A Reflection on the Feast of the Visitation

From MaryPages

Hail Mary
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation. According to the Gospel of Luke, after Mary discovers that her older cousin Elizabeth is with child, she makes haste to go see her (Luke 1:39-40). When Elizabeth greets Mary, the child her in womb (John the Baptist) leeps with joy. Subsequently, Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaims to Mary, "blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." (Luke 1:42) That line should sound familiar because that is where we get part of the Hail Mary. Make note that the prayer is rooted in the Gospel. "When we say the "Hail Mary" we repeat these divine greetings, "rejoicing withMary at her dignity as Mother of God and praising the Lord, thanking Him for having given us Jesus Christ through Mary" (St. Pius X Catechism, 333).

Champion of Charity
I want to focus on two parts of the Visitation account. First, Mary's action in going to see her cousins despite that fact that she was entering the second trimester of her own pregnacy demonstrates the extent to which Mary lives a life of charity. The commentators of the Navarre Study Bible observe that "from Mary's visit to Elizabeth Christians should learn to be caring people." Furthermore, "if we have this filial contact with Mary, we won't be able to think just about ourselves and our problems. Selfish personal problems will find no place in our mind" (St. J. Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 145). Simply said, Mary is our model of charity.

Seeing Christ in Others
The second observation I'd like to make is about the reaction of John the Baptist in his mother's womb. He leeps at the presence of Our Lord, also in His mother's womb. When I reflect on this Mystery of the Rosary, I often pray that God give me the grace to see Christ in all the others I will encounter that day. Once again, according to the Navarre commentators St. John Chrysostom makes this observation:

See how new andhow wonderful this mystery is. He has not yet left the womb but he speaks by leaping; he is not yet allowed to cry out but he makes himself heard by his actions [...]; he has not yet seen the light but he points out the Sun; he has not yet been born and he is keen to act as Precursor. The Lord is present, so he cannot contain himself or wait for nature to run its course: he wants to break out of the prison of his other's womb and he makes sure he witnesses to the fact that the Savior is about to come" (Sermo Apud Metaphr., Mense Julio).

Blogathon 2013

WordCount Blogathon

Starting June 1st I will be participating in my 3rd WordCount Blogathon. This is the 6th year of the Blogathon which "brings together freelancers, writers and bloggers for the purpose of improving what they do by posting to their respective blogs every day for a month." The event runs from June 1-30, 2013. Earlier in the week, I wrote a guest post for WordCount in which I explained how my participation in the event helped bring focus to my writing and helped me commit to writing the Joe Catholic blog. I am hoping to use this year's Blogathon to help me flesh out some ideas for a Joe Catholic book that I have in the works.

I think it would be great to have other Catholic bloggers participate in the Blogathon. It's not too late to register, but registration does close tomorrow at 11PM Eastern Time. You can register at the Blogathon HQ.

I hope to see some of you posting on the WordCount Blogathon.

Top 10 Catholic Cities

St. Patrick's Cathedral, Ricardo D. Jusino

10 Best Catholic Cities?
Our Sunday Visitor (OSV) just published an article entitled Top Ten Catholic Cities, USA. OSV's criteria for selecting the cities included "culture, history, physical landscape and spirituality." Here are the ten cities listed in the article:

• New Orleans, LA
• Emmitsburg, MD
• Bethlehem, CT
• St. Louis, MO
• Denver, CO
• San Antonio, TX
• Chicago, IL
• Pittsburg, PA
• St. Augustine, FL
• Los Angeles, CA

Worst Catholic Cities?

The writers of Catholic Vote saw fit to add their commentary and include a list of Worst Catholic Cities. According to the same criteria they claim these include:

• Seattle, WA
• Portland, OR
• Burlington, VT
• Cambridge, MA
• Washington, D.C.
• New York, NY
• San Francisco, CA
• Las Vegas, NV

Evangelization & Orthodoxy

My first observation is that the criteria is skewed against cities that don't have a rich Catholic history; this hurts cities in the Bible belt. Also, some of the worst cities like San Francisco and Las Vegas have great bishops and have vibrant and growing flocks. Evangelization should have been one of the key elements as well as orthodoxy of priests and bishops. Additionally, Las Vegas has one of the fastest growing dioceses in the country, having nearly doubled in size in the last decade.

