BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//THE FRANCISCAN FRIARS, TOR - ECPv6.17.4//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for THE FRANCISCAN FRIARS, TOR
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20280312T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20281105T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270317
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270318
DTSTAMP:20170829T164209Z
CREATED:20170829T164209Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170829T164209Z
UID:51514-1805241600-1805327999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Patrick
DESCRIPTION:Saint Patrick\nSaint of the Day for March 17\n(c. 386 – 461)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar02.mp3\nSaint Patrick’s Story\nLegends about Patrick abound; but truth is best served by our seeing two solid qualities in him: He was humble and he was courageous. The determination to accept suffering and success with equal indifference guided the life of God’s instrument for winning most of Ireland for Christ. \nDetails of his life are uncertain. Current research places his dates of birth and death a little later than earlier accounts. Patrick may have been born in Dunbarton\, Scotland\, Cumberland\, England\, or in northern Wales. He called himself both a Roman and a Briton. At 16\, he and a large number of his father’s slaves and vassals were captured by Irish raiders and sold as slaves in Ireland. Forced to work as a shepherd\, he suffered greatly from hunger and cold. \nAfter six years Patrick escaped\, probably to France\, and later returned to Britain at the age of 22. His captivity had meant spiritual conversion. He may have studied at Lerins\, off the French coast; he spent years at Auxerre\, France\, and was consecrated bishop at the age of 43. His great desire was to proclaim the good news to the Irish. \nIn a dream vision it seemed “all the children of Ireland from their mothers’ wombs were stretching out their hands” to him. He understood the vision to be a call to do mission work in pagan Ireland. Despite opposition from those who felt his education had been defective\, he was sent to carry out the task. He went to the west and north–where the faith had never been preached–obtained the protection of local kings\, and made numerous converts. \nBecause of the island’s pagan background\, Patrick was emphatic in encouraging widows to remain chaste and young women to consecrate their virginity to Christ. He ordained many priests\, divided the country into dioceses\, held Church councils\, founded several monasteries and continually urged his people to greater holiness in Christ. \nHe suffered much opposition from pagan druids and was criticized in both England and Ireland for the way he conducted his mission. \nIn a relatively short time\, the island had experienced deeply the Christian spirit\, and was prepared to send out missionaries whose efforts were greatly responsible for Christianizing Europe. \nPatrick was a man of action\, with little inclination toward learning. He had a rocklike belief in his vocation\, in the cause he had espoused. \nOne of the few certainly authentic writings is his Confessio\, above all an act of homage to God for having called Patrick\, unworthy sinner\, to the apostolate. \nThere is hope rather than irony in the fact that his burial place is said to be in County Down in Northern Ireland\, long the scene of strife and violence. \n\nReflection\nWhat distinguishes Patrick is the durability of his efforts. When one considers the state of Ireland when he began his mission work\, the vast extent of his labors\, and how the seeds he planted continued to grow and flourish\, one can only admire the kind of man Patrick must have been. The holiness of a person is known only by the fruits of his or her work. \n\nSaint Patrick is the Patron Saint of:\nEngineers\nIreland\nNigeria
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-patrick/2027-03-17/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270318
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270319
DTSTAMP:20170829T173216Z
CREATED:20170829T173216Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170829T173216Z
UID:51516-1805328000-1805414399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
DESCRIPTION:Saint Cyril of Jerusalem\nSaint of the Day for March 18\n(c. 315 – March 18\, 386)\nSaint Cyril of Jerusalem’s Story\nThe crises that the Church faces today may seem minor when compared with the threat posed by the Arian heresy\, which denied the divinity of Christ and almost overcame Christianity in the fourth century. Cyril was to be caught up in the controversy\, accused of Arianism by Saint Jerome\, and ultimately vindicated both by the men of his own time and by being declared a Doctor of the Church in 1822. \nRaised in Jerusalem and well-educated\, especially in the Scriptures\, he was ordained a priest by the bishop of Jerusalem and given the task during Lent of catechizing those preparing for Baptism and catechizing the newly baptized during the Easter season. His Catecheses remain valuable as examples of the ritual and theology of the Church in the mid-fourth century. \nThere are conflicting reports about the circumstances of his becoming bishop of Jerusalem. It is certain that he was validly consecrated by bishops of the province. Since one of them was an Arian\, Acacius\, it may have been expected that his “cooperation” would follow. Conflict soon rose between Cyril and Acacius\, bishop of the rival nearby see of Caesarea. Cyril was summoned to a council\, accused of insubordination and of selling Church property to relieve the poor. Probably\, however\, a theological difference was also involved. He was condemned\, driven from Jerusalem\, and later vindicated\, not without some association with and help from Semi-Arians. Half his episcopate was spent in exile; his first experience was repeated twice. He finally returned to find Jerusalem torn with heresy\, schism and strife\, and wracked with crime. Even Saint Gregory of Nyssa\, who was sent to help\, left in despair. \nThey both went to the Council of Constantinople\, where the amended form of the Nicene Creed was promulgated in 381. Cyril accepted the word consubstantial–that is\, Christ is of the same substance or nature as the Father. Some said it was an act of repentance\, but the bishops of the Council praised him as a champion of orthodoxy against the Arians. Though not friendly with the greatest defender of orthodoxy against the Arians\, Cyril may be counted among those whom Athanasius called “brothers\, who mean what we mean\, and differ only about the word consubstantial.” \n\nReflection\nThose who imagine that the lives of saints are simple and placid\, untouched by the vulgar breath of controversy\, are rudely shocked by history. Yet\, it should be no surprise that saints\, indeed all Christians\, will experience the same difficulties as their Master. The definition of truth is an endless\, complex pursuit\, and good men and women have suffered the pain of both controversy and error. Intellectual\, emotional\, and political roadblocks may slow up people like Cyril for a time. But their lives taken as a whole are monuments to honesty and courage. \nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar18.mp3
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-cyril-of-jerusalem/2027-03-18/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270319
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270320
DTSTAMP:20170830T143752Z
CREATED:20170830T143752Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T143752Z
UID:51517-1805414400-1805500799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Joseph\, Husband of Mary
DESCRIPTION:Saint Joseph\, Husband of Mary\nSaint of the Day for March 19\n(c. 100–c. 1)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar19.mp3\nSaint Joseph’s Story\nThe Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he was a “just” man. The quality meant a lot more than faithfulness in paying debts. \nWhen the Bible speaks of God “justifying” someone\, it means that God\, the all-holy or “righteous” one\, so transforms a person that the individual shares somehow in God’s own holiness\, and hence it is really “right” for God to love him or her. In other words\, God is not playing games\, acting as if we were lovable when we are not. \nBy saying Joseph was “just\,” the Bible means that he was one who was completely open to all that God wanted to do for him. He became holy by opening himself totally to God. \nThe rest we can easily surmise. Think of the kind of love with which he wooed and won Mary\, and the depth of the love they shared during their marriage. \nIt is no contradiction of Joseph’s manly holiness that he decided to divorce Mary when she was found to be with child. The important words of the Bible are that he planned to do this “quietly” because he was “a righteous man\, yet unwilling to expose her to shame” (Matthew 1:19). \nThe just man was simply\, joyfully\, wholeheartedly obedient to God—in marrying Mary\, in naming Jesus\, in shepherding the precious pair to Egypt\, in bringing them to Nazareth\, in the undetermined number of years of quiet faith and courage. \n\nReflection\nThe Bible tells us nothing of Joseph in the years after the return to Nazareth except the incident of finding Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41–51). Perhaps this can be taken to mean that God wants us to realize that the holiest family was like every other family\, that the circumstances of life for the holiest family were like those of every family\, so that when Jesus’ mysterious nature began to appear\, people couldn’t believe that he came from such humble beginnings: “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary…?” (Matthew 13:55a). It was almost as indignant as “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46b). \n\nSaint Joseph is the Patron Saint of:\nBelgium\nCanada\nCarpenters\nChina\nFathers\nHappy death\nPeru\nRussia\nSocial Justice\nTravelers\nUniversal Church\nVietnam\nWorkers
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-joseph-husband-of-mary/2027-03-19/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270320
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270321
DTSTAMP:20170830T144208Z
CREATED:20170830T144208Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T144208Z
UID:51520-1805500800-1805587199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Salvator of Horta
DESCRIPTION:Saint Salvator of Horta\nSaint of the Day for March 20\n(1520 – March 18\, 1567)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar20.mp3\nSaint Salvator of Horta’s Story\nA reputation for holiness does have some drawbacks. Public recognition can be a nuisance at times—as the confreres of Salvator found out. \nSalvator was born during Spain’s Golden Age. Art\, politics\, and wealth were flourishing. So was religion. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus in 1540. \nSalvator’s parents were poor. At the age of 21\, he entered the Franciscans as a brother and was soon known for his asceticism\, humility\, and simplicity. As cook\, porter\, and later the official beggar for the friars in Tortosa\, he became well known for his charity. He healed the sick with the Sign of the Cross. When crowds of sick people began coming to the friary to see Salvator\, the friars transferred him to Horta. Again\, the sick flocked to ask his intercession; one person estimated that 2\,000 people a week came to see Salvator. He told them to examine their consciences\, go to confession\, and to receive Holy Communion worthily. He refused to pray for those who would not receive those sacraments. \nThe public attention given to Salvator was relentless. The crowds would sometimes tear off pieces of his habit as relics. Two years before his death\, Salvator was moved again\, this time to Cagliari on the island of Sardinia. He died at Cagliari saying\, “Into your hands\, O Lord\, I commend my spirit.” He was canonized in 1938. \n\nReflection\nMedical science is now seeing more clearly the relation of some diseases to one’s emotional and spiritual life. In Healing Life’s Hurts\, Matthew and Dennis Linn report that sometimes people experience relief from illness only when they have decided to forgive others. Salvator prayed that people might be healed\, and many were. Surely not all diseases can be treated this way; medical help should not be abandoned. But notice that Salvator urged his petitioners to reestablish their priorities in life before they asked for healing. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Salvator of Horta is October 18.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-salvator-of-horta/2027-03-20/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20270321T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20270321T170000
DTSTAMP:20170830T144402Z
CREATED:20170830T144402Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T144402Z
UID:51522-1805616000-1805648400@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed John of Parma
DESCRIPTION:Blessed John of Parma\nSaint of the Day for March 21\n(1209–1289)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar21.mp3\nBlessed John of Parma’s Story\nThe seventh general minister of the Franciscan Order\, John was known for his attempts to bring back the earlier spirit of the Order after the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. \nHe was born in Parma\, Italy\, in 1209. It was when he was a young philosophy professor known for his piety and learning that God called him to bid good-bye to the world he was used to and enter the new world of the Franciscan Order. After his profession\, John was sent to Paris to complete his theological studies. Ordained to the priesthood\, he was appointed to teach theology at Bologna\, then Naples\, and finally Rome. \nIn 1245\, Pope Innocent IV called a general council in the city of Lyons\, France. Crescentius\, the Franciscan minister general at the time\, was ailing and unable to attend. In his place he sent Friar John\, who made a deep impression on the Church leaders gathered there. Two years later\, when the same pope presided at the election of a minister general of the Franciscans\, he remembered Friar John well and held him up as the man best qualified for the office. \nAnd so in 1247\, John of Parma was elected to be minister general. The surviving disciples of St. Francis rejoiced in his election\, expecting a return to the spirit of poverty and humility of the early days of the Order. And they were not disappointed. As general of the Order\, John traveled on foot\, accompanied by one or two companions\, to practically all of the Franciscan convents in existence. Sometimes he would arrive and not be recognized\, remaining there for a number of days to test the true spirit of the brothers. \nThe pope called on John to serve as legate to Constantinople\, where he was most successful in winning back the schismatic Greeks. Upon his return\, he asked that someone else take his place to govern the Order. At John’s urging\, Saint Bonaventure was chosen to succeed him. John took up a life of prayer in the hermitage at Greccio. \nMany years later\, John learned that the Greeks who had been reconciled with the Church for a time\, had relapsed into schism. Though 80 years old by then\, John received permission from Pope Nicholas IV to return to the East in an effort to restore unity once again. On his way\, John fell sick and died. \nHe was beatified in 1781. \n\nReflection\nIn the 13th century\, people in their 30s were middle-aged; hardly anyone lived to the ripe old age of 80. John did\, but he didn’t ease into retirement. Instead he was on his way to try to heal a schism in the Church when he died. Our society today boasts a lot of folks in their later decades. Like John\, many of them lead active lives. But some aren’t so fortunate. Weakness or ill health keeps them confined and lonely—waiting to hear from us. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast Day for Blessed John of Parma is March 20.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-john-of-parma/2027-03-21/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270322
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270323
DTSTAMP:20170830T145558Z
CREATED:20170830T145558Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T145558Z
UID:51525-1805673600-1805759999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Nicholas Owen
DESCRIPTION:Saint Nicholas Owen\nSaint of the Day for March 22\n(? – 1606)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar22.mp3\nSaint Nicholas Owen’s Story\nNicholas\, familiarly known as “Little John\,” was small in stature but big in the esteem of his fellow Jesuits. \nBorn at Oxford\, this humble artisan saved the lives of many priests and laypersons in England during the penal times (1559-1829)\, when a series of statutes punished Catholics for the practice of their faith. Over a period of about 20 years\, Nicholas used his skills to build secret hiding places for priests throughout the country. \nHis work\, which he did completely by himself as both architect and builder\, was so good that time and time again priests in hiding were undetected by raiding parties. Nicholas was a genius at finding and creating places of safety: subterranean passages\, small spaces between walls\, impenetrable recesses. \nAt one point he was even able to mastermind the escape of two Jesuits from the Tower of London. Whenever Nicholas set out to design such hiding places\, he began by receiving the holy Eucharist\, and he would turn to God in prayer throughout the long\, dangerous construction process. \nAfter many years at his unusual task\, Nicholas entered the Society of Jesus and served as a lay brother\, although—for very good reasons—his connection with the Jesuits was kept secret. \nAfter a number of narrow escapes\, he himself was finally caught in 1594. Despite protracted torture\, Nicholas refused to disclose the names of other Catholics. After being released following the payment of a ransom\, “Little John” went back to his work. He was arrested again in 1606. This time he was subjected to horrible tortures\, suffering an agonizing death. The jailers tried suggesting that he had confessed and committed suicide\, but his heroism and sufferings soon were widely known. \nNicholas Owen was canonized in 1970 as one of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales. \n\nReflection\nNicholas was a clever builder and architect who used his skills to protect endangered priests. Without his help\, hundreds of English Catholics would have been deprived of the sacraments. His gift for spotting unlikely places to hide priests was impressive\, but more impressive was his habit of seeking support for his work in prayer and the Eucharist. If we follow his example\, we may also discover surprising ways to put our skills to God’s service.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-nicholas-owen/2027-03-22/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270323
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270324
DTSTAMP:20170830T150048Z
CREATED:20170830T150048Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T150048Z
UID:51529-1805760000-1805846399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo
DESCRIPTION:Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo\nSaint of the Day for March 23\n(November 16\, 1538 – March 23\, 1606)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar23.mp3\nSaint Turibius of Mogrovejo’s Story\nTogether with Rose of Lima\, Turibius is the first known saint of the New World\, serving the Lord in Peru\, South America\, for 26 years. \nBorn in Spain and educated for the law\, he became so brilliant a scholar that he was made professor of law at the University of Salamanca and eventually became chief judge of the Inquisition at Granada. He succeeded too well. But he was not sharp enough a lawyer to prevent a surprising sequence of events. \nWhen the archdiocese of Lima in Peru required a new leader\, Turibius was chosen to fill the post: He was the one person with the strength of character and holiness of spirit to heal the scandals that had infected that area. \nHe cited all the canons that forbade giving laymen ecclesiastical dignities\, but he was overruled. Turibius was ordained priest and bishop and sent to Peru\, where he found colonialism at its worst. The Spanish conquerors were guilty of every sort of oppression of the native population. Abuses among the clergy were flagrant\, and he devoted his energies and suffering to this area first. \nHe began the long and arduous visitation of an immense archdiocese\, studying the language\, staying two or three days in each place\, often with neither bed nor food. Turibius confessed every morning to his chaplain\, and celebrated Mass with intense fervor. Among those to whom he gave the Sacrament of Confirmation was the future Saint Rose of Lima\, and possibly the future Saint Martin de Porres. After 1590\, he had the help of another great missionary\, Francis Solanus\, now also a saint. \nThough very poor his people were sensitive\, dreading to accept public charity from others. Turibius solved the problem by helping them anonymously. \n\nReflection\nThe Lord indeed writes straight with crooked lines. Against his will\, and from the unlikely springboard of an Inquisition tribunal\, this man became the Christlike shepherd of a poor and oppressed people. God gave him the gift of loving others as they needed it.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/6496/2027-03-23/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270324
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270325
DTSTAMP:20170830T150327Z
CREATED:20170830T150327Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T150327Z
UID:51530-1805846400-1805932799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero
DESCRIPTION:Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero\nSaint of the Day for March 24\n(August 15\, 1917  – March 24\, 1980)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar24.mp3\nBlessed Oscar Romero’s Story\nThe night before he was murdered while celebrating Mass\, Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador said on the radio: “I would like to appeal in a special way to the men of the army\, and in particular to the troops of the National Guard\, the police\, and the garrisons. Brothers\, you belong to our own people. You kill your own brother peasants; and in the face of an order to kill that is given by a man\, the law of God that says ‘Do not kill!’ should prevail. \n“No soldier is obliged to obey an order counter to the law of God. No one has to comply with an immoral law. It is the time now that you recover your conscience and obey its dictates rather than the command of sin. . . . Therefore\, in the name of God\, and in the name of this long-suffering people\, whose laments rise to heaven every day more tumultuous\, I beseech you\, I beg you\, I command you! In the name of God: ‘Cease the repression!’” \nSimultaneously\, Romero had eloquently upheld the gospel and effectively signed his own death warrant. \nWhen he was appointed archbishop of San Salvador in 1977\, Bishop Romero was considered a very “safe” choice. He had served as auxiliary bishop there for four years before his three years as bishop of Santiago de Maria. \nOscar’s father wanted him to be a carpenter—a trade for which he demonstrated some talent. Seminary classes in El Salvador preceded his studies at Rome’s Gregorian University and his ordination in 1942. After earning a doctorate in ascetical theology\, he returned home and became a parish priest and later rector of an interdiocesan seminary. \nThree weeks after his appointment as archbishop\, Romero was shaken by the murder of his good friend Jesuit Father Rutilio Grande\, a vigorous defender of the rights of the poor. Five more priests were assassinated in the Archdiocese of San Salvador during Romero’s years as its shepherd. \nWhen a military junta seized control of the national government in 1979\, Archbishop Romero publicly criticized the U.S. government for backing the junta. His weekly radio sermons\, broadcast throughout the country\, were regarded by many as the most trustworthy source of news available. \nRomero’s funeral was celebrated in the plaza outside the cathedral and drew an estimated 250\,000 mourners. \nHis tomb in the cathedral crypt soon drew thousands of visitors each year. On February 3\, 2015\, Pope Francis authorized a decree recognizing Oscar Romero as a martyr for the faith. His beatification took place in San Salvador on May 23\, 2015. \n\nReflection\nArchbishop Oscar Romero and many other Latin American martyrs for the faith were falsely accused of advocating a Marxist-inspired “theology of liberation.” Following Jesus always requires choices. Romero’s fiercest critics conveniently dismissed his choices as politically inspired. An incarnational faith must be expressed publicly. \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for March 24 is Blessed Didacus Joseph of Cadiz.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-oscar-arnulfo-romero/2027-03-24/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20270325
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20270326
DTSTAMP:20170830T150509Z
CREATED:20170830T150509Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T150509Z
UID:51531-1805932800-1806019199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Annunciation of the Lord
DESCRIPTION:Annunciation of the Lord\nSaint of the Day for March 25\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar25.mp3\nThe Story of the Annunciation of the Lord\nThe feast of the Annunciation\, now recognized as a solemnity\, was first celebrated in the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now\, as Luke1:26-38 tells us\, the decision is being realized. The God-Man embraces all humanity\, indeed all creation\, to bring it to God in one great act of love. Because human beings have rejected God\, Jesus will accept a life of suffering and an agonizing death: “No one has greater love than this\, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). \nMary has an important role to play in God’s plan. From all eternity\, God destined her to be the mother of Jesus and closely related to him in the creation and redemption of the world. We could say that God’s decrees of creation and redemption are joined in the decree of Incarnation. Because Mary is God’s instrument in the Incarnation\, she has a role to play with Jesus in creation and redemption. It is a God-given role. It is God’s grace from beginning to end. Mary becomes the eminent figure she is only by God’s grace. She is the empty space where God could act. Everything she is she owes to the Trinity. \nMary is the virgin-mother who fulfills Isaiah 7:14 in a way that Isaiah could not have imagined. She is united with her son in carrying out the will of God (Psalm 40:8-9; Hebrews 10:7-9; Luke 1:38). \nTogether with Jesus\, the privileged and graced Mary is the link between heaven and earth. She is the human being who best\, after Jesus\, exemplifies the possibilities of human existence. She received into her lowliness the infinite love of God. She shows how an ordinary human being can reflect God in the ordinary circumstances of life. She exemplifies what the Church and every member of the Church is meant to become. She is the ultimate product of the creative and redemptive power of God. She manifests what the Incarnation is meant to accomplish for all of us. \n\nReflection\nSometimes spiritual writers are accused of putting Mary on a pedestal and thereby\, discouraging ordinary humans from imitating her. Perhaps such an observation is misguided. God did put Mary on a pedestal and has put all human beings on a pedestal. We have scarcely begun to realize the magnificence of divine grace\, the wonder of God’s freely given love. The marvel of Mary—even in the midst of her very ordinary life—is God’s shout to us to wake up to the marvelous creatures that we all are by divine design. \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for March 25 is Saint Dismas.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/annunciation-of-the-lord/2027-03-25/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR