St. Ignatius of Laconi

St. Ignatius of Laconi

St. Ignatius of Laconi was born to a family of poor farmers in Laconi, Italy on December 17, 1701. Around the age of seventeen, he grew very ill to the point where he promised he would become a Franciscan if he became healed. After his malady disappeared, his father convinced him to wait. A few years after that, he almost died when he lost control of his horse until strangely it stopped and trotted on peacefully. This was a sign to Ignatius that this was divine intervention from God that saved him. Immediately following he fulfilled his promise of joining the Franciscans.

As a Franciscan brother, he did not stand out. Fifteen years of life went past while he worked in the weaving shed. After that, for forty years he became part of the order that was responsible for asking the people for donations for upkeep of the friars. It was during this time that people started growing attached to him. Ignatius comforted the sick and gave happiness towards the lonely. He was able to convert many men and offered terrific advice to those in sin. The people were so attached that they would wait for his visits.

This did not mean that there were always good days. Some people would reject him by slamming the door on him. Sometimes the weather was bad. There were miles of road to walk through everyday too. Through all this turmoil he persevered. However, there was one house that he would always skip. It was the house of a rich moneylender who made the poor return more money than they had. When this man told Ignatius's superior about this, the superior tasked him to go to the moneylender's house. He did not speak but followed. When he returned with a bag of food, God performed a miracle. The bag, when it was emptied, let loose blood dripping out. "This is the blood of the poor," Ignatius said. This led to all the friars to pray for the conversion of this moneylender's soul.

Ignatius died on the on May 11, 1781 at the age of 80. Pope Pius XII  canonized him as a saint in the year 1951.

Saint Juan Diego

Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin or Juan Diego (July 12, 1474–May 30, 1548) was a 16th century indigenous Native American from Mexico who said he saw a Marian apparition in 1531 now known as Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as Virgen de Guadalupe. The apparition has had a significant impact on the spread of the Catholic faith within Mexico. The Catholic Church canonized him in 2002 as its first indigenous American saint.

Altar Basilica of Lady Guadalupe

News of the apparition on Tepayac Hill spread quickly through Mexico; and in the seven years that followed, 1532 through 1538, the Indian people accepted the Spaniards and 8 million people were converted to the Catholic faith. According to Daniel Lynch, director of the Apostolate of the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, "An amazing thing happened. Indians became reconciled to Spaniards. And we had a new race of people. Mixed blood. We called them "Mestizos". Our Lady of Guadalupe had appeared as a Mestiza. They call her the dark virgin, the little brown one.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, as the Virgin Mary came to be known in this context, still underpins the faith of many Catholics in Mexico and the rest of Latin America, and she is recognized as patron saint of all the Americas. Interestingly, the years 1532 to 1538, which saw a large number of people join the Catholic Church in Mexico based on Juan Diego's vision, were right in the midst of the period of Protestant Reformation in Europe. Hence, as a large number of people left the Catholic Church in Europe, a large number of new Catholics appeared in Mexico, maintaining the overall strength of the Catholic Church. To this day, Latin America remains a major pillar of the Catholic Church.

Juan Diego was canonized by Pope John Paul II on July 31, 2002. Pope John Paul II praised Juan Diego for his simple faith nourished by catechesis and pictured him (who said to the Blessed Virgin Mary: "I am a nobody, I am a small rope, a tiny ladder, the tail end, a leaf") as a model of humility.

"I am a nobody, I am a small rope, a tiny ladder, the tail end, a leaf" -Juan Diego

Thought On the Homeless

A moving video posted on YouTube nearly a year ago is starting to get viral play now as the social news site Reddit is seeking out the homeless man it features, giving an honest account of what it feels like to be on the streets, looking for a job and to be called a bum. Ronald Davis of Chicago says in the video that he has been homeless for about a year and a half. The video was posted in July, so he has been homeless for at least two years now. He doesn't say why. He has slept under bridges, in cardboard boxes and on benches when he doesn't have enough money for the flophouse, a place where it costs $16 for 24 hours.

"I go fill out applications for a job and stuff. They look at me, you know, I'm not looking presentable and they 'well, we'll call you. Leave a number.' But how can I leave a number when I don't have a phone?" Davis says. It is interesting to me how this is a cycle in which it's very hard to leave. Davis lost his job and he did not have enough money to buy a suit in which he will eventually get a job. It is sad how most people take these people for granted, including myself. We must learn that behind every "bum" there is a depressing story in which we must learn to give. I'm not saying to give these people money every time you see them but maybe give them an opportunity give them hope maybe a job that you know of or a suit that you no longer wear. It makes a very big difference to them!

Next time you see a homeless man remember about Ronald Davis and treat him or her as if is he or she was a friend of yours. At the end he is your brother or sister. We are all children must God and we must treat each other as brothers. It is hard but we must. For it is God's will for us.

For the Homeless

This topic is a very important to the everyday Christian. Christians always talk about doing the charitable things, yet there are always things that get in the way of helping a fellow brother/sister in Christ.


To get an idea what I'm about
to talk about please look at this
 video on the right.

Now in today's society, most people tend to ignore the man on the street. Sure there are Good Samaritans everywhere, but the vast majority tend to just ignore them and go along with their everyday lives. Now I doubt people would just completely ignore someone who needs help, but there are always factors which separate them from ever lending an aid. For some people, whenever they donate money to the guy on the street, they find out the guy just ends up buying something like beer which kind of defeats the whole purpose of helping them. Then there are parents who tell their children to stay away due to concern over safety, staying clean, etc. Then there is also the stigma against these people as well. They are the 'unclean' of society; they are mostly made up of bums. However, stereotypes are stereotypes. Not all of these people are bums. There are good people with different stories to tell, so what is it our right to judge them? If we are Christians, we should always strive to help out the person on the street and be a support. That is something any ordinary person can achieve.

Even if we get past the whole boundary of helping these people, is it really a never ending cycle? People complain about these poor people being bums who do not want to get a job. That right there might be the misunderstanding. Sure there might be people who actually are bums, but would it not be hard for someone on the street to actually find a job. In this economy/society especially, it is hard to find jobs even if you look presentable and have a good resume. How hard do you think then would it be for the homeless person? It is because of this that leads into the cycle of giving aid to these homeless people without end. If we could give some sort of training or job then most of the good homeless people would be able to start supporting themselves. Then they would also be able to help contribute to society like they would wish to do.

It is one thing to say that we are Christians, and it is another to actually live as Christians. Even as simple as aiding the people under highways or on street corners is one way everyone can help spread the message of God. Do not let some sort of stigma from society affect how you can help out? Who knows, maybe that person who you just helped might help you back in the future? Either way, everyone is human and we each have a human dignity. To accept that means to do your part in helping things get better.

All are Welcome?

Okay so this post relates to my last post on the Woman Ordained as Priests
(see here: Woman Ordained as Priest?)
This time the question is "Is everyone truly welcomed into the Church?" (see this post here: All are Welcome?)

Now we should all know by now that the Catholic Church invites everyone to join them. Since Christ instituted the Church, any person is invited to join regardless of race, gender, etc. There is no discrimination between members since it is universal. This also leads into some major confusion however. Some people think it is unfair/incorrect for a group of people to say that all are welcome, but there are a bunch of rules to be followed.

Let me explain. First to get an idea, you could look at some of the comments to the article above. Some people hate the fact that all are welcome, but there are rules/regulations that the Church states. The Church does accept people that are homosexual, woman that are struggling with rape and leaning towards abortion among many of the more influential topics of today's society. This however does not change the fact that the Church will just accept the sin. The Church prays for the person with this condition, however the act in itself is only for a male and female. Even though the woman who was raped now has a child, all life is precious. Aborting the baby is killing. Even though there might be extenuating circumstances, this does not change some fundamental beliefs.

Here's what the real problem is in society. There are too many people who want to be a 'god.' Instead of conforming to God, they take the sin of pride and say that God should conform to them. In the case of the female ministers, they blame the Church because they look at the role of priesthood as an occupation rather than a vocation. Even though they might seem similar in terminology, they are different. An occupation is a job, but a vocation is a role that God calls you too. These people who do not accept this fact basically state, "I choose to ignore God and will do what I want." Sure these people may have the right heart, but it does not change the fact that they are slapping God in the face by choosing to go against him. Instead of looking at this objectively, they take everything personally and go with the flow of society. Instead of conforming to God, they choose to turn away from him by being better than him. This same fault can be seen all across the ages including the beginning with Adam and Eve. They wanted to be 'gods' so that they could be better than God. They freely chose to eat from the tree. Even though the times have changed, this same sin continues to burden society.

The Church does in fact accept anyone. Just don't go making the Church follow your own beliefs. If you want to point out flaws, go talk to the Church officials instead of just raging and abandoning your faith. If you so easily abandon it, either you lacked faith or you just did not care. There is always a reason, so be patient. Follow the will of God and you will find the truth.

In the end I veered off topic, but I do hope whomever reads this takes this to heart.