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Smoke in This Life and Not the Next
The drink burns a little, and the cigar leaves its rough edge on the tongue—small reminders that purification always costs something. Ember Friday exists to bring that truth to the surface. Every sin leaves a debt, and Infinite Justice settles every account. Some men owe ten‑thousand talents; others only a few farthings. But no one enters heaven carrying what God has already condemned.
The saints teach that the pains of Purgatory differ because the sins differ. That is not cruelty; it is precision. A man who refuses the small burn of repentance now will face the full furnace later. The same flame purifies the saved and torments the damned—the difference is destination, not temperature.
So let tonight’s smoke be a mercy. A small sting to remind you of the greater fire that waits for whatever in you still clings to pride, resentment, impurity, or unfinished obedience. Let this be the burn you choose, not the one you inherit.
Reflection Question:
What debt in my soul am I still hoping will somehow go unpaid.
Mount
Everest first climbed in 1959
The
chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it and were seeking a way to put
him to death, yet they FEARED him because the whole crowd was astonished
at his teaching.
This was after Jesus had
overturned the money changers tables. The priests were not afraid of the man
Jesus, for they did not know or care if He was the Messiah. They only respected
money, power, or the ability to sway or manipulate the crowd.
In this chapter of Mark’s
gospel, he also included the story of the fig tree. The fig tree was cursed by
Jesus before He entered the temple because it although was healthy and looked
as if it held much fruit, was barren. After the incident in the temple the same
tree had withered and died because it did not produce. It did not live up to
its created purpose.
Mark records it thus,
“Early in the morning, as they were walking along, they saw the fig tree
withered to its roots. Peter remembered and said to him,
“Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” Jesus
said to them in reply, “Have faith in God. Amen, I say to
you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and
does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen; it
shall be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, all that you
ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours. When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a
grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your
transgressions.”
A man then who believes,
without fear, and has total faith can move mountains; go therefore with all
faith and produce the fruit for which you were created.
Copilot
Mark 11 exposes the
anatomy of corrupt fear. The chief priests and scribes do not tremble before
the holiness of Christ; they tremble before the loss of their influence. As the
Catechism teaches, sin darkens the intellect and bends the will toward self‑preservation
(CCC 1866). Their fear is not reverence but panic—panic that the truth Jesus
speaks is awakening the very people they have long manipulated. Evil always
fears the crowd when the crowd begins to see clearly.
The cleansing of the
temple intensifies this fear. Jesus overturns the tables, and with them the
illusion of religious respectability. The CCC teaches that sin “seeks darkness”
(CCC 1851), and here the light of Christ exposes the hidden economy of exploitation
operating under the guise of worship. The leaders fear Jesus because He reveals
what they are; they fear the crowds because the crowds might finally recognize
the corruption they have tolerated. Evil fears exposure more than judgment.
The fig tree becomes the
living parable of this moment. Healthy leaves, no fruit—an image of religious
leadership that performs piety but refuses obedience. The CCC warns that faith
without works is dead (CCC 1815), and that repentance must bear real fruit (CCC
1430). When the tree withers, it is not an act of cruelty but a declaration:
anything that refuses its created purpose will eventually collapse under its
own barrenness. Fruitlessness is not neutral; it is a form of silent rebellion.
When Peter marvels at the
withered tree, Jesus redirects him to the heart of discipleship: “Have faith in
God.” This is not sentiment but command. The CCC teaches that faith is both
trust and surrender (CCC 150). It is the power that frees a man from servile
fear—the fear of human threats, human opinions, and human institutions. A man
who believes without doubting can “move mountains” because he is no longer
controlled by the same fear that governs the wicked. Evil fears the crowds; the
disciple fears only God.
Jesus ends with
forgiveness, the final blow against evil’s logic. Forgiveness is not weakness
but divine strength, a participation in God’s own life (CCC 2842). It breaks
the cycle of retaliation and strips evil of its preferred weapons—division,
resentment, and revenge. A man who forgives is a man evil cannot manipulate. In
Mark 11, Jesus shows that confronting evil requires fruitfulness, courage, and
a heart freed from fear by faith.
In the end, this chapter
is a confrontation. It reveals that evil fears truth, fears exposure, fears
awakened crowds, and fears the man who stands before God with a clean heart.
And it calls every disciple to bear fruit, confront corruption, and walk in the
fearless faith that moves mountains.
Friday after
Pentecost-Ember Day[1]
EPISTLE.
Joel ii. 23-27.
THUS, saith the Lord God:
O children of Sion, rejoice, and be joyful, in the Lord your God: because He
hath given you a teacher of justice, and He will make the early and the latter
rain to come down for you as in the beginning. And the floors shall be filled
with wheat, and the presses shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will
restore to you the years which the locust, and the bruchus (beetle), and the
mildew, and the palmerworm have eaten: My great host which I sent upon you. And
you shall eat in plenty, and shall be filled: and you shall praise the name of
the Lord your God, Who hath done wonders with you, and My people shall not be
confounded forever. And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: and I
am the Lord your God, and there is none besides: and My people shall not be
confounded forever, saith the Lord Almighty.
GOSPEL.
Luke v. 17-26.
At that time: It came to
pass on a certain day, as Jesus sat teaching, that there were Pharisees and
doctors of the law sitting by, that were come out of every town of Galilee, and
Judea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was to heal them. And behold
men brought in a bed a man who had the palsy: and they sought means to bring
him in, and to lay him before Him. And when they could not find by what way
they might bring him in, because of the multitude, they went up upon the roof,
and let him down through the tiles with his bed, into the midst before Jesus.
Whose faith when He saw, He said: Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the
scribes and Pharisees began to think, saying: Who is this Who speaketh
blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?
And when Jesus knew their
thoughts, answering He said to them: What is it you think in your hearts? Which
is easier to say, thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say, Arise and walk?
But that you may know that
the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins (He saith to the sick of the
palsy): I say to thee, Arise, take up thy bed and go into thy house. And
immediately rising up before them, he took up the bed on which he lay; and he
went away to his own house, glorifying God. And all were astonished; and they
glorified God. And they were filled with fear, saying: We have seen wonderful
things to-day.
Ember Friday-Meditation on the Crucifixion[2]
Another Form of Prayers for
The Stations
(For
Private Use.)
PREPARATORY PRAYER.
RECEIVE, O holy Trinity, this my dutiful service, which I offer unto Thee
in union with the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Virgin, and
all the saints, to the glory of Thy divine majesty, in satisfaction for my
sins, in remembrance of our redemption, and to obtain for the departed rest,
for the living grace, and for all everlasting glory. To Thee be praise, and
honor, and glory, O blessed Trinity, forever and ever. Amen.
FIRST STATION.
CHRIST IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH. He willingly submitted to that unjust
judgment, that He might deliver thee from the sentence of everlasting
damnation.
·
The wicked have said, reasoning with themselves, but
not right: Let us lie in wait for the just, for He is contrary to our doing: He
boasteth that He hath the knowledge of God, and calleth God His Father. Let us
see if His words be true. If He be indeed the Son of God, He will deliver Him
out of our hands. Let us condemn Him to a most shameful death.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
God spared not His own Son. But delivered Him up for us all. He was
offered up, because He Himself desired it. And He opened not His mouth.
O Lord, hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
Prayer.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who out
of the bosom of the Father didst descend from heaven to earth, and didst shed
Thy most precious blood for the remission of our sins, we humbly beseech Thee
that in the day of judgment we may be found worthy to stand at Thy right hand,
and to hear Thee say unto us, “Come, ye blessed” Amen.
SECOND STATION.
THE CROSS IS LAID UPON CHRIST. “The wicked have wrought upon my back”
(Ps. cxxviii.). Hail, our King! Thou only hadst pity on our sins, and wast led,
in obedience to Thy Father, to be crucified, and as a gentle lamb to the
slaughter. To Thee be glory, hosanna; to Thee be triumph and victory; to Thee
the crown of highest praise and honor.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. And by His bruises we are
healed. The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. For the wickedness of
His people hath He struck Him.
O Lord hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
THIRD STATION.
CHRIST FALLS THE FIRST TIME UNDER THE CROSS. How great must be the weight
of our sins, under which He fell, Who bears all things by the word of His
power!
