Mary's Catholics

cc photo from Wikimedia Commons Date of Birth:  November 13, 354 Birthplace:  Thagaste, Numidia (now Souk Ahras, Algeria) Parents:  Patricius, a pagan and St. Monica, a Christian Died:  August 28, 430  Feast Day:  August 28 One of the most celebrated sinners turned saint in the Catholic Church is St. Augustine, who's also known as the "son of so many tears." St. Augustine had lived an immoral life.  In the year 373, he left the Christian church and joined the Manichaean religion, much to the sorrow of his mother St. Monica who influenced him to Christianity at an early age.  He had a son born out of wedlock from a woman with whom he had an affair for many years.  But in the year 386, he was converted to Christianity and decided to serve God through priesthood. In 387, Easter Vigil, he was baptized by St. Ambrose at Milan along with his son Adeodatus. He was ordained priest in 391 and in 395, he was made Bishop of Hipp...

Rome's exorcist finding Bl. John Paul II effective against Satan :: Catholic News Agency (CNA) When I read the above news, I no longer wonder why Blessed John Paul II is effective against Satan.  I know the reason.   St. Louis Marie de Montfort wrote in his book "True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary" that Mary is Satan's most fearful enemy . This remarkable book fell in the hands of Blessed John Paul II during World War II.  It made him understand that Mary is the surest and the safest way to Christ.  His motto  "Totus Tuus"  was an expression of his total consecration to the mother of God.   St. John Bosco who also had a great devotion to Mary under the title "Mary Help of Christians" said, "Invoke Mary and you will see what miracles are."  If Blessed John Paul II is effective against Satan, it's mainly because of his true devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

"Totus Tuus".   It is a Latin phrase which means "I am totally yours." This was Blessed John Paul II's motto addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Have you ever wondered why John Paul II had so much devotion to Mary? Source: Wikimedia Commons / cc In his book, Crossing The Threshold of Hope, John Paul II explained that his motto Totus Tuus  was not just an expression of piety and devotion, it was his total abandonment and personal consecration to the Mother of God. His deep devotion to Mary was manifested in many different ways; among these is his Coat of Arms which bears the letter M that stands for Mary. Even his coffin has a letter M on it.  He credited St. Louis Marie de Montfort for his Totus Tuus  when he read the saint's book "True Devotion to Mary." John Paul II came to know the book "True Devotion to Mary" when he worked as a factory worker at a chemical plant during World War II. He studied the book and oftent...

   Genesis 3:15 - "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head while you strike at his heel. The following are excerpts from the book "True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin" by St. Louis Marie de Montfort.  "God has established only one enmity - but it is an irreconcilable one - which will last and even go on increasing to the end of time. That enmity is between Mary, his worthy Mother, and the devil, between the children and the servants of the Blessed Virgin and the children and followers of Lucifer.   Thus the most fearful enemy that God has set up against the devil is Mary, his holy Mother.  From the time of the earthly paradise, although she existed then only in his mind, he gave her such a hatred for his accursed enemy, such ingenuity in exposing the wickedness of the ancient serpent and such power to defeat, overthrow and crush this proud rebel, that Satan fears her not only more tha...

Today, May 1, 2011 is a very significant day for Catholics around the world for two very important reasons: 1st - Today is the second Sunday of Easter which is the feast of The Divine Mercy. 2nd - Today is the day of Pope John Paul II's beatification. A Short Background In the 1930's, a Polish nun named Sister Faustina Kowalska received revelations from our Lord Jesus Christ - who appeared to her on February 22, 1931 - about God's mercy.  She wrote all of these revelations in a diary.  But in 1959, the spreading of The Divine Mercy message was banned by the church, and Sister Faustina's diary was placed on the  Index of Forbidden Books  which is a list of publications prohibited by the Catholic Church . The prohibition of Sister Faustina's writing was due to the faulty and confusing translations of her diary that were submitted to the Holy See. In 1965, Pope John Paul II who was then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla intervened.  A new investigation ...

We are now in the season of Lent, and fasting is one of the very important elements of its observance.  But what is the true essence of fasting?  The saints knew very well the real meaning of fasting, saints such as St. Maximus of Turin and St. Francis de Sales just to name a few.  Let's learn from what these saints taught about fasting. Excerpts from St. Maximus of Turin's Sermo. 35 on Fasting. 1.  By fasting we control the passions of the body; by prayer we nourish the soul. 2.  There is a useless and empty fast that empties the stomach and the intestines but does not empty the mind of worldliness and the heart of wickedness. 3.  What's the use of abstaining from food while the soul is indulging in sin.  The body is weakened by fasting while the soul grows stronger in wickedness. The body refrains from strong wine while the thoughts wallow in the wine of avarice.  Such fasting weakens the body but does not save the soul. 4.  True fasting ...

Name:  Joseph Aloysius Ratzinger Birthday:  April 16, 1927 Birthplace:  Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, Germany Father:  Joseph Ratzinger, Sr. Mother:  Maria Peintner Siblings:  Older brother Georg and                older sister Maria who died in 1991 Priestly ordination:  June 29, 1951 cc photo by Sergey Gabdurakhmanov on flickr - He obtained his doctorate in Theology with a thesis entitled "People and House of God in St. Augustine's Doctrine of the Church" in 1953. - Appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising in March of 1977 by Pope Paul VI. - Received episcopal ordination on May 28, 1977. - Made Cardinal by Pope Paul VI on June 27, 1977. - Appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and President of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and of the International Theological Commission on November 25, 1981 by Pope John Paul II. - Elected Vice-Dean of t...