Saint Francis of Assissi

Pope Francis has taken upon himself a new lineage of Pontifical names.  Why the name Francis?  Within Christian circles, Francis is a name that invokes thoughts of humilty and great holiness.  This is due to the fact that St. Francis of Assisi is considered one of the greatest saints within the Church.  He is also respected outside of the Catholic Church as a patron of animals and a paradigm of virtue.  It is of no wonder that this name was not chosen sooner.

Who was St. Francis?

He was a Thirteenth Century Brother who founded the Fransican Order.  His life was dedicated to the service of the poor and emulating Christ.  His life however is far from meditative and solitary but full of stories and adventures.  This great saint traveled to the Far East and dealt with great sultans and stood before past popes as he founded his brotherhood.  In addition to this, many stories circulate with how he dealt with and spoke with animals.  One such story involved a wolf who terrorized a small town and how St. Francis persuaded the wolf to leave the people alone.

Perhaps the most amazing story of St. Francis is the stigmata.  It is said that St. Francis received the wounds of Christ while in a state of deep meditation.  Very few saints possess the stigmata.  These and other astounding miracles all led to his almost immediate canonization only two years after St. Francis’ death.

Pope Francis

Pope Francis as a religious of the Jesuit Order has always been concerned about the poor.  This is perhaps why he has always been attracted to the life of St. Francis and why he decided to choose this saint as a patron for his pontificate.

FEASTS OF MARCH

The beginning of March sees a number of feast days: David of Wales on 1st; Chad on 2nd who trained at Lindisfarne and worked throughout England; Non, the mother of David of Wales on 3rd; Piran of Cornwall on 5th, through whom Cornwall gets its flag; and the island of Ireland on 6th through the myth of Eriu, whose name – as Eire – gives Ireland its name.

May we, at this time, celebrate the influence of Christ and the Celtic saints throughout the British Isles, as we are given cause to remember Wales, England, Cornwall, and Ireland.

All of these people were influential in their lives, but one story from David’s life captures my mind:

Whenever anyone would come to join one of David’s monasteries, David was famed for leaving them outside the front doors being derided and treated badly. He did this, not out of spite, but through a complete understanding of Jesus’ teaching about being sure each one of us has weighed the cost of becoming a disciple (see Luke 14v25-35).

In our churches today, we seem so concerned at ‘making converts’ or ‘getting people in’, that we seem to have no regard for warning folk of the hardships and difficulties they will face when they step into a walk with Christ. We do, of course, have the hand of God upon us and his power working through us and for us, and angels at our side, but life is never easy when we step into the spiritual battle. Perhaps this teaching needs to be better understood and more widely shared among new disciples of Jesus, then perhaps we would not have so many struggle with trials when they come.

May we remember that Christ is always with us, even through the hardest trials and battles,
May we be a part of the sharing and spreading of the gospel of Christ in our lands,
May we be an influence and example to those who come to us,
And may we remember the place of our resurrection, and pray for the British Isles. 

And for America!

BRIEF TESTIMONY FOR MY LIFE- BE IN HEALTH

Be in Health™ is an international organization teaching principles that bring healing of relationships and health as well as disease prevention. We offer teachings to unravel the mysteries of disease and reveal pathways to health and wholeness. These teachings are based on scriptural insights and what is observable in the psychiatric and medical sciences.



They had a 3-Day Conference in Boxborough Massachusetts January 2013. 

So, I went with Marian, my mentor in the Healing Ministry at CTR (she's been involved for 16+ years), to the "Be In Health" Conference, primarily--- I thought--- to learn what they have learned over time concerning the spiritual roots of illness and the pathways of healing, disease prevention, and eradication.......

It wasn't all cerebral, though it did include head knowledge. It had lots of teaching that went straight to the heart, the soul, the spirit. And as part of the three days, there were opportunities to recognize, repent of and renounce various spiritual roots and receive corporate prayers of deliverance. On the last day one of the teachings, rather lengthy, was a woman who had been healed of 17 (seventeen) diseases, including some that required miracles, not just healing--- organic brain syndrome--- she could no longer speak--- who presented a "top to bottom" survey of all our biological and psychological systems and roots and manifestations, and then prayer for each. 

When she was praying about the gastrointestinal system, with which I have had YEARS of difficulty (GERD, Hiatal Hernia, IBS, Colitis....), and the most common roots affecting them--- fear, bitterness, unloving spirits--- I felt "fluttering" or something. We had filled out a brief form with our primary diagnosis or lacking that, a perennial issue, for the facilitators there to look at and tie to the most common roots and manifestations, given back and then we had one-on-one prayer with someone from their team. Just brief prayer really, maybe 15 minutes. I had prayer for healing and deliverance of those specific things, and agreed 100% with everything....

Didn't feel anything at the time. 

And that's the point of this brief testimony--- I STILL don't! I have been able to eat normally, drink normally--- I'm not excessive as I'd like to lose weight--- been able to sleep without being kept awake with pain, been able to swim without being held back with the pain! Still no pain! 

I believe I've been healed in this area! Praise God!

I SPEAK FOR THE TREES

Fans of Dr. Seuss were delighted when The Lorax became a full-length feature film last year: Someone needs to speak for the voiceless trees that clothe our planet. Today the Jewish community celebrates their annual “New Year for the Trees,” Tu Shevat, planting trees and enjoying the “seven fruits of the Torah,” particularly olives, grapes, figs, pomegranates, and dates. Join the celebration by enjoying biblical or seasonal fruits or by contributing to organizations that plant trees locally and globally.

INAUGURATION DAY

May God have Mercy upon us all. 

Today, as our most PRO ABORTION; PRO SAME SEX MARRIAGE President lays his hand upon the Bible which CONDEMNS both and swears to uphold and defend our US CONSTITUTION, which he believes is flawed and outdated. 

Only to be followed by having the benediction offered up by a false shepherd who believes and preaches that the Bible endorses SAME SEX MARRIAGE.

All I can say with a sincere heartfelt burden for our country... MAY GOD HAVE MERCY UPON OUR NATION!

LORD HELP US!!!


PHILIP CAPPUCCIO, MDiv, Pastor of Kingdom Life Center in Hershey PA

EPIPHANY

"O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen." Collect for the Epiphany

Today is the Epiphany! In some traditions, it is known as Three Kings Day as it commemorates the coming of the three wise men, who by their presence with the child Jesus and their gifts to Him, revealed Jesus to the world as Lord and King. 

The word epiphany means to "to reveal" or "to show." During the season of Epiphany, which lasts from now until Lent, we will have the chance to read passages from Scriptures which reveal more and more who Jesus Christ is - as the Son of God, as the Eternal Logos, etc. etc. 
This is a good thing because even those of us who are in the Church tend to have a vision of Jesus that is just too small, that is formed more by our culture and our own desires than by what Scripture reveals to us about Jesus. Thus, it is our prayer during this season that our vision of Jesus would be enlarged! 

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” celebrates the official Christmas season which starts liturgically on Christmas Day and ends twelve days later on the Feast of the Epiphany. The song by the same name was written in England to educate the faithful in the doctrines of the Faith at a time when being found with anything Catholic in writing meant certain imprisonment or death. The numbers were designed to help Catholics remember some basic facts about our Faith without being obvious to persecutors. 

“My true love” refers to God; “me” refers to every baptized person. The “twelve lords a leaping” are the twelve basic tenets of the Catholic Church outlined in the Apostles Creed. The “eleven pipers piping” are the eleven faithful Apostles. The “ten ladies dancing” are the Ten Commandments. The 
“nine drummers drumming” are the nine choirs of angels or the nine Fruits of the holy Spirit. The “eight maids a milking” are the Eight Beatitudes. The “seven swans a swimming” are the Seven Sacraments. The “six geese a laying” are the six days of creation. The “five golden rings” are the first five books of the Old Testament. 

The “four calling birds” are the four Gospels. The “three French hens” represent the Trinity, or the three Theological Virtues of Faith, hope and Love. The “two turtle doves” represent the two natures in Jesus: human and divine or the two Testaments, Old and New. The “partridge” is Jesus himself, and the “pear tree” is the Cross.

"Letters from the Cross", Newsletter of Catholic Radio Station WQOM