MARY UNDOER OF KNOTS BYZANTINE CATHOLIC SHRINE
Mt. LEMMON, ARIZONA
Great Short Homilies
Pope Benedict the 16th
In a wonderful little book called Feast of Faith, Joseph Ratzinger reminds us that in the experience of Catholic liturgy, “the absolutely Other takes place, the absolutely Other comes among us.” And citing the commentary of St. Gregory of Nyssa on the Song of Songs, he relates how man is described therein as one “who wants to break out of the prison of finitude, out of the closed confines of his ego and of this entire world.” And it is true, Ratzinger tells us, “this world is too small for man, even if he can fly to the Moon, or one day perhaps to Mars. He yearns for the Other, the totally Other, that which is beyond his reach.”
What is ultimately behind all this yearning, of course, is the need to escape death, to surmount the oppressions of a merely time-bound world.
“In all their celebrations,” continues Ratzinger, “men have always searched for that life which is greater than death. Man’s appetite for joy, the ultimate quest for which he wanders restlessly from place to place, only makes sense if it can face the question of death.”
Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop
John 1:43–51
Friends, in today’s Gospel, Nathaniel recognizes Jesus as the Son of God and King of Israel. Like Nathaniel, once we make the decision for Jesus, once we determine that he is the supreme good, then every other claimant to supremacy must fall away. As I’ve argued many times before, every one of us has something or some set of values that we consider greatest. There is some center of gravity around which everything else turns.
Perhaps it is money and material things. Perhaps it is power and position. Perhaps it is the esteem of others. Perhaps it is your country or your political party or your ethnic identity. Perhaps it is your family, your kids, your wife, your husband.
None of this is false; and none of these things are bad. However, when you place any of them in the absolute center of gravity, things go awry. When you make any of them your ultimate or final good, your spiritual life goes haywire. When you attach yourself to any of them with an absolute tenacity, you will fall apart.
-Bishop Robert Barron
Catholic Man of the Month
Gabriel Rosset (1904-1974)
When a Teacher in Lyon, France, learned of the alarmingly high number homeless men dying under the city's bridges after World War II, he felt called to act. The apostolate he co-founded--Notre-Dame dans Sans Abri (Our Lady of the Homeless)--continues to serve thousands of people in need today.
Gabriel Rosset was born in Champier, a commune in southeastern France. An exceptional student, he became a literature teacher at age 24. Most of his 40-year teaching career was spent at the Lycée Alexandre Lacassagne in Lyon, where he later received the Legion of Honor award for education 1965.
As a young man, Rosset often joined other Catholic teachers and university students for fellowship and prayer. This led him and two friends to consecrate themselves to the Lord on July 24, 1937, with the goal of "serving the university and bringing our students back to Christ.'" They would later take private vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
In the late 1940's, Lyon suffered an acute housing crisis, and many displaced men died from exposure. Moved by their misery, Rosset began to distribute blankets to men on the street and even welcome some into his home. On Christmas Eve 1950, he and a team of volunteers established the first Our Lady of the Homeless shelter in an abandoned bistro. Three years later, Rosset moved in with the destitute men he served. "I felt linked to them by a necessity, a bond," he said. "I believe that the mystics, like St. Paul, called that charity."
With the help of students and other volunteers, Rosset established more houses to serve the homeless, including families in need. By his death on Dec. 30, 1974, he had built 1,500 housing units for more than 10,000 people. His cause for canonization was opened in 2006.
To exercise this apostolate here in Tucson, we suggest you look into and visit Tucson's Poverello House!!! And the Sr. Jose Women's Center!!!
St. Nicholas visited Mary Undoer of Knots Byzantine Catholic Shrine.
Over 75 Children came to greet St. Nicholas on Saturday November 26th 2022!!!
Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas' life and deeds. These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need. He obeyed Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," and Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.
Check out this website for a complete understanding of this Great Saint!!!
Picking 'Paradise' Apples at the Shrine when St. Nicholas was here!!!
Baptism
O Immaculata, Be Present to Us!
“I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word.” –Luke 1:38
called the Marian sanctuaries — “spiritual clinics.” We bring our ailments: living without God as the center of our lives, lack of mercy and compassion, lack of appreciation of the gift of life. All weaken our souls. Powerful conversions occur at these shrines through God’s grace and the maternal intercession of the Mother of God. Healings take place by God through His Word. “Patients” encounter Jesus in the sacrament of reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist. Visit these privileged places to encounter Christ and rediscover your sense of baptismal vocation and to hear its saving call.
Reflection: Visit a shrine or church dedicated to Mary. Deepen your love for Mary Immaculate, so that her maternal embrace may greet you upon your death. Join with St. Bonaventure in praying:
“I ask thee, O Mary, for the glory of thy name, to come and meet my soul when it is departing from this world, and to take it in your arms.”
