Category: Catholic

With the craziness going on, here is the Breastplate Prayer of Saint Patrick courtesy of Catholic Frequency from X.

I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.

I arise today Through the strength of Christ’s birth with His baptism, Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial, Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension, Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today Through the strength of the love of cherubim, In the obedience of angels, In the service of archangels, In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward in the prayers of patriarchs, in the predictions of prophets, in the preaching of apostles, in the faith of confessors, in the innocence of holy virgins, in the deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through The strength of heaven, The light of the sun, The radiance of the moon, The splendor of fire, The speed of lightning, The swiftness of wind, The depth of the sea, The stability of the earth, The firmness of rock.

I arise today, through God’s strength to pilot me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s shield to protect me, God’s host to save me From snares of devils, From temptation of vices, From everyone who shall wish me ill, afar and near.

I summon today All these powers between me and those evils, Against every cruel and merciless power that may oppose my body and soul, Against incantations of false prophets, Against black laws of pagandom, Against false laws of heretics, Against craft of idolatry, Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards, Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul.

Christ to shield me today Against poison, against burning, Against drowning, against wounding, So that there may come to me an abundance of reward,

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me….

Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise….

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, Through belief in the Threeness, Through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation. Amen

Shroud Of Turin Replica At HMB — A replica of the Shroud of Turin is on display at Holy Myrrh-Bearers Ukrainian Catholic Church through Saturday, March 29.

It’s worth seeing.

Check the link or see below for hours.

Physicians Who Work For Free, Cosmas and Damian — On Nov. 1, we celebrate the feast of two remarkable brothers who lived during the early years of the Christian Church.

Cosmas and Damian were born of wealthy parents in Asia Minor who gave their sons the best education in the Roman Empire. They were interested in medicine and became physicians at an early age. The two brothers also became Christians. Their unique combination of medicine and prayer attracted the attention fo many.

Through their commitment to Christ, they endeavored to become healers not only of the body but the soul. Their fame spread and they soon developed a reputation as being miracle-workers who could heal with an herb or prayer.

About the same time, the brothers made a most unique pledge which was not to take money for their services.

They healed thousands of from diseases of body and soul and never accepted a thing.

Their reputation spread even more rapidly as they became known as “unmercercenaries” or someone who does not expect payment for services.

We can all become unmercenaries in the same spirit as saints Cosmas and Damian. Each of us can give something of ourselves without expecting a favor in return. Perhaps we can give our time to someone. Perhaps we can give advice without being offended if it’s not followed. Or, perhaps, we can give the gift of forgiveness without receiving, or expecting, an apology.

Courtesy of Holy Myrrh Bearers Church in Swarthmore, Pa.

Arise And Walk Considered By Jerome And Hilary — It is easier said than done. Whether the sins of the paralytic were forgiven, only He who forgave them knew for sure.

“Arise and Walk” Both he who arose and those who saw him arise were able to vouch for this. Hence there is a bodily sign in order to demonstrate a spiritual sign, though its impact is to curb the imperfections of body and soul.

And we are given an understanding of sin and many bodily weaknesses to come. Perhaps too, sins are forgiven first, so that with the causes of infirmity removed health may be restored.

Saint Jerome

Further, more so it could be understood that He was in a body and that He could forgive sins and restore health to bodies, Jesus said, ” That you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins,” then He said to the paralytic “Arise. take up your pallet.”

He could have simply said “Arise” but since the reason for doing every work had to be explained, He added “Take up your pallet and go home.”

First, He granted remission of sins; next He showed His ability to restore health. Then with the taking up of the pallet, He made it clear that bodies would be free from infirmity and suffering; last with the paralytic’s return to his home, He showed that believers are being given back the way to paradise from which Adam, the parent of all who became profligate from the stain of sin, had proceeded.

Saint Hilary of Poiters

Saint Jerome was born in Dalmatia in what is now Croatia in about 340 A.D. and died in Bethlehem in 420. He is considered to be one of the Church Fathers.

Saint Hilary was born about 300 A.D. in Poiters in what is now France and died in 368. He was know for opposing heresy.

Courtesy of Holy Myrrh Bearers Church in Swarthmore, Pa.

