St. Teresa of Avila ~ Doctor of the Church (1515 ~ 1582

She is also known as Saint Teresa of Jesus. Saint Teresa was born in Avila, Spain on 28 March, 1515 and baptized as Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda Ahumada. Teresa resolved to enter a religious life after reading the letters of St.Jerome. Thus, she joined the Carmelite Order in 1535. After a vision of "the sorely wounded Christ", she started to be deeply focused on Christ's passion.  From 1560 until her death, Teresa struggled to establish and broaden the movement of Discalced or shoeless Carmelites. She enlisted St. John of the Cross in 1567 in extending her reform to the male side of the Carmelite Order. She was widely known Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, and writer of the Counter Reformation, and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer. she wrote the Way of Perfection and the Meditations on the Canticle. She died on 4 October, 1582 in Alba de Tormes. She was beatified by Pope Paul V on 24 April, 1614 and in 1617 was proclaim as the Patroness of Spain. On 12 March, 1622 she was canonized as saint by Pope Gregory XV.
 
Patroness of Lacemaker, Headaches, Religious, Sickness and Spain.
Memorial on 15 October.
Transverberation of her Heart on 27 October.

Prayer of St.Teresa of Avila

Lord Jesus Christ, You raised up St. Teresa of Avila to be a guide in the ways of prayer and contemplation. Give me the grace to follow her example with fidelity and generosity. Lead me into the wine cellar of Your love where, refreshed by Your Spirit, I, too, may sing of Your mercies and be set aflame with the fire of Your love.

Amen.

 

 

God, You raised up St. Teresa by Your Spirit so that she could manifest to the Church the way to perfection. Nourish us with the food of heaven, and fire us with a desire for holiness.

Amen.
 

 

 

 Link to YouTube
Benedict XVI 'Teresa of Avila shows that time spent in prayer is not lost'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq_PtZT6tdc



Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing distress you;
While all things fade away,
God is unchanging.
Patience overcomes everything.
With God in your heart,
Nothing is lacking.
God alone suffices.


In the Hands of God
I am Yours and born of You,
What do You want of me?

Majestic Sovereign,
Unending wisdom,
Kindness pleasing to my soul;
God sublime, one Being Good,
Behold this one so vile.
Singing of her love to you:
What do You want of me?

Yours, you made me,
Yours, you saved me,
Yours, you endured me,
Yours, you called me,
Yours, you awaited me,
Yours, I did not stray.
What do You want of me?

Good Lord, what do you want of me,
What is this wretch to do?
What work is this,
This sinful slave, to do?
Look at me, Sweet Love,
Sweet Love, look at me,
What do You want of me?

In Your hand
I place my heart,
Body, life and soul,
Deep feelings and affections mine,
Spouse -- Redeemer sweet,
Myself offered now to you,
What do You want of me?

Give me death, give me life,
Health or sickness,
Honor or shame,
War or swelling peace,
Weakness or full strength,
Yes, to these I say,
What do You want of me?

Give me wealth or want,
Delight or distress,
Happiness or gloominess,
Heaven or hell,
Sweet life, sun unveiled,
To you I give all.
What do You want of me?

Give me, if You will, prayer;
Or let me know dryness,
And abundance of devotion,
Or if not, then barrenness.
In you alone, Sovereign Majesty,
I find my peace,
What do You want of me?

Give me then wisdom.
Or for love, ignorance,
Years of abundance,
Or hunger and famine.
Darkness or sunlight,
Move me here or there:
What do You want of me?

If You want me to rest,
I desire it for love;
If to labor,
I will die working:
Sweet Love say
Where, how and when.
What do You want of me?

Calvary or Tabor give me,
Desert or fruitful land;
As Job in suffering
Or John at Your breast;
Barren or fruited vine,
Whatever be Your will:
What do You want of me?

Be I Joseph chained
Or as Egypt's governor,
David pained
Or exalted high,
Jonas drowned,
Or Jonas freed:
What do You want of me?

Silent or speaking,
Fruitbearing or barren,
My wounds shown by the Law,
Rejoicing in the tender Gospel;
Sorrowing or exulting,
You alone live in me:
What do You want of me?

Yours I am, for You I was born:
What do You want of me?
by St.Teresa of Avila

Christ Has No Body but Yours

 

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Saint Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)

Saint Jude's Feast Celebration 2012, Rawang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

From 19-October-2012 till 28-10-2012
Main Theme: St. Jude, Inspirer of Confidence

Programme

 

 

 

Church of Jesus Caritas, Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia.

Jalan Kepong Baru
52100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-6274 4071
Fax: +603-6272 9489
Email: jcaritas@streamyx.com
Website: http://jesuscaritaschurch.org/

Parish Office Hours

Monday to Friday
08:00 am to 12:30 pm
02:00 pm to 04:00 pm

Saturday
08:00 am to 12:30 pm

MASS TIMES
DAY	ENGLISH	MANDARIN
Saturday	07:30 PM
Sunday	09:15 AM	11:15 AM
Monday	07:30 PM
Tuesday	06:40 AM
Wednesday	06:40 AM
Thursday	06:40 AM
Friday	07:30 PM

 

 

Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal.

In 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 6 times with messages to bring us closer to God. During this apparations, Our Lady appeared to 3 shepherd children, Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto, at the Cova da Iria near the town of Fatima in Portugal.

In 1916 prior to the apparation, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco experienced supernatural visions where an angel (possibly the archangel Michael) visited them 3 times. Identified himself as the Angel of Peace and gave them the first of these Fatima prayers, known as the Pardon Prayer, that spring:

My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I ask pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee.

Later referred himself as the Angel of Portugal and gave them the second of our Fatima prayers covered here in his last appearance that autumn, amazingly, while leaving a Host (the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ) and a golden chalice both suspended in mid-air!

Most Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit- I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifferences whereby He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.

On the 13 May, 1917, Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco first saw Our Lady of Fatima. Lucia had mentioned later after the apparation, that Our Lady appeared to be “more brilliant than the sun,”. During the second apparition in June, 1917, Our Lady opened her hands to reveal a light so radiant that “we saw ourselves immersed in God,” again as said by Lucia.

Our Lady asked the children to pray the rosary daily for world peace and requested that they bear sufferings in reparation for the many offenses committed against her Son, as well as for the conversion of sinners. She also appealed for prayer and penance from all of us. Our Lady told the them that God wished there to be devotion to her Immaculate Heart for world peace and for the salvation of souls, for our salvation. (With this devotion we imitate Mary’s love for her Son and for humanity as we seek to do His will and to share His love. In uniting our hearts with hers we can better unite them with His as well! ) As said by her to the children “if what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.” She also requested that people pray for the conversion of Russia, which was about to undergo a tragic turn towards atheism with the Bolshevik Revolution that autumn, be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart.

The following Fatima prayers came from Our Lady herself. When she appeared to the children in July, 1917 and she taught them this prayer, to be said when offering up personal sufferings, sacrifices, or acts of penance:

Oh my Jesus, I offer this for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

This last of our Fatima prayers followed shortly, after Mary opened her hands and showed the children a terrifying vision of Hell. She then taught them to say this after each decade of the rosary:

Oh My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of Thy mercy.

After the initial apparation to Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, word of the visions spread rapidly. The crowd of curiosity seekers and the genuinely devout increased with reports of each apparition until the final one on October 13th, in which some 70,000 people at the Cova da Iria witnessed what became known as the Miracle of the Sun. Just before the Miracle of the Sun, Our Lady revealed herself as "Our Lady of the Rosary", told Lucia that she wished a chapel to be built there in her honor

and reiterated again the importance of the rosary and of people amending their lives and asking pardon for their sins.

As Our Lady of Fatima had predicted in her second apparition, Francisco and Jacinta called back to the Lord's kingdom soon after, both victims of the influenza outbreak in Europe in 1918. Francisco died in 1919 and his little sister the following year. They both showed great sanctity in their short lives. Jacinta sought to make whatever penances she could to help save sinners, and Francisco spent much time in prayer to console our Lord for the world’s sins. As foretold by Our Lady of Fatima, Lucia will lived for quite a bit longer, helping to spread devotion to Our Lady and her Immaculate Heart as Sister Lucia. (Indeed her memoirs, written after she became a nun, have given us a vivid and accurate portrayal of these momentous events.) She lived to see her cousins beatified in 2000, and passed away in 2005.

