Midnight Centurion

Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary begins in Scripture ( Luke 2:19,34-35,51 ), as it's revealed that she kept many of the mysteries of her Son, Jesus Christ, close to heart, pondering their meaning through divine contemplation. It was also revealed in prophecy by St. Simeon that her heart would be pierced by a sword, (figuratively) witnessing her Son's Passion and death. The Immaculate Heart of Mary is sometimes depicted with seven swords representing the Seven Dolors (or Seven Sorrows) of Mary. In traditional iconography, she is shown with seven swords encircling her chest, even without her heart explicitly visible. This icon is known as "Mother of God, Softener of Evil Hearts." We will discuss the Sorrowful Heart of Mary and the devotion to the Seven Sorrows in a separate post. The devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary focuses on her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her Son, Jesus, and her motherly affection for humankind. Devotion to...

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus began with the Beloved Apostle John, who reclined his head against the heart of Jesus at the Last Supper ( John 13:23 ). This revelation was later revealed to St. Gertrude by Saint John, who told her that the reason he hadn't included the detail of his listening to the heartbeats of Christ in his Gospel was because it was a mystery to be revealed during a time of spiritual winter, when hearts had grown cold for the love of God. Besides Scripture, the devotion originated from the early devotion to the Five Wounds of Christ, which included His pierced Heart, specifically pierced through the side by the spear of St. Longinus, the Roman soldier. Devotion to the Five Wounds of Christ began in the 12th-13th centuries. St. Gertrude, born on January 6, 1256, died on November 17, 1301 or 1302. She continued to receive messages about the Sacred Heart of Jesus until the very end of her life, which we can read in her mystical writings. During the 17th cent...

The devotion to The Three Sacred Hearts is fairly new compared to the devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and later, the Most Chaste Heart of St. Joseph. Devotion to each of these started separately throughout millennia and centuries. In most recent years, devotion to the Chaste Heart of St. Joseph and the Hearts of the Holy Family has seen a revival, particularly with the Consecration to St. Joseph. As men and women, husbands and fathers, and wives and mothers, we look to the model of Joseph and Mary as the archetype of Christian spouses, and we look to the Holy Family as a model to imitate for our own families. As parents, we encourage our children to model themselves after the Christ Child and the young and brave Shepherd Boy King David, but also after Mary and St. Joseph. Naturally, regardless of sex, marital status, or whatever state in life we hold, we look separately to each of these individuals for inspiration, most especially our Lord and Savi...

In Catholic art, particularly in the Western Latin traditions, we see many depictions of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) in paintings and statuary as standing on a serpent. Why is this? It relates to Mary becoming the New Eve through her obedience to God, specifically through the conception and birth of Jesus Christ, the God-Man. More precisely, it has to do with the translations of the Bible used by the Church, namely the Latin Vulgate, translated by St. Jerome from the original languages of Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Later, when French and English Catholics translated the Bible during the time of the Reformation, the Douay-Rheims Bible was used by English-speaking and reading Catholics. This version later heavily influenced the King James Bible. Both the Douay-Rheims and the King James Bibles were revised for modern English from Elizabethan English, otherwise known as Shakespeare's English. In the Douay-Rheims Bible, Genesis 3:15 is rendered: "15 I will put enmities between t...

In " Terror of Demons, " I highlighted St. Joseph's unique role as the Holy Spouse of the Theotokos, the Ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of God. I also explored his title, "Terror of Demons," through both scripture and tradition, with a particular focus on biblical typology. Biblical typology is the study of "types" and how the Old Testament finds its fulfillment in the New Testament. In " Virgin Most Powerful ," I discussed these same theological concepts and historical and spiritual realities, specifically how Mary is the fulfillment of the Ark of the Covenant. I also explained how Christ is the fulfillment of the contents that were stored in the Ark. Let us recap, first through the scriptures, then by tradition, and lastly by logic and reason. In Exodus 25:10-22 , God instructs Moses and the Israelites on how to build the Ark of the Covenant, which is made from acacia wood and gold, with two hammered cherubim on top making a seat for the Lord. I...

The prayer found in Psalm 68 and Psalm 67 of the Douay-Rheims Version Bible has its origins with Moses, as recorded in Numbers 10:35 . Moses would recite this prayer when the Israelites, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, went into battle against enemy forces. Today, this prayer is often recited in times of distress or when facing spiritual or physical attacks from adversaries, whether earthly or ethereal. Notably, elements of this prayer are incorporated into other devotions, such as the Orthodox Prayer of the Cross and The Holy Face Chaplet. Orthodox Prayer To The Cross "Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered; and let those who hate Him flee from His face. As smoke vanishes, let them vanish; and as wax melts from the presence of fire, so let the demons perish from the presence of those who love God and who sign themselves with the Sign of the Cross and say with gladness: Hail, most precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord, for Thou drivest away the demons by the powe...

St Joseph is the foster father of Jesus Christ and, like Mary, has several titles, which can be found in the Litany of St. Joseph . The Bible says little about St. Joseph and much of what we do know is extra biblical and is taken from church tradition, particularly from the apocryphal but historical work,  The Protovangelium of Saint James. Biblically, what do know is that Joseph was from the lineage of David ( Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23 ) and that he was between the ages of 28-49 as described in the Greek (man": Andri (ἀνδρὶ)) in Luke 1:26-27 . Douay-Rheims-Challoner Revision 1899 American Edition 26 And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, 27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. Matthew 1:18-25  tells us of Joseph's reaction to Mary's pregnancy and his plan to divorce her quietly so as to protect her from being put to death like the wom...

There are no kings except Christ the King. If you reject the notion of kingship, you should know that God never intended for mankind to have earthly rulers. After the flood, when the Nephilim, known as the Men of Renown, were wiped off the face of the earth with the rest of mankind (save for Noah and his family), there were no kings until the Tower of Babel. After Babel, men spread throughout the world and perverted religion with mythologies and pagan gods. Even after the Hebrews' freedom from Egypt and Joshua's conquest of the Promised Land, there were no kings of the Hebrew people; only the Gentiles had kings. During the election of Israel's first king, Saul, the Prophet Samuel was reassured by God that the people did not reject Samuel but have in fact  rejected God and His Kingship  (1 Samuel 8:7 ). God is the creator and ruler of all creation and is, in fact, a king, as the Old Testament describes Him, in Psalm 10:16 and Daniel 7:13-14 . We see in 1 Chronicles 29:11 ,...