ALL SAINTS DAY 2013

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT ARE CALLED TO THE MARRIAGE-SUPPER OF THE LAMB!

"I saw a great multitude which no man could number, of all the nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne, and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands: and they cried with a loud voice, saying: 'Salvation to our Lord.'" Apoc. vii. 9,10

This is the day we honor all those who have actually made it into eternal happiness. Good for them. I hope people I know are there. I hope a dream I had years ago is true. I saw my mom get her crown placed on her head by Jesus on one side and His Mother Mary on the other. Then the vision immediately left. It was a really different feeling.

We honor all of the holy saints who have gone before us, and now rest in the bosom of God Himself, just as He promised. And, as our beloved Abbot Gueranger states: Yet the soul faints not, lifting up her eyes to the mountains, she feels that she can rely upon her Lord, and that she is abandoned neither by heaven, which is expecting her arrival, nor by her mother the Church still here on earth. Although purgatory, where justice and peace meet and embrace, is so near the region of endless weeping, it is still accessible to the angels. These august messengers comfort the soul with divine communications: while the blessed in heaven and the just on earth assist her with their prayers and sufferings. She is well assured that sin, the only real evil, can never touch her.

...But as in this world every grace from Jesus comes to us through Mary, so in the next world it is through her that deliverance and all good things are obtained. The Mother of God is queen over all whom her Son has redeemed. Thus the revelations of the saints tell us that she is truly the queen of purgatory: whether she graciously sends the angels of her guard to represent her there, or deigns herself, the beautiful dawn of eternal day, to enter its gloomy precincts, and shed upon its flames the abundant dew of morning.

This is me: The Sabbantine privilege is that Mary herself will come and get us on the first Saturday after our death if we are faithful to her. I like this promise.

Let us, therefore, offer to her this prayer. It was composed in the 14th century by John IV de Langoueznou, abbot of Landevenec, and speaks of his love for our Blessed Mother:


To the suffers in purgatory, whom the burning flame is cleansing and sharp pains are tormenting, may thy compassion bring assistance, O Mary!

Fount accessible to all and washing away their sins, thou aid all, despise none: to the dead who languish in unceasing tortures, stretch forth thy hand, O Mary!

How lovingly do the departed souls sigh towards thee, yearning to be delivered from their sufferings and to be admitted to the sight of thee in the enjoyment of eternal bliss, O Mary!

Hear their groans, and hasten, O Mother, to show the love of thy heart, obtain of Jesus that He would deign to heal them through His own wounds, O Mary!

Thou art the true hope of them that call upon thee: lo! united multitudes cry to thee for their brethren, that thou would appease thy Son, and obtain for them the heavenly reward, O Mary!

In thy goodness, cause the tears thou sees us shed before the feet of the Judge, to extinguish speedily the flames of the avenging fire, that the dear souls may join the angelic choirs, O Mary!

And when the strict examination shall take place at God's terrible judgment, oh, then implore thy Son, the Judge, that we may share the inheritance of the saints, O Mary! AMEN!

Plenary Indulgence for the holy souls in Purgatory

Plenary Indulgence Reminders for First Week in November
November, the month especially dedicated to the Poor Souls, begins tomorrow, with the most richly indulgenced week of the year - we could call it Indulgence Week, for the great generosity with which the spiritual wealth of indulgences is made available by the Church.

There are several plenary indulgences available for the first week in November. They are the following:


For the faithful departed

§ 1. A plenary indulgence, applied exclusively to the souls in Purgatory, is granted to the Christian faithful who:

1° on each single day, from the first to the eighth day in November, devoutly visit a cemetery and, even if only mentally, pray for the faithful departed; [Note: one plenary indulgence for each day, if the usual conditions are met]

2° on the day of Commemoration of All Faithful Departed [November 2] (or, according to the Ordinary, on the preceding or subsequent Sunday, or on the day of the solemnity of All Saints) piously visit a church or oratory and there recite the Pater and the Credo.

The souls in Purgatory need your prayers and sacrifices to expiate their sins so they can enter into glory in Heaven.

CHRIST THE KING!

Tomorrow is the Feast of Christ the King. Hopefully, He will be recognized as the true King He is, especially by the church of the new order. I will let Pope Pius XI explain it to us.


Christ Himself speaks of His Own kingly authority [see link for Bible Citations]: in His last discourse, speaking of the rewards and punishments that will be the eternal lot of the just and the damned; in His reply to the Roman magistrate, who asked Him publicly whether He were a king or not; after His resurrection, when giving to His Apostles the mission of teaching and Baptizing all nations, He took the opportunity to call Himself king, confirming the title publicly, and solemnly proclaimed that all power was given Him in Heaven and on earth. These words can only be taken to indicate the greatness of his power, the infinite extent of His kingdom. What wonder, then, that He Whom St. John calls the "prince of the kings of the earth" appears in the Apostle's vision of the future as He Who "hath on His garment and on His thigh written 'King of kings and Lord of lords!'." It is Christ Whom the Father "hath appointed heir of all things"; "for He must reign until at the end of the world He hath put all his enemies under the feet of God and the Father."

It was surely right, then, in view of the common teaching of the sacred books, that the Catholic Church, which is the kingdom of Christ on earth, destined to be spread among all men and all nations, should with every token of veneration salute her Author and Founder in her annual liturgy as King and Lord, and as King of Kings. And, in fact, she used these titles, giving expression with wonderful variety of language to one and the same concept, both in ancient psalmody and in the Sacramentaries.

Pope Pius XI, Encyclical Letter, QUAS PRIMAS, #11-12; 1925


As our beloved Abbot Gueranger states:

'Today we sadly behold 'a world undone',largely paganized in principles and outlook, and, in recent years(remember 'The Liturgical year' was written, or at least published, in 1927), in one country even glorying in the name 'pagan'. At the best, governments mostly ignore God; and, at the worst, openly fight against Him, as we of today are witnessing in the Old World and the New. Even the statesmen's (or today's statespersons') well-meant efforts to find a remedy for present ills and, above all, to secure world peace, prove futile because, whereas peace is from Christ, and possibly only in the Kingdom of Christ, His name is never mentioned throughout their deliberations or their documents. Christ is kept out of the state schools and seats of higher education; and the rising generations seem to be taught anything and everything save to know, love and serve Him.

...To repair the crime of lese-divinity, which denies God's rights over the human society whose author He is, we must exalt Jesus Christ as King over all individuals, families, and peoples. If His universal royalty be proclaimed and His reign in society recognized, one of the principal evils of the modern world--the secularizing of public and private life--will be attacked at its roots. Hence we have the special exhortation of the Feast of this divine Kingship.


Let us end with the Gradual for this Sunday:

He shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

And all kings of the earth shall adore Him: all nations shall serve Him.

His power is an everlasting power, that shall not be taken away: and His Kingdom that shall not be destroyed. Alleluia.



Christ, the King of Heaven, Earth, and all things, have mercy on us.

'May the Most Holy, Most Sacred, Most Adorable, Most Mysterious and unutterable Name of God be always praised, blessed, loved, adored and glorified in heaven, on earth and under the earth, by all the creatures of God, and by the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Amen.'

Just a thought
We're in the midst of climate change--one that's getting colder and colder toward religion.
Council of Trent, on the Sacraments.

22nd/23rd Sundays after Pentecost

Last Sunday, the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost, we heard about giving to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to give to God what is His. What is His is you and me individually. This means giving your whole mind, your whole heart, your whole soul, and your whole being to Him. He has created us, and He wants us to be with Him forever in heaven, if we but follow His rules.

We had St. Luke this week as one of our days. He was one of the four Evangelists, signified by an ox. He took his place with the others; the man, the lion, and the eagle, all signifying the 'Big Four', as I like to call them. He was with St. Paul so much during his life that some think that he(Paul) might have contributed much to Luke's Gospel, without putting his(Paul's) name on it. Something to think about, I think.

Yesterday we had St. Raphael, the Archangel, one of the seven, who stands before the throne of God Himself. He was in the book of Tobias in the Old Testament. The protestants don't have this book, and I think that's because it talks about Catholic things. Their loss, because this is one of my favorite books to read. I'm going to end this with the prayer from the Ambrosian breviary, in honor of St. Raphael.


O Raphael, divinely sent guide, graciously receive the hymn we suppliants address to thee with joyful voice.

