a year of prayer: 365 Rosaries

“Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to Heaven.”


Today, August 21, we celebrate the feast day of Pope Saint Pius X (1835-1914), Confessor, reformer, and the two hundred-fifty-ninth pope. Referred to as the “Pope of the Blessed Sacrament,” Pope Pius X is perhaps remembered best for his encouragement of frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist, especially for children. He urged all Catholics to look to Our Blessed Mother, and to “Restore all things in Christ” for the betterment of personal lives and of the world—a world plunged into war during his papacy. Throughout his life, Pope Pius X never forgot his humble beginnings, and lived a life of poverty, service, and humility. His last will and testament proclaims this sentiment: "I was born poor, I have lived in poverty, and I wish to die poor."

A contemporary of this great holy man, Baron von Pastor, stated of him: "He was one of those chosen few men whose personality is irresistible. Everyone was moved by his simplicity and his angelic kindness. Yet it was something more that carried him into all hearts: and that 'something' is best defined by saying that all who were ever admitted to his presence had a deep conviction of being face to face with a saint.”

Born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto in the small village of Reise, Venetia, the future pope experienced poverty and demonstrated humility from an early age. Giuseppe’s father was the town postman and with his mother, the couple struggled to financially support ten children. Despite their poverty, both parents highly valued education, and rather than working, Giuseppe walked six kilometers to school each day to receive his education.

As a child, Giuseppe demonstrated aptitude for learning and devotion to the Lord. He studied Latin with a local priest, and through his hard work, secured himself a scholarship to attend Seminary in Padua—something his family could not have afforded. Ordained at the age of twenty-three, he served as curate, and then labored for 17 years as a parish priest. As a priest, Giuseppe sought to prefect his knowledge of theology by assiduously studying Saint Thomas and canon law. At the same time he established a night school for adult students, and devoted himself of the ministry of preaching in other towns to which he was called. Giuseppe was elected bishop of Mantua, and in 1892 was advanced to Cardinal, and appointed to the metropolitan see of Venice with the honorary title of Patriarch. Noted for his keen intelligence, diligent work, and great piety, he was sought out for prestigious positions and advanced rapidly. Through all of his work, Giuseppe obediently answered the call of the Lord, never seeking election or promotion, but accepting that which was thrust upon him.

Giuseppe was elected Pope in 1903, taking the name Pius X, described as "a man of God who knew the unhappiness of the world and the hardships of life, and in the greatness of his heart wanted to comfort everybody." The primary goal and aim of his papacy was to “Renew all things in Christ” ("instaurare omnia in Christo"). He preached frequent reception of Holy Eucharist, a restoration of church music—including Gregorian Chant, encouraged daily Bible reading and renewal and reform of institutions to teach Biblical matters, reorganized the Roman ecclesiastical offices, and codified Canon Law—all in attempts to draw the faithful to Christ and renew the Church in His presence.

As Pope and spiritual director of the Church on earth, he displayed untiring self-sacrifice and great energy. Above all things, he defended the purity of Christian doctrine. He realized to the full the value of the liturgy as the prayer of the Church and the solid basis that it furnishes for the devotion of Christian people. He promoted sacred music so that the congregation may better participate in holy prayer, and had choir books printed for the congregation. Above all, his holiness shone forth conspicuously. From Pius X we learn again that "the folly of the Cross", simplicity of life, and humility of heart are still the highest wisdom and the indispensable conditions of a perfect Christian life, for they are the very source of all apostolic fruitfulness.

On the eleventh anniversary of his election as pope, Europe was thrust into the first World War. Taking ill with bronchitis, he wrote, “This is the last affliction the Lord will visit on me. I would gladly give my life to save my poor children from this ghastly scourge.” Pope Saint Pius X died a few days later, on August 20, 1914. His sanctity and power to work miracles had already been recognized. He was the first Pope canonized since Saint Pius V in 1672.





Selected Quotations of Pope Saint Pius X:

“Truly we are passing through disastrous times, when we may well make our own the lamentation of the Prophet: “There is no truth, and there is no mercy, and there is no knowledge of God in the land” (Hosea 4:1). Yet in the midst of this tide of evil, the Virgin Most Merciful rises before our eyes like a rainbow, as the arbiter of peace between God and man.”

“God could have given us the Redeemer of the human race, and the Founder of the Faiths in another way than through the Virgin, but since Divine Providence has been pleased that we should have the Man-God through Mary, who conceived Him by the Holy Spirit and bore Him in her womb, it only remains for us to receive Christ from the hands of Mary.”

“Sanctity alone makes us what our divine vocation demands, men crucified to the world and to whom the world has been crucified, men walking in newness of life who, in the words of St. Paul, show themselves as ministers of God in labors, in vigils, in fasting, in chastity, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere charity, in the word of truth; men who seek only heavenly things and strive by every means to lead others to them.”

“My hope is in Christ, who strengthens the weakest by His Divine help. I can do all in Him who strengthens me. His Power is infinite, and if I lean on him, it will be mine. His Wisdom is infinite, and if I look to Him for counsel, I shall not be deceived. His Goodness is infinite, and if my trust is stayed in Him, I shall not be abandoned.”

“Let the storm rage and the sky darken – not for that shall we be dismayed. If we trust as we should in Mary, we shall recognize in her, the Virgin Most Powerful “who with virginal foot did crush the head of the serpent.”

“The collection of psalms found in Scripture, composed as it was under divine inspiration, has, from the very beginnings of the Church, shown a wonderful power of fostering devotion among Christians as they offer “to God a continuous sacrifice of praise, the harvest of lips blessing his name.” Following a custom already established in the Old Law, the psalms have played a conspicuous part in the sacred liturgy itself, and in the divine office. Augustine expresses this well when he says: “God praised himself so that man might give him fitting praise; because God chose to praise himself man found the way in which to bless God.” The psalms have also a wonderful power to awaken in our hearts the desire for every virtue. Athanasius says: “The psalms seem to me to be like a mirror, in which the person using them can see himself, and the stirrings of his own heart; he can recite them against the background of his own emotions.” Augustine says in his Confessions: “How I wept when I heard you hymns and canticles, being deeply moved by the sweet singing of your Church. Those voices flowed into my ears, truth filtered into my heart, and from my heart surged waves of devotion.” Indeed, who could fail to be moved by those many passages in the psalms which set forth so profoundly the infinite majesty of God, his omnipotence, his justice and goodness and clemency, too deep for words, and all the other infinite qualities of his that deserve our praise? Who could fail to be roused to the same emotions by the prayers of thanksgiving to God for blessings received by the petitions, so humble and confident, for blessings still awaited, by the cries of a soul in sorrow for sin committed? Who would not be fired with love as he looks on the likeness of Christ, the redeemer, here so lovingly foretold? His was “the voice” Augustine heard in every psalm, the voice of praise, of suffering, of joyful expectation, of present distress.”



From AD DIEM ILLUM LAETISSIMUM (On the Immaculate Conception), Papal Encyclical:

10. For is not Mary the Mother of Christ? Then she is our Mother also. And we must in truth hold that Christ, the Word made Flesh, is also the Savior of mankind. He had a physical body like that of any other man: and again as Savior of the human family, he had a spiritual and mystical body, the society, namely, of those who believe in Christ. "We are many, but one sole body in Christ" (Rom. xii., 5). Now the Blessed Virgin did not conceive the Eternal Son of God merely in order that He might be made man taking His human nature from her, but also in order that by means of the nature assumed from her He might be the Redeemer of men. For which reason the Angel said to the Shepherds: "To-day there is born to you a Savior who is Christ the Lord" (Luke ii., 11). Wherefore in the same holy bosom of his most chaste Mother Christ took to Himself flesh, and united to Himself the spiritual body formed by those who were to believe in Him. Hence Mary, carrying the Savior within her, may be said to have also carried all those whose life was contained in the life of the Savior. Therefore all we who are united to Christ, and as the Apostle says are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones (Ephes. v., 30), have issued from the womb of Mary like a body united to its head. Hence, though in a spiritual and mystical fashion, we are all children of Mary, and she is Mother of us all. Mother, spiritually indeed, but truly Mother of the members of Christ, who are we (S. Aug. L. de S. Virginitate, c. 6).


11. If then the most Blessed Virgin is the Mother at once of God and men, who can doubt that she will work with all diligence to procure that Christ, Head of the Body of the Church (Coloss. i., 18), may transfuse His gifts into us, His members, and above all that of knowing Him and living through Him (I John iv., 9)?


12. Moreover it was not only the prerogative of the Most Holy Mother to have furnished the material of His flesh to the Only Son of God, Who was to be born with human members (S. Bede Ven. L. Iv. in Luc. xl.), of which material should be prepared the Victim for the salvation of men; but hers was also the office of tending and nourishing that Victim, and at the appointed time presenting Him for the sacrifice. Hence that uninterrupted community of life and labors of the Son and the Mother, so that of both might have been uttered the words of the Psalmist “My life is consumed in sorrow and my years in groans" (Ps xxx., 11). When the supreme hour of the Son came, beside the Cross of Jesus there stood Mary His Mother, not merely occupied in contemplating the cruel spectacle, but rejoicing that her Only Son was offered for the salvation of mankind, and so entirely participating in His Passion, that if it had been possible she would have gladly borne all the torments that her Son bore (S. Bonav. 1. Sent d. 48, ad Litt. dub. 4). And from this community of will and suffering between Christ and Mary she merited to become most worthily the Reparatrix of the lost world (Eadmeri Mon. De Excellentia Virg. Mariae, c. 9) and Dispensatrix of all the gifts that Our Savior purchased for us by His Death and by His Blood.


13. It cannot, of course, be denied that the dispensation of these treasures is the particular and peculiar right of Jesus Christ, for they are the exclusive fruit of His Death, who by His nature is the mediator between God and man. Nevertheless, by this companionship in sorrow and suffering already mentioned between the Mother and the Son, it has been allowed to the august Virgin to be the most powerful mediatrix and advocate of the whole world with her Divine Son (Pius IX. Ineffabilis). The source, then, is Jesus Christ "of whose fullness we have all received" (John i., 16), "from whom the whole body, being compacted and fitly joined together by what every joint supplieth, according to the operation in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in charity" (Ephesians iv., 16). But Mary, as St. Bernard justly remarks, is the channel (Serm. de temp on the Nativ. B. V. De Aquaeductu n. 4); or, if you will, the connecting portion the function of which is to join the body to the head and to transmit to the body the influences and volitions of the head - We mean the neck. Yes, says St. Bernardine of Sienna, "she is the neck of Our Head, by which He communicates to His mystical body all spiritual gifts" (Quadrag. de Evangel. aetern. Serm. x., a. 3, c. iii.).


14. We are then, it will be seen, very far from attributing to the Mother of God a productive power of grace - a power which belongs to God alone. Yet, since Mary carries it over all in holiness and union with Jesus Christ, and has been associated by Jesus Christ in the work of redemption, she merits for us de congruo, in the language of theologians, what Jesus Christ merits for us de condigno, and she is the supreme Minister of the distribution of graces. Jesus "sitteth on the right hand of the majesty on high" (Hebrews i. b.). Mary sitteth at the right hand of her Son - a refuge so secure and a help so trusty against all dangers that we have nothing to fear or to despair of under her guidance, her patronage, her protection. (Pius IX. in Bull Ineffabilis).



Glorious Pope of the Eucharist, Saint Pius X, you sought "to restore all things in Christ." Obtain for me a true love of Jesus so that I may live only for Him. Help me to acquire a lively fervor and a sincere will to strive for sanctity of life, and that I may avail myself of the riches of the Holy Eucharist in sacrifice and sacrament. By your love for Mary, mother and queen of all, inflame my heart with tender devotion to her.


Blessed model of the priesthood, obtain for us holy, dedicated priests, and increase vocations to the religious life. Dispel confusion and hatred and anxiety, and incline our hearts to peace and concord. so that all nations will place themselves under the sweet reign of Christ. Amen.


Saint Pius X, pray for me.



Father,
to defend the Catholic faith
and to make all things new in Christ,
You filled St. Pius X
with heavenly wisdom and apostolic courage.
May his example and teaching
lead us to the reward of eternal life.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Today, April 30, we celebrate the feast of Pope Saint Pius V (1504-1572), confessor, reformer, and “Pope of the Holy Rosary.” Throughout his life and papacy, Pope Pius V worked to reform and solidify Catholic unity, securing the traditional Latin Rite of Mass, establishing seminaries, and publishing works to be used in churches throughout the world. Along with this, Pope Pius V lived the simple life of a Dominican, refusing the riches and luxuries thrust upon him, and instead ministering to the poor and needy. Through his deep devotion and prayers to Our Blessed Mother, the Battle of Lepanto was decisively won for Christendom.


Born Michael Ghislieri to a poor, but noble family in Bosco, Italy, the future pope was raised with an excellent education in piety and holiness. As a child he tended the family’s sheep in the fields, but entered the Dominican Order at age fourteen, where he excelled at his studies. Recognized as a gifted scholar and observed to have a deep relationship with the Lord, Michael was appointed a lecturer in philosophy and theology at Pavia, and very early became involved in the reform movement in the Church.

At the age of 24, Michael was ordained a priest and continued his teaching of philosophy an divinity in Genoa. For the next sixteen years, Michael traveled to various Dominican houses and encouraged a stricter following of the Order's Rule with both words and example. These reforming labors brought him to the attention of other members of the reform movement, and he was given important positions (first Inquisitor, and then placed as authority over the Inquisition) in Como, Bergamo, and Rome.

In 1556, Michael was consecrated bishop of Sutri and Nepi, somewhat against his will, and later appointed to the diocese of Mondevi which had been ravaged by war. In a very short time, under his spiritual direction, the diocese was flourishing and prosperous. Michael worked to lead his flock with words and example and served as a continual messenger encouraging personal piety and devotion to God. Before long, he was elevated to the College of cardinals. His views on reform were often asked by the Holy Father, and he was noted for his boldness in expressing his views.

In December of 1565, Pope Pius IV died. Having successfully engineered the Council of Trent, his replacement would be charged with carrying out the decrees of the council. Somewhat surprisingly, Michael—a simple Dominican friar—was selected to ascend to the Chair of Peter. It was the late pontiff's nephew, Saint Charles Borromeo, who was the driving force in the election of Michael as the new pope, for he recognized that a remarkable leader would be needed if the decrees of the council were to bear fruit.

Michael took the name Pius V, and immediately set about reforming the Church and enforcing the decrees of Trent. His holiness and austerity of life were notable, and he succeeded in bringing simplicity even into the papal household. He refused to wear the flowing garments of previous popes and insisted upon wearing his white Dominican habit even as head of the Church. To this day, the pope wears white, a custom begun by this Dominican pontiff.

He began his pontificate by giving large alms to the poor, ill, and needy. In his charity he visited the hospitals, and sat by the bedside of the sick, consoling them and preparing them to die. He washed the feet of the poor, and embraced the lepers. As pontiff he practiced the virtues he had displayed as a monk and a bishop. His piety was not diminished, and, in spite of the heavy labors and anxieties of his office, he made at least two meditations a day on bended knees in presence of the Blessed Sacrament. He insisted on austerity and banished luxury from his court, raised the standard of morality.

Pope Pius V further labored with his friend, Saint Charles Borromeo, to lay a solid foundation and spread the Faith, preserving the doctrine of the Church. Through papal decrees and example, Pope Pius reformed the clergy, obliged his bishops to reside in their dioceses, and the cardinals to lead lives of simplicity and piety. He reformed the Cistercians, and supported the missions of the New World. Under his direction, seminaries were established, diocesan synods were held, and the Breviary and Missal were reformed. Pope Pius V published catechisms, ordered a revision of the Latin Vulgate, and revitalized the study of theology and canon law. Pope Pius also established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) classes for the young.

In striving to reform both Church and state, Pius encountered vehement opposition from England's Queen Elizabeth (who he excommunicated) and the Roman Emperor Maximilian II. Problems in France and in the Netherlands also hindered the pope’s hopes for a Europe united against the Turks. Only at the last minute, through considerable effort, was he able to organize a fleet which won a decisive victory in the Gulf of Lepanto, off Greece, on October 7, 1571. The defeat of the Turks at Lepanto, is recognized as the result of his prayers and efforts to Our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of the Rosary. Before the victorious fleet returned to Rome, the pope had had knowledge of the victory through a miraculous vision of Mary. He proclaimed a period of thanksgiving and placed the invocation "Mary, Help of Christians" in the Litany of Loreto, establishing the feast in commemoration of the victory.

His faith and devotion to Mary was made evident through his example, as well as his papal writings. In his “Consuieverunt Romani,” published in 1569, Pope Pius V wrote about the power and devotion of the Holy Rosary:

The Roman Pontiffs, and the other Holy Fathers, our predecessors, when they were pressed in upon by temporal or spiritual wars, or troubled by other trials, in order that they might more easily escape from these, and having achieved tranquility, might quietly and fervently be free to devote themselves to God, were wont to implore the divine assistance, through supplications or Litanies to call forth the support of the saints, and with David to lift up their eyes unto the Mountains, trusting with firm hope that thence would they receive aid.


1. Prompted by their example, and, as is piously believed, by the Holy Ghost, the inspired Blessed founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, (whose institutes and rule we ourselves expressly professed when we were in minor orders), in circumstances similar to those in which we now find ourselves, when parts of France and of Italy were unhappily troubled by the heresy of the Albegenses, which blinded so many of the worldly that they were raging most savagely against the priests of the Lord and the clergy, raised his eyes up unto heaven, unto that mountain of the Glorious Virgin Mary, loving Mother of God. For she by her seed has crushed the head of the twisted serpent, and has alone destroyed all heresies, and by the blessed fruit of her womb has saved a world condemned by the fall of our first parent. From her, without human hand, was that stone cut, which, struck by wood, poured forth the abundantly flowing waters of graces. And so Dominic looked to that simple way of praying and beseeching God, accessible to all and wholly pious, which is called the Rosary, or Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which the same most Blessed Virgin is venerated by the angelic greeting repeated one hundred and fifty times, that is, according to the number of the Davidic Psalter, and by the Lord's Prayer with each decade. Interposed with these prayers are certain meditations showing forth the entire life of Our Lord Jesus Christ, thus completing the method of prayer devised by the by the Fathers of the Holy Roman Church. This same method St. Dominic propagated, and it was, spread by the Friars of Blessed Dominic, namely, of the aforementioned Order, and accepted by not a few of the people. Christ's faithful, inflamed by these prayers, began immediately to be changed into new men. The darkness of heresy began to be dispelled, and the light of the Catholic Faith to be revealed. Sodalities for this form of prayer began to be instituted in many places by the Friars of the same Order, legitimately deputed to this work by their Superiors, and confreres began to be enrolled together.


2. Following the example of our predecessors, seeing that the Church militant, which God has placed in our hands, in these our times is tossed this way and that by so many heresies, and is grievously troubled and afflicted by so many wars, and by the deprave morals of men, we also raise our eyes, weeping but full of hope, unto that same mountain, whence every aid comes forth, and we encourage and admonish each member of Christ's faithful to do likewise in the Lord.


