tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28863497837236060162024-03-05T18:05:12.228-05:00Conscientious CatholicAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.comBlogger2397125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-29090552870131552712019-03-11T09:00:00.002-04:002019-03-11T09:00:45.372-04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My beloved husband Jon (Conscientious Catholic) died 3-10-19 of complications from a fairly routine surgery. He loved helping to spread the Roman Catholic faith. Thank you to all who followed his Blog or posted kind comments. It would be a great blessing if you would pray for his soul. Blessings. <br />
Mrs. Conscientious Catholic</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-39048952103548687472019-02-23T19:06:00.000-05:002019-02-23T19:06:09.017-05:00St. Peter Damian<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>SAINT PETER DAMIAN<br /> Cardinal/ Bishop<br /> (988-1072)</strong><br />
<strong><br />St. Peter Damian</strong>, born in 988, lost both his parents at an early age. His eldest brother, to whose hands he was left, treated him so cruelly that another brother, a priest, moved by his piteous state, sent him to the University of Parma, where he acquired great distinction. His studies were sanctified by vigils, fasts, and prayers, until at last, thinking that all this was only serving God halfway, he resolved to leave the world. He joined the monks of Fonte Avellano, then in the greatest repute, and by his wisdom and sanctity rose to be Superior.<br />
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St. Peter was called upon for the most delicate and difficult missions, among others the reform of ecclesiastical communities, which his zeal accomplished. Seven Popes in succession made him their constant adviser, and he was finally created Cardinal Bishop of Ostia. He withstood Henry IV of Germany, and labored in defense of Pope Alexander II against an antipope, whom he forced to yield and seek pardon. He was charged, as papal legate, with the repression of simony and correction of scandals; again, was commissioned to settle discords amongst various bishops; and finally, in 1072, to adjust the affairs of the Church at Ravenna. He had never paid attention to his health, which was at best fragile, and after enduring violent onslaughts of fever during the night, would rise to hear confessions, preach, or sing solemn Masses, always ready to sacrifice his well-being and life for the salvation of the souls entrusted to him.<br />
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Peter was instrumental in propagating many devout practices; among these may be mentioned, fasting on Fridays in honor of the Holy Cross; the reciting of the <i><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Little Office of our Lady</span></i></i>; and the keeping the Saturday as a day especially devoted to Mary.<br />
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After succeeding in this final mission as he ordinarily did, on his journey back to Ostia he was laid low by fever; he died at Faenza, on February 23, in a monastery of his Order, on the eighth day of his sickness, while the monks chanted Matins around him. His relics are kept in the Cisterian Church in Faenza, and is the Patron Saint of it too.<br />
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Not only is he called a <b>'Confessor' and Bishop</b>, but <b><b>Pope Leo XII </b></b>added to his name the title of <b><b>Doctor of the Church.</b></b> A quote from this Saint: <i>"It is not sinners, but the wicked who should despair; it is not the magnitude of one's crime, but contempt of God that dashes ones hopes." </i><br />
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Following is what was happening in the Church during his time (Homosexuality?):<br />
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In an open letter to Pope Leo IX, St. Peter Damian tells bishops if they’re complacent about correcting their sodomite clerics under their authority then they’ll be complicit in their sins of impurity.<br />
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In his zealous letter penned in 1049, famously titled <em><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gomorrah-Damians-Struggle-Ecclesiastical-Corruption/dp/0996704205/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519229917&sr=8-1&keywords=book+of+gomorrah"><span style="color: #1e73be;">The Book of Gomorrah</span></a></em>, St. Peter Damian<span style="color: #f9cb9c;"> </span><a href="http://www.catholicworldreport.com/2015/11/01/saint-peter-damian-gomorrah-and-todays-moral-crisis/"><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">admonishes</span></a> bishops to stamp out the “epidemic of sodomy among the priests of Italy,” which was part of a “plague of sexual perversion” and a “larger crisis of moral laxity in the priesthood” of his time.<br />
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In his letter, St. Peter<span style="color: white;"> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gomorrah-Damians-Struggle-Ecclesiastical-Corruption/dp/0996704205/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519229917&sr=8-1&keywords=book+of+gomorrah"><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">decried</span></a> the silent bishops who failed to take action against clerics immersed in the grievous moral perversion of sodomy:<br />
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Listen, you do-nothing superiors of clerics and priests. Listen, and even though you feel sure of yourselves, tremble at the thought that you are partners in the guilt of others; those, I mean, who wink at the sins of their subjects that need correction and who by ill-considered silence allow them license to sin. Listen, I say, and be shrewd enough to understand that all of you alike are deserving of death, that is, not only those who do such things, but also they who approve those who practice them.<br />
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For his part, <strong>Pope Leo IX</strong> received St. Peter’s letter well and reinforced it by urging bishops to take action. The Holy Father<span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=4f8b769d13&view=att&th=161b66cbb4d3c67b&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_jdwiy1lg0&safe=1&zw&sadnir=1&saddbat=ANGjdJ-ZAhNVcBMdUkiBjGFFkZ6H-H3Ivgg7SVOL-tkcKI8SnUpr7sctTodUyWHeYdvb-9tT7kW0d5WU68sgobYQ3tX0OzGFym_3QPhhHCHYxc0vBpRFhAQDXY4yLti2LgUtVXMJJgTvZvMCj9U_ta4nxXu4BihDbL-_CMEgJYhDPjR27SHixX3xkPX502eXs5CeyPeYDBabO40dDItg33mCled92QKZbWcdKkASawn9KM4pYHeNBgHR6m9zI6ar-QZm_rgR6_C_TAmF-RCG5c0986qKlBBbDZmm6lkrTPsVYf7-qtFloCeZnw19OqLXh-R_3QiwwnnX87l6OgjMW3llbPdqaAyjT6FuvkwplAUVIQBvFPXPgGyO598wPVKwbzousXZP_3iz5EiLo4AGRGvOwSGtaw6XFDzmXcK160tcW8loJBBecdQ4bjm8Xt44og9sNhHG_xNIK-qCqHGQYONaX90QC-HTloMX-ievjq121qnVDSILgD5srA6PmNa4KGuxzk2wRc3gjDJOQBGLUgUo3KOwft_rd8CnuzfsnARStUoBCMbvuQ3oDewgtDZmjARDsBmPjQLJ4STL8yob4UdEFhuyRMam813YWLHQdQ"><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">responded</span></a><span style="color: black;">:</span><br />
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<em>'So, let it be certain and evident to all that we are in agreement with everything your book contains, opposed as it is like water to the fire of the devil. … Therefore, lest the wantonness of this foul impurity be allowed to spread unpunished, it must be repelled by proper repressive action of apostolic severity.'</em><br />
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The Roman Pontiff affirmed that silent shepherds do indeed share in the guilt of those in their charge, whom they fail to correct. <em>“For he who does not attack vice, but deals with it lightly, is rightly judged to be guilty of his death, along with the one who dies in sin,”</em> said Leo IX.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-10789273841517918232019-02-21T07:14:00.000-05:002019-02-21T07:14:53.311-05:00St. Peter's Chair at Rome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today we honor the fact that the first Pope, Peter, actually was in Rome and set the city up as the center of the new Religion; the one set up by Christ Himself. Some say that he was never there, or that Paul should have been the first pope (even though he came years later); I call them <strong>IDIOTS!</strong><br />
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<span style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;"><strong>St. Peter's Chair at Rome</strong></span><br />
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<em> </em>from <em>The Liturgical Year</em>, 1904<br />
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We are in that season of the ecclesiastical year, which is devoted to honouring the Incarnation and Birth of the Son of God, and the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin: it behoves us to remember, especially on this present Feast, that it is to the See of Peter that we owe the preservation of these dogmas, which are the very basis of our holy religion. Rome not only taught them to us when she sent us the saintly missioners who evangelised our country; but, moreover, when heresy attempted to throw its mists and clouds over these high Mysteries, it was Rome that secured the triumph to truth, by her sovereign decision. At Ephesus--when Nestorius was condemned, and the dogma, which he assailed, was solemnly proclaimed, that is, that the Divine Nature and the Human Nature, which are in Christ, make but one Person, and that Mary is consequently, the true Mother of God--the two hundred Fathers of that General Council thus spoke:--"Compelled by the Letters of our Most Holy Father Celestine, Bishop of the Roman Church, we have proceeded, in spite of our tears, to the condemnation of Nestorius." At Chalcedon--where the Church had to proclaim, against Eutyches, the distinction of the two Natures in the Incarnate Word, God and Man--the six hundred and thirty Fathers, after hearing the Letter of the Roman Pontiff, gave their decision, and said: "Peter has spoken by the mouth of Leo."<br />
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Here, then, is the privilege of Rome: to watch by Faith, over the eternal interests of mankind, as she watched previously, for long ages, and by the sword, over the temporal interests of the then known world. Let us love and reverence this City, our Mother and our Guide. Today we are called upon to celebrate her praise; let us do so with filial affection.</div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Sermon from <strong>St. Leo</strong> on the Feast Day of St. Peters Chair in Rome:</span><br />
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When the twelve holy Apostles had received from the Holy Ghost the power to speak all languages, they divided the regions of the earth among themselves as fields for their Gospel labors. Then was Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, sent to the capital city of the Roman Empire, that he might make the light to shine from the head to the whole body of the civilized nations. At that time what nation was there that had no representative in Rome? What nations would be ignorant of what Rome had learned?<br />
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Here were to be refuted the theories of philosophers, here dissolved the vanities of earthly wisdom, here overthrown the worship of devils, here destroyed the impiety of every sacrilege; here, where superstitious zeal had collected all the error and vanity of the world. Therefore to this city, O most blessed Peter thou dost not fear to come, and while thy companion in glory, the Apostle Paul, is still occupied with the government of other churches, thou dost enter this forest of savage beasts, this deep and turbulent ocean, with more boldness than when thou didst walk upon the water.<br />
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Thou hadst already taught those of the circumcision who had been converted; thou hadst founded the Church of Antioch, the first that bore the noble name of Christian; thou hadst published the law of the Gospel throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia; and thou didst not fear for the difficulty of thy work, nor turn back because of thine old age, but didst boldly set up the trophy of the cross of Christ upon those Roman walls, where the Providence of God had appointed the throne of thine honor, and the glorious scene of thy passion. <br />
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<i>(Roman Breviary)</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="St. Peter Antioch"><span style="color: #888888;">St. Peter's Chair at Antioch</span></a></span> <em>by </em><strong>Fr. Prosper Louis P. Gueranger</strong><br />
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We are called upon, a second time, to honour St. Peter's Chair: first, it was his Pontificate in Rome; today, it is his Episcopate at Antioch. The seven years spent by the Prince of the Apostles in the second of these cities, were the grandest glory she ever had; and they are too important a portion of the life of St. Peter to be passed by without being noticed in the Christian Cycle.<br />
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Three years had elapsed since our Lord's Ascension. The Church had already been made fruitful by martyrdom, and from Jerusalem she had spread into distant countries. Antioch, the first of the cities of Asia, had received the Gospel; and it was there, that they who professed the faith of Jesus were first called <span style="color: #6aa84f;">"Christians."</span> Jerusalem was doomed to destruction for her having not only refused to acknowledge, but also for her having crucified, the Messias: it was time for Peter, in whom resided the supreme power, to deprive the faithless City of the honour she had heretofore enjoyed, of possessing within her walls the Chair of the Apostolate. It was towards the Gentiles that the Holy Spirit drove those Clouds, which were shown to Isaias as the symbol of the holy Apostles.(Is. lx. 8.) Accordingly, it was in Antioch, the third Capital of the Roman Empire, that Peter first places the august Throne, on which, as Vice-gerent of Christ, he presides over the Church,--that new family, of which all nations are invited to become members.<br />
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But the progress of the Apostles was so rapid; the conquests they made, in spite of every opposition, were so extensive,--that the Vicar of Christ was inspired to leave Antioch, after he had honoured it with the Chair during the space of seven years. Alexandria, the second City of the Empire, is also to be made a See of Peter; and Rome, the Capital of the world, awaits the grand privilege, for which God had long been preparing her. Onwards, then, does the Prince advance, bearing with him the destinies of the Church; where he fixes his last abode, and where he dies, there will he have his Successor in his sublime dignity of Vicar of Christ. He leaves Antioch, making one of his disciples, Evodius, its Bishop. Evodius succeeds Peter as Bishop of Antioch; but that See is not to inherit the Headship of the Church, which goes whithersoever Peter goes. He sends Mark, another of his disciples, to take possession, in his name, of Alexandria; and this Church he would have he the second in the world, and though he has not ruled it in person, he raises it above that of Antioch. This done, he goes to Rome, where he permanently establishes that Chair, on which he will live, and teach, and rule, in his Successors, to the end of time.<br />
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And here we have the origin of the three great Patriarchal Sees, which were the object of so much veneration in the early ages:--the first, is Rome, which is invested with all the prerogatives of the Prince of the Apostles, which, when dying, he transmitted to her; the second, is Alexandria, which owes her pre-eminence to Peter's adopting her as his second See; the third, is Antioch, whither he repaired in person, when he left Jerusalem to bring to the Gentiles the grace of adoption. If, therefore, Antioch is below Alexandria in rank, Alexandria never enjoyed the honour granted to Antioch,--of having been governed, in person, by him whom Christ appointed to be the supreme Pastor of His Church. Nothing, then, could be more just, than that Antioch should be honoured, in that she has had the privilege of having been, for seven years, the centre of Christendom; and this is the object of today's Feast.<br />
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The Children of the Church have a right to feel a special interest in every solemnity that is kept in memory of St. Peter. The Father's Feast is a Feast for the whole family; for to him it owes its very life. If there be but one fold, it is because there is but one Shepherd. Let us, then, honour Peter's divine prerogative, to which Christianity owes its preservation; and let us often reflect upon the obligations we are under to the Apostolic See. On the Feast of the Chair at Rome, we saw how Faith is taught, and maintained, and propagated by the Mother-Church, which has inherited the promises made to Peter. Today, let us consider the Apostolic See as the sole source of the legitimate Power, whereby mankind is ruled and governed in all that concerns eternal salvation.<br />
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Our Saviour said to Peter: <span style="color: red;"> "To thee will I give the Keys of the Kingdom of heaven"</span> that is to say, of the Church. He said to him, on another occasion: <span style="color: red;">"Feed my lambs, feed my sheep."</span> So that, Peter is Prince; for, in the language of the sacred Scriptures, Keys denote princely power: he is also Pastor, and universal Pastor; for the whole flock is comprised under the two terms, Lambs and Sheep. <br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">Hymn to the Prince of the Apostles </span>by<strong> St. Peter Damian</strong><br />
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<span style="color: #45818e;">O Prince of the Apostolic Senate! Herald of our Lord! First Pastor of the Faithful! watch over the Flock intrusted to thee.<br /><br />Lead us through verdant pastures, feeding us with the nourishment of the Word; and lead us, thus fed, into the heavenly fold, whither thou hast already gone.<br /><br />To thee, Peter, have been delivered the Keys of heaven's gate; and all things, both in heaven and on earth, acknowledge thy authority.<br /><br />Tis thou that choosest the city where is to be established the rock of the true faith, the foundation of the building, on which the Catholic Church stands immoveable.<br /><br />Thy shadow, as thou passest by, heals the sick; and Tabitha, that made garments for the poor, was raised to life at thy bidding.<br /><br />Bound with two chains, thou wast set free by an Angel's power; he bids thee put on thy garments and thy sandals, and lo! the prison door is opened.<br /><br />To the Father unbegotten, and to the Only-Begotten Son, and to the co-equal Spirit of them both, be praise and kingly highest power. Amen. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-67740325878688154422019-02-20T00:05:00.000-05:002019-02-20T00:05:06.901-05:00LENT, a time for discipline<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Seeing how that the penitential season is upon us again (according to the Traditional calendar), it's time for really contemplating our life. Following is something I found years ago, concerning our disposition during the season of Lent. Kind of makes you think:<br />
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<b>LENT…a time for discipline</b><br />
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By Fr. Raymond Zweber<br />
(Taken from the St. Augustine bulletin)<br />
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A Christian is a follower of Christ. Christ left<br />
no doubt as to the one absolute condition required<br />
of His followers: “If anyone wants to be a follower<br />
of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his<br />
cross every day and follow me.”<br />
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During Lent, we renew our commitment to Christ:<br />
to follow Him more closely. We renounce ourselves<br />
and take up our cross and walk in His footsteps.<br />
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What makes up that cross? Immediately we<br />
think of sickness, misfortunes of all kinds, the <br />
burdens of work, bearing with one anothers'<br />
faults, the heat of summer, the cold of winter, etc.<br />
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But seldom do we think of the most obvious crosses<br />
which arise from our human nature weakened by<br />
original sin:<br />
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There is the weakness of covetousness which is<br />
greed. “I want more and I want it now.”<br />
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There is the weakness of lust, which is difficultly<br />
in ordering my sexuality as God intended and to <br />
practice the virtue of chastity.<br />
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There is the weakness of pride, that seeks to<br />
dominate; that fails to be considerate of others;<br />
that exalts self above all others.<br />
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There is the weakness of envy, which brings<br />
sadness at the good fortune of others and <br />
jealousy that sees a threat to my own excellence<br />
in the blessings that come to others.<br />
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There is the weakness of gluttony, which finds<br />
difficulty in disciplining appetites for food and<br />
drink and creature comforts.<br />
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There is the weakness of sloth which is a dis-<br />
taste for spiritual things(prayer, Mass, confess-<br />
ion, etc) or an aversion for work, even essential<br />
work.<br />
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There is the weakness of anger which is a<br />
rebellion against God and others because of<br />
circumstances or persons.<br />
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All these weaknesses need discipline and<br />
so involve the cross. All our penances of Lent,<br />
whether fasting, prayer or alms-giving have this<br />
discipline as an end. Unless they are directed<br />
to this end, we are just going through the motions<br />
of Lent and we are no more a “Christian” at <br />
Easter than we are now.<br />
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Examine yourself honestly. See where<br />
discipline is needed in your life. Then enter<br />
into the true spirit of Lent---<b>denying yourself<br /> and taking up your cross daily to follow<br /> Christ.</b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-14284893612749641392019-02-19T13:44:00.002-05:002019-02-19T13:44:29.472-05:00HOMO summit?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Op-Ed: "So, Uncle Ted has been defrocked: Will the Big Tent Abuse Summit Turn Out to be a Circus?"</span></strong> <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Will the Big Tent Summit turn out to be a Circus?</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Father Richard G. Cipolla</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">(The tabernacle must be in the other room)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So Uncle Ted has been defrocked. One wonders how many times he wore the clerical frock as a symbol of his priesthood. Pray for him. The question that must be asked about this declaration /move: is McCarrick to be the sacrificial lamb of the upcoming meeting in Rome called by the Pope to discuss the crisis in sexual abuse by clergy, including bishops, which meeting will be led by mostly bishops? Will burning McCarrick at an imaginary stake be enough to slake the thirst of the liberal press? Will it be enough to placate the minority of bishops who take the sexual abuse seriously? Will it be enough to stifle discussion about the factual data that the majority of this abuse was with young boys and young men? Will it be enough for those who have suffered at the hands of these men for so many years, not in that terrible physical way, but in being suppressed and kept down because of refusing to deny that one of the greatest problems in the Catholic Church since the end of the Second Vatican Council has been not only the terrible predatory behavior of priests and bishops with respect to boys and seminarians and prostitutes, but also the silent complicity of those in the hierarchy who have deliberately turned a blind eye to the egregious destruction of Catholic faith, worship and morality of the past fifty years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That these people have no shame and are tone-deaf to reality is recently proven by the naming of Cardinal Kevin Farrell as the Camerlengo of the Papal Household, a most important position indeed. That this man, who lived with McCarrick while the latter was Archbishop of Washington, D.C. and Farrell was an Auxiliary Bishop, and who claims that he did not know anything about the then Cardinal’s history on the Jersey Shore and beyond, would be named by the Pope to this sensitive and central office shows either the total insensitivity of this Pontiff to reality, or a terrible blindness, possibly deliberate, to the cause of the deep corruption in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, beginning with its center in Rome. The sexual corruption of the Curial clergy is a major cause of the parlous situation of the Church today. But this does not get at the heart of the matter. The heart of the matter is the deliberate attack on the doctrinal and liturgical Tradition (the two go hand in hand) of the Catholic Church. There is no end to the silly statements of the German bishops who want to out-Zwingli Zwingli but without his moral fiber. The fact is that without the church tax in Germany these poseurs would be figuring out how to pay for their next meal. One wishes that the Lutherans in Germany would chastise the Catholic bishops for their deep misunderstanding of the Christian faith and their deep silliness in their statements about the faith. But classical Protestantism is moribund, and how could it not be, for it is the source of the grey secularism that has destroyed the Christian heart of Europe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The irony of ironies is that Pope Francis just approved the canonization of <strong>John Henry Newman</strong>. (I call this a 'blind squirrel' moment, since even a blind squirrel can find a nut) We should take care that Pope Francis does not read any of Newman’s important writings, especially those on the Development of Doctrine. Newman would not be a support of the footnotes in <i>Amoris Laetitia</i>nor of the Pope’s attempt to change the Church’s clear teaching on the authority of the State to inflict capital punishment. But one must keep the Pope above all from reading Newman’s <u>Biglietto Speech </u>that he gave upon the receiving of his Cardinal’s biretta in Rome. For it is there, in clear terms, that Newman predicts the terrible debacle of the post-Vatican II Church. I have quoted this before and will continue to do so, because its prescience is clear and relates directly to what has happened in the Catholic Church this past half century.