Post 100

I have reserved my 100th post for the feast of St. Andrew, the patron of this blog.  I am truly awed by the reach of the blog, spanning the globe so to speak, though the possibility of such a vast audience is one of the reasons I have called the blog "Casting into the Net."  As noted in the first post I made a few years back, the purpose of the blog is to cast into the deep. 

Thanks to all those who have stopped by over the past couple years.  There are many blogs with more frequent posts, more interesting commentary and much greater readership.  However, I hope that through the art, readings, or pictures you have found something here to elevate your thoughts.

I'd like to conclude this post with a prayer...

St. Andrew, Leonardo daVinci

St. Andrew, you were among the first to spread the Gospel to all nations.  I humbly submit again, this blog under your patronage.  Through your intercession, I pray that through this blog, many souls may be brought to Christ.  Amen.

Radix Jesse

On that day,
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.
Not by appearance shall he judge,
nor by hearsay shall he decide,
But he shall judge the poor with justice,
and decide aright for the land's afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together,
with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors,
together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra's den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea.

On that day,
The root of Jesse,
set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.
Isaiah 11:1-10

Lord, I am not worthy...

Paolo Veronese - Christ and the Centurion

When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply,
"Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, "Go," and he goes;
and to another, "Come here," and he comes;
and to my slave, "Do this," and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
"Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 8:5-11

Christus Vincit!

Christ the King, Hubert van Eyck, c. 1426

Christus Vincit! Christus Regnat! Christus Imperat!    

Hear, O Christ, Salvation of the Holy and Perpetual Church of God. Help her, Redeemer of the World!

 

Saint Mary, help her! 

Saint Joseph, help her! 

Saint Michael, help her! 

Christus Vincit! Christus Regnat! Christus Imperat! 

Hear, O Christ, Grant Benedict, the Supreme Pontiff and Universal Pope, everlasting peace, life and salvation.  Help him, O Savior of the World. 

Saint Peter, help him!

Saint Paul, help him!

Christus Vincit! Christus Regnat! Christus Imperat! 

Christ our glory, our mercy, our help and our strength.  Christ our invincible arm, our impenetrable wall and the exaltation of our defense!

Christ our light, our way, and our life!  His alone is the kingdom!  Praise and jubilation through endless ages forever and ever! Amen.

May good times come!  May the peace of God come!  May Christ’s kingdom come! All redeemed by the blood of Christ: Rejoice! Thanks be to God! Amen.

 

Christus Vincit! Christus Regnat! Christus Imperat!

Adapted from Source

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

St. Elizabeth of Hungary - Grunewald - 1511

Lord God, you taught Saint Elizabeth of Hungary to see and reverence Christ in the poor. May her prayers help us to give constant love and service to the afflicted and the needy.

We make our prayer 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.

Amen.

Source

Hmmm...

Read here...

Read here...

And Read here...

For Laura

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and may the perpetual light shine upon her.  May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Novena for the Poor Souls in Purgatory

From a previous series of posts...
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7 
Day 8
Day 9

For All the Saints

Michelangelo - Last Judgement

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints.  This day has been celebrated in the Church since the 9th century.  I thought it might be good to reflect today on the Communion of Saints - one of the tenets of the Faith found in the Creed.  From the Compendium of the Catechism we find the following.

194. What is the meaning of the “communion of saints”?

This expression indicates first of all the common sharing of all the members of the Church in holy things (sancta): the faith, the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, the charisms, and the other spiritual gifts. At the root of this communion is love which “does not seek its own interests” (1 Corinthians 13:5) but leads the faithful to “hold everything in common” (Acts 4:32), even to put one’s own material goods at the service of the most poor.

195. What else does “the communion of saints” mean?

This expression also refers to the communion between holy persons (sancti); that is, between those who by grace are united to the dead and risen Christ. Some are pilgrims on the earth; others, having passed from this life, are undergoing purification and are helped also by our prayers. Others already enjoy the glory of God and intercede for us. All of these together form in Christ one family, the Church, to the praise and glory of the Trinity.

Source

So when our actions are rooted in love, we are united in Christ with all holy persons: those on earth, in purgatory and those saints in heaven that we celebrate today.