Holy Viaticum...

While some are preparing for their First Holy Communion...

others are preparing for their last...

Call a priest!

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) ...

1526 "Is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 5:14-15).

1527 The sacrament of Anointing of the Sick has as its purpose the conferral of a special grace on the Christian experiencing the difficulties inherent in the condition of grave illness or old age.

1528 The proper time for receiving this holy anointing has certainly arrived when the believer begins to be in danger of death because of illness or old age.

1529 Each time a Christian falls seriously ill, he may receive the Anointing of the Sick, and also when, after he has received it, the illness worsens.

1530 Only priests (presbyters and bishops) can give the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, using oil blessed by the bishop, or if necessary by the celebrating presbyter himself.

1531 The celebration of the Anointing of the Sick consists essentially in the anointing of the forehead and hands of the sick person (in the Roman Rite) or of other parts of the body (in the Eastern rite), the anointing being accompanied by the liturgical prayer of the celebrant asking for the special grace of this sacrament.

1532 The special grace of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick has as its effects:
- the uniting of the sick person to the passion of Christ, for his own good and that of the whole Church;
- the strengthening, peace, and courage to endure in a Christian manner the sufferings of illness or old age;
- the forgiveness of sins, if the sick person was not able to obtain it through the sacrament of Penance;
- the restoration of health, if it is conducive to the salvation of his soul;
- the preparation for passing over to eternal life.

Be prepared for those special times... 

Consider a Crucifix Sick Call Set which hangs 

on the wall ... readily available for this sacred use ... 

Sick Call Crucifixes, Sick Call Crucifix Sets - The Inspiring Catholic Store

Lay them down... without a word...

"Spend as much time as possible

in front of the Blessed Sacrament and He will 

fill you with His strength and His power. " 

St Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"Lay the tired brain,

the strained muscles,

the aching head –

lay them all down at His feet

without a word,

just for His eye to rest on

and His Heart to help and heal."

Mother Mary Loyola

from Coram Sanctissimo

Firm foundation...

Do this in memory of Me.

He sent them  ... so that as sharers in His power they might

make all peoples His disciples, sanctifying and governing them

“No Christian community

can be built up unless it has

its basis and center in the

celebration of the

most Holy Eucharist.”

Decree on the Ministry and Life of the Priests, 6

Vatican II Document

St Philip and St James

Apostles, Martyrs

Feast Day - May 3

Sts Philip and James, pray for us!

You are strangers and aliens no longer. 

No, you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God.

You form a building which rises on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,

with Christ Jesus Himself as the capstone. Through Him the whole structure 
is fitted together and takes shape as a holy temple in the Lord; in Him you are being built

into this temple, to become a dwelling place for God in the Spirit. - Ephesians 2:19-22

After the great and wondrous prayers...

No one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, 
Jesus Christ, alleluia. – I Cor 3:11 (Today’s Communion Antiphon)

"You shall see the Levites bringing loaves 
and a cup of wine, and placing them on the table. 
So long as the prayers of supplication and entreaties 
have not been made, there is only bread and wine. 
But after the great and wonderful prayers have been completed, then the bread is become the Body, 
and the wine the Blood, of our Lord Jesus Christ.

'And again:'  Let us approach the celebration of the mysteries. This bread and this wine, so long as the prayers and supplications have not taken place, remain simply what they are. But after the great prayers and holy supplications have been sent forth, the Word comes down into the bread and wine - and thus His Body is confected." 

-"Sermon to the Newly Baptized" ante 373 A.D.

St Athanasius

Alexandria ~ c. 297-373

Bishop and Doctor of the Church

 "The Father of Orthodoxy"

Battled against Arianism*  

(*heresy that denies divinity of Christ)

FEAST DAY - May 2

“You will not see anyone who is really striving after 
his advancement who is not given to spiritual reading.  
And as to him who neglects it, the fact will soon 
be observed by his progress."  - St Athanasius

Click here: Athanasius Contra Mundum: The Courage to Act Alone - Crisis Magazine 

St. Athanasius - YouTube 

Click here: SAINTS SPEAK: St. Athanasius (Holy Repentance) - YouTube (4 mins)

St Athanasius, pray for us!

Picture above: Girl Reading by Candlelight ~ Maedchen

Orthodoxy, a classic by G. K. Chesterton, builds on the many themes of the Father and Doctor of Orthodoxy, St Athanasius. Go here to obtain a free ebook. (There are other excellent free, full version online books here, too.) Hat tip: Catholic Fire

Feast Day: St Joseph the Worker...

We are called to bear fruit with our hands and mind,

ultimately for the building up of the Body of Christ.
Therefore, whatever you do, work at it with your whole being.
Do it for the Lord rather than for men. ~ Colossians 3:23

Feast Day

ST. JOSEPH the WORKER

May 1

On May 1, 1955, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St Joseph the Worker -

a day dedicated to the dignity of labor and to honoring workers.   

   

“St. Joseph, who by

the sweat of your brow obtained

the living Bread for your children,

pray for us.”

St. Peter Julian Eymard

 

"What is said about Joseph can be summarized like this:  accept the mission from God, let yourself be led by God, embrace the hardship and danger in order to save the Savior.  Joseph saves Mary's reputation, the lineage of Jesus, the integrity of the Child, his rootedness in the land of Israel... Joseph is also saved from an isolated life, from a life that would have been perhaps less turbulent, but that would have lacked the consolation of carrying God in his arms." - Pope Francis (as Jorge Mario Bergoglio)

"Take courage, all you people of the land, says the Lord, and work!
For I am with you, says the Lord of hosts." - Haggai 2:4

The Office of Readings contains an excerpt from the Vatican II document on the modern world: "Where men and women, in the course of gaining a livelihood for themselves and their families, offer appropriate service to society, they can be confident that their personal efforts promote the work of the Creator, confer benefits on their fellowmen, and help to realize God's plan in history" (no. 34).
 

 Prayer to St. Joseph for Employment

Dear Saint Joseph, you were yourself once faced with the responsibility of providing the necessities of life for Jesus and Mary. Look down with fatherly compassion upon me in my anxiety over my present inability to support my family. Please help me to find gainful employment very soon, so that this heavy burden of concern will be lifted from my heart and that I am soon able to provide for those whom God has entrusted to my care. Help us to guard against bitterness and discouragement, so that we may emerge from this trial spiritually enriched and with even greater blessings from God. Amen.

St Joseph the Worker, pray for us!