Minute Meditations - Tomorrow's Church

Home

Catholic News

Daily Features

St. Anthony Messenger

Books

Catholic e-Greetings

Parish Newsletters/Services

Minute Meditations

Tomorrow's Church

So we have a pretty good idea of what the Catholic Church will look like in the future: It will look like the human race—colorful, infinitely diverse, but all one family of God’s children. It will be truly Catholic—a word that means “universal.” It will be enriched by beautiful traditions from all over the planet.

— from Yours is the Church

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Minute Meditation for 10/29/2012

Minute Meditation for 10/31/2012

		Subscribe to the Minute Meditations e-newsletter.
		Subscribe to Minute Meditations at Twitter.com.
		Subscribe to this RSS feed. How?

Paid Advertisement

Ads contrary to Catholic teachings should be reported to our webmaster. Include ad link.

Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi: Mystical ecstasy is the elevation of the spirit to God in such a way that the person is aware of this union with God while both internal and external senses are detached from the sensible world. Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi was so generously given this special gift of God that she is called the "ecstatic saint."
<p>She was born into a noble family in Florence in 1566. The normal course would have been for Catherine de' Pazzi to have married wealth and enjoyed comfort, but she chose to follow her own path. At nine she learned to meditate from the family confessor. She made her first Communion at the then-early age of 10 and made a vow of virginity one month later. When 16, she entered the Carmelite convent in Florence because she could receive Communion daily there. </p><p>Catherine had taken the name Mary Magdalene and had been a novice for a year when she became critically ill. Death seemed near so her superiors let her make her profession of vows from a cot in the chapel in a private ceremony. Immediately after, she fell into an ecstasy that lasted about two hours. This was repeated after Communion on the following 40 mornings. These ecstasies were rich experiences of union with God and contained marvelous insights into divine truths. </p><p>As a safeguard against deception and to preserve the revelations, her confessor asked Mary Magdalene to dictate her experiences to sister secretaries. Over the next six years, five large volumes were filled. The first three books record ecstasies from May of 1584 through Pentecost week the following year. This week was a preparation for a severe five-year trial. The fourth book records that trial and the fifth is a collection of letters concerning reform and renewal. Another book, <i>Admonitions</i>, is a collection of her sayings arising from her experiences in the formation of women religious. </p><p>The extraordinary was ordinary for this saint. She read the thoughts of others and predicted future events. During her lifetime, she appeared to several persons in distant places and cured a number of sick people. </p><p>It would be easy to dwell on the ecstasies and pretend that Mary Magdalene only had spiritual highs. This is far from true. It seems that God permitted her this special closeness to prepare her for the five years of desolation that followed when she experienced spiritual dryness. She was plunged into a state of darkness in which she saw nothing but what was horrible in herself and all around her. She had violent temptations and endured great physical suffering. She died in 1607 at 41, and was canonized in 1669.</p>

Sisters pray a lot. They work at working together. They try their hardest to live simply – sometimes without much choice, due to real poverty. All of them embrace simplicity as a radical commitment to Gospel values, and offer that faithful witness to the rest of us.

PICKS OF THE WEEK

	New book!
	Get a fascinating look inside Catholic apologetics from Patrick Madrid.

	Hope and Help
	Guidance and inspiration for living with illness.

	New book from Alan Schreck
	Find out what Catholics really believe about Jesus!

	The Blessing Cup
	Prayer rituals for families and groups. Make every day an experience of faith and sharing!

	New book from Mary Elizabeth Sperry
	The Ten Commandments can change your life. Learn how!

CATHOLIC GREETINGS

	Encouragement
	Finding other people who have gifts when our abilities fail is not weakness, it is wisdom.

	Birthday
	Begin the birthday celebration by sending an e-card from Catholic Greetings!

	Our Lady of the Rosary
	In this month of the holy rosary, remind family and friends to pray daily for themselves and for others.

	Halloween
	Prepare to welcome next week's goblins with candy and blessings!

	Praying for You
	To pray the rosary is to spend time with Jesus and Mary.

Come find us at:

American Catholic is for Catholics, all Christians and seekers. Find Roman Catholic Saints, Minute Meditations, Catholic Church Questions and Catholic News. Post Prayer Requests and send Catholic e-cards. Discover Catholic Books, Catholic Audio Books, Catholic Videos, and a leading Catholic Magazine.