utaziprincereflection

 WHY THE POPES WEAR WHITE SOUTANE When one goes to the Vatican, one can quickly observe that it is only the Pope that wears white soutane. The cassock, also called a soutane, can be worn by all clerics, but the papal one is white. Before the election of Pope Pius V, all clergy wears black soutane.  Pope Pius V was a Dominican Friar. When he was elected Pope, he continued to wear his Dominican Habit, which is white in colour. He wanted to keep the tradition going. And so ever since then, it has remained white for the Popes. Pope Pius V, OP was an Italian, born on 17 January 1504 and died on May 1 1572. His name was Antonio Ghislieri; and from 1518, he was called Michele Ghislieri. He became Pope on 7 January 1566 and died on May 1 1572. He is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church. He is chiefly notable for his role in the Council of Trent, the Counter-Reformation, and the standardization of the Roman Rite within the Latin Church, known as Tridentine mass.  He impleme...

 WHY DO PRIESTS WEAR BLACK? The Code of Canon Law (CIC no. 284) still requires that clerics are to wear suitable ecclesiastical garb in accord with the norms issued by the conference of bishops and in accord with legitimate local custom.”  In our very secular world, the wearing of clerical garb continues to be a visible sign of belief and of the consecration of ones life to the service of the Lord and His Church. Over the centuries Church clerics were required to wear distinctive garb to identify them as ordained clergy. Particular dioceses or national bishops' conferences in various countries have established the norms for such clerical attire.  It is worth noting that in the early Church, no distinctive garb seems to have been worn, except of course, liturgical vestments, which in some cases were also worn outside the celebration of sacraments. Take for instance, in the early days of the church, bishops and priests sometimes wore the chasuble like regular clothing, and ...

 THE THREE POPES FROM AFRICA Three early popes were from the Roman Africa Province. These were Pope Victor I (reigned c . 189 AD to 199 AD), Pope Miltiades (reigned 311 AD to 314 AD) and Pope Gelasius I (492 AD to 496 AD); all three were North African men. POPE VICTOR I The first black pope in the world was Pope Victor I. He was the earliest reigning African pope. His papacy lasted for 11 years. Most notable achievement about the pontificate of Pope Victor I is the Easter Controversy in which the Church debated the appropriate day to celebrate Easter. Christians from Asia always celebrated Easter on the fourteenth day of the Jewish month of Nisan, no matter what day of the week it happened to fall on, but this difference led to trouble when they settled in Rome. Pope Victor worked toward determining a universal practice for the Church and, once determined, called upon Asian bishops to accept and adopt celebrating Easter on Sunday. Though this initially caused some controversy, the ...

 MAMA MARIA HAS ANY OTHER CHILDREN APART FROM JESUS CHRIST? 1.0 INTRODUCTION Some fundamentalists object to why Catholics teach that Mama Maria was a virgin throughout her life, even when the Scripture clearly says that Jesus Christ had brothers and sisters while on Earth.  These fundamentalists and antagonists go further to state that there are even about instances in the New Testament where brothers and sisters of the Lord are mentioned. Such passages include: Matthew 12:46; 13:55; Mark 3:3134; 6:3; Luke 8:1920; and I Corinthians 9:5. The aim of this article is to educate them and not to present an objection to their arguments. 2.0 FAMILY TREE TERMINOLOGY Being “related” means that people are connected in some way: usually by birth, adoption, or affinity (marriage or partnership). In genealogy and family history, kinship terms (like siblings, parents, grandparents, first cousins, and once removed) describe how two people are connected or related, usually through common ances...

  THE BROWN SCAPULAR AND THE SABBATINE PRIVILEGE A. INTRODUCTION  Brown Scapular is a sacramental. Sacramentals remind us of the divine mysteries as an aid to the Christian life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) no. 1667 states: Holy Mother Church has, moreover, instituted Sacramentals. These are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church. By them men are disposed to receive the chief effect of the sacraments, and various occasions in life are rendered holy. (Second Vatican Council, Sacrosanctum Concilium) B. BROWN SCAPULAR The Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or Brown Scapular, consists of two pieces of brown wool on a cord. The Blessed Mother gave this sacramental to St. Simon Stock on July 16, 1251 with the promise that Whoever dies invested with this Scapular shall be preserved from the eternal flames. It is a sign of salvation, a...

  HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL JULY 16 Zechariah 2:14-17; Luke 1:46-55; Matthew 12:46-50 CELEBRATING THE GOSPEL CALL TO PRAYER AND PENANCE THROUGH MAMA MARIA I pray for you: May your faith be strengthened so as to follow the Lord God more faithfully. AMEN The liturgical feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is celebrated on 16 July. Mt. Carmel was a sacred high place dedicated to the Canaanite god Baal, and there he was worshipped. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah declared a contest with 450 of his prophets to determine which god was real, Baal or the God of Israel. The real one would be he who could set a sacrifice on fire. The frenzy of the prophets of Baal was not successful. However, when Elijah prayed to the Lord, fire descended from heaven and lit the sacrifice. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their fa...

 FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL JULY 16 Liturgical Colour: White. ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Hail, Holy Mother, who gave birth to the King who rules heaven and earth for ever. COLLECT May the venerable intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary come to our aid, we pray, O Lord, so that, fortified by her protection, we may reach the mountain which is Christ. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. FIRST READING ZECHARIAH 2:14-17 Sing, rejoice, daughter of Zion; for I am coming to dwell in the middle of you  it is the Lord who speaks. Many nations will join the Lord, on that day; they will become his people. But he will remain among you, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent me to you. But the Lord will hold Judah as his portion in the Holy Land, and again make Jerusalem his very own. Let all mankind be silent before the Lord! For he is awaking and is coming from his holy dwelling. RESPONSORIAL PSALM LUKE 1:46-55 Respons...

 HOMILY FOR 6 JULY FEAST OF SAINT MARIA GORETTI, VIRGIN, MARTYR 1 Corinthians 6:13-15,17-20; Psalm 31:3-6,8,16-17; John 12:24-26 THE VALUE OF CHASTITY AND FORGIVENESS AS A CHRISTIAN I pray for you: May the Lord God grant you the strength to cherish purity and have absolute trust and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN.   St. Maria Goretti captured the imaginations of people when she died defending herself from sexual assault; her influence from heaven worked miracles, even converting her attacker. She was born in 1890 in a small village in Italy. Her father was a peasant farm laborer, and the family moved to a number of different places to follow work. Maria never had the chance to learn to read or write. After the death of her father, she assumed responsibility for keeping house, while her mother and siblings worked in the fields. One day, a 19-year-old neighbor, Alessandro, made sexual advances in her cottage. When Maria Goretti resisted the attempted rape, he pulled her in...

 6 JULY FEAST OF SAINT MARIA GORETTI, VIRGIN, MARTYR  Liturgical Colour: Red. ENTRANCE ANTIPHON Behold, now she follows the Lamb who was crucified for us, powerful in virginity, modesty her offering, a sacrifice on the altar of chastity. Or Blessed is the virgin who by denying herself and taking up her cross imitated the Lord, the spouse of virgins and prince of martyrs. COLLECT O God, author of innocence and lover of chastity, who bestowed the grace of martyrdom on your handmaid, the Virgin Saint Maria Goretti, in her youth, grant, we pray, through her intercession, that, as you gave her a crown for her steadfastness, so we, too, may be firm in obeying your commandments. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. FIRST READING 1 CORINTHIANS 6:13-15,17-20 The body is not meant for fornication: it is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. God, who raised the Lord from the dead, will by...

  SAINT BENEDICT OF NURSIA A. BIOGRAPHY St. Benedict was born in Nursia, Italy around 500 AD. Born into a wealthy family, he was sent to Rome to finish his studies, but he left Rome before finishing because of the sinfulness in the city. He became a hermit under the monk, Romanus. Some monks sought out St. Benedict to live according to his ways, but he warned the monks that it would be too strict for them. They insisted, and once they found that Benedict had been correct, they decided to poison him. When St. Benedict blessed the poisoned wine that they offered him, the glass shattered, saving his life. Benedict left them and established twelve monasteries. It was for his monastery in Monte Cassino that he wrote the Rule for which he is known. The Rule, based on the writings of saints and the existing tradition of Christian monasticism, provides guidance for how to practically live the monastic life. It designates sufficient time for daily prayer and meditation, manual work, leisure...

 ST. BENEDICTS TWELVE STEPS TO HUMILITY (1) Respect God: The first degree of humility, then, is that a person keep the fear of God before his eyes and beware of ever forgetting itAs for self-will, we are forbidden to do our own will by the Scripture, which says to us, Turn away from your own will (Eccles. 18:30), and likewise by the prayer in which we ask God that His will be done in us. (2) Love not ones own will: The second degree of humility is that a person love not his own will nor take pleasure in satisfying his desires, but model his actions on the saying of the Lord, I have come not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me (John 6:38). It is written also, Self-will has its punishment, but constraint wins a crown. (3) Submit to ones superior: The third degree of humility is that a person for love of God submit himself to his Superior in all obedience, imitating the Lord, of whom the Apostle says, He became obedient even unto death. (4) Be obedient at all times, esp...

 HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT OF NURSIA JULY 11 2020 Today is the feast of St. Benedict of Nursia, the author of the Rule of St. Benedict whos honored by many as the father of Western monasticism. One of the earliest biographies of his life was written by Pope St. Gregory the Great, and it includes many stories of incredible miracles performed by the monk. I will do well to share one of the miracles with us. During the novena, I was able to put down the miracles. Today is my own special day. I was given the name BENIGNUS for baptism. Perhaps, Fr Osuji Canice of Blessed Memory may have come across the name in Italian, either through reading or during his studies over there. Benignus means Simplicity, Kindness,. When I became a Mass Server, I was so much interested in serving at benediction because I get fulfilled after the spiritual exercise. Later, I came to know through reading liturgical books that benediction is the art of blessing. Blessing is BENEDICTUS. I decided to...

  11 JULY 2024 FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT, ABBOT  Liturgical Colour: White. ENTRANCE ANTIPHON There was a man of venerable life, Benedict, blessed by grace and by name, who, leaving home and patrimony and desiring to please God alone, sought out the habit of holy living. COLLECT O God, who made the Abbot Saint Benedict an outstanding master in the school of divine service, grant, we pray, that, putting nothing before love of you, we may hasten with a loving heart in the way of your commands. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. FIRST READING PROVERBS 2:1-9 My son, if you take my words to heart, if you set store by my commandments, tuning your ear to wisdom, and applying your heart to truth: yes, if your plea is for clear perception, if you cry out for discernment, if you look for it as if it were silver, and search for it as for buried treasure, you will then understand what the fear o...

HOMILY FOR 11 JULY 2024 FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT OF NURSIA, ABBOT  Proverbs 2:1-9; Psalm 34:2-11; Matthew 19:27-29 THE CALL TO EMBRACE THE LIFE OF HOLINESS AND HOSPITALITY IN A MORE RADICAL WAY As we honor this important figure in Church and world history, reflect on his humble beginnings. He witnessed the immoralities of his day and fled from those temptations to embrace a life of holiness. At that time, it would have been difficult for him to comprehend the influence he would have had on all of Europe and, in fact, upon the whole world for many centuries to come.  Reflect on the fact that God also calls you to flee from sin and embrace a life of holiness. When that happens, God can do great things through you in ways you may never comprehend. Follow the example of Saint Benedict and commit yourself to holy daily living, and leave it up to God to use you as He wills. In the early sixth century, St. Benedict wrote a Rule that he wanted his monks to follow. In 73 short chapters,...