Readings & Reflections: Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time & St. Antônio de Sant’Anna Galvão, October 25,2019
Jesus reveals a basic conflict in us: “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” Saint Paul confirms this interior conflict, “I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.” It is Christ who reveals us to ourselves. Our union with him gives us the ability to look at reality, interpret it in truth, and in every circumstance remain obedient to the Truth.
AMDG+
Opening Prayer
“Lord, change my heart and my life that I may fully live for you. Help me to choose what is right and to turn away from every sin and from every attachment to worldliness which keeps me from loving and serving you wholeheartedly.” In your Mighty Name, I pray. Amen.
Reading I
Romans 7:18-25a
Brothers and sisters:
I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.
The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not.
For I do not do the good I want,
but I do the evil I do not want.
Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it,
but sin that dwells in me.
So, then, I discover the principle
that when I want to do right, evil is at hand.
For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self,
but I see in my members another principle
at war with the law of my mind,
taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
Miserable one that I am!
Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 119:66, 68, 76, 77, 93, 94
R. (68b) Lord, teach me your statutes.
Teach me wisdom and knowledge,
for in your commands I trust.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
You are good and bountiful;
teach me your statutes.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Never will I forget your precepts,
for through them you give me life.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Gospel
Luke 12:54-59
Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is. You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection 1 – How to interpret the present times? Let us imagine a young teenage girl who is alone by herself in her parents’ home in the middle of the night when suddenly the fire alarm goes off. Instead of reacting positively and checking what was wrong, she decides to pretend that she is not hearing the loud noise. She buries herself under the comforter and places her two pillows on her head. The signs of trouble and a big fire in their home were so prominent yet she never reacted to them. One can only conclude the consequence of such reaction. If she does not move fast enough, total destruction will be upon their home. Death would also not be too far behind.
During the time of Jesus, the people whom he ministered to were like this young teenage girl, they were naïve and callous to His works and teachings. Despite the exhortations and invitation of Jesus, they appeared to be deaf. They never listened to Him neither did they have the heart to accommodate and listen to what He had for them. Their eyes were blind to every miracle and to every good thing He did. They seemed to have tucked themselves tight in their blanket of arrogance and covered themselves with too much pride, that to see and hear Jesus was quite impossible, much more follow Him.
“Why do you not know how to interpret the present time? Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?”
Today’s gospel invites us to meditate and reflect on our very own attitude and disposition towards God’s word and the coming of His kingdom. It alerts us on how we have responded to the teachings of our Lord Jesus. Have we been faithful to our covenant relationship with our God that should death come upon us in the middle of the night, would we be ready to face our Creator? Or are we living a life of sin that death could catch us unprepared?
As we journey back home, it is quite necessary that as we abide by our Lord’s will for us. We also need to settle every account that separated us from Him. In the context of community life, our Lord is asking us to confront and address community conflicts which have polarized the general membership.
Let us then be encouraged by the closing exhortation of today’s gospel. ”If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.
Direction
Live in a manner worthy of the call you have received.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, remove every stain of sin in my soul so that I may always see You, hear You and abide in You. In Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Reflection 2 – Confused? Pay attention!
What big question about your life do you have? In today’s Gospel, we’re reminded that we already have the answer! We know how to interpret the signs of nature; therefore we have the ability to discern what God is doing in our lives and in the world.
Are you surprised that you have this ability? If you’re a person of prayer, constantly dialoging with God about everything that happens, the Holy Spirit is explaining to you what you need to know, when you need to know it. Trust this process!
Are you worried about the future? We don’t need to go to fortune tellers (which is a sin; see Deut. 18:10-12), and we don’t need to seek out holy visionaries, because if we pay attention, God makes his will clear – not every detail of his plan, but certainly his will for today, one step at a time as we move forward in the fulfillment of that plan.
However, we get confused if we listen to the desires of our own will when it contradicts God’s, or if we listen to the voices of logic when God doesn’t make sense, or if we trust the half-truths and lies that are spoken by Fear.
The portents are plainly evident. We can eliminate a lot of aggravation and misdirected decisions and mistake-laden frustrations, not to mention sins and self-inflicted sufferings, if we pay attention to the multiple ways that God is delivering his guidance to us.
If we take note of the signs of the times, through the Holy Spirit we can discern the good changes that are approaching. When hardships are hardest and the dark night is darkest, a new dawn is going to arise, and probably soon. When evil attacks us with greater vengeance, it’s because the devil knows his time is short, praise Jesus! But if we focus on the problems and not on Jesus, we continue to feel frustrated and dissatisfied and frightened. We create our own misery!
The most important observation to make is the condition of our own soul. Jesus says, “Why not judge for yourselves what is right?” The answer is already within us, because the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth – has been living in us since our baptism.
If you don’t already have one, find a spiritual director, i.e., a priest or religious or qualified lay person who can help you read the signs of your life. Your local parish or diocesan center probably has a list of available spiritual directors. But first, pray for discernment about which person the wind of the Spirit is blowing you toward!
God doesn’t want us to be confused. He certainly won’t ignore our need for the truth. He always answers our questions – and we hear him if we but pay attention (Source: Terry A. Modica, Good News Ministries http://gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?useDrDate=2016-10-21 ).
Reflection 3 – Overcoming our wretchedness
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Earlier in his letter to the Romans, Saint Paul said that sin no longer has power over us due to the grace of God. In Romans (Rom 7: 18-25), we see the inner struggle he had — and which we all have — to remain in that grace.
Although we were made good, in the image of God himself, the Original Sin of ignoring God’s laws has affected our nature. We live by the Law of Entropy. In science, “entropy” is the natural deterioration of everything. In the spiritual world, it’s our holiness that naturally decays.
As baptized Christians, we have the Holy Spirit. We are holy, but it takes effort to be what we are, living out that holiness and growing in holiness. If we don’t put forth that effort, we fall back into sin. We do what we don’t want to do. And we keep doing it again and again! Plus, we often don’t do the good things that our consciences recommend. As Paul and many other saints have said, “What a wretch I am!”
Being made in God’s image, we experience the greatest satisfaction, the most joy, the fullest peace when we handle daily situations the way Jesus would, i.e., when we are patient, kind, forgiving, etc. For proof of this, think about how you feel when you’re impatient, mean, or angrily holding a grudge, in other words, when your flesh-nature is controlling your mood. That’s not a pleasant feeling, huh?
Oh sure, there IS a good feeling behind each sinful action we take, or else we wouldn’t do it. But that “good” feeling is like drinking water that’s full of toxic waste. Smelling the stink of it and tasting the bad flavor doesn’t stop us when our flesh says, “I’m thirsty! Must drink!” We gulp it down for quick satisfaction.
And then we get sick.
Utilizing the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the penitential prayers of reconciliation during Mass is like going to the doctor. We tell him: “When I drink this water, I don’t feel so good.” His prescription: “Stop drinking that water. Other water is available.” Duh! We knew that, but the bad water was easier to get.
What wretches we are!
Who can free us from this? “All praise to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Since we’re so easily ruled by our flesh-nature and the Law of Entropy, we need the help of someone who successfully overcame that problem. The doctor’s prescription for enjoying who we are as creatures made in God’s image is the prayer: “Lord Jesus, BE my patience” or “BE my kindness toward that person who’s driving me nuts” or “BE my ability to forgive when I feel angry.”
Then, Jesus substitutes himself for us, in us, until our Godliness becomes second-nature. – Read the source: https://gnm.org/good-news-reflections/?useDrDate=2019-10-25
Reflection 4 – Heed the warning signs before it is too late to act
How good are you at reading warning signs? Jesus expects his disciples to accurately read the signs of the times! Seafarers and farmers know the importance of spotting weather conditions for safe travel and planting. A lot of effort is made today, with the help of science and technology, to discern potential natural dangers, such as tropical storms, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earth quakes, and erupting volcanoes, so that people can be warned to take shelter before disaster hits.
Don’t miss God’s kingdom and power to transform your life
Our need for accurately discerning the spiritual condition and moral climate around us is vital if we want to avert spiritual crisis and moral disaster. The Lord is ready to transform our lives by offering us his kingdom of righteousness (moral goodness), peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). – But we can miss it if we allow a permissive attitude that takes sin lightly or puts off repairing wrongdoing before it is too late to get reconciled with God.
Jesus used a very vivid illustration of a threatening lawsuit to show the urgency of settling a bad case outside of court before a worse sentence could passed against us. Why did the neighbor in Jesus’ story make an effort to come to an agreement with his adversary before the matter was sent to court for judgment? The accused knew that he had a bad case which would likely go against him in court. He quickly tried to come to an agreement with his adversary to avoid receiving a worse sentence of being thrown into prison and given a costly fine as well.
Jesus will set us free and fill us with the Holy Spirit
We all stand in need of God’s mercy, grace, and protection. The Lord Jesus is our physician and healer and he is ready to set us free from any sinful patterns of thinking, acting, and speaking. If we give our lives over to him he will fill us with his Holy Spirit and give us a new heart and a transformed mind that is filled with his truth, love, and goodness. If you want lasting peace and joy with God, then allow the Lord Jesus to transform every area of your life, your home, your work, your relationships, and possessions so that he may truly be the Lord and Giver of abundant life. Are you ready to surrender all to him – and to receive all from him?
“Lord Jesus, flood my heart with your love and free me from all that would keep me from doing your will. Transform my mind that I may discern what is right and choose what is good and pleasing to you.” – Read the source: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/2019/oct25.htm
Reflection 5 – To read weather signs
Today’s Gospel opens with our human ability to read weather signs. When I was growing up, I always knew when rain was coming because the wind would blow north, bringing the stench of the stockyards. But if Jesus’ crowds are so good at predicting the weather, why don’t they know how to interpret the present time, that is, what Jesus was doing among them? As Jesus told the disciples of John the Baptist: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” Yes, these miracles, many fulfilling OT expectations, constitute the time to which Jesus refers. What prevents the crowds from recognizing immediately the true meaning of these signs and making a true judgment in Jesus’ regard?
This Gospel’s second part exhorts believers to make prudent judgments. About to be hauled before the judge, a person recognizes his mistake and pleads with his accuser. Seek reconciliation with your enemies while you can. On the level of divine judgment, however, this passage prods reflection about believers who will soon approach God the judge. They need to settle accounts with God for their debts. Prisons, even debtors’ prisons, were not comfortable places, and how could an accused person in prison pay the last penny?
Let me sum up the contrasts we preachers have been seeing so far this week: Ephesians (4:1-6) enthusiastically celebrates God’s gifts of love and reconciliation between those near and far away. On the other hand, the readings from Luke underscore the seriousness of the call received by believers, who will be held responsible for gifts received. Indeed, God’s grace is both free and costly.
Reflection 6 – How to judge for ourselves what is right?
“Those who want to progress to this state of perfection must enter and shut themselves up in the house of self-knowledge, which is the cell in which we should live. And within this cell is another cell, the cell of the knowledge of God’s goodness within us. From the knowledge of ourselves we draw a genuine humility, along with holy hatred for the offenses we have committed and continue to commit against our Creator. This leads to true and perfect patience. And in the knowledge of God which we discover within ourselves we acquire the virtue of blazing charity, from which we draw holy loving desires.
“Staying shut up in such a lovely and glorious house as the knowledge of ourselves and of God is the way to learn watching and continual prayer. By watching I mean not just watching with our bodily eyes but watching with the eyes of our soul. I mean that the eyes of our understanding should never be closed but always open and focused on Christ crucified, ineffable love. There we discover love as well as our sinfulness, since it was for sin that Christ gave his blood. Then we rise up with immense desire to love what God loves and to hate what God hates. Everything we do we direct to God; we do everything for the glory and praise of his name…. This is how we progress from slavish fear and self-indulgent love for our own consolation to true servanthood, true friendship, true filiality. For we don’t cease being God’s servants and true friends once we have become his true sons and daughters. No, now we are servants and friends in truth, with no regard for ourselves or for anything but pleasing God” (Source: St. Catherine of Siena, +1380 A.D., Magnificat, Vol. 19, No. 8, October 2017, pp. 373-374).
Reflection 7 – St. Antônio de Sant’Anna Galvão (1739-1822 A.D.)
God’s plan in a person’s life often takes unexpected turns which become life-giving through cooperation with God’s grace.
Born in Guarantingueta near São Paulo (Brazil), Antônio attended the Jesuit seminary in Belem but later decided to become a Franciscan friar. Invested in 1760, he made final profession the following year and was ordained in 1762.
In São Paulo, he served as preacher, confessor and porter. Within a few years he was appointed confessor to the Recollects of St. Teresa, a group of nuns in that city. He and Sister Helena Maria of the Holy Spirit founded a new community of sisters under the patronage of Our Lady of the Conception of Divine Providence. Sister Helena Maria’s premature death the next year left Father Antônio responsible for the new congregation, especially for building a convent and church adequate for their growing numbers.
He served as novice master for the friars in Macacu and as guardian of St. Francis Friary in São Paulo. He founded St. Clare Friary in Sorocaba. With the permission of his provincial and the bishop, he spent his last days at the Recolhimento de Nossa Senhora da Luz, the convent of the sisters’ congregation he had helped establish.
He was beatified in Rome on October 25, 1998, and canonized in 2007.
Comment:
Holy women and men cannot help calling our attention to God, to God’s creation and to all the people whom God loves. The lives of holy people are so oriented toward God that this has become their definition of “normal.” Do people see my life or yours as a living sign of God’s steadfast love? What might have to change for that to happen?
Quote:
During the beatification homily, Pope John Paul II quoted from the Second Letter to Timothy (4:17), “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully,” and then said that Antônio “fulfilled his religious consecration by dedicating himself with love and devotion to the afflicted, the suffering and the slaves of his era in Brazil.” The pope continued, “His authentically Franciscan faith, evangelically lived and apostolically spent in serving his neighbor, will be an encouragement to imitate this ‘man of peace and charity.’”
Read the source: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1179
SAINT OF THE DAY
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God’s invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint. Click here to receive Saint of the Day in your email.
| ST. ANTHONY OF ST. ANN GALVÃO,O.F.M. | |
|---|---|
Painting by an unknown painter (circa 1850)
|
|
| FRIAR | |
| BORN | 1739 Guaratinguetá, Brazil,Portuguese Empire |
| DIED | 23 December 1822 São Paulo, Empire of Brazil |
| VENERATED IN | Roman Catholic Church (Order of Friars Minor and Brazil) |
| BEATIFIED | 8 April 1997, Rome by Pope John Paul II |
| CANONIZED | 11 May 2007, Campo de Marte Airport, São Paulo, Brazil, byPope Benedict XVI |
| MAJORSHRINE | Monastery of Light, São Paulo, Brazil |
| FEAST | 11 May |
Anthony of St. Ann Galvão, O.F.M. (Portuguese: Antônio de Sant’Anna Galvão, IPA: [ˈsɐ̃tw ɐ̃ˈtõn̠ʲʊ dʒɪ sɐ̃ˈtɐ̃nɐ ɡaʊ̯ˈvɐ̃w]), commonly known in Brazil as Frei (Friar) Galvão (IPA: [ˈfɾej ɡawˈvɐ̃w] (1739–December 23, 1822), was aPortuguese friar of the Franciscan Order. One of the best-known religious figures in colonial Brazil, renowned for his healing powers,[1] Galvão was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on May 11, 2007, becoming the first Brazilian-born saint.[2] He was the second Brazilian to be proclaimed a saint by the Catholic Church, after Austro-Hungarian-bornPauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus, C.I.I.C., canonized in 2002.[3]
Contents
[hide]
Life[edit]
Early life[edit]
Galvão was born in the freguesia of Santo Antonio of Guaratinguetá, in the State of São Paulo. He was the fourth of ten children in a deeply religious family of high social and political status.[1][4][5] His father, Antônio Galvão de França, was the Captain of the village. Although he was active in the world of politics and commerce, Anthony the father also belonged to the Third Order of Saint Francisand was known for his generosity.[4] His mother, Isabel Leite de Barros, was from a farming family, and was a great-granddaughter of the famous bandeirante explorer Fernão Dias Pais, known as the “Emerald Hunter”. She gave birth to eleven children before her premature death in 1755, at age 38.[4]Equally known for her generosity, Isabel was found to have given away all of her clothes to the poor at the time of her death.[4]
At age 13, Galvão was sent to the Jesuit-run seminary Colégio de Belém[4][5] in Cachoeira, Bahia by his father, which wished to provideHumanities and cultural training to his son. He followed his brother José, who was already studying there. At Colégio de Belém, which he attended from 1752 to 1756, Galvão made great progress in social studies and Christian practice. He aspired to become a Jesuitpriest, but the anti-Jesuit persecution led by Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, the Marquis of Pombal, led him to enter theFranciscan Order instead.[5] in Taubaté, following the advice of his father.[1][4]
Monument to Frei Galvão in his native town of Guaratinguetá.
Franciscan friar[edit]
At age 16, Galvão gave up a promising future and his family’s social influence, becoming a novice at the St. Bonaventure Friary in Vila de Macacu, Rio de Janeiro.[4][5][6] There, he adopted the religious name of Anthony of Saint Ann, in honor of his family’s devotion to Saint Ann. During his novitiate year, he was known for his piety, zeal and exemplary virtues.[4] Galvão made his profession of solemn vows on 16 April 1761, taking the additional vow to defend the Blessed Virgin Mary‘s title of the “Immaculate Conception“, which was still a controversial doctrine at that time.[4]
On 11 July 1762, Galvão was ordained a priest and transferred to St. Francis Friary in the city of São Paulo, where he continued his studies in theology and philosophy.[4] In early 1766, around the completion of his studies, Anthony made a spiritual submission of himself as a “servant and slave” of the Blessed Mother, signing a document to this effect, dated 9 March, which he signed in his own blood.[7] In 1768 he was appointed preacher, confessor and porter of the friary, an important post.[4][5]
From 1769 to 1770 Galvão served as confessor to the Recollection of St. Teresa (Portuguese: Recolhimento de Santa Teresa) in the city of São Paulo, which was a hermitage of women Recollects (reclusesliving in common but not under religious vows), dedicated to St.Teresa of Ávila.[4][5] There, he met Sister Helena Maria of the Holy Spirit, a recluse who claimed to have had visions in which Jesus was asking her to found a new Recollect house.[4][5] Galvão, her confessor, studied these messages and consulted with others who recognized them as valid and supernatural.[4]
Galvão collaborated in the foundation of the new Recollect house, named Our Lady of the Conception of Divine Providence, which was established on 2 February 1774[4][5] in the same city. It was modeled after the Conceptionist nuns,[4] and became the home for girls who wished to live a religious life but without taking vows.[1][5] With Sister Helena’s sudden death on 23 February 1775, Galvão became the new superior of the community,[4] serving as the Recollects’ newspiritual leader.[5]
Frei Galvão in the Cathedral of St. Anthony inGuaratinguetá.
Around that time, a change in São Paulo’s provincial government brought an inflexible leader who ordered the closing of the hermitage.[4] Galvão accepted the decision, but the recluses refused to leave the premises, and due to popular pressure and the efforts of the Bishop of São Paulo, the hermitage was soon re-opened.[4]Subsequently, with the increasing number of new recluses, more living space was required.[4][5] It took Galvão 28 years to build the hermitage and church, with the latter being inaugurated on 15 August 1802.[4] In addition to the construction work and duties within and outside his Order, Galvão committed himself to the Recollect’s formation.[4] The Statutes he wrote for them was a guide for the interior life and religious discipline.[4]
When things seemed more quiet, another government intervention brought Galvão a further trial.[4] The Captain General sentenced a soldier to death for having slightly offended his son, and the friar was sent into exile for coming to the soldier’s defence.[4] Again, popular demand succeeded in having the order revoked.[4]
In 1781, Galvão was appointed novice master in Cachoeiras de Macacu.[4][5] However, the Recollects and the Bishop of São Paulo appealed to the Minister Provincial, writing that “none of the inhabitants of this city will be able to bear the absence of this Religious for a single moment”.[4] As a result, he returned.[4] He was later named Guardian of St. Francis Friary in São Paulo in 1798, being re-appointed in 1801.[4][5]
In 1811 Galvão founded St. Clare Friary in Sorocaba.[4][5] Eleven months later, he returned to São Paulo.[4] In his old age, he obtained permission from the bishop and the Guardian to stay at the Recollect house.[4] He died there on 23 December 1822.[1][4] Galvão was laid to rest in the Recollection Church, and his tomb continues to be a destination for pilgrimages of the faithful, who obtain graces through his intercession.[4]
In 1929, the Convent of Our Lady of the Conception of Divine Providence became a monastery, incorporated into the Order of the Immaculate Conception.[4] The building, now called the “Monastery of Light”, has been declared a world cultural heritage site byUNESCO.[8] The complex now serves as the Museum of the Sacred Arts of São Paulo.
Mysticism[edit]
Galvão was a man of great and intense prayer, and mystic phenomena attributed to him include telepathy, premonition andlevitation.[8]He was reportedly in two different places at the same time in order to take care of sick or dying people who had asked for his help.[8]
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Pope Benedict XVIcelebrates Holy Mass at thecanonization of Frei Galvão inSão Paulo, Brazil on 11 May 2007
Many sought Galvão for his reputed healing powers, particularly when medical resources were expensive or unavailable. Galvão became known for his “paper pills”: he wrote a Latin phrase from theLittle Office of Our Lady (“After childbirth thou didst remain a Virgin: O Mother of God, intercede for us”)in a piece of paper, rolled it like a pill, and gave it to [9][10] Once he gave the paper pill to a young woman in excruciating pain from kidney stones: the pain ceased immediately after she consumed it, and she expelled a large amount of renal calculus. On other occasions, he gave it to women suffering during difficult childbirths. After Galvão gave a paper pill to a man with such a suffering wife, the child was quickly born without further complications.[8][9] The story of the miracle pill spread, and Galvão had to teach the Recollect Sisters to make them, which they still do nowadays. They are handed out for free to some 300 faithful who request them daily.[8]
Pope Benedict XVI at thecanonization of Frei Galvão (in the picture).
On October 25, 1998, Galvão became the first Brazilian-born person to be beatified by the Vatican, having been declaredVenerable a year earlier, on March 8, 1997.[5] On May 11, 2007, he became the first Brazilian-born person canonized by the Roman CatholicChurch, during Pope Benedict XVI‘s five day visit to Brazil.[2] The open-air ceremony, which lasted over two hours in theCampo de Marte Military Airport, near downtown São Paulo, drew 800,000 people, according to official estimates.[3][11] Galvão was the first saint canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in a ceremony held outside the Vatican City.[10] His proclamation as a saint came after the Catholic Church accepted that two miracles had taken place.[1]
According to the Church, the cases of Sandra Grossi de Almeida and Daniella Cristina da Silva are miracles effected through the prayers of Galvão.[2] After taking one of the paper pills, Almeida, who had auterine malformation that should have made it impossible for her to carry a child for more than four months, gave birth to baby boy Enzo.[2] Galvão’s pills are also certified by the Church with the healing, in 1990, of Daniella Cristina da Silva, a four-year-old girl suffering from what doctors considered incurablehepatitis.[3][12] Doctors, and some Catholic clergy, have dismissed the pills as placebos.[1][10]The Church recommends that only terminally ill patients take the pills.[12]
References[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frei Galvão. |
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g “Profile: Saint Antonio Galvao”. BBC News. May 11, 2007.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d “Pope names Brazil’s first saint”. BBC News. May 11, 2007.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c Frayssinet, Fabiana and Osava, Mario. “A New Saint to Help Stem the Loss of Adherents”. IPS. May 11, 2007.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ahaiaj “Fr. Anthony of Saint Anne Galvão (1739 – 1822) – Biography”. Vatican.va.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Frei Galvão at Patron Saints Index.
- Jump up^ This is the age given by the website maintained by his descendents, which would be in keeping with the standard practice of the Order [1]
- Jump up^ Official website
- ^ Jump up to:a b c d e Pomi, Ana Maria (Deutsche Presse-Agentur).“Profile: Brazil’s soon-to-be saint performed paper-pill miracles”. Monstersandcritics.com. May 9, 2007.
- ^ Jump up to:a b Alves, Lise. “Brazilians in need, physical or spiritual, seek St. Galvao’s pills”. Catholic News Service. May 13, 2007.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c