·
Our Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself unto death,
even the death of the cross; for which cause God also hath exalted Him, and
hath given Him a name which is above all names.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
Surely, He hath borne our infirmities. And carried our sorrows. He was
branded for our iniquities. He was bruised for our sins.
O Lord hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
FOURTH STATION.
CHRIST IS MET ON HIS WAY BY HIS BLESSED MOTHER AND ST. JOHN. Oh, how
sharp a sword of grief must have pierced the heart of His Mother and of His
loving disciple when they met Jesus thus! Dost thou, too, share with them their
sorrow and grief?
·
Oh, all ye that pass by, attend and see if there be
any sorrow like to my sorrow: therefore, do I weep, and my eyes run down with
water, because the Comforter, the relief of my soul, is far from me. My eyes
have failed for weeping, my bowels are troubled, my heart is turned within me,
for the desolation of my Son, because the enemy hath prevailed.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
Great as the sea is thy grief. Who shall heal thee? A sword of grief hath
pierced thine own soul. That out of many hearts’ thoughts may be revealed.
O Lord hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
FIFTH STATION.
THE CROSS IS LAID UPON SIMON OF CYRENE. This man was compelled to carry
the cross after Jesus. How great an honor to have carried it willingly! Art
thou ready to bear the cross of Christ?
·
It behooveth us to glory in the cross of Our Lord
Jesus Christ, in Whom is our salvation, who is our life and resurrection, and
through Whom we are saved and delivered.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Our Lord Jesus
Christ. By Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. O
faithful cross, thou peerless tree! No forest yields the like of thee, leaf,
flower, or bud.
O Lord hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
SIXTH STATION.
CHRIST IS MET BY VERONICA. How excellent a mirror did Veronica obtain in
the image of the face of Christ! Do thou ever contemplate thyself in that
mirror?
·
Behold, we have seen Him without beauty or
comeliness, despised and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows and
acquainted with infirmity, and His look was as it were hidden and despised;
whereupon we esteemed Him not. His appearance is without honor among the
living, and His beauty among the sons of men; yet He is beautiful above all the
children of men, by Whose bruises we are healed.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
O Lord God of hosts correct us. Show us Thy face, and we shall be saved.
Turn not away Thy face from us. Neither leave Thy servants in displeasure.
O Lord hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
SEVENTH STATION.
CHRIST FALLS DOWN AT THE GATE OF JUDGMENT. How wilt thou be able to stand
before Him in the day of judgment?
·
They delivered Me into the hands of the ungodly, and
thrust Me among the wicked, and did not spare My soul. The strong men gathered
themselves against Me. and stood over Me like giants, gazing upon Me with
fierce looks; and, beating Me with cruel stripes, they mocked Me.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
But I am a worm, and no man. The scorn of men and the outcast of the
people. All they that see Me laugh at Me. They spoke against Me with their
lips, and wagged their heads.
O Lord hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
EIGHTH STATION.
WOMEN LAMENT OVER CHRIST. Where are the tears with which thou dost bewail
thy sins rather than the loss of any earthly good?
·
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep
for yourselves and for your children. For, behold, the days shall come in which
they say, blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the
paps that have not given suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains,
fall upon us; and to the hills, Cover us. For if in the green wood they do
these things, what shall be done in the dry?
Our Father. Hail Mary.
The breath of our nostrils, Christ the Lord. Is taken in our sins. The
crown of our head hath fallen. Woe unto us, for we have sinned.
O Lord hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
NINTH STATION.
CHRIST FALLS FOR THE LAST TIME AT MOUNT CALVARY. Oh, how often is Christ
pressed down by the weight of our sins!
·
My people, what have I done to thee, or wherein have
I molested thee? Answer thou Me. I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt,
and thou hast prepared for Me a cross; I led thee through the wilderness forty
years, and fed thee with manna, and thou hast beaten Me with buffets and
scourges; I gave thee a royal sceptre, and thou hast given My head a crown of
thorns. What could I have done more for thee that I have not done?
Our Father. Hail Mary.
He is led like a sheep to the slaughter. And, as a lamb before His
shearers, He is dumb. He delivered His soul unto death. That He might give life
unto His people.
O Lord hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
TENTH STATION.
CHRIST IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS, AND IS GIVEN VINEGAR AND GALL TO
DRINK. Art thou unkind and inconsiderate to the poor? What thou dost to them
thou dost to Christ.
·
My people, what have I done to thee, or wherein have
I molested thee? Answer thou Me. I brought thee out from the house of bondage
to the promised land; and when I came to thee from the bosom of My Father, thou
didst lead Me to the death of the cross. I planted thee My choicest vine, and
thou wast made unto Me exceeding bitter; I gave thee to drink out of the rock
the water of salvation, and thou madest Me to drink vinegar and gall. What
could I have done more for thee that I have not done?
Our Father. Hail Mary.
My strength hath dried up like a potsherd. And my tongue hath cleaved to
My jaws. They gave Me gall to eat. And when I was thirsty, they gave Me vinegar
to drink.
O Lord hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
ELEVENTH STATION.
CHRIST IS FASTENED TO THE CROSS WITH DREADFUL NAILS. How strong are the
bands of love with which Jesus hath bound Himself unto thee! How dost thou bind
thyself in return unto Him?
·
My people, what have I done unto thee? I exalted
thee with great power, and thou didst hang Me on the gibbet of the cross; I
made thee higher than all nations, and thou hast loaded Me with reproaches and
curses; I opened before thee the Red Sea, and thou hast opened My side with a
spear. What could I have done more for thee that I have not done?
Our Father. Hail Mary.
What are these wounds in the middle of Thy hands? With them was I wounded
in the house of those that loved Me. They have pierced My hands and My feet.
And have numbered all My bones.
O Lord hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
TWELFTH STATION.
CHRIST DIES UPON THE CROSS. Consider what Jesus said and did when He was
dying. Oh, that thou too mayst die like Him!
·
Behold how the just man dieth, and no man layeth it
to heart; and the righteous are taken away, and no one considereth. The just
man is taken away from before the face of evil, and the memory of him shall be
in peace.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
Christ became obedient unto death for us. Even the death of the cross. We
adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast
redeemed the world.
O Lord hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
THIRTEENTH STATION.
THE BODY OF CHRIST IS TAKEN DOWN FROM THE CROSS, AND LAID UPON THE KNEES
OF HIS MOTHER. Consider the vehement anguish of Mary’s soul when she received
in her arms the dead body of her Son taken down from the cross, and laid Him on
her knees. Love caused her so great grief, and made her truly a martyr. What
love and sympathy dost thou feel for thy Savior?
·
To what shall I compare thee, or to whom shall I
liken thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I equal thee, O virgin
daughter of Sion? Great as the sea is thy desolation. O mother of mercy make me
to share with thee the death of Christ; make me a partaker of His passion.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
Through thee, O Virgin Mary, may we obtain salvation. From the wounds of
Christ. O holy Jesus, grant me to obtain, through Thy Mother, The crown of
victory.
FOURTEENTH STATION.
THE BODY OF JESUS IS BURIED. Consider, O my soul, how the body of Jesus
was wrapped in spices, and laid in a new tomb. With what honor dost thou
receive Jesus thy Redeemer daily, either sacramentally or spiritually? Art thou
always endeavoring to be, as it were, a new tomb for the reception of Jesus,
bright with the beautiful ornaments of virtue?
·
I am counted among them that go down to the pit; I
am become as a man without help, free among the dead. O good Jesus, I come here
with the women to Thy tomb, sorrowing and lamenting that hitherto I have shown
myself so unworthy: confirm and establish the kingdom of Thy grace in my heart.
Our Father. Hail Mary.
My flesh shall rest in hope. Thou wilt not give Thy holy one to see
corruption. Arise, O Lord, and help me. And deliver me from my sins.
O Lord hear my prayer. And
let my cry come unto Thee.
Prayer. O Lord Jesus Christ, etc.
COMMENDATION.
Look down, O Lord, we beseech Thee, upon this Thy family, for which Our
Lord Jesus Christ did not refuse to be delivered into the hands of wicked men,
and to endure the torment of the cross. Amen.
PRAYER ON THE HOLY WINDING-SHEET OF CHRIST’S BODY.
