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The One Vow All Must Make
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Rich
Nov 25, 2022, 4:01:54 AM11/25/22
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The One Vow All Must Make
"Do not make vows and then neglect to keep them. What vow are we all
expected to make without distinction? The vow of believing in Christ,
hoping for eternal life from him and living a good life in keeping
with the ordinary norms of good conduct.
As for any other vows, let each of us make any we wish. But let us
also take care to observe the ones we have made!"
--St. Augustine--Commentary on Psalm 75, 16
Prayer: Lord, all that I am I am with your me
--St. Augustine--Sermon 16A, 6
<<>><<>><<>>
• November 25th - Blesseds Louis Martin & Marie-Zélie Guérin
By Miriam Díez i Bosch ROME, NOV. 25, 2008 Zenit.org
As if to emphasize that marriage is a vocation to holiness, the Church
will commemorate the feast of Blesseds Louis Martin and Marie-Zélie
Guérin, St. Thérèse's parents, on their wedding anniversary. Louis and
Marie-Azélie Martin were declared "venerable" on 26 March 1994 by Pope
John Paul II. They were beatified on 19 October 2008 by Jose Cardinal
Saraiva Martins, the legate of Pope Benedict XVI in the Basilique de
Sainte-Thérèse, Lisieux. The faithful are now invited to pray for a
miracle attributed to their joint and sole intercession. After such a
miracle is deemed credible by officials at the Congregation for Causes
of Saints in the Vatican, they can be counted among the saints of God.
ZENIT spoke with Eva Carlota Rava, a consecrated virgin and spiritual
theology professor at the Pontifical Lateran University, about the
beatification and what it means for married couples around the world.
We must first clarify--as has been done on several occasions--that the
basis of St. Thérèse's parents' beatification is not their daughter's
holiness but the heroic virtues they lived in their lives as spouses
and parents.
However, the beatification of the Martin spouses manifests the
importance of the family environment and the concrete education given,
for the formation of the children--an integral education sealed by the
life of faith, undoubtedly transmitted with words, but above all by
daily example. If, as Pius XI said, Thérèse is "the greatest saint of
modern times," this is explained in part by the extraordinary father
and mother she had. I was given the grace of being able to go to
Lisieux for the beatification and I think the joy of that day will
remain forever in those who were present. Although I have participated
in other beatifications, it was always in Rome. This was the first
time I could attend one in the blessed's place of origin, and that
made it more intimate. What impressed me most was the family
atmosphere of that day: There were people from very different places
and continents, not only from Europe but also from Africa and
Asia--all united by their common devotion to Thérèse and her parents,
as well as many young people and married couples with their children.
It seemed to be the celebration of one great family. Added to this is
the fact it was a brilliant day, mild, really spring-like, as Thérèse
would have liked....
Beginning with Pope John Paul II's pontificate, the Church became
increasingly interested in promoting the causes of laypeople who lived
their Christian faith by assuming all their temporal commitments in a
heroic way.
In general, blesseds and saints are remembered in the liturgy on the
day of their death. With the beatification of the Martin spouses, the
Church has established for the first time that the commemoration of
these spouses not be the day of their death, but of their marriage.
With this I understand that the Church wishes to point out the
importance of marital union as a way of sanctification and source of
elevation of society.
Although the Martins lived in a historic time and circumstances that
are very different from our own, their experience is an example for us
in many aspects. Above all, they teach us the truth of Jesus' words:
"Seek first the Kingdom of God and his justice and all the rest will
be given unto you." Indeed, they experienced the happiness of profound
and generous spousal and family Christian love and had the fortitude
necessary to face all the sacrifices. Although they suffered the loss
of four small children, the difficulties and demands of indispensable
work to support the family, and serious illnesses--she died of cancer
at 46 and her husband, then widowed, suffered from cerebral
arteriosclerosis--love, trust and gratitude among them and toward God
always prevailed.
Also an example for us is the way they were able to reconcile and face
the demands of often exhausting work with the family, educating each
one of their children with loving and firm dedication in religious
practice to overcome all obstacles.
Moreover, the Martin spouses’ show that the family is not an ambit (a
sphere of operation or influence; range; scope) closed in on itself
but open to others. They showed solicitude and help to all those who
entered into contact with them; women laborers who worked for the
family business, the domestic servants, the city's poor. In addition,
they gave witness of their Christian spirit by living the harsh
moments of the Franco-German war when it affected Alençon and its
surroundings, with patriotism and compassion, free of hatred.
Louis Martin and Marie-Zélie Guérin can give light and strength to
Christian spouses and parents to make their marital life a source of
joy and a way of holiness. They give witness to the fact that, when
the Christian family is animated by reciprocal love it is the ambit
where everyone--parents and children--can grow and develop to the
point of attaining holiness and thus make an irreplaceable
contribution to society and the Church.
Saint Quote:
In spiritual life, when you cease to climb, you begin to descend.
--Saint Bernard
Bible Quote:
"The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me,
these do, and the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:9)
<><><><>
Saint Anthony, Model of Perfection
Dear St. Anthony, you took the words of Jesus seriously,
"Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect."
The Church honors you as a Christian hero, a man wholly
dedicated to God's glory and the good of the redeemed. St.
Anthony, Model of Perfection, ask Jesus to strengthen my
good dispositions and to make me more like you, more like
Him. Obtain for me the other favors I need. (Name them.)