Availability of Sacraments
While I enjoy visiting the basilicas, cathedrals and shrines of various cities when I travel, I find the most compelling criteria for evaluating the Catholicity of a city is the availability of the sacraments. When I am in a new city, I draw comfort in discovering Catholic churches nearby where I can attend daily mass, go to confession or invest time in Eucharistic Adoration.

What are your thoughts on these Best/Worst lists?

Real Men Pray the Rosary

Rosary Apostolate
Real Men Pray the Rosary is a lay apostolate dedicated to the promoting the prayer of the Rosary, especially among men. The group has recently published a handbook on the Rosary and now, just in time for Father's Day, they are selling hand made rosaries that include their logo.

They Bleed Red
I like this style of rosary because it's very manly. The rosaries are made of hematite stone, which has the appearance of metal (as a true weapon should be made of) and if broken open "bleed" red. Additionally, the crucifix is a replica of the crosier used by Blessed Pope John Paul II and now recently by Pope Francis as well. The center piece portrays Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, on one side and the RMPTR logo on the other.

Spiritual Weapon
Countless Popes and Saints have cited the Rosary as one of the most powerful spiritual weapons. St. Padre Pio used to call out to one of the younger friars, "bring me my weapon, bring me my rosary." I've often said in some of my Joe Catholic talks, that I have been looking for a short cut to holiness. There are none, but there are sure tried practices to sanctification: praying the Rosary and frequent use of the Sacraments.
Father's Day
The rosaries are priced at $39.95 and would make a great Father's Day gift and can be purchased HERE.

Memorial Day: Honoring Pops

Not Another Veteran's Day

Technically, Memorial Day is meant to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service for our country. While I personally think it is inappropriate to treat this day as another Veteran's Day, I believe it is fitting to honor those who served in the Armed Forces, but are no longer with us. 

Bronze Star

Today, I choose to honor and remember one of my heroes, my maternal grandfather, Antonio G. Palacios. Everyone who knew him simply called him Pops. He was awarded the Bronze Star while serving in the European Theater during World War II. Pops never really talked to me about his time in the war until I too had joined the Army. I remember sitting in his back yard listening to his stories. I remember this as fondly as I do all the times he would take my brother Tony and I fishing. He was not just a war hero, he was my 'buelito Pops.

Mercy Hour

According to the Veteran's Administration, U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, in December 2000. This Act encourages everyone to stop what their doing and take a minute of silence at 3PM on Memorial Day to remember all the soldiers who have died in service to the nation. I don't think it is accident that the time chosen to recall the fallen soldiers is the Divine Mercy Hour. Instead of just taking a moment of silence, how about praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for all the military families who have lost a loved one?

Holy Trinity: Central Mystery of Faith

Holy Trinity, Hendrick van Balen

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. It seems fitting that this celebration should follow immediately after the Church's celebration of Pentecost.

Central Mystery
Belief in the Holy Trinity is the central mystery of our Catholic faith (CCC, 261). This is reflected in the sacramental form of Baptism: "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit" (CCC, 232) One should note that the formula uses the singular of "name" to accentuate the belief that the Trinity is one God (CCC, 233). This is revealed as early as the creation story in Genesis (1:26): Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” [Emphasis added.]

The Baptism of Jesus

The Blessed Trinity is most explicitly revealed in scripture during the Baptism of Jesus:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt 3:13-17).