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><em><span style="font-family: "times";">And, I rejoice to say, to one great mischief I have from the first opposed myself. For</span><span style="border-image: none; border: 1pt windowtext; padding: 0in;"><b> </b>thirty, forty, fifty years I have resisted to the best of my powers the spirit of liberalism in religion<b>. </b></span><span style="font-family: "times";">Never did Holy Church need champions against it more sorely than now, when, alas! it is an error overspreading, as a snare, the whole earth; and on this great occasion, when it is natural for one who is in my place to look out upon the world, and upon Holy Church as in it, and upon her future, it will not, I hope, be considered out of place, if I renew the protest against it which I have made so often…. Liberalism in religion is the doctrine that there is no positive truth in religion, but that one creed is as good as another, and this is the teaching which is gaining substance and force daily. It is inconsistent with any recognition of any religion, as true. It teaches that all are to be tolerated, for all are matters of opinion. Revealed religion is not a truth, but a sentiment and a taste; not an objective fact, not miraculous; and it is the right of each individual to make it say just what strikes his fancy…<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The deep worm that eats away at the Tradition of the Church and that has brought us to this situation is the destruction of the Liturgy, the way one worships God. The quagmire in which we find ourselves is the product of the imposition on the Church of a liturgy that is deeply anti-Traditional and therefore Faith dissolving. This has nothing to do with being conservative, nothing to do with where one stands on secular issues. It has everything to do with understanding what it means to be in the realm, the being, the essence of Catholic Tradition, a Tradition that has little to do with traditionalism and everything to do with what has been handed down for two thousand years from the Apostles. Most bishops, who are positivists, cannot admit this apostasy, for if they did they would dissolve like the Wicked Witch of the West. They are mostly a combination of positivism and super-Ultra-Montanism. They live in the absurd world of Alice in Wonderland and in the world of the Church as the Big Tent, which from the outside can look like a circus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For at least half a century, astronomers have been sending out into outer space the number <i>pi</i>, for the assumption is that any civilization would recognize this deeply fundamental number/relation, the mutual recognition of shared objective reality. Much of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church today does not care about deep objectivity in any sense, and instead wallows in an odiferous swamp of subjectivity, anti-Traditional worship of God, and morality that has its basis in their adulation of a secularism that allows them to do their own thing while still using the cover of their priesthood, and that allows them to deny the very essence of the Christian faith in the person of Jesus Christ—all the while claiming that they are organs of Catholic orthodoxy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Enough already! Basta! There seems to be not enough Traditional (which has nothing to do with being conservative in a political sense) Catholics right now who will challenge the ridiculous, illogical and un-Traditional state of those entrusted by God with leading the Church. Is it an exaggeration to compare our situation to that of Athanasius in his battle against the lie of Arianism? Perhaps. But who will rise to be the champion, or more likely, the champions, against the shallow and secular distortion of Christianity that is the plague that afflicts us all today?</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="post-author vcard"> By Fr. <span class="fn">Richard Cipolla</span> on</span><span class="post-timestamp"> <a class="timestamp-link" href="https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2019/02/op-ed-so-uncle-ted-has-been-defrocked.html" rel="bookmark" title="permanent link"><abbr class="published" title="2019-02-19T18:04:00Z">Tuesday, February 19, 2019</abbr></a> </span><span class="post-icons"><span class="item-action"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="post-icons"><span class="item-action">Thank you<em> Rorate Caeli</em> for this post. I personally think that these bishops will condemn pedi-feel-ya, but NOT address homosexuality. It will pretty much be the same old thing over and over again. This is expected, if you ask me.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-69329754676636413402019-02-18T00:05:00.001-05:002019-02-18T00:05:26.942-05:00St. Bernadette<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Usually this saint is in April, on the 16th when she died. However, she seems to be in February this year, since the date in April is during Holy Week. Maybe that's why. Anyway:<br />
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This is the day when St. Bernadette saw the Blessed Virgin,</div>
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I thought that we should remember her also.</div>
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<i>"I am the Immaculate Conception". </i>These are the words with which our Blessed Mother addressed herself to Bernadette in Lourdes, France. Today is that day Pius IX proclaimed in 1854 to be held in honor of this title of our Lady. This day isn't always celebrated for her, but, in some places, today is the day. Following concerns <span style="color: blue;"><strong>OUR LADY OF LOURDES </strong></span><span style="color: black;">and the apparitions of Our Lady to Bernadette.</span><br />
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<section class="post-content clearfix" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="bernadette" border="0" class="alignleft" height="400" src="https://www.biographyonline.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/bernadette4.jpg" width="353" /><br /><br /> As a young 14-year-old girl, Bernadette Soubirous had multiple visions of the Blessed Lady in a grotto in the outskirts of Lourdes. Although her visions were widely doubted at the time, her humility, truthfulness and modesty encouraged many to believe. A few years after her reported visions, she became a nun and took the name Sister Marie Bernarde. She was later canonized by the Catholic Church. Lourdes has become one of the most popular locations of religious pilgrimage.<br /><h4>
Short biography of Bernadette Soubirous</h4>
Bernadette was born on January 7th, 1844, into a loving and devoted family. At the time of her birth, her family were relatively prosperous; however, due to a series of misfortunes, her family were plunged into dire poverty. At one point, Bernadette’s father was arrested on suspicion of stealing firewood (a single wood plank); he was later released without charge, but the event was indicative of their poverty. Because of the family’s poverty, they were forced to live in a single room that used to be a prison cell. The cell was so dank that it was actually deemed to be too “unsanitary” even for prisoners. However, despite their material privations, the family were said to be loving and devoted to each other. The young children were brought up to accept their lot without complaint. Bernadette herself was generally very well liked and displayed great courtesy and kindliness to others. She suffered from ill health (asthma aggravated by damp living quarters) and because of the family’s poverty she missed the opportunity to get a proper schooling. When she was 14, she was still studying the basic Catechism with 7-year-old children. Thus she was intellectually ignorant of concepts such as the Immaculate Conception, which was soon to have a<strong> great</strong> impact on her life. (And, hope for us)</section><br />
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Life after the Apparitions</h3>
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Bernadette never sought publicity or name and fame, in many ways she wished to live a quiet life; after the apparitions, she became increasingly attracted towards living a religious cloistered life. The miracles of Lourdes had become a significant national event, attracting the attention of many people from all over the country. For a couple of years, she had to patiently meet many well-wishers, sceptics, disbelievers and the curious who wished to hear directly from the ‘Visionary of Lourdes’ herself. Many reported how Bernadette was always very patient, kind and tolerant of the many uninvited visitors. Even sceptics were impressed with her evident sincerity, humility and simplicity; it is said that as she recounted her memories of seeing the Virgin Mary, her eyes would<br />
light up giving a powerful credence to her reminiscences.<br />
Although she patiently met visitors, Bernadette was increasingly attracted to the idea of entering a Carmel Convent, but her weak health made the demanding routines of the Carmelite convent unsuitable. In the end, she settled on entering the Convent at Nevers.<br />
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Sister Marie Bernard</h3>
For the next 13 years, Bernadette (now called <strong>Sister Marie Bernarde</strong>) lived the simple life of a nun, eschewing the fame and attention that would have accompanied any worldly life. During her time as a nun, she frequently suffered from ill health. On one occasion she wryly remarked her only function was to “suffer”. However, her humility, obedience and cheerful attitude adhered her to the other sisters. In particular, young novices often gained much inspiration from spending time with Marie Bernard (the monastic name of Bernadette) Throughout her life, many noted how Bernadette made the sign of the cross with great devotion and sincerity. In prayer, her face often stood out, shining with an inner fervour. Although, Bernadette would refer to herself as the ‘stupid one’ and felt unworthy of the many graces she had received, to others her<br />
spirituality and saintliness were more than self-evident.<br />
Despite suffering tremendously, she never complained, but continued to offer,<br />
in her own words, her “feeble prayers.”<br />
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On arriving at the convent, all the sister were invited into the chapel where Bernadette was asked to recount her visions for the benefit of the sisters. After this time, the Mother Superior requested that the matter should never be referred to again. Bernadette was quite happy to accept this injunction as she herself wished to move on from merely repeating her stories. However, many senior clergy and other dignitaries came to the convent with the hope of speaking to the young visionary. On most occasions, the Convent gave permission for the senior priests to have an interview with Bernadette. Bernadette, with failing health, found these repeated interviews quite exhausting and on occasions tried to escape. However, although she felt drained from giving so many interviews, Bernadette would always answer the questions with good grace and humility. In these interviews, she displayed remarkable patience and modesty, even though she had to frequently repeat the same answers. She was also frequently asked to reveal the “<span style="color: #6fa8dc;">secrets of the lady</span>” – this, of course, she never did.<br />
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Death of Bernadette Soubirous</h3>
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Prior to her death, Bernadette seemed to suffer from various ailments and afflictions. For several months she had been unable to take an active part in the convent lifestyle. For long periods she was confined to her bed. When asked why she didn’t go to Lourdes for healing, she replied,<em> “It is not for me.”</em><br />
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Sister Nathalie Portat was present during the final day of Bernadette’s life. She remarked how in the afternoon the patient seemed to be tortured by an inexpressible interior agony and asked for those nearby to pray for her soul.<br />
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“At the words of the Angelic Salutation<em>: “Holy Mary, Mother of God”,</em> the dying woman revived, and, in a voice full of conviction, a voice that in her final moments expressed her profound humility and her daughterly confidence in the Immaculate Virgin, she twice repeated:<em> “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me, a poor sinner.”</em> – Sister Nathalie Portat</blockquote>
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A few moments later Bernadette made a large sign of the cross,<br />
drank a few drops of water and left her mortal body. (April 16, 1879)<br />
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Saint Bernadette Soubirous</h3>
Following the events of the apparitions, a papal investigation was founded. After long deliberation and careful examination of the evidence, it was declared that the visions of the<br />
Virgin Mary really did occur at the Grotto of Lourdes.<br />
She received Beatification in 1925 and Canonization in 1933 under Pope Pius XI, not so much for the content of her visions, but rather for her simplicity and holiness of her life. St Bernadette is<br />
the patron saint of sick persons and also of the family and poverty.<br />
30 years after her death, Bernadette’s body was exhumed and found to be intact. Since 1925, the body of Bernadette is preserved in a shrine in the chapel of the Convent of St.Gildard of Nevers<strong>. </strong> Espace St. Gildard Convent in Nevers, France.</article><br /></div>
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<b>OUR LADY of LOURDES (1858)</b> <br />
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The first of the eighteen apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the humble <b>Bernadette Soubirous </b>took place at Lourdes on February 11, 1858. On March 25th, when Bernadette asked the beautiful Lady Her name, She replied: <b><i><span style="color: blue;">"I am the Immaculate Conception."</span> </i></b>The Church for long centuries had believed in Her Immaculate Conception, Her exemption from every trace of the original sin which through Adam, our first and common father, separated man from his God. It was never proclaimed a dogma, however, until 1854. Mary Herself, in 1830, had asked of a Vincentian Sister at the Rue du Bac in Paris, that a medal be struck bearing Her likeness and the inscription:<i> "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee." </i>Our Lady by Her apparitions at Lourdes in 1858 seems to convey Her appreciation for the formal proclamation of Her great privilege, by Pius IX, in 1854. Countless and magnificent miracles of healing have occurred at Lourdes, confirmed by physicians and recorded in the Lourdes shrine <i>"Book of Life." </i>To name but one: a doctor wrote a book describing the great miracle he had witnessed for a dying girl, whom he had observed on the train that was carrying handicapped persons from Paris to Lourdes. He had not expected her to survive and return home from the sanctuary.<br />
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Through the Lourdes Apparitions, the devotion of persons in all parts of the world to the Immaculate Mother of God has been wonderfully spread, and countless miracles have been wrought everywhere through Her intercession. The Virgin Mother of God is truly the chosen Messenger of God to these latter times, which are entrusted to Her, the chosen vessel of the unique privilege of exemption from original sin. Only with Her assistance will the dangers of the present world situation be averted. As She has done since 1858 in many places, at Lourdes, too, She gave us Her peace plan for the world, through Saint Bernadette:<span style="color: #674ea7;"> <b>Prayer and Penance</b></span>, to save souls.<br />
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I remember when working that a certain believer (not Catholic), would talk about Jesus' immaculate conception. I told him that this miracle pertained to His Mother, not Him, since Jesus was perfect, and not in need of any kind of special graces. I asked my friend that if he could have formed his own mother, wouldn't he want her to be as perfect as possible? He answered in the affirmative. I then told that Jesus did too, and that He did it for her at her conception, freeing her from the sin of Adam and Eve, because nothing is impossible to God. I left him to ponder this, which I'm sure he did, because he was a very contemplative type of person. Although, he didn't bring it up again. It must have been one of those crossroads for him, since he was a minister in the United Brethren church. We still got along great anyway, with many discussions on all sorts of topics. May God rest his soul, since he passed away a few years ago. He did, however, look just like Santa Claus, as we have seen in many portrayals.<br />
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Anyway, Bernadette's appeal for us was, and is: <i><span style="color: #741b47;">"Penance, penance, and penance."</span> </i>May this upcoming Lent keep us whole, and keep reminding us of this appeal. Through the Lourdes Apparitions, the devotion of persons in all parts of the world to the Immaculate Mother of God has been wonderfully spread, and countless miracles have been wrought everywhere through Her intercession. The Virgin Mother of God is truly the chosen Messenger of God to these latter times, which are entrusted to Her, the chosen vessel of the unique privilege of exemption from original sin. Only with Her assistance will the dangers of the present world situation be averted. As She has done since 1858 in many places, at Lourdes, too, She gave us Her peace plan for the world, through Saint Bernadette:<span style="color: #a64d79;"> <i>Prayer and Penance</i></span>, to save souls.<br />
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Also, please remember in your prayers for my best friend, Jim. He had a bout with the big "C" a few years ago and lost. Just when he thought he was clear of this disease, it came back with a vengeance. He had been told that it is now inoperable and incurable. I know he believed in Jesus, but he was not Catholic. I read the prayers for the dying from the "Pieta" book, which are very beautiful. I told him that the prayers were Catholic, but that the word 'catholic' means universal, so every one can use the effects. He wasn't offended. I hope they console him wherever he is now. Also, I would like to ask for prayers for his wife, Judy. I don't know if she is a believer, but she can use the prayers. Maybe we can help her in her grief and sorrow, hopefully to bring her around so that she doesn't despair and reject God entirely. She has lost her mother, one daughter, and her husband in the span of a couple of years.<br />
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<b><br /> Lord, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us and obtain for us that mercy.</b><br />
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<strong><em>Indulgenced Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes: </em><br /><em></em></strong><br />
O Holy Mary, Mother of God, who to reanimate the faith of the world and draw men to thy divine Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, didst deign to appear at Lourdes; thou who, in order to render more manifest thy maternal tenderness, and to inspire our hearts with greater confidence, didst choose a simple little child as the confidant of thy mercy; thou who didst say:<span style="color: blue;"> "I am the Immaculate Conception"</span> to make us understand the priceless value of that innocence which is the pledge of the friendship of God; thou who by eighteen successive apparitions didst not cease by thy actions and words to urge men to prayer and penance, which alone can appease Heaven and ward off the blows of divine justice; thou who, by a moving appeal to the world, hast reunited before the miraculous grotto an innumerable multitude of thy children; behold us, Our Lady of Lourdes, prostrate at thy feet, and confident of obtaining blessings and graces from God by thy most powerful intercession. Those who love thee, O Mother of Jesus Christ, Mother of men, desire above everything to serve God faithfully in this world, so as to have the happiness of loving Him eternally in Heaven. Listen to the prayers which we this day address to thee; defend us against the enemies of our salvation, and against our own infirmities; together with the pardon of our sins, obtain for us perseverance in the determination never to fall away again. We implore thee also to take under thy protection our friends and benefactors, and of these in a very special manner those who have abandoned the practice of their Christian duties. May they be converted and become thy faithful servants. Amen.<br />
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<i>(Indulgence 300 day, Pope Leo XIII)</i> <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-70182798710833434372019-02-18T00:05:00.000-05:002019-02-18T00:05:05.082-05:00St. Simeon, Bishop/Martyr<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><br /> St. Simeon, Bishop and Martyr<br /> by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1876</b><br />
St. Simeon, whom the Catholic Church commemorates today in Holy Mass and the prayers of the day, was a son of Cleophas. His mother was named Mary, like the Blessed Virgin, and she was, according to the Gospel, also present at the Saviour's death.<br />
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There is no doubt that St. Simeon was one of Christ's followers; that he heard His teachings, and saw the many miracles which He wrought. (He was one of the Disciples of Jesus, so he actually saw and heard Him) When the apostles dispersed themselves over the whole world, Simeon remained in Jerusalem, zealously endeavoring, with the <b>Apostle James</b>, the first Bishop of the city, to convert the people. After St. James had suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Jews on account of his confessing Christ, St. Simeon was appointed his successor. He administered this sacred office with truly apostolic fervor, strengthening the Christians in their faith, and leading them in the path of virtue, while he unweariedly preached the crucified Christ to the heathen. On the arrival of the Romans, who besieged, conquered and devastated the city, he, obeying Christ, fled with all the Christians to a small town called Pella, on the other side of the river Jordan.<br />
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As soon as the Roman legions, after demolishing the city, retired, Simeon returned with his flock. Under these circumstances, the holy Bishop's labor and anxiety for the temporal as well as spiritual welfare of those under his care, was very great. He, however, worked unceasingly, and had the satisfaction to see that the number of the faithful daily increased; and with it their devotion and virtue. To disturb all this, Satan sent several heretics, who, like wolves, forced their way into the fold of Christ, and attempted to seduce the faithful with their false, godless teachings. But St. Simeon, who watched over his flock day and night, refuted so energetically their false doctrines, and exposed the promulgaters of them to so much ignominy, that they were forced to flee away. <br />
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In the reign of the Emperor Trajan arose a terrible persecution of the Christians. Those who were of the race of King David were especially sought after, as it was feared that from among them a new Messiah might arise and cause another insurrection. Hence Jews, as well as Christians, who descended from Judah, and whose ancestor was David, were taken captive and beheaded. Amongst those first seized was St. Simeon. It was well known that he was not only a Christian, but even a Bishop, and that he was descended from the suspected race. Consequently, the Jews accused him before the Roman Governor, Atticus. At that period Simeon had already reached his 120th year. Atticus asked him if it was true that he was of the race of Judah, and a follower of Christ of Nazareth. Both questions the Saint answered fearlessly in the affirmative. The Governor assured him that in consideration of his advanced age, no harm should be done him, but that he should be loaded with presents if he would only renounce Christ and sacrifice to the gods of the Empire. The venerable man manifested the greatest horror that any one should dare to make such a request and said: <i>"No, never, in all eternity, will I renounce Christ, nor sacrifice to idols. Your gods have been wicked people, who now burn in hell! Jesus Christ alone is the true God." <br /><i></i></i><br />
This, and much more, Simeon said with so much true dignity that most of those present seemed to be deeply, touched. To keep down this emotion, Atticus ordered that the holy man should be most severely scourged. The order was immediately executed, and the blood of the Saint soon streamed upon the ground. But he stood immovable, giving no sign of despondency but of deep inward joy. The following day they tortured him again in various most barbarous ways, but he evinced the same fortitude, and even joy. Atticus, as well as all others who witnessed it, could not comprehend how a man of his years had strength to endure torments, under which the most powerful hero would have succumbed. But God, who had already given the heathen many examples of Christian heroism, in tender boys and maidens, now showed what, with His grace, an feeble old man could endure, for the glory of the Christian faith. The Governor, desirous to make an end of the scene, sentenced Simeon to be crucified, saying, that as he ceased not to preach Christ, he should die the same ignominious death as Christ. But no kind of death could have been more welcome to this valiant confessor of Christ. Having prayed, he put off his garment, laid himself upon the cross which was in readiness for him, and offered his hands and feet to be nailed. They fastened him upon the cross, and then raised it. No possible suffering could have been greater, yet was it excelled by his patience. He proclaimed, once more, from the cross, with a loud voice, that Christ is the true God and the Saviour of the world. Imitating Him, he prayed for his executioners, commended his soul into the hands of the Almighty, and ended his holy life by a death so glorious, and so much resembling that of Christ, that the contemplation of it strengthened the Christians in their faith, and was the means of converting many of the heathens to the knowledge of the true God.<br />
