We honor the first female Doctor of the Church today: Saint Teresa of Avila

      Today we celebrate the Feast of one of the two first women Doctors of the Church Saint Teresa of Avila who accomplished so much in reforming the Carmelites. The other saint who was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970 was Saint Catherine of Siena. Tomorrow is the Twenty-eighth Friday and the Feasts of Saint Hedwig, wife, mother and religious, and Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, virgin, religious and mystic messenger. For today and tomorrow's liturgies, meditations and vignettes on these saints, click on LITURGY FOR THE DAY

PRAYERS & DEVOTION

     Today's prayer is taken from the Preface of the Mass from the Carmelite Missal honoring Saint Teresa of Jesus:

Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give You thanks as we honor St. Teresa, on whom You bestowed such gifts of nature and grace. You espoused her to Christ, her Divine Friend, Who taught her to be zealous in prayer and penance for the unity and the holiness of the Church. You endowed her with the wisdom of the saints to be our guide on the way of perfection and the spiritual mother of a new family in Carmel.

God has placed signs at every intersection of history through private revelation

     In our fifth part of the series on SIGNS OF GOD'S MERCY AND JUSTICE we look to the fact that all through history the Almighty has given us signs to follow and to keep us on the straight and narrow through the means of private revelation - from so many of the great saints like Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Dominic to the saint we celebrate today Saint Teresa of Avila to tons and tons of other saints and messengers over the centuries it has been through private revelation that orders and devotions have been established, sacred movements generated and the results have been a drawing closer to Jesus and all He has taught through Divine Revelation with the road signs of private revelation. For the Eightieth installment of this on-going megaseries, click on WHERE IS HOLY MOTHER CHURCH HEADING AS WE NEAR THE MILLENNIUM?.

"See the Signs of God upon you and return to His Embrace"

     Those are the words from the Blessed Mother Mary in message 234 to the Hidden Flower of the Immaculate Heart, which we bring you today. Our Lady urges her children to "to keep guard over their minds and their tongues. These are powerful tools that the evil one uses. By means of them he whispers his lies and the uttered words cause division and grave harm to all of my children.". In both message 234 and 235 Our Lady reminds us to be watchful and pray for satan will stop at nothing to deceive us and try to get us to misinterpret the Heavenly signs, causing us to detour and to get lost in worldly things that do not guide us to salvation. Click on "I SOLEMNLY TELL YOU..."

You never know when the Pope himself might call!

     Can you imagine the surprise on the face of Italian television host Bruno Vespa, who was hosting a special program on the 20th Anniversary of Pope John Paul II's pontificate, when he heard his producer say: "the Pope on line one" and sure enough it really was the Supreme Pontiff himself? That's exactly what happened when, in the spontaneity of the moment, His Holiness had his personal secretary Monsignor Stanislaw Dziwisz dial the show from his Papal quarters at the Vatican so he could express his personal thanks to the show's efforts and the people. Talk about a ratings bonanza without ever planning it! The show was filled with many celebrities and prominent figures including a few surprises such as a report that the East German's had planted within the Vatican a Benedictine monk as a spy during the eighties. For more, click on Call in.

Final message from Our Lady to Georgia visonary urges faithful to shun materialism as 100,000 crowd Conyers

     True to her word the Blessed Mother of God reportedly appeared for the final time to 50-year old Nancy Fowler in a crowded farm field in Conyers, Georgia where more than 100,000 packed together to hear what Our Lady would say on the 81st anniversary of the final apparition at Fatima. Part of what the Virgin Mary imparted was to urge her children to pray more and to shun materialism and strive to imitate her Divine Son Jesus. As of yet neither Archbishop John F. Donoghue or the Archdiocese of Atlanta has commented on the events Tuesday. For more, click on Final apparition.

Portrayal of Gay Christ in New York play infuriates the faithful as a mask of travesty and trajedy

      "Blasphemy! Sacrilegious! Obscene! A black mark on everything sacred!" Those were just a few of the responses from protesters angered at the portrayal of Jesus as a homosexual and the vile treatment of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Led by Catholic League president William Donahue, hundreds of Catholics and loyal Christians picketed the Manhattan Theater where the disgusting play "Corpus Christi" opened off Broadway in New York City after months of indecision and protests. The protests and play brought many Catholic bashers out of their holes to poke fun at the Church and criticize those who objected to this obscenity. That included an Episcopalian priest who is so far left of liberal one wonders how he can call himself a man of God is beyond the comprehension of many. For more, click on Mask of Travesty and Trajedy .

China up to its old tricks with revelation that more priests and religious have been detained for their faith

      Despite the announcement that the Chinese government has signed a human rights pact that assures freedom of religion for all, it is simply a sham especially in light of the news that a priest, nun and several laity were arrested, preventing from ministering to others or receiving the sacraments, being detained by Chinese authorities who are trying to force all Catholic citizens in China to be members of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Church which is controlled by the state and not in union with Rome. This kind of persecution is a direct violation against religious human rights which they have hoodwinked the world into thinking they adhere to from the fact-finding tour by a group of American clerics and politicians to the Clinton visit to last week's staged signing of the human rights pact. For more, click on China sham.

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