Pope Pius V died in 1572, at the age of sixty-eight, still tirelessly serving the Church. His relics were placed in the Basilica of Mary Major, as a tribute to his eternal devotion to the Blessed Virgin, where they are venerated today.





Father,
You chose Saint Pius V as pope of Your Church
to protect the faith and give You more fitting worship.
By his prayers,
help us to celebrate Your holy mysteries
with a living faith and an effective love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Today, December 19, we celebrate the feast day of Blessed Pope Urban V (1310-1370), a “second choice” pontiff, who upon accepting the Chair of Peter, worked to reform the struggling Church and reunite the many factions present at that time. A man of great humility, Pope Urban declined the luxuries available to both popes and priests at that time, preferring to live modestly, wear his Benedictine robes, and commune with everyday people.


Born Guillaume de Grimoald, Pope Urban V was a native of France, growing up in Languidoc. While we know little about his early life, he became a Benedictine monk, earning a doctorate in Canon Law, and taught at Montpellier and Avignon. As abbot of the Saint-Victor community in Marseilles, he was chosen as a papal legate, and sent on various missions to Avignon and Naples. It was during one of these trips that he was elected pope, after the first man offered the position declined. Pope Urban V served the Church for eight years, from 1362 until his death.

Remembered as deeply spiritual and brilliantly intellectual, Pope Urban immediately set about enacting reform. A severe disciplinarian, he encouraged the clergy to shed the privileges and wealth of their positions, and to live more simply and modestly. He further enacted reforms in many Orders, restored churches and monasteries, founded several colleges and institutions of learning, and made great strides in reconciling rifts between the Eastern and Western churches.

Throughout his papacy, Pope Urban continued to follow the Benedictine Rule. He refused to wear papal fineries, instead preferring his simple monk’s robe. He further requested to be moved from the papal palace to the simple home of his brother, that he might live “among ordinary people.”

Virtuous and honest, Pope Urban V sought to return the seat of the papacy to Rome, from Avignon where it had been exiled years prior. He died before being able to accomplish this task, but set the stage the later move. It is said that as he lay dying in his brother’s house, he called the people to surround his deathbed saying “the people must see how popes die.” His body, was buried at Avignon and then later translated to Marseille according to his wishes. Pope Urban’s tomb became the site of many miracles.



Pope Urban V’s life was one of surprises. Not even a cardinal, he was elected to the Chair of Peter, and for eight years, served steadily, justly, and virtuously. Given the political and scandalous climate of Europe at that time, his virtues shine all the more brightly. A simple and humble man, through his example, Pope Urban ushered in a reformed and more modest clergy, better able to attend to the needs of their congregations. We pray today for similar reform and guidance in the Church, that honestly, virtue, and justice shine forth like the sun.



Year 2: Day 353 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Honesty, virtue, justice in the Church.

Requested Intentions: Healing (M); Safety, security, and sanctity for a family (A); Healing (N); Successful relationship (N); Healing of a friend; growth in the Lord (M); To hear and answer the Lord’s call (M); Healing of a friend undergoing chemotherapy (L); For the peace, safety, and holiness of a sister (J); Financial security (C); Conversion of a newly married couple (M); Peace in a family (S); Peaceful repose of departed mother (J); Blessings on a relationship (J); Financial security, successful employment (J); Obedience to God’s will (A); Conversion of souls (A); Success of business venture; faith of daughter (S); Safe return home (J); Recovery of mother and son; repose of the souls of the dearly departed (A); Blessings upon a relationship (M); Sobriety and recovery for a son (M); Employment and successful marriage (A); Employment, healing, freedom from anxiety (T); Financial security (C); Conversion (T); Peace in difficult times at work (E); Financial security and blessings for mother and children (T); Financial security for a mother (M); Health, finances, successful marriage (A); Successful resolution of court case for son (K); Continued sobriety (N); Healing of a chronic health condition (B); Successful employment (A): Peace in a family, recovery of a niece from substance use (L); Blessings on a marriage, healing of a husband (P); For the health and recovery of sisters (B); For a daughter and granddaughter (D); Blessings on overseas employment (M); Healing of mother (L).

Today, December 8, we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary—the day on which Mary, the future Mother of God, was conceived in spotless purity of soul, free from Original Sin at her first moment of animation. Our Blessed Mother, in preparation for her role as Mother of Jesus, was granted this singular grace by God, upon the merits of Jesus. Intrinsically linked and inseparable with the purity and divinity of Our Savior, Mary, the Blessed Virgin, persisted in grace and purity, becoming the vessel of the Incarnation, the Mother of the Word of God.

Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Immaculate Conception of Mary in his General Audience on 12/8/2009. The text of his address follows:



Dear brothers and sisters!


In the heart of Christian cities, Mary constitutes a sweet and reassuring presence. In her self-effacing style, she gives everyone peace and hope during the happy and sad moments of life. In churches, chapels or the walls of buildings, a painting, mosaic or a statue stand as a remainder of the Mother’s presence, constantly watching over her children. Here too in Piazza di Spagna, Mary stands high, on guard over Rome.