"Do not make vows and then neglect to keep them. What vow are we all
expected to make without distinction? The vow of believing in Christ,
hoping for eternal life from him and living a good life in keeping
with the ordinary norms of good conduct.
As for any other vows, let each of us make any we wish. But let us
also take care to observe the ones we have made!"
--St. Augustine--Commentary on Psalm 75, 16
Prayer: Lord, all that I am I am with your me
--St. Augustine--Sermon 16A, 6
<<>><<>><<>>
• November 25th - Blesseds Louis Martin & Marie-Zélie Guérin
By Miriam Díez i Bosch ROME, NOV. 25, 2008 Zenit.org
As if to emphasize that marriage is a vocation to holiness, the Church
will commemorate the feast of Blesseds Louis Martin and Marie-Zélie
Guérin, St. Thérèse's parents, on their wedding anniversary. Louis and
Marie-Azélie Martin were declared "venerable" on 26 March 1994 by Pope
John Paul II. They were beatified on 19 October 2008 by Jose Cardinal
Saraiva Martins, the legate of Pope Benedict XVI in the Basilique de
Sainte-Thérèse, Lisieux. The faithful are now invited to pray for a
miracle attributed to their joint and sole intercession. After such a
miracle is deemed credible by officials at the Congregation for Causes
of Saints in the Vatican, they can be counted among the saints of God.
ZENIT spoke with Eva Carlota Rava, a consecrated virgin and spiritual
theology professor at the Pontifical Lateran University, about the
beatification and what it means for married couples around the world.
We must first clarify--as has been done on several occasions--that the
basis of St. Thérèse's parents' beatification is not their daughter's
holiness but the heroic virtues they lived in their lives as spouses
and parents.
However, the beatification of the Martin spouses manifests the
importance of the family environment and the concrete education given,
for the formation of the children--an integral education sealed by the
life of faith, undoubtedly transmitted with words, but above all by
daily example. If, as Pius XI said, Thérèse is "the greatest saint of
modern times," this is explained in part by the extraordinary father
and mother she had. I was given the grace of being able to go to
Lisieux for the beatification and I think the joy of that day will
remain forever in those who were present. Although I have participated
in other beatifications, it was always in Rome. This was the first
time I could attend one in the blessed's place of origin, and that
made it more intimate. What impressed me most was the family
atmosphere of that day: There were people from very different places
and continents, not only from Europe but also from Africa and
Asia--all united by their common devotion to Thérèse and her parents,
as well as many young people and married couples with their children.
It seemed to be the celebration of one great family. Added to this is
the fact it was a brilliant day, mild, really spring-like, as Thérèse
would have liked....
Beginning with Pope John Paul II's pontificate, the Church became
increasingly interested in promoting the causes of laypeople who lived
their Christian faith by assuming all their temporal commitments in a
heroic way.
In general, blesseds and saints are remembered in the liturgy on the
day of their death. With the beatification of the Martin spouses, the
Church has established for the first time that the commemoration of
these spouses not be the day of their death, but of their marriage.
With this I understand that the Church wishes to point out the
importance of marital union as a way of sanctification and source of
elevation of society.
Although the Martins lived in a historic time and circumstances that
are very different from our own, their experience is an example for us
in many aspects. Above all, they teach us the truth of Jesus' words:
"Seek first the Kingdom of God and his justice and all the rest will
be given unto you." Indeed, they experienced the happiness of profound
and generous spousal and family Christian love and had the fortitude
necessary to face all the sacrifices. Although they suffered the loss
of four small children, the difficulties and demands of indispensable
work to support the family, and serious illnesses--she died of cancer
at 46 and her husband, then widowed, suffered from cerebral
arteriosclerosis--love, trust and gratitude among them and toward God
always prevailed.
Also an example for us is the way they were able to reconcile and face
the demands of often exhausting work with the family, educating each
one of their children with loving and firm dedication in religious
practice to overcome all obstacles.
Moreover, the Martin spouses’ show that the family is not an ambit (a
sphere of operation or influence; range; scope) closed in on itself
but open to others. They showed solicitude and help to all those who
entered into contact with them; women laborers who worked for the
family business, the domestic servants, the city's poor. In addition,
they gave witness of their Christian spirit by living the harsh
moments of the Franco-German war when it affected Alençon and its
surroundings, with patriotism and compassion, free of hatred.
Louis Martin and Marie-Zélie Guérin can give light and strength to
Christian spouses and parents to make their marital life a source of
joy and a way of holiness. They give witness to the fact that, when
the Christian family is animated by reciprocal love it is the ambit
where everyone--parents and children--can grow and develop to the
point of attaining holiness and thus make an irreplaceable
contribution to society and the Church.
Saint Quote:
In spiritual life, when you cease to climb, you begin to descend.
--Saint Bernard
Bible Quote:
"The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me,
these do, and the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:9)
<><><><>
Saint Anthony, Model of Perfection
Dear St. Anthony, you took the words of Jesus seriously,
"Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect."
The Church honors you as a Christian hero, a man wholly
dedicated to God's glory and the good of the redeemed. St.
Anthony, Model of Perfection, ask Jesus to strengthen my
good dispositions and to make me more like you, more like
Him. Obtain for me the other favors I need. (Name them.)
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