On behalf of the church, the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima pronounced the apparitions of Fatima as worthy of belief in 1930, and to this day the town attracts many pilgrims to its Basilica. Sister Lucia later revealed the first two of three secrets of Fatima Our Lady gave her and her cousins. These included a description of Hell and the need for devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart and for Russia’s conversion, as mentioned earlier. Our Lady also warned of World War II, Communist expansion, great wars and persecutions and the “annihilation of nations” if her requests went unheeded. The third secret was revealed by the Church in 2000 but its contents are the subject of controversy.

Our Lady’s Peace plan involves our praying the rosary, preferably daily, and offering up our hardships to God for the forgiveness of sins and in reparation to Mary’s Immaculate Heart. It's also good to say prayers and do penance for other people’s transgressions as well as for our own, as at the end we’re all in this journey towards salvation together.

As Our Lady told Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, after they had seen Hell, “pray a great deal and make many sacrifices, for many souls go to Hell because they have no one to pray and make sacrifices for them.”.  Keep in mind that your sacrifice can be as simple as giving up some small pleasure, such as a candy bar or an extra helping of food, as the spirit moves you, to make amends for sins. (Acts of charity and forgiveness towards others never hurt either.)

We can also seek to serve our Lord better by imitating His Mother’s virtues and consecrating ourselves to Her Immaculate Heart. Also, if you can, practice the First Saturdays devotion. As our Lady said at Fatima “wars are a punishment from God for sin!” Doesn’t that suggest this passage from the New Testament letter of St. James written almost 2000 years earlier? “Whence do wars and quarrels come among you? Is it not from your passions which wage war within your members? Cleanse your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded” (James 4:1, 8).

 

After World War II, when the possibility of “the annihilation of nations” from nuclear war suddenly seemed frighteningly real, Winston Churchill said that “the fulfillment of spiritual duty in our lives in vital to our survival.”. As our civilization stands uneasily close to the precipice of self-destruction through nuclear war or nuclear terrorism, we would do well to pray the rosary and these Fatima prayers in a spirit of reparation for the sins of humanity.

 

Jacinta told Lucia soon before her death to ask everyone “to plead for peace from the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for the Lord has confided the peace of the world to her.” We might also be hope in our devotion that Our Lady’s words to Lucia in June, 1917 might also apply to us as well: “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.”

 

 

Prayer to

Our Lady of Fatima

O Most Holy Virgin Mary,

Queen of the most holy Rosary,

you were pleased to appear to

the children of Fatima

and reveal a glorious message.

We implore you,

inspire in our hearts a fervent love

for the recitation of the Rosary.

By meditating on the mysteries of the

redemption that are recalled therein may

we obtain the graces and virtues that we ask,

through the merits of Jesus Christ,

our Lord and Redeemer.

Amen.

 

 

Our Lady's Heaven’s Peace Plan

We call Our Lady’s message at Fatima, “Heaven’s Peace

Plan.” In the outline of this plan, the Blessed Mother asked

for four things: (1) prayer, especially the daily Rosary, (2) sacrifices

for sinners, (3) the daily faithful fulfillment of our duties in life according

to our vocation and specific situations, and (4) the patient

bearing of the trials and sufferings that come our way each day!

Our Lady has told us that Jesus wants these things, and in fact He

needs them for the conversion of sinners. As she reminded the

children, “Many souls are lost from God because there is no one

to pray and sacrifice for them.” When a great number of sinners

have been converted, then peace will come!

~ Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR

Corpus Christi Novena

Novena in Honoring the Body and Blood of Christ

I thank You, Jesus, my Divine Redeemer, for coming upon the earth for our sake, and for instituting the adorable Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in order to remain with us until the end of the world.
I thank You for hiding beneath the Eucharistic species Your infinite majesty and beauty, which Your Angels delight to behold, so that I might have courage to approach the throne of Your Mercy.