What does Mary tell the city? What does her presence remind us? It reminds us that “where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more (Rom., 5:20), as the Apostle Paul wrote. She is the Immaculate Mother who tells people of our time: Do not be afraid, Jesus defeated evil, uprooted it, freeing us from his rule.


When do we need such good deeds? Every day, in the newspapers, television and radio, evil is told to us, said again, amplified, so that we get used to the most horrible things, and become desensitised. In a certain way, it poisons us, because the negative is never fully cleansed out of our system but accumulates day after day. The heart hardens and thoughts become gloomy. For this reason, the city needs Mary, whose presence speaks of God, reminds us of Grace’s victory over sin and makes us hope even in the humanly most difficult situations.


Those who invisible live or rather survive in the city. They make it to the front page of newspapers or the top of TV newscast—they are exploited until the end, for as long as the news and the images are newsworthy. Few can resist such a perverse mechanism. The city first, hides then exposes them to public scrutiny, without pity or with false pity. Everyone would like to be accepted as a person and considered as something sacred, because each human story is a sacred story that deserves the utmost of respect.


Dear brothers and sisters, we are the city! Each one of us contributes with our lives to its moral climate for better or worse. The border between good and evil runs across everyone’s heart and none of us should feel entitled to judge others. Instead, each one of us must feel duty-bound to improve ourselves. Mass media make us feel like “spectators” as if evil only touched others and that certain things could not happen to us. Instead, we are all “actors” for better or worse, and our behaviour influences others.


We often complain about air pollution, that in some parts of the city the air is unbreathable. That is true. Everyone must do his or her part to make the city a cleaner place. However, there is another kind of pollution, which the senses cannot easily perceive, but which is equally dangerous. It is the pollution of the spirit, which makes us smile less, makes us gloomier, less likely to greet one another or look into each other face . . .


The city has many faces, but sadly, collective factors lead us to forget what is behind them. All we see is the surface. People become bodies, and these bodies lose their soul, become faceless objects that can be exchanged and consumed.


Mary Immaculate helps us rediscover and defend what is inside people, because in her there is perfect transparency of soul and body. She is purity in person in the sense that the spirit, soul and body are fully coherent in her and with God’s will. Our Lady teaches us to open up to God’s action and to look at others as he does, starting with the heart, to look upon them with mercy, love, infinite tenderness, especially those who are lonely, scorned or exploited. “[W]here sins increased, grace overflows all the more.”


I want to pay tribute publicly to all those who in silence, in deeds not in words, strive to practice the Evangelical law of love which drivers the world forward. There are so many of them even here in Rome. They do not make the headlines. They are men and women of all ages, who realise that it is not worth condemning, complaining or recriminating; that it is better to respond to evil doing good; to changes things; or better, to changes people, hence improve society.”


Dear Roman friends and all of you who live in this city! Whilst we are busy in everyday tasks, let us listen to Mary’s voice. Let us hear her silent but pressing appeal. She tells each one of us that wherever sin increases, may grace overflow all the more, first in our hearts, and then in our lives! Thus, the city shall be more beautiful, more Christian and more humane.


Thank you, Holy Mother, for this message of hope. Thank you for your silent but eloquent presence in the heart of our city. Immaculate Virgin, Salus Populi Romani, pray for us!

“Virtue is nothing without the trial of temptation, for there is no conflict without an enemy, no victory without strife.”

Today, November 10, we also celebrate the feast day of Pope Saint Leo the Great (400-461). Pope Saint Leo is referred to by many names, including “Doctor of Doctrine” and “Doctor of Unity of the Church.” He is the first pope to be referred to by the title “Great,” and the first born pope made Doctor of the Church. His greatness is evident from his roles as peacemaker amidst terror, unifier amidst controversy, and pastoral concern amidst war, diseases, and famine. Despite near constant attack, Pope Saint Leo led the Church for nearly two decades, believing and trusting in the Lord, through the intercession of Saint Peter. His writings, unifying doctrine, and peacemaking (at a time when peace was hard to come by!) continue to inspire and instruct us today in the ways of the faith.

Leo was born in Tuscany, into a noble Italian family, but little is known about his early childhood and life. His biographers suggest that he was an especially strong student, especially in scripture and theology. He was ordained a priest, and later became a Deacon of the Roman See. As deacon, he was dispatched to Gaul as a mediator by Emperor Valentinian III. He was unanimously elected to the Chair of Peter, becoming pope in 440, and serving the Church until his death in 461. During that time, he persuaded Emperor Valentinian to recognize the primacy of the Bishop of Rome in an edict in 445. In effect, this decree centralized the spiritual authority of the pope within the Church, re-establishing papal authority over that of some de-centralized authorities assumed by local diocesan bishops. The decree of Emperor Valentinian recognized the primacy of the bishop of Rome based on the merits of Saint Peter, the dignity of the city, and the Nicene Creed. It further ordered that any opposition to the decrees of the pope, which were to have the force of ecclesiastical law, should be treated as treason. Pope Saint Leo held firmly that everything he did and said as pope for the administration of the Church represented Christ, the head of the Mystical Body, and Saint Peter, in whose place Leo acted—his beliefs were doctrinally based, but were greatly assisted by the emperor’s decree!

