Blessed Married Couples Watch Over Synod

Saint John Paul II isn't the only one the Church is calling upon for prayers during the Synod on the Family. 

The relics of Blesseds Louis and Zelie Martin, parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and Blesseds Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi, beatified by St. John Paul II in 2001, were venerated by Pope Francis during the opening Mass on Sunday, and they are to be on display throughout the duration of the Synod. 

May these and all married couples in heaven look down upon on us with favor, interceding for the Synod and for all families making their way on this earthly pilgrimage. 

Little Flower, Pray For Us

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church by St. John Paul II in 1997. In his proclamation letter, the late Holy Father wrote:

Through spiritual childhood one experiences that everything comes from God, returns to him and abides in him, for the salvation of all, in a mystery of merciful love. Such is the doctrinal message taught and lived by this Saint.

As it was for the Church's Saints in every age, so also for her, in her spiritual experience Christ is the center and fullness of Revelation. Thérèse knew Jesus, loved him and made him loved with the passion of a bride. She penetrated the mysteries of his infancy, the words of his Gospel, the passion of the suffering Servant engraved on his holy Face, in the splendor of his glorious life, in his Eucharistic presence. She sang of all the expressions of Christ's divine charity, as they are presented in the Gospel…

St. Thérèse, please pray for us today, that we may experience the love of God as His children.

St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Pray for Us!

THE SCIENCE OF DIVINE LOVE, which the Father of mercies pours out through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit, is a gift granted to the little and the humble so that they may know and proclaim the secrets of the kingdom, hidden from the learned and the wise; for this reason Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, praising the Father who graciously willed it so (cf. Lk 10:21-22; Mt11:25-26).

-Blessed John Paul II, Divini amoris scientia, 1997

During his pontificate, Blessed John Paul II declared Thérèse of the Child Jesus a Doctor of the Universal Church. Let us turn to St. Thérèse on the day of her memorial, asking her to pray for our Church as we prepare for the coming Synod and Year of Faith.

May Thy priests be faithful guardians of Thy Church

May Thy priests be faithful guardians of Thy Church, as John was of Mary, whom he received into his house. Taught by this loving Mother who suffered so much on Calvary, may they display a mother’s care and thoughtfulness towards Thy children. May they teach souls to enter into close union with Thee through Mary who, as the Gate of Heaven, is specially the guardian of the treasures of Thy Divine Heart.

-St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Today the Church celebrates the solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which means it is also the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of the Clergy. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who was proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church by Blessed John Paul II in 1997, prayed especially for priests during her brief time here on Earth. All members of the Church are encouraged to do the same—to pray especially for the sanctity of our priests, our shepherds in the faith.

In a letter to priests from the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza stresses that priests must be “ministers of sanctification.” He writes:

This is our wonderful destiny: we cannot be sanctified without working on the holiness of our brothers, and we cannot work on the holiness of our brothers unless we have first worked on and continue to work on our own holiness.

We are greatly affected by the holiness of our priests—we go to them for the Sacraments, for guidance, and for help in times of need. Unfortunately, the faults of just one priest can drive people away from the Church and bring shame upon the entire priesthood. In his 2002 Letter to Priests, Blessed John Paul II addressed this issue in light of recent scandals amongst the clergy: