Fidelity to the Word

"something extra I need"

2012-01-24T14:17:00.004-06:00

Quote:

I believe in Jesus Christ and that He is the Son of God, the Word made flesh, God with us. I believe that we are saved through Him.

Is there something extra I need? Was there something extra the people being healed and forgiven by Christ had?

Yes. There is something extra you need. To grow in holiness. To seek God with all of your heart. To seek truth in all things. To make yourself the best person you can be as to honor His sacrifice.

Adventures in Catholicism

2012-01-23T17:08:00.001-06:00

This post on CAF made me smile:

TRJ enters confessional.
Total silence ensures
Father: My child?
TRJ: Um, Father, sorry, I wrote some notes but now I have no idea what they mean.
Father: Sighs in exasperation
TRJ: I don't suppose you remember what I confessed last time? Cause it's probably about the same...no, I suppose you don't, sorry.
Father: Another sigh

A Day of Rest

2012-01-21T20:38:00.004-06:00

Canon 1248 of the Pio-Benedictine Code of Canon Law says:

On feast days of precept, Mass is to be heard; there is an abstinence from servile work, legal acts, and likewise, unless there is a special indult or legitimate customs provide otherwise, from public trade, shopping, and other public buying and selling.

Now that does not say anything about Sundays. The previous canon states:

§ 1. Feast days under precept in the whole Church are only: All and every [Sunday], the feast of the Nativity, Circumcision, Epiphany, Ascension, and the most holy Body of Christ, Immaculate Conception, and Assumption of Mary the Mother of God, of Saint Joseph her spouse, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of All the Saints.

I wonder whether Sunday rest is mandated elsewhere in the Code, or whether it was so well known and assumed that no legislation was necessary. The online Catholic Encyclopedia, published the same year that the Pio-Benedictine Code was promulgated, seems to indicate that the Church at that time did require that Sunday be a day of rest :
"From the eight century the law began to be formulated as it exists at the present day, and the local councils forbade servile work, public buying and selling, pleading in the law courts, and the public and solemn taking of oaths."

The law is not so specific these days as it was, but I think I'm going to avoid shopping on Sundays, as a way of observing the Lord's day and allowing others to rest.

Salute to a Happy Warrior...

2012-01-18T08:54:00.007-06:00

... for the Faith and for the nation.

Timothy "Kevin" Whiteman, a/k/a the Catholic Caveman, just closed his blog as he moves on to other projects. His has been a distinctive voice in the blessedly strong chorus of orthodox Catholicism on the web. In his blog he laughed at the absurdities of liberalism and heterodoxy and pointed his readers back toward the older verities.

He is now writing for Examiner.com, and asks people to subscribe.

Another small milestone

2012-01-17T20:39:00.005-06:00

Rorate Cæli reports that this past Sunday Monsignor Marco Agostini, Assistant Papal Master of Ceremonies, publicly celebrated a Traditional Latin Mass. It was the first time in decades that someone in his position had done so.

Cardinal-Prefect Cañizares on receiving Holy Communion

2012-01-16T04:24:00.004-06:00

Here is a news story from last year that was still news to me yesterday. A sign of hope.

Lima, Peru, Jul 28, 2011 / 01:56 pm (CNA).- Spanish Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera recently recommended that Catholics receive Communion on the tongue, while kneeling.

“It is to simply know that we are before God himself and that He came to us and that we are undeserving,” the prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments said in an interview with CNA during his visit to Lima, Peru.

The cardinal’s remarks came in response to a question on whether Catholics should receive Communion in the hand or on the tongue.

He recommended that Catholics “receive Communion on the tongue and while kneeling.”

Receiving Communion in this way, the cardinal continued, “is the sign of adoration that needs to be recovered. I think the entire Church needs to receive Communion while kneeling.”

“In fact,” he added, “if one receives while standing, a genuflection or profound bow should be made, and this is not happening.”

“If we trivialize Communion, we trivialize everything, and we cannot lose a moment as important as that of receiving Communion, of recognizing the real presence of Christ there, of the God who is the love above all loves, as we sing in a hymn in Spanish.”

In response to a question about the liturgical abuses that often occur, Cardinal Canizares said they must be “corrected, especially through proper formation: formation for seminarians, for priests, for catechists, for all the Christian faithful.”

Such a formation should ensure that liturgical celebrations take place “in accord with the demands and dignity of the celebration, in accord with the norms of the Church, which is the only way we can authentically celebrate the Eucharist,” he added.

“Bishops have a unique responsibility” in the task of liturgical formation and the correction of abuses, the cardinal said, “and we must not fail to fulfill it, because everything we do to ensure that the Eucharist is celebrated properly will ensure proper participation in the Eucharist.”

+++

This was not the first time His Eminence publicly supported the traditional method of receiving Holy Communion, either. God bless him. I hope he is heeded.

Second Sunday After the Epiphany

2012-01-15T14:06:00.006-06:00

† Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. John.

[Miracle of Cana in Galilee: a type of Transubstantiation.]

At that time there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee: and the Mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also was invited, and His disciples, to the marriage. And the wine failing, the Mother of Jesus saith to Him: They have no wine. And Jesus saith to her: Woman, what is that to Me and to thee? My hour is not yet come. His Mother saith to the waiters: Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye. Now there were set there six water-pots of stone, according to the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three measures apiece. Jesus saith to them: Fill the water-pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And Jesus said to them: Draw out now, and carry to the chief steward of the feast. And they carried it. And when the chief steward had tasted the water made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the waiters knew who had drawn the water: the chief steward calleth the bridegroom, and saith to him: Every man at first setteth forth good wine: and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee; and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

+++

A reenactment our Lord's first miracle:

A pilgrim or tourist visits the church built on the site of the wedding feast at Cana:

Dominus Est

2012-01-09T10:30:00.007-06:00

The Most Reverend Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, is the author of Dominus Est, a book which calls for greater care and reverence in the distribution of Holy Communion, and a return to traditional practices that have been abandoned in the last 30 years. Here he speaks with someone from Gloria.tv:

From Alcuin Reid's review of His Excellency's book:

It was 1969. Paul VI was the Pope. The Congregation for Divine Worship issued an Instruction, Memoriale Domini, on the manner of receiving Holy Communion. It makes very interesting reading.

After recalling the development of the reception of Communion on the tongue as a fruit of "a deepening understanding of the truth of the Eucharistic mystery, of its power and of the presence of Christ in it," the Instruction declares that "this method of distributing holy communion must be retained...not merely because it has many centuries of tradition behind it, but especially because it expresses the faithful's reverence for the Eucharist. The custom does not detract in any way from the personal dignity of those who approach this great sacrament: it is part of that preparation that is needed for the most fruitful reception of the Body of the Lord" it said.

It also warned: "A change in a matter of such moment, based on a most ancient and venerable tradition, does not merely affect discipline. It carries certain dangers with it which may arise from the new manner of administering Holy Communion: the danger of a loss of reverence for the august sacrament of the altar, of profanation, of adulterating the true doctrine." And it published a survey of the world's bishops, which led it to conclude: "the vast majority of bishops believe that the present discipline should not be changed, and that if it were, the change would be offensive to the sentiments and the spiritual culture of these bishops and of many of the faithful." For this reason it reports, "the Holy Father has decided not to change the existing way of administering holy communion to the faithful."

What happened, for communion in the hand is now practically universal and younger generations know practically nothing else?

Epiphany

2012-01-06T03:20:00.009-06:00

And behold the star, which they had seen in the East, went before them until it came and stood over where the Child was. And seeing the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And entering into the house, they found the Child with Mary His Mother, (Here genuflect) and falling down they adored Him. And opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The Most Holy Name of Jesus

2012-01-02T09:15:00.001-06:00

O LORD, tame our hearts and lift our thoughts to Thee, so that with suitable words and actions we may glorify Thy Holy Name.

Feast of the Circumcision

2012-01-01T01:01:00.000-06:00

Unfriend to traditional Catholics?

2011-12-26T22:08:00.003-06:00

According this article from the Remnant, one morning early last month, Bishop Taylor, ordinary of the Diocese of Little Rock, went through his long list of friends on Facebook and “defriended” all Catholics known to attend the Latin Mass. That was just the start of what looks like a pointedly unpastoral approach to traditionalists.

(I heard about this story from the TradiCactus, who posted as QuisUtDeus72 on the Catholic Answers Forums site until today, when his outrage at this story got him banned. Unfortunately, criticizing members of the Church hierarchy by name is not allowed on CAF.)

A Happy and Blessed Christmas to You

2011-12-25T00:01:00.003-06:00

John 1:1-14 (Douay Rheims)

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

² The same was in the beginning with God.

³ All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made.

⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

⁵ And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

⁷ This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him.

⁸ He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light.

⁹ That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

¹¹ He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

¹² But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name.

¹³ Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Show with Haydock Commentary or the Latin Vulgate Bible

Bible passage courtesy of VeritasBible.com

O Emmanuel

2011-12-23T00:01:00.002-06:00

O Emmanuel, Rex et legisfer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster.

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Savior, come Thou to save us O Lord our God.

O Rex Gentium

2011-12-22T07:18:00.000-06:00

O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unem: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

O King of the nations, and their desire, and Corner-stone, who makest two to be one: come Thou and save man whom Thou formedst from the dust.

O Oriens

2011-12-21T07:17:00.001-06:00

O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentis in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Rising Brightness, Splendor of Light Eternal and Sun of Justice: come, and illumine those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

O Clavis David

2011-12-20T01:23:00.001-06:00

O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel: qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Key of David, and Sceptre of the House of Israel, Who openest and none shutteth, Who shuttest and none openeth: come Thou and bring forth the captive from the prison house who sitteth in darkness and in the shadow of death.

O Radix Jesse

2011-12-19T07:49:00.001-06:00

O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur; veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardere.

O Root of Jesse, who standest as the ensign of the people; before whom kings shall not open their lips; to whom the nations shall pray: come and deliver us; tarry now no more.

Fullness of Time

2011-12-18T20:31:00.010-06:00

Galatians 4:4-6 (Douay Rheims)

⁴ But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law:

⁵ That he might redeem them who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons.

⁶ And because you are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father.

Show with Haydock Commentary or the Latin Vulgate Bible
Bible passage courtesy of VeritasBible.com

Catholic Answers had a interesting post today speculating on why our Savior came to the world when He did:

Re: Fullness of time

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpn

Why was the fullness of time, a little over 2000 years ago, the fullness of time? Do we know specifically why the incarnation happened at this point in time, say versus 500 hundred years later?

Yes, the Roman empire's far reach facilitated the spread of the gospel and eventually the solidification of the Church. Humankind had reached a point where Greek philosophy had reasoned its way to a deity of order independent of religion which confirmed and correlated well with the Christian God, and the influence of Hellenization was very widespread in the Roman Empire. The Jews had centuries of struggling to fulfill the law, to finally arrive at a point where, according to Christianity, at least, we could realize that the Law couldn't justify anyone; it had done it's job serving as a teacher. Mankind was ready for a New Covenant-just barely.

O Adonai

2011-12-18T08:49:00.005-06:00

O Adonai, et dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

O LORD, and Ruler of the House of Israel, who appearedst unto Moses in the flame of a burning bush and gavest to him the law in Sinai: come to redeem us with an outstretched arm.

O Sapientia

2011-12-17T09:02:00.003-06:00

O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O Wisdom, that proceedest from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end, mightily and sweetly disposing all things: come and teach us the way of prudence.

[c.f. Wisdom 8:1]

Ember Saturday

2011-12-17T08:16:00.002-06:00

Lectio Isaiae Prophetae:

Thus saith the Lord: Get thee up upon a high mountain, thou that bringest good tidings to Sion: lift up thy voice with strength, thou that bringest good tidings to Jerusalem: lift it up, fear not. Say to the cities of Juda: Behold your God: behold the Lord God shall come with strength, and His arm shall rule: behold His reward is with Him, and His work is before Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather together the lambs with His arm, and shall take them up in His bosom, the Lord our God.

Gradual:

O Lord God of hosts, convert us: and show Thy face, and we shall be saved.
V.: Stir up Thy might, O Lord, and come to save us

Collect:

S. Let us pray.
V. Let us kneel.
R. Arise.

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the coming solemnity of Thy Son, may both bestow upon us healing in this present life and grant to us rewards in the life to come. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, through all the ages of ages.

"Cold and warmth, bless the Lord; Ice and snow, bless the Lord; Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever."

Ember Friday

2011-12-16T07:48:00.003-06:00

At that time Mary rising up went into the hill country with haste into a city of Judah: and she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb: and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: and she cried out with a loud voice, and said: Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord. And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord: and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.

Luke 1:37-47

Today's gospel is my favorite mystery of the rosary: the eye sees only two women of modest means meeting in the back country of a weak nation, but four human souls are present, the least of them a saint of God, the greatest of them beyond comprehension, and the Holy Ghost is at work among them.

Ember Wednesday

2011-12-14T08:30:00.003-06:00

From today's Mass, a collect:

Hasten, we beseech Thee, O Lord, tarry not: and grant us the help of Thy heavenly power, that they who trust in Thy loving kindness may be relieved by the consolations of Thy coming. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, through all the ages of ages.

A gradual:

The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.
V.: My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all flesh bless His holy Name.

and the offertory:

Take courage, and now fear not: for behold our God will bring judgment: He Himself will come and will save us.

May This be a Day of Healing

2011-12-12T08:29:00.008-06:00

O Lord, King of heaven, God the Father almighty:
O only-begotten Son of the Father, Lord Jesus Christ our Savior:
O Holy Spirit of the Father and the Son, and Comforter:
hear us in our distress.

Through Thy mercy may R be speedily healed and strengthened. Do not let her soul be disturbed, but in loving-kindness let her abide in Thee, and draw strength and hope from Thee, and by her trials be perfected. By Thy grace, holy God, may she thank Thee always, in this world and the next.

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.

Our Lady, help of Christians, pray for her.
Saint Peregrine, pray for her.
Saint Michael, pray for her.
Good angels, guardians of our souls, pray for her.

Creator Alme Siderum

2011-12-11T22:58:00.008-06:00

A hymn for vespers during Advent.

Creator alme siderum,	Loving Creator of the stars,
Aeterna lux credentium,	Eternal Light of believers,
Jesu, Redemptor omnium,	O Jesus, Redeemer of all,
Intende votis supplicum.	attend to the prayers of suppliants.

Qui daemonis ne fraudibus	Who, so that no fraud of a demon
Periret orbis, impetu	would destroy the world, impelled
Amoris actus, languidi	by an act of love, for a feeble
Mundi medela factus es.	world became the remedy.

Commune qui mundi nefas	Who, for the common sinfulness of the world
Ut expiares, ad crucem,	to be expiated, went to the cross,
E Virginis sacrario	from the sanctuary of the Virgin
Intacta prodis victima.	untouched, went as a sacrificial victim.

Cujus potestas gloriae	Of Whose glorious power,
Nomenque quum primum sonat,	as soon as the Name sounds,
Et coelites et inferi	both celestial and infernal beings
Tremente curvantur genu.	bend a trembling knee.

Te deprecamur, ultime	Humbly we beseech thee, Last
Magnum diei judicem,	Day's great Judge,
Armis supernae gratiae	by force of arms of heavenly grace,
Defende nos ab hostibus.	defend us from the enemy.

Virtus, honor, laus, gloria,	Virtue, honor, praise, and glory,
Deo Patri cum Filio,	to God the Father with the Son,
Sancto simul Paraclito,	at the same time, the holy Paraclete,
In saeculorum saecula.	for ever and ever.
Amen.	Amen.

Silent Monks sing the Hallelujah Chorus

2011-12-02T21:57:00.005-06:00

Really, students from South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, Washington. I was amused, although this may not be for everybody.

Remain in the Peace of God

2011-12-02T08:14:00.005-06:00

If, in spite of thy endeavors, men be unwilling to be converted, do not lose thy peace of heart.

Imitate the holy Guardian Angels, who, after having done whatever they should and could have done--if the men committed to their charge do not repent nor improve--remain equally peaceful, equally blissful.

from The Imitation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Book II, chapter xvii, 5.

A New Translation

2011-11-26T20:12:00.008-06:00

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away.

I went to Mass this evening, the first Mass at our parish using the new translation of the Novus Ordo. What a joy to hear our Lord's words spoken accurately at the Consecration! We in the congregation stumbled over our words in parts, nearly falling silent during the Creed at the words "by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary", but our pastor has high hopes. He spoke in his homily of catechetics that would teach the faith sooner and more thoroughly than has been common in recent years, and Masses that would offer worship to our Creator with profounder reverence and awe. May God bless his efforts and favor the work of his hands.

Hymn of Thanksgiving

Te Deum laudamus	We praise Thee, O God;
te Dominum confitemur.	we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.
Te aeternum Patrem	Thee, the Father everlasting,
omnis terra veneratur.	all the earth doth worship.
Tibi omnes Angeli;	To Thee all Angels,
tibi caeli et universae Potestates;	to Thee the heavens and the powers of the universe,
Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim	to Thee the Cherubim and Seraphim
incessabili voce proclamant:	cry out with unceasing voice:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,	Holy, Holy, Holy,
Dominus Deus Sabaoth.	Lord God of Hosts;
Pleni sunt caeli et terra	Heaven and earth are full
maiestatis gloriae tuae.	of the majesty of Thy glory.
Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus,	Thee, the glorious choir of angels,
Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus,	Thee, the admirable company of the Prophets,
Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.	Thee, the white-robed army of martyrs
Te per orbem terrarum	Thee, throughout all the world,
sancta confitetur Ecclesia,	the Holy Church acknowledges,
Patrem immensae maiestatis:	The Father, of an infinite Majesty;
Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium;	worthy of worship, Thy true and only Son;
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.	and also the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Tu Rex gloriae, Christe.	Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ.
Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius.	Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem,	When Thou didst take upon Thee to deliver man,
non horruisti Virginis uterum.	Thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.
Tu, devicto mortis aculeo,	Thou, after defeating the sting of death,
aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum.	didst open the kingdom of the heaven to those who believe.
Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria Patris.	Thou sittest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father.
Iudex crederis esse venturus.	We believe that Thou shalt come to be our Judge.
Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni:	We pray Thee, therefore, help Thy servants,
quos pretioso sanguine redemisti.	whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood.
Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis in gloria numerari.	Make them to be numbered with Thy Saints in everlasting glory.
Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine,	save Thy people, O Lord,
et benedic hereditati tuae.	and bless Thine inheritance.
Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in aeternum.	Govern them, and lift them up for ever.
Per singulos dies benedicimus te;	Day by day we bless Thee
Et laudamus Nomen tuum in saeculum, et in saeculum saeculi.	and we praise Thy name for ages, and to the age of ages.
Dignare, Domine, die isto sine peccato nos custodire.	Deign, O Lord, this day to keep us without sin.
Miserere nostri Domine, miserere nostri.	Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.
Fiat misericordia tua, Domine,	Let Thy mercy be shown to us, O Lord,
super nos, quemadmodum speravimus in te.	as we have hoped in Thee.
In te, Domine, speravi:	In Thee, O Lord, I have hoped
Non confundar in aeternum.	let me not be confounded forever.

On occasions of solemn thanksgiving, the following prayers are added:

V. Benedictus es, Domine Deus patrum nostrorum.	Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers
R. Et laudabilis et gloriosus in saecula.	and worthy to be praised and glorified for ages.
V. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium cum Spiritu sancto.	Let us bless the Father and the Son, with the Holy Ghost.
R. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in secula.	Let us praise and exalt Him above all forever.
V. Benedictus es, Domine, in firmamento coeli.	Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
R. Et laudabilis et gloriosus et superexaltatus in secula.	And worthy of praise, and glorious, and exalted for ever.
V. Benedic, anima mea, Dominum.	Bless, O my soul, the Lord.
R. Et noli oblivisci omnes retributiones ejus.	And forget not all his benefits.
V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.	O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.	And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. Dominus vobiscum.	The Lord be with you.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo.	And with Thy spirit.
Oremus	Let us pray.
Deus, cujus misericordiae non est numerus, et bonitatis infinitus est thesaurus, piissimae Majestati tuae pro collatis donis gratias agimus, tuam semper clementiam exorantes: ut qui petentibus postulata concedis, eosdem non deserens, ad praemia futura disponas.	O God, Whose mercies are without number and Whose goodness is an infinite treasure: we render thanks to Thy most gracious Majesty for the gifts Thou hast bestowed upon us, always imploring Thy mercy, that as Thou grantest the prayers of those that ask Thee, Thou wilt never forsake them but will prepare them for the future reward.
Deus, qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritus illustratione docuisti: da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere et de ejus semper consolatione gaudere.	O God, who hast taught the hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Ghost, grant that by the gift of the same Spirit we may be truly wise, and ever rejoice in His consolation.
Deus, qui neminem in te sperantem nimium affligi permittis, sed pium precibus praestas auditum: pro postulationibus nostris votisque susceptis gratias agimus, te piissime deprecantes, ut a cunctis semper muniamur adversis. Per Dominum nostrum.	O God, Who allowest no one who puts his trust in Thee to be afflicted beyond his strength, but givest a gracious hearing to his prayer, we thank Thee for receiving our petitions, and beseech Thee, most holy, to ever protect us from the adversities of life. [This we ask] through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God through all the ages of ages.
R. Amen	Amen

Prayers for a "Theology of Liberation"

2011-11-06T21:29:00.004-06:00

I just ran across this progressive reworking of part of the Lord's prayer, by Canaan Sodindo Banana, a liberation theologian and former president of Zimbabwe:

...Teach us to demand our share of the gold,
And forgive us our docility...

(He also reworked the Creed).

Saint Song

2011-11-01T07:33:00.001-06:00

The Vision of Dabheoc

2011-10-26T01:06:00.017-06:00

The following story is from St. Patrick's Purgatory, by Shane Leslie, published in 1917, and discarded by my parish library a few years ago. Please pardon my conceit of bolding and coloring the lines that particularly struck me.

Saint Dabheoc's feast day is probably today or on the 28th; not much information is available online.

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Now, how Patrick, the love-friend of Jesus, came in his wanderings to Derg and remained for forty days and forty nights on the island is well remembered in Ireland, and how the loneliness of God came upon him, and how, for all his trial and sorrow, he saw visions beyond the dreams of men.

Fewer have remembrance of Dabheoc, the gilly of heaven, who came on Patrick's footsteps and stayed to pray till his own death. With Dabheoc came others of a like mind and served him in the rough house of stone he had built. By the beauty of their living and by the power of their penance they had the most of the people won away from the Druids. But the fight between them was a fierce and quenchless one while it raged, for the old hill sorcery was hard on the Saints to conquer. For a while the terrible Druids had been seen moving in the mountains near by and their rites were still offered amid the trembling thickets, but Dabheoc feared them little, and held his own. Do what they might, he laid altar against blood-stone, and chant against rune, and prayer against curse, till in the end the old Druids wandered away, and the last of them died alone upon the hills.

So was the first battle of the Faith won, and as years slipt by only Dabheoc was left of those warrior monks, for some had died by the wild elements and others by their hard penances, and others very fearfully in the fire of the Druids.

There was a long band of young men who made their way over the mountains to join the rule. Though they found it hard to the body, it seemed sweet enough to the soul. But their number increased, and no little strength and prosperity was added to them. The younger brethren built wicker huts of strong woven twigs, and laid out an apple-garden and a herb garden. Above all the work of their hands was the great chapel of timber wood. They had raised it, every beam, by their own labour, and they had filled it with the untiring song of their lips. Day by day, like the bee-folk in the heather, they followed out their chosen rule and kept their lives sweet with activity. Some had turned to the digging of soil, and planted seeds and herbs, till they had won to themselves the wisdom of plants and the healing of leaves.

Others betook them to writing on parchments and painting the Gospels with colours they had picked off the rocks. In those days the making of books was long and troublesome, even to the wearing away of men's lives. First, there were the designs to be pencilled by the best craftsman in the monastery. And then the others would sit day upon day over one smooth page spreading the little rivers of red and yellow through and round the lettering, little rivers that wound about the pages, with bright purple banks curling and folding in and out, yet never breaking over the line or letting a purple sod drop into the yellow stream.

It was on the initial of Christ that they lavished the whole wealth of their brushes. Round the Sacred Letter with an unbroken exactitude they twined the glorious broidery, line upon line, curve out of curve, wreath into wreath. They gathered into the one page the colours of the sky and the beauty of the earth, the burnished mail of dragons, and the slender shapes of the mountain grass. If men wonder to this day at the love and endurance that wrought such books to perfection, it is because, they do not understand the mind of writers who would have deemed their whole lives too short, and the very blue of heaven and the red of their own blood unworthy stuff to emblazon the Name of the Eternal.

Year in and year out they fashioned their Gospels and sent them hanging around the necks of missionaries into the broad world beyond. In aftertime these same books and their metal coverings were found as far apart as the plains of Italy and the white floes of Iceland. A strange and lovely witness to those same children of Patrick, who mingle their sleep in the vineyards of the south and in the ice-beds of the north. Summer and winter, it was always harvest time to them, and the while they laboured, their brethren in the monasteries of Ireland fashioned the wherewithal of their reaping.

It was over such as these that Dabheoc ruled till he reached his old age, great and honoured among all the houses of Ireland. Calm were his last years, but, although he told it not, there was a dark grief in the well of his heart. He was troubled because he was soon to go out of the world, and yet he had never seen any vision of the world that was to come. He had spent his life, as the other saints of Ireland, in holy combat with his own soul. Many had he trained to bear the brown robe and the heavy cord. Many had already reached heaven in the light of his counselling. Still the vision that he yearned was lacking to his eyes. Often he had felt in his heart the Holy Powers that move in the world and above the world, but never once had any passed into the sight of his eyes. Visions had come upon the other brethren. Some had seen the faithful sitting in great joy, and others had seen the souls in Purgatory wrestling to their perfection. Even among the youngest of them was one who had seen the angel folk standing on the white hills at sunrise. But Dabheoc stretched out his hand in vain to gather the dream-fruit that hangs from the wall of another world. It was not for him, though he had kept vigil in his high mountain seat that lies this day between Derg and Erne. No whisper came to the weary ears of the watcher of the lakes. No sign entranced his eyes. His prayers, his fasts, his vigils, all seemed to break upon the bar of heaven like lost birds in a storm.

Sometimes a sore weariness would come upon him, and even a smoulder of anger rise in his heart, but not for long, so well had the Saint learnt to trample his own passions into the dust, and so rule the brethren. Beati qui non viderunt he would often say, yet oftener would he wish that he was not so blessed.

There came a day when Dabheoc sat in his wattled cell watching the gardened slope that led down to the water edge. A well-mounded rampart ran round the close. Now and again a heavy-robed figure passed across. The hush of Vespertide had fallen, and the quiet as of many tasks done. Dabheoc turned his eyes sadly over the old book satchels that were hanging on the wall. How many hours of his were stored away in them to the use of other men? How much of his sight had been woven into those pages?

When his eyes turned back to the doorway, he saw a Pilgrim standing there. He, too, carried a brown robe, but it was thickened with the dust of white roads and His feet lay bruised between their sandals. His body seemed weak with journeying and in need of refreshment. In His eyes alone there was no weariness, they were deep and beautiful and blue as the skies of Italy.

"Enter, friend, enter; this is a house of rest," said the Saint, " is it very far that thou hast come?"

"A long and a weary way, Dabheoc, ruler of the Culdees," replied a voice of great sweetness.

"Is it peace that thou bearest with thee, stranger, for mine eyes are too dim to read the faces of men?"

"My peace have I brought these many years to all that would have it," the sweet voice began again. "I have brought my peace for thee, Dabheoc, for all the fret that is on thy heart."

"I see that thou canst read the mind of a man's heart. Art thou ruler of a religious order?"

"Yes, of the greatest of the orders, the Order of the Wayfarers."

"What is thy quest, dear stranger?"

"I have come to find my friends."

"Who are thy friends?"

"My friends are all the Saints of Ireland who are born and are yet to be born."

"I do not understand what thou wouldst say, but I see that thou art older than any here though thou hast come as a Pilgrim, perchance thou hast memory of our holy Father Patrick?"

"Before Patrick was, I am." The voice of the Pilgrim spoke like a bell far off.

Then the old Saint felt that it was no ordinary man his old eyes were striving to see. His whole soul struggled out to meet the Stranger standing at the doorway. A feeling of peace and yet delirious joy was upon him. He could only see the two eyes that they looked upon him with love. It seemed then as if his poor spirit were fluttering over those pools of calm unmoved Divinity. Then the wondrous vision past from his eyes and he was looking dimly to the blue waters beyond.

He rose and went down to the water side as fast as his old age would let him. As he crossed the mound he inquired of each brother he met if they had seen which way the Pilgrim had passed, but no one had seen ought on the island that day. Not once, but several times, the old man passed up the island with tears of joy brimming from his eyes. There was no footprint to be seen, but on a bare rock he saw a little wisp of thorn and the red drops falling into the dust beside.

That summer Dabheoc died at Derg, with the vision still in his dark sight, and he was buried under the thorn tree by the other brethren.

Beautiful was the stone cross they carved above him, Dabheoc, the Saint of Derg, who had seen the Holy Wayfarer in the twilight of his years.

Psalm 8

2011-10-09T03:37:00.001-06:00

¹ Unto the end, for the presses: a psalm of David.

² O Lord our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth! For thy magnificence is elevated above the heavens.

³ Out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings thou hast perfected praise, because of thy enemies, that thou mayst destroy the enemy and the avenger.

⁴ For I will behold thy heavens, the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars which thou hast founded.

⁵ What is man that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him?

⁶ Thou hast made him a little less than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honour:

⁷ And hast set him over the works of thy hands.

⁸ Thou hast subjected all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen: moreover the beasts also of the fields.

⁹ The birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea, that pass through the paths of the sea.

¹⁰ O Lord our Lord, how admirable is thy name in all the earth!

Show with Haydock Commentary or the Latin Vulgate Bible
Bible passage courtesy of VeritasBible.com

Prayer to St.Michael

2011-09-29T01:57:00.009-06:00

A recording of the Prayer to St.Michael, from Sonitus Sanctus.

Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in praelio. Contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur. Tuque princeps militiae caelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo divina virtute in infernum detrude. Amen.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows

2011-09-15T08:19:00.004-06:00

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our Life, our Sweetness, and our Hope.
To Thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To Thee do we send up our sighs mourning
and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious Advocate,
Thine Eyes of Mercy toward us,
and after this our exile show us the
Blessed Fruit of thy Womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us O Holy Mother of God
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Additional reading: 1, 2, 3

Father dies saving son

2011-09-08T10:12:00.011-06:00

Three years ago today, Thomas VanderWoude died saving his son's life. "He died as he lived. Anyone you talk with will say he was always there to help," said the director of the school where he coached basketball and soccer. May God raise him up in the last day.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

Cantate Domino

2011-08-28T02:26:00.009-06:00

Cantate domino, cantate,
Sing unto the Lord, sing.

cantate, cantate domino canticum novum,
Sing, sing unto the Lord a new song:

laus ejus in ecclesia sanctorum,
His praise in the church of the saints,

in ecclesia sanctorum.
in the church of the saints.

Laetetur Israel in eo,
Let Israel rejoice in Him;

laetetur, laetetur in eo,
rejoice, rejoice in Him

qui fecit eum,
Who made him.

et filii sion, et filii sion,
And the children of Zion, and the children of Zion,

exultent, exultent,
rejoice, rejoice --

exultent in rege suo,
are joyful in their King

exultent, exultent in rege suo.
rejoice, rejoice in their King.

(All four parts are available here).

Ave Maris Stella

2011-08-15T06:07:00.013-06:00

Ave, maris stella,		Hail, star of the sea,
Dei mater alma,		Nurturing Mother of God,
atque semper virgo,		And ever Virgin
felix cœli porta.		Happy gate of Heaven.

Sumens illud Ave		Receiving that "Ave"
Gabrielis ore,		From the mouth of Gabriel,
funda nos in pace,		Establish us in peace,
mutans Evæ nomen.		Transforming the name of "Eva" (Eve)

Solve vincla reis,		Loosen the chains of the guilty,
profer lumen cæcis,		Bring light to the blind,
mala nostra pelle,		Drive out our ills,
bona cuncta posce.		Entreat (for us) all good things.

Monstra te esse matrem,		Show thyself to be a Mother:
sumat per te precem		Through thee may He receive our prayers
qui pro nobis natus		Who, being born for us,
tulit esse tuus.		Undertook to be thine own.

Virgo singularis,		O singular Virgin,
inter omnes mitis,		More gentle than all,
nos culpis solutos		Free from guilt preserve us,
mites fac et castos.		Meek and chaste.

Vitam præsta puram,		Bestow a pure life,
iter para tutum,		Prepare a safe way:
ut videntes Jesum		That seeing Jesus,
semper collætemur.		We may ever rejoice.

Sit laus Deo Patri,		Praise be to God the Father,
summo Christo decus,		To the Most High Christ (be) glory,
Spiritui Sancto		To the Holy Spirit
tribus honor unus. Amen.		Honour, to the Three equally. Amen.

(Ave Maris Stella has been in use for over 1000 years and has long been chanted during Vespers on Marian feasts).

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Neither grave nor death had power over the Mother of God, who resteth not in her intercessions and is a hope that faileth not in her protection: for the Mother of Life hath been brought into Life by Him Who dwelt in her ever-virginal womb.

A Prayer for Healing

2011-07-18T09:11:00.010-06:00

O Sovereign Lord of every creature, look upon my friend R- with eyes of mercy. In Thy loving-kindness, rest Thy healing hand upon her and strengthen her. Blesséd Lord, please send Thy life-giving virtue into every cell of R's body and into the depths of her soul, cleansing, purifying and restoring her to wholeness and strength for service in Thy Kingdom. We ask this with faith and hope in Thy holy Name, O Lord, Who reign with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God in every age. Amen.

Holy angels, pray for her!

Today's Communion verse:

I was sick and you visited Me: Amen, amen I say to you as long as you did it to one of these My least brethren you did it to Me.

Matthew 25:36,40

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

2011-07-16T09:01:00.004-06:00

A Glimpse at Calvary through the Mass

2011-07-13T10:52:00.008-06:00

How can an all-powerful, all-loving God allow innocent suffering? "Reverend Know-it-all" answers this perennial question here. His comments are worth reading in their entirety, and thinking about. They include an account of what I am sure is one of the pivotal moments of his life:

When I was much younger I had been assigned to a very poor parish. The windows were in very bad repair. Summer and winter the wind whistled through the cracks. We might just as well have held services outside.

One summer morning I was saying Mass and the fruit flies were hovering around the chalice. In my mind I said to the Lord, “I believe that this is no longer bread and wine, but has become Your body and blood, but couldn’t You convince the fruit flies of this great miracle for just a moment?”

A little long-suffering (and, I hope, affectionate) complaint from a priest to his Master, I suppose. Certainly, he was not expecting any sort of a reply. To his lasting surprise and edification, however, the young priest received an answer anyway.

Prayer for Two Weak Men

2011-07-06T13:38:00.005-06:00

Most pure Spirit of the Father and of the Son, Holy Paraclete, save us, O merciful God, from malice towards others, from envy, from avarice, from self-serving compromises with evil. Grant us the grace, O Lord, to live always in Thy light. Make us true sons of the Father, shunning deceitful ways and all the works of the devil.

We ask this in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who reigns with Thee in the glory of the Father, one God, forever and always. Amen.

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And he said to them: Take heed and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life doth not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth.

And he spoke a similitude to them, saying: The land of a certain rich man brought forth plenty of fruits. And he thought within himself, saying: What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said: This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and will build greater; and into them will I gather all things that are grown to me, and my goods. And I will say to my soul: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thy rest; eat, drink, make good cheer. But God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?

Luke 12:15-20

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You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou Fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee; Leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother: and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift. Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him: lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Matthew 5:21-25

Sacred Heart of Jesus

2011-07-01T10:05:00.003-06:00

A Novena to the Sacred Heart of our Lord and Savior (Day Nine)

Cor ad cor loquitur

Today is the last day of our novena. It is the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart represents the essential truth of our Lord, that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). It represents His inner life, especially the perfect love of our Lord within the Blessed Trinity, and also the abundant, unceasing love, both Divine and human, which He directs towards you and towards all men. (If you are interested, you can read Pope Pius XII's comments on devotion to the Sacred Heart here).

Jesus, in the purity and simplicity of His love, desires to raise you up and make you more than you are now. To make you holy, to make you joyful, to make you wise, to make you strong, to fill you to overflowing with the Divine life. He is filled with goodwill towards you and towards all persons, but it is all too easy to be distracted from this fact.

So for one more time, please set aside all distractions great and small, and in the quiet of your heart speak to His heart:

O most holy Heart of Jesus,
fountain of every blessing,
I adore Thee, I love Thee
and with a lively sorrow for my sins,
I offer Thee this poor heart of mine.
Make me humble, patient, pure
and wholly obedient to Thy will.
Grant, good Jesus,
that I may live in Thee and for Thee.
Protect me in the midst of danger;
comfort me in my afflictions;
give me health of body,
assistance in my temporal needs,
Thy blessing on all that I do,
and the grace of a holy death.
Within Thy Heart I place my every care.
In every need let me come to Thee
with humble trust saying,
Heart of Jesus help me.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

2011-06-30T00:17:00.014-06:00

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque is "the Apostle of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus". Although other saints, and theologians, and popes were devoted to the Sacred Heart of our Lord, none were more zealous in promoting devotion to Him in this manner charity than she.

From her writings, a list of 12 promises from our Lord to those devoted to His Most Sacred Heart was compiled and published widely for several decades before becoming somewhat forgotten in recent times.

To souls devoted to His Sacred Heart our Lord promises:

1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge in life and especially in death.
5. I will abundantly bless all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise speedily to great perfection.
9. I will bless those places wherein the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.
10. I will give to priests the power to touch the most hardened hearts.
11. Persons who propagate this devotion shall have their names eternally written in my Heart.
12. In the excess of the mercy of my Heart, I promise you that my all powerful love will grant to all those who will receive Communion on the First Fridays, for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance: they will not die in my displeasure, nor without receiving the sacraments; and my Heart will be their secure refuge in that last hour.

Now these promises and others like them are labelled by some as superstitious attempts to control God. It is said that they promise easy grace, but I'm not sure that it is all that easy, or all that controlling. To really and truly conform your Heart to His heart, and to form the habit of abiding with devotion in His love, that is a difficult thing, a life-changing thing. Or so I would imagine, I'm not there yet.

That our Lord will bless and sanctify those who follow him faithfully is not a new message. Our God blesses his friends in this world and the next.

A Novena to the Sacred Heart of our Lord and Savior (Day Eight)

Cor ad cor loquitur

Turn then with trust to your Lord and Savior. Put away distractions and make room in your heart for Him. Try to set your heart in order, before welcoming Him in as an honored guest. He waits, and says to you:

Behold, I stand at the gate, and knock. If any man shall hear my voice, and open to me the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

To him that shall overcome, I will give to sit with me in my throne: as I also have overcome, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

With a peaceful and hopeful heart, speak to Him Who most truly wants good things for you, and who listens gently, patiently, kindly to everything you have to say:

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Saint Margaret Mary's feast is celebrated on 17 October. For anyone who has not faithfully followed this novena, but wants to start, I'd like to draw your attention to the 12th promise of Christ listed above. Tomorrow is a first Friday of a month, and a fine day to begin or end a novena.

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The house of my soul is too narrow for thee to come in to me; let it be enlarged by thee. It is in ruins; do thou restore it. There is much about it which must offend thy eyes; I confess and know it. But who will cleanse it? Or, to whom shall I cry but to thee? "Cleanse thou me from my secret faults," O Lord, "and keep back thy servant from strange sins."
-- St. Augustine (354-430AD), Confessions, Chapter 5

Sts. Peter and Paul

2011-06-29T09:04:00.007-06:00

O glorious Saint Peter, who, in return for thy lively and generous faith, thy profound and sincere humility, and thy burning love, wast honored by Jesus Christ with singular privileges, and in particular, with the leadership of the other Apostles and the primacy of the whole Church, of which thou wast made the foundation stone, do thou obtain for us the grace of a lively faith, that shall not fear to profess itself openly, in its entirety and in all of its manifestations, even to the shedding of blood, if occasion should demand it, and to the sacrifice of life itself in preference to surrender. Obtain for us likewise, a sincere loyalty to our holy mother, the Church; grant that we may ever remain most closely and sincerely united to the Roman Pontiff, who is the heir of thy faith and of thy authority, the one, true, visible Head of the Catholic Church, that mystic ark outside which there is no salvation. Grant, moreover, that we may follow, in all humility and meekness, her teaching and her counsels, and may be obedient to all her precepts, in order to be able here on earth to enjoy a peace that is sure and undisturbed, and to attain one day in heaven to everlasting happiness. Amen.

O glorious Saint Paul, who, from being a persecutor of the Christian name, didst become its most zealous Apostle, and who, to carry the knowledge of Jesus, our divine Savior, to the uttermost parts of the earth, didst joyfully suffer prison, scourgings, stonings, shipwreck and all manner of persecutions, and who didst finish thy course by shedding the last drop of thy blood: obtain for us the grace to accept, as favors bestowed by the mercy of God, the infirmities, sufferings and misfortunes of this life, that we may not grow slack in our service of God by reason of these vicissitudes of our exile, but that we may rather show ourselves ever more devoted. Amen.

A Novena to the Sacred Heart of our Lord and Savior (Day Seven)

Cor ad cor loquitur

Our Lord said He would not leave us orphans. For generations upon generations, through the power of the Holy Ghost, God's love has shown through in varied ways in the lives of His saints. We honor two particularly today, Saints Peter and Paul, who were each instrumental in bringing God's Word to the world.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God's love encompasses the world, and He wills that all things be reconciled to Himself. (Colossians 1:20).

It is not just the world at large that He loves, but each of us as individuals that he knows and loves. The very hairs of your head are all numbered (Luke 12:7). God knows you and He loves you.

You are in His presence. You are always in His presence. Take a moment or two to take this thought in. Set aside your cares and all distractions to make room for it, to make room for Him. Be aware that God is present, that He hears you, that He is listening with loving-kindness and will not forget you, then speak to Him from your heart:

"Teach Us to Pray"

2011-06-28T05:49:00.016-06:00

It came to pass, that as he was in a certain place praying, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him: Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

And he said to them: When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.

And he said to them: Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and shall say to him: Friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine is come off his journey to me, and I have not what to set before him. And he from within should answer, and say: Trouble me not, the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

Yet if he shall continue knocking, I say to you, although he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend; yet, because of his importunity, he will rise, and give him as many as he needeth. And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

And which of you, if he ask his father bread, will he give him a stone? or a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he reach him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them that ask him?

Luke 11:1-13 (Douay Rheims)
Show with Haydock Commentary or the Latin Vulgate Bible
Bible passage courtesy of VeritasBible.com

A Novena to the Sacred Heart of our Lord and Savior (Day Six)

Cor ad cor loquitur

Saint Paul tells us that we can pray with all kinds of prayers and requests. (Ephesians 6:18) And our dear Lord tells us to keep praying to our Father in heaven, who loves His children.

Take a few moments to enter into yourself, to calm your heart, to set aside your sorrows and preoccupations as well as you can, and then to speak to God simply and sincerely from where you are:

Society of the Sacred Heart

2011-06-27T10:25:00.012-06:00

The Society of the Sacred Heart is a lay association within the spiritual family of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. Through membership in the Society of the Sacred Heart, lay faithful can participate in the spirituality of the Institute directed to expand the kingship of Our Blessed Lord in all realms of the Church and society under the patronage of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.

(Click here for more information).

A Novena to the Sacred Heart of our Lord and Savior (Day Five)

Cor ad cor loquitur

Pause and set aside your sorrows and preoccupations as well as you can for the moment. Remember that "unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it," but "with God all things are possible." Speak from your heart to your Creator:

(Our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us).

Sunday Within the Octave of Corpus Christi

2011-06-26T01:31:00.009-06:00

Make us, O Lord, to have both a perpetual fear and a love of Thy holy Name: for Thou dost never deprive of Thy guidance those whom Thou dost establish steadfastly in Thy love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, through all the ages of ages. Amen.

A Novena to the Sacred Heart of our Lord and Savior (Day Four)

Cor ad cor loquitur

Pause, set aside your sorrows and preoccupations as well as you can for the moment, still your heart, recall that God is sovereign even over this unsettled and rebellious earth, then speak from your heart to your Creator:

William of Mt. Virgine

2011-06-25T02:08:00.013-06:00

O God, Who to smooth the way of salvation for our weakness hast given Thy Saints to be our example and protection: grant that we may so venerate the merits of thy blessed Abbot William, that we may obtain his prayers and follow in his footsteps. Through Christ our Lord.

A Novena to the Sacred Heart of our Lord and Savior (Day Three)

Cor ad cor loquitur

Take a few moments again to settle your heart. Set aside your sorrows and preoccupations as well as you can while you pray. Recall that despite the unsteadiness of our service to God, He does not waver in His love for us. He has made us to live likewise in generous and constant loving-kindness. Speak from your heart to your Creator:

He must increase

2011-06-24T07:37:00.005-06:00

O Jesus meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved, ...
From the desire of being extolled, ...
From the desire of being honored, ...
From the desire of being praised, ...
From the desire of being preferred to others, ...
From the desire of being consulted, ...
From the desire of being approved, ...

From the fear of being humiliated,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being despised, ...
From the fear of suffering rebukes, ...
From the fear of being calumniated, ...
From the fear of being forgotten, ...
From the fear of being ridiculed, ...
From the fear of being wronged, ...
From the fear of being suspected, ...

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I, ...
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase, and I may decrease, ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside, ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed, ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything, ...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should, ...
Amen.

[Litany of Humility by Cardinal Merry del Val + 1930]

A Novena to the Sacred Heart of our Lord and Savior (Day Two)

Cor ad cor loquitur

Set aside today's excitements and anxieties, and with a calmer heart recall that God so loves you that He willingly lays down His life for you, then speak from your heart to your Creator:

Corpus Christi

2011-06-23T07:20:00.012-06:00

Jesus, living Bread that came down from heaven, have mercy on us.

Today is the Feast of Corpus Christi, instituted by the Catholic Church to solemnly commemorate the institution of the Holy Eucharist.

"I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the Bread of God, which is the Flesh of Jesus Christ, Who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire His blood, which is love incorruptible.

"Come together in common, one and all without exception in charity, in one faith and in one Jesus Christ, who is of the race of David according to the flesh, the son of man, and the Son of God, so that with undivided mind you may obey the bishop and the priests, and break one Bread which is the medicine of immortality and the antidote against death, enabling us to live forever in Jesus Christ."

- Saint Ignatius of Antioch (+ AD 110)

The Feast of the Sacred Heart is on the ninth day starting from today. Let us pray to him with trust and humility.

A Novena to the Sacred Heart of our Lord and Savior (Day One)

Cor ad cor loquitur

Pause, set aside your sorrows and preoccupations as well as you can for the moment, still your heart, recall that God, from the abundance of His love, offers you the medicine of immortality for the healing of your soul. Then speak from your heart to your Creator:

Trinity Sunday

2011-06-19T03:00:00.008-06:00

All those Catholic expounders of the divine Scriptures, both Old and New, whom I have been able to read, who have written before me concerning the Trinity, Who is God, have purposed to teach, according to the Scriptures, this doctrine, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit intimate a divine unity of one and the same substance in an indivisible equality; and therefore that they are not three Gods, but one God: although the Father has begotten the Son, and so He who is the Father is not the Son; and the Son is begotten by the Father, and so He who is the Son is not the Father; and the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son, but only the Spirit of the Father and of the Son, Himself also co-equal with the Father and the Son, and pertaining to the unity of the Trinity. Yet not that this Trinity was born of the Virgin Mary, and crucified under Pontius Pilate, and buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven, but only the Son. Nor, again, that this Trinity descended in the form of a dove upon Jesus when He was baptized; nor that, on the day of Pentecost, after the ascension of the Lord, when there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, the same Trinity sat upon each of them with cloven tongues like as of fire, but only the Holy Spirit. Nor yet that this Trinity said from heaven, You are my Son, whether when He was baptized by John, or when the three disciples were with Him in the mount, or when the voice sounded, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again; but that it was a word of the Father only, spoken to the Son; although the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as they are indivisible, so work indivisibly. This is also my faith, since it is the Catholic faith.

- Saint Augustine (On the Trinity, Book I, Chapter 4)

Pentecost

2011-06-12T05:53:00.022-06:00

When the Lord told his disciples to go and teach all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, he conferred on them the power of giving men new life in God.

He had promised through the prophets that in these last days he would pour out his Spirit on his servants and handmaids, and that they would prophesy. So when the Son of God became the Son of Man, the Spirit also descended upon him, becoming accustomed in this way to dwelling with the human race, to living in men and to inhabiting God’s creation. The Spirit accomplished the Father’s will in men who had grown old in sin, and gave them new life in Christ.

Luke says that the Spirit came down on the disciples at Pentecost, after the Lord’s ascension, with power to open the gates of life to all nations and to make known to them the new covenant. So it was that men of every language joined in singing one song of praise to God, and scattered tribes, restored to unity by the Spirit, were offered to the Father as the first-fruits of all the nations.

This was why the Lord had promised to send the Advocate: he was to prepare us as an offering to God. Like dry flour, which cannot become one lump of dough, one loaf of broad, without moisture, we who are many could not become one in Christ Jesus without the water that comes down from heaven. And like parched ground, which yields no harvest unless it receives moisture, we who were once like a waterless tree could never have lived and borne fruit without this abundant rainfall from above. Through the baptism that liberates us from change and decay we have become one in body; through the Spirit we have become one in soul.

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of God came down upon the Lord, and the Lord in turn gave this Spirit to his Church, sending the Advocate from heaven into all the world into which, according to his own words, the devil too had been cast down like lightning.

If we are not to be scorched and made unfruitful, we need the dew of God. Since we have our accuser, we need an advocate as well. And so the Lord in his pity for man, who had fallen into the hands of brigands, having himself bound up his wounds and left for his care two coins bearing the royal image, entrusted him to the Holy Spirit. Now, through the Spirit, the image and inscription of the Father and the Son have been given to us, and it is our duty to use the coin committed to our charge and make it yield a rich profit for the Lord.

- St. Irenaeus of Lyons (from Against Heresies)

My God,
Infinite Ocean of Tenderness,
Whose torrents are held back by human malice,
free Your divine desire and permeate
all the souls whom You love.
- Fr. "Jean Petit"

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Nine

2011-06-11T00:08:00.015-06:00

Da tuis fidelibus,
in te confidentibus,
sacrum septenarium.
Da virtutis meritum,
da salutis exitum,
da perenne gaudium.
Amen, Alleluia.

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

+++

We should pray and invoke the Holy Spirit for each one of us, for each one of us greatly needs His protection and help. The more a man is deficient in wisdom, weak in strength, borne down in trouble, prone to sin, the more he should fly to Him Who is the never ceasing fount of Light, Strength, Consolation, and Holiness.

Pope Leo XIII

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Eight

2011-06-10T00:31:00.015-06:00

Flecte quod est rigidum,
fove quod est frigidum,
rege quod est devium.

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 Seven

2011-06-09T00:01:00.011-06:00

Lava quod est sordidum,
riga quod est aridum,
sana quod est saucium.

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 Six

2011-06-08T01:32:00.011-06:00

Sine tuo numine,
nihil est in homine,
nihil est innoxium.

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 Five

2011-06-07T00:10:00.007-06:00

O lux beatissima,
reple cordis intima
tuorum fidelium.

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 Four

2011-06-06T01:17:00.007-06:00

In labore requies,
in aestu temperies,
in fletu solatium.

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 Three

2011-06-05T00:20:00.007-06:00

Consolator optime,
dulcis hospes animae,
dulce refrigerium.

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

+++

O almighty and everlasting God, make us bear towards Thee always a devoted will, and serve Thy majesty with a sincere heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost through all the ages of ages. Amen.

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Two

2011-06-04T01:14:00.006-06:00

Veni, pater pauperum,
Veni, dator munerum;
Veni, lumen cordium

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

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day One

2011-06-03T04:50:00.012-06:00

Veni, sancte Spiritus
Et emitte coelitus
Lucis tuae radium.

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]

Dear Christian, before you read the prayers that follow, please pause and recollect to Whom you should address these prayers. It is useless to merely read these prayers to yourself, they must be prayed to be of value, they must be spoken from your heart to your Creator, Who knows you, Who hears you, Who in love offers you life and the freedom to choose between light and darkness. What choice will He see you make?

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... (7 times)

Act of Consecration

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost

Ascension Thursday

2011-06-02T01:03:00.000-06:00

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God: that we, who believe Thine only-begotten Son, our Redeemer, to have ascended on this day into heaven, may also ourselves dwell in mind amid heavenly things. Through the same Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, forever and always. Amen.

Rogation Days

2011-05-30T00:01:00.003-06:00

These next three days leading up to Ascension Thursday are the minor Rogation Days, introduced by St. Mamertus, bishop of Vienne, in the fifth century, to petition God for protection for natural disaster.

We could use some protection here in the United States, where we are in the deadliest season for tornadoes in over 50 years (520 killed, compared to 519 in 1953). At Mass today, our priest told us that at another parish staffed by his order, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, two very young children were killed this week and their pregnant mother hospitalized when their house was destroyed.

Please pray for them. If you would like to send a kind note or a donation to the family here is their parish information:

The Hamil Family
c/o St. Damien of Molokai Catholic Church
Fr. Casavantes, FSSP
8455 NW 234th Street
Edmond, OK 73025
http://www.stdamiens.org/contactus.html

R.: Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.
V.: May they rest in peace.
Amen.

God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us

O God, whose property is always to have pity and to spare, receive our humble petition: that we, and all Thy servants who are bound by the chains of sin, may by the compassion of Thy goodness mercifully be absolved.

Graciously hear, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the prayers of Thy suppliants, and pardon the sins of them that confess to Thee: that, in Thy bounty, Thou mayest grant us both pardon and peace.

Mass of Rogation
Catholic Encyclopedia
Fisheaters

In Thy clemency, O Lord, show unto us Thine unspeakable mercy: that Thou mayest both loose us from all our sins, and deliver us from the punishments which we deserve for them.

O God, who by sin art offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy people making supplication to Thee, and turn away the scourges of Thine anger, which we deserve for our sins.

Almighty, everlasting God, who hast dominion over the living and the dead, and art merciful to all, of whom Thou foreknowest that they will be Thine by faith and good works: we humbly beseech Thee, that they for whom we intend to pour forth our prayers, whether this present world still detain them in the flesh, or the world to come hath already received them out of their bodies, may, through the intercession of all Thy Saints, by the clemency of Thy goodness, obtain the remission of all their sins. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Bad Pope, but a Saint of God

2011-05-19T07:14:00.015-06:00

Peter di Morone was a hermit, who craved solitude, but when like-minded souls gathered around him, and persistently asked for his guidance, he eventually became head of a community of hermits living in a monastery. He remained committed to a life of prayer and penance, and his sanctity became well-known, so that when the Church had been without a pope for two years, and he reminded the cardinals of their duty, they unanimously selected him. He declined and tried to flee, was caught, and yielded, becoming Pope Celestine V. The new pope was not the sort to insist on his own will over others' desires, a virtue which became a problem when his pontificate proved to be one of shifting, muddled decisions. He lacked the knowledge he needed for the decisions he was called on to make, was vulnerable to the manipulation of others, and soon made a mess of things. After a reign of five short months, he became the only pope to resign because he thought he was not up to the job (a very few resigned for other reasons).

The great Italian poet Dante Alighieri thought Celestine V doomed to hell, because he neglected his sacred duties (Inferno iii, 58-61), but in this he was mistaken, for one thing alone is necessary (Luke 10:42), and although he did not fulfill his duties as pope, Saint Celestine had that one thing: union with God.

http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/celestin.htm

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03479b.htm

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2011/05/may-19-what-pope-with-lousy-pontificate.html

Sancte Petre Celestine, ora pro nobis

Good Shepherd Sunday

2011-05-08T07:04:00.003-06:00

At that time Jesus said to the Pharisees: I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd giveth his life for his sheep. But the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and flieth: and the wolf catcheth and scattereth the sheep: and the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling, and he hath no care for the sheep. I am the good Shepherd: and I know Mine, and Mine know Me, as the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father: and I lay down My life for My sheep. And other sheep I have that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.

John 10:11-16

First Holy Communion

2011-05-07T14:04:00.010-06:00

An Irish prayer for you, godson,
on this your First Holy Communion Day:

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

Keegan, may your good angel
guard you and guide you,
May all your communions be holy and life-giving,
May Christ live in you
and you in Him,
so that your days may be blessed
in this world and the next.

Be Not Faithless, but Believing, Alleluia

2011-05-01T07:04:00.006-06:00

From The Liturgical Year, by Dom Prosper Guéranger of happy memory, abbot of Solesmes Abbey:

Our neophytes closed the Octave of the Resurrection yesterday. They were before us in receiving the admirable mystery; their solemnity would finish earlier than ours. This, then, is the eighth day for us who kept the Pasch on the Sunday, and did not anticipate it on the vigil. It reminds us of all the glory and joy of that feast of feasts, which united the whole of Christendom in one common feeling of triumph. It is the day of light, which takes the place of the Jewish Sabbath. Henceforth, the first day of the week is to be kept holy. Twice has the Son of God honored it with the manifestation of His almighty power. The Pasch, therefore, is always to be celebrated on the Sunday; and thus every Sunday becomes a sort of Paschal feast, as we have already explained in the Mystery of Easter.

Our risen Jesus gave an additional proof that He wished the Sunday to be, henceforth, the privileged day. He reserved the second visit He intended to pay to all His disciples for this the eighth day since His Resurrection. During the previous days, He has left Thomas a prey to doubt; but today He shows himself to this Apostle, as well as to the others, and obliges him, by irresistible evidence, to lay aside his incredulity. Thus does our Savior again honor the Sunday. The Holy Ghost will come down from Heaven upon this same day of the week, making it the commencement of the Christian Church: Pentecost will complete the glory of this favored day.

Jesus' apparition to the eleven, and the victory He gains over the incredulous Thomas-----these are the special subjects the Church brings before us today.

By this apparition, which is the seventh since His Resurrection, our Savior wins the perfect faith of His disciples. It is impossible not to recognize God in the patience, the majesty, and the charity of Him who shows Himself to them. Here, again, our human thoughts are disconcerted; we should have thought this delay excessive; it would have seemed to us that our Lord ought to have at once either removed the sinful doubt from Thomas's mind, or punished him for his disbelief. But no: Jesus is infinite wisdom, and infinite goodness. In His wisdom, He makes this tardy acknowledgment of Thomas become a new argument of the truth of the Resurrection; in His goodness, He brings the heart of the incredulous disciple to repentance, humility, and love; yea, to a fervent and solemn retraction of all his disbelief. We will not here attempt to describe this admirable scene, which holy Church is about to bring before us. We will select, for our today's instruction, the important lesson given by Jesus to His disciple, and through him to us all. It is the leading instruction of the Sunday, the Octave of the Pasch, and it behooves us not to pass it by, for, more than any other, it tells us the leading characteristic of a Christian, shows us the cause of our being so listless in God's service, and points out to us the remedy for our spiritual ailments.

Jesus says to Thomas: 'Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed!' Such is the great truth, spoken by the lips of the God-Man: it is a most important counsel, given, not only to Thomas, but to all who would serve God and secure their salvation. What is it that Jesus asks of His disciple? Has he not heard him make profession that now, at last, he firmly believes? After all, was there any great fault in Thomas's insisting on having experimental evidence before believing in so extraordinary a miracle as the Resurrection? Was he obliged to trust to the testimony of Peter and the others, under penalty of offending his Divine Master?

Did he not evince his prudence, by withholding his assent until he had additional proofs of the truth of what his brethren told him? Yes, Thomas was a circumspect and prudent man, and one that was slow to believe what he had heard; he was worthy to be taken as a model by those Christians who reason and sit in judgment upon matters of faith. And yet, listen to the reproach made him by Jesus. It is merciful, and withal so severe! Jesus has so far condescended to the weakness of his disciple as to accept the condition on which alone he declares that he will believe: now that the disciple stands trembling before his risen Lord, and exclaims, in the earnestness of faith, 'My Lord and my God!' oh! see how Jesus chides him! This stubbornness, this incredulity, deserves a punishment: the punishment is, to have these words said to him:

'Thomas! thou hast believed, because thou hast seen!'

Then was Thomas obliged to believe before having seen? Yes, undoubtedly. Not only Thomas, but all the Apostles were in duty bound to believe the Resurrection of Jesus even before He showed Himself to them. Had they not lived three years with Him? Had they not seen Him prove Himself to be the Messias and the Son of God by the most undeniable miracles? Had He not foretold them that He would rise again on the third day? As to the humiliations and cruelties of His Passion, had He not told them, a short time previous to it, that He was to be seized by the Jews in Jerusalem, and be delivered to the Gentiles? that He was to be scourged, spit upon, and put to death?

After all this, they ought to have believed in His triumphant Resurrection, the very first moment they heard of His Body having disappeared. As soon as John had entered the sepulcher, and seen the winding-sheet, he at once ceased to doubt; he believed. But it is seldom that man is so honest as this; he hesitates, and God must make still further advances, if He would have us give our faith! Jesus condescended even to this: He made further advances. He showed Himself to Magdalen and her companions, who were not incredulous, but only carried away by natural feeling, though the feeling was one of love for their Master.

When the Apostles heard their account of what had happened, they treated them as women whose imagination had got the better of their judgment. Jesus had to come in person: He showed Himself to these obstinate men, whose pride made them forget all that He had said and done, sufficient indeed to make them believe in His Resurrection. Yes, it was pride; for faith has no other obstacle than this. If man were humble, he would have faith enough to move mountains.

To return to our Apostle. Thomas had heard Magdalen, and he despised her testimony; he had heard Peter, and he objected to his authority; he had heard the rest of his fellow-Apostles and the two disciples of Emmaus, and no, he would not give up his own opinion. How many there are among us who are like him in this! We never think of doubting what is told us by a truthful and disinterested witness, unless the subject touch upon the supernatural; and then we have a hundred difficulties. It is one of the sad consequences left in us by Original Sin.

Like Thomas, we would see the thing ourselves: and that alone is enough to keep us from the fullness of the truth. We comfort ourselves with the reflection that, after all, we are disciples of Christ; as did Thomas, who kept in union with his brother-Apostles, only he shared not their happiness. He saw their happiness, but he considered it to be a weakness of mind, and was glad that he was free from it!

How like this is to our modern rationalistic Catholic! He believes, but it is because his reason almost forces him to believe; he believes with his mind, rather than from his heart. His faith is a scientific deduction, and not a generous longing after God and supernatural truth. Hence how cold and powerless is this faith! how cramped and ashamed! how afraid of believing too much! Unlike the generous unstinted faith of the Saints, it is satisfied with fragments of truth, with what the Scripture terms diminished truths. It seems ashamed of itself.

It speaks in a whisper, lest it should be criticized; and when it does venture to make itself heard, it adopts a phraseology which may take off the sound of the Divine. As to those miracles which it wishes had never taken place, and which it would have advised God not to work, they are a forbidden subject. The very mention of a miracle, particularly if it have happened in our own times, puts it into a state of nervousness. The lives of the Saints, their heroic virtues, their sublime sacrifices-----it has a repugnance to the whole thing! It talks gravely about those who are not of the true religion being unjustly dealt with by the Church in Catholic countries; it asserts that the same liberty ought to be granted to error as to truth; it has very serious doubts whether the world has been a great loser by the secularization of society.

Now it was for the instruction of persons of this class that our Lord spoke those words to Thomas:

'Blessed are they who have not seen, and have believed.'

Thomas sinned in not having the readiness of mind to believe. Like him, we also are in danger of sinning, unless our faith have a certain expansiveness, which makes us see everything with the eye of faith, and gives our faith that progress which God recompenses with a superabundance of light and joy.

Yes, having once become members of the Church, it is our duty to look upon all things from a supernatural point of view. There is no danger of going too far, for we have the teachings of an infallible authority to guide us. 'The just man liveth by faith.' Faith is his daily bread. His mere natural life becomes transformed for good and all, if only he be faithful to his Baptism. Could we suppose that the Church, after all her instructions to her neophytes, and after all those sacred rites of their Baptism which are so expressive of the supernatural life, would be satisfied to see them straightway adopt that dangerous system which drives faith into a nook of the heart and understanding and conduct, leaving all the rest to natural principles or instinct? No, it could not be so.

Let us therefore imitate St. Thomas in his confession, and acknowledge that hitherto our faith has not been perfect. Let us go to our Jesus, and say to Him: 'Thou art my Lord and my God! But alas! I have many times thought and acted as though thou wert my Lord and my God in some things, and not in others. Henceforth I will believe without seeing; for I would be of the number of those whom Thou callest blessed!'

This Sunday, commonly called with us Low Sunday, has two names assigned to it in the Liturgy: Quasimodo, from the first word of the Introit; and Sunday in albis [or, more explicitly, in albis depositis], because on this day the neophytes assisted at the Church services attired in their ordinary dress. In the Middle Ages it was called Close-Pasch, no doubt in allusion to its being the last day of the Easter Octave. Such is the solemnity of this Sunday that not only is it of Greater Double rite, but no feast, however great, can ever be kept upon it.

At Rome, the Station is in the basilica of St. Pancras, on the Aurelian Way. Ancient writers have not mentioned the reason of this Church being chosen for today's assembly of the faithful. It may, perhaps, have been on account of the saint's being only fourteen years old, when put to death: a circumstance which gave the young Martyr a sort of right to have the neophytes round him, now that they were returning to their everyday life.

Today's Mass
The Introit repeats those beautiful words of St Peter, which were addressed, in yesterday's Epistle, to the newly baptized. They are like new-born babes, lovely in their sweet simplicity, and eager to drink from the breasts of their dear mother, the Church, the spiritual milk of faith -- that faith which will make them strong and loyal.

The Apostle St John here tells us the merit and power of faith: it is, says he, a victory, which conquers the world, both the world outside, and the world within us. It is not difficult to understand why this passage from St John's Epistles should have been selected for today's Liturgy: it is on account of its being so much in keeping with the Gospel appointed for this Sunday, in which our Lord passes such eulogy upon faith.

If, as the Apostle here assures us, they overcome the world who believe in Christ, that is not sterling faith which allows itself to be intimidated by the world. Let us be proud of our faith, esteeming ourselves happy that we are but little children when there is a question of receiving a divine truth; and let us not be ashamed of our eager readiness to admit the testimony of God. This testimony will make itself heard in our hearts, in proportion to our willingness to hear it. The moment John saw the winding-bands which had shrouded the Body of his Master, he made an act of faith; Thomas, who had stronger testimony than John (for he had the word of the Apostles, assuring him that they had seen their risen Lord), refused to believe: he had not overcome the world and its reasonings, because he had not faith.

The two Alleluia-Versicles are formed of two texts alluding to the Resurrection. The second speaks of the scene which took place on this day, in the cenacle.

We have said enough about St Thomas' incredulity; let us now admire his faith. His fault has taught us to examine and condemn our own want of faith; let us learn from his repentance how to become true believers. Our Lord, who had chosen him as one of the pillars of his Church, has been obliged to treat him with an exceptional familiarity: Thomas avails himself of Jesus' permission, puts his finger into the sacred wound, and immediately he sees the sinfulness of his past incredulity.

He would make atonement, by a solemn act of faith, for the sin he has committed in priding himself on being wise and discreet: he cries out, and with all the fervour of faith: My Lord and my God!

Observe, he not only says that Jesus is his Lord, his Master, the same who chose him as one of his disciples: this would not have been faith, for there is no faith where we can see and touch. Had Thomas believed what his brother-Apostles had told him, he would have had faith in the Resurrection; but now he sees, he has experimental knowledge of the great fact; and yet, as our Lord says of him, he has faith. In what? In this, that his Master is God. He sees but the humanity of Jesus, and he at once confesses him to be God. From what is visible, his soul, now generous and repentant, rises to the invisible: `Thou art my God!'

Now, O Thomas! thou art full of faith! The Church proposes thee to us, on thy feast, as an example of faith. The confession thou didst make on this day is worthy to be compared with that which Peter made, when he said: `Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God!'

By this profession, which neither flesh nor blood had revealed to him, Peter merited to be made the rock whereon Christ built his Church: thine did more than compensate thy former disbelief; it gave thee, for the time, a superiority over the rest of the Apostles, who, so far at least, were more taken up with the visible glory, than with the invisible divinity, of their risen Lord.

Only the Priest Could Distribute Holy Communion

2011-04-25T09:01:00.006-06:00

Here's a Catholic Answers post I just tried to reply to:

Re: Communion in the hand

Quote:

Originally Posted by ANNE 2

Br. JR, OSF have you seen what is posted on the Vatican web site.
It is closer to Voris's statements than yours.

Further the Holy Father only gives Holy Communion on the Tongue and while kneeling, since 2008 per the Vatican web site.

Yes, indeed St. Thomas Aquinas was the Voris quote about Priests, and that is also on the Vatican web site.

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/...munion_en.html

Be careful. Go back to the site. It says

"Saint Thomas Aquinas also refers to the practice of receiving Holy Communion only on the tongue. He affirms that touching the Body of the Lord is proper only to the ordained priest."

Then it moves right on without telling the reader that this never became law in the Latin Church and that in fact, it is contrary to current Canon Law in the Latin Church. Canon Law says, as I quoted above, that deacons are also Ordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. We know that the hands of the deacon are not consecrated.

The thread was locked while I was composing my reply, but I suspect the issue will arise again, so I'm saving my comment:

"Then it moves right on without telling the reader that this never became law in the Latin Church"

Are you sure that this was never the law?

Canon 845 of the 1917 code of canon law:

§1. The ordinary minister of Holy Communion is only a priest.
§2. A deacon is an extraordinary [minister], authorized by the local Ordinary or a pastor, granted for grave cause, which in case of legitimate necessity is presumed.

I can't quote earlier canon law, but the Council of Trent (session 13, chapter 8) decreed:

"Now as to the reception of the sacrament, it was always the custom in the Church of God, that laymen should receive the communion from priests; but that priests when celebrating should communicate themselves; which custom, as coming down from an apostolical tradition, ought with justice and reason to be retained."

and the Roman Catechism, referring to that decree, stated:

It must be taught, then, that to priests alone has been given power to consecrate and administer to the faithful the Holy Eucharist. That this has been the unvarying practice of the Church, that the faithful should receive the Sacrament from the priests, and that the officiating priests should communicate themselves, has been explained by the holy Council of Trent, which has also shown that this practice, as having proceeded from Apostolic tradition, is to be religiously retained, particularly as Christ the Lord has left us an illustrious example thereof, having consecrated His own most sacred body, and given it to the Apostles with His own hands.

followed even more explicitly by:

To safeguard in every possible way the dignity of so august a Sacrament, not only is the power of its administration entrusted exclusively to priests, but the Church has also prohibited by law any but consecrated persons, unless some case of great necessity intervene, to dare handle or touch the sacred vessels, the linen, or other instruments necessary to its completion.
Priests themselves and the rest of the faithful may hence understand how great should be the piety and holiness of those who approach to consecrate, administer or receive the Eucharist.

Happy Easter to anyone who visits this blog.

"Christ is risen indeed!"

"And hath appeared unto Simon!" [Luke 24:34]

Alleluia.

On the Minister of Holy Communion

2011-04-25T06:32:00.009-06:00

From the 1917 Pio-Benedictine Code of Canon Law:

Canon 845

§1. The ordinary minister of Holy Communion is only a priest.

§2. A deacon is an extraordinary [minister], authorized by the local Ordinary or a pastor, granted for grave cause, which in case of legitimate necessity is presumed.

Canon 846

§1. Any priest whatsoever, during Mass and, if he celebrates privately, even just before and immediately after, can administer Holy Communion, though observing the prescription of Canon 869.

§2. Even outside of Mass any priest whatsoever, if he is a stranger, partakes of the same faculty with the at least presumed permission of the rector of the church.

Canon 847

Holy Communion is to be brought to the sick publicly, unless a just and reasonable cause persuades otherwise.

Canon 848

§1. The right and duty of bringing Holy Communion publicly to the infirm, even non-parishioners outside the church, belongs to the pastor within his territory.

§2. Other priests may do this only in case of necessity or with the at least presumed permission of their pastor or the Ordinary.

Canon 849

§1. Any priest can bring private Communion to the infirm with at least the presumed permission of the priest to whom custody of the Most Holy Sacrament is committed.

§2. Whenever Holy Communion is privately administered to the infirm, the reverence and decency that is due to such a holy sacrament is be carefully observed, according to the prescriptive norms of the Apostolic See.

Canon 850

It belongs to the pastor in accord with Canon 848, with due regard for the prescription of Canons 397, n. 3, and 514, §§ 1-3, to bring Holy Communion in the form of Viaticum to the sick, whether publicly or privately.

Canon 851

§1. Priests will distribute Holy Communion [made from] leavened or unleavened bread according to the proper rites.

§2. Where necessity urges and there is not present a priest of a different rite, it is permitted to an oriental priest who uses fermented bread to minister the Eucharist in unleavened [form], and likewise to a latin or oriental priest who uses unleavened [bread] to use leavened [bread]; each must observe his own rites of administration.

Canon 852

The Most Holy Eucharist is to be given only under the form of bread.

Canon 868

A celebrating priest is not allowed to distribute the Eucharist during Mass to those faithful who are so distant from him that he loses sight of the altar.

Canon 869

Holy Communion can be distributed wherever it is permitted to celebrate Mass, even in a private oratory, unless the local Ordinary, for just cause, prohibits it in particular cases.

Canon 1274

§1. In churches or oratories to which it is given to preserve the most holy Eucharist, there can be private exposition, that is, with a pyx, for any just reason without the permission of the Ordinary; but public exposition, that is, with a monstrance on the feast of the Body of Christ and within the octave, can be done in all churches within solemn Mass and vespers; but at other times, it shall not [be done] unless there is just and grave cause, especially for public [exposition] and then with the permission of the local Ordinary, even though a church belongs to an exempt religious [institute].

§2. The minister of exposition and reposition of the Most Holy Sacrament is a priest or deacon; but the minister of the Eucharistic blessing is only a priest, nor can a deacon impart it, except in that case where he brings Viaticum to the infirm according to the norm of Canon 845, § 2.

The Resurrection Homily of St. John Chrysostom

2011-04-24T00:24:00.004-06:00

Let all pious men and lovers of God rejoice in the splendor of this feast. Let the wise servants blissfully enter into the joy of their Lord. Let those who have born the burden of Lent now receive their pay. And those who have toiled since the first hour, let them now receive their due reward. Let anyone who came after the third hour be grateful to join the feast. And those who may have come after the sixth hour, let them not be afraid of being too late, for the Lord is gracious and He receives the last even as the first.

He gives rest to him who comes on the eleventh hour as well as to him who has toiled from the first. Yes, He has pity on the last and He serves the first. He rewards the one and is generous to the other. He repays the deed and praises the effort.

Come you all, enter into the joy of your Lord. You the first and you the last, receive alike your reward. You rich and you poor, dance together. You sober and you weaklings, celebrate the day. You who have kept the fast and you who have not, rejoice today. The table is richly laden, enjoy the royal banquet. The calf is a fatted one, let no one go away hungry.

All of you, enjoy the banquet of faith; all of you receive the riches of His goodness. Let no one grieve over his poverty, for the universal has been revealed. Let no one weep over his sins, for pardon has shone from the grave. Let no one fear death for the death of our Savior has set us free. He has destroyed death by enduring it. He has despoiled Hades by going down into its kingdom. He has angered it by allowing it to taste of His flesh.

When Isaiah foresaw this, he cried, “O Hades, you have been angered by encountering Him in the nether world.”

Hades is angered because it is frustrated. It is angered because it has been mocked. It is angered because it was destroyed. It is angered because it has been reduced to naught. It is angered because it is now captive. It seized a Body and, lo! It discovered God!

O death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory? Christ is risen and you are abolished! Christ is risen and the demons are cast down. Christ is risen and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen and life is freed. Christ is risen and the tomb is emptied of the dead. Christ, being risen from the dead, has become the Leader and Reviver of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and power unto ages of ages. Amen.

Saint John Chrysostom (†407)

Limbo of the Fathers

2011-04-23T01:54:00.003-06:00

The ancient greyness shifted
Suddenly and thinned
Like mist upon the moors
Before a wind.
An old, old prophet lifted
A shining face and said:
"He will be coming soon.
The Son of God is dead;
He died this afternoon."

A murmurous excitement stirred all souls.
they wondered if they dreamed-
Save one old man who seemed
Not even to have heard.

And Moses standing,
Hushed them all to ask
If any had a welcome song prepared.
If not, would David take the task?
And if they cared
Could not the three young children sing
The Benedicite, the canticle of praise
They made when God kept them from perishing
In the fiery blaze?

A breath of spring surprised them,
Stilling Moses' words.
No one could speak, remembering
The first fresh flowers,
The little singing birds.
Still others thought of fields new ploughed

Or apple trees
All blossom-boughed.
Or some, the way a dried bed fills
With water
Laughing down green hills.
The fisherfolk dreamed of the foam
On bright blue seas.
The one old man who had not stirred
Remembered home.

And there He was
Splendid as the morning sun and fair
As only God is fair.
And they, confused with joy,
Knelt to adore
Seeing that He wore
Five crimson stars
He never had before.

No canticle at all was sung.
None toned a psalm, or raising a greeting song,
A silent man alone
Of all that throng
Found tongue-
Not any other.
Close to His heart
When embrace was done,
Old Joseph said,
"How is your Mother,
How is your Mother, Son?"

Sister Mary Ada, C.S.J.

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

2011-04-21T08:35:00.002-06:00

The Lamb
Apocalypse 5 (Douay Rheims)

¹ And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne, a book written within and without, sealed with seven seals.

² And I saw a strong angel, proclaiming with a loud voice: Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

³ And no man was able, neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth, to open the book, nor to look on it.

⁴ And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open the book, nor to see it.

⁵ And one of the ancients said to me: Weep not; behold the lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

⁶ And I saw: and behold in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the ancients, a Lamb standing as it were slain, having seven horns and seven eyes: which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.

⁷ And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne.

⁸ And when he had opened the book, the four living creatures, and the four and twenty ancients fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints:

⁹ And they sung a new canticle, saying: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; because thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God, in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.

¹⁰ And hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.

¹¹ And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures, and the ancients; and the number of them was thousands of thousands,

¹² Saying with a loud voice: The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction.

¹³ And every creature, which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them: I heard all saying: To him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, benediction, and honour, and glory, and power, for ever and ever.

¹⁴ And the four living creatures said: Amen. And the four and twenty ancients fell down on their faces, and adored him that liveth for ever and ever.

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The Supper
Apocalypse 19:5-9 (Douay Rheims)

⁵ And a voice came out from the throne, saying: Give praise to our God, all ye his servants; and you that fear him, little and great.

⁶ And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunders, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord our God the Almighty hath reigned.

⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath prepared herself.

⁸ And it is granted to her that she should clothe herself with fine linen, glittering and white. For the fine linen are the justifications of saints.

⁹ And he said to me: Write: Blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith to me: These words of God are true.

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The Invitation and Warning
Apocalypse 3:15-22 (Douay Rheims)

¹⁵ I know thy works, that thou art neither cold, nor hot. I would thou wert cold, or hot.

¹⁶ But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth.

¹⁷ Because thou sayest: I am rich, and made wealthy, and have need of nothing: and knowest not, that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

¹⁸ I counsel thee to buy of me gold fire tried, that thou mayest be made rich; and mayest be clothed in white garments, and that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear; and anoint thy eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

¹⁹ Such as I love, I rebuke and chastise. Be zealous therefore, and do penance.

²⁰ Behold, I stand at the gate, and knock. If any man shall hear my voice, and open to me the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

²¹ To him that shall overcome, I will give to sit with me in my throne: as I also have overcome, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

²² He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.

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Holy Thursday

2011-04-21T07:57:00.006-06:00

Matthew 26:26-29 (Latin Vulgate)

²⁶ Cœnantibus autem eis, accepit Iesus panem, et benedixit, ac fregit, deditque discipulis suis, et ait: Accipite, et comedite: hoc est corpus meum.

²⁷ Et accipiens calicem gratias egit: et dedit illis, dicens: Bibite ex hoc omnes.

²⁸ Hic est enim sanguis meus novi testamenti, qui pro multis effundetur in remissionem peccatorum.

²⁹ Dico autem vobis: non bibam amodo de hoc genimine vitis usque in diem illum, cum illud bibam vobiscum novum in regno Patris mei.

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Matthew 26:26-29 (Douay Rheims)

²⁶ And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke: and gave to His disciples, and said: Take ye, and eat. This is My Body.

²⁷ And taking the chalice, He gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this.

²⁸ For this is My Blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins.

²⁹ And I say to you, I will not drink from henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father.

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John 6:47-52 (Douay Rheims)

⁴⁷ Amen, amen I say unto you: he that believeth in Me, hath everlasting life.

⁴⁸ I am the Bread of Life.

⁴⁹ Your fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are dead.

⁵⁰ This is the Bread which cometh down from heaven; that if any man eat of it, he may not die.

⁵¹ I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven.

⁵² If any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever; and the Bread that I will give, is My Flesh, for the life of the world.

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Ecclesiasticus 43:29-37 (Douay Rheims)

²⁹ We shall say much, and yet shall want words: but the sum of our words is, He is all.

³⁰ What shall we be able to do to glorify Him? for the Almighty himself is above all His works.

³¹ The Lord is terrible, and exceeding great, and His power is admirable.

³² Glorify the Lord as much as ever you can, for He will yet far exceed, and His magnificence is wonderful.

³³ Blessing the Lord, exalt Him as much as you can: for He is above all praise.

³⁴ When you exalt Him put forth all your strength, and be not weary: for you can never go far enough.

³⁵ Who shall see him, and declare him? and who shall magnify him as he is from the beginning?

³⁶ There are many things hidden from us that are greater than these: for we have seen but a few of His works.

³⁷ But the Lord hath made all things, and to the godly He hath given wisdom.

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Crowned with Praise

2011-04-17T08:04:00.017-06:00

On Thy way to die, they crowned Thee with praise.
We raise our song to Thee, now King on high.

+++
And on the next day, a great multitude that was to come to the festival day, when they had heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried: Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel. And Jesus found a young ass, and sat upon it, as it is written:

Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy king cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.

John 12:12-15
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The multitude praises our Lord today, but will soon turn the praises to curses.

Mercifully forgive them, O Lord who this day at least speak the truth, even if it is without understanding: that Thou art the true King of Israel, the true Son of God, forever blessed. Forgive us, O Lord, make us constant in devotion, and merciful in imitation of Thy utterly pure and holy mercy.

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Glory, praise and honor to Thee, O King Christ, the Redeemer: to whom children poured their glad and sweet hosanna's song.

The Emerging Anglican Ordinariates

2011-04-16T08:09:00.009-06:00

The first group of Anglicans will be confirmed in the Catholic Church in eight days, with their pastors to be ordained on Pentecost. More will follow, God bless them.

I just learned about this today from this Catholic Answers post by a gentleman of good will, who, unfortunately, is himself separated from the Church with no immediate prospects of rejoining.

May God save us from the sins that separate us and lead us to true repentance and unity in Christ.

These interactive maps show the emerging Anglican ordinariates in Canada, the U.S., Scotland, Wales and England. Click here for a larger map with additional information.

The Tabernacle in pre-1983 Canon Law

2011-04-11T23:11:00.005-06:00

From the 1917 Pio-Benedictine Code of Canon Law
(the canon law in effect when Eucharisticum Mysterium was published):

Canon 1268

§1. The most holy Eucharist cannot be kept continually, that is, habitually, except on only one altar of the church.

§2. It shall be kept in the most excellent and the most noble place of the church and therefore regularly on the major altar unless it seems that the veneration and cult of such a sacrament is more convenient and decent elsewhere, observing the prescriptions of liturgical law, which pertain to the final days of the great week.

§3. But in cathedral churches or in collegial or conventual ones in which choral functions are conducted at the main altar, lest ecclesiastical officials be impeded, it is opportune that the most holy Eucharist not regularly be kept at the major altar but in another chapel or altar.

§4. Let rectors of churches take care that the altar in which the most holy Sacrament is reserved be decorated above all the others so that by this appearance the faithful be moved to greater piety and devotion.

Canon 1269

§ 1 The most Holy Eucharist must be preserved in an immovable tabernacle located in the center part of the altar.

§ 2 The tabernacle shall be well-constructed, closed on all sites, decently decorated according to the norm of liturgical law, empty of all foreign things, and thus carefully kept so that any sort of danger of sacrilege or profanation is excluded.

§ 3 If grave causes, approved by the local Ordinary, so persuade, it is not forbidden to preserve the most Holy Eucharist at nighttime outside the altar but on a corporal in a safe and decent place with due regard for the prescription of Canon 1271.

§ 4 The key of the tabernacle in which the most Holy Sacrament is preserved must be diligently kept, gravely burdening the conscience of the priest who has care of the church or oratory.

Saint Vincent Ferrer

2011-04-05T06:32:00.003-06:00

"In order to subdue his passions, he fasted rigorously from his childhood every Wednesday and Friday. The passion of Christ was always the object of his most tender devotion. The blessed Virgin he ever honoured as his spiritual mother. Looking on the poor as the members of Christ, he treated them with the greatest affection and charity... To the exercises of prayer and penance he joined the study and meditation of the holy scriptures and the reading of the fathers... The arms which the saint employed against the devil were prayer, penance, and a perpetual watchfulness over every impulse of his passions. His heart was always fixed on God, and he made his studies, labour, and all his other actions a continued prayer."

In adulthood, he progressed in self-denial: "... he never ate flesh, fasted every day except Sundays, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he lived on bread and water, which course he held for forty years: he lay on straw or small twigs. He spent a great part of the day in the confessional..."

In his last days, "under the pains of his distemper, he never opened his mouth about his sufferings only to thank almighty God for making him, by a share in the cross, to resemble his crucified Son: for he suffered the sharpest agonies not only with resignation and patience, but with exultation and joy. His prayer and union with God he never interrupted."

"He reduces the rules of perfection to the avoiding three things: First, the exterior distraction of superfluous employs. Secondly, all interior secret elation of heart. Thirdly, all immoderate attachment to created things. Also to the practicing of three things: First, the sincere desire of contempt and abjection. Secondly, the most affective devotion to Christ crucified. Thirdly, patience in bearing all things for the love of Christ".

[quotes from the life of the saint written by Ranzano, Bishop of Lucera]

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"Do you desire to study to your advantage? Let devotion accompany all your studies, and study less to make yourself learned than to become a saint. Consult God more than your books, and ask him, with humility, to make you understand what you read. Study fatigues and drains the mind and heart. Go from time to time to refresh them at the feet of Jesus Christ under his cross. Some moments of repose in his sacred wounds give fresh vigour and new lights. Interrupt your application by short but fervent and ejaculatory prayers; never begin or end your study but by prayer. Science is a gift of the Father of lights; do not therefore consider it as barely the work of your own mind or industry."

from A Treatise on a Spiritual Life, by St. Vincent Ferrer

Laetare Sunday

2011-04-03T09:08:00.000-06:00

Today's epistle:

Brethren, It is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman and the other by a free woman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise; which things are said by an allegory. For these are the two testaments. The one from Mount Sinai, engendering unto bondage: which is Agar; for Sinai is a mountain in Arabia, which hath affinity to that Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But that Jerusalem which is above is free, which is our mother. For it is written:

“Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not: break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for many are the children of the desolate, more than of her that hath a husband.”