Pope Saint Leo is called “great,” as he is recognized as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church. His two-decade papacy focused on four main areas. The first of these focused on the eradication of heresies, and he worked actively throughout his tenure to control the heresies of Pelagianism, Manichaeism, Nestorianism, Monophysitism, Priscillianism, and others, forgiving apostasy, and securing the faithful to the true beliefs of the Church. To fight against the many heresies of his day, he called the Council of Chalcedon, following up with countless doctrinally sound and stern letters to the faithful.

Due to the wars, terrorists and immense problems that Leo faced he strongly advocated the below works of mercy toward others to show true Christianity:

CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY: To feed the hungry; Give drink to the thirsty; Clothe the naked; Shelter the homeless; Visit the sick; Visit the imprisoned; Bury the dead.

SPIRITUAL WORKS OF MERCY: To counsel the doubtful; Instruct the ignorant; Admonish sinners; Comfort the afflicted; Forgive offenses; Bear wrongs patiently; Pray for the living and the dead.

Secondly, Pope Saint Leo focused on the doctrinal controversies surrounding the nature of Christ, the Incarnation (formed by him in a letter to the Patriarch of Constantinople), and others. His letters documenting these doctrinal teachings remain extant, instructing us today. Pope Saint Leo insisted on the importance of the mysteries of Christ and the Church, and in the supernatural charisms of the spiritual life given to humanity in Christ and in his Body, the Church. He was an eloquent writer and homilist, and despite his great responsibilities, never gave up his role as pastor to his people, nourishing them in the faith, and encouraging a closer relationship with the Lord.

This commitment and approach to pastoral care is the third—and possibly the most important—area of focus during Pope Saint Leo’s papacy. He is remembered for his spiritually profound sermons—delivered in a language that anyone could understand. The preaching and writing of this great man, based upon his comprehensive knowledge of Scripture, led many to Christ.

Lastly, and most interesting to secular scholars, Pope Saint led the defense of Rome against barbarian attack, taking the role of peacemaker, against the formidable Attila the Hun, the “Scourge of Europe.” His encounter with Attila the Hun, at the very gates of Rome, in which he persuaded the invaders to turn back without attack, remains a historical memorial to his great eloquence.

This great historical event, as quoted by DoctorsoftheCatholicChurch.com:

"Pope Leo the Great mounted the throne of Saint Peter at a time of terrible danger, both for the Church and the Empire. The fierce barbarian tribes, one after the other, had been on the march for the whole of the century, plundering, ravaging and threatening the entire Empire. The dreaded Attila ¬ the self-designated "Scourge of God," who left in the wake of his savage army burned churches, murdered priests, devastated countrysides, people ravished and maimed, impoverished and homeless, was on his way into Italy.


In the year 452, Attila the Hun, having with remorseless cruelty sieged, burned, sacked and destroyed Aquileia -¬ the city in northeastern Italy at the head of the Adriatic Sea ¬- was as close as Mantua, on his march to Rome. He was boasting, as he advanced, that the total conquest of Italy was to be his crowning work of destruction. Rome was the dowry which he planned to present to his bride, Honoria, the granddaughter of the great Theodosius!


All Rome awaited the coming of the Mongol King in hopeless terror. They had no defense left against him. And then, in the darkest hour ¬- as would often be the case through the centuries ahead ¬- the Eternal City was saved, not by its legions, its tribunes, its senators, or its suffering citizens. Rome was saved by its Bishop, the Holy Roman Pontiff.


Practically alone, Pope Leo went out to meet the wanton murderer who was the terror of the world. He climbed steadily northward, this holy and august Vicar of Christ, and over the mountains, an arduous journey indeed in those days. He found the Mongolian chief below Mantua, at the point where the Mincio River, flowing down from its Alpine source ¬- the beautiful Lago Garda ¬- emptied itself in the Po. Attila's troops, hardened veterans seasoned in plunder and sack and rape, were ready and waiting to cross the Po when Saint Leo, in his papal robes, entered the disordered camp and stood before the King of the Huns.


The glorious Pope threatened Attila with the power which was his from Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, if he did not turn back and leave Italy unmolested. And it is one of the most dramatic, of all the dramatic facts with which the story of the Church is so enchantingly full, that Attila, the Hun, yielded before Leo, the Pope. The "Scourge of God" agreed to turn back. He gave up Rome. And Leo, absorbed in thanksgiving, returned to his See.


Attila's servants, so the story is told, asked him why he had reversed his custom and capitulated so easily to the Bishop of Rome. The brigand chief answered that all the while the Pope was speaking, he, Attila, the generator of terror in others, was himself consumed in fear, for there had appeared in the air above the Pope's head a figure in the dress of a priest, holding in his hand a drawn sword with which he made as if to kill him unless he consented to do as Leo asked. The figure was that of Peter!"

After these and other similar admirable acts, and after writing much that was replete with piety and eloquence, Pope Saint Leo died peacefully. His relics were originally buried in his own monument, but were (at some point) placed into the tomb comtaining the relics of the first four Pope Leos. Later, they were again translated to Saint Peter’s Basilica, where Pope Saint Leo the Great was given his own chapel.

Selected Writings of Pope Saint Leo the Great:

“Although the universal Church of God is constituted of distinct orders of members, still, in spite of the many parts of its holy body, the Church subsists as an integral whole, just as the Apostle says: “We are all one in Christ,” nor is anyone separated from the office of another in such a way that a lower group has no connection with the head. In the unity of faith and baptism, our community is then undivided. There is a common dignity as the apostle Peter says in these words: “And you are built up as living stones into spiritual houses, a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices which are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” And again: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of election.” For all, regenerated in Christ, as made kings by the sign of the cross. They are consecrated priests by the oil of the Holy Spirit, so that beyond the special service of our ministry as priests, all spiritual and mature Christians know that they are a royal race and are sharers in the office of the priesthood. For what is more king-like than to find yourself ruler over your body after having surrendered your soul to God? And what is more priestly than to promise the Lord a pure conscience and to offer him in love unblemished victims on the altar of one’s heart?”

“God decreed that all nations should be saved in Christ. Dear friends, now that we have received instruction in this revelation of God’s grace, let us celebrate with spiritual joy the day of our first harvesting, of the first calling of the Gentiles. Let us give thanks to the merciful God, “who has made us worthy,” in the words of the Apostle, “to share the position of the saints in light; who has rescued us from the power of darkness, and brought us into the kingdom of this beloved Son.” This came to be fulfilled, as we know, from the time when the star beckoned the three wise men out of their distant country and led them to recognize and adore the King of heaven and earth. The obedience of the star calls us to imitate its humble service: to be servants, as best we can, of the grace that invites all men to find Christ.”

"Short and fleeting are the joys of this world's pleasures which endeavors to turn aside from the path of life those who are called to eternity. The faithful and religious spirit, therefore, must desire the things which are heavenly, and being eager for the Divine promises, lift itself to the love of the incorruptible Good and the hope of the true Light."

“Being therefore, dearly-beloved, fully instructed by these admonitions of ours, which we have often repeated in your ears in protest against abominable error, enter upon the holy days of Lent with Godly devoutness, and prepare yourselves to win God’s mercy by your own works of mercy. Quench your anger, wipe out enmities, cherish unity, and vie with one another in the offices of true humility. Rule your slaves and those who are put under you with fairness, let none of them be tortured by imprisonment or chains. Forego vengeance, forgive offences: exchange severity for gentleness, indignation for meekness, discord for peace. Let all men find us self-restrained, peaceable, kind: that our fastings may be acceptable to God. For in a word to Him we offer the sacrifice of true abstinence and true Godliness, when we keep ourselves from all evil: the Almighty God helping us through all, to Whom with the Son and Holy Spirit belongs one Godhead and one Majesty, for ever and ever. Amen.”



O Holy Pope Leo! Thou didst triumph over barbarian invaders: Attila acknowledged the power of thy sanctity and eloquence, by withdrawing his troops from the Christian land they infested. Oh, help us by thy powerful intercession, for our danger is very great. Many are seduced and have fallen into apostasy. Pray that the light that is left within us may never be extinguished, but ever increase unto light eternal. Amen.

Year 2: Day 314 of 365
Prayer Intentions: Steadfast belief in the true faith; Unification of the Church.
Requested Intentions: Restoration of a marriage (A); Peace and tolerance in a family, support for those with Parkinson’s Disease (M); For the restoration of a daughter’s marriage, end to debt (S); Employment and continued strength (K); Successful examinations for a son (J); Employment and blessings of a child (S); Employment and financial security (F); Successful work placement, continued health (A); Grace and healing for a family (P); Healing of a father (M); Academic success for son, employment for husband and brother (B); Freedom from anxiety and panic attacks (R); Health and healing in preparation for surgery (C); Healing of a chronic illness (P); Safety of a family during storms (A); Successful home ownership (P); Healing of a marriage (M); Employment for a husband, blessings for a marriage (E); Successful examinations for a daughter, healing of a relationships (V); Blessing for a family (V); Healing of baby girl M and all children suffering (M); Special intentions (R); Business success, peace, health (E); Conversion and deliverance of those who suffer, increase in vocations (M); Financial security and safe housing (M); For a daughter (K).