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St. Simeon reached the age of 120 years, and then ends his long, holy life by a glorious and holy death. Will you become as old? Will you end your life with a happy death? This second question <b>St. Augustine </b>answers, with the assurance that your death will not be unhappy if your life is spent piously. He says: <i>"He who has lived piously cannot die miserably or unhappily."</i> These same words the holy teacher repeats more than once in the same sermon. <i>"It is quite sure," </i>says he, <i>"that he who has lived in piety cannot die in misery." </i>Returning to the first question, I hardly believe that you promise yourself to become as old as St. Simeon: and yet you hope to live long. Upon what do you build this hope? Upon your youth, your strength, or your health? Oh! how weak a foundation! Hundreds and hundreds have existed who were as young, as strong and as healthy as you, and yet they died early. The rich man in the Gospel hoped yet to live many years, but the same night his soul was required of him. Hope deceived him. Take heed that you do not thus deceive yourself. The surest way is this: never defer, in the hope of a long life, that which you need to enable you to die happily and to attain everlasting happiness, as otherwise, you are in danger of everlasting destruction. Meditate often upon the words of the pious <b>Thomas a Kempis</b>: <i>"O fool! How can you believe that you will live long, when you are not sure of one single day? How many who thought that they would live long, have been deceived, and have died suddenly! Do now what is needful to be done, for you know not how soon the hour of your death may come." </i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-73339226308394250762019-02-17T00:19:00.000-05:002019-02-17T00:19:25.663-05:00Septuagesima Sunday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This Sunday is <b>Septuagesima</b> Sunday, or 70 days before Easter, and we begin to get ready for the penitential season of Lent. During this period from this Sunday to Ash Wednesday, the Liturgy speaks no more of our greatness, but contemplates the misery of fallen man, the fatal consequences of original sin and actual sin, and the sacrifice that God asked of the faithful Melchisedech (priest of Salem, which will be called Jerusalem later), the symbol of the sacrifice that Jesus brings for the whole human race. We no longer will say or sing the Alleluia or the Gloria, until the great Feast of Easter Sunday. During this time, we prepare for the fasting and penance of the Season of Lent. The preface for Lent states: <i>'Who by this bodily fast dost curb our vices, lift our minds and bestow strength and rewards.'</i> Our souls are slaves of the devil, the flesh, and the world. Jesus came into the world, not to be crowned king of the Jews, but to deliver us from this threefold bondage and to restore to us the divine life which we had lost.<br />
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The upcoming season is one of most serious thought. The words from <b>Ivo of Chartres</b> in the 11th century pretty much sum it up: <i>"We know that every creature groans, and travails in pain even til now; and not only it, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God, the redemption of our body."</i><br />
Today we hear a multiple of things to keep in mind as we begin the Lenten season of 2017.<br />
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First, we hear about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; their fall; then their expulsion from the garden to work the earth forever. Also, we hear about what God Himself will do about it. He will eventually send His only-begotten Son to earth in the form of a baby, Who will grow up as we all do, then offer His divine Body to His Eternal Father as the 'sacrificial Lamb' on the Cross at Calvary. All this because of our first parents, Adam and Eve. We have ALL inherited this sin onto our souls, which needs to be cleansed by Baptism and self sacrifices which we can offer to the Eternal Father for our sins.<br />
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Then, in the Gospel of Matthew, we hear about the vineyard, where many are chosen to work at various times of the day, with the same pay at the end. According to <b>St. Augustine and St. Gregory the Great</b>, they offer the following, which I am taking from our beloved <b>Abbot Gueranger:</b><br />
<b><br /></b> '...The vineyard is the Church in its several periods, from the beginning of the world to the time when God Himself dwelt among men, and formed all true believers into one visible and permanent society. The morning is the time from Adam to Noah; the third hour begins with Noah and ends with Abraham; the sixth hour includes the period which elapsed between Abraham and Moses; and lastly, the ninth hour opens with the age of the prophets, and closes with the birth of the Saviour. The Messias came at the eleventh hour, when the world seemed to be at the decline of its day. Mercies unprecedented were reserved for this last period, during which salvation was to be given to the Gentiles by the preaching of the Apostles. It is by this mystery of mercy that our Saviour rebukes the Jewish pride. By the selfish murmuring made against the master of the house by the early labourers, our Lord signifies the indignation which the scribes and pharisees would show at the Gentiles being adopted as God's children. Then He shows them how their jealousy would be chastised: Israel, that had laboured before us, shall be rejected for their obduracy of heart, and we Gentiles, the last comers, shall be made first, for we shall be made members of that Catholic Church, which is the bride of the Son of God.'<br />
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These two holy doctors of the Church offer a second meaning of these passages:<br />
The Gospel reading from Matthew <i>'signifies the calling given by God to each of us individually, pressing us to labor, during this life, for the kingdom prepared for us. The morning is our childhood. the third hour, accord to the division used by the ancients in counting their day, is sunrise; it is our youth. The sixth hour, by which name they called our midday, is manhood. The eleventh hour, which immediately preceded sunset, is old age. The Master of the house calls His laborers at all these various hours. They must go that very hour. They that are called in the morning may not put their starting for the vineyard, under pretext of going afterwards, when the Master shall call them later on. Who has told them that they shall live to the eleventh hour? They that are called at the third hour may be dead at the sixth. God will call to the laborers of the last hour such as shall be living when that hour comes; but, if we should die at midday, that last call will not avail us. Besides, God has not promised us a second call, if we excuse ourselves from the first.'</i><br />
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Purple during the 'Penitential' season: The purple hue is a royal robe, purple being the traditional colour of kings and emperors; but it's also the colour of blood and of mourning, and so a reminder that <b>Christ is born to die.</b><br />
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I'd like to end with the following <strong>Anthem to Our Blessed Lady, the Virgin</strong>. This is the same one the Church uses on the feast of the Purification.<br />
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Hail Queen of heaven! Hail Lady of the angels! Hail blessed root and gate, from which came light upon the world! Rejoice, O glorious Virgin, that surpasses all in beauty! Hail, most lovely Queen! and pray to Christ for us. Vouchsafe, O holy Virgin, that I may praise thee. Give me power against thine enemies.<br />
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<strong>Let us pray</strong>.<br />
Grant, O merciful God, thy protection to us in our weakness; that we who celebrate the memory of the holy Mother of God, may, through the aid of her intercession, rise again from our sins. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.<br />
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Let's pray for a holy and fruitful 'penitential' season. We need all the help we can get. <br />
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I like the Sundays preceding the season of Lent. It gets you prepared to try to get closer to Christ and His teachings. I can't read Latin, but I can follow along at the Traditional Mass. I prefer to call it Traditional instead of Tridentine, because Tridentine means from Trent (the Council in the 16th century), and this Mass has been around for almost 2000 years! Kind of a misnomer in a way. Especially when it is referred to as the "Extraordinary" Mass! It <b>should</b> be the only Mass!!!!!<br />
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Anyway, we have been going to the Traditional Mass since 1988. I like it because it takes us into the area that all of the saints, Doctors, martyrs, etc. have enjoyed and died for throughout the life of the Church. I even started serving this Mass about 29 years ago, and going on to teach young men, and some older ones, how to serve it in a correct way. Not bad for a dumb little convert boy to have come so far in such a short period of time. And, if you are going to get a <b>GOOD</b> Mass, sometimes you have to travel to get to one. The wife and have been traveling all of this time, since spirituality in our city is pretty much dead. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-40920917037298182362019-02-17T00:06:00.000-05:002019-02-24T06:40:45.202-05:00Sexagesima Sunday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This Sunday is the second Sunday into our penitential season, Sexagesima, meaning approx. 60 days til Easter. St. Paul tells us that we should be ready, willing, and able to suffer for Christ and His Church, as he did. After his conversion, he was taken up into heaven just as John was. He saw things we can only read about. Jesus, in the Gospel from St. Luke, gives us the meaning of the seeds of faith spread onto different types of soil. We need to be firmly grounded in the Faith that comes to us from the Apostles and hold on for dear life for it. As Jesus Himself will tell us tomorrow, <span style="color: red;"><b>"Let him who has ears hear."</b></span><br />
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I, once again, am going to copy from our beloved <b>Abbot Gueranger</b>. This is a hymn taken from the ancient breviaries of the Churches of France:<br />
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<em><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">The days of ease are about to close; the days of holy observance are returning; the time of temperance is at hand; let us seek our Lord in purity of heart.<br /><br /> Our sovereign Judge will be appeased by our hymns and praise. He who would have us sue for grace, will not refuse us pardon.<br /><br /> The slavish yoke of Pharaoh, and the fetters of cruel Babylon, have been borne too long: let man now claim his freedom, and seek his heavenly country, Jerusalem.<br /><br /> Let us quit this place of exile: let us dwell with the Son of God. Is it not the servant's glory, to be made co-heir with his Lord?<br /><br /> O Jesus! be thou our guide through life. Remember that we are thy sheep, for whom thou, the Shepherd, didst lay down thine own life.<br /><br /> Glory be to the Father, and to the Son; honor too be to the Holy Paraclete: as it was in the beginning, now is, and shall ever be. Amen.</span></em><br />
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Because of the importance and necessity of the doctrine which was contained in the parable. For to hear the word of God is absolutely necessary for salvation, as the Apostle indicates: How shall they believe him (Jesus) of whom they have not heard? (Rom. X. 14.) Jesus calls those happy who hear the word of God and keep it. (Luke XI. 28.) And on this subject<b> St. Augustine </b>says: <i>"Be assured, my brethren, that as the body becomes weakened by want and hunger, and wastes to a mere shadow, so the soul that is not nourished by the word of God, becomes shrunken, worthless and unfit for any good work."</i><br />
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We should endeavor to purify our conscience, for, as <b>St. John Chrysostom </b>demands; <i>"Who would pour precious juice into a vessel that is not clean, without first washing it?" </i>We should, therefore, at least cleanse the vessels of our hearts by an ardent sorrow for our sins, because the spirit of truth enters not into the sinful soul (Wisdom I. 4.). We should ask the Holy Ghost for the necessary enlightenment, for little or no fruit can be obtained from a sermon if it is not united with prayer; we should listen to the sermon with a good motive; that is, with a view of hearing something edifying and instructive; if we attend only through curiosity, the desire to hear something new, to criticize the preacher, or to see and to be seen, we are like the Pharisees who for such and similar motives went to hear Christ and derived no benefit therefrom. <em>“As a straight sword goes not into a crooked sheath, so the word of God enters not into a heart that is filled with improper motives."</em> We should strive to direct, our minds rightly, that is, to dispel all temporal thoughts, all needless distraction, otherwise the wholesome words would fall but upon the ears, would not penetrate the heart, and the words of Christ be fulfilled: <span style="color: red;">"They have ears, and hear not."</span><br />
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Grant me, O God, thy grace that in these evil days of false doctrines I may remain steadfast to Thy holy Gospel which in the Holy Catholic Church remains pure and unchanged; never let me be deterred from obeying its precepts, neither by the charms of the world nor by the mockery and reproaches of the wicked. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-55308015285993485962019-02-16T00:06:00.000-05:002019-02-16T00:06:06.545-05:00St. Juliana, Virgin/Martyr<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In these days of broken marriages, broken hearts, broken genders and a broken society, we see awful role-models all around us. Now, perhaps more so than ever before in history, we need steady, stable, and saintly examples to anchor us amidst the torrents of lunacy that has engulfed society.<br />
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For the godly-minded, we need look no further than the shining examples of the Saints. Today we celebrate the memory of Juliana, the glorious maiden from Nicomedia. She was a radiant star and her memory still shines brightly in the heavens, offering a guide for wayward souls.<br />
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In St. Juliana, the Lord has provided a crucial example for our youth and the importance of confessing their faith, even to the point of renouncing a potential spouse. How few of us have the courage to stand firm as did this righteous pillar of confession. Truly, what benefit can there be in a relationship when the betrothed hold-back? When there lacks one-ness of faith to a couple looking to wed, there is already division. When one has compromised on an important issue, it will be all the more convenient to compromise on lesser matters until we find ourselves collapsing on trivialities. Relationships built on the foundations of selflessness stand greater chance at success; relationships built on selfishness are destined for ruin.<br />
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Lord, vouchsafe our youth to learn from Thy radiant beacon, St. Juliana, to remain steadfast in their faith!<br />
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The Holy Virgin Martyr Juliana, daughter of an illustrious pagan named Africanus, was born in the city of Nicomedia. As a child, she was betrothed to Elusius, one of the emperor’s advisors. St. Juliana was endowed with a profound intellect and goodness of soul. She saw through the delusion and deception of the pagan faith, and secretly accepted holy Baptism. <br />
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When the time of her wedding approached, Juliana refused to be married. Her father urged her not to break her engagement, but when she refused to obey him, he began to beat her viciously. Africanus then handed his daughter over to the Governor, who happened to be Elusius, Juliana’s former fiancé. Elusius fervently asked Juliana to marry him, promising not to require her to abandon her faith. St. Juliana refused and said that she’d rather be put to death. <br />
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They beat Juliana harshly, but after each beating she received healing and new strength from God. Her punishment took place before a large number of people. Of these, 500 men and 150 women came to confess Christ after witnessing the steadfastness and courage of the holy virgin miraculously healed from her wounds. They were all beheaded, and were baptized in their own blood. <br />
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Convinced of the futility of attempting to separate the holy virgin from her heavenly Bridegroom, Eleusius sentenced Juliana to death. She accepted the sentence with joy and glorified the Lord for permitting her to receive a martyr’s crown. The holy Martyr Juliana was executed in the year 304. <br />
St. Juliana is the subject of an Anglo-Saxon poem, believed to have been written by Cynewulf in the eighth century.<br />
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<b><i>Troparion (Tone 4) – </i></b><br />
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<i><span style="color: #a64d79;">All-blameless bride and venerable trophy-bearer,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #a64d79;">You are wedded to the Word of the immortal Father, </span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #a64d79;">O glorious Juliana.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #a64d79;">For having wisely disdained your mortal bridegroom,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #a64d79;">You strove beyond nature to destroy the serpent,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #a64d79;">And now you delight in the joys of your Bridegroom!<b></b></span></i><br />
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<b><i>Kontakion (Tone 1) – </i></b><br />
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<i><span style="color: #a64d79;">You were a beautiful virgin, wise Juliana,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #a64d79;">and as your soul was wounded with divine love,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #a64d79;">your body was also pierced with the wounds of martyrdom adorning you as a bride of Christ and His martyr.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #a64d79;">Now as you dwell in the heavenly bridal chamber,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #a64d79;">you pray for us all.</span></i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-47022008664223486572019-02-15T15:36:00.000-05:002019-02-15T15:36:31.246-05:00Sts. Faustinus/Jovita, Martyrs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>SAINTS FAUSTINUS and JOVITA<br /> Martyrs (†122)</strong></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><strong></strong><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Faustinus and Jovita were brothers, nobly born, and were zealous professors of the Christian religion, which they preached without fear in their city of Brescia in Lombardy, during the persecution of Adrian. Their remarkable zeal excited the fury of the heathens against them, and procured them a glorious death for their faith.<br /><br /> Faustinus, a priest, and Jovita, a deacon, were preaching the Gospel fearlessly in the region when Julian, a pagan officer, apprehended them. They were commanded to adore the sun, but replied that they adored the living God who created the sun to give light to the world. The statue before which they were standing was brilliant and surrounded with golden rays. Saint Jovita, looking at it, cried out:<em> "Yes, we adore the God reigning in heaven, who created the sun. And you, vain statue, turn black, to the shame of those who adore you!"</em> At his word, it turned black. The Emperor commanded that it be cleaned, but the pagan priests had hardly begun to touch it when it fell into ashes.<br /><br /> The two brothers were sent to the amphitheater to be devoured by lions, but four of those came out and lay down at their feet. They were left without food in a dark jail cell, but Angels brought them strength and joy for new combats. The flames of a huge fire respected them, and a large number of spectators were converted at the sight. Finally sentenced to decapitation, they knelt down and received the death blow. The city of Brescia honors them as its chief patrons and possesses their relics, and a very ancient church in that city bears their names.</span></span></div>
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<b>Reflection</b>. The spirit of Christ is ever a spirit of martyrdom. It is always the spirit of the cross. The more we share in the suffering life of Christ, the greater share we inherit of His Spirit, and of the fruits of His death. To souls mortified in their senses and disengaged from earthly things, God gives frequent foretastes of the sweetness of eternal life, and ardent desires of possessing Him in His glory. This is the spirit of martyrdom, which entitles a Christian to a happy resurrection and to the bliss of the life to come. (Remember, the word 'martyr' means<span style="color: #e06666;"> 'witness'</span>)</div>
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<strong><i>Prayer:</i></strong><br />
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When we compare our trials with yours, noble Martyrs of Christ, and our combats with those that you had to fight,--how grateful ought we not to be to our Lord for his having so mercifully taken our weakness into account! Should we have been able to endure the tortures, wherewith you had to purchase heaven, we that are so easily led to break the law of God, so tardy in our conversion, so weak in faith and charity? And yet, we are made for that same heaven, which you now possess. God holds out a crown to us also, and we are not at liberty to refuse it. Rouse up our courage, brave Martyrs! Get us a spirit of resistance against the world and our evil inclinations; that thus, we may confess our Lord Jesus Christ, not only with our lips, but with our works too, and testify, by our conduct, that we are Christians.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-1231599827914246802019-02-14T00:30:00.000-05:002019-02-14T00:30:55.250-05:00St. Valentine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today we honor and bring to mind <b>St. Valentine</b>. He was a priest and martyr for the Faith, and we are called upon to honor him for this, instead of with sicky-sweet cards and candy. Apparently, from one site I found; St. Valentine, on the eve before his beheading, sent a note to the daughter of his executioner; a note (probably defending his belief in Christ), and signed the note: <i>"From your Valentine." </i>Whether or not this is true, it would make more sense than the nonsense of today's thinking. Below is the story of St. Valentine, who was a martyr (witness) for the Faith.<br />
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St. Valentine, pray for our Faith, that it be as strong as yours was.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Golden Legend</span> – Saint Valentine</b> Life of Saint Valentine, and first the interpretation of his name.<br />
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Valentine is as much to say as containing valour that is persevering in great holiness. Valentine is said also as a valiant knight, for he was a right noble knight of God, and the knight is said valiant that flees not, and smites and defends valiantly and overcomes much powerfully. And so Saint Valentine withdrew him not from his martyrdom in fleeing, he smote in destroying the idols, he defended the faith, he overcame in suffering.<br />
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<b>On Saint Valentine the Martyr:</b><br />
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Saint Valentine, friend of our Lord and priest of great authority, was at Rome. It happened that Claudius the emperor made him to come before him and said to him in demanding: What thing is that which I have heard of thee, Valentine? Why wilt thou not abide in our amity, and worship the idols and renounce the vain opinion of thy faith? Saint Valentine answered him: <i>"If thou hadst very knowledge of the grace of Jesu Christ thou should not say this that thou says, but should deny the idols and worship God."</i> Then said to Saint Valentine a prince which was of the council of the emperor: What wilt thou say of our gods and of their holy life? And Saint Valentine answered: <i>"I say none other thing of them but that they were men mortal and full of all human waste and evil."</i> <br />
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Then said Claudius the emperor: 'If Jesu Christ be God verily, wherefore say thou not the truth?' Saint Valentine said: <i>"Certainly Jesu Christ is only the very God, and if thou believe in him, verily thy soul shall be saved, thy realm shall multiply, and he shall give to thee always victory of thine enemies."</i> Then Claudius turned him unto all them that were there, and said to them: Lords, Romans, hear ye how wisely and reasonably this man speaks? Anon the provost of the city said: The emperor is deceived and betrayed, how may we leave that which we have been beholden to and been accustomed to hold since our infancy? With these words the emperor turned and changed his courage, and Saint Valentine was delivered in the keeping of the provost.<br />
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When Saint Valentine was brought in an house in prison, then he prayed to God, saying:<i> "Lord Jesu Christ very God, which art very light, illumine this house in such wise that they that dwell therein may know thee to be very God." </i>And the provost said: "I marvel me that thou says that thy God is very light, and nevertheless, if he may make my daughter to hear and see, which long time hath been blind, I shall do all that thou commands me, and shall believe in thy God." Saint Valentine anon put him in prayers, and by his prayers the daughter of the provost received again her sight, and anon all they of the house were converted. After, the emperor did smite off the head of Saint Valentine, the year of our Lord two hundred and eighty. Then let us pray to Saint Valentine that he obtain for us pardon of our sins. Amen.<br />
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So, today: love, teach, and protect the family. They're all we really have, thanks be to God. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-40452795173609478202019-02-13T00:03:00.000-05:002019-02-13T00:03:22.504-05:00Exorcism--Fr. Amorth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;">I found this review of a book by Fr. Gabriel Amorth, who was an exorcist til his death in 2016. He is fascinating, to say the least. We should all find a copy of this, contemplate on it, and pass the word on to others who don't seem to care one way or another.</span></h1>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This interview with an exorcist is fascinating</span></h1>
<aside class="post-bottom-meta"><strong class="author " itemprop="author" rel="author"><a href="https://epicpew.com/author/lhensley/" rel="author" title="Posts by Laura Hensley"><span style="color: #4d4d4d;">Laura Hensley</span></a></strong> </aside> <br />
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Father Gabriele Amorth has lived a fascinating life. He died in 2016, but is known as world’s the most famous exorcist. He didn’t set out to be a demon slayer, but fought in WWII and went to law school before going into the seminary. As in all things, God had greater plans and a firm calling for Father Amorth. <br />
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In the new book written in the style of question and answer, <em><a href="https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/father-amorth?utm_source=epicpew&utm_medium=father-amorth&utm_campaign=epicpewfather-amorth"><span style="font-family: Thread-00000abc-Id-00000013;">Father Amorth: My Battle Against Satan</span></a></em>, by Fr. Gabriele Amorth with Elisabetta Fezzi (Sophia Press), we learn about the life of this humble man and what he sees as the devil’s greatest successes and how we can join in this battle against evil.<br />
<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/father-amorth?utm_source=epicpew&utm_medium=father-amorth&utm_campaign=epicpewfather-amorth"><img alt="" class="wp-image-12959" scale="0" src="https://1ni9so435huh58o5i10eewh1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/410GUG0kQ7L-1.jpg" /></a></figure><br />
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<strong>1. He was “Good-for-nothing”</strong></h2>
Fr. Amorth uses this phase to refer to himself quite often. It doesn’t mean that he did nothing good, but that he was an “instrument for good in the hands of God.” An exorcist must humble himself completely, and understand that it is not him that expels the demons, but the Lord, the Holy Spirit who is acting and Mary that intercedes.<br />
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<strong>2. The Immaculate Heart of Mary</strong></h2>
In his words, his greatest accomplishment of his life was on September 13, 1959, when he was able to have the country of Italy consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He always had a special devotion to Mary, and throughout his life, she covered him in her mantle, protecting him from the demons he exorcised.<br />
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<strong>3. Speaking of Mary</strong></h2>
He wasn’t confident in his being asked to be an exorcist, so he constantly prayed, “Protect me under your mantle, and I shall be secure!” The Devil would say to Fr. Amorth, “We can do nothing to you; you are too protected!” Remember, our Mother loves and will always protect us from evil.<br />
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<strong>4. Hidden and abandoned</strong></h2>
In Father Amorth’s opinion, the Roman Catholic Church has abandoned and hidden exorcisms from the public. In light of looking like witchcraft and exorcising mental illnesses instead of treating the patient, many bishops rejected the idea of exorcism. If there was an exorcism to be done, it would have to be approved and behind closed doors. This is probably the devil’s greatest success: to be hidden and denied his existence.<br />
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<strong>5. Two most important moments</strong></h2>
We pray these every time we pray the Hail Mary, and don’t even realize it. The most important moments are the present, and the moment of our death. “They truly require Our Lady’s help!” according to Fr. Amorth.<br />
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<strong>6. Who created Hell</strong></h2>
Fr. Amorth tells of a story when Fr. Canidido, a fellow exorcist, was trying to coax a demon out, saying: “Come on, go; the Lord has prepared a nice heated box for you where you shall not feel the cold, where you shall remain very warm.” He goes on to say:<br />
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The Devil imperiously responded: “You do not know anything; you do not understand anything,” meaning that the Lord was commanding him to teach the exorcist a lesson: “It is not he that created Hell! We created Hell. He did not even think of it; the existence of Hell was not in his plans!” The Devil was saying that God created only good things.</blockquote>
He goes on to explain that in no theological work states that God created Hell, nor is it stated that he did not create Hell. <br />
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<strong>7. The gift given through witnessing suffering</strong></h2>
Fr. Amorth said in viewing all of the suffering of those possessed, he grew in charity for everyone. He wanted to do everything he could to elevate that pain and suffering of the afflicted. He also said the fundamental gift of being an exorcist is bringing souls closer to God. This made his faith all the stronger, that he was doing good, freeing these souls and repairing their relationship with God.<br />
<em><a href="https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/father-amorth?utm_source=epicpew&utm_medium=father-amorth&utm_campaign=epicpewfather-amorth"><span style="font-family: Thread-00000abc-Id-00000013;">Father Amorth: My Battle Against Satan</span></a></em>, by Fr. Gabriele Amorth with Elisabetta Fezzi (<em>Sophia Press</em>) is a fascinating look into the hidden life of priestly exorcists. We need to believe in the existence of the devil and we must be strong in our faith to face evil, knowing we are under the protection of Jesus and our Lady. We need to learn from the experts what the tricks of the devil are and how to avoid them. We must not fear evil, but know that Jesus defeated the devil and our place is with him in Heaven, not here on earth.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-69464080697823001802019-02-12T00:03:00.000-05:002019-02-12T00:03:10.986-05:00Seven Holy Founders of the Servites<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Can you imagine seven prominent men of Boston or Denver banding together, leaving their homes and professions, and going into solitude for a life directly given to God? That is what happened in the cultured and prosperous city of Florence in the middle of the 13th century. The city was torn with political strife as well as the heresy of the Cathari, who believed that physical reality was inherently evil. Morals were low and religion seemed meaningless.</h3>
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In 1240, seven noblemen of Florence mutually decided to withdraw from the city to a solitary place for prayer and direct service of God. Their initial difficulty was providing for their dependents, since two were still married and two were widowers.<br />
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<span class="_Tgc _s8w">These seven were: <b>Buonfiglio dei Monaldi</b> (Bonfilius), <b>Giovanni</b> di Buonagiunta (Bonajuncta), <b>Amadeus of the Amidei</b> (<b>Bartolomeus</b>), <b>Ricovero dei Lippi-Ugguccioni</b> (<b>Hugh</b>), <b>Benedetto</b> dell' Antella (Manettus), <b>Gherardino di Sostegno</b> (<b>Sostene</b>), and <b>Alessio de' Falconieri</b> (<b>Alexius</b>).</span><br />
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Their aim was to lead a life of penance and prayer, but they soon found themselves disturbed by constant visitors from Florence. They next withdrew to the deserted slopes of Monte Senario.<br />
In 1244, under the direction of Saint Peter of Verona, O.P., this small group adopted a religious habit similar to the Dominican habit, choosing to live under the Rule of St. Augustine and adopting the name of the Servants of Mary. The new Order took a form more like that of the mendicant friars than that of the older monastic Orders.<br />
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Members of the community came to the United States from Austria in 1852 and settled in New York and later in Philadelphia. The two American provinces developed from the foundation made by Father Austin Morini in 1870 in Wisconsin.<br />
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Community members combined monastic life and active ministry. In the monastery, they led a life of prayer, work and silence while in the active apostolate they engaged in parochial work, teaching, preaching, and other ministerial activities.<br />
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<tr><td><b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">THE SEVEN HOLY FOUNDERS OF THE SERVITE ORDER, (THIRTEENTH CENTURY), the story</span></b><br />
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<tr><td><b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-family: "arial";"></span></b>Between the years 1225 and 1227 seven young Florentines joined the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin—popularly known as the <em>'Laudesi'</em> or Praisers. It was a period when the prosperous city of Florence was being rent by political factions and distracted by the heresy of the Cathari: it was also a time of general relaxation of morals even where devotional practices were retained. These young men were members of the most prominent families of the city. Whether they were all friends before they joined the Laudesi is not clear, but in that confraternity they became closely allied. <br />
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The eldest was Buonfiglio Monaldo, who became their leader. The others were Alexis Falconieri, Benedict dell' Antella, Bartholomew Amidei, Ricovero Uguccione, Gerardino Sostegni, and John Buonagiunta. They had as their spiritual director James of Poggibonsi, who was chaplain of the Laudesi, a man of great holiness and spiritual insight. All of them came to realize the call to a life of renunciation, and they determined to have recourse to our Lady in their perplexity. On the feast of the Assumption, as they were absorbed in prayer, they saw her in a vision, and were inspired by her to withdraw from the world into a solitary place and to live for God alone. There were difficulties, because, though three of them were celibates, four had been married and had ties, although two had become widowers. Suitable provision for their dependents was arranged, and with the approval of the bishop they withdrew from the world and betook themselves to a house called La Carmarzia, outside the gates of Florence, twenty-three days after they had received their call. Before long they found themselves so much disturbed by constant visitors from Florence that they decided to withdraw to the wild and deserted slopes of Monte Senario, where they built a simple church and hermitage and lived a life of almost incredible austerity.<br />
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In spite of difficulties, visitors sometimes found their way to the hermits and many wished to join them, but they refused to accept recruits. So they continued to live for several years,—until they were visited by their bishop, Ardingo, and Cardinal Castiglione, who had heard about their sanctity. He was greatly edified, but made one adverse criticism: 'You treat yourselves in a manner bordering on barbarity: and you seem more desirous of dying to time than of living for eternity. Take heed: the enemy of souls often hides himself under the appearance of an angel of light . . . Hearken to the counsels of your superiors.'<br />
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Again the solitaries gave themselves up to prayer for light, and again they had a vision of our Lady, who bore in her hand a black habit while an angel held a scroll inscribed with the title of Servants of Mary. She told them she—had chosen them to be her servants, that she wished them to wear the black habit, and to follow the Rule of St. Augustine. From that date, April 13, 1240, they were known as the Servants of Mary, or Servites.<br />
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They were clothed by the bishop himself, Buonfiglio being elected their superior. According to custom they selected names by which they should thenceforth be known, and became Brothers Bonfilius, Alexis, Amadeus, Hugh, Sostenes, Manettus and Buonagiunta. By the wish of the bishop, all except St. Alexis, who in his humility begged to be excused, prepared to receive holy orders, and in due time they were fully professed and ordained priests. The new order, which took a form more like that of the mendicant friars than that of the monastic orders, increased amazingly, and it soon became necessary to form fresh houses. Siena, Pistoia and Arezzo were the first places chosen, and afterwards the houses at Carfaggio, the convent and church of the Santissima Annunziata in Florence, and the convent at Lucca were established. Meanwhile, although the Servites had the approval of their immediate superiors, they had not been recognized by the Holy See. It was only in 1259 that the order was practically recognized by Alexander IV, and not until 1304 over sixty years after its foundation-that it received the explicit and formal approbation of Bd. Benedict XI. St. Bonfilius had remained as prior general until 1256, when he begged to be relieved owing to old age. He died on new year's night, 1261.<br />
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St. Buonagiunta, the youngest of the seven, was the second prior general, but not long after his election he breathed his last in chapel while the gospel of the Passion was being read. St. Amadeus ruled over the important convent of Carfaggio, but returned to Monte Senario to end his days. St. Manettus became fourth prior general and sent missionaries to Asia, but he retired to make way for St. Philip Benizi, upon whose breast he died. St. Hugh and St. Sostenes went abroad—Sostenes to Paris and Hugh to found convents in Germany. They were recalled in 1276, and, being attacked by illness, they passed away side by side the same night. St. Alexis, the humble lay-brother outlived them all, and he was the only one who survived to see the order fully and finally recognized. He is reported to have died at the age one hundred and ten.<br />
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Taken from<em> "Butler's Lives of the Saints</em>" Concise Edition, edited by Michael Walsh, Harper & Row, Publishers, (c) copyright Burns and Oates 1956, 1985.<br />
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<h3>
Reflection</h3>
The time in which the seven Servite founders lived is very easily comparable to the situation in which we find ourselves today. It is “the best of times and the worst of times,” as Dickens once wrote. Some, perhaps many, feel called to a countercultural life, even in religion. All of us are faced in a new and urgent way with the challenge to make our lives decisively centered in Christ.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-52278619133908628442019-02-11T00:02:00.001-05:002019-02-11T00:02:21.153-05:00OUR LADY OF LOURDES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is the day when St. Bernadette saw the Blessed Virgin, I thought that we should remember her also.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394;">"I am the Immaculate Conception".</span> </i>These are the words with which our Blessed Mother addressed herself to Bernadette in Lourdes, France. Today is that day Pius IX proclaimed in 1854 to be held in honor of this title of our Lady.<br />
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<b>OUR LADY of LOURDES (1858)</b> <br />
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The first of the eighteen apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the humble <b>Bernadette Soubirous </b>took place at Lourdes on February 11, 1858. On March 25th, when Bernadette asked the beautiful Lady Her name, She replied: <b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">"I am the Immaculate Conception."</span> </i></b>The Church for long centuries had believed in Her Immaculate Conception, Her exemption from every trace of the original sin which through Adam, our first and common father, separated man from his God. It was never proclaimed a dogma, however, until 1854. Mary Herself, in 1830, had asked of a Vincentian Sister at the Rue du Bac in Paris, that a medal be struck bearing Her likeness and the inscription:<i> "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee." </i>Our Lady by Her apparitions at Lourdes in 1858 seems to convey Her appreciation for the formal proclamation of Her great privilege, by Pius IX, in 1854. Countless and magnificent miracles of healing have occurred at Lourdes, confirmed by physicians and recorded in the Lourdes shrine <i>"Book of Life." </i>To name but one: a doctor wrote a book describing the great miracle he had witnessed for a dying girl, whom he had observed on the train that was carrying handicapped persons from Paris to Lourdes. He had not expected her to survive and return home from the sanctuary.<br />
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Through the Lourdes Apparitions, the devotion of persons in all parts of the world to the Immaculate Mother of God has been wonderfully spread, and countless miracles have been wrought everywhere through Her intercession. The Virgin Mother of God is truly the chosen Messenger of God to these latter times, which are entrusted to Her, the chosen vessel of the unique privilege of exemption from original sin. Only with Her assistance will the dangers of the present world situation be averted. As She has done since 1858 in many places, at Lourdes, too, She gave us Her peace plan for the world, through Saint Bernadette: <b>Prayer and Penance</b>, to save souls.<br />
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I remember when working that a certain believer (not Catholic), would talk about Jesus' immaculate conception. I told him that this miracle pertained to His Mother, not Him, since Jesus was perfect, and not in need of any kind of special graces. I asked my friend that if he could have formed his own mother, wouldn't he want her to be as perfect as possible? He answered in the affirmative. I then told that Jesus did too, and that He did it for her at her conception, freeing her from the sin of Adam and Eve, because<strong> nothing</strong> is impossible to God. I left him to ponder this, which I'm sure he did, because he was a very contemplative type of person. Although, he didn't bring it up again. It must have been one of those crossroads for him, since he was a minister in the United Brethren church. We still got along great anyway, with many discussions on all sorts of topics. May God rest his soul, since he passed away a few years ago. He did, however, look just like Santa Claus, as we have seen in many portrayals.<br />
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Anyway, Bernadette's appeal for us was, and is: <i><span style="color: #a64d79;">"Penance, penance, and penance."</span> </i>May this upcoming Lent keep us whole, and keep reminding us of this appeal. Through the Lourdes Apparitions, the devotion of persons in all parts of the world to the Immaculate Mother of God has been wonderfully spread, and countless miracles have been wrought everywhere through Her intercession. The Virgin Mother of God is truly the chosen Messenger of God to these latter times, which are entrusted to Her, the chosen vessel of the unique privilege of exemption from original sin. Only with Her assistance will the dangers of the present world situation be averted. As She has done since 1858 in many places, at Lourdes, too, She gave us Her peace plan for the world, through Saint Bernadette: <i>Prayer and Penance</i>, to save souls.<br />
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Also, please remember in your prayers for my best friend, Jim. He had a bout with the big "C" a few years ago and lost. Just when he thought he was clear of this disease, it came back with a vengeance. He had been told that it is now inoperable and incurable. I know he believed in Jesus, but he was not Catholic. I read the prayers for the dying from the "Pieta" book, which are very beautiful. I told him that the prayers were Catholic, but that the word 'catholic' means universal, so every one can use the effects. He wasn't offended. I hope they console him wherever he is now. Also, I would like to ask for prayers for his wife, Judy. I don't know if she is a believer, but she can use the prayers. Maybe we can help her in her grief and sorrow, hopefully to bring her around so that she doesn't despair and reject God entirely. She lost her mother, one daughter, and her husband in the span of a couple of years.<br />
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<b><br /> Lord, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us and obtain for us that mercy.</b><br />
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<em><strong>Indulgenced Prayer to Our Lady of Lourdes: </strong></em><br />
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O Holy Mary, Mother of God, who to reanimate the faith of the world and draw men to thy divine Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, didst deign to appear at Lourdes; thou who, in order to render more manifest thy maternal tenderness, and to inspire our hearts with greater confidence, didst choose a simple little child as the confidant of thy mercy; thou who didst say: "I am the Immaculate Conception" to make us understand the priceless value of that innocence which is the pledge of the friendship of God; thou who by eighteen successive apparitions didst not cease by thy actions and words to urge men to prayer and penance, which alone can appease Heaven and ward off the blows of divine justice; thou who, by a moving appeal to the world, hast reunited before the miraculous grotto an innumerable multitude of thy children; behold us, Our Lady of Lourdes, prostrate at thy feet, and confident of obtaining blessings and graces from God by thy most powerful intercession. Those who love thee, O Mother of Jesus Christ, Mother of men, desire above everything to serve God faithfully in this world, so as to have the happiness of loving Him eternally in Heaven. Listen to the prayers which we this day address to thee; defend us against the enemies of our salvation, and against our own infirmities; together with the pardon of our sins, obtain for us perseverance in the determination never to fall away again. We implore thee also to take under thy protection our friends and benefactors, and of these in a very special manner those who have abandoned the practice of their Christian duties. May they be converted and become thy faithful servants. Amen.<br />
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<i>(Indulgence 300 day, Pope Leo XIII)</i> <br />
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Read on for more on this.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-5914620498497835472019-02-11T00:02:00.000-05:002019-02-11T00:02:04.604-05:00OUR LADY OF LOURDES--PART II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Shrine at Lourdes</span></span></td></tr>
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Celebrating Our Lady of Lourdes's feast this day, I publish a thoughtful sermon given by the 1934 chaplain at Oxford University.<br />
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<em>Moses and St. Bernadette Soubirous are two figures from Church History which seem to have little in common other than both having the privilege of a visit from heaven. In this interesting reflection, <strong>Msgr. Ronald A. Knox</strong> draws parallels between the two saints. In the first part, a point-by-point comparison - in the second, Msgr. Knox focuses on the message of Lourdes in the form of its "10 words" - again, a parallel to the 10 Commandments.</em></div>
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<em>Msgr. Knox was born in 1888, the son of the Anglican Bishop of Manchester. He became a convert to the Catholic Church in 1917 and subsequently served as chaplain to the Catholic students at Oxford University. He died in 1957.</em></div>
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<em>We have kept the text intact from his original sermon of February, 1934. For further study, we recommend the excellent, classic book, </em>The Song of Bernadette.<br />
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<h2 class="underlined">
"Saint Bernadette of Lourdes"</h2>
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About three thousand years ago, a man stood, thrilled with religious awe, on the slopes of Mount Sinai' in Arabia. He was a shepherd, feeding on those barren pastures the flocks of his father-in-law; his attention had been aroused, at a distance, by the unwanted sight of a fire in the desert scrub. And now that he had drawn nearer, he saw that this was not merely something beyond the ordinary, but something beyond nature itself; the bush before which he stood burned continually, but was not consumed. At the same time a divine warning came to him that he must take off the shoes from his feet in sign of reverence. He did so, and when he had done so the divine voice came to him again; he was to bear a message to his brethren, the children of Israel, subject at that time to a barbarous captivity in Egypt. The God of their fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, would deliver them out of their bondage; and when they had come out of Egypt, they were to do sacrifice to him on this mountain of Sinai. And, in token of the new covenant he was to make with his people, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob revealed himself by a new name:<strong> <span style="color: #990000;">I AM WHO AM.</span></strong><br />
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Rather less than eighty years ago <em>[ed: this sermon was given in 1934]</em>, a little girl stood before the rock of Massabielle, in the township of Lourdes, on the slopes of the Pyrenees. No premonition of any divine event disturbed her thoughts; she was at play with her companions, and if she took off the shoes from her feet it was only to cross the stream that lay in their path. She heard a noise, like that of a strong wind; she turned, and saw that the trees in the valley were not bowed as a strong wind must bow them. She turned back towards the rock, and a rose-bush that grew in front of it. And now she saw the rosebush flaming with something more bright, more pure, more beautiful than fire. She saw above it the figure of a Lady; what need to describe it in detail? Wherever Christendom reaches, the helpless aspirations of Christian artists have made that figure familiar to every human eye. The Lady said no word, but she made one sign, the sign of the cross; and the little girl, taking courage, said her rosary as if to defend her from harm. Then the Vision beckoned to her to come nearer; she drew back in alarm, and it vanished. She took off her other stocking, crossed the stream, and rejoined her companions, who had seen nothing. That was all; it was only in later visits that she realized what a grace had been bestowed upon her; that she, too, was to lead a world out of its captivity; draw it after her to worship God and celebrate the glories of His Mother on that mountain. It was only many days later that the gracious Lady revealed herself by name; lifted up her eyes to heaven and said:<em> <span style="color: blue;">"I am the Immaculate Conception."</span></em></div>
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Shepherds - A Divine Preference?<br /> </h4>