I thank You, most loving Jesus, for having made Your- self my food, and for uniting me to Yourself with so much love in this wonderful Sacrament that I may live in You.
I thank You, my Jesus, for giving Yourself to me in this Blessed Sacrament, and so enriching it with the treasures of Your love that You have no greater gift to give me.
I thank You not only for becoming my food but also for offering Yourself as a continual sacrifice to Your Eternal Father for my salvation.
I thank You, Divine Priest, for offering Yourself as a Sacrifice daily upon our altars in adoration and homage to the Most Blessed Trinity, and for making amends for our poor and miserable adorations.
I thank You for renewing in this daily Sacrifice the actual Sacrifice of the Cross offered on Calvary, in which You satisfy Divine justice for us poor sinners.
I thank You, dear Jesus, for having become the priceless Victim to merit for me the fullness of heavenly favors. Awaken in me such confidence in You that their fullness may descend ever more fruitfully upon my soul.
I thank You for offering Yourself in thanksgiving to God for all His benefits, spiritual and temporal, which He has bestowed upon me.
In union with Your offering of Yourself to Your Father in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, I ask for this special favor:

(Mention your request). If it be Your holy Will, grant my request. Through You I also hope to receive the grace of perseverance in Your love and faithful service, a holy death, and a happy
eternity with You in Heaven. Amen.


O Lord, You have given us this Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is received, the memory of His Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.
You have given them bread from Heaven.
Having all sweetness within.
Let us pray. God our Father, for Your glory and our salvation You appointed Jesus Christ eternal High Priest. May the people He gained for You by His Blood come to share in the power of His Cross and Resurrection by celebrating His Memorial in this Eucharist, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.


O Jesus, since You have left us a remembrance of Your Passion beneath the veils of this Sacrament, grant us, we pray, so to venerate the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood that we may always enjoy the fruits of Your Redemption, for You live and reign forever. Amen.

 

John 6:41-51 

⁴¹ At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

⁴³ “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Mark 14:22-25

²² While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

²³ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

²⁴ “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. ²⁵ “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” 

Miracle of the Sun, Fatima, Portugal.

The sun dance at Fatima!; apparition of 13 October 1917
 

The "Miracle of the Sun", an inexplicable solar phenomenon predicted by three shepherd childre(Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco) and witnessed by about 70,000 or more of gathered worshipers and also journalists at Fatima, Portugal.

 

It was raining throughout the night ot the 12 October till pass noon 13 October noon, pilgrims and the ground where the apparations were to take placed was soak. The apparation (final apparation for Jacinta and Francisco) took place at noon, and Our Lady spoke to the children;

 

 

V: "What do you want of me?"

L: I want a chapel built here in my honor. I want you to continue saying the Rosary every day. The war will end soon, and the soldiers will return to their homes.

V: "Yes. Yes."

V: "Will you tell me your name?"

L: I am the Lady of the Rosary.

V: "I have many petitions from many people. Will you grant them? "

L: Some I shall grant, and others I must deny. People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They must not offend our Lord any more, for He is already too much offended!

"And is that all you have to ask?"

L: There is nothing more.

As the Lady of the Rosary rises toward the east she turns the palms of her hands toward the dark sky, the rain stopped, dark clouds continued to obscure the sun. Suddenly, the burst out from behind the dark clouds, danced, changed colors, spun like a pinwheel, and made a most sensational display of divine miracle.

 

V: "Look at the Sun".

 

It hurled towards the earth and for a terrifying few moments people thought it would come crashing down on them,  But then, just as suddenly, the sun resumed its normal place in the sky. Although most people had been soaking wet from the rain that had been falling before our Lady’s appearance, they found their clothes to be totally dry after the sun actions during our Lady's appearance. 

 

Lucia Santos' vision and prediction was a genuine miracle.

