Life Checks

I use personal checks with a pro-life message. Recently, however, I learned that the company that sells these checks provides financial support to organizations promoting abortion and other evils. That company, the Custom Direct Income Fund, owns all of the following:

LifeChecks,
The Check Gallery,
Image checks,
Artistic checks,
Message checks,
Styles,
Identity Checks,
Classic Checks,
Unique Products,
4checks.com
Check Crafters (prints business checks)

All of the above companies, even if they sell products with a good message, provide funding for the culture of death and should be avoided.

A good pro-life alternative for personal checks is Promise Checks (promisechecks.com). Are you inadvertently doing harm with the products you purchase?

Pentecost

The Spirit of the Lord hath filled the whole world [alleluia]: and that, which containeth all things, hath knowledge of the voice [alleluia, alleluia, alleluia]. (Wisdom 1:7)

Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered: and let them that hate Him flee from before His face. (Psalm 67:2)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, and now, and ever, and unto ages of ages.

O God, who on this day didst teach the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit: grant unto us, by the same Spirit, to be wise in what is right, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the same Holy Ghost, God, for all the ages of ages. Amen.

Holy Ghost, come into my heart; draw it to Thee by Thy power, O my God, and grant me charity with filial fear. Preserve me, O ineffable Love, from every evil thought; warm me, inflame me with Thy dear love, and every pain will seem light to me. My Father, my sweet Lord, help me in all my actions. Jesus, love, Jesus, love. Amen.

St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Nine

Thou, on those who evermore
Thee confess and Thee adore,
In Thy sevenfold gifts, descend:
Give them comfort when they die;
Give them life with Thee on high;
Give them joy which never ends. Amen.

The Fruits of the Holy Ghost

The gifts of the Holy Ghost perfect the supernatural virtues by enabling us to practice them with greater docility to divine inspiration. As we grow in the knowledge and love of God under the direction of the Holy Ghost, our service becomes more sincere and generous, the practice of virtue more perfect. Such acts of virtue leave the heart filled with joy and consolation and are known as Fruits of the Holy Ghost. These Fruits in turn render the practice of virtue more attractive and become a powerful incentive for still greater efforts in the service of God, "to serve Whom is to reign". [Saint Robert Bellarmine, The Seven Words on the Cross, Book One, Chapter IV]


Prayer

Come, O Divine Spirit, fill my heart with Thy heavenly fruits, Thy charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, faith, mildness, and temperance, that I may never weary in the service of God, but by continued faithful submission to Thy inspiration, may merit to be united eternally with Thee in the love of the Father and the Son. Amen.

Our Father who art in heaven...

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, ...

Glory be to the Father... (7 Times)

Act of Consecration

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost


Prayer to the Holy Ghost

V. Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
R. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.
V. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth
V. Let us pray --- Oh God Who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Ghost, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and to ever rejoice in His consolations, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Eight

Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray!

The Gift of Wisdom

Embodying all the other gifts, as charity embraces all the other virtues, Wisdom is the most perfect of the gifts. Of wisdom it is written "all good things came to me with her, and innumerable riches through her hands." It is the gift of Wisdom that strengthens our faith, fortifies hope, perfects charity, and promotes the practice of virtue in the highest degree. Wisdom enlightens the mind to discern and relish divine things, in the appreciation of which earthly joys lose their savor, while the Cross of Christ yields a divine sweetness according to the words of the Saviour: "Take up your cross and follow Me, for My yoke is sweet and My burden light." [Matthew 11:29-30]


Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Wisdom, and reveal to my soul the mysteries of heavenly things, their exceeding greatness, power and beauty. Teach me to love them above and beyond all the passing joys and satisfactions of earth. Help me to attain them and possess them for ever. Amen.


Our Father who art in heaven...

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, ...

Glory be to the Father... (7 Times)

Act of Consecration

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost

(Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Nine)

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Seven

Heal our wounds -- our strength renew;
On our dryness pour Thy dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away!

The Gift of Counsel

The gift of Counsel endows the soul with supernatural prudence, enabling it to judge promptly and rightly what must be done, especially in difficult circumstances. Counsel applies the principles furnished by Knowledge and Understanding to the innumerable concrete cases that confront us in the course of our daily duty as parents, teachers, public servants, and Christian citizens. Counsel is supernatural common sense, a priceless treasure in the quest of salvation. "Above all these things, pray to the Most High, that He may direct your way in truth." [Ecclesiasticus 37:19]


Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Counsel, help and guide me in all my ways, that I may always do Thy holy will. Incline my heart to that which is good; turn it away from all that is evil, and direct me by the straight path of Thy commandments to that goal of eternal life for which I long. Amen.


Our Father who art in heaven...

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, ...

Glory be to the Father... (7 Times)

Act of Consecration

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost

(Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Eight)

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Six

If Thou take Thy grace away,
Nothing pure in man will stay,
All his good is turn'd to ill.

The Gift of Understanding

Understanding, as a gift of the Holy Ghost, helps us to grasp the meaning of the truths of our holy religion By faith we know them, but by Understanding we learn to appreciate and relish them. It enables us to penetrate the inner meaning of revealed truths and through them to be quickened to newness of life. Our faith ceases to be sterile and inactive, but inspires a mode of life that bears eloquent testimony to the faith that is in us; we begin to "walk worthy of God, pleasing Him in all things, and increasing in His knowledge." [Colossians 1:10]


Prayer

Come, O Spirit of Understanding, and enlighten our minds, that we may know and believe all the mysteries of salvation; and may merit at last to see the eternal light in Thy Light; and in the light of glory to have a clear vision of Thee and the Father and the Son. Amen.


Our Father who art in heaven...

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, ...

Glory be to the Father... (7 Times)

Act of Consecration

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost

(Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Seven)

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Five

Light immortal! Light Divine!
Visit Thou these hearts of Thine,
And our inmost being fill.

The Gift of Knowledge

The gift of Knowledge enables the soul to evaluate created things at their true worth - in their relation to God. Knowledge unmasks the pretence of creatures, reveals their emptiness, and points out their only true purpose as instruments in the service of God. It shows us the loving care of God even in adversity, and directs us to glorify Him in every circumstance of life. Guided by its light, we put first things first, and prize the friendship of God beyond all else. "Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesses it." [Proverbs 16:22]


Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Knowledge, and grant that I may perceive the will of the Father; show me the nothingness of earthly things, that I may realize their vanity and use them only for Thy glory and my own salvation, looking ever beyond them to Thee, and Thine eternal rewards. Amen.

Our Father who art in heaven...

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, ...

Glory be to the Father... (7 Times)

Act of Consecration

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost

(Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Six)

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Four

Thou in toil art comfort sweet
Pleasant coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.

The Gift of Fortitude

By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to the end in the performance of duty. Fortitude imparts to the will an impulse and energy which move it to undertake without hesitation the most arduous tasks, to face dangers, to trample under foot human respect, and to endure without complaint the slow martyrdom of even lifelong tribulation. "He that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved." [Matthew 24:13]

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Fortitude, uphold my soul in time of trouble and adversity, sustain my efforts after holiness, strengthen my weakness, give me courage against all the assaults of my enemies, that I may never be overcome and separated from Thee, my God and greatest Good. Amen.

Our Father who art in heaven...

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, ...

Glory be to the Father... (7 Times)

Act of Consecration

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost

(Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Five)

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Three

Thou, of all consolers best,
Visiting the troubled breast
Dost refreshing peace bestow

The Gift of Piety

The gift of Piety begets in our hearts a filial affection for God as our most loving Father. It inspires us to love and respect for His sake persons and things consecrated to Him, as well as those who are vested with His authority, His Blessed Mother and the Saints, the Church and its visible Head, our parents and superiors, our country and its rulers. He who is filled with the gift of Piety finds the practice of his religion, not a burdensome duty, but a delightful service. "Where there is love, there is no labor." [Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermones in Cantica canticorum, LXXXV #8]

Prayer

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Piety, possess my heart. Enkindle therein such a love for God, that I may find satisfaction only in His service, and for His sake lovingly submit to all legitimate authority. Amen.