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Moses was a shepherd, not by choice. A man of courts and palaces, he had been driven into exile, and served, in that exile, his apprenticeship among the flocks. It is curious how often God has chosen a shepherd when he has wanted to impart an inspiration that has revolutionized men's lives. Jacob was a shepherd, the founder of the Jewish race; David was a shepherd, the ancestor of its royal dynasty; Amos was a shepherd, the first of its sons to prophesy and to commit his prophecies to writing. And under the new dispensation it is not otherwise; the shepherds at Bethlehem were the first to hear from their cronies, the angels, of the divine-human birth, and you will find shepherd saints in every age of Christian piety—<strong>St. Genevieve, St. Paschal Baylon, St. Vincent de Paul and St. John Vianney</strong>. <br />
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Curious, did we say? There is nothing curious about it when you come to think of it. For God Himself was content to be described by his ancient people as a Shepherd;<strong> "Hear, thou shepherd of Israel," "The Lord is my shepherd," "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd";</strong> and when the Divine Word came to dwell among us, He chose for himself the title of the Good Shepherd, and handed it on to <strong>St. Peter</strong>, the favored Apostle, when He committed to him the care of all the churches. He who would lead God's people must imitate the divine forethought, the divine patience, the divine gentleness which tends and pursues so lovingly the straying hearts of men. Shepherd to shepherd, God delegates to Moses his pastoral office.<br />
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St. Bernadette, too, was a shepherd girl. Not that this was her business in her father's home; but when she went on a visit to friends of the family at Bartres, the year before her apparitions, she was given charge of a flock of sheep among which, characteristically, she made the tiniest lamb her favorite. So she, too, was apprenticed to the shepherd's trade; for she, too, was to be a leader of God's people. And the gracious Lady who appeared to her over the rose-bush, was not she the daughter of a shepherd, St. Joachim? And will not she, like Rachel before her, have fed her father's flocks? Shepherdess to shepherdess, our Lady delegates to St. Bernadette her pastoral office.</div>
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Solitary Visions that Draw Followers Closer<br /> </h4>
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Moses led his people, and they followed him, where? To the same mountain in which he had first been privileged with the intimacy of almighty God. We were picturing just now, a solitary figure in the desert, alone with God, no other human creature in sight. Carry your mind forward a little space of time and you will see the same man closeted once more with the same Divine Audience; but, at the foot of the mountain, what is this? A vast army of Bedouin tents, the migration of a people. More than six hundred thousand souls worshipping God in the mountain He had chosen. With all that, the vision is still for Moses, and for Moses only. The people stand at the foot of the mountain, with limits appointed to them they must not transgress; Moses goes up into the mountain, and is hidden by a dark cloud from mortal view. The people see the play of lightning round the summit, but the Divine Voice is not for them; it is only through Moses that the Word comes to them.</div>
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Yet that Word is sovereign; centuries go by, and the nation of Israel increases as the sand by the seashore, but still the memory of Sinai haunts them, and their dearest traditions are all prefaced with the same rubric, "Moses said."<br />
Bernadette stood before the grotto on the eleventh of February with no other human creature near her, except two little girls, her companions, on the other side of the stream. When she knelt there on the fourth of March, just three weeks later, she was being watched by a crowd of twenty thousand pilgrims. Yet still the vision was only for her; for those others there was nothing but the grotto and the rose-bush, and the mountains beyond. They could see the smile that lit up the face of the visionary, but that was all. But the memory of her smile still haunts the grotto, and all Christendom flocks there in its hundreds of thousands, to worship in the place where her feet stood. And still she haunts the place like a visible presence; when you offer your lighted candle, you half expect to hear her cry out: "You're burning me!" as she did when she woke from her ecstasy nearly eighty years ago.</div>
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A Veiled Face for the Visionary<br /> </h4>
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When Moses came down from the mountain, his face shone, so that the children of Israel could not bear to look upon it. They saw there, as if reflected in a frail human mirror, the glory of Him Who had spoken with him on the mount. And Moses covered his face with a veil, lest even that reflected radiance should be profaned by human sight.</div>
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In May, 1866, the chapel which Bernadette's ecstasies had demanded was inaugurated at Lourdes. That July she took the veil with the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, and Lourdes was not to see her again. Did we think that she would wait there to tell us all her story, to touch our rosaries and sign our autograph books? No, the face which had looked into the face of the Immaculate must be veiled thenceforward; thenceforward we should not even see her smile.</div>
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Deliverance from Bondage<br /> </h4>
Moses was sent to deliver his people from bondage, and from a bondage to which they had grown accustomed, so that they loved their fetters, and were constantly turning on him and asking why he could not leave them alone. That was his chief difficulty—they did not want to be set free. And even when they had been set free, and let out into the wilderness, they were always hankering after the luxuries they had enjoyed in Egypt, always murmuring against the rough fare of the desert. While Moses was up in the mountain, the people he had left behind him in the valley made a golden calf and fell to worshipping it, as they had worshipped in Egypt. All his life he preached to an incredulous race, condemned, for their hardness of heart, to forty years' wandering in the wilderness before they achieved their promised resting-place.<br />
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Bernadette was sent to a world in bondage, and to a world which rejoiced in its bondage. Those apparitions of hers took place in the very middle of the Victorian age, when mankind, or at any rate, the richer part of mankind, was enjoying material plenty to a degree, I suppose, unexampled before or since. And the presence of material plenty had given rise to a general spirit of materialism; a spirit which loves the good things of this life and is content with the good things of this life, does not know how to enlarge its horizons and think about eternity. She was sent to deliver us from that captivity of thought; to make us forget the idols of our prosperity, and learn afresh the meaning of suffering and the thirst for God. That is what Lourdes is for; that is what Lourdes is about—the miracles are only a by-product. You might have thought that in our day, when prosperity has waned and all of us, or nearly all of us, have to be content with less, we should have needed no longer these divine warnings from the rock of Massabielle. We know that it is not so; we know that in this wilderness of drifting uncertainties, our modern world, we still cling to the old standard of values, still celebrate, with what conviction we may the worship of the Golden Calf. The year of Bernadette's canonization finds us no less in need of public reparation for our common sinfulness than the year in which Bernadette took the veil.<figure class="second-image"><figure class="second-image"><span class="styles file-styles news_big" id="styles-1-0"><img height="260" id="1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiitdhQJ25nzwpNPMtSKoRJxCklemLdERt7oyno1-p9JiBlKo45EE3U_hO-e1xvTlDK8aBNqoy__9Pnvp2VBfeR1pQjLht9RqWhBdXGhgJOd0zWqiMRrtkavh74ycvXBVt0Oi8pjFY0rYYj3htRVyFzK26HAjbqvvMsRttR8OY2oWDYIV7sI-A_HyWTvsJor736QImmSH4KitsmhQ=s0-d" width="460" /></span><figcaption>The incorrupt body of St. Bernadette, exhumed in 1909</figcaption></figure><div class="field field-name-field-second-body field-type-text-long field-label-hidden">
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Lourdes: A Modern Sinai</h4>
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Do not think me fanciful then if I suggest that we ought to see in Lourdes a sort of modern Sinai; and that we ought to treasure the words our Lady spoke in the grotto as we treasure the words God gave to Moses on the mount. Ten words of God to Moses which are enshrined now in the general conscience of humanity; ten words of our Lady to Bernadette, ruling principles (surely) for the Church to whose altars the little prophetess has been raised. Let us meditate them, very briefly, as they come.</h4>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">10 words Delivered to Bernadette</span> </h4>
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At the third apparition, St. Bernadette took with her pen and ink and a sheet of paper, to write down the commands which she felt the strange Lady would want to express. And the first recorded utterance of the Immaculate bears on that point; <em><span style="color: #0b5394;">"What I have to tell you I do not need to set down in writing. Will you have the kindness to come here for a whole fortnight?"</span></em> When Moses came down from Mt. Sinai, he brought with him two tables of stone, on which the Ten Commandments had been written, we know not how, by almighty God Himself. But the Christian law, St. Paul tells us, is not written on tables of stone, but on fleshly tables of the heart. It is not a code of directions exterior to ourselves, but a spirit with which we are to be imbued, an attitude which we are to assimilate. And Bernadette, accordingly, must not expect her decalogue to be registered in pen and ink. She must come to the grotto for a fortnight, as continuously as she may, and the message will write itself on her heart. And from us, too, our Lady of Lourdes asks no laborious exercise of the intellect, no feats of memory, if we are to learn her lesson. We are to watch Bernadette, and see our Lady's own image in her.</h4>
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That was the first word, and the second word followed immediately, with an almost cruel abruptness: <em>"I do not promise you that you will be happy in this world, but in the next."</em> Moses, the servant of God, brought his people out into a land flowing with milk and honey—but he was not allowed to enter that promised land himself. And St. Bernadette was to open for us that miraculous spring from which healing has flowed into thousands of homes; the grotto in which she worshipped is hung about with a forest of crutches, the trophies of our Lady's clients; but St. Bernadette herself, what reward was given to her for all her faith and endurance? Thirteen short years of life in the cloister; years haunted with premonition, and crowned with the experience of long and continued bodily suffering. We had so often been told, yet nothing really succeeded in making us believe, that it is eternity which matters, and times does not count. Bernadette should be a living proof of that doctrine; our Lady's favorite confidante, rewarded, not with health like us others, but with a short life and a long cross!</h4>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The Prayer Known Only to Bernadette</span> </h4>
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At the fifth apparition, during forty minutes of ecstasy our Lady taught St. Bernadette, word by word, a special prayer she was to use. That prayer she learned by heart, and used it every day for the rest of her life. What was it? we ask breathlessly. The answer is that we do not know, and shall never know till, by God's grace, we are allowed to use it in heaven. The message, I say it again, was for Bernadette, and for us only through her; we are not to go to Lourdes for this or that ceremony, this or that form of prayer; it is to be the shrine not of a ritual but of a life.</h4>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">A Familiar Plea: "Pray for Sinners"</span></h4>
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And the fourth word presses on to the heart of the mystery; it was during the sixth apparition that our Lady said suddenly, <em><span style="color: #0b5394;">"Pray for sinners."</span></em> That is not what we think of, is it, when people ask us what are the most characteristic impressions we carried away from the Lourdes pilgrimage. We think of those wasted forms in their invalid chairs grouped round the square in the afternoon, and the heartrending petitions that echo round them: Lord, grant that I may see, Lord, grant that I may hear, Lord, grant that I may walk. Or we think of the torchlight procession in the evening, and the singing of the Credo which concludes it; we remember Lourdes as the embodiment of a great act of faith. But when our Lady stood at the grotto, the first command she gave was not, Heal the sick; was not, Convert the unbeliever. Her command was, Pray for sinners. Man's sin, that is our real malady; man's impenitence, that is the crying problem.</h4>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">A Common Marian Message: Penance</span> </h4>
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The fifth word was unique, in that it was heard by the bystanders, not indeed from our Lady's lips, but from Bernadette's. As she knelt there in ecstasy, she repeated several times, sobbing, the one word, <strong><span style="color: #a64d79;">"Penance."</span></strong> They learned afterwards that she was repeating it after our Lady. This, then is our Lady's one public utterance; and, as I say, it is the message of Lourdes. We are to make there, in common, what reparation we can for our common faults. The true music of Lourdes is not the "Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick" that thunders across the square; not the Ave, Ave, that sweeps down the terraces. It is the<em> Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo</em>—the confession of our sins, and a desperate cry for pardon.<br /><br />Then, not till then, at the ninth apparition, our Lady pointed to the sacred spring, and bade her prophetess drink and wash there. This sixth word is a kind of interlude; and, remember, our Lady never said that those who drank, those who washed, would be healed of their bodily infirmities. The faithful themselves were left to find out that gracious corollary; the ceremony performed at the time by St. Bernadette was rather a pantomime of humiliation—to eat grass like the cattle, to drink and wash in a muddy spring. She dedicated herself and her mission to human scorn.</h4>
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<br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">A Cruel Request from Our Lady?</span></h4>
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<br />The seventh word emphasizes the lesson of humiliation, and connects it with the lesson of penance. "You will kiss the ground, for sinners." Because all our worst sins take their origin in pride, the penance we are to offer—we moderns at least—must be prefaced by the mortification of reminding ourselves, what and whence we are. So, on Ash Wednesday, when we open our Lenten fast by having our foreheads smeared with ashes, while the priest says to us, as God said to Adam when he had sinned: <em>"Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."</em> We must learn to grovel before we can learn to weep.</h4>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Practical Instructions</span><br /> </h4>
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With the eighth and ninth words we come at last to practical, rubrical directions, which will serve to organize Bernadette's revelations as a cult. <em>"Go and tell the priests to build me a chapel"; "I want people to come here in procession."</em> Man is made of body and soul; body as well as soul must take part in his self-dedication to God. Material edifices, of wood and stone, outward gestures, pilgrimage and march and song, must be the complement and the expression of his inward attitude. So, when God issued to Moses His moral law, in all the grandeur of its austerity, He directed at the same time the building of a tabernacle, and the rites which were to be performed in and at the tabernacle; He would enlist material things in the service of a spiritual ideal. So, when our Lady preached to Bernadette her gospel of penance she externalized it and eternalized it by prescribing the outward ceremonies that should be its expression.</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">The Last Word of Our Lady</span></h4>
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The tenth word is the best known of all: <span style="color: blue;">"I am the Immaculate Conception."</span> Why (people have asked) did she say that, rather than "I am the immaculately conceived"? It is, perhaps, rash to venture on explanations. But when God appeared to Moses, He revealed Himself under the title <span style="color: #990000;">I AM WHO AM</span>; and theologians have read in those simple words the most profound truth about the divine Being—that there is no distinction of essence and existence, of attributes and personality, in Him; His goodness, His wisdom, His power. His justice, are nothing other than Himself. That cannot be said, obviously, of any creature. But, may we not suppose that the plenitude of grace which flowed into the soul of our blessed Lady so overshadowed and transformed her human personality as to make her little suppliant forgetful of it; make her see, there in the grotto, no longer a human figure but the embodiment of a spiritual truth? That the thought of what she was and is was obscured, in that moment of revelation, by the thought of what God wrought and works in her?</div>
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"Today, if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts," was the message of Sinai. Moses struck the hard rock, and the waters gushed out; he could not wring tears, even so, from the hearts of a stubborn people. Surely, when she pointed to the miraculous spring at Lourdes our Lady was telling a whole world to weep for its sins. So many years have passed, and do we still come away from Lourdes dry-eyed?</div>
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<strong><em>This sermon was originally published in the <a class="jquery-once-1-processed" href="http://www.angelusonline.org/index.php?section=articles&subsection=show_article&article_id=320" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #888888;">February, 1980 issue of The Angelus</span></a>.</em></strong></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-69586134245461877172019-02-10T00:05:00.000-05:002019-02-10T23:17:36.980-05:005th Sunday after Epiphany<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today is the 5th Sunday after the Epiphany. It is the last Sunday before the penitential season begins. We are encouraged to be vigilant, and be faithful 'soldiers' of Christ and His Church.<br />
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<strong>EPISTLE</strong> (Col. III. 12-17.)<br />
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<em> Brethren, put ye on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another; even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so you also. But above all these things, have charity, which is the bond of perfection: and let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly, in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another, in psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing in grace in your hearts to God. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, all things, do ye in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.</em><br />
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'When we have learned to conquer our evil inclinations, passions, and desires, and have placed order and quiet in our hearts instead, then we can have true peace in our hearts.'<br />
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<strong>GOSPEL</strong> (Matt. XIII. 24-30,)<br />
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At that time, Jesus spoke this parable to the multitudes:<strong> <span style="color: red;">"The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in his field. But while men were asleep, his enemy came, and oversowed cockle among the wheat, and went his way. And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. And the servants of the good man of the house coming, said to him: Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence, then, hath it cockle? And he said to them: An enemy bath done this. And the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather it up? And he said: No, lest perhaps, gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it. Suffer both to grow until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn."</span></strong><br />
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The good seed, as Christ Himself says, (Matt. XIII. 38.) signifies the children of the kingdom, that is, the true Christians, the living members of the Church, who being converted by the word of God sown into their hearts become children of God, and bring forth the fruit of good works. The cockle means the children of iniquity, of the devil, that is, those who do evil; also every wrong, false doctrine which leads men to evil.<br />
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The good seed is sown by Jesus, the Son of Man not only directly, but through His apostles, and the priests, their successors; the evil seed is sown by the devil, and by wicked men whom he uses as his tools.<br />
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Those shepherds who have fallen asleep at their post have allowed the seeds of error to be sown in the churches. <br />
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The superiors in the Church; the bishops and pastors who take no care of their flock, and do not warn them against seduction, when the devil comes and by wicked men sows the cockle of <span style="color: #8e7cc3;">erroneous doctrine</span> and of crime; and those men who are careless and neglect to hear the word of God and the sacrifice of the Mass, who neglect to pray, and do not receive the Sacraments. In the souls of such the devil sows the seeds of bad thoughts, evil imaginations and desires, from which spring, later, the cockle of pride, impurity, anger, envy, avarice, etc.<br />
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God allows this cockle to be on the earth, mostly for the testing of us, to see what we're made of.<br />
Because of His patience and long suffering towards the sinner to whom He gives time for repentance, and because of His love for the just from whom He would not, by weeding out the unjust, take away the occasion of practicing virtue and gathering up merits for themselves; for because of the unjust, the just have numerous opportunities to exercise patience, humility, etc.<br />
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Many were confirmed by bishops as “soldiers of Christ” and given a blow on the cheek as a reminder of what suffering we might face as Christians: not the first time we have suffered at the hands of bishops, perhaps, and maybe not the last.<br />
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By our baptism we are integrated in Christ’s Mystical Body, indeed His Person, the Church. We are given the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Through the sacramental graces that flow from baptism and confirmation, nourished by the Eucharist and healed and strengthened with the other sacraments, we are capable of facing the challenges of daily life and face down the attacks of hell. We ought rather desire to die like soldiers rather than sin in the manner of those who have no gratitude toward God or sense of duty toward Him.<br />
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In today’s prayer we beg the protection and provisions Christ our King and commander can give us soldiers while on the march. We need a proper attitude of obedience toward God, our ultimate superior, dutifulness our earthly parents, our heavenly home and our earthly country, our heavenly brothers and sisters the saints and our earthly siblings and relatives, our heavenly patrons and worldly benefactors, and so forth.<br />
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The day of the last judgment when the reapers, that is, the angels, will go out and separate the wicked from the just, and throw the wicked into the fiery furnace; while the just will be taken into everlasting joy. (Matt. XIII. 29.)<br />
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<strong>PRAYER</strong> <br />
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O faithful Jesus, Thou great lover of our souls, who hast sown the good seed of Thy Divine Word in our hearts, grant that it may be productive, and bear in us fruit for eternal life; protect us from our evil enemy, that he may not sow his erroneous and false doctrine in our hearts, and corrupt the good; preserve us from the sleep of sin, and sloth that we may remain always vigilant and armed against the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, overcome them manfully, and die a happy death. Amen.<br />
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Another take:<br />
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Christ is our King (Introit, Alleluia), for He welcomes not only converted Jews but also Gentiles into His Kingdom. Called through pure mercy to share in the mystical body of Christ, we must then in our turn, show mercy to our neighbor since we are made one with him in Christ Jesus (Epistle). In doing this we shall have need of patience, since in God's kingdom here on earth there are both good and bad, and it is only when our Lord comes to judge men, as described in the last Sunday of the temporal cycle, that He will separate the one from the other for all Eternity.<br />
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In the Gospel we see that the world is like a wide field into which our Lord, the sower of good seed, puts what is called in today’s epistle the “Word of Christ”. Of this holy seed the fruits are “the peace of Christ” and “charity”. On the other hand, under cover of darkness, the Devil, that accursed sower of evil, scatters the deadly poisonous cockle. The servants of the good man of the house, that is the angels, would divide the good from the evil, but the roots of the wheat and the cockle are so tangled in each other, that they can only be parted at harvest time; only at the last Judgment will divine justice make that inevitable division. Then the wicked, as useless chaff, will be burned while the good will, one and all, be taken to be with Christ in heaven.<em><span style="color: #990000;"> “The wheat gather ye into my barn.”</span></em><br />