 

Adoro te devote

Another Eucharistic hymn by St. Thomas Aquinas.

~~~Latin~~~

Adoro te devote, latens Deitas,

Quæ sub his figuris vere latitas;

Tibi se cor meum totum subjicit,

Quia te contemplans totum deficit.

Visus, tactus, gustus in te fallitur,

Sed auditu solo tuto creditur.

Credo quidquid dixit Dei Filius;

Nil hoc verbo veritátis verius.

In cruce latebat sola Deitas,

At hic latet simul et Humanitas,

Ambo tamen credens atque confitens,

Peto quod petivit latro pœnitens.

Plagas, sicut Thomas, non intueor:

Deum tamen meum te confiteor.

Fac me tibi semper magis credere,

In te spem habere, te diligere.

O memoriale mortis Domini!

Panis vivus, vitam præstans homini!

Præsta meæ menti de te vívere,

Et te illi semper dulce sapere.

Pie Pelicane, Jesu Domine,

Me immundum munda tuo sanguine:

Cujus una stilla salvum facere

Totum mundum quit ab omni scelere.

Jesu, quem velatum nunc aspicio,

Oro, fiat illud quod tam sitio:

Ut te revelata cernens facie,

Visu sim beátus tuæ gloriæ.

Amen.

 

~~~English~~~

Prostrate I adore Thee, Deity unseen,

Who Thy glory hidest 'neath these shadows mean;

Lo, to Thee surrendered, my whole heart is bowed,

Tranced as it beholds Thee, shrined within the cloud.

Taste, and touch, and vision, to discern Thee fail;

Faith, that comes by hearing, pierces through the veil.

I believe whate'er the Son of God hath told;

What the Truth hath spoken, that for truth I hold.

On the Cross lay hidden but thy Deity,

Here is hidden also Thy Humanity:

But in both believing and confessing, Lord,

Ask I what the dying thief of Thee implored.

Thy dread wounds, like Thomas, though I cannot see,

His be my confession, Lord and God, of Thee,

Make my faith unfeigned ever-more increase,

Give me hope unfading, love that cannot cease.

O memorial wondrous of the Lord's own death;

Living Bread, that giveth all Thy creatures breath,

Grant my spirit ever by Thy life may live,

To my taste Thy sweetness never-failing give.

Pelican of mercy, Jesu, Lord and God,

Cleanse me, wretched sinner, in Thy Precious Blood:

Blood where one drop for human-kind outpoured

Might from all transgression have the world restored.

Jesu, whom now veiled, I by faith descry,

What my soul doth thirst for, do not, Lord, deny,

That thy face unveiled, I at last may see,

With the blissful vision blest, my God, of Thee.

Amen.

 

Link to YouTube

Adoro Te Devote

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMK5MnZaoks



Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium

A hymn written by St Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) for the Feast of Corpus Christi (now called the Solemnity of the Holy Body and Blood of Christ). It is also sung on Maundy Thursday, during the procession from the church to the place where the Blessed Sacrament is kept until Good Friday. The last two stanzas, called separately Tantum Ergo, are sung at Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

~~~Latin~~~

Pange, lingua, gloriosi

Corporis mysterium,

Sanguinisque pretiosi,

quem in mundi pretium

fructus ventris generosi

Rex effudit Gentium.

Nobis datus, nobis natus

ex intacta Virgine,

et in mundo conversatus,

sparso verbi semine,

sui moras incolatus

miro clausit ordine.

In supremae nocte coenae

recumbens cum fratribus

observata lege plene

cibis in legalibus,

cibum turbae duodenae

se dat suis manibus.

Verbum caro, panem verum

verbo carnem efficit:

fitque sanguis Christi merum,

et si sensus deficit,

ad firmandum cor sincerum

sola fides sufficit.

Tantum ergo Sacramentum

veneremur cernui:

et antiquum documentum

novo cedat ritui:

praestet fides supplementum

sensuum defectui.

Genitori, Genitoque

laus et jubilatio,

salus, honor, virtus quoque

sit et benedictio:

Procedenti ab utroque

compar sit laudatio.

Amen. Alleluja.

 

~~~English~~~

Sing, my tongue, the Saviour's glory,

of His Flesh, the mystery sing;

of the Blood, all price exceeding,

shed by our Immortal King,

destined, for the world's redemption,

from a noble Womb to spring.