Make straight for us the way of salvation, and forward our steps: lest at any time we wander astray, and turn from the path to heaven.

Look down upon us from on high; reflect into our souls the splendour shining from above, from the Holy Father of lights.

Give perfect health to the sick, dispel the darkness of the blind: and while driving away diseases of the body, give spiritual strength to our souls.

Thou who standest before the sovereign Judge, plead for the pardon of our crimes: and as a trusty advocate appease the avenging wrath of the Most High.

Renewer of the great battle, crush our proud enemy: against the rebel spirits give us strength, and increase our grace.

To God the Father be glory, and to the Son, together with the Paraclete Spirit, now and for evermore. Amen.


It's good to be back, and I hope to see you this Sunday.

21st Sunday after Pentecost

Tomorrow is the 21st Sunday after Pentecost. But first, some comments about the Holy Father going to consecrate the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is NOT what Our Lady asked for at Fatima in 1917. This Sunday is the 13th, which is the anniversary day of the Great Miracle at Fatima, which was seen by 60,000 who were there, as well as thousands from miles away. She had showed the children hell with all its torments earlier in one of her visits. She foresaw what would happen to the world if her requests were not made. WARS! She said that there would be a falling away from the Faith, even by those in high offices. This has happened over and over since that time. She promised peace if she was obeyed in her request to have Russia, by name, consecrated to her Immaculate Heart, in union with ALL the Bishops of the world on the same day and at the same time. This has not happened as she wished! Does anybody see peace anywhere in the world? NO! Popes have consecrated the world before, and even Pope Pius XII consecrated Russia by name, but he did NOT have all the Bishops with his wishes. It has NOT been done as she requested, yet. Anyone who thinks it has been done has not read the message of Fatima. This message corresponds with the message of Our Lady at Akita, Japan. Look it up!

And now, to this week's readings. Readings during this time of year are telling us to beware of tripping over our sins. The books of Maccabees are to be used at this time to inspirit us for the final combats. In the book of Job, he tells us 'The life of man upon earth is a warfare.' I'm going to focus on the Epistle from St. Paul to the Ephesians, because I like these verses. He tells us how to fight these battles.


EPISTLE (Ephes. vi. 10-17.) Brethern, Be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of his power. Put you on the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil: for our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in high places. Therefore take unto you the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breast-plate of justice, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace: in all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of, the most wicked one: and take unto you the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.

Our beloved Abbot Gueranger will help us understand, hopefully with my paraphrasing:

'the Most High is pleased at seeing a battle well fought by His Christian soldiers. There is no name so frequently
applied to Him by the prophets as that of the God of hosts. His divine Son, who is the Spouse, shows Himself here on earth as the Lord who is mighty in battle...United to her divine Lord, warriors the most valiant stand about her; they merit that privilege by their well-proved sword and their skill in war; each one of them has his sword ready, because of the night surprises which the enemy may use against this most dear Church. For until the dawn of the eternal day, when the shadows of this present life are put to flight by the light of the Lamb, who will then have vanquished all His enemies, power is in the hands of the rulers of the world of this darkness; and it is against them that we must take to ourselves the armor of God; we must wear it all, if we would be able to resist in the evil day.

The evil days are frequent in the life of every individual, as likewise in the world's history. But for every man, and for the world at large, there is one evil day, evil beyond all the others: it is the last day, the day of judgment, the day of exceeding bitterness, on account of the woe and misery which are to fill it...Happy those who, on that day, shall fight the good fight, and win victory! Who shall stand, while all around them is ruin? Those who stand in all things perfect! They shall not be hurt by the second death. They are wreathed with the crown of justice, they shall reign with God, on His throne, together with His Son.

The war is an easy one, when we have this God-Man for our Leader. All He asks of us is: "Be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of His power!"...The faithful soul remembers that the armor she wears is the armor of God. It is thrilling to hear the prophets describing Jesus, our Leader, armed for battle, with all the pieces we to are to wear: He girds Himself with the girdle of faith(Isa.xi.5); then, the shield of invincible equity(Wisdom v.19); and finally a magnificently tempered sword, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God(Apoc. ii. 16). St. John says that the victory which overcomes the world is our FAITH.(1 John v. 4). St. Paul, at the end of his career as an Apostle, says: "I have kept the Faith". (2 Tim. iv. 7) It is Faith in spite of fearful odds that ensures the victory to men of good will. And, as Paul tells, it is not flesh and blood that we fight, it is against the powers of darkness, who are in the air around us, and are, therefore, invisible, and most skilled, and powerful, and wonderfully up in all the sad secrets of our poor fallen nature, and turning the whole weight of their advantages to trick man, and ruin him, out of hatred for God.

How are we to wrestle with these spiritual principalities and powers who devote all their wisdom and rage to produce darkness, so to turn the whole world into a world of darkness? St. John Chrysostom says the way to do it is by 'becoming light'...our Faith gives as though we saw it with our own eyes...Better than a breastplate or helmet, the shield of faith protects us from every sort of injury; it blunts the fiery darts of the world, it repels the fury of our own passions, it makes us far-seeing enough to escape the most artful snares of the most wicked ones. Satan has a horror of the Christian who, though he may be weak in other respects, is strong in this divine word. He has a greater fear of that man than he has of all the schools and professors of philosophy; he knows well that at every encounter he will be crushed beneath his feet...the triumphant Archangel Michael hurled the devil into hell, and he himself, by that word of God(Michael), and by that victory for God, was made our model and our defender.

The Lord has ever been the refuge of His people: His goodness, like His power, was before all ages, because He is God from all eternity. May He, therefore, now protect His faithful servants, who, reduced to a scanty number as Israel was of old, are preparing the last exodus of the Church, which is leaving this infidel world, and is hastening to the true land of promise.

To end, the prayer of the Magnificat at Vespers:

Preserve thy family, O Lord, we beseech thee, by thy constant mercy: that, under thy protection, it may be freed from all adversities, and be devoted to thy Name in the practice of good works.

Our Lady of the Rosary

This devotion is needed more than ever these days, to help Faithful Christians to battle the evil of the world, and especially to confront Islam, which thinks God is a God of vengeance, and , therefore, needs to kill off all of the non-believers of the world who don't conform to their messed-up thinking. God is a GOD of mercy, loves us all, but will punish those who don't conform to Him. Our Lady will help us if we ask. Please ask!

OUR LADY of the ROSARY
(Commemorating the Victory of Lepanto)
(1571)

In thanksgiving for the victory of Lepanto, an ancient stronghold of Greece and a modern port of that nation, Saint Pius V in 1571 instituted an annual feast in honor of Our Lady of Victory. Two years later, Gregory XIII changed this title to Our Lady of the Rosary; in 1740, Clement XII extended the feast to the universal Church.

We have related in the life of Saint Pius V the victory of Lepanto; here we will speak of the Rosary itself, granted to Saint Dominic by Our Lady Herself in the thirteenth century, with promises of the greatest blessings for those who recite it well. The Rosary of fifteen decades affords a simple means of meditation on the principal mysteries of our holy Religion, and a means of drawing closer to the Saviour through the intercession of the One to whom He never refuses anything. One can also say the chaplet of five decades, since the fifteen are divided into three groups of five: The Joyful, the Sorrowful, and the Glorious Mysteries of the life of Christ.

On the crucifix, one recites the Credo or Apostles' Creed, which the Apostles themselves composed at the first Council of Jerusalem, before their definitive separation, thereby resolving the question of what exactly should be taught to the neophytes. By it we honor the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity and express our faith in the Church established by God; in the Communion of the faithful, whether living or deceased; in the pardon of sins, the general resurrection at the end of the world, and eternal life.

Before each decade, the Pater or Our Father, taught by our Saviour Himself when His Apostles asked how they should pray, includes three petitions for the glory of God in heaven: May His Name be sanctified, rendered holy in the sight of all nations; may His Kingdom come - the interior reign of God which renders Him the Sovereign governing every heart and mind by His love - this, while we await Christ's own final return as visible King of His Church and all creation; thirdly, may His Will be accomplished on earth, to perfection, as it is in heaven. There follow four petitions for ourselves and our salvation. We ask, under the general term of "our daily bread," that God provide for all our needs, both spiritual and material; we beg His forgiveness for our sins, in the same measure we have forgiven our neighbor's offenses, real or imaginary. And we implore to be spared temptation or to be delivered from succumbing to it and all other evils that would separate us from God.

In the Ave Maria or Hail Mary, we repeat the words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1:18), repeated and augmented by Saint Elizabeth at the Visitation (Luke 1:42), adding the invocation of the Church for Her aid at the present moment and at the formidable hour of our death.

After each decade, we add the Gloria Patri or Doxology, to honor the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity.

The Joyful Mysteries: The Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity of Jesus, the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, the Finding of Jesus in the Temple.

The Sorrowful Mysteries: The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Scourging at the Pillar, the Crowning with Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross, the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.

The Glorious Mysteries: The Resurrection, the Ascension, the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, the Assumption of Mary, the Crowning of the Blessed Virgin in Heaven.

Can one imagine a more perfect prayer than the Holy Rosary of the Queen of Heaven, the Blessed Virgin and Mother Mary? It would require large volumes or even an entire library to narrate the graces and miracles that have been obtained by its humble recitation.

Pope Leo XIII was particularly devoted to Our Lady of the Rosary, producing 11 encyclicals on the subject of this feast and its importance in the course of his long pontificate.

In the first of them, 1883's “Supremi Apostolatus Officio,” he echoed the words of the oldest known Marian prayer (known in the Latin tradition as the “Sub Tuum Praesidium”), when he wrote, “It has always been the habit of Catholics in danger and in troublous times to fly for refuge to Mary.”

“This devotion, so great and so confident, to the august Queen of Heaven,” Pope Leo continued, “has never shone forth with such brilliancy as when the militant Church of God has seemed to be endangered by the violence of heresy … or by an intolerable moral corruption, or by the attacks of powerful enemies.” Foremost among such “attacks” was the battle of Lepanto, a perilous and decisive moment in European and world history.

Now, a recalling of the battle itself:
The Battle of Lepanto was a naval engagement that took place between the ships of the Catholic Holy League under Don Juan of Austria and the navy of the Ottoman Empire under Ali Pasha, supported by a large fleet of corsairs. The Ottoman Empire was far too powerful for any one Christian kingdom to stand against, and although all of Western Europe was threatened, only Spain, the Papal States, the Duchy of Savoy, the Republic of Venice, the Republic of Genoa, and the Knights of Saint John took a stand against them. Altogether they still had only 212 ships against no less than 278 ships.

For hundreds of years the Ottoman Empire had been making advances into Europe, while also making lightning raids along the coastlines to pillage and take slaves. They intended to eventually overwhelm all of Europe, and at that time Catholics stood almost alone against them as no Protestant force would do anything to oppose the invasion.

The advantage in this contest went strongly to the Turks, and so Pope Pius V implored all of Christendom to pray the Rosary to the Blessed Virgin Mary to obtain her intercession before the throne of God for their victory. Admiral Andrea Doria sailed to meet the Turks with an image of the Blessed Virgin prominently displayed in his flagship’s state room.

The Venetian forces on Cyprus had been under siege by the Turks during the time that the Catholic forces were preparing to meet them. On August 1 they surrendered after being assured that they could leave the island unopposed. The Ottoman commander broke his solemn oath, however, taking the Venetians captive and flaying their captain while he was yet alive. Once he had completed this unspeakable torture, his dead body was hung from a spar on Mustafa’s flagship alongside the heads of all the Venetian commanders. This was the type of barbarism the Catholic forces sailed to oppose.

The engagement took place on the 7th of October, 1571, only 6 years after the Knights of Saint John defeated a powerful Ottoman army at Malta. Don Juan of Austria encouraged his men by telling them that “There is no paradise for cowards.” If they should lose the engagement, the Mediterranean Sea would be opened up to assist future Ottoman invasions. Victory would mean at least a brief reprieve.

The Ottoman Turks had not lost any significant naval engagements in the memory of any living man, yet they were defeated. It was widely recognized that the battle was won through the power of Mary, Our Lady of Victory. TheTurks had come up like fire from the East, plundering, raping, enslaving, threatening to master the whole of Christendom, but had been defeated at Lepanto through the power of the Rosary.

