Today's Minute Meditations is on God's ongoing presence in our lives. ✝️
Hello, John,
As I mentioned yesterday, we are going to work to support Francis’ mission to rebuild the Church. We will aim to provide faithful, inspiring, and challenging resources that call individuals, families, and communities to participate in the work of rebuilding and renewal. As we help people identify the “stones” that need to be stacked in their lives, we also want to be good ambassadors of the need and value of rebuilding. This is a way of saying that your feedback matters! Your companionship helps us to help others more impactfully. Let me simply invite you, now, to consider how else you might share in this great mission of rebuilding and renewal that we are undertaking. I look forward to accompanying you on the journey of faith, and I look forward to your companionship. | Deacon Matthew Halbach, PhD President & Publisher, Franciscan Media
| Saint of the Day for August 15: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1st. century) The Story of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith: “We pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.” The pope proclaimed this dogma only after a broad consultation of bishops, theologians and laity. There were few dissenting voices. What the pope solemnly declared was already a common belief in the Catholic Church. We find homilies on the Assumption going back to the sixth century. In following centuries, the Eastern Churches held steadily to the doctrine, but some authors in the West were hesitant. However by the 13th century there was universal agreement. The feast was celebrated under various names—Commemoration, Dormition, Passing, Assumption—from at least the fifth or sixth century. Today it is celebrated as a solemnity. Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s assumption into heaven. Nevertheless, Revelation 12 speaks of a woman who is caught up in the battle between good and evil. Many see this woman as God’s people. Since Mary best embodies the people of both Old and New Testaments, her assumption can be seen as an exemplification of the woman’s victory. Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 15:20, Paul speaks of Christ’s resurrection as the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. Since Mary is closely associated with all the mysteries of Jesus’ life, it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit has led the Church to believe in Mary’s share in his glorification. So close was she to Jesus on earth, she must be with him body and soul in heaven.
| Discover these inspiring books about St. Clare! | Praise, Thanksgiving, Sorrow, and Suffering Always it is the same: You suddenly realize that God has been there all along—that yes, God is present in your life. And the words of praise and thanksgiving rise to your lips, perhaps after great sorrow or suffering or that darkness of mind which seems endless and terrible when it is upon you. And what is it that brings that realization of God’s all-loving presence? Isn’t it that something changes inside you that cannot be explained by anything you did or anyone else did to you or for you? Often something you have been hoping for or praying for just happens. Perhaps you wake up one morning and something is different. You accept what you couldn’t before, or you look in the mirror and laugh at yourself. And peace seeps through your whole being, and everything seems good again in spite of pain or sorrow or loss. —from the book Song of the Sparrow: Four Seasons of Prayer by Murray Bodo, OFM | Explore St. Anthony Messenger magazine! A magazine that shares the spirit of St. Francis with the world! | Our Universal Mother Reflect There is no facet of the human experience that Mary, our universal mother, cannot understand. In times of unrest—in the world or in our hearts—Our Lady is ready to help us. We need only turn to her. Pray Mother Mary, You understand not only the conflicts in our world but the conflicts in my mind. I search for peace because I know you and your son await me there. Guide me through this forest of deep sadness to a clearing where the light can reach me. That light, your son—is our reward. Amen. Act Share this prayer with someone who cannot find their way out of anguish. Oftentimes a prayerful word can be a source of light in a very dark world. Today’s Pause+Pray was written by Christopher Heffron. Learn more here! | This newsletter is not free to produce! Please consider making a donation to help us in our efforts to share God's love in the spirit of St. Francis. | |