Homily On Matthew 8 By Saint John Chrysostom — But nevertheless, though having such great faith, he still accounted himself to be unworthy. Christ, however, signifying that he was worthy to have Him enter his house, did much greater things, marveling at him and proclaiming him and giving more than he had asked.

For he came indeed seeking for his servant’s health of body, but went away, having received a kingdom.

Do you see how the saying had already been fulfilled? “Seek the kingdom of heaven, and all these things shall be added unto you.” For because he evinced great faith, and lowliness of mind, He both gave him heaven, and added unto him health.

And not by this alone did He honor him, but also by signifying upon whose casting out he is brought in. For now from this time forth He proceeds to make known to all, that salvation is by faith, not by works of the law.

And this is why not to Jews only, but to Gentiles also the gift so given shall be prooffered, and to the latter rather than to the former.

For “think not,” he says He, by any means, that so it has come to pass in regard of this man alone; nay so it shall be in regard of the whole world. And this He said, prophesying of the Gentiles, and suggesting to them good hopes. For in fact there were some following Him from Galilee of the Gentiles. And this He said, on the one hand, not letting the Gentiles despair, on the other hand putting down the proud spirits of the Jews.

But that His saying might not affront the hearers, nor afford them any handle; He neither brings forward prominently what He has to say of the Gentiles, but upon occasion taken from the centurion; nor does He use nakedly the term, Gentiles: Not saying many of the Gentiles but many from east and west:’ Matthew 8:11 which was the language of one pointing out the Gentiles, but did not so much affront the hearers because His meaning was under a shadow.

Neither in this way only does He soften the apparent novelty of His doctrine, but also by speaking of “Abraham’s bosom” instead of “the kingdom”.

Saint John Chrysotom

Courtesy of Holy Myrrh-Bearers Church of Swarthmore

Homily On Matthew 8 By Saint John Chrysostom

If They Entrust Themselves Completely — “Look at the birds of the air,” says Jesus. What a splendid example of our faith to follow! If God’s providence bestows an unfailing supply of food on the birds of the air who neither sow nor reap, we ought to realize that the reason for people’s supply running short is human greed. The fruits of the earth were given to feed all without distinction and nobody can claim any particular rights. Instead, we have lost the sense of the communion of goods, rushing to turn these goods into private property. The birds do not know famine because they do not claim anything specially for themselves and neither do they have any envy of others.

“Consider the lilies of the field: not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed like one of these. If God so clothes the grass which is alive today and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe one of you!”

Listen to these stupendous and uplifting words. With this parable of flowers and grass the Lord urges us to hope that God will also be merciful to us.

Nothing is more persuasive than a glance at unthinking creatures who have received such beautiful dress from providence. Surely we should be all the more ready to believe that human beings, if they entrust themselves completely to God and free themselves of all their worries will not lack anything.

Saint Ambrose of Milan

Saint Ambrose lived from about 340 to 397 A.D.

Courtesy of Holy Myrrh-Bearers Church of Swarthmore

The Apostles’ Call And Ours

But note both their faith and their obedience. For though they were in the midst of their work — and you know how time consuming a chore fishing is — when they heard His command they did not delay or procrastinate. They did not say “Let us return home, and talk things over with our family,” even as Elisha did when he followed Elijah. For Christ seeks this kind of obedience from us, such that we delay not even for a moment, though something absolutely most necessary should vehemently press in on us.

Saint John Chrysotom

The kingdom of heaven has no price tag on it. It is worth as much as you have for Zacchaeus it was wroth half of what he owned, because the other half that he had unjustly pocketed he promised to restore four-fold. For Peter and Andrew it was worth the nets and vessel they had left behind; for the widow it was worth two copper coins; for another it was a cup of cold water. So, as we said, the kingdom of heaven is worth as much as you have.

Saint Gregory the Great

Like Peter, Andrew, James and John we have been called to discipleship. As such, we are given the name of “Christian”. But are we conscious what the name stands for, what responsibility comes with it? It is more than just a title or a label. To be a disciple of Christ, to bear the name of Christian, compels us to take on the responsibility — regardless of the difficulty and cost — of living the Gospel every moment of our lives.

Courtesy of Holy Myrrh-Bearers Church of Swarthmore

The Apostles’ Call And Ours

Five From The Fathers

When you perceive that God is chastising you, fly not to his enemies . . . but to his friends, the martyrs, the saints and those who were pleasing to him, and who have great power . . .

Saint John Chrysotom

A Christian people celebrates together in religious solemnity the memorials of the martyrs, both to encourage their being imitated and so that it can share in their merits and be aided by their prayers.

Saint Augustine of Hippo

In this way is he (the true Christian) always pure for prayer. He also prays in the society of angels as being already of angelic ran, and he is never out of their holy keeping; and though he pray alone, he has the choir of the saints standing with him.

Saint Clement of Alexandria

In additon to the stuyd and true knowledge of the Scriptures are needed a good life and pure soul and virtue in Christ, so that the mind, journeying in this path, may be able to obtain and apprehend what it desires, in so far as human nature is able to learn about God the Word. For without a pure mind and a life modeled on the saints, no one can apprehend the words of the saints.

Saint Althanasius the Great

The divine Scripture likewise says that the souls of the just are in God’s hands and death cannot lay hold of them. For death is rather the sleep of the saints than their death. “For they travailed in this life and shall to the end,”and Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” What then, is more precious than to be in the hand of God. For God is Life and Light, and those who are in God’s hand are in life and light.

Saint John of Damascus

Courtesy of Holy Myrrh-Bearers Church of Swarthmore.

Five From The Fathers

Life In The Church Because In The Church There Is Spirit — My brothers and sisters, if you want the Holy Spirit to dwell in you, listen carefully. Our spirit, by means of which each individual lives, is called the soul.

And look at what the soul does in the body. It gives life to all the limbs. It sees with the eyes, hears with the ears, smells with the nose, speaks with the tongue, works with the hands, walks with the feet. It is present at one and the same time in all the limbs to make them live. It gives life to all the limbs and to each limb its function. It is not the eye that hears, not the ear that sees, not the eye or the ear that speaks. Yet they are nonetheless alive. The ear is alive, the tongue is alive. Their functions are different, the life is the same.

The Church of God is like that. By means of some believers she preforms miracles. By means of others, she teaches the truth; by means of some she keeps virginity, by means of others she respects marital fidelity.

The tasks are different, the life is the same.

What the soul is to the body of a human being, the Holy Spirit is to the Body of Christ, the Church.

The Holy Spirit does for the whole Church what the soul does for the body of the individual. Look then and see what you ought to fear and what you ought to avoid.

If the body suffers an amputation (for example of a finger or a hand or a foot) does the soul go with the limb that has been cut off? While it was in the body that limb was alive, yet when it is cut off it loses its life.

It is like that with Christians. They are alive only while they are in the Body. If they are cut off from the Body, the Holy Spirit is not longer with them.

St. Augustine of Hippo

Life In The Church Because In The Church There Is Spirit

Courtesy of Holy Myrrh-Bearers Church of Swarthmore.

Knowledge of the True God Nurtures Us To Eternal Life — Are we saying that knowledge is eternal life?

Are we saying that to know the one true and living God will suffice to give us complete security for the future without need of anything else?

Then how is “faith apart from works dead?”

When we speak of faith, we mean the true knowledge of God and nothing else, since knowledge comes by faith.

The prophet Isaiah tells us: “If you do not believe neither shall you understand.” But he is not talking about a knowledge that consists in barren speculations, which is entirely worthless. For one of the holy disciples said, “You believe that God is one, you do well. Even the demons believe and shudder.”

What then shall we say to this? How is it that Christ speaks the truth when He says that eternal life is the knowledge of God the Father, the one true God, and with Him of the Son? I think indeed we must answer that saying of the Savior is completely true. For this knowledge is life, laboring as it were in birth of the whole meaning of the mystery and granting to us participation in the mystery of the Eucharist, whereby we are joined to the living and life-giving Word.

And for this reason, I think, Paul says that the Gentiles are made fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of Christ, inasmuch as they partake in His Blessed Body and Blood. And our members may in this sense be conceived of as being members of Christ.

This knowledge, then, which also brings to us the Eucharist by the Spirit, is life.

For it dwells in our hearts, reshaping those who receive it into son-ship with Him and molding them into incorruption and piety toward God through life, according to the Gospel.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, then, knowing that the knowledge of the one true God brings to us and promotes our union with the blessings of which we have spoken, says that it is eternal life.

Saint Cyril of Alexandria

Courtesy of Holy Myrrh-Bearers Church of Swarthmore.