Benedict XVI, Pope. Holy Men and Women Of the Middle Ages and Beyond (p. 185). Ignatius Press. Kindle Edition.
This audio recording is taken from writings of Pope Benedict XVI found in “Holy Men and Women of the Middle Ages and Beyond” published by Ignatius Press. For the text of this recording and for an incredible selection of other lives reflected upon by Pope Benedict XVI, following the link provided to obtain the book. We thank Ignatius Press for granting Discerning Hearts permission to produce this audio recording.
Fr. Andrew Apostoli does a tremendous job covering all the varied aspects of the events of Fatima and the call of Our Lady of Fatima. He conveys the “immaculate” heart of the message, as well as tackling the “controversies” that have plagued the events over the years. Because of the prophetic nature of her messages, Our Lady of Fatima has been the subject of much controversy and speculation. In this book, Father Andrew Apostoli carefully analyzes the events that took place in Fatima and clears up lingering questions and doubts about their meaning. He also challenges the reader to hear anew the call of Our Lady to prayer and sacrifice, for the world is ever in need of generous hearts willing to make reparation for those in danger of losing their way to God.
“As was so dramatically obvious during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Fatima in May, 2010, Our Lady’s apparitions in 1917 remain powerfully compelling for us today. There she was an evangelist, calling us to prayer, conversion of heart, and penance, pointing to Jesus and repeating her words at Cana, ‘Do whatever He tells you.’ This book brings it all home.” -Most Reverend Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York
“For us, Fatima is a sign of the presence of faith, of the fact that it is precisely from the little ones that faith gains new strength, one which is not limited to the little ones but has a message for the entire world and touches history here and now, and sheds light on this history . . . Even now there is tribulation, in every conceivable form, and power threatens to trample down faith. Even now, then, there is a need for the answer about which the Mother of God spoke to the children at Fatima.” -Pope Benedict XVI
Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He was ordained on May 30th 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA. Msgr. Esseff served a retreat director and confessor to St. Mother Teresa. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the missionaries of charity around the world. Msgr. Esseff encountered St. Padre Pio, who would become a spiritual father to him. He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical missions, a Catholic organization established by St. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world especially to the poor. Msgr. Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation and continues to serve as a spiritual director for the Institute. He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians and other religious leaders around the world.
“[T]he Church of Christ discovers her ‘bond’ with Judaism by ‘searching into her own mystery.’ The Jewish religion is not ‘extrinsic’ to us, but in a certain way is ‘intrinsic’ to our own religion. With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers and, in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers. (Pope John Paul II at the Great Synagogue of Rome, April 13, 1986).
And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, 52 he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.”
The Three Israels
Israel #1 – Jacob
Genesis 32:22-32, The angel of the Lord changes Jacob’s name to Israel
Genesis 25-33, Jacob’s story, personification of the nation
Israel #2 – The Jewish Nation
Genesis 49, the twelve tribes of Israel
history of the nation
Matthew 24, the “end of the world” as they knew it at the destruction of the Jewish temple (the center and symbol of Jewish life) in 70 AD
Romans 11, restoration at the end
Israel #3 – The People of God
John 8: , Abraham’s children
Romans 2:28, 29, For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Revelation 19:8, 21:9-10, the Church, the “New Israel” and “New Jerusalem”
every author of every book of Scripture, except Luke, was Jewish
Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 63, Israel is the priestly people of God, “called by the name of the LORD”, and “the first to hear the word of God”, the people of “elder brethren” in the faith of Abraham.
CCC 877, In fact, from the beginning of his ministry, the Lord Jesus instituted the Twelve as “the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy.”
LOVE the Word(TM) is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice. This week’s LOVE the Word(TM) exercise is based on a Franciscan* personality approach. Go on! Try it!
Listen (Receive the Word)
“Jesus said to her…’We know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews’” (Joh 4:22).
Observe (Connect the passage to recent events.)
Find a local synagogue and attend a Sabbath (Shabbat) service, or watch this video. Observe the similarities and differences between what constitutes Sabbath practice for the Jewish people, and what your Sunday liturgy, worship and practice look like. Imagine Jesus observing Sabbath like this!
Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Remembering that Mary and Joseph, Jesus, and the apostles were all Jewish, pray for the Jewish people, your “elder brothers” in faith. Offer your thoughts and feelings to God.
Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Lord Jesus, let Your prayer of unity for Christians become a reality, in Your way. We pray and long for the day when we are one as You and the Father are one. Help us know when and how to cooperate in that unity. Amen
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*LOVE the Word(TM) exercises, vary weekly according to the four personalities, or “prayer forms,” explored in Prayer and Temperament, by Chester Michael and Marie Norrisey: Ignatian, Augustinian, Franciscan, and Thomistic.
Dr. Lilles reviews teachings on poverty, humility, and, in particular, friendship, which are all found in a broad overview of the first 18 chapters of “The Way of Perfection.” We also discuss the value of the virtues and the importance of the “good example” in St. Teresa’s writings. All of this will be essential to her foundational teachings on contemplative prayer.
Saint Teresa Painting Convento de Santa Teresa Avila Castile Spain.
Anthony Lilles, S.T.D. is an associate professor and the academic dean of Saint John’s Seminary in Camarillo as well as the academic advisor for Juan Diego House of Priestly Formation for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. For over twenty years he served the Church in Northern Colorado where he joined and eventually served as dean of the founding faculty of Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. Through the years, clergy, seminarians, religious and lay faithful have benefited from his lectures and retreat conferences on the Carmelite Doctors of the Church and the writings of St. Elisabeth of the Trinity.
FG#12 – The Way of Trust and Love Ep 1 – Fountains of Grace: Reflections on contemporary spiritual classics with Donna Garrett
Join host Donna Garrett, with Fr. James Perez, LC, as they discuss the spiritual classic “The Way of Trust and Love: A Retreat Guided By St. Therese of Lisieux” by Fr. Jacques Philippe.
Discussed in this episode, among other topics, from “The Way of Trust and Love” page 9
This is what Thérèse said:
Fr. James Perez, LC, joins Donna for this series
You know, Mother, that I have always desired to be a saint, but alas, I have always realized, when I compared myself to the saints, that there is between them and me the same difference as exists between a mountain whose summit is lost in the skies, and the obscure grain of sand trodden underfoot by passers-by. Instead of getting discouraged, I said to myself: “God could not inspire us with desires that were unrealizable, so despite my littleness I can aspire to holiness. It is impossible for me to grow up, I must put up with myself as I am , with all my imperfections; but I want to find how to get to Heaven by a little way that is quite straight, quite short: a completely new little way. We are in an age of inventions; now one doesn’t have to make the effort to climb up a stairway in rich people’s houses, because an elevator does the work much better. I too would like to find an elevator to lift me up to Jesus, for I am too little to climb up the steep stairway of perfection.” Then I looked in the holy books for some sign of the elevator that I desired, and I read these words that had come forth from the mouth of Eternal Wisdom: “Whoever is VERY LITTLE let him come to me” [Proverbs 9: 4]. So I came, guessing that I had found what I sought. Wishing to know, O my God, what you would do for a little child who answered your call, I continued my search and this is what I found: “As a mother caresses her baby, so I will comfort you; I will carry you at my breast and rock you in my lap” [Isaiah 66: 13, 12]. Ah! never had such tender, melodious words come to rejoice my soul; the elevator that would lift me up to Heaven is your arms, O Jesus! To reach perfection, I do not need to grow up. On the contrary, I need to stay little, to become more and more little. O my God, you have surpassed my expectations, and I wish to sing of your mercies.For other episodes in the this series click here “Fountains of Grace w/Donna Garrett“
If you’re not famished for spiritual things, chances are it’s not because you have feasted and are satisfied, but that you have snacked on junk food away from the true table. When your soul is stuffed with small things, there is no room for the great.
If you don’t have a hunger for God, perhaps it is because your god is your belly: “Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things” (Phil 3:19).
And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, 52 he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.”
LOVE the Word(TM) is a method of Bible study based on Mary’s own practice. This week’s LOVE the Word(TM) exercise is based on an Augustinian*personality approach. Go on! Try it!
Listen (Receive the Word)
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst” (John 6:35).
Observe (Connect the passage to recent events.)
On a daily basis, as you approach each next meal, do you allow yourself to get hungry or do you eat something as soon as you feel the early pangs?
Practice delaying your meals to allow yourself to get hungry before you eat. As you do so, and especially as you fast this next Friday for Lent, pay attention to your hunger pangs. Ask yourself, In my world, what am I most hungry for—right now, this year, for the rest of my life? Be specific. Perhaps just the question has every hunger you’ve ever experienced surfacing, leaping out of the water like spawning salmon. You may answer: “I want a bag of potato chips.” And maybe that’s true on the surface. But what’s under that desire? Are you actually hungry, or bored or sad instead? Can a bag of chips relieve any of those deeper longings? Why are you bored? Why are you sad?
Maybe the first question is, What am I really hungry for? But to get deeper and know what we yearn for, we have to keep asking why till we get all the way to the bottom of the desire. It’s very important to know what a true hunger is, because that may actually be what God wants to give me.
Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Talk to Him about your desires and longings until you get to the bottom of what you’re really hungry for. Ask God for that, because “He rewards those who diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6). What do you need to do to “diligently seek Him”?
Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Receive the Eucharist with the intention that God might satisfy your hunger. Pray for that intention, and thank Him for the answer to that prayer, before you see the answer, as you kneel in His presence after Communion.
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*LOVE the Word(TM) exercises, vary weekly according to the four personalities, or “prayer forms,” explored in Prayer and Temperament, by Chester Michael and Marie Norrisey: Ignatian, Augustinian, Franciscan, and Thomistic.
Dr. Lilles discusses Chapter 3 and 4 of St. Teresa of Avila’s “Way of Perfection”:
Chapter 3 – Continues the subject begun in the first chapter and persuades the sisters to busy themselves constantly in beseeching God to help those who work for the Church. Ends with an exclamatory prayer.
Chapter 4 – Exhorts the nuns to keep their Rule and names three things which are important for the spiritual life. Describes the first of these three things, which is love of one’s neighbor, and speaks of the harm which can be done by individual friendships.
Saint Teresa Painting Convento de Santa Teresa Avila Castile Spain.
Anthony Lilles, S.T.D. is an associate professor and the academic dean of Saint John’s Seminary in Camarillo as well as the academic advisor for Juan Diego House of Priestly Formation for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. For over twenty years he served the Church in Northern Colorado where he joined and eventually served as dean of the founding faculty of Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. Through the years, clergy, seminarians, religious and lay faithful have benefited from his lectures and retreat conferences on the Carmelite Doctors of the Church and the writings of St. Elisabeth of the Trinity.
Fr. Mark Cyza discusses the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. He speaks of the radical intimacy of St. Francis and Jesus Christ and how it was born from the saint’s continuing conversion and how it was fueled by his relationship with Christ in prayer. How can his prayer be a beacon for our own: the center of our spiritual life must be focused on Christ….if it gazes on anything else we fall off track.
Biographies of him were written soon after his death, by people who knew him and by people who interviewed those who knew him. We have many near contemporary sources, aside from Francis’ own writings, through which we can come to know Francis.
The Little Flowers of St. Francis is the only one of these source documents commonly available on the web for reading free. There are several sources, which we give here for you to read this work, or listen to it, if you download the MP3s from CCEL.
Msgr. Esseff reflects on trusting God in the darkness, the tragedy in Las Vegas 2017, and the need for our understanding of the angels.
Msgr. John A. Esseff is a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Scranton. He was ordained on May 30th 1953, by the late Bishop William J. Hafey, D.D. at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton, PA. Msgr. Esseff served a retreat director and confessor to St. Mother Teresa. He continues to offer direction and retreats for the sisters of the missionaries of charity around the world. Msgr. Esseff encountered St. Padre Pio, who would become a spiritual father to him. He has lived in areas around the world, serving in the Pontifical missions, a Catholic organization established by St. Pope John Paul II to bring the Good News to the world especially to the poor. Msgr. Esseff assisted the founders of the Institute for Priestly Formation and continues to serve as a spiritual director for the Institute. He continues to serve as a retreat leader and director to bishops, priests and sisters and seminarians and other religious leaders around the world.
Dr. Lilles reviews teachings on poverty, humility, and, in particular, friendship, which are all found in a broad overview of the first 18 chapters of “The Way of Perfection.” We also discuss the value of the virtues and the importance of the “good example” in St. Teresa’s writings. All of this will be essential to her foundational teachings on contemplative prayer.
Resources:
Msgr. Esseff reflects on trusting God in the darkness, the tragedy in Las Vegas 2017, and the need for our understanding of the angels.
