong and dangerous occasion of mortal sin. Parents have the obligation of forming their children and helping them to understand this principle early in life. Your children should never be permitted to be alone in the company of the opposite sex. Parents who encourage or permit their children to date, or who think it is innocent or cute, place the souls of their children in danger and will have to carry that responsibility before God on the day of judgment. We cannot tell you how often we have received the calls from heart-broken parents whose children, after having been permitted to date, have ended up in serious moral troubles that will affect the rest of their lives and the lives of those involved.
In close, although this may seem overwhelming and discouraging, Almighty God gives us everything we need to perform well our duties of state and, if the difficulties are great, His grace is far greater. Begin now to pray with your children. Frequent the sacraments, recite the Rosary every day, and instruct your children in the catechism and the truths of our holy Catholic Faith. Establish your homes on the foundation of the Catholic Faith and enthrone them to the Sacred Heart. By so doing, your homes will become veritable strongholds of Faith, schools of virtue, abodes of peace and love, which the angels of God will delight to visit and which God Himself will look down upon with pleasure and bless with a foretaste of the joys of Heaven.
It is well to remember that “Children have not been given to parents as a present, which they may dispose of as they please, but as a trust, for which, if lost through their negligence, they must render an account to God.” St. Alphonsus Liguori
May God bless you!
Capuchin Sisters of St. Joseph
We welcomed an aspirant from Louisiana on the feast of the Stigmata of St. Francis.Making habit Rosaries for future Capuchin Sisters.
Pax et Bonum! We pray you are all well and in the peace of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Our community life here in Burlington continues on peacefully and quietly, as we are at long last able to follow the daily horarium of a Capuchin Sister. We have frequently been asked if life according to a schedule, day in and day out, is monotonous and…well…boring? We laugh heartily at this idea, as we count ourselves among the most blessed in this world to have all of our daily acts blessed by the virtue and act of religious obedience. With each sound of the bell, we hear the voice of our beloved Spouse reminding us of His presence and calling us to His loving service. We live in the constant peace of knowing that if we simply keep our Rule faithfully, it will keep us unto eternal life. Our seraphic father, St. Francis, left this testament at the end of the Rule:
“And whoever observes these things, may he be blessed in heaven with the blessing of the Most High Father, and on earth with the blessing of His Beloved Son with the Most Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, and all the powers of heaven and with all the saints. And, as far as I can, I, little brother Francis, your servant, confirm for you, both within and without, this holy blessing. ”
We live each day in the presence of God, ever longing after and aspiring towards that which is the only purpose for the short breath of this life: eternal happiness with God in heaven. It is our fervent prayer that each of you, most of whom must work and live amidst the chaos of a world that falls daily further into apostasy, may find this same joy. It is attainable for each and all, and in every situation. Many of the greatest saints lived in the world. Two excellent examples from the Third Order of St. Francis come to mind. On August 23rd, we celebrated the feast of Queen Blanche. Despite the numerous duties incumbent upon her as the Queen of France, and though she was surrounded by luxury, she practiced a life of prayer, penance, and love for the poor. She reared her son, the future King, St. Louis IX of France, whose feast is celebrated two days after hers, to prefer death rather than to ever commit a deliberate sin. Her example and solicitousness for his eternal salvation gave to the world a great saint, who would become the patron of the Third Order of St. Francis, to which both he and his mother belonged. Truly, in this example, it is made manifest that a form of religious life can be lived even amidst the busy occupations of the world and that sanctity is within the reach of all.
In close, we wish to thank all who continue to help us raise the money needed for a permanent convent. Our first aspirant will arrive sometime in September, and others hope to follow her, so we continue to beg the charity of your prayers that Divine Providence will provide for those who long so ardently to consecrate their lives to Him. Be assured of our continued prayers for all of your intentions, and please pray for us!
In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Your Capuchin Sisters of St. Joseph
NB: Tax deductible donations can be made by following the donate link on our website. God bless you!
Sister Seamstress stays very busy these days with sewing and mending tasks.
Thanks be to God for our sisters, the hens, who provide Sister Cook with an abundance of eggs.
Pax et Bonum! We pray you are all well and that this update finds you in the midst of a grace-filled month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary! This month is an especially joyful one for the Franciscan Order. In addition to the two great feasts of our Blessed Mother, the Assumption and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we will also celebrate the feast of our patroness, St. Clare of Assisi, on August 12th. Be assured that we will keep each and every one of you in the heart of our prayers and at holy Mass most especially on that day, asking St. Clare to bless you for your support which has helped make it possible for us to consecrate our lives to God alone.
Recently, we have happened upon some very beautiful resources for the Third Order Secular. It is our great hope to post these treasures to our website so that our Tertiary Brothers and Sisters will have access to them. Please pray that Lady Poverty, who also embraces “free time” in the convent, will permit us to accomplish this little work. Pope Leo XIII, in his encyclical, Auspicato Concessum, wrote: “…it has been long and specially Our desire that everyone should, to the utmost of his power, aim at imitating St. Francis of Assisi…We exhort Christian men not to refuse to enroll themselves in this sacred army of Jesus Christ.” The severe lack of an authentically Catholic spirit, centered around prayer and mortification, is the predominant reality of our age. Our Lord Jesus Christ called St. Francis to help rebuild His Church which was, in that time, falling into ruin. What could be said about the Church today during this state of world-wide apostasy?
More than ever, the Church needs men and women in all states of life who pray, sacrifice, and practice heroic virtue. Franciscan Tertiaries consecrate their secular state and enter a nobler company of the Church Militant. They promise to observe a rule, compatible to their state in life, which helps them to detach from the spirit of the world, renounce vice, and acquire virtue, leading many souls towards salvation by their good example. It is truly a religious life within the reach of all faithful Catholics. If you are not a member of the Third Order and wish to learn more, we would be very happy to provide you with more information.
Finally, we once again appeal to your charity. We are finally settled in our temporary convent in Colorado. While it has been very generously loaned to us indefinitely, it is necessary that we purchase something permanent. God willing, we will have as many as three young ladies visiting us this Fall in order to discern their vocations. Since Franciscans are mendicants, we rely solely upon Divine Providence and the generosity of benefactors for our daily bread and sustenance. At present, our need for a house is pressing. If you or anyone you know may be able to help us with a tax free donation, we will be eternally grateful. Directions for donations may be on our website donate link. Prayers are the most important form of charity, and we continue to beg those in abundance. We trust that Almighty God, Who is never outdone in generosity, may bless you with the promised hundred-fold now and in eternity.
As we continue in the month of the Precious Blood, we wish to reassure each of you of your continued place in the heart of our prayers. How much we have to be grateful for in our temporary home in Colorado! For the first two years of our community, we were without a chapel except on Sundays. Far from hindering us from the practice of mental prayer and our spiritual exercises, it ignited a longing in our hearts and souls to be in the presence of our Divine Spouse before the tabernacle. During the third year of our foundation, the benefactors who provided our housing built a little chapel on their property. While we still lacked the True Presence, we were one step closer. This little chapel, “Our Lady of the Angels,” will always be very special to us. Here in Burlington, thanks be to God, our longings have been fulfilled above and beyond measure. Although it is only temporary, until our heavenly Father provides a permanent place for us, we count ourselves as the richest of the rich, as we have everything and All here in the tabernacle.
We have included with this post a short instruction on mental prayer, which has been simplified in order that, God willing, it may be of help to those who have asked for it. St. Teresa of Avila once said that no one who earnestly applies themselves to mental prayer will be lost. It was the practice of the saints, and it is in our Rule here in the convent to begin and end each day with half an hour in mental prayer.
We continue to beg for your charity in helping us to raise the necessary funds for a permanent home. Information can be found on our “Donate” link. We ask God to bless you with His promised hundredfold now and in eternity.
In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Capuchin Sisters of St. Joseph
MENTAL PRAYER
All Catholics should make at least a short meditation every day. Mental prayer is a more appropriate and comprehensive term for that spiritual exercise which is so highly praised and commended by the saints and so conducive to holiness and perfection.
Mental prayer is within the reach of all who earnestly desire their salvation. In mental prayer, meditation, which is the exercise of the intellect, is only a means to the end. This end is the elevation of the soul to God or, if you will, conversation with God. While thinking and reflecting, the soul speaks to and reasons with itself. However, in the prayer that follows, the soul speaks to God.
“In mental prayer,” says St. Alphonsus, “meditation is the needle, which only passes through that it may draw after it the golden thread, which is composed of affections, resolutions, and petitions.” As soon as you feel an impulse to pray while meditating, give way to it at once in the best way you can by devout acts and petitions; in other words, begin your conversation with God on the subject about which you have been thinking.
In order to help the mind in this pious exercise, you must have some definite subject of thought upon which it is well to read either a text of Holy Scripture or a few lines out of some other holy book. Any point on the Passion of Our Lord will provide ample material for this practice.
St. Alphonsus says, “It is good to meditate upon the last things – death, judgment, eternity – but let us above all meditate upon the Passion of Christ.”
St. Teresa of Avila tells us that in her meditations she helped herself with a book for seventeen years. By reading the points of a meditation from a book, the mind is rendered attentive and is set on a train of thought. Further to help the mind, you can ask yourself some such questions as the following: What does this mean? What lesson does it teach me? What has been my conduct regarding this matter? What have I done, what shall I do, and how shall I do it? What particular virtue must I practice?
Do not imagine, moreover, that it is necessary to wait for a great fire to flame up in your soul, but cherish even the smallest spark you may have. Above all, never give way to the mistaken notion that you must restrain yourself from prayer in order to go through all of the thoughts suggested by your book, or because your prayer does not appear to have a close connection with the subject of your meditation. This would simply be to turn from God to your own thoughts or to the thoughts of another.
To meditate means, in general, nothing other than to reflect seriously upon some subject. Meditation, as mental prayer, is a serious reflection on some religious truth or event, with reference and application to ourselves, in order thereby to excite in us certain pious sentiments, such as contrition, humility, faith, hope, charity, etc., and to move our will to form good resolutions conformable to these pious sentiments. Such an exercise has a beneficial influence on our soul and greatly conduces to enlighten our mind and to move our will to practice virtue.
Meditation is a great means to salvation. It helps us to know ourselves and to discover the means of avoiding and correcting our vices, our faults, and weaknesses; it reveals to us the dangers to which our salvation is exposed and leads us to pray with a contrite and humble heart for the necessary graces to cope with temptations, to control our passions, and to lead a holy life. Mental prayer inflames our hearts with the love of God and strengthens us to do His holy will with zeal and perseverance.
We should endeavor to spend at least fifteen minutes daily in mental prayer. The saints used to spend many hours daily therein. When they had much to do, they would subtract some hours from the time allotted to their sleep in order to devote themselves to this holy exercise. If we cannot spend half an hour every day in this practice, let us at least devote to it a quarter of an hour. The longer and the more fervent our mental prayer, the more we shall enjoy it, and we shall learn by our own experience the truth of the saying of the Royal Prophet, “Taste and see that the Lord is sweet” (Ps. xxxiii. 9).
As to our petitions and resolutions, in mental prayer it is very profitable, and perhaps more useful than any other act, to address repeated petitions to God, asking with great humility and unbounded confidence for His graces, for virtues and, above all, for the inestimable gift of His holy love. If we feel dry or despondent and unable to meditate or pray well, let us repeat many times as earnestly as possible, “My Jesus, mercy!”, “My God, I love Thee!” or any ejaculatory prayer. This will be very meritorious.
Let us offer all our petitions for grace in the Name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, and we shall surely obtain all that we ask.
Before concluding the meditation, we should make some specified good resolution, appropriate as far as possible to the subject of our meditation. This resolution should be directed to rooting out of a particular sin, or of some occasion of sin, to the correction of some defect, or to the practice of some act of virtue during the day.
The preparation of our meditation consists of (1) an act of faith in the presence of God, and of adoration; (2) an act of humility and of contrition, and (3) an act of petition for light. We should then recommend ourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary by reciting a Hail Mary, and also to St. Joseph, to our Guardian Angel, and to our holy patrons. These acts should be brief but very fervent.
