Minute Meditations - Unconditional Love

Home

Catholic News

Daily Features

St. Anthony Messenger

Books

Catholic e-Greetings

Parish Newsletters/Services

Minute Meditations

Unconditional Love

In an unbelievably intimate and loving way, Christ chooses to give himself freely to us regardless of our condition. We can approach Christ at communion weakened, saddened, fatigued, confused, or bored, but because our Savior loves us so much, he chooses to give freely of himself no matter what our response.

— from Burst

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Minute Meditation for 1/28/2013

Minute Meditation for 1/30/2013

		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 from Mark Shea
	Learn how the Commandments and the Beatitudes can bring you a joyful life.

	New book
	Take a journey with Jesus and his ultimate disciple.

	New audiobook
	Be an envoy for Christ! Learn from Patrick Madrid, Catholic apologist for over 25 years.

	The Catechism
	Get an overview of this essential teaching tool of the Catholic faith.

	Vatican II
	Learn about this critical event in Church history.

CATHOLIC GREETINGS

	Happy Birthday
	No matter how you say it, wish them a happy birthday with a Catholic Greetings e-card!

	Catholic Schools Week
	This week we recognize and celebrate the contributions made to the U.S. through Catholic education.

	Confirmation
	Through confirmation we are anointed with the same Spirit and the same power as Jesus.

	National March for Life (U.S.)
	Catholic Greetings encourages all to support local and national efforts to protect and defend human life from conception to natural death.

	Conversion of St. Paul
	The apostle to the Gentiles experienced a conversion to Christ on the road to Damascus.

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.