Advent Reflections

I have always loved the season of Advent. I don't know why...maybe because O Come, O Come Emmanuel is one of my favorite hymns, maybe because it's such a solemn but beautiful time period in the Church. I have been feeling moved to study salvation history, and perhaps that is yet another reason I so very much love Advent. This year, I've decided to get an Advent wreath and start saying some daily Advent prayers.

Back when I was in grade school, we used to pray the 'O Antiphons,' the titles of Christ found in the Old Testament prophecies. The titles are: Wisdom, Adonai, Root of Jesse, Key of David, Dayspring, King of all Nations, Emmanuel. You'll notice that the hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel is based upon these titles. Here's a little more info I found about them from this article written by Fr. William Saunders.

The importance of “O Antiphons” is twofold: Each one highlights a title for the Messiah: O Sapientia (O Wisdom), O Adonai (O Lord), O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (O Key of David), O Oriens (O Rising Sun), O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations), and O Emmanuel. Also, each one refers to the prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah.

According to Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one - Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia - the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, “Tomorrow, I will come.” Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us, “Tomorrow, I will come.” So the “O Antiphons” not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion.

Well, I want to know the deep theological meaning of each one. That's my prayer for this Advent. In this way, I believe that I can know Christ more fully, and ask Him to fill my heart in a new way. And isn't that what this season and well, our lives all about? I love how Advent reminds of us of that in a simple and beautiful, joyful and solemn way.

If you are interested in doing this prayer, a great website can be found here.

Also, EWTN has a great resource for Advent reflections too.

Advent: Waiting is the Hardest Part

Last night I was reading this post on Advent from one of my favorite blogs. The author writes, "Last Sunday the priest at a friend's church talked about Advent as a season of waiting, and that our goal should be to wait well."

I spent the first day of Advent going to Mass by myself. It was certainly a beautiful liturgy, and I took quite a bit from the readings and homily. After all, something just happens in your soul when you start beckoning the Lord in O Come O Come, Emmanuel, right? It was a pleasant morning to be sure.

I met a new friend in the afternoon for a cup of coffee. It was intended as a set up by a mutual friend, but it turns out that he is discerning the priesthood and still unclear as where his rather recent conversion is going to lead him. I did enjoy his company and getting to hear his story, but I didn't feel called to pursue it. I did experience grace though in wanting to get to know him for himself and am open to seeing him again. In a recent Confession (don't worry, I won't give away what I was confessing) the priest counseled me to remember that my mission in each moment is to win souls for Christ - nothing more, and nothing less. That is sticking with me and has been affecting the way that I choose to look at situations and people. Here's hoping it lasts. Anyway, I felt it in the way I interacted with this young man today.

Anyway, I spent the afternoon alone in my apartment trying to organize lesson plans, do laundry, and keep my mind on positive thoughts. It is really easy for me to start to get down and feel lonely when the weather turns and it gets darker earlier. I mean seriously, what woman doesn't want someone to cook with on Sunday afternoon, someone to watch a football game with, or someone to help you gear up for the coming week? I found myself tearing up a bit, wanting to ask the Lord to send me a compatible man soon, but being too stubborn to ask for it. Isn't it easy to wait impatiently? It is incredibly tempting for the me to want to take control of the situation, to send out feelers for romantic possibilities in every direction, trying to manipulate my life and my vocation. Waiting truly is the hardest part.

I've decided to offer up something this Advent for Christ. I was going to offer something up for my husband, but in reality, I do not know if and when he will arrive. What I do know though, more perfectly than anything else, is that Christ has arrived. He is real in my life; He is guaranteed.

Meditate with me on this fact, sisters and readers -- He came.

For the believer, the Lord's grace can turn every period of waiting into a time of fulfilling expectation. -- Adrienne von Speyr, Lumina/New Lumina.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

To all of our readers, in whatever circumstance: single, married, engaged, widowed, pregnant, infertile, men, women, whoever, Happy Thanksgiving!

What Kind of King Is This?

My brothers in Christ. What kind of king is this?-born in a borrowed stable, preaching from a borrowed boat, rejected by His putative subjects, and executed as a felon and buried in a borrowed tomb. Here, today, we behold Him interrogated by the procurator of a minor Roman jurisdiction who, with understandable perplexity, asks, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

What kind of king is this, Pilate must be thinking? Are we not a little perplexed ourselves? The readings don't help us much. There are places in the Gospels where we read of Jesus being surrounded by people hanging on His every word, where an excited crowd is ready to proclaim Him king, where He is transfigured in glory before the amazed eyes of His disciples, where He rides triumphantly into the city of Jerusalem with palm branches at His feet. Would not any one of these gospel passages have been more suitable for this Sunday of Christ the King than one in which He stands meekly before Pontius Pilate?

But our perplexity would not be allayed by a different selection of biblical texts. The problem goes deeper. Could not Jesus have secured a more receptive hearing for His message of love and justice for the oppressed? Why did He not come among us as the son of an earthly king, or indeed as the son of the Roman emperor? Then He would have been the most powerful man in the world, a real king, with armies, governors, senators, secretaries, counselors-people who could execute His plans effectively. What is more, He would have won over many followers.
--Archbishop J. Augustine DiNoia, O.P. Read the full text here. (do it!)

While We're At It

So, Michael Bublé has a new album out (Crazy Love). And on that album there is a song that is so overwhelmingly POP that it just makes my head spin. But--is it the peppy beat? the piano and solo voice bridge? those soaring backround singers? the idea of floating on a bed through a confetti strewn supermarket with Mr. Bublé?--I feel compelled to post it here for my fellow single sisters.



Personally (with a thanksgiving break just around the corner), I'm more in the mood to sing this (even if the music video is rather riduculous):

For the Single Lady's Playlist

I was driving to work yesterday and was too tired to articulate my own prayers, so I turned on the Christian radio station. This song came on, and it really expressed my feelings about my single vocation right now. I hope it serves as some inspiration!

Doing Pre-Cana

Hi Sisters! Sorry for the long absence from me - I spent the weekend (Friday evening-Saturday-Sunday) on a very intense, but very fruitful pre-Cana retreat with Peter called Engaged Encounter. The weekend was at first quite rough. We arrived Friday night and were thrown right into the rigorous retreat. The retreat consists of a presentation by one of two married couples, then the retreants are given questions to write out separate from their future spouse, and then they come back together and discuss their answers. And these are not easy questions. "What do you like and dislike about your future spouse?" "What are your doubts about your marriage?" Yeah, that was the first night...we got to go to bed on that. Peter and I seriously contemplating leaving.