The conclusion of our meditation consists of (1) thanksgiving to God for the light He imparted to us; (2) purposing to fulfill our good resolutions at once; and (3) beseeching the eternal Father, for the love of Jesus and Mary, to grant us the grace and strength to put them into practice. Before finishing our meditation, let us never omit to recommend to God the souls in purgatory and poor sinners.
Pax et bonum! At long last, we have arrived to Burlington, Colorado, and the next chapter in our community life begins. We marvel at Divine Providence and the loving care of our Heavenly Father, Who continues to provide for us in ways beyond all human expectation. Like our seraphic father, St. Francis, our beginnings were very meager. In fact, we started out in a small 15′ x 15′ space. From there, a very generous family offered a 450 square foot apartment on their property, which we fondly called our “Rivo Torto”, after the little ruined building where St. Francis and his first followers began their community life and from whence many blessings flowed for the founding of the Order. We were very happy in this little place!
However, our constant prayer has been that we may be near daily Mass in order to take our longed-for place before the tabernacle and receive our Divine Spouse in Holy Communion daily. Our congregation prays a perpetual novena to St. Joseph and to Our Lady of Prompt Succor. Both have refused us nothing that has been for the good of our congregation. Quite spontaneously, a generous benefactor has offered the use of a home less than two blocks from the Church and our Father Director. Needless to say, words fail to express our heartfelt gratitude towards all of the good souls whose generosity and sacrifice have made our life possible. While words fail us, we confidently look to our loving Father in heaven to repay each of them the promised hundredfold in this life and in eternity.
We continue to beg the charity of your prayers and for your support, as three young ladies prepare to visit in order to discern their vocations. We continue to work towards the goal of a permanent convent to house the vocations God may send to us. We ask your prayers for our fidelity and perseverance, and we assure you of a constant place in the heart of our prayers. May God bless and keep you!
Arrival at the house in Burlington. It was our first experience driving a U-Haul truck… Thank you, guardian angels for guiding us safely to port!
The school children gathered for one last picture before we set off.
A little rabbit has taken up residence in the flower garden. St. Francis loved God’s little creatures, who always do the will of God, and we take great joy in them too.
One of the apostolates of our congregation is the doctrinal formation of children in order to prepare them for the combat they must surely face in this life. In order for this formation to bear fruit, it is necessary that parents understand the gravity of their duty towards the eternal souls of their children and the account they will render to God.
Advice to Parents
by Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Saint Alphonsus, founder of the Redemptorist Order, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, expounds on the privilege and grave responsibilities of parents.
The gospel tells us that a good plant cannot produce bad fruit and that a bad one cannot produce good fruit. We learn from this that a good father brings up good children. But, if the parents are wicked, how can the children be virtuous? Our Lord says, in the same gospel, Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? (Matt. 7:16). So, it is impossible, or rather very difficult, to find children virtuous, who are brought up by immoral parents. Fathers and mothers, be attentive to this sermon, which is of great importance to the eternal salvation of yourselves and of your children. Be attentive, young men and young women who have not as yet chosen a state in life. If you wish to marry, learn the obligations which you contract with regard to the education of your children, and learn also, that if you do not fulfill them, you shall bring yourselves and all your children to damnation. I shall divide this into two points. In the first, I shall show how important it is to bring up children in habits of virtue; and, in the second, I shall show with what care and diligence a parent ought to labor to bring them up well.
A father owes two obligations to his children; he is bound to provide for their corporal wants, and to educate them in the habits of virtue. It is not necessary to say anything else about the first obligation, than, there are some fathers more cruel than the most ferocious of wild beasts, for these squander away in eating, drinking, and pleasure, all their property, or all the fruits of their industry, and allow their children to die of hunger. Let us discuss education, which is the subject of this article.
It is certain that a child’s future good or bad conduct depends on his being brought up well or poorly. Nature itself teaches every parent to attend to the education of his offspring. God gives children to parents, not that they may assist the family, but that they may be brought up in the fear of God, and be directed in the way of eternal salvation. “We have,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “a great deposit in children, let us attend to them with great care.” Children have not been given to parents as a present, which they may dispose of as they please, but as a trust, for which, if lost through their negligence; they must render an account to God.
One of the great Fathers says that on the day of judgment, parents will have to render an account for all the sins of their children. So, he who teaches his son to live well, shall die a happy and tranquil death. He that teaches his son…when he died, he was not sorrowful, neither was he confounded before his enemies (Eccl. 30: 3,5). And he will save his soul by means of his children, that is, by the virtuous education which he has given them. She shall be saved through childbearing (I Tim. 2:15).
But, on the other hand, a very uneasy and unhappy death will be the lot of those who have labored only to increase the possessions, or to multiply the honors of their family, or who have sought only to lead a life of ease and pleasure, but have not watched over the morals of their children. Saint Paul says that such parents are worse than infidels. But if any man have not care of his own, and especially of those of his house, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel (I Tim. 5:8).
Were fathers or mothers to lead a life of piety and continual prayer, and to communicate every day, they should be damned if they neglected the care of their children.
If all fathers fulfilled their duty of watching over the education of their children, we should have but few crimes. By the bad education which parents give to their offspring, they cause their children, says Saint John Chrysostom, to rush into many grievous vices; and thus they deliver them up to the hands of the executioner. So it was, in one town, a parent, who was the cause of all the irregularities of his children, was justly punished for his crimes with greater severity than the children themselves. Great indeed is the misfortune of the child that has vicious parents, who are incapable of bringing up their children in the fear of God, and who, when they see their children engage in dangerous friendships and in quarrels, instead of correcting and chastising them, they take compassion on them, and say, “What can I do? They are young; hopefully they will grow out of it.” What wicked words, what a cruel education! Do you hope that when your children grow up, they will become saints? Listen to what Solomon says, “A young man, according to his way, even when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). A young man who has contracted a habit of sin, will not abandon it even in his old age. His bones, says holy Job, will be filled with the vices of his youth, and they will sleep with him in the dust (Job 20:11). When a young person has lived in evil habits, his bones will be filled with the vices of his youth, so that he will carry them to the grave, and the impurities, blasphemies, and hatred to which he was accustomed in his youth, will accompany him to the grave, and will sleep with him after his bones are reduced to dust and ashes. It is very easy, when they are small, to train children to habits of virtue, but, when they have come to manhood, it is equally difficult to correct them, if they have learned habits of vice.
Let us come to the second point, that is, to the means of bringing up children in the practice of virtue. I beg you, fathers and mothers, to remember what I now say to you, from on it depends the eternal salvation of your own souls, and of the souls of your children.
Saint Paul teaches sufficiently, in a few words, in what the proper education of children consists. He says that it consists in discipline and correction. And you, fathers, provoke not your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and correction of the Lord (Ephes. 5:4). Discipline, which is the same as the religious regulation of the morals of children, implies an obligation of educating them in habits of virtue by word and example. First, by words: a good father should often assemble his children, and instill into them the holy fear of God. It was in this manner that Tobias brought up his little son. The father taught him from his childhood to fear the Lord and to fly from sin. And from infancy he taught him to fear God and abstain from sin (Tobias 1:10). The wise man says, that a well educated son is the support and consolation of his father. Instruct your son, and he will refresh you, and will give delight to your soul (Prov. 29:17). But, as a well instructed son is the delight of his father’s soul, so an ignorant child is a source of sorrow to a father’s heart, for the ignorance of his obligations as a Christian is always accompanied with a bad life.
It was related that, in the year 1248, an ignorant priest was commanded, in a certain synod, to make a discourse. He was greatly agitated by the command and the Devil appearing to him, instructed him to say, “The rectors of infernal darkness salute the rectors of parishes, and thank them for their negligence in instructing the people; because from ignorance proceeds the misconduct and the damnation of many.”
The same is true of negligent parents. In the first place, a parent ought to instruct his children in the truths of the Faith, and particularly in the four principle mysteries. First, that there is but One God, the Creator and Lord of all things; secondly, that this God is a remunerator, Who, in the next life, will reward the good with the eternal glory of Paradise, and will punish the wicked with the everlasting torments of Hell; thirdly, the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, that is, that in God there are Three Persons, Who are only One God, because They have but One Essence; fourthly, the mystery of the Incarnation of the Divine Word, the Son of God, and True God, Who became man in the womb of Mary, and suffered and died for our salvation.
Should a father or mother say, “I myself do not know these mysteries,” can such an excuse be admitted? Can one sin excuse another? If you are ignorant of these mysteries, you are obliged to learn them, and afterwards to teach them to your children. At least, send your children to a worthy catechist. What a miserable thing to see so many fathers and mothers, who are unable to instruct their children in the most necessary truths of the Faith, and who, instead of sending their sons and daughters to Christian doctrine, employ them in occupations of little account, and when they are grown up, they do not know what is meant by mortal sin, by Hell, or eternity. They do not even know the Creed, the Our Father, or the Hail Mary, which every Christian is bound to learn under pain of mortal sin.
Religious parents not only instruct their children in these things, which are the most important, but they also teach them the acts which ought to be made every morning after rising. They teach them first, to thank God for having preserved their life during the night, secondly to offer to God all their good actions which they will perform, and all the pains which they will suffer during the day, thirdly, to implore of Jesus Christ and Our Most Holy Mother Mary to preserve them from all sin during the day. They teach them to make, every evening, an examination of conscience and an act of contrition. They also teach them to make every day, the acts of Faith, Hope and Charity, to recite the Rosary, and to visit the Blessed Sacrament. Some good fathers of families are careful to get a book of meditations to read, and to have mental prayer in common for half an hour every day. This is what the Holy Ghost exhorts you to practice. Do you have children? Instruct them and bow down their neck from their childhood (Eccl. 7:25). Endeavor to train them from their infancy to these religious habits, and when they grow up, they will persevere in them. Accustom them also to go to confession and communion every week.
It is also very useful to infuse good maxims into the infant minds of children. What ruin is brought upon children by their father who teaches them worldly maxims! “You must,” some parents say to their children, “seek the esteem and applause of the world. God is merciful; He takes compassion on certain sins.” How miserable the young man is who sins in obedience to such maxims. Good parents teach very different maxims to their children. Queen Blanche, the mother of Saint Louis, King of France, used to say to him, “My son, I would rather see you dead in my arms, than in the state of sin.” So then, let it be your practice also to infuse into your children certain maxims of salvation, such as, What will it profit us to gain the whole world, if we lose our own souls? Everything on this earth has an end, but eternity never ends. Let all be lost, provided God is not lost. One of these maxims well impressed on the mind of a young person, will preserve him always in the grace of God.
But parents are obliged to instruct their children in the practice of virtue, not only by words, but still more by example. If you give your children bad example, how can you expect that they will lead good lives? When a dissolute young man is corrected for a fault, he answers, “Why do you censure me, when my father does worse?” The children will complain of an ungodly father, because for his sake they are in reproach (Eccl. 41:10). How is it possible for a son to be moral and religious, when he has had the example of a father who uttered blasphemies and obscenities, who spent the entire day in the tavern, in games and drunkenness, who was in the habit of frequenting houses of bad fame, and of defrauding his neighbor? Do you expect your son to go frequently to confession, when you yourself approach the confessional scarcely once a year?
It is related in a fable, that a crab one day rebuked its young for walking crookedly. They replied, “Father, let us see you walk.” The father walked before them more crookedly than they did. This is what happens to the parent who gives bad example. Hence, he has not even courage to correct his children for the sins which he himself commits.
According to Saint Thomas, scandalous parents compel, in a certain manner, their children to lead a bad life. “They are not,” says Saint Bernard, “fathers, but murderers, they kill, not the bodies, but the souls of their children.” It is useless for parents to say: “My children have been born with bad dispositions.” This is not true, for, Seneca says, “You err, if you think that vices are born with us; they have been engrafted.” Vices are not born with your children, but have been communicated to them by the bad example of the parents. If you had given good example to your sons, they would not be so vicious as they are. So parents, frequent the Sacraments, learn from the sermons, recite the Rosary every day, abstain from all obscene language, from detraction, and from quarrels, and you will see that your children follow your example. It is particularly necessary to train children to virtue in their infancy, Bow down their neck from their childhood, for when they have grown up, and contracted bad habits, it will be very difficult for you to produce, by words, any amendment in their lives.