Our Father who art in heaven...

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, ...

Glory be to the Father... (7 Times)

Act of Consecration

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost

(Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Four)

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Two

Come, Thou Father of the poor!
Come, with treasures which endure!
Come, Thou Light of all that live!

The Gift of Fear

The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend Him by sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us from the worldly pleasures that could in any way separate us from God. "They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their souls." [Ecclesiasticus 2:20]

Prayer

Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my inmost heart, that I may set Thee, my Lord and God, before my face forever, help me to shun all things that can offend Thee, and make me worthy to appear before the pure eyes of Thy Divine Majesty in heaven, where Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the ever Blessed Trinity, God, forever and ever. Amen.

Our Father who art in heaven...

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, ...

Glory be to the Father... (7 Times)

Act of Consecration

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost

Almighty and all-pure God who wills to drive all darkness from our souls, help us to answer Thy love with love and imitate Thy mercy with mercy.

(Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Three)

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day One

Holy Spirit! Lord of Light!
From Your clear celestial height,
Your pure beaming radiance give!

The Holy Ghost

Only one thing is important -- eternal salvation. Only one thing, therefore, is to be feared -- sin. Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love. With His sevenfold gift He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for "The Spirit helps our infirmity. We know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asks for us." [Romans 8:26]


Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, Who has vouchsafed to regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and has given us forgiveness of all sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us Thy sevenfold gift, the gifts of Wisdom and Understanding, the gifts of Counsel and Fortitude, the gifts of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the gift of Holy Fear. Amen.


Our Father who art in heaven...

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, ...

Glory be to the Father... (pray seven times)

Act of Consecration

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost



(Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Two)

Ascension Thursday

The Second Glorious Mystery of the rosary:
The Ascension of our Lord into Heaven

+++

O Lord Jesus Christ,
who ascended into heaven in glory,
I adore You and praise You
and beg You to ask Your Heavenly Father
to look down in mercy upon us
who still struggle here on earth. Amen.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, may Your Kingdom come!

Prayer Source: All Day With God by Blanche Jennings Thompson

John 14:23-29

Today's Gospel for the New Mass:

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Whoever loves me will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.
Whoever does not love me does not keep my words;
yet the word you hear is not mine
but that of the Father who sent me.

“I have told you this while I am with you.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name,
will teach you everything
and remind you of all that I told you.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.”

John 14:23-29

Veni, Sancte Spíritus, et emítte cælitus lucis tuæ rádium.

Come, Holy Spirit, and from heaven send forth a ray of Thy light.

What's your theological worldview? (quiz)

You scored as Roman Catholic. You are Roman Catholic. Church tradition and ecclesial authority are hugely important, and the most important part of worship for you is mass. As the Mother of God, Mary is important in your theology, and as the communion of saints includes the living and the dead, you can also ask the saints to intercede for you.

Roman Catholic		96%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan		71%
Neo orthodox		68%
Reformed Evangelical		46%
Fundamentalist		46%
Classical Liberal		43%
Emergent/Postmodern		39%
Charismatic/Pentecostal		32%
Modern Liberal		29%

What's your theological worldview?
created with QuizFarm.com

Uh oh -- only 96%. Tried again, this time expressing some views more strongly...

Roman Catholic		100%
Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan		75%
Neo orthodox		68%
Fundamentalist		50%
Emergent/Postmodern		46%
Classical Liberal		39%
Charismatic/Pentecostal		36%
Reformed Evangelical		32%
Modern Liberal		29%

(Whew!)

Gregorian Chant Classes this Summer

Woe to the Shepherds of Israel

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, prophesy concerning the shepherds of Israel: prophesy, and say to the shepherds:

Thus saith the Lord God: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, that fed themselves: should not the flocks be fed by the shepherds? You ate the milk, and you clothed yourselves with the wool, and you killed that which was fat: but my flock you did not feed. The weak you have not strengthened, and that which was sick you have not healed, that which was broken you have not bound up, and that which was driven away you have not brought again, neither have you sought that which was lost: but you ruled over them with rigour, and with a high hand.

And my sheep were scattered, because there was no shepherd: and they became the prey of all the beasts of the field, and were scattered. My sheep have wandered in every mountain, and in every high hill: and my flocks mere scattered upon the face of the earth, and there was none that sought them, there was none, I say, that sought them.

Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As I live, saith the Lord God, forasmuch as my flocks have been made a spoil, and my sheep are become a prey to all the beasts of the field, because there was no shepherd: for my shepherds did not seek after my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flocks: Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold I myself come upon the shepherds, I will require my flock at their hand, and I will cause them to cease from feeding the flock any more, neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more: and I will deliver my flock from their mouth, and it shall no more be meat for them.

Ezechiel 34:1-10

A Novena for the Traditional Mass (day 9)

Glory to Thee, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
One God over all the world in every age.

In Thy mercy
grant that Thy servants
may once again freely worship Thee
in the unity of the Mass of Ages,
with St. Gregory the Great,
with St. Bonaventure,
and with St. Pius V,
whose memory we honor today.

Father in Heaven,
through Christ our Lord, we ask Thee
to pour out the grace of Thy Holy Spirit
on Thy vicar, Pope Benedict XVI,
and on Thy unworthy servants,
to conform our hearts to Thee,
so that, animated by Thy Spirit,
we may serve Thee faithfully in this life
and enter into the joy of Thy kingdom
at the end of our days.

For the Holy Father:
Our Father Who art in heaven...
Hail Mary, full of grace...
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit...

+++

"Upon our elevation to the Apostolic throne We gladly turned Our mind and energies, and directed all Our thoughts, to the matter of preserving incorrupt the public worship of the Church; and We have striven, with God’s help, by every means in Our power to achieve that purpose. ...

Furthermore, by these presents and by virtue of Our Apostolic authority, We give and grant in perpetuity that for the singing or reading of Mass in any church whatsoever this Missal may be followed absolutely, without any scruple of conscience or fear of incurring any penalty, judgment or censure, and may be freely and lawfully used. Nor shall bishops, administrators, canons, chaplains and other secular priests, or religious of whatsoever Order or by whatsoever title designated, be obliged to celebrate Mass otherwise than enjoined by Us."

- Pope St. Pius V, Quo Primum

+++

Remove not the ancient landmark
which your fathers have set.

Proverbs 22:28

A Novena for the Traditional Mass (day 8)

Glory to Thee, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
One God over all the world in every age.

In Thy mercy
grant that Thy servants
may once again freely worship Thee
in the unity of the Mass of Ages,
with St. Thomas More,
with St. John Fisher,
with St. Ignatius of Loyola
and with all the saints
whom Thou hast spiritually formed
through the traditional Mass.

Father in Heaven,
through Christ our Lord, we ask Thee
to pour out the grace of Thy Holy Spirit
on Thy vicar, Pope Benedict XVI,
and on Thy unworthy servants,
to conform our hearts to Thee,
so that, animated by Thy Spirit,
we may serve Thee faithfully in this life
and enter into the joy of Thy kingdom
at the end of our days.

For the Holy Father:
Our Father Who art in heaven...
Hail Mary, full of grace...
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit...

+++

And when He had arisen from prayer and come to His disciples, He found them sleeping for sadness, and He said to them, "Why are you sleeping? Sleep on now and take your rest. That is enough. Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation. Behold, the hour is coming when the Son of Man will be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us go. Behold, the one who will betray me is near at hand." [Mt 26:45-46, Mk 14:41-42]

See now, when Christ comes back to His apostles for the third time, there they are, buried in sleep, although he commanded them to bear up with Him and to stay awake and pray because of the impending danger; but Judas the traitor at the same time was so wide awake and intent on betraying the Lord that the very idea of sleep never entered his mind.

Does not this contrast between the traitor and the apostles present to us a clear and sharp mirror image (as it were), a sad and terrible view of what has happened through the ages from those times even to our own? Why do not bishops contemplate in his scene their own somnolence? Since they have succeeeded in the place of the apostles, would that they would reproduce their virtues just as eagerly as they embrace their authority and as faithfully as they display their sloth and sleepiness! For very many are sleepy and apathetic in sowing virtues among the people and maintaining the truth, while the enemies of Christ, in order to sow vices and uproot the faith (that is, insofar as they can, to seize Christ and cruelly crucify Him once again), are wide awake--so much wiser (as Christ says) are the sons of darkness in their generation than the sons of light.

Saint Thomas More, The Sadness of Christ

+++
(Today is the Feast of St. Monica)

Saint Monica, at whose powerful prayers Augustine was rescued from the spirit of the age and raised to heights of holiness, ora pro nobis.

A Novena for the Traditional Mass (day 7)

Glory to Thee, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
One God over all the world in every age.

In Thy mercy
grant that Thy servants
may once again freely worship Thee
in the unity of the Mass of Ages,
with St. Teresa of Avila,
with St. Thérèse of Lisieux,
with St. Margaret of Hungary
and with all the saints
whom Thou hast spiritually formed
through the traditional Mass.

Father in Heaven,
through Christ our Lord, we ask Thee
to pour out the grace of Thy Holy Spirit
on Thy vicar, Pope Benedict XVI,
and on Thy unworthy servants,
to conform our hearts to Thee,
so that, animated by Thy Spirit,
we may serve Thee faithfully in this life
and enter into the joy of Thy kingdom
at the end of our days.

For the Holy Father:
Our Father Who art in heaven...
Hail Mary, full of grace...
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit...

+++

Christ's prayer for his disciples

These things Jesus spoke: and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said: the hour is come. Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son may glorify Thee. As Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he may give eternal life to all whom Thou hast given him. Now this is eternal life: That they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.

I have glorified Thee on the earth; I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do. And now glorify Thou me, O Father, with Thyself, with the glory which I had, before the world was, with Thee. I have manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou hast given me out of the world. Thine they were: and to me Thou gavest them. And they have kept Thy word.

Now they have known that all things which Thou hast given me are from Thee: Because the words which Thou gavest me, I have given to them. And they have received them and have known in very deed that I came out from Thee: and they have believed that Thou didst send me.

I pray for them. I pray not for the world, but for them whom Thou hast given me: because they are Thine. And all my things are Thine, and Thine are mine: and I am glorified in them.

And now I am not in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name whom Thou hast given me: that they may be one, as we also are. While I was with them, I kept them in Thy name. Those whom Thou gavest me have I kept: and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition: that the scripture may be fulfilled.

And now I come to Thee: and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy filled in themselves. I have given them Thy word, and the world hath hated them: because they are not of the world, as I also am not of the world. I pray not that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst keep them from evil. They are not of the world, as I also am not of the world. Sanctify them in truth. Thy word is truth.

As Thou hast sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for them do I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. And not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word shall believe in me. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me, and I in Thee; that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent me.

And the glory which Thou hast given me, I have given to them: that, they may be one, as we also are one. I in them, and Thou in me: that they may be made perfect in one: and the world may know that Thou hast sent me and hast loved them, as Thou hast also loved me. Father, I will that where I am, they also whom Thou hast given me may be with me: that they may see my glory which Thou hast given me, because Thou hast loved me before the creation of the world.

Just Father, the world hath not known Thee: but I have known Thee. And these have known that Thou hast sent me. And I have made known Thy name to them and will make it known: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

John 17

Saint Philip and Saint James, chosen and blessed by the Lord, orate pro nobis.

A Novena for the Traditional Mass (day 6)

Glory to Thee, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
One God over all the world in every age.

In Thy mercy
grant that Thy servants
may once again freely worship Thee
in the unity of the Mass of Ages,
with St. Isidore of Seville,
with St. Bede the Venerable,
with St. Albert the Great
and with all the saints
whom Thou hast spiritually formed
through the traditional Mass.

Father in Heaven,
through Christ our Lord, we ask Thee
to pour out the grace of Thy Holy Spirit
on Thy vicar, Pope Benedict XVI,
and on Thy unworthy servants,
to conform our hearts to Thee,
so that, animated by Thy Spirit,
we may serve Thee faithfully in this life
and enter into the joy of Thy kingdom
at the end of our days.

For the Holy Father:
Our Father Who art in heaven...
Hail Mary, full of grace...
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit...

+++
(Today is the Feast of St. Athanasius)

“But for the searching and right understanding of the Scriptures there is need of a good life and a pure soul, and for Christian virtue to guide the mind to grasp, so far as human nature can, the truth concerning God the Word. One cannot possibly understand the teaching of the saints unless one has a pure mind and is trying to imitate their life. Anyone who wants to look at sunlight naturally wipes his eye clear first, in order to make, at any rate, some approximation to the purity of that on which he looks; and a person wishing to see a city or country goes to the place in order to do so. Similarly, anyone who wishes to understand the mind of the sacred writers must first cleanse his own life, and approach the saints by copying their deeds. Thus united to them in the fellowship of life, he will both understand the things revealed to them by God and, thenceforth escaping the peril that threatens sinners in the judgment, will receive that which is laid up for the saints in the kingdom of heaven. Of that reward it is written: 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared' for them that live a godly life and love the God and Father in Christ Jesus our Lord, through Whom and with Whom be to the Father Himself, with the Son Himself, in the Holy Spirit, honor and might and glory to ages of ages. Amen.”

- Saint Athanasius, On the Incarnation

+++

'His whole life was shaped around his defense of the divinity of Christ at a time when powerful imperial forces, and perhaps even the majority of churchmen, had fallen into the Arian Heresy. This situation is summed up in the famous saying: Athanasius contra mundum—“Athanasius against the world.” At a famous meeting at Milan between the Emperor Constantius and Pope Liberius, the Emperor had challenged the Pope: “Who are you to stand up for Athanasius against the world?”'

Tan Books has published a book about the 33 Doctors of the Church, and has put the introduction and first chapter online. To read about "The Father of Orthodoxy", click here and search for "Saint Athanasius".

A Novena for the Traditional Mass (day 5)

Glory to Thee, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
One God over all the world in every age.

In Thy mercy
grant that Thy servants
may once again freely worship Thee
in the unity of the Mass of Ages,

with St. Clare of Assisi,
with St. John Vianney,
and with St. Peregrine Laziosi,
whose memory we honor today.

Father in Heaven,
through Christ our Lord, we ask Thee
to pour out the grace of Thy Holy Spirit
on Thy vicar, Pope Benedict XVI,
and on Thy unworthy servants,
to conform our hearts to Thee,
so that, animated by Thy Spirit,
we may serve Thee faithfully in this life
and enter into the joy of Thy kingdom
at the end of our days.

For the Holy Father:
Our Father Who art in heaven...
Hail Mary, full of grace...
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit...

+++(Today is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker)

Prayer for the Universal Indult through the intercession of St. Joseph

O Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus, spouse of our Blessed Mother and patron of the Universal Church, grant us through thy intercession that the Holy Father will soon issue the Motu Proprio which shall permit the universal use of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to that venerable rite codified by Pope Pius V. May this Motu Proprio be a means of healing from the painful divisions which have been so evident in our church today. We make our prayer through thy powerful intercession with God and in the holy name of Jesus. Amen.