Of a pure and spotless Virgin

born for us on earth below,

He, as Man, with man conversing,

stayed, the seeds of truth to sow;

then He closed in solemn order

wond'rously His Life of woe.

On the night of that Last Supper,

seated with His chosen band,

He, the Paschal Victim eating,

first fulfils the Law's command;

then as Food to His Apostles

gives Himself with His own Hand.

Word-made-Flesh, the bread of nature

by His Word to Flesh He turns;

wine into His Blood He changes;

what though sense no change discerns?

Only be the heart in earnest,

faith her lesson quickly learns.

Down in adoration falling,

This great Sacrament we hail,

O'er ancient forms of worship

Newer rites of grace prevail;

Faith will tell us Christ is present,

When our human senses fail.

To the Everlasting Father,

And the Son who made us free

And the Spirit, God proceeding

From them Each eternally,

Be salvation, honour, blessing,

Might and endless majesty.

Amen. Alleluia.

 

Link to YouTube

Eucharistic Prayer Of St Thomas Aquinas ("Pange Lingua Gloriosi Corporis Mysterium".) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0HG41V9Vxc



St. Thomas Aquinas

 Born : 1226Died : 1274Feastday: January 28 Patron of Students, Theologians, Universities, Chastity, Academics and Philosophers

At the age of 17, St. Thomas renounced the things of this world and resolved to enter the Order of St. Dominic in spite of the opposition of his family. In 1243. St. Thomas was one of the greatest and most influential theologians of all time. In 1323, St. Thomas was canonized and declared Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius V.









Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.
AMEN.

Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas for Thanksgiving After Communion / Mass  Lord, Father all-powerful and ever-living God, I thank You, for even though I am a sinner, your unprofitable servant, not because of my worth but in the kindness of your mercy, You have fed me with the Precious Body & Blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this Holy Communion may not bring me condemnation and punishment but forgiveness and salvation. May it be a helmet of faith and a shield of good will. May it purify me from evil ways and put an end to my evil passions. May it bring me charity and patience, humility and obedience, and growth in the power to do good. May it be my strong defense against all my enemies, visible and invisible, and the perfect calming of all my evil impulses, bodily and spiritual. May it unite me more closely to you, the One true God, and lead me safely through death to everlasting happiness with You. And I pray that You will lead me, a sinner, to the banquet where you, with Your Son and holy Spirit, are true and perfect light, total fulfillment, everlasting joy, gladness without end, and perfect happiness to your saints. grant this through Christ our Lord, AMEN.

St. Bartholomew, Apostle

Feast: August 24

Bartholomew is seen in the New Testament only in the lists of the apostles.
Matthew 10:2-3, "These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;"
Mark 3:16-19, "These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter),  James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him."
Luke 6:13-16, "When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,  Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Acts 1:13, "When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James."

Bartholomew is also identified as Nathanael, a man of Cana in Galilee who was summoned to Jesus by Philip. Jesus paid him a great compliment,

John 1:47-50, "When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.”"

Indeed, Nathanael saw greater things. He was one of those to whom Jesus appeared on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias after his resurrection.
John 21:1-14 (Jesus and the miraculous catch of fish), "Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.  When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead."

The name (Bartholomaios) means "son of Talmai" (or Tholmai) which was an ancient Hebrew name. The apostle Bartholomew, a Galilean, journeyed through the side of India that had fallen to him when the earth was divided up for the preaching of the Gospel. He proclaimed the advent of the Lord Jesus to those nations according to the Gospel of St. Matthew. After he had converted many to Christ in that region and had suffered many toils and difficulties, he came to Great Armenia.

Nathanael Bartholomew, in Hebrew Nathanael means "gift of God." Ever cheerful person is a gift of God to a friendship and Bartholomew means "son of a drill-plougher." A "Nathanael" must also be a "Bartholomew," a man who goes below the surface of things. And a "Bartholomew" must be a "Nathanael," a sunny gift of God that penetrates to the depths of life, but remains on the outside also, so that, once buried in these depths, it does not lose sight of the blue heavens from where it came, where the angels of God ascend and descend.

St Bartholomew is credited with many other miracles having to do with the weight of objects.