Pope John Paul II – The Movie

A Tribute to Our Hero, our Christ on Earth – Pope John Paul II

Family, we want to share with you about our Pope John Paul II.  Some years ago, Bob and I traveled with Brother Joseph and Luz Elena to Poland and Rome to make a documentary on Pope John Paul II– Dry Martyr. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said a dry martyr was one who did not shed his blood for the Faith, although Pope John Paul was shot, but those who suffered martyrdom without shedding blood. We believe our Pope truly suffered martyrdom.

So, when this movie on the life of our dear Pope came out, I honestly felt we had learned enough from our documentary, and did not need to see the movie, starring John Voigt and Cary Elwes .  But something or should I say some one (Bob Lord) ordered the DVD on the life of Pope John Paul II. And last night we were to laugh with and cry watching one of the most powerful, heart rending true stories of our hero, our Pope who will live in our hearts and in our memories for the rest of our lives, and then in the hearts of those who will come after us.  For most of us, we have known our Pope as a true father on earth, a shining star lighting the darkness.  But there was a price to be paid, and like his Savior before him, he said yes!

It brought back all we had seen in war-torn Poland.  All I could think was how could he have lived through all that horror and still have love and empathy in his heart.  For our Pope was a Pope of love and reconciliation.

The DVD brought back the rounding up of innocent people whose only crime was they were born Jewish.  The nightmarish scenes from Auschwitz, the Death camp, came back to us, of personal things taken from the Jews whose only crime was they fit into Hitler’s plan.  He needed someone or some group to blame for the disastrous situation in Germany.  He had come to the German people as a savior, a messenger of hope.  Well, a savior needs to have someone to save the people from, someone to blame to bring hope to the German people.  Well, why not use the Jews!

We had a guide escort us around the death camp, past thousands of baby shoes, tiny dolls with child like carriages, suitcases ready to move the Jews who were walking in a cloud, oblivious to the real fate they faced.  Until that moment when we went to Auschwitz, they had been numbers to us, a newspaper report of the horrors of war.  They did not have faces, only names placed on unused suitcases.  The DVD brought back the horror of the Jewish people who had been friends and neighbors of the Poles, friends of Pope John Paul II, friends who he went skiing with, who were in plays and musicals with him, before the Nazis, Hitler’s Death Patrol rounded them up and ended it all.

You have to see the DVD to fully appreciate our Pope’s early life and the horror he lived through.  One of the saddest scenes was when the Poles felt they had been saved from the Nazis with the promise of freedom and return to life as they had known it, only to be subjugated by new tyrants – the Russians.  Priests like Pope John Paul II had to go underground.  No new priests could be ordained.  Pope John Paul was one of the priests who was ordained underground.

It is only by the will of God that we had the gift of this, our “Sweet Christ on earth.”(as St. Catherine called our Popes)  God knew the hell on earth His children would have to face and so He bought into the world someone who would lead us out of the snares of the devil.

We have said it before – that God has us write ahead of our time, for the faithful and those who refuse to believe.  We believe in this instance, He has done it again.  Dear Pope John Paul II.  Only to the foolish have you gone from us.  You will never leave us.  We believe in this DVD.  We believe it has a powerful message for you and our country. There is a writing on the walls of the Warsaw Ghetto.  “Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.” This is a great Christmas gift.  Buy it for you and your family!  Totus Tuus.

To order this movie or get more information about Pope John Paul II click here

Santo Nino de Atocha

Miracles of Santo Nino de Atocha

One miracle, which was chronicled in 1829, tells of a woman who was wrongly sentenced to prison. She pleaded to the authorities that she had been wrongly imprisoned, but to no avail. To make matters worse, she could find no one who would come forth to help her prove her innocence. She prayed tirelessly to Our Lady of Atocha and the Blessed Infant in Her arms, for help. The more she prayed, the more it seemed help was not forthcoming. But this dear lady believed; with all her heart, she believed. So she kept praying.

A young Man, elegantly dressed, entered the prison from nowhere, it seemed. He brought food and water to the distressed woman. He said it was in response to a request the imprisoned woman had made to His Mother. She begged Him for help with her plight. He was able to free her from the jail. She asked Him His name, that she might remember Him and pray for Him. He said to her, “My Mother is Maria of Atocha. My name is Emmanuel of Atocha.”

It didn’t occur to her at the time what the young man was telling her, regarding his identity. She walked all through the night, towards the little town of Fresnillo, that she might go to the Shrine of the Lady of Atocha and give thanks for the miraculous escape she’d had because of Her intercession. When she entered the Church, she saw the statue of the Santo Niño in the Arms of Our Lady of Atocha, at the main Altar of the church. She could see that this was the same Child who had helped her at the prison. Then she remembered the tradition of the Santo Niño; and how He would come to the prisons at night. She knew that Our Lady and Our Lord Jesus had answered her prayers.

The shepherd and the rattlesnake

Another miracle concerns a shepherd who was out in the forest, tending his flock. This day, our story finds him alone, sitting under a tree, seeking some kind of shelter from the pouring rain. There was not a soul to be seen for miles. Stealthily a snake slithered out from under a rock, unnoticed by the shepherd. The rattlesnake struck before he knew what was happening. The shepherd was bitten on his right leg, and became completely incapacitated. Unable to move, he prayed with what strength he had left; but felt no relief. Then he remembered the stories his mother had told him about Our Lady of Atocha, and the powerful intercessor She was with Her Son. He prayed to Our Lady of Atocha and Our Lord Jesus, the Santo Niño de Atocha. He did not receive the instantaneous healing he expected. In fact, he felt no relief. Weak, life quickly ebbing out of him, he finally passed out.

When he regained consciousness, he was sure he was in Heaven, or rather he prayed he was in Heaven. But when he looked around him, everything was the same as it had been, or was it? He noticed the sun was shining and the storm was over. There was a little Boy, a Niño, standing
over him, talking softly to him, with a gourd of water in His hand. The little Boy gave the shepherd some water to drink from the gourd. Then He gave him some bread from his basket. Upon drinking the water and eating the bread, the shepherd began to feel better immediately. He was bewildered by what was happening, as he still had not figured out who the Boy was. All he knew was he could feel himself getting better.

He got up and walked around. His leg was healing! The dizziness was leaving him! There was no more swelling, and his fever had left him. He was well! He looked around for the little Boy, but He was gone. The shepherd thought this curious, but didn’t make too much of it. He left the forest, his mission to go to the Church of Our Lady of Atocha and offer Her praise and thanksgiving for saving his life. His experience was the same as that which the woman in the first miracle encountered. When the shepherd walked into the church, there, on the main altar, seated on a throne, was the little Boy, the Niño who had saved his life in the forest, and in His Hand was the same basket from which He had given the shepherd food and in the other Hand the gourd from which the Niño had given him to drink. Only now he realized that it was not just a niño, it was the Santo Niño, who had saved his life.

For more information about Santo Nino de  Atocha click here

Saint Frances (Mother Cabrini)

The Beginnings of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart

Francesca was a good poker player. She never once showed her feelings. She told the bishop, “I will look for a house.” But we have to believe that her heart jumped a mile high when she was given this singular honor by the bishop. Possibly she jumped in the air as she left the bishop’s office, or waited until she got back to her quarters where the other seven sisters were waiting, before she exploded with joy. But we know what we know – she was excited. And now, as the mother superior of a religious community, which she named Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, she was given the title Mother Cabrini.

She found an abandoned convent in back of a Franciscan friary in Codogno which needed a lot of work. But this is where the Lord told her she and the sisters should be. The bishop gave his consent, and the sisters moved in the same day, before any of the badly needed repairs were done. It was as if she were afraid she would wake up to find this was all a dream, or that the bishop would change his mind, if she didn’t move in immediately. That day became the official date of the beginning of the Order.

She moved quickly, because she wanted papal approval of the order. She opened an orphanage, then a school in another town. She wanted to build credentials and numbers of sisters which she could present in Rome to open a convent in Rome. By 1887, she had five convents in the Lombardy region of Italy and anticipated missions all over the world. She asked permission from the Vicar General of Milan to go to Rome and was given it. In September 1887, she and another sister went to Rome to do whatever it would take to bring their little community to the attention of His Holiness and the Vatican.

I guess when the Lord wants something done, it becomes obvious by how quickly it gets accomplished. True, Mother Cabrini was a mover and shaker, but she was unknown in Rome. What was accomplished in a very short period of time without money, by the way, could only have been the work of the Lord. A Cardinal Parocchi told them not to even consider what they had in mind when he first met with them. However, on his second meeting with them just two weeks later, he not only gave them permission to open one convent, but two convents in Rome.

But a strong lesson is to be learned in the way the audience with the Cardinal went on this second visit. He pre-emptied his statement with a question: “Are you willing to obey?”

That might have been a difficult one for Mother Cabrini to swallow because she wanted this badly. But obedience had been a major virtue in her life, so her answer really came easily:

“Without a moment’s hesitation, your Eminence.”

That was all the Cardinal needed. He had a strong worker here who would do great things for God, but her most exceptional virtue, as far as he was concerned, was that of obedience. He replied, “Then, instead of opening one convent in Rome you will open two…”

Well, if you think she went into orbit when the bishop gave her permission to begin an order in 1880, this time she did everything but levitate. She had been given the opportunity, she and her community needed to allow her work to be known, where it had to be known, in the Vatican circles. Getting the work done, which would be the hardest goal to accomplish, was never a problem for Mother Cabrini. She just barreled ahead, not accepting any barriers which might be placed in her way, or the task at hand. She knew the Lord was asking something of her, and her answer was always a resounding yes!

The New Mission Fields in the West

She didn’t know was that she was playing right into the hands of the Lord. The Pope already knew the problem of the Italians in New York. So while it was not necessarily fair to Mother Cabrini, when she went to have her audience with the Pope, he was fully aware of the problem and was desperate to have people go there to alleviate the difficulty. The Lord had already told the Pope what He wanted.
His Holiness listened respectfully to Mother Cabrini as she shared her dilemma – She wanted to go to the missions in China, but she felt a great pull from various sources to begin working with the Italian immigrants in New York. She needed his help to make her decision. Our great Leo XIII looked at this zealot for the Faith, and smiled as he told her, “You must not go to the East, but to the West. Your mission will be in America to help the Italians and to make your country loved.” True to her vow of obedience, she accepted the Holy Father’s statement as the final word on the subject. She never once mentioned the Orient again.

For more information about Saint Frances Cabrini go to http://www.bobandpennylord.com/St_Frances_Cabrini.htm

An Athiest and a Nun sent us emails

We wanted to share some items of interest this season.

First  - Remember,  above all that Jesus is the reason for the Season. But of course we are preaching to the choir! We know you already know this.

Second – with that said, we want to encourage you to purchase those things this Christmas season that will give back forever, that is give gifts that lead to eternal life..

 

Email from an atheist!
This morning we received an email from a atheist.  Here is the quote:   “Why are you guys devoting your lifes (sic) to something that might not exist?”

We thought about this for a moment and thought about this person and how they must be looking forward to nothing. How sad. As far as proof of life after death, Our Faith gives us enough evidence to do what we have been doing and doing it each day with much gusto and joy. When you do something that you love to do you will never work a day in your life. Let us all pray for that person.

And that is the reason we evangelize; to reach people so they do not get to that point.

 

Email from a future Nun!

We also received a short video clip for a young lady who is converting to Catholicism and hopes to become a Nun.  She was energized by watching Super Saints on EWTN and let us know how EWTN changed her life. And furthermore know this;  this young lady was the most unlikely person you would ever suspect would watch EWTN. God is good!

 

Finally, we want to suggest three pages on our websites for you to browse:

 

www.CatholicStockingStuffers.com

and http://www.bobandpennylord.com/Treasures_Saints.htm

Of course you may browse our home page http://www.BobAndPennyLord.com for other items.

Simply click on these links to view information

Saint Charles Borromeo – Nov 4

“Throughout the diocese, religion was little known or understood and religious practices were desecrated by gross abuses and disgraced by superstition. The Sacraments were neglected, for many of the clergy scarcely knew how to administer them, and were lazy, ignorant and debauched; monasteries were full of disorder.”

He had to make a clean sweep, build a diocese from scratch, and he did. He instituted so many reforms, it doesn’t seem possible that one man could have done it all. And we must keep in mind that at this time, he was only twenty eight years old. It was pure Holy Spirit. He was responsible for the institution of some of the following:
1. Reorganization of Diocesan administration into a workable set of offices with separate, individual functions.

2. He called six different provincial councils and eleven diocesan councils to set policy and a working relationship by the people of the church with each other and with their bishop.
3. He began methodical and frequent visits to every part of his diocese.
[Author’s note: This may not sound like such a big accomplishment to us. Our bishop usually gets to every parish in the diocese at least once every year or so. Keep in mind, however, that this diocese, and most like it at that time, may not have ever seen a bishop in the lifetime of anyone in the parish. This particular diocese, Milan, had not had a bishop living in the diocese for over eighty years. The bishops pretty much stayed in Rome. Plus, even if the bishops wanted to embark on such a grand excursion, their means of transportation were pretty primitive by our standards. If a bishop began a journey to visit all the parishes in his diocese, using a stagecoach, he might never finish it in his lifetime. So you can see what an undertaking St. Charles had given himself.]
4. He opened up seminaries in the Archdiocese, first to the Jesuits, and then to the followers of St. Ambrose. Again, this may not seem like any big thing, but seminaries were not in existence prior to the Council of Trent. Actually, St. Charles was very instrumental in the creation of the seminary system during the Council. So actually, he was basing what he did as Archbishop of Milan on what he was partially responsible for putting into the Canons of the Council of Trent. He so believed in the need for formal education and training of priests that it was one of the first reforms he put into effect in his diocese.
5. CCD – Confraternity of Christian Doctrine – St. Charles created CCD in its original form. Actually, CCD was begun by St. Charles under the inspiration and leadership of Pope Pius IV, his uncle. This was done for the people of Rome. There was such a need for educating the people in the churches of Rome on the teachings of the Catechism that it was begun and promoted in 1560. When St. Charles left Rome after his uncle died in 1565, he brought the concept to Milan and put it into practice, according to the mandate made by Pope Pius IV.
6. He began a diocesan religious society, originally called the Oblates of Milan, which were subsequently named the Oblates of St. Charles. This was a reform of clergy which St. Charles began in 1579.
7. He opened up schools and cultural and social institutions within universities in Pavia and at the University of Brera in Milan.
8. He provided shelters for street people of his day: wanderers, the lost and neglected, reformed prostitutes and orphans. Today we would call them the marginalized and disenfranchised, battered women and abused children. The names change with the technology, but the situations remain the same.

For more about Saint Charles Borromeo go to

http://www.bobandpennylord.com/St_Charles_Borromeo.htm

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

Six glorious years of marriage

 

We have to take a moment out here to talk about the death of Elizabeth’s husband, and its effect on her and her life. We can’t just leave it with a one-liner, a footnote in reference to their daughter. Elizabeth and Ludwig were extremely in love. In addition to their early years of courtship, as children really, and four years of betrothal, they shared six glorious years of marriage together. It was a fairy-tale romance, he being the prince and then ruler of their little country, and she being the benevolent, and very loving countess, or consort. They did everything together, wherever possible. Because he became more and more trusted by high ranking members of the nobility, he was called upon to take on responsibilities which took him away from their home. She understood this, but grieved all the time they were apart.
Her husband adored her. She could do no wrong as far as he was concerned. Very often, while he was out of the country, she had to take matters into her own hands. As we said, she cared more for others than herself. This was evidenced on many occasions, but one in particular took place when a great famine threatened that area of Germany. Ludwig was away, handling matters of state for Emperor Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire. Elizabeth depleted most of their own assets, including their entire stock of corn. She fed the poor, aided the sick, built a hospital, then another; she was just completely at the service of her people.
The members of his household and the court couldn’t wait for Landgrave Ludwig to return, so they could complain bitterly against her, saying she was frivolous, and caring more about the commoner than the nobility of the country. He never bothered to investigate the claims. After ascertaining that no one was left out of her generosity, he said “Her charities will bring us Divine blessings.” That was truly a prophecy which came true.
St. Elizabeth actually tickled her husband. While she was a perfect consort, she was such a free soul, such a beautiful child of God, he couldn’t help but enjoy everything she did. One of the most interesting tales about her took place on a day when she was out, doing all her errands for the poor, bringing them bread, and who knows what else. Now, apparently this did not fit in with the job description of countess, or princess, or whatever she was considered by the people of her country.
And who should she run into but her husband, returning from a hunt with other members of the court. Oh boy, was she in trouble. In addition to not doing what she was supposed to be doing, she was weighed down by whatever it was she was carrying in her apron. He was concerned, seeing her walking along the road, stooped over. He came to her aid and opened her apron to relieve her of some of the weight of whatever she was carrying. When it opened, it was chock full of the most beautiful, magnificent roses he had ever seen. And it was not the season for roses. Shades of St. Juan Diego! Also, what he did not see was a loaf of bread she held behind her back, to give to a hungry person. Whatever she did, she could do no wrong.
Another more serious event took place during their marriage, which is a telling testimony about the two of them, and their love for God. As Elizabeth was well-known for her charity, especially to beggars and lepers, one day a leper, seriously ill, and wreaking of the foul smell of his decayed flesh, crawled up to the castle at Marburg, seeking aid and comfort. Elizabeth looked at the man, and took pity on him. Her heart was deeply touched by the man, and she brought him into the castle. She put him on her husband’s bed.
When the mother-in-law caught sight of this filthy, foul-smelling peasant laying on the clean, perfumed sheets of her son’s bed, she immediately sent for him. He was quite a distance away from the castle, and didn’t return until late that night. Upon his mother’s insistence, he went into his bedroom, and pulled back the covers. Instead of seeing the leper, Landgravine Ludwig saw the bleeding body of Christ, arms outstretched, laying before him. Later biographers of St. Elizabeth have translated the miracle into being a bleeding crucifix, in the place where the leper had slept. Whatever the case, the two, Elizabeth and Ludwig, knelt by the side of the bed, and praised Our Lord Jesus for loving them so much, He would manifest Himself in this way. We’re not sure what the reaction of the mother-in-law was, after all, the daughter-in-law could do no right.
We tell you this about them and their life together just to bring a point across. You must know how much they meant to each other if you are to understand how devastated she became when she received news of his death. They were each other’s next sentence, next thought, next breath. They were each other’s life.
At first, she misunderstood the notice given her by her mother-in-law. The way it was explained to her, “the dispensation of God” and “what had befallen him”, she thought he had been captured by the enemy in the Holy Land. She was full of hope. “Since he is a prisoner,” she said, “with the help of God and our friends, he shall be set free.” When it was clarified, and she fully understood, she lost control completely for a time. She ran all over the castle, shrieking as if she had lost her mind. She cried out: “The world is dead to me, and all that was joyous in the world.”

For more information about Saint Elizabeth of Hungary go to

http://www.ElizabethofHungary.com

Blessed Miguel Pro – Nov 23

There is a tradition about Padre Pro. We’re told that it was given in testimony, at the process of his Beatification. We really believe it is so in keeping with whom the man was, and how loved he was by Our Lord Jesus, we feel it important to share it with you.

He celebrated Mass every day in secret. On the day before he was arrested for the last time, he was celebrating Mass in a home, attended by a small number of people. It is said that during the Consecration of the Mass, as he held the Consecrated Host, a brilliant light surrounded his entire body. His vestments were so bright that people had to turn their heads away. His face and hands were gleaming; he levitated. He was transfigured as Our Lord Jesus on Mount Tabor before him. We like to think of this as a Miracle of the Eucharist of Mexico.

A plot had been hatched. We don’t know if it was directed against Miguel Pro, or former president Obregon. Some think it was Calles’ way of killing two birds with one stone. Obregon had been motoring in the area of Chapultepec, when a car came alongside him, and bombs were thrown at his car. He escaped with minor injuries, but his guards chased the four terrorists, who had run from their car. Two escaped. One was shot dead, and the other through the temple. He was brought to the hospital. His wife stayed with him until he died, and testified he never regained consciousness. However, the police claimed an undercover policeman got into his hospital room, disguised his voice as the assailant’s brother-in-law, and spoke to him. The assailant supposedly put the blame on Padre Pro, his brother Humberto, and Luis Segura.

Miguel and his family knew nothing about the plot. As a matter of fact, he had felt somewhat of a lull in the police intensity to get him. He had even moved back into his father’s house. When he heard about what had happened to Obreg¢n, he was sure it would keep the police occupied for some time, and they wouldn’t be bothering him. The lady, at whose house Miguel had stayed, prior to moving back with his father and brothers, was arrested. The police were looking for the Jesuit priest. Somehow, they managed to trip her up, and she told them where Miguel was. Early the next morning, before anyone was up, the police raided Pro’s father’s house, and arrested Miguel, Humberto, and his other brother, Roberto. They were all carted off to jail.

Miguel actually thought what the police was doing was hysterical. There was no way, he thought, the plot against Obregon could be connected to him or his brothers. They were nowhere near the scene of the crime when it happened. So he went about his normal routine of clowning around and joking. He made friends with the guards, gave them cigarettes. He even converted one while he was in prison.
For more information about Blessed Miguel  Pro go to http://www.bobandpennylord.com/ygMiguelPro.htm

You have Friends in high places!

All Saints Day

You have friends in High Places

The Saints have been speaking to us, vulnerably sharing their stories, to help us walk our path to the Father.  We pray they have touched you, as they have us.  Some of the  Saints we have written about, we had to write about them.  We felt a persistent gnawing inside to share their stories, their lives.

We have spent almost a lifetime studying about the glories of our Church.  We have gone on Pilgrimage at least once a year since 1976, and sometimes three or four times a year.  And it has been a glorious journey of faith.  We always tell young couples planning to marry, “First you have to meet the family; because your love is part of a whole.  Her/his life began centuries ago, with their families who are here and have gone before.”  And so it is with us Catholic Christians.  Our family dates back to the time of Jesus our Brother and Mary our Mother.  As one travels through our  history, they will surely find our cousins, the Saints who have gone before us, making our spiritual life what it is today.  They fought the good fight and we have a Church today!

We have had a love affair with Mother Church and all her children for the past thirty years, and it has grown to such a degree, we hunger to meet more and more of our ancestors, the Saints.  Over the past thirty years, we have lived from pilgrimage to pilgrimage, studying, preparing, journeying to lands across the seas to our heritage.  Once we began our journey, one journey grew into another and then another; and we were hooked.

At one point in our lives, Penny and I were driving down to San Diego, California, to call on some accounts, back when we were still in the world.  It was a long drive, over three hours, and we usually spent the time praying the Rosary.  However, on this one day, I was somewhat concerned.  All of our friends in Westlake Village were buying up real estate in Southern California.  It was a good investment.  We didn’t have any money to do that, because we spent most of what we had, each year, going on pilgrimage.

I remember saying to Penny, “You know, honey, we’re not putting anything away for a nest egg for ourselves, or for our grandson.  What are we leaving him?”  She didn’t answer me.  But that night, after we had finished calling on our accounts, I turned to Penny, “I know what we’re giving our grandson, as well as us and our Church.  We’re giving him heritage.  These Saints, whose lives we study, they’re our family.  They’re our brothers and sisters in Faith.  These are Role Models, whom he can fall back on.”

Super Saints

Going down memory lane, I recall how we came about coining the phrase “Super Saints.” It began with our teaching First Holy Communion Class at our parish in 1975.  One day I got the idea to tell the little ones a story each week on the Saint whose Feast Day it was.  We took the “S” of the Superman symbol, and added another big S to it, and wrote it on the blackboard.  Then we proceeded to tell the little people stories of the Saints.  We never thought they paid any attention to us or the stories.  They always seemed like they were not there with us.  But then at Parents Nights, their parents would tell us how the children had shared with them about St. Michael, or St. Francis or St. Anthony or one of the many Saints we had researched.

The Super Saints had gone over big with the little people!  And now, almost thirty years later, that is the title and concept of our most popular television series on EWTN, Super Saints.

We want to end this by sharing with you how important our family – the Saints, are to you and to me.  You are possibly just now beginning to realize how fortunate you and we are to be Catholic, to have these brothers and sisters, not only to fall back on as Role Models, but to tell your children about.  They want to be part of your life!  They want you to consider them as family, your family.  There is no situation in your lives that you may encounter, no problem, that you can’t dig into this collection of relatives the Lord has given you, and find one to whom you can relate your problem, and nine times out of ten, help you to resolve the problem.

Everyone needs a hero!  There are a whole series of Hero Saints for boys and girls.  There are Saints to help you with their studies, through a rough exam.  There are Saints who can help them with Chastity, with that rough time of growing up.

We are all called to become Saints! There are Saints for married couples, to model your relationship after.  There are even Saints to help you find the right husband or wife, or vocation.  We have Saints whom we can petition Jesus to intercede with the Father for conception and delivery of children.  There are even Saints to help us find lost objects and lost souls.

For us, the most exciting part of our lives is to be able to go to the places of the Saints, to relive their lives, to get inside of them, and feel their spirits.  The second most exciting part of our lives is to be able to bring the marvels of these beautiful brothers and sisters in Christ back to you, so that you too, can share a little of their lives in your life.  They are there for us; they are waiting for us.  We can ask for their help.  They know how to get to Jesus.  Remember, they are His very best friends.  You know how people ask for your intercessory prayer for any number of petitions they may have?  And you pray for them?  Just think about asking someone who is right up there with Jesus and Mary, in the in-club.  Make use of the power the Lord has given to the Saints.  Remember, you truly have friends in High Places. God bless you.  We love you!

Click here for more information about the Saints

Saint Paul of the Cross

The Miracle of the Cross

St. Paul focused completely on Jesus Crucified.  He spent more and more of his time venerating the Cross, and the price Our Lord Jesus paid for our salvation.  He meditated on how much Jesus loved us and loved him, in particular.  He found himself in tears often, weeping before His Lord in agony.  On one of these occasions, Our Lord Jesus came to life on the Cross.  Paul levitated to where He was.  Jesus took him in His arms, and embraced him.  That feeling stayed with our Saint for the rest of his days.  While he wrote of it, he could never quite put in words the bond, the brotherhood, the love between the Savior and the saved.[1]

In memory of the work the two brothers did for Mother Church, Pope Clement XIV imparted on St. Paul of the Cross The Basilica of Sts. John and Paul, named after two martyrs of the early Church, in honor of St. Paul of the Cross and his brother, John Baptist. The new Passionist Order received final approval, placing them on the same footing as other Religious communities.  They have headquartered out of the Basilica of Sts. John and Paul from that day to this.

It was time to retire!  St. Paul was tired; he was not well; he longed to spend his final days among his brother missionaries, in contemplative peace; after all his work was done, wasn’t it!

St. Paul of the Cross was given the house adjoining the Basilica of Sts. Giovanni e Paolo,[2] on the Celian hill, near the Coliseum.  St. Paul spent his final days here.  He was visited by two Popes, Clement XIV in 1774 and by Pius VI in 1775.  Shortly after Pope Pius VI’s visit, our Lover of Jesus Crucified went Home to the Lord He had adored on earth, no veil separating them.

There were many miracles credited to St. Paul’s intervention, in addition to those used for his beatification and canonization; the most noteworthy were the many conversions that came about of sinners who had appeared hopelessly lost in sin, their hearts hardened and distant.

May 1, 1853, St. Paul was beatified by Pope Pius IX  and then canonized by him on June 29, 1867.  April 25, 1880, the relics of St. Paul of the Cross were transferred to a chapel that had been recently completed.  Our Saint can be venerated there till today.[3] His Feast Day is April 28th.

What Cross do you carry?  Is it heavy?  Is it unbearable?  Turn to St. Paul and ask him to help you, not to just carry it; but to embrace it.  Crave the Cross!

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[1]After his canonization, the image of St. Paul being embraced by the Crucified Christ was placed on the back of the main altar in the new Basilica of Sts. John and Paul.

[2]Sts. John and Paul

[3]Ss Giovanni e Paolo

News from Holy Family Mission

Our conference, “Proclaim the Kingdom of God!” was a huge success and we have just completed the production of the Conference dvds and cds and they will be shipped this week.

Bob and Penny will be speaking in Manchester, New Hampshire November 7 at Sainte Marie’s Church. This is a one day reatreat. For more information call 1-800-633-2484.

Many of you are interested in downloading our Minibooks and cds.  Now you can! This is link for downloading minibooks: http://www.bobandpennylord.com/new_page_20.htm

This is link for downloading cds:  http://www.bobandpennylord.com/audiocds.htm Both are $4.95 each and of course no shipping – instantaneous download Adobe pdf and mp3 audio files

A friend of the ministry called in to say that keeping track of the news was making her sick.  We have decided to pray more and worry less.

It seems to us that only Divine Intervention can put us back right with God. Prayer is the only means left to us and it just happens to be the best remedy.

Penny asks us to: “Pray for our country and its leaders!”

Please pray for our ministry. These are serious times.

Do not forget to look for Christmas gifts at www.bobandpennylord.com

The minibooks mentioned above make great gifts, along with our books and dvds of course.

Thanks and God Bless you all
Holy Family Mission staff