a year of prayer: 365 Rosaries

Today, July 22, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Mary Magdalene (dates unknown, first century), friend and disciple of Jesus, honored woman of Scripture, Penitent, and “Apostle of the Apostles.” What we know of the life of this saintly woman comes directly from Scripture:


1After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. (Luke 8: 1-3)

From this passage in Luke, we understand that Mary was offering support—possibly financial support, as well as tending to basic needs-- of Jesus and His disciples. She further is described as having been exorcised of seven demons, although some scholars belief this to be a description of illness (mental), rather than an indication of a past sinful life. In either case, it is clear that the grace of the Lord, through the love of Jesus Christ, healed Saint Mary Magdalene.

Despite being mentioned by name in all the Gospels, Biblical scholars are divided on the identity of Mary Magdalene throughout the Bible. In the sixth century, Pope Saint Gregory the Great conflated Mary Magdalene with the nameless woman who washed Christ's feet with her tears (Luke 7:36-50):

36Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.


39When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."


40Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."


"Tell me, teacher," he said.


41"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"


43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."


"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.


44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."


48Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."


49The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"


50Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Luke 7: 36-50)

Pope Saint Gregory the Great also identified Mary Magdalene as Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10:38-42):

38As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"


41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)


Combining these Scriptures into the same figure gives the Church, and indeed the faithful, a powerful figure of repentance and spiritual renewal. Saint Mary Magdalene is at once a reformed prostitute—a penitent. She is identified as the first contemplative, sitting at the feet of Christ. She is one of the very few who stayed with Christ at the Crucifixion. And as we know from the Gospel of Saint John, Mary was chosen by the Lord to be the first witness to the Resurrection. For this, she has earned the title: the Apostle to the Apostles.
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"


10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.


13They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"


"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.


15"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"


Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."


16Jesus said to her, "Mary."


She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).


17Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "


18Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20: 1-2; 10-18)



Pope Saint Gregory the Great said of Saint Mary Magdalene in a homily: “When Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and did not find the Lord’s body, she thought it had been taken away and so informed the disciples. After they came and saw the tomb, they too believed what Mary had told them. The text then says: “The disciples went back home,” and it adds: “but Mary wept and remained standing outside the tomb.” We should reflect on Mary’s attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found, and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tell us: 'Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved.'”

After Jesus ascended into heaven, Saint Mary Magdalene continued to be a vibrant and powerful witness to the people who knew her of the life transforming power of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. She is thought to have worked under both Saints Peter and Paul, in Rome and Ephesus during that time. Tradition holds that fourteen years after Our Lord's death, she was put in a boat by the Jews without sails or oars along with Saints Lazarus and Martha, Saint Maximinus (who had baptized her), Saint. Sidonius ("the man born blind"), her maid Sera, and the body of Saint Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin. Per Holy Legend, these holy men and women were sent drifting out to sea and miraculously landed on the shores of Southern France, where Mary spent the rest of her life as a contemplative hermitess in a cave known as Sainte-Baume. She is said to have fasted so rigorously that angels delivered the Holy Eucharist to her as her only sustenance. Reportedly dying at age 72, Saint Mary was transported miraculously by nine angels, just before she died, to the oratory of Saint Maximinus (in Aix), where she received the last sacraments.





Praise be to Thee, O Christ, Creator, Redeemer, and Savior,Of heaven and earth and seas, of angels and of menWhom we confess to be both God and Man,Who didst come in order to save sinners,Thyself without sin, taking the appearance of sin.


Among this poor flock, Thou didst visit the Canaanite woman and Mary Magdalene.


From the same table Thou didst nourish the one with the crumbs of the Divine Word, the other with Thy inebriating cup.


While Thou art seated at the typical feast in the house of Simon the Leper.


She embraces the feet of her Lord, washes them with her tears, dries them with her hair: washing and wiping them, she anoints them with sweet ointment, and covers them with kisses.


Such, O Wisdom of the Father, is the banquet that delights Thee!


Though born of a Virgin, Thou cost not disdain to be touched by a sinful woman.


The Pharisee invited Thee but it is Mary that gives Thee a feast.


Thou forgivest much to her that loves much, and that falls not again into sin.
By her, O Christ. Thou cost designate the Gentile Church, the stranger whom Thou callest to the children's table;


Who, at the feast of the Law and at the feast of grace, is despised by the pride of Pharisees, and harassed by leprous heresy.


Thou knowest what manner of woman she is, it is because she is a sinner that she touches Thee, and because she longs for pardon.


What could she have, poor sick one, without receiving it, and without the physician assisting her?


O King of kings, rich unto all, save us, wash away all the stains of our sins, O Thou the hope and glory of the saints. Amen.

Today, we celebrate the feast of Divine Mercy, remembering on the Octave of Easter, the mercy of the Lord. Proclaimed by Pope John Paul II (who is also celebrating beatification today), at the canonization Mass of Saint Faustina, this day “from now on throughout the Church this Sunday will be called Divine Mercy Sunday.”


Prior to her canonization, Pope John Paul II had actively promoted the message of Saint Faustina, regarding the Divine Mercy of Jesus. Saint Faustina had recorded in her diary the specific devotion to Jesus, given to her by the Lord. She stated that anyone who participates in Mass and receives both the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist on Divine Mercy Sunday, is assured by Jesus of the full remission of their sins. In his encyclical on the Mercy of the Lord, Pope John Paul II developed and explained a spiritual and doctrinal basis for our faith in the mercy of God. By linking the revealed truth about God’s mercy to one of the most solemn Sundays after Easter itself, he illumined the fact that the liturgy already proclaimed the divine mercy. The truth has been embedded for two millennia in the worship of the Church.



Today, during Mass, we sing from Psalm 118, “His mercy endures forever.” In the Gospel of John we remember that gift of “Peace” given to the disciples by the Risen Christ, showing the marks of His suffering and Passion, and demonstrating the saving grace and mercy of His death and resurrection. They, like ourselves, are filled with joy as He provides to the disciples the power of God’s mercy for the sinner, the gift and sacrament we know as Reconciliation: “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Cardinal Justin Rigali of Saint Louis noted regarding Reconciliation, “This beautiful Sacrament was presented to the Church by Christ himself on the day of his Resurrection, hence this Sacrament of Mercy is supremely relevant also in this Easter season.”

As we gather around the table of the Mass, we realize that Divine Mercy Sunday (while possibly given a new name) is not a new feast established to celebrate Saint Faustina's revelations. Indeed, it is not primarily about Saint Faustina at all — nor is it altogether a new feast! This solemn Mass recovers an ancient liturgical tradition, reflected in a teaching attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo about the Easter Octave, which he called "the days of mercy and pardon," and the Octave Day itself "the compendium of the days of mercy."

We may doubt like Thomas. We may struggle and fall. But we can remain confident in the Divine Mercy of the Lord, given to us in the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ, and present in the sacraments. We need only look to the Eucharist for a vivid reminder of Our Lord’s unending mercy and love, both during the Easter season and throughout the year.

Jesukin
Lives my little cell within;
What were wealth of cleric high-,
All is lie but Jesukin.


Nursing nurtured, as 'tis right,
Harbors here no servile spright,
Jesu of the skies, who are
Next my heart through every night.


Jesu, more than angel aid,
Fostering not formed to fade,
Nursed by me in desert wild,
Jesu, Child of Judah’s Maid.


Unto heaven's High King contest
Sing a chorus, maidens blest!
He is o'er us, though within
Jesukin is on our breast.
(Irish Lullaby attributed to Saint Ita)



Today, January 15, we celebrate the feast of Saint Ita (also known as Saint Deirdre or Saint Mida, 475-570), nun, teacher, miracle-worker, and “Foster Mother” to the Irish Saints. Second only to Saint Brigid among the ancient Irish female saints, Saint Ita served the Lord through teaching and forming many other Catholic saints. She is widely venerated throughout Ireland—even one of the professional football teams is named for her, with her image appearing on their crest!

Saint Ita, born and baptized Deirdre, was born at Decies, Waterford (in Ireland), of royal lineage. From a young age, she felt drawn to serve the Lord, and while still a child, consecrated herself in virginity to Jesus. Her father wished her to be married, however, and arranged a potential suitor which would make good political sense. Deirdre, for her part, refused to marry, however. She fasted for three days, praying constantly to God, and on the third day, her father was visited by an angel in a dream, following which he understood the important holy role his daughter was to play. Upon awakening, he offered his blessing to Ita, who moved to Killeedy, Limerick and pursued a life of holy virtue.

Deirdre took the name Ita, which means “thirst for Divine Love,” and after taking the veil, founded a community of nuns at Hy Conaill, in County Limerick. The convent quickly swelled, with many flocking to become a member of her community. Saint Ita lived an extremely austere life, fasting rigorously, and modeling humility, patience, and obedience to her charges. So committed to poverty, it is said that once, when a rich man pressed gold on her, she immediately sent for water to wash her hands. She enacted the harshest bodily mortifications.


Saint Ita is said to have replied, "A face which scowls upon all mankind, obstinacy in wrongdoing, and an overweening confidence in the power of money."

Saint Ita is reported to have performed extravagant miracles, including re-attaching the severed head of a decapitated man, and living for years solely from food delivered directly from heaven. Saint Ita gained a reputation for prophecy, and many came from all over the Isles to seek her advice, counsel, and spiritual direction. Saint Ita is also said to have been visited by an apparition of the Baby Jesus, at which time she penned an Irish lullaby to the Jesukin, still sung today. She is further remembered for her kindness. In one such legend, emphasizing her kind spirit, Saint Ita is said to have allowed a beetle (which was feeding on the flesh of the dead in the cemetery) to instead feed upon her body so that those who had lost family members would not be tormented by the disrespect of their remains. The beetle is said to have devoured much of her side, growing to the size of a small suckling pig over time!

Saint Ita's Cross

The symbol of Saint Ita is a cross with a heart at the center of a small labyrinth. “As Ita saw it, there is only one way we can marry our hearts to the love of Christ: We must take our hearts, our innermost thoughts and feelings, and move them ever more deeply into the heart of the cross. Thus, as the wheel of humanity is formed through Christ, through whom all things were made, we spiral from the outermost rim, where we dwell with our concerns about the world, and urge our hearts to the center as we gradually replace our worldly thought and feelings with the desire for Wisdom. It is this centering prayer that leads us to the heart of the cross. In the heart of the cross we find our own hearts, for they too have been created by God, have been redeemed by Christ, and are continually sustained by the Holy Spirit.” (from allsaintsbrookline.org)

Saint Ita died in her nineties, following the exact prediction of time and place of her death. She was buried in the Church cemetery at Killeedy, where her grave is venerated today. While the monastery lies in ruins, tradition dictates that flowers are brought to cover her grave—a tradition that is still followed by faithful pilgrims today.



Heavenly Father, we are grateful for holy women like Saint Ita who can be such an inspiration to young men and women today. Through her pious life and teachings, many others were influenced to live holy lives and also become saints. May we all strive to lead lives that inspire others to holiness. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.


Lord God, it was through the power of your Spirit that Saint Ita was tireless in caring for the afflicted, and in guiding the young toward holiness, and so we pray: prepare in our hearts, as you prepared in hers, a home where you will dwell.

As today is the feast of the nativity of my confirmation saint, I am re-posting my thoughts from last year.  Saint John the Baptist, pray for each of us!

Today, June 24, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. For the Church, this is a special day—one of the only feast days of a saint falling on the date of birth, rather than the date on which the saint died (Of course, we also celebrate the beheading of Saint John the Baptist in August). Ordinarily the Church observes the day of a saint's death as his feast, because that day marks his entrance into heaven. To this rule there are two notable exceptions, the birthdays of Blessed Mary (celebrated on September 8) and of Saint John the Baptist. All other persons were stained with original sin at birth, preventing a liturgical celebration of the event. But through the grace of God—in preparation for her special role as Mother of God-- Mary, from the first moment of her existence, was free from original sin. Similarly, John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother, jumping for joy at the greeting of Mary to Elizabeth during her visitation (the second Luminous Mystery of the Holy Rosary).


So, today, the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, is a special day for the Church. For me, this is also a special day, as Saint John is the saint I chose for my confirmation saint—due to his humility, his foresight, his contemplative nature, his tendencies toward penance, self-deprivation, and mortification, and his understanding of his place in the world (that his role was trivial in comparison to that of Christ). Saint Augustine explained the reason for today's observance—an event which heralds the coming of Jesus in anticipation of Christmas-- in the following words:

"Apart from the most holy solemnity commemorating our Savior's birth, the Church keeps the birthday of no other person except that of John the Baptist. (The feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin had not yet been introduced when he wrote this.) In the case of other saints or of God's chosen ones, the Church, as you know, solemnizes the day on which they were reborn to everlasting beatitude after ending the trials of this life and gloriously triumphing over the world.


"For all these the final day of their lives, the day on which they completed their earthly service is honored. But for John the day of his birth, the day on which he began this mortal life is likewise sacred. The reason for this is, of course, that the Lord willed to announce to men His own coming through the Baptist, lest if He appeared suddenly, they would fail to recognize Him. John represented the Old Covenant and the Law. Therefore he preceded the Redeemer, even as the Law preceded and heralded the new dispensation of grace." (For more from Saint Augustine on the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist, click here.)


 Saint John the Baptist is, therefore, the Precursor of Christ, the forerunner of the Son of Justice, the minister of baptism of Jesus. His birth prepared the way for the coming of Our Lord and Savior, for the coming of salvation for all.
57When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60but his mother spoke up and said, "No! He is to be called John."
61They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who has that name."
62Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone's astonishment he wrote, "His name is John." 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, "What then is this child going to be?" For the Lord's hand was with him.
80And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel. (Luke 1: 57-66, 80)


John was born to Elizabeth, the “cousin” of Mary, and Zechariah, an elderly man and priest at the Temple of Jerusalem. Elizabeth, also in advanced age, was childless and sterile, although both she and Zechariah very much wished to conceive. According to the Gospel of Luke, John’s birth was foretold by the angel Gabriel to Zechariah while he was at work in the Temple. However, he did not belief, and was struck mute until he named his son John. John, the cousin of Jesus, the infant who leapt in the presence of the Lord prior even to his birth in purity, grew and began his public ministry—one which prepared the way for Christ. In this way, his birth and life anticipated that of Jesus. Both births were foretold by message of an angel—one to a virgin, one to a woman unable to conceive. Both men brought all to faith—one through baptism by water, one by the Spirit.

John left his father’s home—giving up considerable honor and privilege (and even some riches, perhaps!)-- and went into the desert when he was just an adolescent (scholars estimate between 12 and 15 years old). There, in the desert near the river Jordan, he entered into a contemplative life of hermitude, communing with the Lord in silence. He began a life of mortification and penance, wearing a camel-hair shirt, and sustaining his body with locusts and honey. Soon, he gained notoriety as a pious and holy man, and people flocked to him for baptism in the river. He preached reformation of life.

John served the Lord until the age of 29, at which time the angel of the Lord appeared to him, instructing him to proclaim the coming of Christ, preach penance, and to continue baptizing the many. The angel also informed John that Jesus was the Savior of the World, whom John should baptize (the Second Luminous Mystery of the Holy Rosary), and upon whom the Holy Spirit would descend in the form of a dove.

Jesus called John the greatest of all those who had preceded him, saying: “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John....” But John would have agreed completely with what Jesus added: “Yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (Luke 7:28). Saint John lived the words “He must increase; I must decrease,” (John 3:30) believing them to the core of his being.  His purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus. The baptisms John performed were baptisms of repentance and reformation. But the baptisms that Jesus would bring to the world would be through the Holy Spirit and fire. John recognized his role, his insignificance in comparison to the greatness of Christ, and proclaimed himself unworthy to even carry the sandals of Jesus. He said:

31"The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John 3: 31-36)

Today is a special day for the Chuch, for all the faithful!  In the words of Blessed Guerric of Igny (c.1080-1157), Cistercian abbot, from his sermon on the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist:

"Rightly, then, did the birth of this child make many rejoice then and does make many rejoice today: born in the old age of his parents he was to preach the grace of rebirth to an aging world. Rightly does the Church solemnly venerate this birth, which is wonderfully brought about by grace and at which nature wonders. To me certainly the birth of the world's Lamp (John 5:35) brings fresh joy, for it enabled me to recognize the true Light shining in the darkness but not mastered by the darkness, (Jn1,5.9).


His birth brings me a joy utterly unspeakable, for so many outstanding benefits accrue to the world through it. He is the first to give the Church instruction, to initiate it by penance, to prepare it by baptism. When it is prepared he delivers it to Christ and unites it with him, (John 3:29). He both trains it to live temperately and, by his own death, gives it the strength to die with fortitude. In all these ways he prepares for the Lord a perfect people, (Luke 1:17).”


All powerful God,
help Your people to walk the path to salvation.
By following the teaching of St. John the Baptist,
may we come to your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Today, Easter Sunday, we celebrate with great joy the Resurrection of Our Lord, Jesus Christ! Alleluia! The Resurrection of the Lord is also the first Glorious Mystery of the Holy Rosary. We can imagine that Our Blessed Mother, Mary, having been foretold of His birth by an angel, conceived of the Holy Spirit, and suffered with Him as he died on the cross, knew that Her Son, Our Lord, was unlike any other. Her heart—the heart of a mother—died with Christ, but like ourselves, was reborn in the Resurrection!


We, like Christ, die a thousand times in sin, rising again in the forgiveness of Our Lord. Monsignor Romano Guardini writes, “This dying and entombing of the old self is a constant process within us through every struggle against evil, through every conquest of self, through every suffering which is bravely borne, through every sacrifice of love and charity. But through this dying of the old self, the resurrection of the new man is also accomplished.” We are reminded on Easter Sunday that our own lives must be those of conversion and resurrection. That our daily pain and struggle against sin brings us closer to the newness of life. After the pain of Good Friday, and the silent waiting of Holy Saturday, we find the love and forgiveness of the Lord on Easter morning.


1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8Then they remembered his words.



9When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.



17He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"