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TUESDAY
September 29, 1998
SECTION TWO vol 9, no. 190
To print out entire text of Today's issue, print this section as well as SECTION ONE
LITURGY FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
Today is the Feast of the Archangels Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel and Saint Raphael while tomorrow, the last day in September, is the feast of that noted Doctor of the Church Saint Jerome. For the readings, liturgies, meditations and vignettes of these saints for both days, click on LITURGY FOR THE DAY.
Tuesday, September 29, 1998
Tuesday September 29:
FEAST OF THE ARCHANGELS: Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel, and Saint Raphael
White vestments
First Reading: Daniel 7: 9-10, 13-14 or Revelation/Apocalypse 12: 7-12
Psalms: Psalm 138: 1-5
Gospel Reading: John 1: 47-51
FEAST OF THE ARCHANGELS SAINT MICHAEL, SAINT GABRIEL, AND SAINT RAPHAEL
This feast combines the three known Archangels. In past liturgical times Saint Gabriel's feast was fittingly celebrated on the eve of the Annunciation, March 24 and Saint Raphael's feast was observed on October 21. September 29 had always been Saint Michael's feast day until the revision after Vatican II. Since then poor St. Michael, which means in Hebrew "He who is like God", has been lumped with the other two who have been deprived of their previous feasts. Be that as it may, it is still a glorious day when we celebrate the greatness and august majesty God granted to these winged warriors so close and loyal to the Almighty. St. Michael has the most biblical references, specifically chapters 10 and 11 of Daniel and Apocalypse/Revelation 12:7-9 as well as the very brief St. Jude 1:9. Devotion and the "legend"of this mightiest of Angels took root after the Saracens were defeated by the prayerful Lombards. Later the Benedictines spread devotion to St. Michael with the magnificent "Seventh wonder of the world" Mont-Saint-Michel Monastery in Normandy on the French coast. There have been many reports of St. Michael appearing to numerous visionaries throughout the centuries, specifically at Fatima and Garabandal, but the most famous appearance seems to be the vision Pope Leo XIII had of St. Michael. On October 13, 1884 while the Holy Father was descending the steps at St. Peter's after saying Mass for a group of Cardinals, he suddenly collapsed in ecstacy. A doctor was summoned immediately to assist the frail Pope but he couldn't even get a heart beat. To all present the pontiff was dead and just as they were to pronounce such Leo awoke as if in a deep sleep. He sat up terribly distressed in a "frightful agony of spirit." The cause of this was the prophetic vision he had while in this ecstasy between Jesus and the devil who was bargaining with the Lord for more time in which to destroy His Church. Leo was given to understand that, though God had granted satan the next 100 years or so, in the end he would be crushed and defeated. Leo was mystically given the role St. Michael would play in this conflict and inspired to pen the beautiful Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel which he and all the pontiffs up through Vatican II decreed be said by the celebrant at the end of each Mass. Because the modernists sacked the rich Latin liturgy and watered down so much, the prayer was phased out giving satan an open door to enter into the sanctuary as Pope Paul VI so stated on his deathbed.
Saint Gabriel, of course, is the archangel who appeared to Mary announcing that she had been chosen most blessed among all women as the Mother of God. This is documented in the first chapter of Luke as well as Gabriel's prophecy to Zecharia or Zachary about the birth of his son Saint John the Baptist. There is also mention of Gabriel in Daniel 8: 16 and 9: 21. Gabriel in Hebrew means "Power of God". In the Syriac Church Gabriel is placed highest among the angels. Gabriel is considered the patron of couriers and communication workers.
The least known of the three, Saint Raphael is mentioned in the Book of Tobit 12:12-15 where the Archangel identifies himself with the "seven archangels who stand before the Lord." In Hebrew his name translates to "God heals." He is the angel who "healed" the earth from defilement of the sins wrought by the fallen angels. He is considered the patron of the blind and of travelers.
