Lent 2012

Lent 2012 offers a rare way to honor Mary and Jesus at same time

• 

The Pieta, Michelangelo's masterpiece in St. Peter's Basilica… (Mark Harden)

February 22, 2012|By Rene Lynch

Lent 2012 offers observant Catholics and other Christians a unique opportunity to honor the sacrifices of Jesus Christ by first honoring his mother, Mary.

Because of a quirky series of calender coincidences, Christians can use this year's Lent to also follow in the footsteps of St. Louis-Marie de Montfort. He was a French priest known for his deep commitment to Mary, and came up with a series of short prayers and spiritual practices to honor her called the Total Consecration.

• This year, the Catholic calendar lines up so that both Lent and the Total Consecration start on the same day. The next time that happens will be 2075, Father Ryan Wayne Erlenbush told The Times.
  It is a unique opportunity to do both," said Erlenbush, a Catholic priest within the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, Mont., who also blogs in his spare time at The New Theological Movement. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make it our best Lent ever.

Lent recalls the time that Jesus spent in the desert fasting, praying and fending off temptation. Today, many Christians observe the same 40-day period of self-sacrifice and introspection starting on Ash Wednesday. It all leads up to the single most important holiday on the Christian calendar, Easter.

St. Louis-Marie de Montfort, who died in 1716 and was elevated to sainthood in 1947, believed that the best way to honor Christ was through his mother. For those wishing to follow the Total Consecration, Erlenbush plans to post all the prayers and details on his blog.

"The Total Consecration has only fit together with the beginning of Lent 12 times since de Montfort's death, and it will not happen again until 2075. Hence, this is truly a most rare opportunity for us to consecrate this Lent to Jesus through Mary," Erlenbush wrote on his blog.

Victor Cuvo

Attorney at Law

770.582.9904

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Victor Cuvo

Attorney at Law

770.582.9904

Fwd: Minute Meditations - Inbox Edition (February 23 2012)

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Victor Cuvo, Attorney at Law

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Minute Meditations" <goodnews@americancatholic.org>
Date: February 23, 2012 6:05:02 AM EST
To: Vacuvo@yahoo.com <Vacuvo@yahoo.com>
Subject: Minute Meditations - Inbox Edition (February 23 2012)
Reply-To: "Minute Meditations" <goodnews@americancatholic.org>

Thursday, February 23, 2012 Previous Day    Next Day Redemptive Suffering I pray for everyone who is facing pain so that each person may come to realize the redemptive value of suffering by union with Christ's passion. I pray for all Christians who suffer for their faith in Christ. May the frustrations I experience be balanced by the comfort I receive from Christ, whose graces sustain me. Amen. — from The Challenge of the Cross Help us support this inbox edition of Minute Meditations. Also, try other e-newsletters from St. Anthony Messenger Press, including Saint of the Day. Copyright (c) 1996-2010 St. Anthony Messenger Press. All rights reserved. 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Unsubscribe

Fwd: Saint of the Day (February 23, 2012) - St. Polycarp

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Victor Cuvo, Attorney at Law

Begin forwarded message:

From: "AmericanCatholic.org" <goodnews@americancatholic.org>
Date: February 23, 2012 6:06:39 AM EST
To: Vacuvo@yahoo.com <Vacuvo@yahoo.com>
Subject: Saint of the Day  (February 23, 2012) - St. Polycarp
Reply-To: "AmericanCatholic.org" <goodnews@americancatholic.org>