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born according to the flesh persecuted him that was after the spirit: so also it is now. But what saith the Scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not the children of the bondwoman but of the free: by the freedom wherewith Christ has made us free.

Galatians 4:22-31

Commentary of Saint Thomas Aquinas: 1, 2, 3

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What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who followed not after justice, have attained to justice, even the justice that is of faith. But Israel, by following after the law of justice, is not come unto the law of justice. Why so? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were of works. For they stumbled at the stumblingstone. As it is written: Behold I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and a rock of scandal; and whosoever believeth in him shall not be confounded.

Romans 9:30-33

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And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:3

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May all our works be born out of faith in Christ, performed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and directed towards the glory of God, the Father Almighty.

Monday of the Third Week in Lent

2011-03-28T10:26:00.005-06:00

From Today's epistle:

So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Eliseus: And Eliseus sent a messenger to him, saying: Go, and wash seven times in the Jordan, and thy flesh shall recover health, and thou shalt be clean. Naaman was angry and went away, saying: I thought he would have come out to me, and standing would have invoked the name of the Lord his God, and touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and healed me. Are not the Abana, and the Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, that I may wash in them, and be made clean? So as he turned, and was going away with indignation, His servants came to him, and said to him: Father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, surely thou shouldst have done it: how much rather what he now hath said to thee: Wash, and thou shalt he clean? Then he went down, and washed in the Jordan seven times: according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored, like the flesh of a little child, and he was made clean. And returning to the man of God with all his train, be came, and stood before him, and said: In truth, I know there is no other God in all the earth, but only in Israel.

IV Kings 9-15
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“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30
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And what is more pleasant than that yoke, what lighter than that burden? To be made better, to abstain from wickedness, to choose the good, and refuse the evil, to love all men, to hate none, to gain eternal things, not to be taken with things present, to be unwilling to do that to another which yourself would be pained to suffer.

- Saint Hilary of Poitiers

But how is Christ’s yoke pleasant, seeing it was said above, “Narrow is the way which leadeth unto life?” [Matthew 7:14] That which is entered upon by a narrow entrance is in process of time made broad by the unspeakable sweetness of love.

- Blessed Magnentius Hrabanus Maurus

Third Sunday in Lent

2011-03-27T05:29:00.002-06:00

Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians:

Brethren, Be ye followers of God, as most dear children: and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us and hath delivered Himself for us, an oblation and a sacrifice to God for an odor of sweetness. But fornication, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not so much as be named among you, as becometh saints: or obscenity, or foolish talking, or scurrility, which is to no purpose: but rather giving of thanks. For know you this, and understand, that no fornicator, or unclean, or covetous person, which is a serving of idols, hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the children of unbelief. Be ye not therefore partakers with them. For you were heretofore darkness: but now light in the Lord. Walk then as children of the light: for the fruit of the light is in all goodness, and justice, and truth. [Ephesians 5:1-9]

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Wretched that I am, I remembered not that God seeth the mind and observeth the voice of the soul. Allying myself with sin, I said unto myself: God is merciful, and will bear with thee: and because I was not immediately smitten, I ceased not, but rather despised pardon, and exhausted the long-suffering of God.

Saint Peter [a.d. 260-311], bishop of Alexandria [300-311]
(as quoted by Saint John of Damascus [a.d. 676-749])

Sancte Petre et Sancte Joánnes, orate pro nobis.

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My son, hast thou sinned? do so no more: but for thy former sins also pray that they may be forgiven thee. Flee from sins as from the face of a serpent: for if thou comest near them, they will take hold of thee. The teeth thereof are the teeth of a lion, killing the souls of men. All iniquity is like a two-edged sword, there is no remedy for the wound thereof. [Ecclesiasticus 21:1-4]

Annunciation Poem

2011-03-25T03:25:00.004-06:00

From the Annunciation, by "Long Skirts" [Hilary Flanery]

“Blessed art thou…”
Gabriel hailed,
And at that moment
The enemy railed,

For he remembered,
The garden free,
‘Tween him and the woman
Enmity.

But who the woman?
God did not tell,
Then Gabriel’s “Ave”
Shook the depths of Hell.

(You can read the whole poem here)

Second Sunday of Lent

2011-03-20T13:24:00.006-06:00

1 Thessalonians 4:1-7

¹For the rest therefore, brethren, we pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us, how you ought to walk, and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more.

²For you know what precepts I have given to you by the Lord Jesus.

³For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that you should abstain from fornication;

⁴That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour:

⁵Not in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles that know not God:

⁶And that no man overreach, nor circumvent his brother in business: because the Lord is the avenger of all these things, as we have told you before, and have testified.

⁷For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification: in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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Saint Philomena, virgin and Martyr, pray for us that through thy powerful intercession we may obtain that purity of mind and heart which leads to the perfect love of God. Amen.

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Help us, O merciful God and source of all that is good, to love Thy creatures in due measure, honorably according to Thy will, and to love Thee above all that Thou hast created. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Who reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

Friday of Ember Week in Lent

2011-03-18T15:15:00.004-06:00

Today's Gospel:

At that time there was a festival day of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem a pond, called Probatica, which in Hebrew is named Bethsaida, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick, of blind, of lame, of withered; waiting for the moving of the water. And an angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water, was made whole, of whatsoever infirmity he lay under.

And there was a certain man there, that had been eight and thirty years under his infirmity. Him when Jesus had seen lying, and knew that he had been now a long time, he saith to him: Wilt thou be made whole?

The infirm man answered him: Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pond. For whilst I am coming, another goeth down before me.

Jesus saith to him: Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.

And immediately the man was made whole: and he took up his bed, and walked.

And it was the sabbath that day. The Jews therefore said to him that was healed: It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed. He answered them: He that made me whole, he said to me, Take up thy bed, and walk. They asked him therefore: Who is that man who said to thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? But he who was healed, knew not who it was; for Jesus went aside from the multitude standing in the place.

Afterwards, Jesus findeth him in the temple, and saith to him: Behold thou art made whole: sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee.

The man went his way, and told the Jews, that it was Jesus who had made him whole. [John 5:1-15]

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Omnipotent and eternal God, the everlasting Salvation of those who
believe, hear us on behalf of Thy sick servant, Rebecca, for whom we beg the aid of Thy pitying mercy, that, with her bodily health restored, she may give thanks to Thee in Thy church.

Through Christ our Lord,

Amen

Where have you set your heart?

2011-03-17T13:47:00.005-06:00

Ecclesiasticus 5:1-10 (Douay Rheims)

¹ Set not thy heart upon unjust possessions, and say not: I have enough to live on: for it shall be of no service in the time of vengeance and darkness.

² Follow not in thy strength the desires of thy heart:

³ And say not: How mighty am I? and who shall bring me under for my deeds? for God will surely take revenge.

⁴ Say not: I have sinned, and whet harm hath befallen me? for the most High is a patient rewarder.

⁵ Be not without fear about sin forgiven, and add not sin upon sin:

⁶ And say not: The mercy of the Lord is great, he will have mercy on the multitude of my sins.

⁷ For mercy and wrath quickly come from him, and his wrath looketh upon sinners.

⁸ Delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day.

⁹ For his wrath shall come on a sudden, and in the time of vengeance he will destroy thee.

¹⁰ Be not anxious for goods unjustly gotten: for they shall not profit thee in the day of calamity and revenge.

Show with Haydock Commentary or the Latin Vulgate Bible
Bible passage courtesy of VeritasBible.com

Matthew 6:19-21 (Douay Rheims)

¹⁹ Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust, and moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal.

²⁰ But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven: where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through, nor steal.

²¹ For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.

Show with Haydock Commentary or the Latin Vulgate Bible
Bible passage courtesy of VeritasBible.com

Quadragesima

2011-03-13T01:00:00.036-06:00

Quadragesima, Latin for fortieth, signifies this first Sunday of Lent, which is 40 days before Good Friday, and is also a name for the whole season of Lent.

The number 40 in the Bible is associated with probation and purification, and with the time needed to accomplish some important part of God's plan.

Even when God chastises His people, He does not destroy them, and offers them hope of renewal if they will mend their ways.

Noah
After giving mankind three times forty years to repent from the great evil in which it had fallen (Genesis 6:3), God sent rain upon the earth for 40 days and 40 nights to destroy the sinful, but He preserved a faithful remnant. (Genesis 7:12)

The waters of the great flood prefigured the waters of baptism (1 Peter 3:20-21).

Moses
When Moses had lived 40 years, he sought out his people. 40 years after that, God sent him back to Egypt to deliver his people out of bondage.

After the Israelites had spied out the promised land for 40 days (Numbers 13:25), and still feared to enter in despite God's promise, God made His people wander in the desert for 40 years. (Numbers 14:26-34, 32:6-15, Deuteronomy 8:2-10, Psalm 95:8-10).

Moses twice went up Mount Sinai and stayed there for 40 days each time to receive the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 24:12-18, 34:27-34, Deuteronomy 10:10)

When Moses came down from the mountain, people were afraid to approach him. His face shone because he had been talking with God.

During their time in the desert, God's people was nourished by manna (Exodus 16:35), prefiguring the Eucharist.

Elijah
Fed by an angel, Elijah was strengthened for a 40 day journey to the mountain that Moses had climbed, and there he also encountered the one true living God. (1 Kings 19:4-16)

Jonah
Jonah warned the people of the Assyrian capital city of Nineveh that they had 40 days to repent of their sins. (Jonah 3:4, 10) They listened and acted on what they heard, and God spared them.

(Years later, they fell back into sin and this time were destroyed).

Ezekiel
The prophet Ezekiel lay on his right side 40 days to represent 40 years of sin by Judah. (Ezekiel 4:6)

Our Lord and Savior
Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights before he began his public ministry. (Matthew 3:13-4:11, Luke 4:1-12)

After His death and resurrection, our Lord appeared to His disciples for 40 days, speaking of things pertaining to God's kingdom. (Acts 1:2)

More occurences of the number 40:

Judges
Israel enjoyed 40 years of peace under the first of its judges, Othniel (Judges 3:11), and 40 years each again later under Debbora (Judges 5:31) and Gideon (Judges 8:28). In each case, Israel fell away from God's path and God's protection, and had to repent and then struggle against her enemies before there was peace. Under another judge, Ehud, the land of Israel had peace for twice forty years.

Yet another time when the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, He delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years, before giving them Samson to deliver them. (Judges 13)

One of the last of this group of leaders of Israel, Heli, judged his nation for 40 years. (1 Samuel 4:18) He began his years of service faithfully, but grew lax, and at the end of his years the high-priesthood was taken from his family and the ark of the covenant from Israel.

Saul
The first king of Israel reigned for 40 years. (Acts 13:21) He did not follow God's commands, so God's grace and blessing was withdrawn from him and his sons did not rule after him.

David
For 40 days, Goliath, champion of the Philistine army, challenged the Israelite army before David answered his challenge and defeated him. (1 Samuel 17)

King David ruled Judah for 40 years (2 Samuel 5:4).

Solomon
David's son Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. (1 Kings 11:42)

Jehoash
King Jehoash, or Joash, repaired the temple and reigned in Jerusalem for 40 years. But after the death of the high priest, he strayed and worshipped other gods. After his death, he was not found worthy to be buried in the sepulchres of kings. (2 Kings 12, 2 Chronicles 24)

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God has a plan for us. He gives us time to do our part. His plan for us is repentance, and penance, and healing, and the enjoyment of His peace and blessing. It is today 40 days until Good Friday. These days are set aside so we can repair our lives, if we are not living them the way we should. I pray that you, dear reader, will use these days wisely. And that what you begin, you will also end well. May God bless you.
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Finally:

It is about 40 weeks from conception to birth of a baby.

40 days was the period required for purification after the birth of a baby boy (Leviticus 12:2,4), twice 40 days for after the birth of a baby girl. (Leviticus 12:5)

After our Lord's crucifixion, it was about 40 years until the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.

It has been about 40 years since the Catholic Church started using corrupted translations of the Mass into English and other vernacular languages. That ends this year. Deo gratias.

May God uproot all that is flawed in us and raise us up to a new life in holiness.

Ash Wednesday

2011-03-09T01:36:00.006-06:00

Let us change our garments for ashes and sackcloth: let us fast and lament before the Lord: for plenteous in mercy is our God to forgive our sins. (Joel 2:13)

May you be blessed, dear visitor, and blessed neither too much nor too little, with compunction for your sins and hope in our Lord Who rules from age to age.

Saint John of God

2011-03-08T15:37:00.005-06:00

The Catholic Encyclopedia website briefly summarizes his life: "Portuguese shepherd, soldier, bookseller, finally found his niche caring for the health of the poor in Granada, became de facto founder of a religious order, d. 1550."

Another article on his life begins: "From the time he was eight to the day he died, John followed every impulse of his heart. The challenge for him was to rush to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit gave him, not his own human temptations. But unlike many who act impulsively, when John made a decision, no matter how quickly, he stuck with it, no matter what the hardship."

Over the years of his life, John progressed from worldliness to compassion to deliberate, steadfast service to God to laying down his life in an attempt to save another.

He is famous for emerging unscathed from a burning hospital after first rescuing patients, then salvaging supplies.

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As John was preserved from the flames, O Lord, do Thou in Thy mercy likewise preserve us from the heat of our disordered passions and the destructive impulses of others. As John's will was brought into conformity with Thy will, do Thou likewise lift our hearts to Thee and direct our lives towards Thee. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord Who with the Holy Spirit reigns in Heaven with Thee, almighty Father, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Shahbaz Bhatti

2011-03-07T23:23:00.007-06:00

The only Christian in Pakistan's cabinet was assassinated last week for publicly opposing the unjust laws and threats of violence of radical Islam.

The last time a Christian Pakistani statesman was killed, Islamic groups praised the murder. This time they did not, so that is some progress. But not much. They still defend the killing of Salman Taseer two months ago for openly condemning Pakistan's "blasphemy" law. Shahbaz Bhatti was more careful in his criticism. Apparently not careful enough for the thugs whose bloodshed disgraces Pakistan. Will they be punished for their crimes?

May God have mercy on the soul of Shahbaz Bhatti, and comfort his family in this time of grief.
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Wisdom 3:1-9

¹ But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.

² In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure was taken for misery:

³ And their going away from us, for utter destruction: but they are in peace.

⁴ And though in the sight of men they suffered torments, their hope is full of immortality.

⁵ Afflicted in few things, in many they shall be well rewarded: because God hath tried them, and found them worthy of himself.

⁶ As gold in the furnace he hath proved them, and as a victim of a holocaust he hath received them, and in time there shall be respect had to them.

⁷ The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds.

⁸ They shall judge nations, and rule over people, and their Lord shall reign for ever.

⁹ They that trust in him, shall understand the truth: and they that are faithful in love shall rest in him: for grace and peace is to his elect.