<em>Source: Dom Gaspar Lefebvre, OSB, 1945</em><br />
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Let's pray that we're gathered into the barn of the Lord, and not burned. (Don't let the cockle sowers get you down. :) )</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-86496261179602753292019-02-10T00:03:00.000-05:002019-02-10T00:03:35.561-05:00St. Scholastica<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em><strong>St. Scholastica</strong></em></div>
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<strong><i>by Dom Prosper Louis P. Gueranger</i></strong><br />
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The sister of the Patriarch <strong>St. Benedict</strong> comes to us today, sweetly inviting us to follow her to heaven. Apollonia the Martyr is succeeded by Scholastica the fervent daughter of the Cloister. Both of them are the Spouses of Jesus, both of them wear a crown, for both of them fought hard, and won the palm. Apollonia's battle was with cruel persecutors, and in those hard times when one had to die to conquer; Scholastica's combat was the life-long struggle, whose only truce is the soldier's dying breath. The Martyr and the Nun are sisters now in the Heart of Him they both so bravely loved.<br />
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God, in his infinite wisdom, gave to St. Benedict a faithful co-operatrix, a sister of such angelic gentleness of character, that she would be a sort of counterpoise to the brother, whose vocation, as the legislator of monastic life, needed a certain dignity of grave and stern resolve. We continually meet with these contrasts in the lives of the saints; and they show us that there is a link, of which flesh and blood know nothing; a link which binds two souls together, gives them power, harmonizes their differences of character, and renders each complete. Thus it is in heaven with the several hierarchies of the Angels; a mutual love, which is founded on God Himself, unites them together, and makes them live in the eternal happiness of the tenderest brotherly affection.<br />
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Scholastica's earthly pilgrimage was not a short one; and yet it has left us but the history of the Dove, which told the brother, by its flight to heaven, that his sister had reached the eternal home before him. We have to thank <strong>St. Gregory the Great</strong> for even this much, which he tells us as a sequel to the holy dispute she had with Benedict, three days previous to her death. But how admirable is the portrait thus drawn in St. Gregory's best style! We seem to understand the whole character of Scholastica:--an earnest simplicity, and a child-like eagerness, for what was worth her desiring it; an affectionate and unshaken confidence in God; a winning persuasiveness, where there was opposition to God's will, which, when it met such an opponent as Benedict, called on God to interpose, and gained its cause. The old poets tell us strange things about the swan, how sweetly it can sing when dying; how lovely must not have been the last notes of the Dove of the Benedictine Cloister, as she was soaring from earth to heaven!<br />
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But how came Scholastica, the humble retiring Nun, by that energy, which could make her resist the will of her brother, whom she revered as her master and guide? What was it told her that her prayer was not a rash one, and that what she asked for was a higher good than Benedict's unflinching fidelity to the Rule he had written, and which it was his duty to teach by his own keeping it? Let us hear St. Gregory's answer: "It is not to be wondered at, that the sister, who wished to prolong her brother's stay, should have prevailed over him; for, whereas St. John tells us, that God is Charity, it happened by a most just judgment, that she that had the stronger love, had the stronger power."<br />
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Our Season is appropriate for the beautiful lesson taught us by St. Scholastica,--<strong><span style="color: #e06666;">fraternal charity</span></strong>. Her example should excite us to the love of our neighbor, that love which God bids us labour for, now that we are intent on giving Him our undivided service, and our complete conversion. The Easter Solemnity we are preparing for, is to unite us all in the grand Banquet, where we are all to feast on the one Divine Victim of Love. Let us have our nuptial garment ready; for He that invites us, insists on our having union of heart when we dwell in his House (Ps. lxvii. 7.)</div>
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The Church has inserted in her Office of this Feast the account given by<strong> St. Gregory</strong> of the last interview between St. Scholastica and St. Benedict. It is as follows:<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">From the <u>2nd book of the Dialogues </u>of <strong>St. Gregory, Pope.</strong></span><br />
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Scholastica was the sister of the venerable father Benedict. She had been consecrated to Almighty God from her very infancy, and was accustomed to visit her brother once a year. The man of God came down to meet her at a house belonging to the monastery, not far from the gate. It was the day for the usual visit, and her venerable brother came down to her accompanied by some of his brethren. The whole day was spent in the praises of God and holy conversation; and at night-fall, they took their repast together. Whilst they were at table, and it grew late as they conferred with each other on sacred things, the holy Nun thus spoke to her brother: <em> "I beseech thee, stay the night with me, and let us talk till morning on the joys of heaven."</em> He replied: <em>"What is this thou sayest, sister? On no account may I remain out of the monastery. The evening was so fair, that not a cloud could be seen in the sky." </em>When, therefore, the holy nun heard her brother's refusal, she clasped her hands together, and, resting them on the table, she hid her face in them, and made a prayer to the God of all power. As soon as she raised her head from the table, there came down so great a storm of thunder and lightning, and rain, that neither the venerable Benedict, nor the brethren who were with him, could set foot outside the place where they were sitting.<br />
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The holy virgin had shed a flood of tears as she leaned her head upon the table, and the cloudless sky poured down the wished-for rain. The prayer was said, the rain fell in torrents; there was no interval; but so closely on each other were prayer and rain, that the storm came as she raised her head. Then the man of God, seeing that it was impossible to reach his monastery amidst all this lightning, thunder, and rain, was sad, and said complainingly: <em>"God forgive thee, sister! What hast thou done?"</em> But she replied: <em> "I asked thee a favour,"</em> <em>and thou wouldst not hear me; I asked it of my God, and He granted it. Go, now, if thou canst, to the monastery, and leave me here!"</em> But it was not in his power to stir from the place; so that, he who would not stay willingly, had to stay unwillingly, and spend the whole night with his sister, delighting each other with their questions and answers about the secrets of spiritual life.<br />
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On the morrow, the holy woman returned to her monastery, and the man of God to his. When lo! three days after, he was in his cell; and raising his eyes, he saw the soul of his sister going up to heaven, in the shape of a dove. Full of joy at her being thus glorified, he thanked his God in hymns of praise, and told the brethren of her death. He straightways bade them go and bring her body to the monastery; which having done, he had it buried in the tomb he had prepared for himself. Thus it was, that, as they had ever been one soul in God, their bodies were united in the same grave. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-63102034584401910972019-02-09T00:06:00.000-05:002019-02-09T00:06:11.582-05:00St. Apollonia, Virgin/Martyr<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ecclesiastical historians have claimed that in the last years of Emperor Philip the Arab (reigned 244–249), during otherwise undocumented festivities to commemorate the millennium of the founding of Rome (traditionally in 753 BC, putting the date about 248), the fury of the Alexandrian mob rose to a great height, and when one of their poets prophesied a calamity, they committed bloody outrages on the Christians, whom the authorities made no effort to protect.<br />
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Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria (247–265), relates the sufferings of his people in a letter addressed to Fabius, Bishop of Antioch, of which long extracts have been preserved in Eusebius' Historia Ecclesiae. After describing how a Christian man and woman, Metras and Quinta, were seized and killed by the mob, and how the houses of several other Christians were pillaged, Dionysius continues:<br />
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<i>"At that time Apollonia, <i>parthénos presbytis</i>, (mostly likely meaning some kind of a deaconess), was held in high esteem. These men seized her also and by repeated blows broke all her teeth. They then erected outside the city gates a pile of fagots and threatened to burn her alive if she refused to repeat after them impious words (either a blasphemy against Christ, or an invocation of the heathen gods). Given, at her own request, a little freedom, she sprang quickly into the fire and was burned to death."</i><br />
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Apollonia and a whole group of early martyrs did not await the death they were threatened with, but either to preserve their chastity or because they were confronted with the alternative of renouncing their Faith or suffering death, voluntarily embraced the death prepared for them, an action that runs perilously close to suicide, some thought (I don't). <b>St. Augustine of Hippo</b> touches on this question in the first book of The City of God, apropos suicide:<br />
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<i>"But, they say, during the time of persecution certain holy women plunged into the water with the intention of being swept away by the waves and drowned, and thus preserve their threatened chastity. Although they quitted life in this wise, nevertheless they receive high honour as <b>Martyrs</b> in the Catholic Church and their feasts are observed with great ceremony. This is a matter on which I dare not pass judgment lightly. For I know not but that the Church was divinely authorized through trustworthy revelations to honour thus the memory of these Christians. It may be that such is the case. May it not be, too, that these acted in such a manner, not through human caprice but on the command of God, not erroneously but through obedience, as we must believe in the case of Samson? When, however, God gives a command and makes it clearly known, who would account obedience there to a crime or condemn such pious devotion and ready service?"</i><br />
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The narrative of Dionysius does not suggest the slightest reproach as to this act of St. Apollonia; in his eyes she was as much a martyr as the others, and as such she was revered in the Alexandrian Church. In time, her feast was also popular in the West. A later narrative mistakenly duplicated Apollonia, making her a Christian virgin of Rome in the reign of Julian the Apostate, suffering the same dental fate.<br />
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After she had willingly thrown herself into the fire prepared for her, there was within her the intenser flame of the Holy Ghost Her body was soon consumed, and her most pure soul took its flight, and was graced with the everlasting crown of martyrdom.<br />
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(I can relate my experience with this great Saint: A few years ago I had a tooth pulled out. The dentist seemed to be having a hard getting this particular tooth out, and, after some mental prayers to St. Apollonia, the tooth popped right out. And, just the other day, another tooth, and, after saying a prayer to her, it popped out! She is amazing. If you have an experience with dentistry, try prayers to St. Apollonia for the doctor and yourself. God would have us seek the protection of His saints, not only in our spiritual, but even in our bodily sufferings. And, remember, St. Apollonia had her teeth taken out <strong>without </strong>novacaine!)<br />
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Awaken within our hearts, Apollonia, the fear of sin; for sin gnaws eternally the souls of them who die with its guilt upon them. If the fire, which had a charm for thee, seems to us the most frightful of tortures, let us turn our fear of suffering and death into a preservative against sin, which plunges men into that abyss, whence the smoke of their torments shall ascend for ever and ever, as St. John tells us in his Revelation. Have pity on us, most brave and prudent martyr. Pray for sinners. Open their eyes to see the evils that threaten them. Procure for us the fear of God, that so we may merit His mercies, and may begin in good earnest to love Him. Amen.<br />
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Saint Apollonia is the Patron Saint of:</h3>
Dentists<br />
Toothaches<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-84046880144653169512019-02-09T00:05:00.000-05:002019-02-09T00:05:53.840-05:00St. Cyril of Alexandria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<strong>SAINT CYRIL of ALEXANDRIA<br /> Doctor of the Church<br /> (c. 376-444)</strong><br />
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Born at Alexandria, Egypt, and nephew of the patriach of that city, Theophilus, Cyril received a classical and theological education at Alexandria and was ordained by his uncle. He accompanied Theophilus to Constantinople in 403 and was present at the "Synod of the Oak" that deposed John Chrysostom, whom he believed guilty of the charges against him.<br />
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He succeeded his uncle Theophilus as patriarch of Alexandria on Theophilus´ death in 412, but only after a riot between Cyril´s supporters and the followers of his rival Timotheus. Cyril at once began a series of attacks against the Novatians, whose churches he closed; the Jews, whom he drove from the city; and Governor Orestes, with whom he disagreed about some of his actions.<br />
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In 430 Cyril became embroiled with Nestorius, patriarch of Constantinople, who was preaching that Mary was not the Mother of God since Christ was divine and not human, and consequently She should not have the word <i>Theotokos</i> (God-bearer) applied to Her. He persuaded Pope Celestine I to convoke a synod at Rome, which condemned Nestorius, and then did the same at his own synod in Alexandria. Celestine directed Cyril to depose Nestorius, and in 431 Cyril presided over the third General Council at Ephesus, attended by some two hundred bishops, which condemned all the tenets of Nestorius and his followers before the arrival of Archbishop John of Antioch and forty-two followers who believed Nestorius was innocent; when they found what had been done, they held a council of their own and deposed Cyril. Emperor Theodosius II arrested both Cyril and Nestorius but released Cyril on the arrival of papal legates who confirmed the council´s actions against Nestorius and declared Cyril innocent of all charges. Two years later Archbishop John, representing the moderate Antiochene bishops, and Cyril reached an agreement and joined in the condemnation, and Nestorius was forced into exile.<br />
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During the rest of his life Cyril wrote treatises that clarified the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation and that helped prevent Nestorianism and Pelagianism from taking long-term deep root in the Christian community. He was the most brilliant theologian of the Alexandrian tradition. His writings are characterized by accurate thinking, precise exposition, and great reasoning skill. Among his writings are commentaries on St. John, St. Luke, and the Pentateuch, treatises on dogmatic theology, an Apologia against Julian the Apostate, and letters and sermons. He was declared a<strong> Doctor of the Church</strong> by<strong> Pope Leo XIII</strong> in 1882.</div>
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From the<strong> Franciscans</strong>:<br />
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Saints are not born with halos around their heads. Cyril, recognized as a great teacher of the Church, began his career as archbishop of Alexandria, Egypt, with impulsive, often violent, actions. He pillaged and closed the churches of the Novatian heretics–who required those who denied the faith to be re-baptized–participated in the deposing of St. John Chrysostom, and confiscated Jewish property, expelling the Jews from Alexandria in retaliation for their attacks on Christians.<br />
Cyril’s importance for theology and Church history lies in his championing the cause of orthodoxy against the heresy of Nestorius, who taught that in Christ there were two persons, one human and one divine.<br />
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The controversy centered around the two natures in Christ. Nestorius would not agree to the title “God-bearer” for Mary. He preferred “Christ-bearer,” saying there are two distinct persons in Christ–divine and human–joined only by a moral union. He said Mary was not the mother of God but only of the man Christ, whose humanity was only a temple of God. Nestorianism implied that the humanity of Christ was a mere disguise.<br />
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Presiding as the pope’s representative at the Council of Ephesus in 431, Cyril condemned Nestorianism and proclaimed Mary truly the “God-bearer”–the mother of the one Person who is truly God and truly human. In the confusion that followed, Cyril was deposed and imprisoned for three months, after which he was welcomed back to Alexandria.<br />
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Besides needing to soften some of his opposition to those who had sided with Nestorius, Cyril had difficulties with some of his own allies, who thought he had gone too far, sacrificing not only language but orthodoxy. Until his death, his policy of moderation kept his extreme partisans under control. On his deathbed, despite pressure, he refused to condemn the teacher of Nestorius.</div>
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Reflection</h3>
Lives of the saints are valuable not only for the virtue they reveal but also for the less admirable qualities that also appear. Holiness is a gift of God to us as human beings. Life is a process. We respond to God’s gift, but sometimes with a lot of zigzagging. If Cyril had been more patient and diplomatic, the Nestorian church might not have risen and maintained power so long. But even saints must grow out of immaturity, narrowness, and selfishness. It is because they—and we—do grow, that we are truly saints, persons who live the life of God.</div>
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The Epistle of St. Cyril to Nestorius</h2>
To the most religious and beloved of God, fellow minister Nestorius, Cyril sends greeting in the Lord.<br />
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I hear that some are rashly talking of the estimation in which I hold your holiness, and that this is frequently the case especially at the times that meetings are held of those in authority. And perchance they think in so doing to say something agreeable to you, but they speak senselessly, for they have suffered no injustice at my hands, but have been exposed by me only to their profit; this man as an oppressor of the blind and needy, and that as one who wounded his mother with a sword. Another because he stole, in collusion with his waiting maid, another’s money, and had always laboured under the imputation of such like crimes as no one would wish even one of his bitterest enemies to be laden with. I take little reckoning of the words of such people, for the disciple is not above his Master, nor would I stretch the measure of my narrow brain above the Fathers, for no matter what path of life one pursues it is hardly possible to escape the smirching of the wicked, whose mouths are full of cursing and bitterness, and who at the last must give an account to the Judge of all.<br />
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But I return to the point which especially I had in mind. And now I urge you, as a brother in the Lord, to propose the word of teaching and the doctrine of the Faith with all accuracy to the people, and to consider that the giving of scandal to one even of the least of those who believe in Christ, exposes a body to the unbearable indignation of God. And of how great diligence and skill there is need when the multitude of those grieved is so great, so that we may administer the healing word of truth to them that seek it. But this we shall accomplish most excellently if we shall turn over the words of the holy Fathers, and are zealous to obey their commands, proving ourselves, whether we be in the Faith according to that which is written, and conform our thoughts to their upright and irreprehensible teaching.<br />
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The holy and great Synod therefore says, that the only begotten Son, born according to nature of God the Father, very God of very God, Light of Light, by whom the Father made all things, came down, and was incarnate, and was made man, suffered, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven. These words and these decrees we ought to follow, considering what is meant by the Word of God being incarnate and made man. For we do not say that the nature of the Word was changed and became flesh, or that it was converted into a whole man consisting of soul and body; but rather that the Word having personally united to himself flesh animated by a rational soul, did in an ineffable and inconceivable manner become man, and was called the Son of Man, not merely as willing or being pleased to be so called, neither on account of taking to himself a person, but because the two natures being brought together in a true union, there is of both one Christ and one Son; for the difference of the natures is not taken away by the union, but rather the divinity and the humanity make perfect for us the one Lord Jesus Christ by their ineffable and inexpressible union. So then he who had an existence before all ages and was born of the Father, is said to have been born according to the flesh of a woman, not as though his divine nature received its beginning of existence in the holy Virgin, for it needed not any second generation after that of the Father (for it would be absurd and foolish to say that he who existed before all ages, coeternal with the Father, needed<strong><span style="color: #990000;"> any</span></strong> second beginning of existence), but since, for us and for our salvation, he personally united to himself an human body, and came forth of a woman, he is in this way said to be born after the flesh; for he was not first born a common man of the holy Virgin, and then the Word came down and entered into him, but the union being made in the womb itself, he is said to endure a birth after the flesh, ascribing to himself the birth of his own flesh.<br />
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On this account we say that he suffered and rose again; not as if God the Word suffered in his own nature stripes, or the piercing of the nails, or any other wounds, for the Divine nature is incapable of suffering, inasmuch as it is incorporeal, but since that which had become his own body suffered in this way, he is also said to suffer for us; for he who is in himself incapable of suffering was in a suffering body. In the same manner also we conceive respecting his dying; for the Word of God is by nature immortal and incorruptible, and life and life-giving; since, however, his own body did, as Paul says, by the grace of God taste death for every man, he himself is said to have suffered death for us, not as if he had any experience of death in his own nature (for it would be madness to say or think this), but because, as I have just said, his flesh tasted death. In like manner his flesh being raised again, it is spoken of as his resurrection, not as if he had fallen into corruption (God forbid), but because his own body was raised again. We, therefore, confess one Christ and Lord, not as worshipping a man with the Word (lest this expression with the Word should suggest to the mind the idea of division), but worshipping him as one and the same, forasmuch as the body of the Word, with which he sits with the Father, is not separated from the Word himself, not as if two sons were sitting with him, but one by the union with the flesh.<br />
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If, however, we reject the personal union as impossible or unbecoming, we fall into the error of speaking of two sons, for it will be necessary to distinguish, and to say, that he who was properly man was honoured with the appellation of Son, and that he who is properly the Word of God, has by nature both the name and the reality of Son-ship. We must not, therefore, divide the one Lord Jesus Christ into two Sons. Neither will it at all avail to a sound faith to hold, as some do, an union of persons; for the Scripture has not said that the Word united to himself the person of man, but that he was made flesh. This expression, however, the Word was made flesh, can mean nothing else but that he partook of flesh and blood like to us; he made our body his own, and came forth man from a woman, not casting off his existence as God, or his generation of God the Father, but even in taking to himself flesh remaining what he was. This the declaration of the correct faith proclaims everywhere.<br />
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This was the sentiment of the holy Fathers; therefore they ventured to call the holy Virgin, the Mother of God, not as if the nature of the Word or his divinity had its beginning from the holy Virgin, but because of her was born that holy body with a rational soul, to which the Word being personally united is said to be born according to the flesh. These things, therefore, I now write unto you for the love of Christ, beseeching you as a brother, and testifying to you before Christ and the elect angels, that you would both think and teach these things with us, that the peace of the Churches may be preserved and the bond of concord and love continue unbroken among the Priests of God.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-17739563986571568952019-02-08T19:37:00.002-05:002019-02-08T19:37:41.383-05:00ONE TRUE FAITH?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;">I found this today, liked it, so here it is. Highlites and italics and color commentary are mine. Thank you <em>'onepeterfive', </em>a site I go to.</span></h1>
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Bishop Schneider: The Christian Faith Is the Only Valid and the Only God-Willed Religion</h1>
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<em>Editor’s note: Here Bishop Athanasius Schneider offers a correction to Pope Francis’s recent claim that a “diversity of religions” is “willed by God.” His Excellency has put forth the following text for publication, and we reprint it here with his permission.</em><br />
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The Truth of the filial adoption in Christ, which is intrinsically supernatural, constitutes the synthesis of the entire Divine Revelation. Being adopted by God as sons is always a gratuitous gift of grace, the most sublime gift of God to mankind. One obtains it, however, only through a personal faith in Christ and through the reception of baptism, as the Lord himself taught:<span style="color: red;"><em> “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.”</em></span> (John 3: 5-7).<br />
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In the past decades one often heard — even from the mouth of some representatives of the Church’s hierarchy — statements about the theory of “anonymous Christians.” This theory says the following: The mission of the Church in the world would consist ultimately in raising the awareness that all men must have of their salvation in Christ and consequently of their filial adoption in Christ. Since, according to the same theory, every human being possesses already the sonship of God in the depth of his personality. Yet, such a theory contradicts directly Divine Revelation, as Christ taught it and His Apostles and the Church over two thousand years always transmitted it unchangingly and without a shadow of a doubt.<br />
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In his essay “<em>The Church, consisting of Jews and Gentiles” (Die Kirche aus Juden und Heiden) </em>Erik Peterson, the well-known convert and exegete, long since (in 1933) warned against the danger of such a theory, when he affirmed that one cannot reduce being a Christian (“Christsein”) to the natural order, in which the fruits of the redemption achieved by Jesus Christ would be generally imputed to every human being as a kind of heritage, solely because he would share human nature with the incarnated Word. However, filial adoption in Christ is not an automatic result, guaranteed through belonging to the human race.<br />
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<strong>Saint Athanasius</strong> (cf. <em>Oratio contra Arianos</em> II, 59) left us a simple and at the same time an apt explanation of the difference between the natural state of men as God’s creatures and the glory of being a son of God in Christ. Saint Athanasius derives his explanation from the words of the holy Gospel according to John, that say: <em>“He gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name. Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”</em> (John 1: 12-13). John uses the expression “they are born” to say that men become sons of God not by nature, but by adoption. This shows the love of God, that He Who is their creator becomes then through grace also their Father. This happens when, as the Apostle says, men receive in their hearts the Spirit of the Incarnated Son, Who cries in them: “Abba, Father!” Saint Athanasius continues his explanation saying, that as created beings, men can become sons of God in no other manner than through faith and baptism, when they receive the Spirit of the natural and true Son of God. Precisely for that reason the Word became flesh, to make men capable of adoption as sons of God and of participation in the Divine nature. Consequently, by nature God is not in the proper sense the Father of all human beings. Only if someone consciously accepts Christ and is baptized, will he be able to cry in truth: “Abba, Father” (Rom. 8: 15; Gal. 4: 6).<br />
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Since the beginnings of the Church there was the assertion, as testified by<strong> Tertullian</strong>:<em> “One is not born as a Christian, but one becomes a Christian”</em> (<em>Apol.</em>, 18, 5). And <strong>Saint Cyprian</strong> of Carthage formulated aptly this truth, saying: <em>“He cannot have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother”</em> (<em>De unit</em>., 6).<br />
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The most urgent task of the Church in our time is to care about the change of the spiritual climate and about the spiritual migration, namely that the climate of non-belief in Jesus Christ, the climate of the rejection of the kingship of Christ, be changed into the climate of explicit faith in Jesus Christ, of the acceptance of His kingship, and that men may migrate from the misery of the spiritual slavery of unbelief into the happiness of being sons of God and from a life of sin into the state of sanctifying grace. These are the migrants about whom we must care urgently.<br />
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Christianity is the only God-willed religion. Therefore, it can never be placed complementarily side by side with other religions. Those would violate the truth of Divine Revelation, as it is unmistakably affirmed in the First Commandment of the Decalogue, who would assert that the diversity of religions is the will of God. According to the will of Christ, faith in Him and in His Divine teaching must replace other religions, however not by force, but by loving persuasion, as expressed in the hymn of Lauds of the<span style="color: #990000;"> Feast of Christ the King</span>: “<em>Non Ille regna cladibus, non vi metuque subdidit: alto levatus stipite, amore traxit omnia</em>” (“Not with sword, force and fear He subjects peoples, but lifted up on the Cross He lovingly draws all things to Himself”).<br />
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There is only one way to God, and this is Jesus Christ, for He Himself said: <span style="color: red;"><em>“I am the Way” </em></span>(John 14: 6). There is only one truth, and this is Jesus Christ, for He Himself said: <em><span style="color: red;">“I am the Truth”</span></em> (John 14: 6). There is only one true supernatural life of the soul, and this is Jesus Christ, for He Himself said: <em><span style="color: red;">“I am the Life”</span></em> (John 14: 6).<br />
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The Incarnated Son of God taught that outside faith in Him there cannot be a true and God-pleasing religion:<em><span style="color: red;"> “I am the door. By me, if any man enters in, he shall be saved”</span></em> (John 10: 9). God commanded to all men, without exception, to hear His Son:<span style="color: #990000;"> “This is my most beloved Son; hear Him!”</span> (Mk. 9: 7). God did<strong> not</strong> say: “You can hear My Son or you can hear other founders of a religion, for it is My will that there are different religions.” God has forbidden us to recognize the legitimacy of the religion of other gods: <span style="color: #990000;">“Thou shalt not have strange gods before me”</span> (Ex. 20: 3) and <em>“What fellowship has light with darkness? And what concord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has the faithful with the unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?”</em> (2 Cor. 6: 14-16).<br />
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If other religions likewise corresponded to the will of God, there would not have been the Divine condemnation of the religion of the Golden Calf at the time of Moses (cf. Ex. 32: 4-20); then the Christians of today could unpunished cultivate the religion of a new Golden Calf, since all religions are, according to that theory, God-pleasing ways as well.<br />
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God gave the Apostles and through them the Church for all times the solemn order to instruct all nations and the followers of all religions in the only <strong>one true Faith</strong>, teaching them to observe all His Divine commandments and baptize them (cf. Mt. 28: 19-20). Since the preaching of the Apostles and of the first Pope, the Apostle <strong>Saint Peter</strong>, the Church proclaimed always that there is salvation in no other name, i.e., in no other faith under heaven by which men must be saved, but in the Name and in the Faith in Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 4: 12).<br />
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With the words of<strong> Saint Augustine</strong> the Church taught in all times: <em>“The Christian religion is the only religion which possesses the universal way for the salvation of the </em><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14153a.htm"><em>soul</em></a><em>; for except by this way, none can be saved. This is a kind of royal way, which alone leads to a kingdom which does not totter like all temporal dignities, but stands firm on </em><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05551b.htm"><em>eternal</em></a><em> foundations.”</em> (<em>De civitate Dei</em>, 10, 32, 1).<br />
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The following words of the great<strong> Pope Leo XIII</strong> testify the same unchanging teaching of the Magisterium in all times, when he affirmed: <em>“The view that all religions are alike, is calculated to bring about the ruin of all forms of religion, and especially of the Catholic religion, which, as it is the only one that is true, cannot, without great injustice, be regarded as merely equal to other religions.”</em> (Encyclical <em>Humanum genus</em>, n. 16)<br />
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In recent times the Magisterium presented substantially the same unchanging teaching in the Document “Dominus Jesus” (August 6, 2000), from which we quote the following relevant assertions:<br />
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“Theological faith (the acceptance of the truth revealed by the One and Triune God) is often identified with belief in other religions, which is religious experience still in search of the absolute truth and still lacking assent to God who reveals himself. This is one of the reasons why the differences between Christianity and the other religions tend to be reduced at times to the point of disappearance.” (n. 7) “Those solutions that propose a salvific action of God beyond the unique mediation of Christ would be contrary to Christian and Catholic faith.” (n. 14) “Not infrequently it is proposed that theology should avoid the use of terms like “unicity”, “universality”, and “absoluteness”, which give the impression of excessive emphasis on the significance and value of the salvific event of Jesus Christ in relation to other religions. In reality, however, such language is simply being faithful to revelation” (n. 15) “It is clear that it would be contrary to the faith to consider the Church as one way of salvation alongside those constituted by the other religions, seen as complementary to the Church or substantially equivalent to her, even if these are said to be converging with the Church toward the eschatological kingdom of God.” (n. 21) “The faith rules it out, in a radical way, that mentality of indifferentism “characterized by a religious relativism which leads to the belief that ‘one religion is as good as another’ (<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">John Paul II, Encyclical Letter <em>Redemptoris missio</em>, 36</a>).” (n. 22)<br />
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The Apostles and the countless Christian martyrs of all times, especially those of the first three centuries, would have been spared martyrdom, if they had said: “The pagan religion and its worship is a way, which as well corresponds to the will of God.” There would have been for instance no Christian France, no “Eldest Daughter of the Church,” if<strong> Saint Remigius</strong> had said to Clovis, the King of the Francs: “Do not despise your pagan religion you have worshiped up to now, and worship now Christ, Whom you have persecuted up to now.” The saintly bishop actually spoke differently, although in a rather rough way: “Worship what you burned, and burn what you have worshiped!”<br />
True universal brotherhood can be only in Christ, and namely between baptized persons. The full glory of God’s sons will be attained only in the beatific vision of God in heaven, as Holy Scripture teaches:<em> “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”</em> (1 John 3: 1-2).<br />
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<strong>No</strong> authority on earth – not even the supreme authority of the Church – has the right to dispense people from other religions from the explicit Faith in Jesus Christ as the Incarnated Son of God and the only Savior of mankind with the assurance that the different religions as such are willed by God Himself. Indelible – because written with the finger of God and crystal-clear in their meaning – remain, however, the words of the Son of God:<em><span style="color: red;"> “Whoever believes in the Son of God is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God”</span></em> (John 3: 18). <br />
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This truth was valid up to now in all Christian generations and will remain valid until the end of time, irrespective of the fact that some people in the Church of our so fickle, cowardly, sensationalist, and conformist time reinterpret this truth in a sense contrary to its evident wording, selling thereby this reinterpretation as continuity in the development of doctrine.<br />
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Outside the Christian Faith no other religion can be a true and God-willed way, since this is the explicit will of God, that all people believe in His Son:<em><span style="color: red;"> “This is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life”</span></em> (John 6: 40). Outside the Christian Faith no other religion is able to transmit true supernatural life:<em><span style="color: red;"> “This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”</span></em> (John 17: 3).<br />
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February 8, 2019<br />
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+ Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-41398399398595072732019-02-08T00:04:00.000-05:002019-02-08T07:06:42.157-05:00St. John of Matha<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic;"><strong></strong></span></span></span><br /><strong><em><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-size: x-small;"></span></em></strong><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">From the </span><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><em>Lives of the Saints</em></span></strong></span></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"><em><br /></em><span style="font-size: small;">Collected from Authentick Records, 1750</span></span></strong></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">John of Matha was born in the Year 1160 at Faucon in Provence on the Feast of St. John Baptist. His parents, who were considerable both for their virtue and rank in the world, took a particular care to give him a religious education. His childhood was full of manly virtues; his modesty, sweetness, prudence, and innocence engaged the affections of all that knew him. He made his first studies at Aix the Capital of Provence, and there learned fencing, riding, and other genteel exercises. But none of those gay amusements broke in upon his virtues. What money his parents allowed him for his pocket was distributed amongst the poor; and at an age which usually abounds with levity, and a false niceness proceeding from pride, and want of compassion, he visited the hospitals once a week, and took a singular pleasure in binding up and cleansing the wounds of the patients. Thus he spent his first years, in acquiring such learning as was suitable to his age, and practicing those virtues which make the brightest part of the character of a Saint. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">At his return from Aix he retired to a little hermitage near Faucon; but finding he could not enjoy the solitude he longed for so near his relations, to whose conversation he was exposed, he got leave of his parents to study Divinity at Paris. His capacity and application distinguished him in that learned University, where he passed all his degrees with applause. Here he was ordained Priest, and said his first Mass in the Bishop's Chapel, where he was honoured with the presence of the Maurice Bishop of Sully, the Abbots of St. Victor and St. Genevieve, and the Rector of the University. But this was an inconsiderable favour in comparison of another that he received at that time. For it was then that God opened to him his particular vocation, and while employed in offering the Price of our Redemption, gave him the first thoughts of employing his time and care for the relief of Christians oppressed with slavery. But he thought himself obliged to consult the will of God in silence, and prepared himself for the execution of so great and glorious a design by prayer, and penance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-size: small;">While our saint was considering on a place proper for those pious employments, he remembered he had heard of Felix of Valois, that lived in a Wood near Gandelu in the Diocese of Meaux, and was famous for sanctity and penance. Persuaded that holy hermit would be a proper master for him, he begged to be received into his Hermitage, and favoured with his instructions. Felix entertained him, according to his desire, and looked upon him as one sent by Divine Providence for his benefit and improvement. Here they lived in the constant practice of such Virtues as are to be expected from those that live for heaven only. Fasting and other austerities were their whole business; prayer, and contemplation their ordinary employment; and their conversation always tended to excite one another to the love of God.</span></span><br /><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"></span><br /><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-size: small;">After some time thus spent together, John communicated to Felix the pious design he had conceived at his first Mass; and enlarged upon the necessity and advantage of such an undertaking. He did this in so moving and strong a manner, that Felix was persuaded the proposal came from God; and offered to join him in the execution of it. They entered into the particulars of this great work, and finding it attended with many difficulties, prepared themselves for it by three days strict fast and continual prayer; and then set out for Rome in order to consult the Pope about the matter. They began their journey in the dead of winter 1197, and reached the City in January following. Innocent the III was then just raised to the Holy See. Upon reading their letters of recommendation from the Bishop of Paris, and the Abbot of St. Victors received them like two angels sent from heaven, and gave them an apartment in his own Palace. They had several audiences of his Holiness, in which they explained their whole design. The Pope called his Cardinals and some bishops together in St. John Lateran's, Church, laid the proposal before them, and desired the assistance of their advice in this important affair. </span></span><br /><span style="color: #a2c4c9;"></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">After this consultation, his Holiness ordered a fast, and some particular prayers to be offered up Feb. 8 upon this occasion; and having thus recommended the business to God, gave them leave to erect a New Order, which should be under the direction of the Saint, who was first favoured with the Design. The Bishop of Paris, and the Abbot of St. Victor were employed in drawing up the Rules, which the Pope approved of, with some few additions, by a Bull dated December 17, 1198. Those,that are admitted into this Order, are to wear a white habit, with a red and blue Cross on the breast; and devote a third part of their substance to the redemption of slaves. All their churches are to be dedicated to the Holy Trinity. This Order afterwards took the name of Mathurins, from an old Church dedicated to that Saint at Paris, and given to them about thirty Years afterward.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-size: small;">When things were thus settled, the two holy hermits returned to France, where Philip was then King. Upon their report of what had passed at Rome, his Majesty allowed them to set up their Order in his Kingdom; and contributed very largely toward the good work. After founding several houses in his own Country, he left the care of them to his companion in that pious undertaking, and went to Rome; where he obtained of the Pope a monastery for his Order on Mount Celius. His Holiness had written to Mirammolin, King of Morocco, the Year after this new Order was formed, desiring him to second the charitable designs of the Trinitarians, who would either pay the ransom of his Christian slaves, or give an equal number of his subjects that were detained in Italy, France, and Spain, in exchange for them. In Consequence of this application in the Year 1200, John sent two of his Religious in that Kingdom, on that errand. Their success was answerable to the purity of their intention, and they redeemed 186 Christians. The year following he went into Barbara and there purchased the Liberty of 110 Slaves. From thence he returned into his own Country, where he met with very considerable encouragement and assistance in his charitable designs. After that he went to Spain; where the large contributions of Princes and men of the first rank enabled him to build several Monasteries of his Order. About nine years after his first voyage to Barbary, he made a second to that country, and brought away 120 Captives.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-size: small;">The Fatigues of this last expedition, joined to his continual mortifications, quite disabled him and obliged him to spend the remainder of his days at Rome; while Felix employed all his concern and actions for advancing the Order in France. Our Saint being now incapable of pursuing his inclinations in his former way, found an employment proportioned to his strength, and spent the two last years of his life, in visiting the prisons, relieving the poor, assisting the sick, and preaching. In these Exercises of charity he quite exhausted himself, and died on the 21st of December, in the Year 1213. He was buried in St. Thomas's Church at Rome and his festival fixed to this Day by Pope Innocent XI. in 1679.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: medium;">Prayer to St. John of Matha</span></em></strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #45818e;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-style: italic;">G</span>lorious St. John of Matha, thou who wast inflamed with a great love of God and a tender compassion for thy neighbor, and wast divinely chosen to found the famous Order of the Holy Trinity, and didst spend thy days in glorifying that assurable mystery and in redeeming Christians from the most miserable slavery; obtain for us, we beseech thee, the grace to pass our lives also in glorifying the most blessed Trinity, and in doing good to our neighbor, by works of Christian charity, so that it may be our happy portion to enjoy in Heaven the blessed vision of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-50832334326476628682019-02-06T00:06:00.001-05:002019-02-06T00:06:48.801-05:00St. Dorothy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: large;"><strong>THE STORY OF ST. DOROTHY</strong></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /> <span style="font-size: large;">St. Dorothy was a young, beautiful girl, who lived in the city of </span><st1:city w:st="on"><span style="font-size: large;">Caesarea, in Cappadocia, in </span><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="font-size: large;">Asia Minor. Theophilus, a rich and handsome young pagan, fell in love with Dorothy and wished to marry her, but she refused, saying, </span><i><span style="font-size: large;">"Theophilus, I cannot marry you, because you are a pagan. If you will first learn about Jesus Christ and become a Christian, then I will marry you, if it is God's Holy will."</span> </i></st1:place></st1:city></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">This angered Theophilus very much and he thought, <i>"I will get back at Dorothy for not wanting to marry me. I will tell Fabritius, the Governor of <st1:place w:st="on">Caesarea that she will not marry me or sacrifice to the idols, because she is a Christian!"</st1:place></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: large;">Before long, The Governor's guards were at Dorothy's house. They seized her and almost dragged her, so rude were they, and they threw her into a dirty old dungeon. One guard said, <i>"Stay here and suffer for a while. Tomorrow you will stand before the Governor </i>–<i> maybe you will change your mind by then? Ha! Ha! Ha!"</i> and he laughed his way out the door. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Poor Dorothy sat there on the dungeon floor. A rat scurried across the floor and she jumped, as it brushed by her foot. Then she knelt and prayed, <i>"My Jesus, my beloved, I put all my hopes and trust in Thee. Please help me to be faithful to martyrdom, if such be they Holy Will, and please dear Holy Ghost, enlighten me as to what I must say when I stand before the Governor."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">The next day, Dorothy was brought before the Governor, and he asked her, <i>"Who are you?"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">To this the young girl replied, <i>"I am Dorothy, a virgin and a servant of Jesus Christ."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"You must serve our gods or die," </i>cried Fabritius.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dorothy answered meekly, <i>"Be it so; then the sooner I shall stand in the presence of Him, whom I most desire to behold."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"What do you mean?" </i>questioned the Governor.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">She replied, <i>"I mean the Son of God, Jesus Christ, my spouse! His dwelling is in <st1:place w:st="on">Paradise. By His side are eternal joys, and in His garden grow celestial fruits and roses that never fade!"</st1:place></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: large;">Fabritius was much surprised at Dorothy's answer and instead of killing her; he had her taken back to the dungeon. Then, in order to make her give up her Catholic Faith, he sent her two women, named, Calista and Christeta, who were sisters, and who had once been Christians, but who had given up the Catholic Faith. They had been threatened with terrible torments and were afraid, and that is why they had given up their Catholic Faith. But they should not have done so – they should have trusted in Jesus who would give them strength to bear all their trials and pains. The Governor had promised them a large reward if they would persuade Dorothy to deny her Catholic Faith, as they had done. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">The two sisters boldly entered the dungeon where Dorothy was, and Calista said, <i>"Dorothy, you really don't believe all that Catholic foolishness, do you? Come now, be an intelligent girl and follow us, and all will be fine!"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Then Dorothy retorted, <i>"You mean – follow you to Hell!"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"There's no such place as Hell – it's only a story to scare people!"</i> put in Christeta.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dorothy prayed. She knew that she would need the help of Jesus and Mary to convert these two women. As she talked, she found out that these two women were Catholics at one time. So Dorothy encouraged them, <i>"Do you think that I would not do the same as you if I did not trust in Jesus? God is so powerful. It is for reasons so weak that you have both given up the Catholic Faith. But come now, if you pray with me, I believe that Jesus will grant you the gift of Faith again, and then you can go to Heaven too."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Calista and Christeta resisted and argued at first, but Dorothy was kind and patient and she asked the Guardian Angels of the two women to help them come back to the Faith. Before long, the two women were weeping and begging God to forgive them for leaving the Faith. They realized what a terrible mistake they had made and cried, <i>"O blessed Dorothy, pray for us that our cowardly sin may be forgiven by God and that He will accept our penance."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"That, I will most certainly do!" </i>Dorothy answered.<i> "And be sure that my prayers are with you, so that you may go straight to Heaven!"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Then the two sisters left the dungeon and cried, <i>"We are Christians! We belong to Jesus Christ the true God, and we will follow Him to our death!"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Governor was furious! <i>"Calista and Christeta – you dare to go against me and the gods," </i>he screamed. <i>"For this you will burn. I command you guards to burn these two women and I also command you to bring Dorothy, to watch them burn – maybe then, she will change her mind!"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Dorothy was dragged out of the dungeon and thrown before Fabritius. <i>"Do you see what will become of you? I will burn you like these two women."</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: large;">Dorothy could see the fire burning the women and the smoke going up their noses, <i>"O my friends, fear not! Suffer bravely to the end! These short pains will be followed by eternal joys! Heaven will soon be yours!" </i>Thus encouraged, the women died and Dorothy was sentenced, <i>"You will be cruelly tortured and then have your head chopped off!" </i>the Governor cried.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Now Theophilus had been standing in the courtroom while the Governor had been questioning Dorothy. And when Theophilus saw Dorothy being lead to the torture chamber; he sneered, <i>"Ha, fair maiden! So now you're going to meet Jesus, your bridegroom! Send me some of the apples and roses from His garden!"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>"I will send you the apples and roses and I will wait for you in the garden from which they came,"</i> Dorothy said, and before long she was beheaded. Then after her death, an angel appeared with a basket in which were three apples and three roses. Theophilus ate the apples and was converted. Then he too, died as a martyr, and went to meet St. Dorothy in the Heavenly garden.</span></span></div>