St. Augustine & the Trinity
There is a pious legend that holds that St. Augustine was walking on the beach near Hippo, where he was bishop, contemplating the mystery of the Trinity. As he walked, he saw a boy in front of him who had dug a hole in the sand and was going out to the sea again and again and bringing some water in a bucket to pour into the hole. St. Augustine asked him, “What are you doing?” “I’m going to pour the entire ocean into this hole.” St. Augustine replied, “That is impossible, the whole ocean will not fit in the hole you have made.” The boy answered back, “And you cannot fit the Trinity in your tiny little brain.” Reflecting on this story, Archbishop Chaput concluded the following:

Augustine didn't stop thinking about the Trinity. In fact, he gave the Church her single most important Christian reflection on the Trinity, called De Trinitate, which is as profound and powerful today as it was 1,600 years ago.  But Augustine did learn to be humble. He learned that no matter how hard he thought about mysteries like the Trinity, he would never fully understand them. The same is true for us. We'll always need faith to guide us in our lives. In all our searching for God, we need to remember what Pope John Paul the Great taught us: Our minds need to fly on two wings — faith and reason. We need both. They're meant to go together.  

Creedal Claim
If we reflect closely as we pray the Nicene Creed during Mass or the Apostle's Creed when we pray the Rosary, we will more fully discover their Trinitarian character. When he proclaimed this a Year of Faith, Pope Benedict recommended we PRAY the Creed daily.

Marian Dimension
Our Blessed Mother Mary has the distinction of having a unique relationship with the Holy Trinity. She is the the Mother of God, the Son. She is the favored daughter of the Father who is full of His grace (Luke 1:28). Finally, she is the "temple of the Holy Spirit" (Lumen Gentium, 53).

Signs and Prayers
When we make the Sign of the Cross we are invoking the Holy Trinity. When we pray the Glory Be we are professing our faith and praising the Holy Trinity.

St. Rita: Patron Saint of Impossible Causes

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Rita of Cascia, patron of impossible causes. You might remember a reference to her in the opening of the Disney movie, The Rookie. I fondly call her Thorn Head because she received a partial stigmata wound from one of the thorns of Christ's crown of thorns. She suffered greatly because of this partial stigmata.  "The injury caused by the hurt developed into a serious ulcer, one most painful and unsightly, so unsightly, in fact, that for many years Sister Rita had to make her devotions alone!" (EWTN) Some accounts suggest that the wound gave off a foul odor until the time of her death when it is reported that the smell of roses filled the room.

St. Rita belongs to a unique group of saints known as the incorruptibles. No, this is not a new Marvel super hero team. Instead, this means that the bodies of these saints was not subject to the natural corruption of decay. According to the National Shrine of St. Rita:

It became clear that something exceptional was occurring as her body seemed to be free from nature’s usual course. It is still preserved today, now in a glass-enclosed coffin, in the basilica of Cascia.

Ignatius Press distributes a DVD of an Italian made film on the life of St. Rita. The movie mostly focuses on her early life, but is well made and fairly true to her life story.

Jesus Found in the Temple

Jesus Found in the Temple,  James Tissot

One of the secondary goals of the Joe Catholic apostolate is to groom men to be able to engage in catechetical teaching and writing. Today, we share a guest post from my younger brother Matt. 

-By Matthew Gonzales-

While reading my daily meditation from Opus Dei, I experienced an "aha" moment. It felt like the fog had been lifted and I could see and understand the writer more clearly. How appropriate being that where I live, there was some pretty heavy fog this morning. The title and heading of the daily message was: Mary Looks for the Son Who was Lost. "Mary spent three days and three nights looking for the son who was lost. May you and I also be able to say that our willingness to find Jesus knows no rest" (Furrow, 794). St Josemaria Escriva was explaining the pain and anxiety Mary and Joseph must have felt when they thought they "lost" Jesus (See Luke 2:42-51). Then they"found" him instructing the teachers of Israel and Jesus essentially scolds them for not knowing where He would be – "in my Father's house."