To bring up children in the discipline of the Lord, it is also necessary to take away from them the occasion of doing evil. A father must forbid his children to go out at night, or to go to a house in which their virtue might be exposed to danger, or to keep bad company. Cast out, said Sarah to Abraham, this bondswoman and her son (Gen. 21:10). She wished to have Ismael, the son of Agar the bondswoman, banished from her house, that her son Isaac might not learn his vicious habits. Bad companions are the ruin of young persons. A father should not only remove the evil which he witnesses, but he is also bound to inquire after the conduct of his children, and to seek information from family and from outsiders regarding the places which his children frequent when they leave home, regarding their occupations and companions. A father ought to forbid his children ever to bring into his house stolen goods. When Tobias heard the bleating of a goat in his house, he said, Take care, perhaps it is stolen, go, restore it to its owners (Tobias 2:21).
Parents should prohibit their children from all games, which bring destruction on their families and on their own souls, and also dances, suggestive entertainment, and certain dangerous conversations and parties of pleasures. A father should remove from his house books of romances, which pervert young persons, and all bad books which contain pernicious maxims, tales of obscenity, or of profane love. He should not permit his daughters to be alone with men, whether young or old. But some will say, “But this man tutors my daughter; he is a saint.” The saints are in Heaven, but the saints that are on earth are flesh, and by proximate occasions, they may become devils.
Another obligation of parents is to correct the faults of the family. “Bring them up in the discipline and correction of the Lord.” There are fathers and mothers who witness faults in the family and remain silent. Through fear of displeasing their children, some fathers neglect to correct them, but if you saw your child falling into a pool of water, and in danger of being drowned, would it not be savage cruelty not to catch him by the hair, and save his life? He that spares the rod hates his son (Prov. 13:24). If you love your children, correct them, and while they are growing up, chastise them, even with the rod, as often as it may be necessary.
I say, with the rod, but not with a stick; for you must correct them like a father, and not like a prison guard. You must be careful not to beat them when you are in a passion, for you will then be in danger of beating them with too much severity, and the correction will be without fruit, for then they believe that the chastisement is the effect of anger, and not of a desire on your part to see them amend their lives. I have also said, that you should correct them while they are growing up , for when they arrive at manhood, your correction will be of little use. You must then abstain from correcting them with the hand; otherwise, they will become more perverse, and will lose their respect for you. What use is it to correct children with injurious words and with imprecations? Deprive them of some part of their meals, of certain articles of dress, or shut them up in their room. I have said enough. Draw from this discourse the conclusion, that he who has brought up his children badly, will be severely punished, and that he who has trained them in the habits of virtue, will receive a great reward.
Shortly before our Seraphic Father St. Francis died, he called together his followers and warned them of the coming troubles in the Catholic Church stating the following:
1. The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase.
2. The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death.
3. Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it.
4. There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God.
5. Then our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some, and terrible trials will come upon us. Those who are found faithful will receive the crown of life; but woe to those who, trusting solely in their Order, shall fall into tepidity, for they will not be able to support the temptations permitted for the proving of the elect.
6. Those who persevere in their fervor and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and, persecutions as rebels and schismatics; for their persecutors, urged on by the evil spirits, will say they are rendering a great service to God by destroying such pestilent men from the face of the earth. but the Lord will be the refuge of the afflicted, and will save all who trust in Him. And in order to be like their Head, [Christ] these, the elect, will act with confidence, and by their death will purchase for themselves eternal life; choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy.
7. Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days JESUS CHRIST WILL SEND THEM NOT A TRUE PASTOR, BUT A DESTROYER.”
If anyone is interested, the information above can be found in:
Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis Of Assisi, Washbourne, 1882, pp. 248-250
Capuchin Sisters of St Joseph 