Thursday, February 23, 2012 St. Polycarp (d. 156) Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna (modern Izmir, Turkey), disciple of St. John the Apostle and friend of St. Ignatius of Antioch was a revered Christian leader during the first half of the second century. St. Ignatius, on his way to Rome to be martyred, visited Polycarp at Smyrna, and later at Troas wrote him a personal letter. The Asia Minor Churches recognized Polycarp's leadership by choosing him as a representative to discuss with Pope Anicetus the date of the Easter celebration in Rome—a major controversy in the early Church. Only one of the many letters written by Polycarp has been preserved, the one he wrote to the Church of Philippi in Macedonia. At 86, Polycarp was led into the crowded Smyrna stadium to be burned alive. The flames did not harm him and he was finally killed by a dagger. The centurion ordered the saint's body burned. The "Acts" of Polycarp's martyrdom are the earliest preserved, fully reliable account of a Christian martyr's death. He died in 156. Comment: Polycarp was recognized as a Christian leader by all Asia Minor Christians—a strong fortress of faith and loyalty to Jesus Christ. His own strength emerged from his trust in God, even when events contradicted this trust. Living among pagans and under a government opposed to the new religion, he led and fed his flock. Like the Good Shepherd, he laid down his life for his sheep and kept them from more persecution in Smyrna. He summarized his trust in God just before he died: "Father... I bless Thee, for having made me worthy of the day and the hour... ." (Martyrdom, Chapter 14). Quote: "Stand fast, therefore, in this conduct and follow the example of the Lord, 'firm and unchangeable in faith, lovers of the brotherhood, loving each other, united in truth,' helping each other with the mildness of the Lord, despising no man" (Polycarp, Letter to the Philippians). (This entry appears in the print edition of Saint of the Day.) CLICK HERE FOR PRINT VERSION If you are having difficulty listening to Saint of the Day audio, or need help setting up an audio player, go to our Audio Help page for more information. SHARE THIS EMAIL: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Digg MySpace Check out all our fine free e-newsletters from Franciscan Media: 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 Copyright© 1996-2012 Franciscan Media. All rights reserved. Unsubscribe

Fwd: Novena to the Holy Ghost: Day 2 - The Gift of Fear

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Victor Cuvo, Attorney at Law

Begin forwarded message:

From: "About.com Catholicism Guide" <catholicism.guide@about.com>
Date: February 23, 2012 8:07:48 AM EST
To: vacuvo@yahoo.com
Subject: Novena to the Holy Ghost: Day 2 - The Gift of Fear

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Novena to the Holy Ghost Day 2 - The Gift of Fear From Scott P. Richert, your Guide to Catholicism Welcome to the second day of your daily e-mail to aid you in praying the Novena to the Holy Ghost. The Novena is a nine-day series of prayers that recalls the original novena prayed by the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday. You should receive one e-mail each day to remind you to pray the prayers for that day. You will find links to each day's prayers below, as well as some extra resources each day to help you learn more about the Holy Spirit, the Ascension, and Pentecost. Prayer for Today Verse, Meditation, and Prayer for the Second Day On the second day of the Novena to the Holy Ghost, we pray for the first of the gifts of the Holy Spirit: fear of the Lord. The meditation and the prayer for today both remind us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Prayers for Every Day of the Novena Our Father Next, recite the Our Father, the prayer that Our Lord taught us to say. Hail Mary Then, recite the Hail Mary, the best-known prayer to the Blessed Virgin, who joined the Apostles in praying the original novena to the Holy Ghost between Christ's Ascension and Pentecost. Glory Be Now, recite the Glory Be, a symbol of our faith in the Trinity, seven times (a perfect number, and the number of the gifts of the Holy Spirit). Act of Consecration to the Holy Ghost Then, make the Act of Consecration to the Holy Ghost, in which we implore the Holy Spirit for the grace to avoid sin. Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost Finally, pray the Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost, in which we ask Christ to send His Spirit to complete His work in our souls. Learn About Today's Gift of the Holy Spirit The Gift of the Fear of the Lord Perhaps no other gift of the Holy Spirit is so misunderstood as the gift of the fear of the Lord. Learn why this gift is intimately connected with the theological virtue of hope. More Prayers to the Holy Spirit Come Holy Spirit Prayer to the Holy Spirit ought to be part of our daily prayer life. This well-known prayer is very easy to memorize (especially the first verse, which can be recited by itself throughout the day) and is well suited both to private prayer and to communal prayer--prayer with our families, for instance. This email is written by: Scott P. Richert Catholicism Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Missing a lesson? Click here. About U. is our collection of free online courses designed to help you learn a new skill, solve a problem, get something done, or just learn more about your world. Sign up now, and we will email you lessons on a daily or weekly basis. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the About.com 'Novena to the Holy Ghost' email. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement