Association of Marian Helpers • Eden Hill • Stockbridge, Massachusetts 01263

Volume 27, Number 9, September 2015

By Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC Spiritual director of the Thirteenth of the Month Club ell, they’ve done it again. The Supreme Court, famous for W such decisions as Dred Scott (which denied persons of African ancestry citizenship in the United States) and Roe v. Wade (which opened the doors to legal - ized abortion in the U.S.), has attempted to redefine marriage. Now why do I say “attempted”? They’ve done it, haven’t they? Well, yes and no. The civil law of the U.S. has changed, but the natural law has not. The nature of marriage is as it always has been, as What can you do now? Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., has explained: “Marriage is the life- long union of a man and a woman given for the purpose of their mutual good and for the procreation and education of children.” And what God has created, let no man try to redefine. See, this was always the argument against so-called “gay marriage” — it can’t happen. Pray Fast Learn Speak Marriage, by the very nature of humanity, is and always will be between a man and a woman. No matter what humanity decides to start doing with the word “marriage,” we In a 2008 interview, Cardinal Carlo marriage and the family. “Don’t be afraid, she know from the words of Jesus in the Gospel Caffarra, founding president of the Pontifical added, because anyone who works for the that the Creator made marriage a certain way John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage sanctity of marriage and the family will “from the beginning” (see Mt 19:4-12). and Family, shared a message that Sr. Lucia always be fought and opposed in every way, So now the law of the land is, once Santos, one of the Fatima visionaries, sent to because this is the decisive issue. And then again, out of sync with the natural law. him, saying that the final battle between the she concluded: however, Our Lady has What now? Lord and the reign of Satan will be about Continued on page 3 The Holy Father’s intention for the month That opportunities for education and employment may increase for all young people. That catechists may give witness by living in a way consistent with the faith they proclaim. SEPTEMBER 2015 T HIRTEENTH OF THE MONTH CLUB The Sorrowful Mother helps cleanse her children As we prepare for the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, which begins on the of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, we should begin to ponder the ways in which we need the Lord’s mercy and invite that mercy to transform our hardened hearts. Our Lady highlighted one particular ancient devotion in her apparitions in , , in the 1980s, as a means of special graces to help us repent and convert our lives. Mary said, “If you say the of the Seven Sorrows and meditate on it well, you will find the strength you need to repent of your sins and convert your heart. Pray my Seven Sorrows to find repentance.” On Sept. 15, the Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title “.” Let us begin to pray the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows this September, turning to it as we need the strength to leave sin behind and become more pleasing to God.

The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary Prayed on a special set of beads, you pray seven sets of one Our Father and seven Hail Marys while meditating on the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. Act of Contrition O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended You, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offend You, my God, You who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen. Three “Hail Marys” are said in honor of the Tears of Our Sorrowful Mother. On the first small medal: 1. The prophecy of Simeon (Lk 2:22-35) a. One Our Father b. Seven Hail Marys c. “Most merciful Mother, remind us always about the sorrows of your Son, Jesus.” Or “Glory be...” 2. The flight into Egypt (Mt 2:13-15) 3. The loss of Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:41-51) 4. Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary (Lk 23:27-31) 5. Mary stands at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19:25-27) 6. Mary receives the dead body of Jesus (Jn 19:38-40) 7. Jesus is laid in the tomb (Jn 19:41-42) Closing prayer: Queen of Martyrs, your heart suffered so much. I beg you, by the merits of the tears you shed in these terrible and sorrowful times, to obtain for me and all the sinners of the world the grace of complete sincerity and repentance. Amen. Mary, who was conceived without sin and who suffered for us, pray for us. (3x)

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2 ASSOCIATION OF MARIAN HELPERS † MARIAN .ORG SEPTEMBER 2015 T HIRTEENTH OF THE MONTH CLUB RULING FATHER CALLOWAY’S BOOKSHELF Continued from page 1 THE SECOND GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD BY FR. M ICHAEL GAITLEY , MIC already crushed its [Satan’s] head.” Father Michael Gaitley, MIC, has Ultimately, heaven wins. What about the near term? Well, times may get tough for the a true genius for being able to Christians of the U.S. There’s already talk of synthesize deep theological topics getting rid of the tax-exempt status for churches into a very readable format. In this who will not perform “gay weddings,” even as book, he has gathered together court cases arise involving bakers, photographers, many of the most important and other wedding-related businesses that won’t messages of our time, especially provide goods and services for the ceremonies of same-sex couples. those given through apparitions The culture has changed, and the law of the of Our Lady and the message passed on through St. We stand by Jesus, land has gone with it. But we are to remain Faustina, and reminds us that now who stands by us. We faithful to the Gospel in is the time for mercy. You will love turn to the Blessed season and out of season, this book! It will help you to have Virgin Mary and to St. whether it’s popular or a greater trust in God’s love and Joseph for their pow - not, whether we live in a TH-SGSBK $14.95 ShopMercy.org Also available as an eBook. mercy for your own life. erful intercession and nation governed in their witness to the accord with the will of Visit marian.org/13th/bookshelf to see the entire bookshelf. truth about marriage. God or not. We are to proclaim the love and Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday mercy of God, as well as the law of God, by striv - ing to live according to that law and begging SEPTEMBER 2015 mercy when we fail. So we pray, especially the Rosary and the First First Divine Mercy Chaplet, offering up intercession Friday Saturday for ourselves, our Church, and our country. We fast, making reparation for our own sins and the Nativity of The Most sins of those around us. We learn, studying the the Blessed Holy Name unchanging nature of marriage and how best to Virgin Mary of Mary explain it to our friends, family, and neighbors. Exaltation of the Our Lady We speak, sharing our faith as well as the truths Holy Cross of Sorrows about human nature that can be understood by reason alone. St. Padre Pio We do not sit idly by. We do not throw in the World Meeting of Families and Papal Visit to the United towel. We do not give up, give in, or set aside the unchanging truths of the faith in order to accept Sts. Michael, States Gabriel, and MARIAN DATES the changing laws of the land. Raphael We stand by Jesus, who stands by us. We turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to St. Joseph for their powerful intercession and their witness to 2015 CLUB GOALS The greatest saints the truth about marriage. We turn to the angels, G Pilgrimage to a Marian shrine. as well as to all the saints who’ve held fast to the G Make the Five First Saturdays. ‘‘ were the most faith before our time. It’s our turn now to be G Read a book from Fr. Calloway’s Bookshelf. ardent devotees steadfast witnesses of the Gospel. G Pray the Rosary daily. of Mary. Let us trust in Jesus, the Divine Mercy, and the G Each member brings in at least one — St. Vincent Pallotti prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary as we take up new Club member. ’’ our cross daily and follow Christ. O

MARIAN .ORG † ASSOCIATION OF MARIAN HELPERS 3 SEPTEMBER 2015 T HIRTEENTH OF THE MONTH CLUB

By Dr. Robert Stackpole, STD any Catholics are “stumped” when they hear Evangelical M Protestants say things like this: Catholics make Mary too important. You even worship Mary, which the First Commandment clearly forbids, for we must not worship anyone other than God. According to the Bible, salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. Why is the Blessed Virgin Mary so important to the Catholic faith? Protestant Christians ask this question of Catholics all the time. But do we Catholics really know how to answer it? This series is designed to help Catholics answer such objections and more deeply appreciate the special role that God gave to is especially true of the greatest masterpieces best in his book The World’s First Love : Mary in his plan to bring salvation to the of God’s grace: his saints. Honoring the saints God, who made the sun, also made the whole world through Jesus Christ. no more distracts us from the true worship of moon. The moon does not take away As for “worshipping” Mary, of course, God than delighting in and praising an artist’s from the brilliance of the sun. The most Catholics do no such thing. To “wor - best work distracts us from proper apprecia - moon would only be a burnt-out cinder ship” someone or something implies that tion of the artist himself. Clearly, the honor floating in the immensity of space were one recognizes in the object of worship the given to the excellence of the artwork passes it not for the sun. All its light is reflect - source of all worth and goodness. But the on and glorifies the artist, and gives us all the ed from the sun. The Blessed Mother teaches that Mary is cer - more reason to appreciate and praise him. In reflects her Divine Son: without Him tainly not the source of all worth and good - a similar way, God is the artist of souls. As we she is nothing. With Him she is the ness in the universe; she is just a creature, a shall see in the pieces that follow, He has Mother of Men. On dark nights we are channel and vessel of God’s grace. We call fashioned no greater masterpiece in all of cre - grateful for the moon; when we see it her “Holy Mary” in much the same way that ation than the mother of the Son of God, shining, we know there must be a sun. all Christians speak of the “Holy Bible,” Mary of Nazareth. So in this dark night of the world, because the Bible too is a vessel, a channel This means that when Catholics gaze on when men turn their backs on Him of God’s grace to us. As St. Ambrose (340- Mary, we always see shining in her the light Who is the Light of the World, we look 397) once wrote: “Mary is the Temple of of her Son, the pure reflection of His merci - to Mary to guide their feet while we God, not the God of the Temple.” ful and compassionate Heart. Here, then, is await the sun . O In technical, theological language, we say the first reason why the Blessed Virgin Mary that we offer “worship” (in Latin, latria ) to is so important to Catholics: because she is Robert Stackpole, STD, is director of God alone, but what we offer to any created like a window into heaven, a true icon for us the John Paul II Institute of Divine excellence fashioned by God is merely proper of the God who created and sanctified her. Mercy, an apostolate of the Marian “veneration” or “honor” (in Latin, dulia ). This Archbishop Fulton Sheen summed it up Fathers of the Immaculate Conception.

As a member of the Thirteenth of the Month Club , you show your love of Our Blessed Mother and help us spread devotion to her. Answering the call of Our Lady of Fatima, you pray the Rosary daily for peace in the world and make the Five . You include the Club’s intentions in your Rosary on the 13th of each month and are remembered in a special Mass that day offered by the Marian Fathers in Fatima. Your monthly pledge helps support our Marian seminarians. You receive this monthly newsletter, published by the Association of Marian Helpers. Thirteenth of the Month Club, Association of Marian Helpers, Eden Hill, Stockbridge, MA 01263 Editor: Chris Sparks G 1-800-462-7426 G email: [email protected]

For membership information, call or visit us online at marian.org/13th 15210274

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