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Another take:</div>
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Saint Dorothy was a young virgin celebrated already in Caesarea of Cappadocia, where she lived, for her angelic virtue. Her parents are believed to have been martyred before her in the Diocletian persecution; thus, when the Governor Sapricius came to Caesarea and called her to appear before him, he sent this child of martyrs to the eternal home where they were waiting for her.<br />
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She explained that the God she adored was majestic — above all emperors, who were mortal, and their gods, none of whom created either heaven or earth. She was stretched upon the rack, and offered honors if she would consent to sacrifice, or death if she refused. And they waited. She asked why they delayed to torture her; they were expecting she might cede out of fright. She said to them, Do what you have to do, that I may see the One for whose love I fear neither death nor torments, Jesus Christ. She was asked, Where is this Christ? and she replied: As Almighty He is everywhere, but for weak human reason we say that the Son of God has ascended into heaven, to be seated at the right hand of the Almighty Father. It is He who invites us to the garden of His delights, where at all times the trees are covered with fruits, the lilies are perpetually white, the roses ever in their freshness. If you believe me, you too will search for the true liberty, and will labor to earn entry into the garden of God's delights. She was then placed in the custody of two women who had fallen away from the faith, in the hope that they might pervert her; but the fire of her own heart rekindled the flame in theirs, and led them back to Christ.<br />
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When she was set once more on the rack, Sapricius himself was amazed at the heavenly expression on her face, and asked her the cause of her joy. Because, she said, I have brought back two souls to Christ, and because I shall soon be in heaven rejoicing with the Angels. Her joy grew as she was buffeted in the face and her sides were burned with plates of red-hot iron. Blessed art Thou, she cried, when she was sentenced to be beheaded, Blessed art Thou, O Lover of souls, who call me to paradise, and invite me to Thy nuptial chamber!<br />
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Saint Dorothy suffered in mid-winter, and on the road to her execution a lawyer called Theophilus, who had grown accustomed to calumniating and persecuting the Christians, asked her, in mockery, to send him apples or roses from the garden of her Spouse. The Saint promised to grant his request. Just before she died, a little child stood by her side bearing three apples and three roses. She told him to take them to Theophilus, and to tell him it was the present he sought from the garden of her Spouse. Saint Dorothy had gone to heaven, and Theophilus was still making merry over his challenge to her, when the child entered his room. He recognized that the fruit and flowers were of no earthly growth, and that the child was an Angel in disguise. He was converted to the faith, and then shared in the martyrdom of Saint Dorothy.<br />
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<b>Reflection</b>. Do you wish to be safe amid the pleasures and happy despite the troubles of this world? Pray for heavenly desires, and say with the Saints, Paradise, paradise!</div>
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<i>Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints,</i> a compilation based on <i>Butler's Lives of the Saints</i> and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894); <i>Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints,</i> by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882), Vol. 2</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-85756503114535308822019-02-06T00:06:00.000-05:002019-02-06T00:06:35.338-05:00St. Titus, Bishop/Confessor<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong><span style="font-size: small; font-style: italic;">Saint Titus, Bishop and Confessor</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">from the Liturgical Year, 1904</span></strong></span><br />
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We are to celebrate today, the Feast of a holy Bishop of the Apostolic Age--a Disciple of the Apostle St. Paul. Little is known of his life; but, by addressing to him one of his inspired Epistles, the Apostle of the Gentiles has immortalized his memory. Wheresoever the Faith of Christ has been or shall be preached, Titus' name has been venerated by the Faithful; and as long as the world lasts, the holy Church will read to her children this Epistle, which was written, indeed, to a simple Bishop of the Isle of Crete, but was dictated by the Holy Ghost, and therefore destined to be a part of those Sacred Scriptures, which contain the word of God. The counsels and directions given in this admirable Letter, were the rule of the holy Bishop, for whom St. Paul entertained a very strong affection. St. Titus had the honour of establishing the Christian Religion in that famous Island, which was one of the strong-holds of Paganism. He survived his master, who was put to death by Nero. Like St . John, he sweetly slept in Christ at a very advanced age, respected and loved by the Church he had founded. As we have already observed, his life left but few traces behind it; but these few are sufficient to prove him to have been one of those wonderful men, whom God chose as the directors of his infant Church.<br />
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Titus, Bishop of Crete, was initiated into the Christian faith by Paul the Apostle (He wrote to him); and being prepared by the sacraments, he shed so bright a light of sanctity on the infant Church, that he merited to be chosen as one of the Disciples of the Doctor of the Gentiles. Being called to bear the burden of preaching the Gospel, so ardent and persevering was he in the discharge of that duty, that he endeared himself to St. Paul so much, as to make the Apostle say in one of his Epistles, that being come to Troas, to preach the faith in that city, he found no rest for his heart, because he found not there his brother Titus. And having, a short time after this, gone to Macedonia, he thus expresses his affection for his disciple in these terms: But God who comforteth the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus.<br />
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Being sent to Corinth by the Apostle, he acquitted himself in this mission (which mainly consisted in collecting the alms given by the piety of the faithful towards alleviating the distress of the Hebrew Church) with so much prudence and patience, that he not only confirmed the Corinthians in the faith of Christ, but made them so desirous of a visit from Paul, who had been their first teacher in the faith, that they shed tears of longing affection. After having undertaken several journeys, both by sea and land, in order to sow the seed of the divine word among people of various tongues and countries; and after having supported, with great firmness of soul, countless anxieties and fatigues, in order to plant the standard of the Cross;--he landed at the island of Crete in company with his master St. Paul. The Apostle made him Bishop of the Church which he had founded in that island: and it is not to be doubted but that Titus so discharged his duty as that he became a model to the Faithful, according to the advice given to him by his master, in good works, in doctrine, in integrity, in gravity.<br />
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Thus did he become a shining light, pouring forth the rays of Christian faith on them that were sitting in the darkness of idolatry and lies, as in the shadow of death. Tradition tells us that he passed into Dalmatia, where he laboured with extraordinary zeal to enlist that people under the banner of the Cross. At length, full of days and merit, in the ninety-fourth year of his age, he slept in the Lord the death of the just, on the vigil of the nones of January (January 4th), and was buried in the Church in which the Apostle had appointed him Minister of the word.<strong> St. John Chrysostom and St. Jerome</strong> pass great eulogium upon this holy Bishop, and his name is inscribed in the Roman Martyrology on the day above mentioned; but in establishing his Feast to be celebrated, with an Office and Mass, throughout the Catholic world, by the clergy secular and regular, the Sovereign Pontiff Pius the Ninth ordered it to be kept on the first vacant day following the anniversary of the Saint's death.</div>
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Favoured Disciple of the great Apostle! the holy Church has decreed that one of the days of the ecclesiastical year should be spent in celebrating thy virtues, and presenting thee our prayers. Look down with love upon the Faithful who glorify the Holy Spirit that gave thee thy rich graces. Thou didst discharge thy Pastoral duties with untiring zeal. Every quality enumerated in the Epistle addressed to thee by St. Paul, as required in a Bishop, was possessed by thee; and thou shinest in the crown of Jesus, the Prince of Pastors, as one of the brightest of its gems. Forget not the Church militant, of which thou wast one of the first guides. Eighteen hundred years have passed away since thou wast taken from her. During this long period, she has had sufferings and trials without end; but she has triumphed over every obstacle, and she continues her glorious path, saving souls and offering them to her heavenly Spouse; and this will she persevere doing, until her Jesus comes to stop the course of time, and open the gates of eternity. <br />
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Meanwhile, O glorious Saint! she counts on the aid of thy prayers, in the great work of the salvation of souls. Ask of Jesus, that He send us Pastors like unto thee. Pray for that Island, which thou didst convert to the true Faith, but which is now buried in the darkness of infidelity and schism. Pray, too, for the Greek Church, that it may regain its ancient glory by union with the See of Peter. </div>
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<strong>St. Titus</strong> employed his tongue only for the instruction and enlightenment of unbelievers in our sacred truths:<strong> St. Gordius</strong> never defiled his with an oath, a blasphemy, or other words derisive of God. No immodest discourses or songs, slanderous language, and, least of all, no denial of his Faith ever passed his lips; but a fearless profession of Christ, fervent exhortations to the heathens to issue forth from their blindness, the praise and exaltation of God form his only subjects. How have you employed your tongue? Alas! how seldom to God's glory and your neighbor's advantage! on the contrary, what deep wounds it has inflicted on His honor and others' interests! Call to mind the lies, slanders, oaths, immodest expressions, blasphemies, and other similar insults, of which your tongue is guilty. Were all these not offensive to God? Not to mention other excesses of the same stamp, bethink yourself of your shameless language or entertainments: have you used them without dishonoring God, and scandalizing or poisoning your neighbor's heart. Woe to you, should you appear this day before the tribunal of God to render an account of the transgressions of your tongue only! Could you stand the shock? Examine yourself then while there is time, and check the wanderings of your tongue. Even granting that you need a special grace of God to compass this end, I warn you not to cease petitioning the Divine assistance with fervor and perseverance, and co-operating with the grace which you are offered. <br />
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<em>"<span style="color: #45818e;">All of us</span>,"</em> says <strong>St. Augustine</strong>,<em> "<span style="color: #45818e;">must labor to curb our tongues; but we should at the same time earnestly petition the Lord for grace</span>."</em> The same holy Doctor commenting on these words of <strong>St. James</strong><em><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">--"The tongue no man can tame. If no man can of his own power tame his tongue, he must beg the Lord to put it in check. Do with it as with animals, which we break: a horse, a lion, a camel, an ox, or an elephant will not become tame, unless put under the hand of man; so should we look to God to tame the man, that is, his tongue."</span></em><br />
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In other words no man has strength sufficient to bridle his tongue, and keep it under control; a special grace of God is necessary, and to obtain it fervent prayers must be addressed to the Lord. Do so immediately. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17464356899920702471noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886349783723606016.post-19571005242264985772019-02-05T00:04:00.000-05:002019-02-05T07:22:22.518-05:00St. Agatha, Virgin/Martyr<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><br />SAINT AGATHA<br /> Virgin and Martyr </b><b>(†251)</b><br />
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Saint Agatha was born in Sicily of rich and noble parents, a child of benediction from the first, for she was promised to her parents before her birth, and consecrated from her earliest infancy to God. In the midst of dangers and temptations she served Christ in purity of body and soul, and she died for love of chastity. Quintanus, who governed Sicily under the Emperor Decius, had heard the rumor of her beauty and wealth, and he made the laws against the Christians a pretext for summoning her from Palermo to Catania, where he was at the time. <i>"O Jesus Christ!"</i> she cried, as she set out on this dreaded journey, <em>"all that I am is Thine; preserve me against the tyrant."</em><br />
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<b><br />St. Agatha, Virgin<br /> by St. Alphonsus de Liguori </b><br />
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<em> This holy virgin and martyr is held in great veneration by the Greek as well as the Latin Church; and although her original Acts have not been preserved, many well-authenticated facts concerning her martyrdom are found in the Bollandists, Surius, and others. She was a native of Sicily, and descended of a noble and opulent family. These circumstances, added to her extraordinary beauty, inflamed Quintianus, a man of consular dignity, with such love of her, that he resolved to compel her to become his wife. The edicts of the emperor Decius against the Christians having been published, he ordered Agatha to be arrested as a Christian, and conducted to Catania, where he then resided.<br /><br /> The holy virgin having heard the proclamation against the Christians, retired to a solitary place in order to avoid the snares of Quintianus, concerning which she had received some intimation. The emissaries of the governor, however, discovered her place of concealment, and after having been arrested, she prayed after the following manner: <span style="color: #c27ba0;">"O Jesus Christ, Lord of all things, Thou seest my heart, and knowest my desire, which is to possess only Thee, since I have consecrated myself entirely to Thee. Preserve me, dear Lord, from this tyrant, and enable me to overcome the devil, who layeth snares for my soul."</span></em><br />
<i><br />When the saint appeared before Quintianus, in order the more easily to overcome her modesty, he gave her up to 'Aphrodisia' (does the word aphrodisiac come from her?), an abominable woman, who, together with Her daughters, publicly professed immodesty. In her infamous house the saint suffered greater torture than the darkest and most fetid dungeon could afford. All the arts of Aphrodisia and her partners in crime were unceasingly applied, in order to induce the saint to comply with the wishes of Quintianus; but Agatha, who from her infancy had been consecrated to Jesus Christ, was enabled by his divine grace to overcome all their attempts.<br /><br /> Quintianus, having been informed that the efforts of Aphrodisia for an entire month had been employed in vain, commanded that the saint should be again brought before him. He upbraided her, that, being a free woman and noble, she had allowed herself to be seduced into the humble servitude of the Christians. The holy virgin courageously confessed that she was a Christian, and that she knew of no nobility more illustrious, nor liberty more real, than to be a servant of Jesus Christ. In order to give the governor to understand how infamous were the deities which he adored and desired her to worship, she asked whether he would wish that his wife should be a prostitute, like Venus, or that he himself should be considered an incestuous adulterer like Jupiter. Quintianus, irritated at her rebuke, commanded her to be buffeted and led to prison. The following day she was again summoned, and asked whether she had resolved to save her life. She replied: <i><span style="color: #c27ba0;">"God is my life and my salvation."</span></i> The governor then put her to the torture; but perceiving how little it affected her, he commanded her breasts to be lacerated, and afterwards cut off, which was executed with barbarous cruelty.<br /><br /> Quintianus then remanded the saint to prison, commanding that her wounds should be left undressed, in order that she might expire under the torture. But at midnight<strong> St. Peter</strong> appeared to her in a vision, perfectly cured her wounds, and freed her from all pain: during the entire of that night there appeared in the interior of the prison so resplendent a light that the guards fled in terror, leaving the door of her dungeon open, so that she could have escaped, as the other prisoners advised her, but that she was unwilling, as she said, to lose by flight the crown which was being prepared for her in heaven.<br /><br /> Quintianus, nothing moved by her miraculous cure, but on the contrary more irritated, after four days devised new torments for the saint. He commanded that she should be rolled over broken tiles, mixed with burning coals; but she endured all with constancy; and while the tyrant was planning fresh torments, the saint, perceiving that her life was drawing to a close, made the following prayer:<i> <span style="color: #c27ba0;">"O Lord, my Creator, who hast preserved me from my infancy, hast given me strength to overcome these torments, and hast taken from me the love of the world, receive now my soul. It is time that I should at last pass from this miserable life to the fruition of Thy glory."</span> </i>Just as she had finished these words, she tranquilly expired, and went to be united to God, to praise him and love him forever. This happened in 251. Her name is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass. </i> And Our Lord did indeed preserve one who had given herself so utterly to Him. <i>"<span style="color: #c27ba0;">Christ alone is my salvation!"</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Thoughts to think about:</span><br />
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When Quintanus turned from passion to cruelty, Our Lord sent <b>the Prince of the Apostles </b>to heal her. She told the elderly gentleman who appeared to her that she was Christian and desired no treatment, for her Lord could cure her by a single word. He smiled, identified himself as Saint Peter, and said: <i>"It is in<span style="color: #990000;"> His Name</span> that you will be healed." </i>And when he disappeared, she saw that her wounds were healed and her flesh made whole. But when she was rolled naked upon potsherds, she asked that her torments might be ended. Her Lord heard her prayer and took her to Himself.<br />
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Saint Agatha gave herself without reserve to Jesus Christ; she followed Him in virginal purity, and then depended upon Him for protection. And to this day Christ has shown His tender regard for the very body of Saint Agatha. Again and again, during the eruptions of Mount Etna, the people of Catania have exposed her veil for public veneration, and found safety by this means. In modern times, on opening the tomb in which her body lies waiting for the resurrection, they beheld the skin still entire, and experienced the sweet fragrance which issued from this temple of the Holy Ghost.<br />
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<strong>From the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass<br /> by Rev. Nikolaus Gihr, 1902 (<span style="color: #38761d;">His books are good if you can find them)</span></strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>The tomb of St. Agatha, made glorious by God with many miracles, became the refuge of the Christians and even of the heathens. There also was kept the wonderful veil that was not burned, but only somewhat crimsoned, when the saint was thrown into the blazing fire. One year after her death, the neighboring volcano of Etna burst forth in torrents of fire, which moved toward the city of Catana, and threatened its destruction; then the inhabitants ran in terror to her tomb, took the veil and held it in the direction of the stream of lava. At that very instant it took another course toward the ocean and the city was saved. This event took place on the anniversary of the holy death of the virgin martyr, February the fifth, which is still observed as her feast-day in the Church of God. Consequently, St. Agatha is the much implored patroness against dangers of fire: as such she is particularly honored in the Black Forest of Germany. There her feast is made resplendent with the brightness of innumerable lights.<br />
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The following beautiful hymn is the composition of<strong> Pope St. Damasus </strong>concerning St. Agatha:<br />
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<span style="color: #e06666;"><em>Lo! the bright festal day of the glorious martyr and virgin Agatha, when Christ took her to Himself, and a double crown wreathed her brow.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Though noble by birth and blessed with beauty, her grandest riches were her deeds and her Faith. Earthly prosperity was nothing in her eyes, but her whole heart was on the precepts of her God.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Her bravery tired out the men that tortured her; she flinched not as they lashed her limbs; and her wounded breast reveals a dauntless heart.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Her prison was her paradise, where the pastor Peter heals his bleeding lamb; and thence once more she runs to suffer, gladder and braver at every wound.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>A pagan city once in flames was saved by Agatha's prayer. The same can check, in Christian hearts, the threatening fire of lust.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Now that thou art in heaven, clad as a bride of Christ, intercede with Him for us miserable sinners, that He grant us so to spend thy feast, that our celebration may draw down His grace.</em><br /><em></em></span><em><span style="color: #e06666;">Glory be to the Son, together with the Father</span> <span style="color: #e06666;">and the Holy Ghost. May the one almighty God grant that this saint be mindful of us. Amen.</span></em></div>
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