Feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas

Today is a special day here at the University of Saint Thomas. We're celebrating the feast of our patron saint, Thomas Aquinas.

For information him, go to EWTN's biography page filled with an article and other media resources on this spiritual giant of our Faith.



SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS









Prayer of Saint Thomas Aquinas

THANKSGIVING AFTER MASS


Lord, Father all-powerful and ever-living God, I thank You, for
even though I am a sinner, your unprofitable servant, not
because of my worth but in the kindness of your mercy,
You have fed me with the Precious Body & Blood of Your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
I pray that this Holy Communion may not bring me
condemnation and punishment but forgiveness and salvation.
May it be a helmet of faith and a shield of good will.
May it purify me from evil ways and put an end to my evil passions.
May it bring me charity and patience, humility and obedience,
and growth in the power to do good.
May it be my strong defense against all my enemies, visible and invisible, and the perfect calming of all my evil impulses,
bodily and spiritual.
May it unite me more closely to you, the One true God, and lead me
safely through death to everlasting happiness with You.
And I pray that You will lead me, a sinner, to the banquet where you,
with Your Son and holy Spirit, are true and perfect light, total fulfillment, everlasting joy, gladness without end, and perfect
happiness to your saints. grant this through Christ our Lord,
AMEN.

Source: http://www.ewtn.com/

The Sure Foundation

I began to look though YouTube for a video or photo montage to post today. I had trouble finding a good one. There is one thing I had to trouble realizing: Satan is rampant throughout the media. He is using all the technology and influence on people to lead us away from Jesus Christ and His Church.

People who have no foundations in the Church and who are extremists and sensationalists take whatever they can and twist it. Another video makes the Church in Pope into thieving money mongers. According to one video, Pope Benedict XVI is the last in a line of 111 pontiffs before Rome, the Vatican, and perhaps the world, are destroyed. Another points to Francis Cardinal Arinze's election as the next pontiff and the world ending very violently by 2013.

Cardinal Arinze had something different to say. Praise God I found a video that explains truth. Let us rest in the Church built on a Rock. Let us rest on the sure foundation of faith and devotion to the Eucharist.

The Conversion of Saint Paul

On the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, let us rededicate ourselves for the second half of the Pauline Year declared by Pope Benedict XVI.

The Papal Basilica: Saint Paul Outside-The-Walls

Prayer for the Year of Saint Paul

Glorious Saint Paul,
Most zealous apostle,
Martyr for the love of Christ,
Give us a deep faith,
A steadfast hope,
A burning love for our Lord,
So that we can proclaim with you,
“It is no longer I who live,
But Christ who lives in me.”

Help us to become apostles,
Serving the Church with a pure heart,
Witnesses to her truth and beauty
Amidst the darkness of our days.
With you we praise God our Father:
“To him be the glory, in the Church
And in Christ,
Now and forever.”

Amen.

Source: http://www.ewtn.com/

IN MEMORIAM

IN MEMORY OF THE OVER FIFTY MILLION CHILDREN WHO HAVE DIED SINCE JANUARY 22, 1973.

ETERNAL REST, GRANT UNTO THEM, O LORD,

AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.
MAY THEIR SOULS AND THE SOULS OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED,

THROUGH THE MERCY OF GOD, REST IN PEACE. AMEN.

Let us pray for an end to the holocaust!

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Cause of Our Joy and Queen of Peace, PRAY FOR US!

A New President

As the Presidential Administrations transfer power, may we pray for President Barack Obama that he may serve our nation well over the next four years.

God our Father,
All earthly powers must serve you.
Help our president Barack Obama
To fulfill his responsibilities worthily and well.
By honouring and striving to
Please you at all times,
May he secure peace and freedom
For all people entrusted to him.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who lives and reigns with you
And the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.


Thank you, George W. Bush, for your eight years of service to our nation. We are forever grateful.

Dirty Little Secret

I was watching cable news the other day and came across a special report called “War on Women”. It immediately caught my eye and I stopped channel surfing. I was immediately plunged into an interview between three women discussing women’s issues. They were talking about how unfortunate it was that in the course of history, women have only recently gained the vote. There were statistics about domestic abuse. They made a case for society’s forgetfulness about women.

One dirty little secret was missing. There is one secret injuring millions of women and killing millions of children every year…thousands by the day. Where is the respect for LIFE in this country? Why don't we realize that abortion and disrespect for life negatively affect all of us not just the fetus?

We say we care for our women but we don’t. That is truly the war on women. We ignore post abortion trauma. We use "the pill" to cover up the symptoms of far too many medical problems instead of getting down to the root of the cause. And so I make a challenge. Women: Don’t stand for it. Demand to know the facts. Demand to be treated in a dignified manner. Demand your femininity as was ordained for you by God. You deserve to be treated as human beings and not as objects. Men: Stand up as woman’s protector. Show her the dignity you see in her. Make sure she knows you do not want any harm to come to her. If we don’t stand up and proclaim this dirty little secret, who will?