The Turks had lost nearly 9 of every 10 ships, and 30,000 men went to a watery grave. The Holy League lost only 17 galleys and 7,500 men. Many historians rank Lepanto as the most decisive naval engagement since the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, proving to the Christians that the Turks could be beaten. Although the Turks soon rebuilt their fleet, many of their best soldiers and sailors were already dead at Malta and Lepanto.

This feast also celebrates another Christian victory, as in 1716, Mary, Queen of Victory, was chosen to protect her children again at Petenwardein. This battle was fought on August 5, 1716, between the Austrian army of Prince Eugene and the Turks at Peterwardein in Hungary, and it was also won through the power of Mary Most Holy.

To help equip the Christian army against the Turks, Pope Clement XI emptied the Papal treasury.

The two armies met on the morning of the feast of Our Lady of the Snows; the Christian army was outnumbered ten to three; the enemy had the advantage of position; but the Christian strength lay in the right of their cause and in Mary, who watched over them. The battle was long and hot, but, behind the lines in the churches of Europe, Catholics prayed: their prayers were heard. That evening the sun set on a free Hungary. Mary’s men had won the day; Mary’s banner floated victoriously over a Christian land.

The news filled the Christian world with joy, but nowhere more than at Rome. In thanksgiving to the Mother of God for her help, glorious, solemn, pontifical ceremonies of gratitude were held in the basilica of Saint Mary. After Lepanto, Pius V instituted the feast of the Holy Rosary in Rome, and Clement XI extended it to the world.

Today other more sinister errors eat at the heart of Christian culture: Naturalism undermining man’s faith in God and himself. Communism is Mary’s enemy; it transforms the state into a god to which men must be sacrificed. Men are children of God, sons of Mary, not slaves of the state.

Against the errors of our time, we must appeal to Mary; she is our guide, our Queen of Victories and of Peace. For her and for her blessed Son we struggle, and on her powerful intercession with the Prince of Peace we place our trust.

We struggle today to preserve our birthright as sons of God. Never in her history has America been so evidently on God’s side. And Mary, our Mother, the Queen of Victory and of Peace, stands for our final victory, for our peace. Victory and peace must and will be ours, if we cling to the Mother of God. Mary will again crush the head of the Serpent, and this time, again, by means of her Rosary, if we have recourse to her through it.


I'm sorry this is posted so late. I'm old, retired, and therefore, my days and hours are all the same. Our Blessed Mother must be soooooo patient and understanding.

20th Sunday after Pentecost

Tomorrow we hear again about the stubborn Jews, who are represented by the sick boy. We learn what we already know, to go to Jesus. Our Faith will help us and save us, and only by this will we be saved. The Jews knew the eternal secret in the olden days, but seemed to have lost it, although some still tried to hold on to it. The secret is this, as it was then, is now, and will be for all ages till the end of time: it consists in the humble avowal of the sinner's falls, in the regret of the culprit, and in the sure confidence that God's mercy is infinitely above the sins of men, however grievous those sins may have been.

God's will is that we all will be with Him for all eternity. However, we know that 'all' will NOT be there! As our beloved Abbot Gueranger states:

'If was our Lord Who bought time, and at a great price; and He bought it for us, that it might be employed by His faithful servants in procuring glory for God. By most men it is squandered away in sin or folly; but those who are united to Christ, as living members to the Spouse of their souls, will redeem it--that is, they will put such an intensity into their faith and their love that, as far as it is possible for human nature, not a moment of their time shall be anything but an earnest tribute of service to their Lord. To the insolent and blasphemous things which are then to be spoken by the beast, these determined servants of God will give, for their brave answer, the cry of St. Michael the Archangel, which he uttered against satan, the helper of the beast: "Who is like unto God"?

...There is one remedy for all this, and only one: it is the zeal of the pastors, and the prayers of that portion of Christ's flock which has withstood the torrent of universal corruption. But it is of the utmost importance that, on this point, the faithful and their pastors should lay aside all personal considerations, and thoroughly enter into the spirit which animates the Church herself. Though treated with the most revolting ingratitude, and injustice, and calumny, and treachery of every sort, this mother of mankind(the Church) forgets all these her own wrongs, and thinks only of the true prosperity and salvation of the very countries which despise her. She is well aware that the time is at hand when God will make justice triumphant; and yet she goes on struggling, as Jacob did, with God, until the dawn of that terrible day, foretold by David and the Sibyl. At the thought of the pool of fire, into which her rebellious children are to be plunged, she seems to have almost forgotten the approach of the eternal nuptials, and lost her vehement longings as a bride. One would say that she thinks of nothing but of her being a mother; and, as such, she keeps of praying as she has always prayed, only more fervently than ever, that the end may be deferred (pro mora finis).

That we may fulfill her wishes, let us, as Tertullian says, 'assemble together in one body, that we may, so to speak, offer armed force to God by our prayers. God loves such violence as that.' But that our prayer may have power of that kind, it must be inspired by a Faith which is thorough, and proof against every difficulty. As it is our Faith which overcomes the world, so it is, likewise,our Faith which triumphs over God, even is cases which seem beyond all human hope. Let us do as our mother does, and think of the danger incurred by those countless, who madly play on the brink of the precipice, into which, when they fall, they fall forever. It is quite true they are inexcusable; it was only last Sunday that they were reminded of the weeping and gnashing of teeth, in the exterior darkness, which they will undergo that despise the call to the King's marriage-fest. But, they are our brethren, and we should not be quietly resigned to see them lose their souls. Let us hope against all hope. Did our Lord, Who knew with certainty that obstinate sinners would be lost, hesitate, on that account, to shed all His Blood for them?

It is our ambition to unite ourselves to Him by the closest possible resemblance; let us, then, be resolved to imitate Him in that also; at all events, let us pray without ceasing for the Church's and our enemies, so long as we are not assured of their being lost. Such prayer is never useless, never thrown away; for, come what may, God is greatly honored by their Faith, and by the earnestness of our charity.

Only, let us be careful not to merit the reproach uttered by our Redeemer against the halting faith of the fellow townsmen of the ruler of Capharnaum. We know that our Jesus has no need to come down from heaven to earth, in order to give efficiency to the commands of His gracious will. If He deign to multiply signs and wonders around us, we will rejoice at them, because of our brethren who are weak of faith; we will make them an occasion for exalting His holy Name; but we will lovingly assure Him that our soul has no need of new proofs of His power, in order to believe in Him!'


Of course, in these days, these enemies are within the walls of the Church! They most certainly need prayers for their conversion. Our Lord said: "...he is either with Me or against Me..." and "...not everyone who says "Lord, Lord' will enter in heaven...


I'm going to end with words from St. Athanasius, who, speaking to those with the true Faith, but were almost to the point of despair:

Words of Encouragement from St. Athanasius

... to the early Christians of the 4th century who refused to accept the Arian heresy, Christians who had lost their Church buildings to the heretics, but Christians who kept the faith. In the 21st century, we are in a quite similar situation.

St. Athanasius was a Doctor of the Church. He lived from 296 to 373 A.D.


“May God console you! ... What saddens you ... is the fact that others have occupied the Churches by violence, while during this time you are on the outside. It is a fact that they have the premises -- but you have the apostolic faith. They can occupy our churches, but they are outside the true faith. You remain outside the places of worship, but the faith dwells within you. Let us consider: what is more important, the place or the faith? The true faith, obviously. Who has lost and who has won in this struggle -- the one who keeps the premises or the one who keeps the faith?

“True, the premises are good when the apostolic faith is preached there; they are holy if everything takes place there in a holy way ...

“You are the ones who are happy; you who remain within the Church by your faith, who hold firmly to the foundations of the faith which has come down to you from apostolic tradition, and if an execrable jealously has tried to shake it in a number of occasions, it has not succeeded. They are the ones who have broken away from it in the present crisis.

“No one, ever, will prevail against your faith, beloved brothers, and we believe that God will give us our Churches back some day.

“Thus, the more violently they try to occupy the places of worship, the more they separate themselves from the Church. They claim that they represent the Church but in reality they are the ones who are expelling themselves from it and going astray.

“Even if Catholics faithful to tradition are reduced to a handful, they are the ones who are the true Church of Jesus Christ."

St. Therese of the Child Jesus

Today we honor St. Therese of the Child Jesus, also called 'The Little Flower'. She said that she would do her most good from heaven by a shower of roses. This is so true. She once answered me at the end of a novena to her, and she answered with a strong smell of roses in the month of February. It does work. However, you have to really mean it and try to concentrate on what you're saying at the time. Give it a shot.

St. Therese, "the little flower"


Therese Martin was the last of nine children born to Louis and Zelie Martin on January 2, 1873, in Alencon, France. However, only five of these children lived to reach adulthood. Precocious and sensitive, Therese needed much attention. Her mother died when she was 4 years old. As a result, her father and sisters babied young Therese. She had a spirit that wanted everything.

At the age of 14, on Christmas Eve in 1886, Therese had a conversion that transformed her life. From then on, her powerful energy and sensitive spirit were turned toward love, instead of keeping herself happy. At 15, she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux to give her whole life to God. She took the religious name Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Living a hidden, simple life of prayer, she was gifted with great intimacy with God. Through sickness and dark nights of doubt and fear, she remained faithful to God, rooted in His merciful love. After a long struggle with tuberculosis, she died on September 30, 1897, at the age of 24. Her last words were the story of her life: "My God, I love You!"

The world came to know Therese through her autobiography, "Story of a Soul". She described her life as a "little way of spiritual childhood." She lived each day with an unshakable confidence in God's love. "What matters in life," she wrote, "is not great deeds, but great love." Therese lived and taught a spirituality of attending to everyone and everything well and with love. She believed that just as a child becomes enamored with what is before her, we should also have a childlike focus and totally attentive love. Therese's spirituality is of doing the ordinary, with extraordinary love.

Therese saw the seasons as reflecting the seasons of God's love affair with us. St Therese, age 23 She loved flowers and saw herself as the "little flower of Jesus," who gave glory to God by just being her beautiful little self among all the other flowers in God's garden. Because of this beautiful analogy, the title "little flower" remained with St. Therese.

Her inspiration and powerful presence from heaven touched many people very quickly. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 17, 1925. Had she lived, she would have been only 52 years old when she was declared a Saint.
St Therese as a Saint

"My mission - to make God loved - will begin after my death," she said. "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses." Roses have been described and experienced as Saint Therese's signature. Countless millions have been touched by her intercession and imitate her "little way." She has been acclaimed "the greatest saint of modern times." In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared St. Therese a Doctor of the Church - the only Doctor of his pontificate - in tribute to the powerful way her spirituality has influenced people all over the world.

Guardian angels

A few days ago we honored the choirs of angels, especially st. Michael. Today we honor those spirits who have been given custody of us by their and our Creator. They're always at our side, protecting and watching over us, and helping us when we need it. The following words are from St. Ambrose, a Doctor of the Church concerning our guardians, and how safe we should be:

"Air and earth and ocean, everything is full of angels. Eliseus, besieged by a whole army, felt no fear; for he beheld invisible cohorts assisting him. May the prophet open thine eyes also; may the enemy, be he legion, not terrify thee; thou thinkest thyself hemmed in, and thou art free; there are more with us than with them."

HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS

God does not abandon to what we call "chance," any of His creatures. By His essence and providence He is everywhere present; not a sparrow falls to the ground, nor a hair from our heads, without His consent. He is not content, however, with assisting His creation daily and at every moment, with sustaining His handiwork, which without His continuous support would return to dust. His divine and infinite Love, not only maintaining the existence which He gives and perpetuates in living beings, has charged His Holy Angels with the ministry of watching and safeguarding each one of His rational creatures.

The Angels, divided into nine hierarchies, have varied obligations. Their intelligence and prudence are penetrating like the beam of a lighthouse; so it appears even when we compare it to the best of human intelligences, which are like the light of a little candle in contrast. An Angel, visualizing an end to be attained, sees instantly the means necessary to achieve it, whereas we must pray, study, deliberate, inquire, and choose during many phases of effort, in order to reach our proposed ends.

Kingdoms have their Angels assigned to them; dignitaries of the Church and of the world have more than one Angel to guide them; and every child who enters into the world receives a Guardian Angel. Our Lord says in the Gospel: "Beware lest you scandalize any of these little ones, for their Angels in heaven behold the face of My Father." Thus the existence of Guardian Angels is a dogma of the Christian faith, based on Holy Scripture itself.

Thank you 'Califactory.org'.