Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Feast of the Annunciation

From A Year With Blessed James Alberione,

Compiled by J. Maurus

The most beautiful day

While reciting the Angelus, three times a day we remember Mary who received the annunciation of the incarnation and gave it her consent. It was the most beautiful day for humanity; it has to be so for us.

The beginning of the saving grace for humanity is precisely here, at Nazareth, a humble cottage where lives a young girl, who till then was concerned with only her personal sanctification. From the moment "the word became flesh," she is introduced into a much greater sanctification, into a very special mission. Her life from then on is intimately connected with God, bound up with the mission of God the Son incarnated in her.

The archangel Gabriel tells her what is her mission, that she need not be afraid, but that she has been chosen to be the mother of the Son of God. He gives her this annunciation and from this springs the great dignity of Mary.

All Mary's other privileges result from this privilege, her divine maternity: to be the mother of God.

From Saint and Thought For Every Day, by Blessed James Alberione

Annunciation

Today the Church celebrates the greatest event in the history of mankind: the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. This feast is celebrated on March 25th to correspond to December 25th, nine months later - the birthday of the Word made flesh.

Let us thank the Blessed Virgin for her fiat: "Let it be done to me as you say" (Lk 1:38), for at that moment began our salvation. Let us also imitate her in her humble and generous service of God.

The Day of the Annunciation

Let us have profound gratitude for the happiest day for humanity: reparation was about to be made for sin and heaven reopened to mankind. The Incarnation of the Word was fulfilled. God came to live among us; Mary was exalted as the true Mother of God.

The recitaiton of the Angelus, besides reminding us of the great mystery of the Annunciation, should also remind us that there is a paradise awaiting us. We must live in a way that we may reach it; take the road leading to a happy eternity, to eternal glory.

What Strikes Me Most Today

What strikes me most today is the beautiful Angelus video above, made by the Daughters of St. Paul. It's 3 and a half minutes long. I won't write on and on, so you have time to watch it!

What strikes you most today?

Click on "COMMENTS" below to leave your thoughts.

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"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Pauline Prayer Book for our Haitian Brothers and Sisters

Be Not Afraid

Be Not Afraid
"Fear not, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Atone for sin."

Daughters of St. Paul

Daughters of St. Paul
Evangelizing the World!

New faith and family friendly video sharing

New faith and family friendly video sharing
Great Pauline Video Sharing Site

Why?

Why a blog? Why St. Paul? Why do I think I have any business doing this?
We are all on a spiritual journey. We all want that journey to lead us to heaven, to eternity with God. For this journey, we need one another.
The journey so far has led me to read and learn about so many forms of authentic Catholic spirituality - Ignatian, Benedictine, Carmelite, Dominican, Franciscan, etc. My biggest problem was that I came to love each one tremendously. I began reading more and more, spending more and more time at the Daughters of St. Paul bookstore on Watson Road here in St. Louis. Who would have thought my greatest conversion story would take place in a bookstore? Mine was not quite as sudden or dramatic as St. Paul on the road to Damascus, but getting to know the Daughters of St. Paul affected me no less significantly.
The sisters are Eucharistic by nature. The first time I entered the chapel in their bookstore, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed and one of the sisters was on her knees, gazing at Christ, with an indescribably beautiful smile on her face. I had a glimpse of heaven. I knelt at one of the other kneelers and noticed on the wall behind the monstrance the words: "Fear not, I am with you. From here I want to enlighten. Atone for sin." I had that brief moment of absolute certainty that I was on the right path.
Over the last several years I have worked my way through as many books, CD's, DVD's and conversations with the Daughters of St. Paul that time has allowed. Time is at such a premium for all of us. Years ago we were told that with advances in technology we would have much more free time on our hands. We all know this has not been the case. Our lives are busier and more hectic than ever. Even if we are unable to find time to read good books, see enlightening movies or attend lectures and discussions, maybe we could all spend a little time on the internet supporting one another on our faith journeys. Many of you know more about many aspects of Catholic spirituality than I do.
Pope John Paul the Great called us all to a New Evangelization, to share the Gospel with the world. I am hoping we can all be St. Paul in this blog space by sharing Christ with one another and with others. St. Paul travelled to many foreign and often hostile regions to evangelize the world; we are fortunate to be able to use the internet to reach even farther and more quickly.
The idea of using today's means of social communication to spread the Gospel was given to Blessed James Alberione on the night between the centuries (December 31, 1900 - January 1, 1901). He was a 16 year-old seminary student adoring Christ in the Blessed Sacrament when a special light came to him from the Host. Following this, Blessed James Alberione became the founder of the Society of St. Paul priests, the Daughters of St. Paul, the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, Sisters of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Sisters of the Queen of Apostles, and numerous institutes that are also part of the Pauline family.
So what is Pauline spirituality? In my experience, Pauline spirituality encompasses all the teachings of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and love of all the other spiritualities and Saints of the Church. It is the members of the Pauline family who are the happiest people I know! It is loving God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit with all our hearts and souls, through the intercession of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, and St. Paul.
So why St. Paul? I can relate to St. Paul. We first meet him in the New Testament as a sinner. He has a thorn in his side that God decides is best not to take away. I sometimes wish I knew what that thorn was, but it's probably better I don't know. I like to pretend it is one of my many weaknesses or faults. If St. Paul could go from persecuting Christ and His Church to becoming the person responsible for spreading the Gospel and establishing the Church in foreign lands, the least I can do is start a blog. I have been especially inspired by my two favorite bloggers, Sr. Margaret Charles Kerry, fsp, and a Pauline Cooperator named Rae Stabosz. I believe Sr. Margaret and Rae are doing just what St. Paul and Blessed James Alberione would be doing with the internet.
In future blogs (which will be shorter than this first post!), I would like to share writings of St. Paul, Blessed James Alberione, and many others. I look forward to others sharing writings from other Catholic spiritualities and writers. An especially Pauline way of sharing is to point out to one another what aspects particularly speak to each of us.
Another Pauline trait is to pray for one another. My prayer is that we support one another on our path to holiness. Our goal is to glorify God in all that we do - so let's do it!