For over three and a half decades, a culture of death has loomed in the shadows. In the coming months legislation and the efforts of those who support the culture of death as a “choice” will try to advance these shadows. I call upon you to pray. Listen to the call of the Holy Spirit and help fight these evils as you are able. Several programs will begin at UST and nationwide to promote a culture of life and social justice. Please join in helping defend all life from conception until natural death.

"Dirty Little Secret", written by Kellen O'Grady, was originally published in the University of Saint Thomas's weekly Campus Ministry Bulletin, "The Good News".

One Last Chance

For the last time this year…

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

As we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, let us recall how much God loved us and how his example of humility is our call each day of our lives.

A Shameful Day for Illinois

On the morning of the ninth of January, the House of the General Assembly in Illinois impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich on several charges including the supposed "selling" of President-Elect Barack Obama's senate seat.

Governor Blagojevich spoke in a press conference the following afternoon and did not touch on anything of consequence. As I watched FOX News the anchor, Shepherd Smith, kept breaking in with his own commentary because the Governor kept making comments about his own accomplishments. He even paraded people up front that he has supposedly helped. Following his litany of good deeds, he finally claimed he had done nothing wrong, committed no crime. The best part was the poetry reading when he recited a Tennyson poem. He answered no questions from the press and quickly exited.

As an Illinois voter I am appalled. I have been expecting further corruption for most of his time in office as has been tradition in Illinois and Chicago for decades. The Republican party in Illinois has been on its deathbed for awhile now. When will the state turn itself around?

Abraham Lincoln is flipping in his tomb.

Persistence

Back at school, J-Term is unlike any other time during the school year. I only have one class to worry about for three hours four days a week. I'm working in Campus Ministry and finding time to just relax…read a book, watch a movie…or write.

I'm still trying to clear out all the clutter from my life. My problem usually consists of getting too busy and unfocused. Then the responsibilities pile up and I cannot focus on the most important time of my day, prayer. It is the center of everything! Why doesn't that idea stick with me? As Mother Theresa said, Everything starts with a prayer.

I visited the Missionaries of Charity in Minneapolis on Tuesday for the first time since last May. Sister Justus was very happy to see me. After working with the children in the after-school program, she invited me to stay for their Holy Hour of Adoration. It was one of the most beautiful experiences I have had in a long time. It was the simple idea of praying quietly before Our Lord's Sacred Presence. How beautiful!! Satiate His Thirst! His for me and mine for Him!

In the stillness of winter, as we prepare to settle into Ordinary Time, may we stay focused on the miracle of Christmas and strive to satiate His thirst. May we persist through our emotions and feelings and be able to hear Christ in the silence.

We are United in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!

Proclamation of the Date of Easter on Epiphany

20 + C + M + B + 09

Dear brothers and sisters, the glory of the Lord has shone upon us,
and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of his return.
through the rhythms of times and seasons
let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation.

Let us recall the year's culmination, the Easter Triduum of the Lord:
his last supper, his crucifixion, his burial, and his rising, celebrated
between the evening of the 9th of April
and the evening of the 12th of April.

Each Easter - as on each Sunday -
the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed
by which Christ has for ever conquered sin and death.

From Easter are reckoned all the days which we keep holy.
Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, will occur on the 25th of February.
The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on the 21st [or 24th] of May.
Pentecost, the joyful conclusion of the season of Easter, will be celebrated on the 31st of May.
And this year the First Sunday of Advent will be on the 29th of November.

Likewise the pilgrim Church proclaims the passover of Christ
in the feasts of the holy Mother of God, in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints,
and in the commemoration of the faithful departed.

To Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come, Lord of time and history,
be endless praise, for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Proclamation of the Date of Easter on Epiphany dates from a time when calendars were not readily available. It was necessary to make known the date of Easter in advance, since many celebrations of the liturgical year depend on its date. The number of Sundays that follow Epiphany, the date of Ash Wednesday, and the number of Sundays that follow Pentecost are all computed in relation to Easter.

Although the calendars now give the date of Easter and the other feasts in the liturgical year many years in advance, the Epiphany proclamation still has value. It is a reminder of the centrality of the resurrection of the Lord in the liturgical year and the importance of the great mysteries of faith which are celebrated each year.

Source: MAGNIFICAT; January 2009 - Vol. 10, No. 12

Ring in 2009!

The digits have once again clicked over! A new year is upon us. 2008 was fraught with many challenges as well as joys. 2009 will have the same. A new administration will begin in our country. The 2012 campaign will begin. (Just kidding?) The Pauline Year continues through June.

Let each of us have the ability to follow God's will in the coming year. May He bless it with prosperity and happiness. As we read in our first reading at Mass today for the Holy Day for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God:

The Lord bless you and keep you!
The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!

A very Happy New Year to you and your family.

We are United in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!