O Lord Jesus Christ, “Who didst leave the marks of
Thy passion on the holy winding-sheet in which Thy most sacred body was wrapped
by Joseph when taken down from the cross, mercifully grant that through Thy
death and burial we may be brought to the glory of the resurrection. Amen.
MEDITATIONS ON THE LITURGY FROM THE
EXTRAORDINARY FORM FOR EACH OF THE EMBER DAYS AFTER PENTECOST.
Written by Monsignor Martin B. Hellriegel, originally
published in the journal Orate Fratres Vol. XVIII, May 14, 1944, No. 7, pp.
299-305, later reprinted in Vine and Branches, Pio Decimo Press, 1948.
These meditations are attached to the 1962
Extraordinary Form liturgy. The current lectionary has different readings and
prayers not specific to the Ember Days.
Prayer: EMBER FRIDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Station "With the Twelve Apostles"
They found them clean vessels and one in love
(response).
We are resting upon the blessed Apostles, the
twelve pillars of the Church of God. May we never depart from them. The Church
prays today for that grace: "We who by the Holy Ghost have been gathered
within the (apostolic) fold, may we in no wise be disturbed by any attack of
the foe."
Yesterday's response to the first lesson is a
beautiful tribute to the apostolic protectors on this ember Friday. "The
fire of God," so reads the response, "came not to destroy, but to
enlighten; not to consume, but to shine, and found the hearts of the disciples’
clean vessels. And the Holy Ghost gave them the gifts of His grace. He found
them one in love, and the overflowing grace of the Godhead shone through them,
alleluia."
He found their hearts clean vessels full of
charity and love. No wonder the Holy Spirit replenished such hearts with the
gifts of His grace. Where purity is, there is the vision of God; where charity
and love are, there is God Himself. Purity and charity, these are the jewels
that adorn the twelve apostolic pillars upon whom we rest. Purity and charity,
these are the two channels through which flows freely the transforming life of
the Godhead.
"O children of Sion, rejoice and be joyful
in the Lord your God, because He hath given you a teacher of justice, and He
will make the early and the latter rain to come down to you, as in the
beginning" (epistle).
The holy apostles with whom we celebrate this day
are indeed our "teachers of justice." If we adhere to them, if we
absorb their purity and charity, the dew of the Holy Ghost will descend upon
us, as it did in the beginning--on the day when "He found their hearts
clean vessels and one in love."
In many ways we resemble the sick man in today's
gospel; the palsy of human affections and uncharitableness is responsible for
our lameness in the things of God. May these twelve strong apostolic men take
hold of us this morning and "let us down into the midst before Jesus"
that we may obtain from Him health of mind and heart and a new infusion of His
Spirit of purity and charity.
May the eucharistic fire of God make our hearts
clean vessels, and fill them with such a degree of love that the Holy Ghost
will also give to us His gifts and the overflowing grace of His Godhead.
Prayer Source: Orate Fratres/Worship: A Review Devoted to the
Liturgical Apostolate , The Liturgical Press
Which are the fruits of the Holy
Ghost? They are the twelve following:
1. Charity.
2. Joy.
3. Peace.
4. Patience.
5. Benignity.
6.
Goodness.
7.
Longsuffering.
8.
Mildness.
9.
Faith.
10.
Modesty.
11. Continency.
12. Chastity.
These fruits should be visible in the Christian, for
thereby men shall know that the Holy Ghost dwells in him, as the tree is known
by its fruit.
Notice I have placed the Fruits of the Holy Spirit in stairstep fashion so we may reflect on them seeing that by concentrating on each step of our growth in the spirit we may progress closer and closer to our heavenly Father. Today we will be focusing on the fifth step which is mildness.
Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to summit Mt. Everest on May 29, 1953.
Pier Giorgio Michelangelo Frassati patron of Mountaineering[3]
Climbing a summit is deeply spiritual. Christ climbed tabor, Moses Sinai and even St. Patrick had a favorite climb today call Patrick’s Croagh. We even have Saints that were mountaineers. Today we will look at Pier Giorgio.