I know personally, I have had thoughts and feelings that I had lost Jesus from my life. This couldn't be further than the truth, but how awesome it is to share these feelings of despair with our Holy Mother Mary and Joseph. I find it very reassuring to say the least. When Jesus got after his parents, it made me feel like a kid all over again. We can learn from our own children sometimes. Why would we not know where He is? Jesus is always with us and He never leaves us. It is us who allow ourselves to be distracted and then in turn think we have lost Him. He is always doing His Father's work. A perfect place to start and "find" Him again, would be Church. Jesus is definitely at Church, especially in the Eucharist  There is no need to stay in the anxiety and pain when Jesus is always waiting for us to find him.

A Mother's Day Story on Prayer

$500 Short

A few years ago I was having lunch with my mom for mother's day when we started sharing book stories. Then, out of the blue, she told me a story that so floored me I just started crying. When I was a junior at Southern Methodist University, I had a semester when my financial aid fell short and I didn't have enough money to buy my books. I was about $500 short. I swallowed my pride and I called Mom and Dad asking for help. I didn't know at the time that money was tight and that they did not have the money to help me.

Candles, Prayers and Trees
Unbeknownst to me, my mother was upset because they couldn't help me. She never let on. Instead, my mother started praying for a solution. Around this same time, we had a magnolia tree growing in the front yard that was destroying the sidewalk. Mom had been pestering Dad for months to do something about it. The first day of classes were a few days away and I had told my parents that was the deadline for buying my books. I didn't want to fall behind. At this point, my mother probably lit a Sacred Heart candle and invoked the intercession of St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes.

Magnolia Miracle
When it seemed like they weren't going to be able to get me the money, there was a knock on my parents' front door. It was a man who owned a landscaping company. He had driven by and saw the magnolia tree and he stopped to ask about it. At first, Mom thought he was asking for work to fix the sidewalk. Instead, he offered to buy the magnolia tree and remove it for $500! Her prayers had been answered and she now had the money to give me to buy my books. I never knew this story while I was attending school. Now, any time I see a magnolia tree, I think about how much my Mom loves me. It also reminds me that God answers prayers. 

The Gift of Prayer

The greatest gift my mother has given me (besides life) is the knowledge that God answers prayers. She has always been a prayer warrior and my prayer role model. Thanks, Mom. You are always in my prayers.

800+ Canonized Today

Largest Canonization
Pope Francis in one weekend has canonized more saints than any other Pope in history and the single most in one day. By the time this is posted, Pope Francis will have canonized the 813 Martyrs of Otranto. I just learned about this group yesterday morning during one of my IPT classes.

800 > 300
The events surrounding the martyrdom of Antonio Primaldo and the other 800+ men is fascinating and relevant to events of today. On August 14, 1480, the northern Italian town of Otranto was besieged by a massive invading army of Ottoman Turks. Their leader, offered the men of Otranto the choice of converting to Islam or death. If you are having trouble visualizing this, think of the soldiers in 300 only these were just regular guys from the town, not soldiers. Primaldo, who is the only member of the martyrs whose name is known, is recorded as saying in :

My brothers, until today we have fought in defense of our country, to save our lives, and for our lords; now it is time that we fight to save our souls for our Lord, so that having died on the cross for us, it is good that we should die for him, standing firm and constant in the faith, and with this earthly death we shall win eternal life and the glory of martyrs. (Obtained from Catholic Answers)

Last Man Standing
Primaldo was the first to be beheaded, but his body would not fall. This is portrayed in the painting above. One after another, each of the men of Otranto was told to convert to Islam and each declined All suffered the same fate as Primaldo of being beheaded, yet only his headless body remained standing despite the Turks' efforts to knock him over. Finally, when the last man from the city was slain, Primaldo's body fell to ground with his fellow martyrs. Some of the Muslim soldiers were so moved by the faith of the men that they converted to Catholicism.

Proof of Love
The Second Vatican Council in discussing the universal call to holiness, highlighted martyrdom as the "fullest proof of love." In Lumen Gentium they exhorted:

The Church, then, considers martyrdom as an exceptional gift and as the fullest proof of love. By martyrdom a disciple is transformed into an image of his Master by freely accepting death for the salvation of the world—as well as his conformity to Christ in the shedding of his blood. Though few are presented such an opportunity, nevertheless all must be prepared to confess Christ before men. They must be prepared to make this profession of faith even in the midst of persecutions, which will never be lacking to the Church, in following the way of the cross (LG, 42).

Relics of the Martyrs
The remains of the men were collected and placed in various churches in the area. Many are encased in the walls of the Cathedral of Otranto.

Otranto Cathedral with Relics of the Martyrs

Video From the Canonizations

St.Damien: The Leper Priest

St. Damien, known as the Leper Priest and Hero of Molokai, is the patron saint of those afflicted with leprosy, AIDS and HIV patients and those who care for them. We celebrate his feast day today, May 10th.

Another Joe Catholic
Father Damien was born in Belgium in 1840. He joined the order known as the Sacred Heart Fathers in 1860. He was born Joseph and received the name Damien as part of his religious life. Damien was assigned to work the missions on the big island of Hawaii where he was eventually ordained. In 1873, he was volunteered to serve the leper colony on the island of Molokai. There he served the sick, help build hospitals, clinics and churches.

Canonization
Father Damien decided to stay on the island working with sick, effectively guaranteeing he would contract the disease and die away from his home. He did. He contracted leprosy in 1885 and eventually died on April 15, 1889. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in June of 1995 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in February 2009.

Made for TV
I remember in the early 80's watching a made for TV movie entitled Father Damien, The Leper Priest, starring Ken Howard (aka the White Shadow and more recently known for his appearances on The Office and 30 Rock).  The movie struck a cord with me; I was moved by the mercy shown by this priest. I wanted to help find a cure for leprosy. Now, as an adult, I realized what I was feeling was compassion and empathy. This is precisely what our lives should evoke in others when they see the mercy and love in our lives that others feel drawn to this good which is truly manifested in Christ Jesus.

St. Damien's work can be summarized as a message of hope.

Iron Sharpens Iron

I saw this meme on Facebook yesterday. This weekend marked the opening of the new Iron Man 3 movie and Free Comic Book Day. You know I love any excuse to include a superhero reference in my posts. The scripture passage from Proverbs is the one we selected years ago to represent the mission of Joe Catholic. We can't promise a super cool armored suit with gadgets and such, but we can promise to help you get closer to the Lord so that you can clothe yourself in the armor of God (Eph 6:10-18).

Free Comic Book Saturday

Just One More Book

Today marks the annual Free Comic Book Day celebrated at comic book stores everywhere. As a comic book geek I love this day. Now I have come to love this day because it afforded me the opportunity to introduce the greatness of comics to my nephew and niece. Some of my fondest memories with my son Kevin are those of taking him to the comic book store or the book store. He knew how to play me. What father is going to tell their son they can't have "just one more book?"

Parents Who Read
One other reason I like this day is because I know that comics played a large role in me becoming a life long reader. My mother fostered that early by giving me comics and later by sharing her books. Stacey and I have passed that on to our children. Now Kevin is grown and married, but one of his prized possessions is his library of books. Without knowing it, Stacey and I were arming our children with some of the most important tools in developing early reading skills - children seeing their parents read and reading with their parents.

Early Childhood Literacy
A recent early childhood literacy study conducted by Harvard University concluded "young children exposed to lots of early reading began talking more and showing an interest in books that provoked further shared reading with the parent and, in turn, the momentum for additional cognitive and vocabulary growth" (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, Science Briefs: The Effects of Early Reading with Parents on Developing Literacy Skills, 2007). The flip side of this is that "the absence of early literary stimulation is the harbinger of sustained educational difficulties" (Jumpstart, 2009).

Vatican II & Parental Obligations
The Second Vatican Council teaches parents "that marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the begetting and education of children."  Furthermore, the Council instructed parents that they “should regard as their proper mission the task of transmitting human life and educating those [to] whom it has been transmitted” (Gaudium et Spes, 50).

A Canonist's View
According to Benedict Nguyen, who is a Canon lawyer and my Canon Law professor at Ave Maria University:

In its Declaration on Christian Education, Gravissimum Educationis (GE) 3, the Vatican Council also forcefully reminds parents of this natural-law right and obligation to educate their children, teaching: “Since parents have given children their life, they are bound by the most serious obligation to educate their offspring and therefore must be recognized as the primary and principal educators.” Vatican II’s decree on the apostolate of the laity, Apostolicam Actuositatem (13), places a duty on Christian married partners “strenuously to affirm the right and duty of parents and guardians to educate children in a Christian manner.” Likewise, Pope John Paul II affirms the right and duty of parents to provide for the education of their children by calling the right not only “essential” but also “irreplaceable and inalienable and therefore incapable of being entirely delegated to others or usurped by others.” (Familiaris Consortio, 36)

Marching Orders
Parents, go out and get some free comics for your children. Help them develop a love for reading and love for learning. Helping them love reading will equip them to be life long learners. If you are worried that comics have become too "adult," the comic book publishers and stores have made kid friendly issues available for free too.

St. Joseph, The Worker

St. Joseph's Workshop

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, the Worker.  Pope Pius XII instituted the feast day in 1955. Additionally, May 1st was chosen to coincide with Labor Day celebrations throughout the world, thus elevating and sanctifying the observance.

St. Josemaria wrote often that St. Joseph was a role model for working men:

You, who celebrate with me today this feast of St Joseph, are men who work in different human professions; you have your own homes, you belong to so many different countries and have different languages. You have been educated in lecture halls or in factories and offices. You have worked in your profession for years, established professional and personal friendships with your colleagues, helped to solve the problems of your companies and your communities. 

Well then: I remind you once again that all this is not foreign to God’s plan. Your human vocation is a part — and an important part — of your divine vocation. That is the reason why you must strive for holiness, giving a particular character to your human personality, a style to your life; contributing at the same time to the sanctification of others, your fellow men; sanctifying your work and your environment: the profession or job that fills your day, your home and family and the country where you were born and which you love. (Christ is passing by, 46)

The Church teaches that work is not a punishment, but instead can be a means of sanctification. Today, the Catechism of the Catholic Church continues to teach the efficacy of work:

2427 Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing the earth, both with and for one another. Hence work is a duty: "If any one will not work, let him not eat." Work honors the Creator's gifts and the talents received from him. It can also be redemptive. By enduring the hardship of work in union with Jesus, the carpenter of Nazareth and the one crucified on Calvary, man collaborates in a certain fashion with the Son of God in his redemptive work. He shows himself to be a disciple of Christ by carrying the cross, daily, in the work he is called to accomplish. Work can be a means of sanctification and a way of animating earthly realities with the Spirit of Christ.

The Second Vatican Council also explained that work is an integral part of a Christian's life. In their Pastoral Consitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et spes, they explained:

Christians should rather rejoice that, following the example of Christ Who worked as an artisan, they are free to give proper exercise to all their earthly activities and to their humane, domestic, professional, social and technical enterprises by gathering them into one vital synthesis with religious values, under whose supreme direction all things are harmonized unto God's glory (GS, 43).

During these tough economic times, let us "go to Joseph" (Gen 41:55) in prayer and ask him to intercede for those who work and those in need of work.

Prayer to St. Joseph (from EWTN)

O blessed Joseph, faithful guardian of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, protector of thy chaste spouse, the virgin Mother of God, I choose thee this day to be my special patron and advocate and I firmly resolve to honor thee all the days of my life. Therefore I humbly beseech thee to receive me as thy client, to instruct me in every doubt, to comfort me in every affliction, to obtain for me and for all the knowledge and love of the Heart of Jesus, and finally to defend and protect me at the hour of my death. Amen

For Further Reading:
Joseph of Nazareth by Federico Suárez (Oct 1, 2004)
Go to Joseph by Richard Gilsdorf (Sep 5, 2009)
In St. Joseph's Workshop, St. Josemaria Escriva, (Mar 19, 1963)