The image at the shrine of Porta-Vaga at San Roque, Cavite City was found floating at sea surrounded by strange lights; presumed to have come from a wrecked ship. Many galleons originated from the naval port of Cavite. Devoutly venerated by sailors. (Fr Charles Belmonte, “Aba Ginoong Maria”, 1990, pp160-61) Also known as ‘Nuestra Señora de La Paloma’. (Nicanor G Tiongson, in “Filipino Heritage”, 1977, VII:1735)
Lourdes, The eleventh apparition
‘Sunday.’ The crowds kept growing larger. About 1500 people gathered to watch Bernadette repeat the gesture of penitence that the Virgin asked her to do. After her ecstasy she went off to church to attend Mass.
As in the previous Sunday, a policeman waiting at the exit took her to M. Dutour’s office for further questioning, this time in the presence of Magistrate M. Riges. Scoldings, warnings, threats all failed to move Bernadette’s steadfast self-control.
Ref: G Menotti, “Lourdes”, 10
On temptations in general
Original sin exposes us to temptations, due primarily from the disorder which it introduced into our heart -- pride and concupiscence. Secondly, they come from the devil, who, in his despair at having lost heaven, has sworn to spare nothing to hinder us from gaining it. Thirdly, temptations come from the world -- from all the evil that we see and hear around us.
“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Lk 22:40) Watching, united in prayer, is the remedy Jesus advised to his disciples during his agony in the garden. What should we watch for?
1) In observing carefully what are the occasions of sin to us, and avoiding them as best we could; 2) in studying the sources of our temptations that we may easily pre-empt them; 3) in guarding and mortifying our senses, especially our eyes, for the Holy Spirit says, ‘Death comes up through our windows’.
4) In noticing carefully the first signs of evil (of the devil), that we may promptly and energetically resist them; and 5) in a constant spirit of recollection, without which this promptness and defence is impossible.
Temptations serve to keep us humble. They detach us from the world; and draw our thought and desires to heaven. We pray with more piety. Reparation for our sins and gaining merit become easy. They strengthen us in the practice of virtue; revive our waning fervor.
We must not be surprised, therefore, at the frequency or violence of our temptations; or to expect that age or circumstances of position will secure us against them.
Neither must we blame the devil for all our temptations since often, we yield to curiosity, intemperance, or idleness; by allowing too much liberty to our senses, or by indulging in certain dangerous intimacies and friendships, against the warning of our conscience.
Left to our own strength, we are bound to fail. Especially at the time of temptation, pray with humility and with the greatest of confidence, calling upon the holy names of Jesus and Mary. We shall always overcome!
Ref: cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp347-9
Imitating Our Lord: Love with deeds
God’s love is not simply an emotion or feeling, but something that leads Our Lord to perform deeds that show it. So our love for our neighbor must be a love that appears in deeds. Seeking material goods as the only goal is proper only to Christians who have allowed their faith to influence their daily lives in the least. “Let us not love in word or speech”, says Saint John, “but in deed and in truth.” (1 Jn 3:18)
“Just as love leads us to want the best for those we love and to do good to them, so the order of charity should lead us to want, above all, that people should be united to God, and to endeavour to bring this about. We have to realize that the most sublime good, the definitive good, consists in union with God. Apart from God no other partial good has any meaning.” (F Ocariz, “Love for God, love for men”)
Ref: cf Francis Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 3:531-2
Concrete and deliberate resolutions
‘Do whatever he tells you’ are words of the Virgin Mary and a permanent invitation to carry out the resolutions that Our Lord suggests to us each day in our personal prayer. These resolutions should be well-thought out in order to be effective, so that they are realized or, at least become the sincere effort to achieve them.
Often such resolutions will involve little things that will help us to improve in our work, in our dealings with others; in trying to develop our awareness of the presence of God that day while we drive through traffic, in the streets; wherever we find ourselves in the midst of our family, at recreation or the supermarket.
The end of our journey is God. We want to be on a sure course towards him, without drift or delays, with our whole will. Our first mission is to learn to listen, to recognize the divine voice that makes itself heard amidst the din in our lives. Our daily resolutions will lead us to sanctity if we do not give up our honest battle.
We can go to Our Lord through Our Lady, perhaps by saying more aspirations, by saying the Rosary better, by taking the time to contemplate each mystery briefly, but with more love. We ask her for a greater dedication in putting into practice resolutions drawn from prayer and advice received in spiritual direction.
Ref: cf Francis Fernandez, op cit, 3:338-9
Antiphon -- “O HOLY MARY, Virgin of virgins, Mother and daughter of the King of kings! bestow upon us thy consolation, that through thee we may deserve the reward of the heavenly kingdom, and reign with the elect of God unto all eternity.” (Very Rev Charles J Callan, OP, STM and Very Rev John A McHugh, OP, STM, Blessed Be God, 1925, p425)
Prayer for the Tempted and Afflicted -- “O GOD, who justifies the ungodly, and wills not the death of a sinner: we humbly entreat Thy majesty to protect Thy servants, who trust in Thy mercy, with Thy heavenly assistance, and preserve them by Thy continual protection; that they may constantly serve Thee, and by no temptation be separated from Thee. Amen.” (Ibid, Op cit, 469)
THE SEVEN SUNDAYS DEVOTION TO ST. JOSEPH -- Honors the seven joys and seven sorrows of St Joseph. (Ref: “Handbook of Prayers”, Fr Charles Belmonte and Fr James Socias [Eds], 1988, pp321-3)
“What must Joseph have been, how grace must have worked through him, that he should be able to fulfill this task of the human upbringing of the Son of God.
“For Jesus must have resembled Joseph: in his way of working, in the features of his character, in his way of speaking. Jesus’ realism, his eye for detail, the way he sat at table and broke bread, his preference for using everyday situations to give doctrine -- all this reflects his childhood and the influence of Joseph.
“It’s not possible to ignore this sublime mystery: Jesus who is man, who speaks with the accent of a particular district of Israel, who resembles a carpenter called Joseph, is the Son of God.”
Ref: St Josemaria Escrivà, “In Joseph’s Workshop” in “Christ is passing by”, 40
The fifth sorrow and joy of St Joseph -- His sorrow when he had to flee to Egypt with the Child Jesus and Mary; his joy in being always with Jesus and Mary.
“So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead.” (Mt 2:14-5)
“Joseph entrusted himself unreservedly to the care of God, but he always reflected on events and so was able to reach the level of understanding of the works of God which is true wisdom. In this way he learned little by little that supernatural plans have a logic which at times upsets human plans.”
Ref: St Josemaria Escrivá, “In Joseph’s Workshop”, 42
Institution of the monastery of the Annunciation, at Bethune in Artois, by Francis de Melun and Louisa de Foix, his wife, in the year 1519. — Fereolus Locrius. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; http://www.bethlehemobserver.com); (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html); (MaryLinks Calendar
www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm) (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html)
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