Show with Haydock Commentary or the Latin Vulgate Bible
Bible passage courtesy of VeritasBible.com

Quinquagesima & Shrovetide

2011-03-06T00:30:00.011-06:00

Quinquagesima arrives late this year, one day short of the latest it can arrive, March 7th. I'm reminded of how God delays the arrival of His justice, giving us time to turn to Him of our own free will, but He does not delay forever.

The days between today and Ash Wednesday are known as Shrovetide. Like today, they are days of voluntary penance. Being voluntary, they are disregarded, and many people go in the opposite direction with excesses of Carnival and Mardi Gras. People don't understand the purpose of freedom.

(Now, of course, there is very little in the way of mandatory self-denial during Lent, and even "mandatory" rules are matter of private conscience, so there is little excuse these days for self-indulgence before the supposed austerity of Lent).

A curious blindness has afflicted God's people since the early days of the Church. Sometimes we ourselves are the cause of this affliction, sometimes not, but regardless of the cause, we can always hope for a cure.

Calling people blind may sound somewhat harsh, but harshness is not intended. May all who wish it by the grace of God be made free and self-controlled, and no longer the puppets of their passions. Friend, Easter is the fiftieth day from today. Will the risen Christ our Savior find us then to be any better men than we are today?

Today's epistle:

Brethren, If I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy, and should know all mysteries and all knowledge: and if I should have all faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity is patient, is kind: Charity envieth not, dealing not perversely, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth: beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. We see now through a glass in a dark manner: but then face to face. Now I know in part: but then I shall know even as I am known. And now there remain faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

I Cor. 13:1-13

Today's Gospel:

At that time Jesus took unto Him the twelve men and said to them: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man. For He shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked and scourged and spit upon: and after they have scourged Him, they will put Him to death, and he third day He shall rise again. And they understood none of those things, and this word was hid from them, and they understood not the things that were said. Now it came to pass, when He drew nigh to Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the wayside, begging. And when he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what this meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.1 And they that went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace. But he cried out much more: Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus standing, commanded him to be brought unto Him. And when he was come near, He asked him, saying: What wilt thou that I do to thee? But he said: Lord, that I may see. And Jesus said to him: Receive thy sight, they faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he saw and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Luke 18:31-43

Prayers and thanksgiving for those Anglican priests who celebrate their last Mass as Anglicans today, before entering into the Catholic Church. May many follow you in and find unity and peace in the spotless bride of Christ.

God vs. Mammon

2011-03-04T13:22:00.019-06:00

Today's Epistle:

Blessed is the man that is found without blemish, and that hath not gone after gold, nor put his trust in money nor in treasures. Who is he, and we will praise him? for he hath done wonderful things in is life. Who hath been tried thereby, and made perfect, he shall have glory everlasting: he that could have transgressed, and hath not transgressed: and could do evil things, and hath not done them: therefore are his goods established in the Lord, and all the Church of the Saints shall declare his alms.

Ecclus. 31:8-11

In A Christmas Tale, Ebenezer Scrooge cherished the accumulation of wealth above all other considerations. But even a hard-hearted man is offered mercy, if he can endure it...

God of Mercy, free us from the chains that bind us.

Blessed Saint Casimir, constant in the midst of royal luxury, intercede for us so that by the Grace of God we may despise earthly things and ever aspire to those of heaven.

Sexagesima

2011-02-26T22:28:00.008-06:00

Sexagesima Sunday is the second Sunday of the pre-Lenten season. As we approach the penitential season of Lent, now is a suitable time to lift our imperfect eyes from our imperfect circumstances and remember by Whom we were made and towards Whom we should set our hearts.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment
and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation will last forever,
my righteousness will never fail.

Isaiah 51:6

And do not despair that the burdens of this life are too heavy to carry:

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

May God bless you, kind visitor, with a humble and contrite heart, and strength to bear your burdens with hope.

Septuagesima Sunday

2011-02-20T12:01:00.003-06:00

Psalm 50 (Douay Rheims)

¹ Unto the end, a psalm of David,

² When Nathan the prophet came to him after he had sinned with Bethsabee.

³ Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.

⁴ Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

⁵ For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me.

⁶ To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words and mayst overcome when thou art judged.

⁷ For behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive me.

⁸ For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me.

⁹ Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.

¹⁰ To my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice.

¹¹ Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

¹² Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.

¹³ Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

¹⁴ Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.

¹⁵ I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted to thee.

¹⁶ Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall extol thy justice.

¹⁷ O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

¹⁸ For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings thou wilt not be delighted.

¹⁹ A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

²⁰ Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up.

²¹ Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy altar.

Show with Haydock Commentary or the Latin Vulgate Bible
Bible passage courtesy of VeritasBible.com

Father Gordon Mahoney, RIP

2011-02-03T19:42:00.005-06:00

Father Gordon Mahoney, an associate priest at Sts. Peter and Paul for several years, and a pastor in his own right before that, passed into eternal life today. He kindly visited my mother in the hospital a decade ago when she was battling cancer. May God grant them now a happier meeting.

A memorial Mass will be said for him on Thursday, February 24th at 11:00am.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

Please remember him in your prayers.

+++
And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Genesis 5:22-24

Exegesis of this passage, according to an young girl blessed with understanding:

Enoch and God were friends and they used to go on walks together. One day, they went on a very long walk, and it was getting dark, and God said "We are closer to My house than to yours. Why don't we go there, instead?".

So they did.

Candlemas

2011-02-02T00:02:00.005-06:00

The first prayer for the Blessing of the Candles on the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God, Who hast created all things out of nothing, and Who through the labor of bees at thy command hast caused this fluid to come to the perfection of wax, and Who, on this day, didst fulfill the request of the just Simeon, we humbly beseech Thee, that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bless † and sanctify † these candles prepared for the service of man, and for the health of their bodies and souls, whether by land or sea, through the invocation of thy holy Name, and through the intercession of blessed Mary, Ever-Virgin, whose feast is this day devoutly celebrated, and through the prayers of all thy Saints; and that from thy holy heaven, and from the seat of thy majesty, Thou wouldst hear the voice of this thy people, who desire in thy honor to bear them in their hands, and to praise and exalt Thee; and that Thou wouldst be propitious unto all who call upon Thee, whom Thou has redeemed with the precious blood of thy Son. Who with Thee and the Holy Spirit liveth in glory, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The candles to be used this year in Church are blessed today and there is also a custom of bringing beeswax candles from home to be blessed. They should be made of at least mostly beeswax. Worker bees do not mate and are considered a symbol of virginity.

Our Lady, ever virgin, needed no purification, but she did not place herself above the law, which came from God, and in in humble obedience presented herself at the temple with her Son. There they encountered Saint Simeon and Saint Anna, who recognized that the messiah had at last come.

Saint Simeon blessed God for keeping him to see this day. Speaking as a prophet, he hailed the glory of Israel: our Lord, Who was to be a light for revelation to all the nations. And he warned our Lady of bitter sorrow to follow. Recalling his words, our thoughts are turned from the joy of the Christmas season now ending to the somberness of the approaching Lenten season.

Water into Wine

2011-01-15T18:01:00.058-06:00

On this Sunday we remember the wedding at Cana. This event includes the first recorded miracle of our Lord and the last recorded words of our Lady.

On the third day of his public ministry, Jesus and his disciples were invited to a wedding. Mary His mother was there too. When they ran short of wine, she spoke with her son, and at her intercession, He turned water into wine. As with the miracles that followed, this was no random magic trick, but was an exercise of Divine power that revealed something of the Divine plan.

Above all, it is a foreshadowing of his last miracle, also a miracle of "good wine", the third cup of the passover meal which He celebrated with His disciples, the cup of redemption that held no ordinary wine, but by God's mercy held the Precious Blood shed for our salvation.

At every Mass, the chalice holds the Precious Blood, a gift freely given, so that we might be unified in Christ, and raised to a greater dignity than we now display, raised so high as to even share in the Divine life and enter heaven at the end of our days.

The miracle of the Mass is a miracle of water and wine, recalling the water and the blood that flowed from our Lord's side at his crucifixion. The priest adds a drop of water to the cup of wine about to be consecrated. Saint Thomas says that the wine signifies Christ's blood, and the water, the people (ST III, q 74, art. 6). In a sense, the water is changed to wine in the cup. It is still present, but it has become one with the wine, and cannot be separated from it. May we be so joined to the True Vine [John 15:5], Christ our Lord, and give forth fruit abundantly. [Galatians 5:22-23, also Romans 1:13 and Colossians 1:6]

In marriage, man and a woman are inseparably joined for life. Choosing a wedding as the setting for His first miracle emphasized the unfailing, self-sacrificing love the Lord has for His chosen bride Israel [Mark 2:19, Ephesians 5:22-33]. His presence at the wedding also sanctioned marriage as a holy and honorable institution.

In the Bible, seven is the number of perfection and covenant, and one less than that is the number of imperfection. Some people note that six empty jars were filled, and consider that a symbol of the imperfection of the old law, and the emptiness it left in God's people, which is filled up beyond all expectations by the new wine of Christ.

However imperfect the materials at hand were, the Lord did not reject them, but worked with them and through them and filled them to the brim with His gift to bring joy to people who needed his help.

At that time, then, Jesus made of water wine, and both then and now He ceases not to change our weak and unstable wills. For there are, yes, there are men who in nothing differ from water, so cold, and weak, and unsettled. But let us bring those of such disposition to the Lord, that He may change their will to the quality of wine, so that they be no longer washy, but have body, and be the cause of gladness in themselves and others. But who can these cold ones be? They are those who give their minds to the fleeting things of this present life...
Saint John Chrysostom, Homily 22

To strengthen the association of the wedding on the third day with our Lord's passion, it could be noted that the very next event described in the Gospel of Saint John is the cleansing of the temple, where a three day period is again mentioned, this time explicitly linked to our Lord's death and resurrection.

The positive response of Jesus to our Lady's intercession should increase our confidence that her prayers can help us, too.

Finally, it might be noted that while His disciples' faith was strengthened by His miracle, most of those in attendance at the wedding were not followers of the Lord. But all benefitted, for God loves all, and sends rain for the just and unjust alike [Matthew 5:45].

(Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4).
(As I was finishing this post, I discovered an excellent series of excerpts on this same subject from Fulton Sheen's Life of Christ, posted by the Happy Catholic: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Isaiah 55:1

The wedding at Cana is one of the new luminous mysteries of the Rosary in the expanded version of the Rosary introduced by Pope John Paul II, and is also one of the meditations in the now rarely prayed Eastern Orthodox rosary.

Baptism of Our Lord

2011-01-13T00:45:00.015-06:00

On the Feast of the Epiphany, the revelation of the Lord to the world is celebrated and three events are remembered: the adoration of the magi from the east, the baptism of our Lord, and His first recorded miracle at Cana. In Western Christianity, the visit of the Magi is emphasized on January 6th, and our Lord's baptism is traditionally celebrated today, on the octave of the Epiphany. The wedding feast at Cana will be remembered again this Sunday.

Although our Lord was not a sinner, He humbled Himself for our sakes, and suffered all that He asks of us. He did not need baptism; baptism, rather, needed the power of Christ [St. John Chrysostom]. By His power, baptism can now wash away our sins, making our souls a fit habitation for the Holy Spirit.

After having humbled Himself, He was exalted. Coming out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him as a Dove, and a voice from Heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." [Matthew 3:16-17]

May we follow His path through the troubles and humiliations of this life towards God the Father, Who has made us and has prepared a lasting home for us.

Feast of the Holy Family

2011-01-09T07:09:00.008-06:00

"And not finding Him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking Him."
(Luke 2:45, from today's Gospel reading)

May all who do not have Jesus seek him in the new Jerusalem, which is the Church, and there may we be unified as one family, at peace with one another and doing God's will.

Epiphany Prayer

2011-01-06T00:01:00.001-06:00

Thou, O Lord, art the Star of truth, that riseth out of Jacob, and the man that springeth from Israel. In the new Star thou showest thyself as God, and lying in the Crib God and Man, we confess thee to be the one Christ. In thy great mercy grant us the grace of seeing thee, and show unto us the radiant sign of thy light, whereby all the darkness of our sins may be put to flight: that so we who now languish with the desire of seeing thee, may be refreshed with the enjoyment of that blissful vision. Amen.

(From the Mozarabic Breviary - source).

The Holy Name of Jesus

2011-01-02T09:58:00.011-06:00

In the Name of Jesus let every knee bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth: and let every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.

O Lord our Lord: how admirable is Thy Name in the whole earth!

(The last hymn of the last Mass in St. William's Catholic Church
Dorchester, Massachusetts, August 30, 2004).

Fidelity to the Word

"something extra I need"

Adventures in Catholicism

A Day of Rest

Salute to a Happy Warrior...

Another small milestone

Cardinal-Prefect Cañizares on receiving Holy Communion

Second Sunday After the Epiphany

Dominus Est

Epiphany

The Most Holy Name of Jesus

Feast of the Circumcision

Unfriend to traditional Catholics?

A Happy and Blessed Christmas to You

John 1:1-14 (Douay Rheims)

O Emmanuel

O Rex Gentium

O Oriens

O Clavis David

O Radix Jesse

Fullness of Time

Galatians 4:4-6 (Douay Rheims)

O Adonai

O Sapientia

Ember Saturday

Ember Friday

Ember Wednesday

May This be a Day of Healing

Creator Alme Siderum

Silent Monks sing the Hallelujah Chorus

Remain in the Peace of God

A New Translation

Prayers for a "Theology of Liberation"

Saint Song

The Vision of Dabheoc

Psalm 8

Prayer to St.Michael

Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows

Father dies saving son

Cantate Domino

Ave Maris Stella

A Prayer for Healing

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

A Glimpse at Calvary through the Mass

Prayer for Two Weak Men

Sacred Heart of Jesus

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Sts. Peter and Paul

"Teach Us to Pray"

Society of the Sacred Heart

Sunday Within the Octave of Corpus Christi

William of Mt. Virgine

He must increase

Corpus Christi

Trinity Sunday

Pentecost

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Nine

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Eight

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Seven

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Six

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Five

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Four

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Three

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day Two

Novena to the Holy Ghost, Day One

Ascension Thursday

Rogation Days

A Bad Pope, but a Saint of God

Good Shepherd Sunday

First Holy Communion

Be Not Faithless, but Believing, Alleluia

Only the Priest Could Distribute Holy Communion

On the Minister of Holy Communion

The Resurrection Homily of St. John Chrysostom

Limbo of the Fathers

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

The LambApocalypse 5 (Douay Rheims)

The SupperApocalypse 19:5-9 (Douay Rheims)

The Invitation and WarningApocalypse 3:15-22 (Douay Rheims)

Holy Thursday

The Lamb
Apocalypse 5 (Douay Rheims)

The Supper
Apocalypse 19:5-9 (Douay Rheims)

The Invitation and Warning
Apocalypse 3:15-22 (Douay Rheims)