Pier Giorgio Michelangelo Frassati was born in Turin, Italy on April 6, 1901. His mother, Adelaide Ametis, was a painter. His father Alfredo was the founder and director of the newspaper, “La Stampa," and was influential in Italian politics, holding positions as an Italian Senator and Ambassador to Germany.
At an
early age, Pier Giorgio joined the Marian Sodality and the Apostleship of
Prayer, and obtained permission to receive daily Communion (which was rare at
that time). He developed a deep spiritual life which he never hesitated to
share with his friends. The Holy Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin were the two
poles of his world of prayer. At the age of 17, he joined the St. Vincent de
Paul Society and dedicated much of his spare time to serving the sick and the
needy, caring for orphans, and assisting the demobilized servicemen returning
from World War I.
He decided to become a mining engineer, studying at the Royal Polytechnic
University of Turin, so he could “serve
Christ better among the miners," as he told a friend. Although he
considered his studies his first duty, they did not keep him from social and
political activism. In 1919, he joined the Catholic Student Foundation and the
organization known as Catholic Action. He became a very active member of the
People’s Party,
which promoted the Catholic Church’s
social teaching based on the principles of Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical letter, Rerum Novarum.
What little he did have, Pier Giorgio gave to help the poor, even using his bus fare for charity and then running home to be on time for meals. The poor and the suffering were his masters, and he was literally their servant, which he considered a privilege. His charity did not simply involve giving something to others, but giving completely of himself. This was fed by daily communion with Christ in the Holy Eucharist and by frequent nocturnal adoration, by meditation on St. Paul’s “Hymn of Charity” (I Corinthians 13), and by the writings of St. Catherine of Siena. He often sacrificed vacations at the Frassati summer home in Pollone (outside of Turin) because, as he said, “If everybody leaves Turin, who will take care of the poor?”
In 1921, he was a central figure in Ravenna, enthusiastically helping to organize the first convention of Pax Romana, an association which had as its purpose the unification of all Catholic students throughout the world for the purpose of working together for universal peace.
Mountain climbing was one of his favorite sports. Outings in the mountains, which he organized with his friends, also served as opportunities for his apostolic work. He never lost the chance to lead his friends to Mass, to the reading of Scripture, and to praying the rosary.
He often went to the theater, to the opera, and to museums. He loved art and music, and could quote whole passages of the poet Dante.
Fondness for the epistles of St. Paul sparked his zeal for fraternal charity, and the fiery sermons of the Renaissance preacher and reformer Girolamo Savonarola and the writings of St. Catherine impelled him in 1922 to join the Lay Dominicans (Third Order of St. Dominic). He chose the name Girolamo after his personal hero, Savonarola. “I am a fervent admirer of this friar, who died as a saint at the stake," he wrote to a friend. Like his father, he was strongly anti-Fascist and did nothing to hide his political views. He physically defended the faith at times involved in fights, first with anticlerical Communists and later with Fascists. Participating in a Church-organized demonstration in Rome on one occasion, he stood up to police violence and rallied the other young people by grabbing the group’s banner, which the royal guards had knocked out of another student’s hands. Pier Giorgio held it even higher, while using the banner’s pole to fend off the blows of the guards.
Just before receiving his university degree, Pier Giorgio contracted poliomyelitis, which doctors later speculated he caught from the sick whom he tended. Neglecting his own health because his grandmother was dying, after six days of terrible suffering Pier Giorgio died at the age of 24 on July 4, 1925. His last preoccupation was for the poor. On the eve of his death, with a paralyzed hand he scribbled a message to a friend, asking him to take the medicine needed for injections to be given to Converso, a poor sick man he had been visiting.
Pier Giorgio’s funeral was a triumph. The streets of the city were lined with a multitude of mourners who were unknown to his family -- the poor and the needy whom he had served so unselfishly for seven years. Many of these people, in turn, were surprised to learn that the saintly young man they knew had actually been the heir of the influential Frassati family. Pope John Paul II, after visiting his original tomb in the family plot in Pollone, said in 1989: “I wanted to pay homage to a young man who was able to witness to Christ with singular effectiveness in this century of ours. When I was a young man, I, too, felt the beneficial influence of his example and, as a student, I was impressed by the force of his testimony."