But the next day it got better...it was very intense. The questions got more and more in depth, as if you took it seriously, you really got a lot of it. Peter and I were able to openly discuss our fears and anxieties about marriage, we were able to pin point the strengths and weaknesses of the other and had no choice but to face each other and come up with concrete solutions on how to work them out. Many things we knew we had not discussed in depth as we should have - finances, debt management, etc. But we did during the weekend. We recognized the importance of time management to maximize our time together and our ability to truly minister to one another's needs. We also decided upon the importance of being surrounded by like-minded couples to strengthen our own relationship. We recognized in ourselves the areas of maturation needed, and saw that the other person is stronger in the areas where one personally needed some growth.

I will write more, but for now, I have to lesson plan for tomorrow -- but I'll give more thoughts and reflections on the wisdom of the Church's requirement on pre-Cana preparation!

Hair Help!

As a schoolteacher, it's hard enough to get myself out the door at 7:00 AM looking reasonably put-together (and hopefully relatively fashionable at that). I think it's important for a lady to look presentable at work (even if her bedroom is a little scattered after the morning rush). One thing that I usually pay a little less attention to are my accessories, although I do have a few nice pieces. I can't figure out if it's worth buying a variety of less expensive (and lower quality) pieces or whether or not I should buy a few high quality ones to wear more often...after all, teachers are on a pretty tight budget!

I would like to use my long hair as an accessory as well. At least I'd like to wear it differently once in awhile to complement my outfit or my mood. I usually can only manage to wear it down and smooth or in a little ponytail. Does anyone have suggestions for easy up-dos? Any accessories to add a little feminine touch to the day? I have pretty dark hair and think a few things might really stand out in it, but I'm not sure where to start. Here's one link, but I think I could use a few more tips. Thanks!

Law and Order: Abortion Debate

Today in my Bioethics class I am going to be showing an episode of Law and Order called "Dignity" which is centered on the abortion debate in America. Priests for Life have promoted it on their website and offered a link to view the episode for free. I wound up buying it from iTunes, as well as an episode of House called "Fetal Position." Here's hoping it will foster a good seminar discussion on the fundamental questions of rights and personhood in my classroom!

Edith's Take on The Bucket List

I feel I must respond to the Bucket List...although mine is quickly approaching "Bucket List for Married Life." I'm not sure that I ever had a set of goals to do before I got married...I definitely agree with Agatha that our time as being single is time to work on us, to work through all the things that might inhibit a total gift of self to another. And I reached a point in my single life (the period I affectionately called 'My Quarter Life Crisis') about two years ago. I had already met Peter, and knew at that time that I wanted to marry a man who was just like him. You see, he too had some things to work through, and would not date me right away, which drove me crazy, because I knew that I wanted someone just like him.

But be that as it may, I decided to take time off from dating simply to begin to see men as images of Christ, and I mean to really see the qualities that make men Christ-like. After all, Christ is a man...and I just figured it was time to see Christ in my fellow men. I think Agatha hit the nail on the head in her post on men and women being friends. Her wise words should echo in the minds of every single woman (and man I guess too, just change the masculine pronouns to feminine ones!): "Take him as he is, love him as he is, and don't be afraid of who you are, and live chastely. Then the friendship will grow into whatever God wants it to be." Easier said than done, sure. But the key to this is to live chastely. What a gift!! To live chastely is to see with eyes of God - and the reward is to see God Himself: "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God." (Mt. 5: 8).

So, I guess my bucket list would be very similar to my sisters. I definitely want to become fluent in one of the many languages I've begun to study. My goal is to be fluent in French and Arabic. I have so ALWAYS wanted to learn to play the piano, and I too want to become more active in the Church. I feel called to be a lector, and for no particular reason, I've not yet made a move on that. I want to become more courageous, more energetic, more hopeful, and more loving. Most immediately my bucket list includes: 1. Get married 2. Run and finish the 1/2 marathon I am training for 3. Finish my PhD. So far, all of those include Peter too! So, let's see where God takes me and Peter from there!

Aggy's Bucket List

Oh! I loved Julian's post yesterday about the Bucket List for the Single Life. It really speaks to some of the things I have been thinking about as I prepare for Advent. When I was first mulling over the idea of this blog, and talking about it with Julian and Edith, and other friends, I spoke at length with my dear friend Jane, who was by then married and had a little baby girl. She and her husband had had a long courtship, spanning nearly 5 years, with one break of about a year and a half where they did not speak to each other at all. During that time she was at first completely devastated. He was, without a doubt, the man she wanted to marry.

But then, after a while, she set her life in order. She told me she said to herself: "Well, I guess I am not going to get married, so I might as well start living the life I want to live." She started studying the subjects she wanted to pursue in graduate school. She started buying locally, and working on her painting. She became more involved in her church and worked hard, storing up for the future.

When they were reunited, those same habits had become a part of her life, and were integrated into his life and their marriage.

This seems to me to sum up perfectly the way we should live our single life (so long as it is a transitory vocation)--by working on ourselves. All that being said: here's my bucket list:

1) I want to learn how to play an instrument. I waffle between the harmonica (easy) and the guitar (fits my musical tastes), the piano (jazz baby) and the bass fiddle. The later will never happen--much too difficult. But it's always been my favorite instrument, so...

2) I want to become financially responsible. You know, saving, staying out of debt, etc. I don't use credit cards, so that helps. But there's still the terribly common trial of living from pay-check to paycheck. (Which reminds me, Julian. I still owe you $25...)

3) I want to become more involved in my church and community. Especially the church. And while we're at it, I want to live in the city...not outside it.

4) I want to do the pilgrim's route to Compostella, take my parents to Prague, and take my sister to Mexico City to see Our Lady of Guadalupe.

5) I want to become a patron of the arts: specifically, I want to save up to purchase works of art from some of my friends who are artists. I also want to specially support the non-profit work of my friends and peers who are sacrificing a lot to pursue their dreams or work for the good of others.

Just Imagine This

Now, as some point in her life, every little girl thinks she wants to be a fashion model. And for some 200 Italian women, they thought they were going to finally get their dream when they answered an ad seeking 'tall, attractive' women to attend a party for modeling agency. But what these women did not anticipate was that they would not be modeling like this:



They would be encouraged instead to dress like this:


According to yesterday's New York Times, that's exactly what 200 Italian women dealt with this week when they answered what they thought was a modeling ad, but instead was a front by Libya's Colonel Qaddafi to um....evangelize these women to turn to Islam. First, he turned away any woman dressed provocatively, then shipped all the women to villa near Rome, then handed out the Koran and preached on women's role in Islam, offering to pay for each of them to take a trip to Mecca if they convert.

Wow, just wow. And the kicker of the article: the last line - "This week, Colonel Qaddafi is expected to hold similar events with other groups of women."

Does anyone else find this extremely disturbing? But if a Muslim converts to Christianity, then this is what they can expect. I am so stunned by this right now, I don't actually know how to react! Thoughts?

The Bucket List for the Single Life

In a recent conversation with a married friend and mother of two it was suggested to me to make a "single life Bucket List" of things that I'd like to do while I am single. She wasn't advising me to do this to suggest that once one gets married one's life ends (or begins), but rather to say that there is a real value to the single life, albeit temporary or permanent, and it should be used well. The single life affords real, focused formation, and it should be used in both serious and light-hearted avenues that help us to grow in virtue (and perhaps a spirit of adventure). I've begun to make my own, and I invite you to tell me some of the things that would be on your list!

• Finish studying Italian so that I am fluent
• Go skiing (pathetic that I haven't been - I know!)
• Invest in a good camera and take a photography class or two
• Read, read, read!
• Learn to knit more than scarves. I can't even purl!

I'm sure that Edith and Peter could make a "newlywed bucket list" and then a longer "marriage bucket list." I think it's important to keep ourselves disciplined in formation. Leisure can be productive, right? :)

Happy list-making!

Close But No Cigar, Newsweek

I was pleasantly surprised to read an opinion piece by Lisa Miller in Newsweek this past week entitled "Sexual Revolution: Part II." The magazine was highlighting Harvard University's True Love Revolution, an organization promoting abstinence and the reintroduction of romance into relationships (as opposed to random, casual hookups). Miller includes in her piece the following:

Donna Freitas, a visiting scholar in religion at Boston University, studied attitudes about sex on seven college campuses and published her findings in her 2008 book, Sex and the Soul. She believes college students are not given an opportunity to tell the truth about what they want out of sex and relationships—desires that can include courtship, romance, and, yes, chocolates—without drawing the derision of their peers and even their professors. Their health service gives them condoms and lectures about sexually transmitted infections; their friends boast and complain endlessly about hookups real and imagined. "The average college student is miserable about sex. The idea of getting to step away from it is really appealing."

Though she praises the movement for giving women "liberation to say no," she does say that "True Love Revolution might do better...to leave aside the divisive and wrongheaded 'one man, one woman' language and help guide students through this modern sexual wilderness."

Why must an abstinence-based organization refrain from suggesting that heterosexual monogamy IS a way through the sexual wilderness? Why exactly is the organization's suggestion divisive? Why is it wrongheaded? Can we no longer dare to suggest that heterosexual monogamy may in fact be good for someone's well-being?

I guess the question I pose is whether or not we should be happy that sources like Newsweek are paying attention to the good found in these organizations (or the aspects which they deem good), or if we should demand even more from them.

Movie Review: Away We Go

Last night Julian and I watched Away We Gowith Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski. We had seen it in the theatres, and laughed and cried, and loved it. But was it really as good as we remembered? Yes. And then some.

Burt (Krasinski) and Verona (Rudolph) are expecting their first child. When Burt's parents (brilliant cameos by Catherine O'Harra and Jeff Daniels) decide to move to Antwerp, Burt and Verona realize they don't really have a home--so they wander from place to place (Arizona, Madison, Montreal, Miami) trying to find, as Peter Travers said "a place not to be lost in America."

The commercials featured the hilarious and just plain awful families they visit: the new-agey overbearing self-righetous Maggie Gyllenhal, the vulgar Allison Janney. While Burt and Verona live in a trailer and have a "cardboard window"--its clear, after seeing these other screwed-up families, that Burt and Verona are going to be ok.

Besides their remarkably full relationship, we get to see Verona's sister, Grace, Burt's brother (newly separated, and busy dealing with how to be a single dad of a little girl), and their college friends, who have a glorious hodge-podge of a family (adopted kids of all ages) because they cannot conceive. The best scene in the film is when this couple tells Burt and Verona what family life is all about. Pouring syrup over a house made of toothpicks and a coaster, he says that love--but not just love--carrying on when you don't have a single ounce of life left in you, humility, sacrifice--that's the glue. That's what makes marriage and families work. One leaving their home, Verona says to Burt: this is the family I want.

They eventually do find a home, the perfect, rooted home. The movie is less about their relationship with each other and more about the life they will lead together. And this rootedness seems to me to be the perfect antidote to this restless placeless energy that has consumed our generation.

The film is a joy. Check it out.

(By the way...the very first scene may scandalize some. It's pretty funny, but a bit shocking too...just a warning.)

Were Not Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us...

Yesterday I stopped into a church to pray for a bit before I met up with a friend for dinner. I had many things to bring the Lord...so many people to pray for and so many blessings to thank Him for. I also had one thing to bring to God which has literally been stirring in my heart for the past few months or so. I need to, I have to, I must do some sort of pro-life work. My heart has literally been set on fire with the desire to pray for a place or a forum to do this work. I don't know what capacity it will be in, or where it will take me, but I have to. I have actually never had this strong or consistent of a desire for something before in my life. I can't explain much more about it right now, but as I continue to pray about it, I will keep you posted on the doors that the Lord opens for me to serve Him. In the meantime, I'll share a prayer from Thomas Merton that comforts me in times of discernment. My well-worn Catholic Prayer Book from my childhood calls it the "Trust in God's Providence" prayer:

My Lord God,

I have no idea where I am going

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself,

And the fact that I think I am following

your will does not mean that I am

actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please

you does in fact please you.

And I hope that I have that desire in all

that I am doing.

And I know that if I do this, you

will lead me by the right road

though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust you always

though I may seem to be lost

and in the shadow of death,

I will not fear, for you are ever with me

and you will never leave me

to face my perils alone.

Misadventures in Dating and the Art of Detachment

My mother always said that I would find love when I wasn't looking for it. I have found this saying to be impractical, as I don't believe many women can easily suspend their desires for companionship and love. I do understand that overly eager pursuit leading down the slippery slope to trying to orchestrate situations or control our destiny is unhealthy and imprudent. But I don't really understand the maxim to stop looking. After all, couldn't one try to actively "stop looking" in an attempt to create a time, place, and space for it to happen? Ah, the wonder of the woman's mind...

Despite my trouble with the saying, I think there is something to what my mother is proposing. After two recent dating escapades, one in which I was repeatedly asked entirely too personal questions and another in which I was told that the pro-choice position is the more educated position on the abortion issue, I've decided to step back from my own life and reevaluate my attitude toward dating and the desire for marriage. These mishaps have refined my palate for the type of man that I desire, but have also served to cultivate a real spiritual detachment.

This is an old practice of many Catholic Christian mystics and spiritual writers. Spiritual detachment involves the recognition of your desires as good and from God, but actively freeing yourself from the images of things that you are holidng onto which restrict your mind from seeing what really is or where or who God really is. I have always held onto an image, and idea, of how my own life is going to go, including when and how a vocation to marriage will unfold. But my idea of my own life may not be the idea for my life that God has designed. Actively detaching myself from my own plan for my life allows me to recognize what is true, good, and beautiful in God's plan. It is a conscious, continual effort in freeing ourselves up for God. Ultimately, it is an exercise in the virtue of humility. It is loving the will of God.

I don't exactly know how this is going to play out or how successful I will be in this effort of spiritual detachment, but I think asking for intercession from holy men and women will aid me in this effort to love the will of God. If my way to God is through marriage, so be it. And if it's another way, I want to be free to answer that call as well. St. Mary Magdalene, who so loved the will of God, pray for us!

The Litany of St. Mary Magdalene

Magdalene's Tibia

In honor of the completion of our novena to St. Mary Magdalene, and in thanksgiving for the incredible grace offered to us in the chance to honor her relics, we wanted to post this Litany of St. Mary Magdalene. Pray it with us, and thanks for saying this novena with us too.

The Litany of St. Mary Magdalen

For Private Use Only.

Lord, have mercy on us,
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us,
Christ, graciously hear us.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us.
St. Mary Magdalen,
Pray for us.
Sister of Martha and Lazarus,
Pray for us.
Thou who didst enter the Pharisee's house to anoint the feet of Jesus,
Pray for us.
Who didst wash His feet with thy tears,
Pray for us.
Who didst dry them with thy hair,
Pray for us.
Who didst cover them with kisses,
Pray for us.
Who wast vindicated by Jesus before the proud Pharisee,
Pray for us.
Who from Jesus received the pardon of thy sins,
Pray for us.
Who before darkness wast restored to light,
Pray for us.
Mirror of penance,
Pray for us.
Disciple of Our Lord,
Pray for us.
Wounded with the love of Christ,
Pray for us.
Most dear to the Heart of Jesus,
Pray for us.
Constant woman,
Pray for us.
Last at the Cross of Jesus, first at His tomb,
Pray for us.
Thou who wast the first to see Jesus risen,
Pray for us.
Whose forehead was sanctified by the touch of thy risen Master,
Pray for us.
Apostle of apostles,
Pray for us.
Who didst choose the "better part,"
Pray for us.
Who lived for many years in solitude being miraculously fed,
Pray for us.
Who wast visited by Angels seven times a day,
Pray for us.
Sweet advocate of sinners,
Pray for us.
Spouse of the King of Glory,
Pray for us.

V. Saint Mary Magdalen, earnestly intercede for us with thy Divine Master,
R. That we may share thy happiness in Heaven.

Let Us Pray.
May the glorious merits of blessed Mary Magdalen, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
make our offerings acceptable to Thee, for Thine only-begotten Son vouchsafed
graciously to accept the humble service she rendered. We ask this through Him
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, God forever and ever.
R. Amen.

May the prayers of blessed Mary Magdalen help us, O Lord, for it was in answer to them
that Thou didst call her brother Lazarus, four days after death, back from the grave to life, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, Unity in Trinity,
world without end.
R. Amen.

Magdalene Novena: Day 9

Meditation: John, chapter 20: 11-18


But Mary stood at the sepulchre without, weeping. Now as she was weeping, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And she saw two angels in white, sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been laid. They say to her: Woman, why weepest thou? She saith to them: Because they have taken away my Lord; and I know not where they have laid him. When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing; and she knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith to her: Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, thinking it was the gardener, saith to him: Sir, if thou hast taken him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus saith to her: Mary. She turning, saith to him: Rabboni (which is to say, Master). Jesus saith to her: Do not touch me, for I am not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brethren, and say to them: I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God. Mary Magdalen cometh, and telleth the disciples: I have seen the Lord, and these things he said to me.

Benedict XVI, July 23, 2007 General Audience

The story of Mary of Magdala reminds us all of a fundamental truth: a disciple of Christ is one who, in the experience of human weakness, has had the humility to ask for his help, has been healed by him and has set out following closely after him, becoming a witness of the power of his merciful love that is stronger than sin and death.

Saint Mary Magdalene,
woman of many sins, who by conversion
became the beloved of Jesus,
thank you for your witness
that Jesus forgives
through the miracle of love.

You, who already possess eternal happiness
in His glorious presence,
please intercede for me, so that some day
I may share in the same everlasting joy. Amen.

Our Father.
Hail Mary.
Glory Be.

---- ---- ----
View the full itinerary of the Relic of Mary Magdalene here.

To find out more about this relic, please click here.

To find out more about our reasons for saying this novena, or to submit prayer requests and follow the progress of the novena click here

Advice for Marriage

My brother brought this article to my attention. I post it here in it's entirety because it's true and hysterical. And something all couples considering marriage should heed. Enjoy.

Article posted in the St. Lambert Parish Bulletin of the Chicago Archdiocese on October 4, 2009. The author is Reverend Know-It-All.

Warning: THIS EPISODE OF THE REV. KNOW IT ALL IS EXTREMELY OFFENSIVE. IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW. PLEASE READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE. THE REV. KNOW IT ALL IS NOT OPPOSED TO ALL WEDDING CELEBRATIONS. HE IS NOT TALKING ABOUT YOUR WEDDING WHICH WAS A TRIUMPH OF PERSONAL SANCTITY AND GOOD TASTE. HE IS PROBABLY JUST HAVING A BAD DAY.

Dear Rev. Know it all,

I visited your church once and am thinking about having my wedding there. How long is your main aisle?

Mary O’Burne



Dear Mary,

I am often asked that question, and never quite understand it. Are brides curious about the length of the aisle because they think a longer aisle may give them a few more minutes to back out of the whole thing? Or, as I suspect, does a long aisle prolong the glorious promenade of which a young girl dreams as she thumbs through bridal magazine as she contemplates her special day, when all eyes focus on her as she approaches her enchanted prince and all the world thinks she’s gorgeous and knows that she has bagged her man just as surely as a Wisconsin bricklayer bags a deer and ties it onto the roof of his pick up truck? I have certainly seen a few grooms who look like a frightened deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck.

Why is it that weddings cause people to spend so much time, energy and money? And more money. The average American wedding costs almost $29,000, according to “The Wedding Report”, a market research publication. $29,000!” Oh, by the by, the usual donation to the church is about $200.00. That $200 goes to the church, not to the priest. The usual gift to the priest is a hearty handclasp. The usual cost of the photographer is $2,000.00. All this tells me that the photographs are ten times more important than the grace of the sacrament, in most peoples’ estimation. The usual fee for the DJ is $1,500.00. I am consoled by this. It means that painful, occasionally obscene music loud enough to cause brain damage is only seven-and-one-half times more important than the grace of the sacrament.

You must be thinking why is this guy so down on weddings? I am down on some weddings because I am very “up” on the sacrament of matrimony and really in favor of marriage. That’s why the modern method of marrying and the wedding industry make me crazy. They militate against marriage. Here is the heart of my complaint. IT IS STUPID TO SPEND MORE TIME AND MONEY PREPARING FOR THE WEDDING THAN YOU DO PREPARING FOR THE MARRIAGE!!! I have known people who are still paying the credit card bills generated by the wedding years after the marriage is over.

The Modern Method of Marriage, a Reprise. The following is taken from my own experiences and things people have told me (outside of confession, you’ll be glad to know.) Here goes.

A young man and a young woman meet and have a few dates. They go for a weekend at a bed and breakfast where they bed one another, and then have breakfast. If he isn’t too much of a jerk and she isn’t too picky, they are then an item. She goes to the doctor gets a prescription and goes on to a more permanent form of birth control. At some time during this stage, the uncomfortable meeting with the parents happens. Everyone is polite and “supportive.” Secretly the father of the young woman who knows exactly what’s going on, contemplates buying a gun and the mother of the young man begins gossiping with whomever will listen about how her little boy could do better. After a while, if things hold up, they begin to have the conversation about taking their relationship to the “next level” by which they mean shacking up, as we used to call it. Now, I think it’s called moving in together.

Mom and Dad buy housewarming gifts in an attempt to, once again, be supportive. They don’t want their little dears to hate them and besides, it’s what everyone is doing these days, so it can’t be wrong. They have vague thoughts about getting married at that point and mom explains to grandma and to friends at church that they are just doing it to save money for the wedding. At this stage an engagement ring may appear. At some point, when they think about getting the house and the kids, because that’s what you do, they decide to have the wedding. They rent the hall and then go see the priest. He tells them there are four other weddings that day and they respond, “but we’ve rented the hall already.” Someone suggests a garden wedding if the church is occupied. The priest says we can’t do garden weddings. (More on this later.) The young couple begins to complain about how narrow-minded the Church is with all these rules and regulations. They eventually pick a date. Then the bottom drops out. It seems the groom is not Catholic. He was baptized in the First Reformed Church of the Druids, though he never practiced. This means there must be a dispensation for the marriage, another irritating Catholic invention, and the wedding date cannot be confirmed until the dispensation is received. The bride goes back to her doctor, this time for a prescription for valium. Her mother joins her on this visit. Finally the dispensation is granted, The groom’s druid will do one of the readings at the wedding, the loans are taken out, the banns are published. Then there is the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. The best man comes to the rehearsal drunk out of his mind, the groom only slightly tipsy. The bride is furious at everyone for some reason known to her alone. Probably because the groom is far more interested in drinking and watching the football game on his hand held computer thing than he is in gazing lovingly into her eyes in anticipation of the great day. In fact they haven’t been, well... friendly in weeks. It is, after all, football season.

The special day comes, the best man is still drunk, the groom is hung over, no one knew about that interesting tattoo that the maid of honor had way low on her back, now revealed by the plunging back of her dress that is held up only by wishful thinking. Grandma, upon reading the logo of the maid of honor’s tattoo, has fainted. Somewhere in all this the vows are exchanged, and quite a few of the wedding party receive their first Holy Communion that day, however one of the ushers puts the host in his suit pocket not having a clue what it is. (This actually has happened to me twice.) The pictures have been taken. The noise level in the church reaches that of an English soccer match after the riot has broken out. The children are jumping off the altar and the priest is scowling at everyone. Now on to the pictures in the forest preserve, a “must” at every wedding. There the wedding party is attacked by mosquitoes, one of the children falls into the lagoon and the bride is having a hard time smiling for the photos. The best man passes out. On to the reception.

The bride loses it because the shade of fuchsia in the floral center pieces clashes with the shade of fuchsia in the wedding party’s outfit. The groom adjourns to the bar where the game is on the television. The wedding dinner is served as music is played at a mind numbing volume. Grandma is better now. She has turned off her hearing aid. The priest is seated with the pious relatives in plaid suit coats and leaves shortly after the grace before meals. The best man makes the toast which drones on about how he loves the groom and one begins to wonder. The college roommate/maid of honor does the same for the bride, going on for fifteen minutes about how she knew the bride would find eternal marital bliss the moment she met her in the third grade and they have been like sisters ever since. Then at some point, there is a video presentation of embarrassing photos not unlike the ones that are now shown at wakes.

The bar opens up again. The music reaches levels that cause blood to drip from some peoples’ nose and ears. The joyous event ends with the bride and groom being the last to leave the hall. They are slow to go up to the room they have rented in the hotel because nothing new or beautiful awaits them there. The groom promptly falls asleep, being heavily sedated already, and, as he snores away, with his shoes still on, our blushing bride, having shed her dress of virginal white, thinks back on this day, her special day, the most important day in her life, the day she has dreamt of since she was a little girl.

They will stay an extra day at the hotel, but cannot afford the time or money to go on a honeymoon because on Monday they will both be back at work in order to pay off the colossal bill that their special day has incurred. For some reason, the bride is depressed. Perhaps she is realizing that the high point of her life is now past and the rest of it will be spent with the lump that is now snoring beside her with whom she has never really had a serious conversation, except about the proper shade of fuchsia for the floral centerpieces. So it is that we celebrate the marriage of Christ and His Church in these enlightened and tolerant times.

Remember, none of these things happened at your wedding, thank God and don’t think from reading this that I am down on marriage or even weddings. I love a wedding celebration when there is something to celebrate. Also, it is never too late to begin again by taking Christ and His gospel seriously.

PLEASE SPEND MORE TIME AND MONEY PREPARING FOR THE MARRIAGE THAN YOU DO PREPARING FOR THE WEDDING.

Yours,

Rev. Know-it-all

P.S. Garden weddings. They look good in all the bridal magazines but they are just opportunities to feed biting insects and suffer from sunburn. It is however amusing to watch the bridesmaids sinking in the mud as they try, after a few margaritas to maneuver the newly laid sod in spiked heals. The bride is generally exhausted from not having slept for three weeks as she worries about the weather reports which are promising a 50 percent chance of typhoons and earthquakes that day. And destination weddings. Don’t get me started on Destination Weddings! You want to be married with just your closest friends on a beach in Maui. That means that Grandma can’t go because she hasn’t flown since the Hindenburg Disaster, and is thinking of cutting you out of the will, and all the friends and relatives who aren’t with you on the beach in Maui realize they aren’t very close to you after all. And I haven’t a clue how long the aisle is here at St. Dymphna’s.

Magdalene Novena: Day 8

Magdalene Approaching the Tomb by Giovanni Savoldo, 1530

MeditationPope St. Gregory the Great, Office of Readings for July 22

When Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and did not find the Lord’s body, she thought it had been taken away and so informed the disciples. After they came and saw the tomb, they too believed what Mary had told them. The text then says: The disciples went back home, and it adds: but Mary wept and remained standing outside the tomb.

We should reflect on Mary’s attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found, and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tells us: Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved.

At first she sought but did not find, but when she persevered it happened that she found what she was looking for. When our desires are not satisfied, they grow stronger, and becoming stronger they take hold of their object. Holy desires likewise grow with anticipation, and if they do not grow they are not really desires. Anyone who succeeds in attaining the truth has burned with such a great love. As David says: My soul has thirsted for the living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God? And so also in the Song of Songs the Church says: I was wounded by love; and again: My soul is melted with love.


Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek? She is asked why she is sorrowing so that her desire might be strengthened; for when she mentions whom she is seeking, her love is kindled all the more ardently.


Jesus says to her: Mary. Jesus is not recognized when he calls her “woman”; so he calls her by name, as though he were saying: Recognize me as I recognize you; for I do not know you as I know others; I know you as yourself. And so Mary, once addressed by name, recognizes who is speaking. She immediately calls him rabboni, that is to say, teacher, because the one whom she sought outwardly was the one who inwardly taught her to keep on searching.

Saint Mary Magdalene,
woman of many sins, who by conversion
became the beloved of Jesus,
thank you for your witness
that Jesus forgives
through the miracle of love.

You, who already possess eternal happiness
in His glorious presence,
please intercede for me, so that some day
I may share in the same everlasting joy. Amen.

Our Father.
Hail Mary.
Glory Be.

---- ---- ----
View the full itinerary of the Relic of Mary Magdalene here.

To find out more about this relic, please click here.

To find out more about our reasons for saying this novena, or to submit prayer requests and follow the progress of the novena click here

New Book on Feminine Vocation

But the hour is coming, in fact has come, when the vocation of woman is being achieved in its fullness, the hour in which woman acquires in the world an influence, an effect and a power never hitherto achieved. That is why, at this moment when the human race is under-going so deep a transformation, women impregnated with the spirit of the Gospel can do so much to aid mankind in not falling.

This quote is from Pope Paul VI's address to women at the close of the Vatican Council on December 8, 1965. I saw this quote first at the women's conference I attended in my parish a couple weeks back. To further the promise of this quote, the Vatican is releasing a new book on the vocation of women -- it is a reflection on John Paul II's Mulieris Dignitatem.

The book, entitled Woman and Man, The Totality of the Humanum was originally published in Italian in February 2008. Here's a few words of Benedict XVI about the topic:

Faced with cultural and political trends that seek to eliminate, or at least cloud and confuse, the sexual differences inscribed in human nature, considering them a cultural construct, it is necessary to recall God's design that created the human being masculine and feminine, with a unity and at the same time an original difference and complimentary. Human nature and the cultural dimension are integrated in an ample and complex process that constitutes the formation on one's own identity, where both dimensions, that of the feminine and that of the masculine, correspond to and complete each other," the Holy Father affirmed in that address.

All I could find out is that the English translation is forthcoming!! We got lots to look forward to!!!

Magdalene Novena: Day 7

Christ on the Cross with Mary Magdalene by Luca Signorelli (1450-1523)
Meditation:
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene --John 19:25

There she stands now, together with the other women, including the Mother of the Lord. Through her own vocation and as a result of carrying her Child, his Mother knows that she must never stop accompanying her Son. She will always be the Son's Mother. Magdalene's case is quite different. There was no consultation and no step-by-step negotiation.

The paths of both women meet at the Cross. And what is humanly opaque in Magdalene's destiny -- things spread by way of rumor, things that many people can neither believe nor understand -- is deeply known by the Mother of the Lord as she stands there. She suffers, she suffers the most searing pain, but her suffering is secure within her consent, her surrender, her will to go with him.

If Magdalene alone had been placed in front of the Cross, she might not have been able to find in it the answer to her life's question: "Why and for what purpose has the Lord rescued me and called me to follow him?" The Cross might have been terrible, so meaningless to her, as to awaken in her a raging madness. But now she is not alone as she looks up tot he Lord who hangs before her; she can also look at his Mother, suffering beside her, and in her suffering, still uttering her yes of affirmation.

--Three Women and the Lord by Adrienne von Spyer

Saint Mary Magdalene,
woman of many sins, who by conversion
became the beloved of Jesus,
thank you for your witness
that Jesus forgives
through the miracle of love.

You, who already possess eternal happiness
in His glorious presence,
please intercede for me, so that some day
I may share in the same everlasting joy. Amen.

Our Father.
Hail Mary.
Glory Be.

---- ---- ----
View the full itinerary of the Relic of Mary Magdalene here.

To find out more about this relic, please click here.

To find out more about our reasons for saying this novena, or to submit prayer requests and follow the progress of the novena click here

Dowd + Dolan + Maine + Sullivan + Fawkes + the Traditional Anglican Communion + Augustine

I was planning on writing something incredibly profound and lucid about Maureen Dowd's October 25th column--but it still has me so angry, I have a hard time thinking clearly. It is filled with so many gross inaccuracies, let alone hateful hyperbole, that I am not sure how she still has her job.

Instead, I'll quote New York City Archbishop Timothy Dolan's blogged response (the times refused to print it):

In a diatribe that rightly never would have passed muster with the editors had it so criticized an Islamic, Jewish, or African-American religious issue, she digs deep into the nativist handbook to use every anti-Catholic caricature possible, from the Inquisition to the Holocaust, condoms, obsession with sex, pedophile priests, and oppression of women, all the while slashing Pope Benedict XVI for his shoes, his forced conscription -- along with every other German teenage boy -- into the German army, his outreach to former Catholics, and his recent welcome to Anglicans.

True enough, the matter that triggered her spasm -- the current visitation of women religious by Vatican representatives -- is well-worth discussing, and hardly exempt from legitimate questioning. But her prejudice, while maybe appropriate for the Know-Nothing newspaper of the 1850’s, the Menace, has no place in a major publication today. (HT)

Also excellent was the response of Michael Sean Winters at America Magazine. Winters is a perplexing but compelling character, and I am always challenged by his articles, though I often disagree. I'm in complete agreement this time, as he said:

Ms. Dowd suffers from the misperception that the Church has said it won’t ordain women. That would indeed be an objectionable claim, and one with a prima facie suspicion of misogyny. But, the Church does not say it won’t ordain women; it says it can’t ordain women. The idea that something can’t be done is foreign to liberated, early twenty-first century Americans. Our politicians, of both parties, invoke the American Dream and advertisements tell us that we can be whatever we want. Horatio Alger lives. But, the Church believes that it received a definitive revelation to which we must always be faithful. In this sense, the Church is always conservative, conserving the deposit of faith. That faithfulness requires that we do certain things and not do certain other things. The sociological argument that feminism has changed women’s experience in other fields has absolutely no bearing on the issue but Dowd couldn’t find a theological argument if her life depended upon it.

Meanwhile, with Maine voting against a gay marriage amendment, by a pretty significant margin, Thomas Peters, has done an excellent round-up on the all the anti-Catholic rhetoric surrounding this decision. He points, especially to Andrew Sullivan, the gay-catholic blogger for The Atlantic Monthly, who said:

It is time to acknowledge that the Catholic church hierarchy can no longer pretend that it isn't the active enemy of gay people and our families. That this church hierarchy - especially in its more conservative wing - is disproportionately gay itself and waging war against their fellow gays through the cowardly veil of the closet, is not new.

Sullivan goes on to quote in full a letter to a parish priest by a gay man who is "finished":

Hatred fueled by the resources of hundreds of thousands of parishes will be the central reason why the Church will eventually wither and die. I can no longer bear the stench of the rotting body and hierarchical ignorance. I can no longer embrace what has become a menace and money machine to support evil. We are all tainted by what happened in Maine. We are all lesser citizens because our brothers and sisters are lesser citizens.

Did you notice? In the entire letter, there isn't a single thought about Christ, nor about his radical love for every human being--a love that demands us to do well and live well, and set aside sin. The mass is not a gathering place, the chalice is not merely " shared by everyone"--it come with a price of our own.

I can't help but think about the timeliness of this, with regards to our Magdalene Novena: Magdalene was labeled a prostitute by all, but she shed that label and lived rightly by Christ's law, for his love. His love demanded that of her, and she saw the true cost with her own eyes.

Peters responds to this anti-catholic bigotry head on:

All this is especially ironic when one considers how the gay marriage movement tries to cast itself as one that is seeking tolerance and acceptance of all. Well, apparently the Catholic Church isn't a legitimate recipient of such treatment. I would be more encouraged if leaders of the gay marriage movement would call out or apologize for outbursts against the Church like the ones I've cited above.

Today is the 5th of November (remember, remember). Four-hundred and five years ago the Gunpowder Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament was discovered, and squashed, as Guy Fawkes was arrested after hiding cases of gunpowder in the cellars. As William Newton points out, those were dark times for Catholics in England. But Fawkes' plot did more harm than good (as violence always does) for the cause of Catholicism in England. Though persecutions had largely died down, it was only in 1829 with the Catholic Relief Act, do we start to see some progress, and restoration of civil liberties. Guy Fawkes Night is still a night of drunken debauchery and anti-catholic demonstrations.

But, there is hope yet for the Church of England and the cause of Catholicism in England. That hope is one step closer to being realized, as the Traditional Anglican Communion officially stated that it will accept Pope Benedict's offer and seek to join the Roman Catholic Church.

Two steps forward and one step back. Anti-Catholicism will always be with us, but we needn't worry. The thing Dowd, and Sullivan, and the anonymous gay parishioner don't realize is that, though members of the church are indeed fallen, and make mistakes all the time, the Chruch itself is faithful to Christ, and will not fall. There are bigots in the Church. But the Church is not bigoted. As Winters said above: it's not that we don't, it's that we can't. By law. God's law. The God who came down from heaven, emptied himself, died on the cross, and raised us all up because he loves us.

All are indeed welcome. But that doesn't mean it's a free pass. "Love" St. Augustine says, "And do what you will."

Magdalene Novena: Day 6

The Repentant Magdalene by Dominico Feti, 1617-21
Meditation:

O woman of the gleaming hair,
(Wild hair that won men's gaze to thee)
Weary thou turnest from the common stare,
For the shuiler Christ is calling thee.

O woman of the snowy side,
Many a lover hath lain with thee,
Yet left thee sad at the morning tide,
But thy lover Christ shall comfort thee.

O woman with the wild thing's heart,
Old sin hath set a snare for thee:
In the forest ways forspent thou art
But the hunter Christ shall pity thee.

O woman spendthrift of thyself,
Spendthrift of all the love in thee,
Sold unto sin for little pelf,
The captain Christ shall ransom thee.

O woman that no lover's kiss
(Tho' many a kiss was given thee)
Could slake thy love, is it not for this
The hero Christ shall die for thee?

--Song for Mary Magdalene, by Patrick Pearse

Saint Mary Magdalene,
woman of many sins, who by conversion
became the beloved of Jesus,
thank you for your witness
that Jesus forgives
through the miracle of love.

You, who already possess eternal happiness
in His glorious presence,
please intercede for me, so that some day
I may share in the same everlasting joy. Amen.

Our Father.
Hail Mary.
Glory Be.

---- ---- ----
View the full itinerary of the Relic of Mary Magdalene here.

To find out more about this relic, please click here.

To find out more about our reasons for saying this novena, or to submit prayer requests and follow the progress of the novena click here

He Listens, He Answers

The power of persistence and perseverance in prayer has once again been proven to us in this 40 Days for Life. High ranking director of a Texas Planned Parenthood, Abby Johnson, stepped down from her job, citing a 'change of heart' about abortion as her reasons after she witnessed an abortion on an ultrasound. Here's a snippet from Zenit:

Johnson, 29, worked for Planned Parenthood for eight years until she watched, by an ultrasound transmission, a fetus "crumple" as it was vacuumed from its mother last September.

On Oct. 6, she quit her job as the Bryan center director. She walked across the street to the Coalition for Life, a pro-life group that was at that time joined with cities across the nation in a 40 Days for Life campaign.

Ms. Johnson also mentioned that Planned Parenthood was putting pressure on its workers to get more abortions because they needed money. Wow. But Abby Johnson is not the only good news. Seven other abortion workers left and 542 lives were SAVED! And there's even more good news! Here it is from the story on Reuters:

In addition, a Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Kalispell, Montana announced that it will close its doors on November 20, citing a decline in business as the reason for the closure. That clinic was the site of a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil this past spring.

Yes, my sisters, He answers us. Let's persevere in prayer and in praise of the Lord, Who has promised to remain with us until the end of the ages!

Magdalene Novena: Day 5

Christ in the House of Simon by Deric Bouts, 1464-1475
Meditation: Luke 7: 41-50

A certain creditor had two debtors, the one who owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And whereas they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which therefore of the two loveth him most? Simon answering, said: I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said to him: Thou hast judged rightly. And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon: Dost thou see this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she with tears hath washed my feet, and with her hairs hath wiped them. Thou gavest me no kiss; but she, since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but she with ointment hath anointed my feet. Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less. And he said to her: Thy sins are forgiven thee. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves: Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman: Thy faith hath made thee safe, go in peace.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, The Life of Christ, Chapter 12, pp. 125-126

Her faith told her that God loves purity, goodness, and holiness. And before her stood He Who alone could restore her to that holiness. But the price He would pay for that peace could come only after a war -- the war against evil. The forgiveness the woman received was not merely that of being 'let off'; but it was one in which justice itself was satisfied. . . . The woman before Him had her debt of sin blotted out, but she had [yet] no idea how much it cost Him.

Saint Mary Magdalene,
woman of many sins, who by conversion
became the beloved of Jesus,
thank you for your witness
that Jesus forgives
through the miracle of love.

You, who already possess eternal happiness
in His glorious presence,
please intercede for me, so that some day
I may share in the same everlasting joy. Amen.

Our Father.
Hail Mary.
Glory Be.

---- ---- ----
View the full itinerary of the Relic of Mary Magdalene here.

To find out more about this relic, please click here.

To find out more about our reasons for saying this novena, or to submit prayer requests and follow the progress of the novena click here

Woman Warrior of the Month: Anna Abrikosova

This month, I'd like to introduce Anna Abrikosova - a Russian Eastern rite Catholic saint who died in the Gulag in 1935. She converted to Catholicism in 1908, at Saint Magdalene’s Church in Paris (A connection to our patroness!!) Her husband converted a year later in Rome.

She was born in 1882 into an aristocratic family in Russia, and after their conversion, they began to spread their faith throughout the intelligentsia in Russia. During their honeymoon, she and her husband, Vladimir experienced a great vision that catalyzed their conversion:

Looking at the people walking about, they suddenly saw walking skeletons with torn clothes instead of real persons. They started thinking of their spiritual life, neglected up to that moment, and they became fervent Catholics.

In 1913, Anna entered the Third Order Dominicans and started an apostolate to help young women who were ostracized from their families for embracing the Catholic faith (which, as you may know, is not very popular among the Russians -- who proudly adhere to their Orthodox faith). She and her husband both entered religious life in 1917 when Anna -- now known as 'Mother Yekaterina' (Russian for Catherine after St. Catherine of Sienna) -- began a Dominican community in Moscow.

In 1922, her husband, who had been ordained a priest, was sentenced to death by shooting by the Russian Communist police. One year later, she too was arrested:

On 11 November 1923 Anna Abrikosova, the sisters and some of the parishioners were arrested. The tribunal sentenced Mother Yekaterina and the oldest sister 10 years in jail, three of the other sisters to from 5 to 8 years in a labour camp, and the others to 3 years’ exile in Siberia. Their time in jail and the camps is an example of pure love and sacrifice for outcasts, petty criminals and syphilitics. In August 1932 Anna Abrikosova was transferred to the hospital of Butyrka prison and underwent an operation for cancer; after the operation she was confined to Kostroma.

One year later, Mother Yekaterina was arrested again and accused of leading a counterrevolutionary terrorist organization plotting to assassinate Stalin.

She was condemned to 8 years in jail but her condition deteriorated and on 23 July 1936 she died of cancer in the hospital prison, aged 54.

She is known to have said before she died: “Christ desires now in Russia the individual sacrifice of those who…go as lambs to the slaughter….Obedience until our death upon the cross, together with humility — these are the two virtues I preach to the sisters.”

Her death and her witness to the world in a time of darkness is similar to the death and witness of my namesake, Edith Stein. Both of them women of God's fortitude and blazing examples of women warriors!

See article here for more information.

Magdalene Novena: Day 4

St. Mary Magdalene by the hand of Paul Drozdowski


Meditation: Song of Songs 3: 1b-3

I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and found him not. I will rise, and will go about the city: in the streets and the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, and I found him not. The watchmen who keep the city, found me: Have you seen him, whom my soul loveth?

St. John Chrysostom, Homily on St. Matthew's Gospel #88

"And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre." For what purpose do these wait by it? As yet they knew nothing great, as was meet, and high about Him, wherefore also they had brought ointments, and were waiting at the tomb, so that if the madness of the Jews should relax, they might go and embrace the body. Do you see women's courage? Do you see their affection? Do you see their noble spirit in money? Their noble spirit even unto death? Let us men imitate the women; let us not forsake Jesus in temptations. For they for Him even dead spent so much and exposed their lives.

Saint Mary Magdalene,
woman of many sins, who by conversion
became the beloved of Jesus,
thank you for your witness
that Jesus forgives
through the miracle of love.

You, who already possess eternal happiness
in His glorious presence,
please intercede for me, so that some day
I may share in the same everlasting joy. Amen.

Our Father.
Hail Mary.
Glory Be.

---- ---- ----
View the full itinerary of the Relic of Mary Magdalene here.

To find out more about this relic, please click here.

To find out more about our reasons for saying this novena, or to submit prayer requests and follow the progress of the novena click here

Madgalene Novena: Day 3

Mary and Martha by Caravaggio, 1598
Meditation: Luke 10: 38-42

Now it came to pass as they went, that he entered into a certain town: and a certain woman named Martha, received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sitting also at the Lord's feet, heard his word. But Martha was busy about much serving. Who stood and said: Lord, hast thou no care that my sister hath left me alone to serve? speak to her therefore, that she help me.

And the Lord answering, said to her: Martha, Martha, thou art careful, and art troubled about many things: But one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part, which shall not be taken away from her.

St. Teresa of Avilà, The Interior Castle VII: 4

He said that Mary had chosen the better part. The answer is that she had already performed the task of Martha, pleasing the Lord by washing His feet and drying them with her hair. Do you think it would be a small mortification for a woman of nobility like her to wander through these streets (and perhaps alone because her fervent love made her unaware of what she was doing) and enter a house she had never entered before and afterward suffer the criticism of the Pharisee and the very many other things she must have suffered? . . . I tell you sisters, the better part came after many trials and much mortification . . . the many trials that afterward she suffered in the death of the Lord and in the years that she subsequently lived in His absence must have been a torment. You see she wasn’t always in the delight of contemplation at the feet of the Lord.

Saint Mary Magdalene,
woman of many sins, who by conversion
became the beloved of Jesus,
thank you for your witness
that Jesus forgives
through the miracle of love.

You, who already possess eternal happiness
in His glorious presence,
please intercede for me, so that some day
I may share in the same everlasting joy. Amen.

Our Father.
Hail Mary.
Glory Be.

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