St. Thomas Aquinas
artist unknown
The Church has ever proved indestructible. Her
persecutors have failed to destroy her; in fact, it
was during times of persecution that the Church grew
more and more; while the persecutors themselves, and
those whom the Church would destroy, are the very
ones who came to nothing. . . Again, errors have
assailed herm but in fact, the greater the number of
errors that have arisen, the more has the truth been
made manifest. . . . Nor has the Church failed
before the assaults of demons: for she is like
a tower of refuge to all who fight against the
Devil.
-- St. Thomas Aquinas
The Catholic
Church is the work of divine Providence,
achieved through the prophecies of the prophets,
through the Incarnation and the teaching of Christ,
through the journeys of the apostles, through the
suffering, the crosses, the blood and death of the
martyrs, through the admirable lives of the saints.
. . . When we see, then, so much help on God's part,
so much progress and so much fruit, shall we
hesitate to bury ourselves in the bosom of that
Church? For beginning with the apostolic
chair, down through the succession of bishops, even
to the open confession of all mankind, it has
possessed the crown of teaching authority.
--St. Augustine
Saint Michael
Battling Satan
by Guido Reni
1575-1642
"Repent and believe the Good News!"
Penance means conversion. The Confraternity of
Penitents is a world wide private Catholic
association of the faithful, completely loyal to our
Pope and the Magisterium.
Our Rule of Life has been reviewed by our bishop and
recognized in these words: "this Rule does not
contain anything contrary to our faith; therefore it
may be safely practiced privately by you or by
anyone inclined to do so. . . . His Excellency
is appreciative of your efforts to live and promote
Franciscan spirituality and especially promote the
neglected practice of penance and he wishes you
success" (January 30, 1998).
Members of the Confraternity of Penitents live this
Rule in their own homes, devoted to prayer, penance,
fasting, conversion, and works of mercy modeled on
Jesus Christ and inspired by the lives and teachings
of
St. Francis,
St. Dominic,
St. Therese,
St. Benedict,
St. Augustine,
St. Ignatius,
and all the saints, most especially Mary, the Mother
of God, who lived a life of true penance
(conversion) in perfect union with our Lord.
May Our Lady and all the saints intercede for all
who wish to embrace a life of penance, anywhere in
the world, so that the grace of God will assist them
to obtain every virtue necessary for a life of
holiness and surrender to the Will of God! Amen.
PRAYER OF PENITENTS
"Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness
of my mind, give me right faith, a firm hope and
perfect charity, so that I may always and in all
things act according to Your Holy Will. Amen."
(Saint Francis's prayer before the San Damiano
Crucifix)
MISSION OF PENITENTS
"Go and repair My House
which, as you can see, is falling into ruin." (The
message given to St. Francis in a voice from the San
Damiano Crucifix.)
ACTION OF PENITENTS
To pray for God's
specific direction in one's life so that, through
humbly living our Rule of Life, each penitent may
help to rebuild the house of God by bringing love of
God and neighbor to his or her own corner of the
world.
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"GO AND REPAIR MY
HOUSE, WHICH, AS YOU CAN SEE, IS FALLING INTO
RUIN."
Honoring Mary
MAY, 2012
As I greet you this beautiful month of May, my
first words must be ones of gratitude to Fr.
Michael Sisco and Fr. Jerome Machar who
graciously wrote wonderful articles for March
and April. I thank you with all my heart. How do
I now find words to match those epistles?
Each month has its own special calls and
inspirations. May we always be open to the
mystery being unfolded before our eyes, minds
and spirits.
May, certainly recalls for many of us the image
of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Those of us of a
certain vintage remember May Processions, May
Devotions, May Crownings, May Altars. We sang,
and many still do, “Bring flowers of the
fairest…”. Nature assists us with the canvas of
spring color in gardens and fields. The trees
trail or spread their new richness of leaf and
flower to add to our environment. The birds sing
and are busy building nests in which to lay
their eggs and cherish their young. The glory
of God’s beauty is everywhere. All nature helps
us to turn to the Mother of the Church and honor
her in her birthing of the Son of God, our
Redeemer and Savior.
Mary built gently within her body the tabernacle
the Son of God, and cherished Him there until He
was ready to be nurtured in our world. Mary,
knowing the news of redemption and what that
would cost her and her divine Son, did all she
could, together with Joseph, to shelter and
protect this Child confided to their care. No
one could hold back the divine plan for our
salvation. Mary had to look on once Jesus was
grown and eventually stand at the foot of the
Cross and see her Son die a cruel death.
We are in the season of Resurrection leading to
The Ascension and the Pentecost feast. As we
look on with Mary, “What return shall we make to
the Lord for all HE has done for us.” Yes, Mary
would call us to “Take the cup of salvation and
call on the name of the Lord.” Mary would lead
us to the Lord of all salvation in the
Eucharist, “The source and summit of the
Christian life”. She would ask us to reverence
Him in that Sacrament and Sacrifice and allow
our souls to be healed. Mary leads us away from
herself to her divine Son. But on the way we are
within the pure and fragrant presence of this
Woman of the Eucharist and cannot but be
influenced and affected by her grace and beauty.
Mary is the “Woman par excellence” who teaches
us without preaching how to live and die. All
she tells us is, “Whatever he tells you to do,
do it.”
May we learn from Mary, and really listen and
hear the few words that we know of her life, for
they will teach us how to be true disciples of
her divine Son Jesus. Our lives are in God’s
hands, and may we use our gifts for the building
up of the kingdom in our midst.
Blessings and all good!
Your sister in Jesus and Mary,
Sister Eugenia Brady, SJC, Spiritual Advisor to
the Confraternity of Penitents
 Confraternity of Penitents 520 Oliphant Lane Middletown RI USA 02842-4600 401/849-5421 bspenance@hotmail.com copenitents@yahoo.com |