Renewed by the one Bread...

 Blessed are those who suffer persecution 

for the sake of justice;

the kingdom of heaven is theirs. - Matthew 5:10

 

Today’s Liturgy:  Prayer after Communion

Renewed by the one Bread 

as we commemorate the holy Martyrs,

we humbly beseech you, O Lord, 

that abiding as one in Your love, 

may merit by endurance an eternal prize.

Through Christ our Lord.

St Andrew Dũng-Lạc (priest) 

and Companions

117 Martyrs (btwn 1820-1862)* ~ Vietnam

Companions: 96 Vietnamese, 11 Spaniards, 10 French:

8 Bishops, 50 priests, 59 lay Catholics, incl a 9 y/o

Feast Day – November 24

 

"In the midst of these torments, which usually terrify others, 

I am, by the grace of God, full of joy and gladness, 

because I am not alone - Christ is with me.  

Our Master bears the whole weight of the cross, 

leaving me only the tiniest, last bit." 

 St Paul Le-Bao-Tinh, Martyr, 1843

 Click here: Den katolske kirke —

 St. Andrew Dung-Lac and his 116 companions

Saint Andrew Dũng-Lac and Companions, Martyrs - My Catholic Life!

St Andrew Dung-Lac and companions, 
pray for us!

"¡Viva Cristo Rey!"...

  "They will live with Christ in heaven, 

who lived on earth according to the words 

and ways of Christ." - St Nicetas of Remesiana

"I believe, O Lord, but strengthen my faith…

Heart of Jesus, I love Thee; but increase my love. 

Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee;

but give greater vigor to my confidence. 

Heart of Jesus, I give my heart to Thee; but enclose it

in Thee that it may never be separated from Thee.

Heart of Jesus, I am all Thine; but take care of

my promise so that I may be able to put it in practice

even unto the complete sacrifice of my life."

Bl Miguel Agustin Pro

Jesuit priest, Martyr

Mexico ~ 1891-1927

Feast Day – November 23

Image above: Triumph of Christianity ~ Gustave Dore

 

"We ought to speak, shout out against injustices,

with confidence and without fear. 

We proclaim the principles of the Church, the reign of love,

without forgetting that it is also a reign of justice." 

 Bl Miguel Pro

Click here: Fr Miguel Agustin Pro, martyr - YouTube
Click here: Padre Pro, A Modern Martyr | Catholicism.org

Bl Miguel Pro, pray for us!

MORE on Bl Miguel Pro...

In the 1920s the churches in Mexico were closed and priests went into hiding. Fr Pro spent the rest of his life in a secret ministry to the sturdy Mexican Catholics. In addition to fulfilling their spiritual needs, he also carried out the works of mercy by assisting the poor in Mexico City with their temporal needs. He adopted many interesting disguises in carrying out his secret ministry. He would come in the middle of the night dressed as a beggar to baptize infants, bless marriages and celebrate Mass. He would appear in jail dressed as a police officer to bring Holy Viaticum to condemned Catholics. When going to fashionable neighborhoods to procure for the poor, he would show up at the doorstep dressed as a fashionable businessman with a fresh flower on his lapel. His many exploits could rival those of the most daring spies. In all that he did, however, Fr. Pro remained obedient to his superiors and was filled with the joy of serving Christ, his King.

Falsely accused in the bombing attempt on a former Mexican president, Miguel became a wanted man. Betrayed to the police, he was sentenced to death without the benefit of any legal process.

At the time of the killing, Mexico was under the rule of the fiercely anti-clerical and anti-Catholic President Plutarco Elías Calles who had begun what writer Graham Greene called the "fiercest persecution of religion anywhere since the reign of Elizabeth."

On the day of his execution, as Fr. Pro walked from his cell to the courtyard and the firing squad, he blessed the soldiers, knelt and briefly prayed quietly. Declining a blindfold, he faced his executioners with a crucifix in one hand and a rosary in the other and held his arms out in imitation of the crucified Christ and shouted out, "May God have mercy on you! May God bless you! Lord, Thou knowest that I am innocent! With all my heart I forgive my enemies!" Before the firing squad were ordered to shoot, Pro raised his arms in imitation of Christ and shouted the defiant cry of the Cristeros, "Viva Cristo Rey!" -"Long live Christ the King!" When the initial shots of the firing squad failed to kill him, a soldier shot him point blank.

Calles had the execution meticulously photographed, and the newspapers throughout the country carried them on the front page the following day. Presumably, Calles thought that the sight of the pictures would frighten the Cristero rebels who were fighting against his troops, particularly in the state of Jalisco. However, they had the opposite effect. The Cristeros became more animated and fought with renewed enthusiasm, many of them carrying the newspaper photo of Pro before the firing squad.

Miguel Pro's last request prior to execution was to be allowed to kneel and pray.

Pro himself refused a blindfold.  A Crucifix in the right hand, a rosary in the other.

 

He blessed and forgave the firing squad.

November 24, 1927, at the front of the Jesuit church of the Holy Family, a multitude accompanied the remains of Father Pro.  Father Mendez Medina cried out, "Make way for the martyrs of Christ the King!" Although Calles had forbidden any public demonstration, the people acted in open defiance. Never had the city seen such an enormous turnout for a funeral. As the martyrs' caskets left the house, a great and unanimous cry soared from the hearts and mouths of thousands:.. "¡Viva Cristo Rey!" Thousands thronged the streets and balconies, throwing flowers, praying the rosary and singing. It was a triumph - a glorious witness to the heroism of martyrs for Christ the King.

Voices: singing out, ringing out...

   Therefore, we, too, extol you with all the Angels,

as in joyful celebration we acclaim:  Holy, holy, holy....

 Choir of Angels ~ Hans Memling (c. 1433-1494, Netherlands)

“Liturgical action is given a more noble form 

when sacred rites are solemnized in song, 

with the assistance of sacred ministers 

and the active participation of the people.... 

Choirs must be diligently promoted, 

but bishops and other pastors must ensure that, 

whenever the sacred action is to be celebrated with song, 

the whole body of the faithful may be able to contribute 

that active participation which is rightfully theirs.... 

Gregorian chant, other things being equal, 

should be given pride of place in liturgical services. 

But other kinds of sacred music, 

especially polyphony, are by no means excluded.... 

Religious singing by the people 

is to be skillfully fostered, 

so that in devotions and sacred exercises, 

as also during liturgical services, 

the voices of the faithful may ring out”

(Constitution on the Liturgy, 112-118).

St Cecilia

Martyr ~ Rome

Approx  90-117 AD

Patron of Musicians, Sacred Music

Incorruptible

Feast Day – Nov 22

"Words cannot express the things
that are sung by the heart ... 

And if so happy that words
can no longer express what they feel, 

people discard the restricting syllables. 

They burst out into a simple sound 

of joy, of jubilation."

Well said, St Augustine!

A Village Choir ~ Thomas George Webster (1847)

  Sing praises to the LORD, O you His saints,

and give thanks to His holy Name.  - Psalm 30:4
______________________

Click here: St. Cecilia - YouTube (2 mins)

Audio Book:  The life and martyrdom of St Cecilia

https://youtu.be/x2rymmaAvV8

St Cecilia, pray for us! 

"Behold the heavenly tabernacle!"...

 The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Feast Day - November 21*

*The Feast celebrates Mary as a temple, where God 

dwelt in a special way through her role as Mother of Jesus.

_________________________

"Go then, go, O Queen of the world, O Mother of God, 

go joyfully to the house of God and there await 

the coming of the divine Spirit who will make you 

the Mother of the divine Word." - St Germanus (+ 730)

 

From the Byzantine liturgy:

 "The most pure temple of the Savior, His most precious bridal chamber, the Virgin, sacred treasury of God's glory, enters today into the house of the Lord, bringing with her the grace of the divine Spirit.  Wherefore the angels of God are singing: "Behold the heavenly tabernacle!" ... Wherefore let us cry out to her with all our strength: "Joy to you, fulfillment of the Creator's plan!" At the moment when the young girl Mary was presented in the glorious Temple, "everything that humans build was already diminished by the praise in her heart." (Rilke)

 

"God Himself, with the whole heavenly court, 
was greatly pleased and glorified the day when He beheld His spouse 

being led to the Temple.  Never had He seen a holier creature, 
nor one whom He loved so tenderly, come to offer herself to Him."
- Bernardine de Bustis (+1515)

"Hail, Holy throne of God, divine sanctuary, house of glory, jewel most fair, chosen treasure house, and mercy seat for the whole world, heaven showing forth the glory of God.  Purest Virgin, worthy of all praise, sanctuary dedicated to God and raised above all human condition, virgin soil, unplowed field, flourishing vine, fountain pouring out waters, virgin bearing a child, mother without knowing man, hidden treasure of innocence, ornament of sanctity, by your most acceptable prayers, strong with the authority of mother hood, to our Lord and God, Creator of all, your Son who was born of you without a father, steer the ship of the Church and bring it to a quiet harbor." - St Germanus, homily on the Presentation of Mary 

 

"Hers was the happiness of first bearing in her womb
 Him whom she would obey as her master." - St Augustine

_________________________

Click here: Presentation of Mary - YouTube (2 mins)

various works of art depicting Presentation of Mary + Hail Mary sung

Click here: The Presentation of Mary - YouTube (2 mins)
Click here: Catholic Fire: The Feast of the Presentation of Mary

Awesome is the altar...

 "Awesome is the altar on which the divine victim 

is immolated! From paradise there went forth a spring 

whose visible waters spread out on every side.  

From this Table, it is a spring of spiritual waters 

that gushes forth." - St John Chrysostom

...so everything will live where the river flows. - Ezekiel 47:9

 

"Everything

flows from the altar 

- everything!"

 

 Bishop Paul V Dudley

Ordained to Holy Priesthood: June 1951
Ordained as Bishop: January 1977
11-29-1926 ~ 11-20-2006

(17th Anniversary of entrance into eternal life)

 

"The Body of Christ (Eucharist) will 

unite the Body of Christ (Believers). "

Bishop Paul V Dudley

Requiescat in pace