On May 20, 1990, in St. Peter’s Square which was filled with thousands of people, the Pope beatified Pier Giorgio Frassati, calling him the “Man of the Eight Beatitudes.”
His
mortal remains, found completely intact and incorrupt upon their exhumation on
March 31, 1981, were transferred from the family tomb in Pollone to the
cathedral in Turin. Many pilgrims, especially students and the young, come to
the tomb of Blessed Frassati to seek favors and the courage to follow his
example.
Apostolic Exhortation[4]
Veneremur Cernui – Down in Adoration Falling
of The Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix,
to Priests, Deacons, Religious and the Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix
on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist
My beloved Brothers and
Sisters in Christ,
Part II
II.
Faith perceives what our senses fail to grasp.
52.
Our Catholic faith passed on to us from the Apostles affirms that after the
words of consecration, what seems to our senses to remain just simple
unleavened bread and wine really become the Son of God and Savior of the world.
For this reason, Saint Thomas Aquinas through his beautiful Eucharistic
hymn “Adoro Te Devote” invites us to have a greater trust in
Jesus’ words about His Body and Blood, even if the reality may seem too good to
be true: “Sight, touch, taste fail with regard to Thee, but only by hearing
does one believe surely; I believe whatever God’s Son said: nothing is truer
than the word of Truth.” And in the hymn of “Tantum Ergo,” he
invites us to beg the Lord for this needed faith: “May faith supplement
what our senses fail to grasp.”
53.
Faith makes all the difference in how we experience God’s saving and
transforming grace in the Eucharist. Faith is the key we hold in our hands to
open the treasures of God’s love and grace entirely at our disposal for our
sanctification. Beg the Lord to strengthen your faith: “Make me always
believe in you more and more” (Hymn Adoro Te Devote).
54.
The Lord Jesus invites us to respond with faith like Peter, “To whom
shall we go, you have the words of everlasting life” and make a
commitment not just to believe His words that He is the Bread from heaven, but
to build our lives according to that belief. Jesus is asking us to make Him the
“source and summit” of all Christian life (Lumen Gentium, no. 11). He is
asking us to choose him who has chosen to dwell among us and has made the
promise and commitment to always be with us.
To
be continued…
Bible in a
year Day 328 Stephen
Is Martyred
Fr. Mike reflects on Stephen's
heroic martyrdom and points out how those around him refused to hear him and
hardened their hearts, something we too can do with the Word of God. In the
book of Romans, Fr. Mike also highlights the importance of offering our bodies
as a living sacrifice, responding to the call to love and to not be conformed
to this world, and remembering that Christians have been grafted onto the tree
of Israel. Today we read Acts 7, Romans 11-12, and Proverbs 27:13-14.
Around
the Corner
“Give
thanks to the LORD for he is good,
his
mercy endures forever!
(Psalm
107:1)
·
St. Hubert's feast was originally November 3,
but the 2004 Roman Martyrology transferred it to May 30, which was the
anniversary of the translation of his relics. Why not celebrate twice?
Have a toast of Jägermeister
in honor of St. Hubert.
o
Cough syrup not to your liking have a Mint Julep
·
Today is Pope
Pius VI’s Feast Day he is the author of the church instructions On
Human Life (Humanae
Vitae) we must live lives of compassion and hope.
·
Spirit: There is a drink called “Sex
with an Alligator”-People are sick.
·
Catholic Activity: Religion in the
Home for Preschool: May
·
Eat Fish on Fridays-NOT this dinner menu
o
Dinner
Menu[5] French of course
§
Bacon, Cheddar, and Onion Quiche
§ Hot
Niçoise Salad
§ Braised
Baby Artichokes with Tomato Coulis
§
Crème Brûlée
·
Foodie:
Alligator-tastes
like chicken, but one wonders what the alligator ate.
·
Bucket List trip: France of Course: Loire Valley
·
Mary’s Month-Do
a family Rosary
·
Get an indulgence
Daily
Devotions
·
Unite in the work of the Porters of St. Joseph by joining them
in fasting: The
Sick, afflicted, and infirmed.
·
Preschool Parent
Pedagogy: Lessons from Books
·
Litany of the Most Precious
Blood of Jesus
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary
