Thursday, November 25, 2010

Feast of St. Catherine of Alexandria


Disputation over the body of St. Catherine.
.
These days, art historians, modern hagiographers and monastics often propose the legend that angels carried the body of the saint to Sinai is a myth, and that it is more likely that monks translated her relics to Sinai.  Monastic life was once referred to as the angelic life, hence the theory angels(monks) removed the relics to the monastery of St. Catherine's in Sinai.  They say similar things about the Holy House of Loreto.  Poor materialistic souls.
.
Anyway - In addition to being Thanksgiving in the U.S., this day is also the feast of Catherine of Alexandria, the saint, and her namesake - the very angelic,  Cathy of Alex.  Happy feast day Cathy!
.
Art:  St. Catherine being carried to Mt. Sinai by Henri Lehmann

16 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:16 AM

    Happy Thanksgiving, Terry! Your blog is one of the ones I'm thankful for this year. Keep the faith and keep up the good work. God bless you always!

    ReplyDelete
  2. And it was also an angel that grabbed a guy by his hair three times to feed Daniel in the Lion’s den.

    And it was the three angels, Michael, Rafael, and Gabriel that painted the image of Our Lady of Good Success.

    Modernist attempt to paint angels as dainty little girls.

    In reality, angels are pretty fearsome.

    It was an angel that turned back the ancestors of the Three Kings that were on their way to do battle against the Lord.

    His presence was so fearsome it caused them to wait five hundred years for the sign the angel promised them.

    I need not fear the Devil and all his demons if I have but one angel with me. A small one at that.

    Here is a little angel song you might enjoy:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2WMhaogDsI

    “May the Angels lead thee into paradise: May the Martyrs receive thee at thy coming, and lead thee into the holy city of Jerusalem. May the choir of Angels receive thee, and mayest thou have eternal rest with Lazarus, who once was poor.”

    Remember, angels are assigned by God to various tasks; some cause every blade of grass to grow, one moves the Sun around the Earth.

    There are angels all around us constantly.

    Happy Feast Day Cathy of Alex.

    *

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy Thanksgiving, Terry!
    My grandma used to bake me a cake for my patron saint's feast day which was St. Catherine of Sienna (my middle name is Katherine). I convinced her that St. Catherine of Alexandria would get her feelings hurt if we didn't bake a cake in her honor, too. (I'm sure she saw right through me, but she went along with it anyway.)
    And I don't have a problem believing that angels could move a body or a house if they wanted to!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10:14 AM

    It's also "Little Christmas".....Happy Thanksgiving, Terry. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. michael r.10:56 AM

    Happy Thanksgiving to all!

    And a Happy Feast to all of the Catherines!

    ReplyDelete
  7. SF - it is and I prayed especially to the Infant Jesus.

    Michael - happy thanksgiving.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever. Have a Happy Thanksgiving Terry!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Fr. Gary - same to you - I prayed for you specifically today - thanks for your prayers too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. St. Catherine being carried to Mt. Sinai by Henri Lehmann

    So which one is Henri?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you! St. Catharine of Alexandria is co-patroness of the Order of Preachers!

    Thankfully she is back on the Roman Calendar!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ter: Thanks! But, who are you talking about?

    ReplyDelete
  13. PRAYER IN HONOR OF ST. CATHERINE

    O GOD, who didst distinguish Thy holy virgin and martyr Catherine by the gift of great wisdom and virtue, and a victorious combat with the enemies of the Faith; grant us, we beseech Thee, through her intercession, constancy in the Faith and the wisdom of the saints, that we may devote all the powers of our mind and heart to Thy service. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

    INVOCATION OF ST. CATHERINE

    ST. CATHERINE, glorious virgin and martyr, resplendent in the luster of wisdom and purity; thy wisdom refuted the adversaries of divine truth and covered them with confusion; thy immaculate purity made thee a spouse of Christ, so that after thy glorious martyrdom angels carried thy body to Mount Sinai. Implore for me progress in the science of the saints and the virtue of holy purity, that vanquishing the enemies of my soul, I may be victorious in my last combat and after death be conducted by the angels into the eternal beatitude of heaven. Amen.

    *

    ReplyDelete
  14. The painting of Catherine of Alexandria by Henri Lehmann is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for posting it.

    Oh and Happy Thanksgiving!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks Tom - happy thanksgiving to you too!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Larry - Henri is the man standing right behind you with the butcher knife. Nite!

    ReplyDelete


Please comment with charity and avoid ad hominem attacks. I exercise the right to delete comments I find inappropriate. If you use your real name there is a better chance your comment will stay put.