Monday, October 29, 2012

The Triumph of Christianity and what it means roughly 2,000 years later



The video and following news report is from RomeReports.com:

October 28th marks a special anniversary. It was on that day, 1,700 years ago that Emperor Constantine won the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. That victory, opened a new chapter for Christianity, since the night before, it's said that Constantine had a vision.

EDMUND MAZZA
Professor of Azusa Pacific University, Los Angeles (USA)

“He won that victory because he used the sign of Jesus. The letters of Jesus' name and he put that on the shields of all his soldiers. Before that, he had a vision that night, that said in this sign you will conquer. He put that symbol on all his soldiers. They went into battle and even though he was outnumbered, he was victorious.”

Roughly 300 years before this battle, Christians were openly persecuted by the Roman Empire.

After this battle though, Constantine legalized Christianity and the construction of churches quickly followed. This radical shift is commonly referred to as the Triumph of the Church.

But what exactly can the modern world learn from that victory? This and other topics were discussed during a forum titled 'Mary, Sign of Faith.' Edmund Mazza, who co-chaired the forum says, secularism and politics are once again marginalizing Christians.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Prayers for Hurricane Season

Photograph by Loci B. Lenar

Prayers from the Archdiocese of New Orleans

Prayers for protection from storms, to prevent storms and to avert storms.

Prayer for Hurricane Season 
    
O God, Master of this passing world, hear the humble voices of your children. The Sea of Galilee obeyed your order and returned to its former quietude; you are still the Master of land and sea. We live in the shadow of a danger over which we have no control. The Gulf, like a provoked and angry giant, can awake from its seeming lethargy, overstep its conventional boundaries, invade our land and spread chaos and disaster. During this hurricane season, we turn to You, O loving Father. Spare us from past tragedies whose memories are still so vivid and whose wounds seem to refuse to heal with the passing of time. O Virgin, Star of the Sea, Our Beloved Mother, we ask you to plead with your Son in our behalf, so that spared from the calamities common to this area and animated with a true spirit of gratitude, we will walk in the footsteps of your Divine Son to reach the heavenly Jerusalem where a storm-less eternity awaits us. Amen.

Originally dedicated to the victims of Hurricane Audrey in 1957. - Fr. Al Volpe, Cameron Parish, LA 
 
Prayer for Protection against Storms and Hurricanes

Our Father in Heaven through the intercession of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, spare us during this Hurricane season from all harm. Protect us and our homes from all disasters of nature. Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
Prayer to Avert Storms and Hurricanes
 
Father, all the elements of nature obey your command. Calm the storms and hurricanes that threaten us and turn our fear of your power into praise of your goodness. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Faith on Display at the 2012 World Series



CBN TV - Video

The 2012 World Series is in full swing and CBN Sports goes behind the scenes to highlight stories of faith from both the Detroit and San Francisco club houses.

Heidi Baker: Modern-Day Miracles



CBN TV - Video

'Iris Ministries' founder Heidi Baker shares news about Mozambique miracles.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Pope to canonize seven new Saints in St. Peter's Square



The video and following news report is from RomeReports.com:

On Sunday, October 21st, the Pope will canonize seven new saints. Four of them are women and three are men. They're all from different countries and lived in different time periods, but they all have one thing in common: they dedicated their lives to communicating the faith in their own unique way.

Among the new saints, are two martyrs: Jacques Berthieu (1838-1896), who was killed in Madagascar and Peter Calungsod, who was killed in the Philippines in 1672.

Two others dedicated their life to teaching education: Carmen Sallés (1848-1911) was a pioneer in women's education and Giovanni Piamarta Battista (1841-1913) taught marginalized youths a marketable trade.

The three other saints offered their pain and suffering to God. Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680) was a Native American woman who helped the sick, even as she dealt with her own illness.  Mother Marianne Cope (1838-1918) worked with lepers in Hawaii. Anna Schäffer (1884-1925) was sick most of her adult life. Despite being  bedridden, through her words and letters she inspired people far beyond her native Germany. 


People need to believe in miracles, says woman cured of infection

The following excerpt is from the Catholic News Service:

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Though she had always believed in miracles, Sharon Smith never dreamed she would be the recipient of one.

Her unexplained recovery from a near fatal infection in 2005 was the second miracle that cleared the way for the Oct. 21 canonization of Blessed Marianne Cope.

Smith will present Pope Benedict XVI a relic of Blessed Marianne -- a bone fragment housed in a wooden tau cross, or T-shaped cross that is the symbol of St. Francis, the inspiration of Mother Marianne's congregation.

A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Smith fainted in her home one day in 2005 and woke up two months later in St. Joseph's Hospital, her body perforated by tubes as doctors fought to keep her hydrated and alive. She had been diagnosed with pancreatitis, but the inflammation soon caused an infection so severe, it ate away part of her gastrointestinal tract.

Her doctor told her that July, "Sharon, you're not going to make it," she told
Catholic News Service in Rome Oct.19. She and about 90 others from the Diocese of Syracuse, including Bishop Robert J. Cunningham, came to Rome for the canonization.

Smith recalled that a friend visiting her at the hospital was given a prayer card of Mother Marianne and told to pray for her intercession. Mother Marianne had been beatified by Pope Benedict in May 2005.

"My friends told me they prayed for me the night before they were going to just disconnect me" from the respirator, "and they prayed to Mother Marianne for me," she said.

The next day, "I woke up in the morning and started talking," she said.

Though she could breathe on her own, the infection was still severe.

St. Francis Sister Michaeleen Cabral and other members of the community soon started praying for Blessed Marianne's intercession.


Read More: People Need to Believe in Miracles