Wednesday, September 30, 1998
First Reading: Job 1: 6-22
Psalms: Psalm 17: 1-3, 6-7
Gospel Reading: Luke 9: 46-50
Feast of Saint Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Born of wealthy parents in Dalmatia, which is today the former Yugoslavia, Jerome was given the opportunity to study at the great universities. He chose Rome, studying the languages. Through his intellectual curiosity towards literature, Christian writings and Scripture, he came to realize the Truth and was baptized in 360 by Pope Liberius himself. Jerome, yearning for more, gave up the pagan culture and the social trappings and sought the life of a hermit for four years where he studied Hebrew which he later called "the language of hissing and broken-winded words." At the conclusion of this seclusion, he became a priest around 379 and journeyed to Constantinople where he studied Scripture with St. Gregory Nazianzus as his tutor. When Gregory retired as Bishop of Constantinople and left for Asia Minor, Jerome was drawn to Rome where, accompanied by Bishop Paulinus, he was introduced to Pope Saint Damasus I. So taken was the pontiff that he appointed Jerome as his secretary and commissioned him to undertake his greatest contribution: translating the Greek and Hebrew texts of Sacred Scripture into Latin. At that time the language of the common people of the empire in the west was Latin, yet most of the writings had been in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic and thus understandable only to the learned. Urged on by Pope Damasus, Jerome accepted the tremendous task of translating the entire bible into Latin to which we are all grateful for the Latin Vulgate Edition of St. Jerome. It took great skill and discernment to express the meaning of the Word of God in Latin and to know which words to choose. Jerome was given another gift, that of being able to express the Word in the simplest and most meaningful way and honing in even more on the true essence of all that was written by the prophets and evangelists. Within a short time the people were able to read and understand the "Good News" of the New Testament. This played a major role in the people rejecting the heresy of Arianism in the West for they could now read first hand the truth. While he was working on this massive project, Jerome had also become spiritual director to three holy women who had come from nobility but wanted more than the world offered. Many believe these ladies - Marcella, Paula and Eustochia were the first religious nuns. Because of her wealth and strong faith, Paula built a monastery in Bethlehem for the women to live and when Damasus died in 384 Jerome graciously declined Pope Saint Siricus’ offer to stay on as secretary, opting instead to become full time spiritual director at the Bethlehem monastery where he could also devote more time to translating the greater part of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Latin. For nine years from 393 to 404 many Arian clergymen sought to discredit him and cast scandal on Jerome, the sisters, and the Church but Jerome, through his faithfulness and the grace of God, withstood these attacks and staunchly defended the orthodox doctrine of his faith. He had intended to return to Rome at the urging of Pope Saint Innocent I who was elected the 40th successor to Peter on December 22, 401 but in 404 two events occurred. First, Sister Paula died, saddening Jerome and, after much prayer, decided to stay on at the monastery; and secondly, he received the terrible news that Rome was being sacked by the Goth Alaric and he prayed intensely for the Holy Father’s safety and all of the Roman people, some of whom, in 410, had sought shelter at the monastery when the Saracens invaded Palestine. Jerome interrupted his work on Ezekiel to take the Roman refugees in, taking the opportunity to teach them all he knew during the decade they were together for in 420 he died near the age of 90 and was buried in the monastery which had now also become a hospice for many and would soon be the site for the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It’s interesting to note that during this period in history when Jerome translated the bible into Latin, Ufila, the Bishop of the Western Goths, was doing the same. Translating the Latin into Gothic.
PRAYERS & DEVOTION
Today's prayer honors Saint Michael, the most famous of the archangels and the prayer is the one composed by Pope Leo XIII which was recited after every Holy Mass until Vatican II eliminated this vital prayer:
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O prince of the Heavenly Host, by the Power of God, cast into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
We continue with the Nine Day Novena to Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus with the seventh day by clicking on NOVENA
Novena to the Little Flower
To be prayed nine days in a row
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the Heavenly Gardens and send it to me as a message of love.
O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God today to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands...
(Here mention specific requests)
St. Therese, help me to always beleive as you did, in God's great love for me, so that I might imitate your "Little Way" each day. Amen.
Events Today in Church History
For events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES: TIME CAPSULES
Historical Events in Church Annals for September 29:
Feast of the Archangels - Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel and Saint Raphael
440 A.D.
Election of Pope Saint Leo I, 45th successor of Peter whose pontificate lasted 21 years. He is called the "Leo the Great" because of his energetic work in maintaining the unity of the Church. He called the 4th and 5th Ecumenical Councils and defined the mystery of the Incarnation. But the one thing he is most remembered for is turning away the dreaded Attila the Hun - the "Scourge of God" at the gates of Rome through Divine intervention.
1179 A.D.
Cardinal Lando is chosen to be the antipope Innocent III during the legitimate reign of Pope Alexander III. Lando was chosen to succeed the second of three antipopes Callistus III who died a year earlier. Alexander conquered Innocent and confined him to a the Benedictine Abbey of SS. Trinita of La Cava in Salerno for life where he died of old age.
1623 A.D.
Cardinal Maffeo Barberini is chosen as Pope Urban VIII, 235th successor of Peter. He carried out the work on the sacred texts - the Pontifical and the Breviary. Galileo Galilei was condemned during his pontificate. His papacy lasted 21 years.
1932 A.D.
Pope Pius XI issues his 23rd encyclical Acerba animi dealing with the persecution of the Church in Mexico.
1937 A.D.
Pope Pius XI ushers his final encylical - his 30th on the Rosary Ingravescentibus malis.
1963 A.D.
Pope Paul VI reconvenes the Second Vatican Council, opening the second session in Rome.
1967 A.D.
Pope Paul VI calls the first Bishops Synod worldwide that would last for exactly one month.
WORLDWIDE
NEWS & VIEWS
with a Catholic slant
HEADLINES:
Croatian Catholics respond to criticism of Cardinal Stepinac
Responding to criticism from Jewish factions trying to pressure Pope John Paul II from beatifying the controversial Cardinal Stepinac, Archbishop of Zagreb, the president of Croatia spoke out strongly in favor of Stepinac denouncing accusations that Alojzije (Aloysius) was a fascist and pro-Nazi. President Franjo Tudjman vociferously defended the Cardinal, emphasizing he was against all atrocities be they fascist or communist and for the Croation people whom he loved. For more, click on Croatian Cardinal.
CROATIANS DEFEND WWII-ERA CARDINAL AGAINST ACCUSATIONS
ZAGREB (CWNews.com) - Croatia's president on Sunday
rebuffed attempts by international groups to block this
week's beatification of a wartime cardinal, defending his
support of the Nazi-backed Croatian World War II government.
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman told the Catholic
magazine Mi in an article published on Sunday that Cardinal
Alojzije Stepinac did not support the Croatian government's
fascist tactics. "Stepinac supported the right of the
Croatian people to have their own state," Tudjman said.
"But he decisively opposed ... fascist methods."
While the cardinal initially backed the government of Ante
Pavelic, by 1942 he was denouncing its genocidal policies
and repression of freedoms. His own journals, and current
studies, detail his efforts to save the lives of Serbs,
Jews, and Gypsies targeted by the government.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Paris last week called on
Pope John Paul II to delay his planned beatification of the
cardinal, scheduled for this weekend, until now-closed
Vatican archives can be examined by a third-party. The
Vatican has in the past refused to open its secret
archives, saying they contain details of private,
sacramental matters. Some Serbs and Jews continue to view
Cardinal Stepinac as a war criminal, and after the war he
was tried by Yugoslavia's Communist government and
sentenced to jail. He died under house arrest in 1962.
More nuns beaten in India as persecution continues
On the heels of beatings and rape of four nuns in a convent in central India, another incident occurred over the weekend when armed thugs broke into a New Delhi convent of Clarist Sisters and beat thirty nuns before over a three hour period before fleeing the premises. Fortunately no rapes were reported, but nevertheless Catholics are in an uproar over the indignity and violence being perpetrated on the Religious of this region. For more, click on Outrage in India.
ANOTHER INDIA CONVENT ATTACKED
NEW DELHI, India (CWNews.com) - Armed thugs entered a
convent near New Delhi and beat the nuns living there, one
day after four nuns were raped by a gang in central India,
the Press Trust of India reported on Saturday.
The gang beat the nuns and desecrated the chapel in convent
belong to the Clarist order on Thursday. The approximately
30 nuns in the convent were terrorized for about three
hours, but none were raped, the report said.
On Wednesday, about 20 armed men broke into a convent in a
village in central India, dragged four nuns to farm fields
nearby and raped them. The attack elicited outraged
protests from the country's Catholics, demanding increased
police protection for Catholic institutions and new
government policies denouncing such attacks.
One year anniversary of Umbrian Earthquake commemorated in Assisi
This past Sunday marked the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that shook Assisi and the Umbrian Region, causing extensive damage to many buildings including the Basilica of Saint Francis. The citizens commemorated the event with a Solemn Mass presided by the Archbishop in which all remembered the two Franciscans and two workers who were crushed by the falling debree - massive frescoes that are still being repaired. For more, click on Assisi.
ITALIANS MARK QUAKE ANNIVERSARY
ASSISI, Italy (CWNews.com) - Italian Catholics gathered at
the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi on Sunday to mark the
one-year anniversary of an earthquake that damaged the
church and to memorialize the four victims who died when
part of the ceiling collapsed.
Archbishop Giovanni Battista Re celebrated a Mass for 1,500
people in the square outside the basilica. On September 26,
1997, earthquakes in central Italy killed 10 people and
left thousands homeless, while also damaging historically
significant buildings and artwork. "The truly difficult
wounds to heal are those that the earthquake has left
inside those who experienced it," the archbishop said.
One of the quakes on that caused part of the 13th-century
ceiling to collapse, killing two engineers, a friar, and a
brother preparing to take his final vows.
UN up to their old tricks again. Don't be tricked at trick or treat time.
The next time some unsuspecting child pushes a UNICEF can in your face trying to lure you into putting money into it for the children, let them know it's not for the children because UNICEF doesn't believe in children, nor do the organizations WHO (World Health Organization) and other conglomerations who promote population control, a nice euphenism for Birth Control and Abortion. Halloween is a holiday where death is exalted in the scary goblins and UNICEF's traditional fund-raising ploys during that time would fit right in with the theme they're really promoting - the culture of death. For more, click on Spooky UN
THREE UN GROUPS UNITE BEHIND POPULATION CONTROL AGENDA
UNITED NATIONS (CWNews.com) - Three major United Nations
organizations announced last week that they had formed a
new Coordinating Committee on Health (CCH) which will
include a strong focus on population control measures,
including abortion and contraception.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) invited the United Nations
Population Fund (UNFPA) to become a full partner in the
three-agency CCH. The newly-formed committee then announced
its agenda which included "adolescent health" and "safe
motherhood" with references in relating the topic to
"reproductive health" which includes abortion and
contraception. UNFPA director Dr. Nafis Sadik said CCH
placed reproductive health as "an essential component of
any minimum package of health services."
The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, which
actively monitors and lobbies at the UN, reported that
UNICEF already supports population control policies as
evidenced by its 1998 annual report. The "Progress of
Nations" report alleges that "at least 10% of girls aged 15
to 19 have an unmet need for family planning services,"
according to data obtained from the Alan Guttmacher
Institute, the research arm for the US Planned Parenthood
Federation.
For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site. CWN is not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provides this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.
PROVERB OF THE DAY
"A single reprimand does more for a man of intelligence than a hundred lashes for a fool."
Proverbs 17: 10
Click here to return to SECTION ONE or click here to return to the graphics front page of this issue.
September 29, 1998 volume 9, no. 190 DAILY CATHOLIC
