LAETARE SUNDAY

Tomorrow is the Fourth Sunday, Laetare or Rose Sunday. We are over half the way to Easter, and we get to relax and rejoice a little, and look forward to the Greatest day since the beginning of the world, the Resurrection. The Gospel is from St. John, and is when Jesus feeds 5000 men, plus how many other people were there with 5 loaves, and 2 fish. He's really teaching us about the Holy Eucharist and how it can feed us for ever, if we wish. And, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which means 'House of Bread.' Go figure! Our beloved Abott Gueranger, speaking about these men, says this:

"These men, whom Jesus has been feeding by a miracle of love and power, are resolved to make Him their King. They have no hesitation in proclaiming him worthy to reign over them; for where can they find one worthier? What, then, shall we Christians do, who know the goodness and the power of Jesus incomparably better than these poor Jews:- We must beseech him to reign over us, from this day forward. We have just been reading in the Epistle, that it is He who has made us free, by delivering us from our enemies. O glorious Liberty! But the only way to maintain it, is to live under his Law. Jesus is not a tyrant, as are the world and the flesh; his rule is sweet and peaceful, and we are his Children rather than his Servants. In the court of such a King “to serve is to reign.” What, then, have we to do with our old slavery? If some of its chains be still upon us, let us lose no time, - let us break them, for the Pasch is near at hand; the great Feast-Day begins to dawn. Onwards, then, courageously to the end of our journey! Jesus will refresh us ; he will make us sit down as he did the men of the Gospel; and the Bread he has in store for us will make us forget all our past fatigues.
In the Offertory, the Church again borrows the words of David, wherewith to praise the Lord; but, to-day, it is mainly his goodness and power that she celebrates."

St. Francis de Sales, speaking on today's Gospel, quotes from Ecclus. ii:xi,

'No one who hoped in Him and in His Providence has ever been disappointed.'


Thus, if we believe in Him and the Holy Eucharist, we will be OK.



I would like to end with stanzas from the Tridion of the Greek Church:

We have passed one half of our journey through the holy fast; let us, then, as it behooves us, joyfully complete what remains. Let us anoint our souls with the oil of good works, that we may be made worthy to celebrate the divine sufferings of Christ our Lord, and to be brought to his venerable and holy Resurrection.

Jesus, he that planted the vine and hired the labourers, is near at hand. Come, ye brave fasters! let us receive the reward; for he that pays us is rich and merciful. After our short labours, he will requite our souls with his mercy.

O God! thou Giver of life! open to me the gate of penance. My spirit keepeth watch in thy holy temple; but the temple of the flesh, which I have to carry with me, is defiled with many sins. Have pity on me, notwithstanding; and in thy tender mercy, cleanse me.

Come, let us, who are in the mystic Vine, produce fruits of penance. Here labouring, let our feasting be, not in meat and drink, but in prayer and fasting and good works. Our Lord, being pleased with our labour, will pay us with that, whereby he, the one God, rich in mercy, will forgive us the debt of our sins.


Kyrie, Eleison

ASPIRATION In Thy omnipotence and goodness, O my God, I put my trust, firmly believing that if I fear Thee, serve Thee faithfully, and avoid evil, I shall not be abandoned in poverty, but receive many good things. Amen.

THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD

The Annunciation
This is a great day, not only to man, but even to God Himself; for it is the anniversary of the most solemn event that time has ever witnessed. On this day, the divine Word, by whom the Father created the world, was made flesh in the womb of a virgin, soon to dwell among us. We must spend it in joy. Whilst we adore the Son of God who humbled Himself by thus becoming Man, let us give thanks to the Father, who so loved the world, as to give His only-begotten Son; let us give thanks to the Holy Ghost, whose almighty power achieves the great mystery. We are in the very midst of Lent, and yet the ineffable joys of Christmas are upon us: our Emmanuel is conceived on this day, and, nine months hence, will be born in Bethlehem, and the angels will invite us to come and honour the sweet Babe.

The time has come for the fulfillment of this promise. The world has been in expectation for four thousand years; and the hope of its deliverance has been kept us, in spite of all its crimes. During this time, God has made use of miracles, prophecies, and types, as a renewal of the engagement He has entered into with mankind. The blood of the Messias has passed from Adam to Noe; from Shem to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; from David and Solomon to Joachim; and now it flows in the veins of Mary, the daughter of Joachim. Mary is the woman by whom is to be taken from our race the curse that lies upon it. God has decreed that she should be Immaculate; and has thereby set an irreconcilable enmity between her and the serpent. She, a daughter of Eve, is to repair all the injury done by her mother's fall; she is to raise up her sex from the degradation into which it has been cast; she is to co-operate, directly and really, in the victory which the Son of God is about to gain over His and our enemy.

A tradition, which has come down from the apostolic ages, tells us that the great mystery of the Incarnation was achieved on the twenty-fifth day of March. It was at the hour of midnight, when the most holy Virgin was alone and absorbed in prayer, that the Archangel Gabriel appeared before her, and asked her, in the name of the blessed Trinity, to consent to become the Mother of God. Let us assist, in spirit, at this wonderful interview between the angel and the Virgin: and, at the same time, let us think of that other interview which took place between Eve and the serpent. A holy bishop and martyr of the second century, Saint Irenaeus, who had received the tradition from the very disciples of the apostles, shows us that Nazareth is the counterpart of Eden.

In the garden of delights there is a virgin and an angel; and a conversation takes place-between them. At Nazareth a virgin is also addressed by an angel, and she answers him; but the angel of the earthly paradise is a spirit of darkness, and he of Nazareth is a spirit of light. In both instances it is the angel that has the first word. 'Why,' said the serpent to Eve, 'hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?' His question implies impatience and a solicitation to evil; he has contempt for the frail creature to whom he addresses it, but he hates the image of God which is upon her.

See, on the other hand, the angel of light; see with what composure and peacefulness he approaches the Virgin of Nazareth, the new Eve; and how respectfully he bows himself down before her: 'Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with thee! Blessed art thou among women!' Such language is evidently of heaven: none but an angel could speak thus to Mary.

Scarcely has the wicked spirit finished speaking than Eve casts a longing look at the forbidden fruit: she is impatient to enjoy the independence it is to bring her. She rashly stretches forth her hand; she plucks the fruit; she eats it, and death takes possession of her: death of the soul, for sin extinguishes the light of life; and death of the body, which being separated from the source of immortality, becomes an object of shame and horror, and finally crumbles into dust.

But let us turn away our eyes from this sad spectacle, and fix them on Nazareth. Mary has heard the angel's explanation of the mystery; the will of heaven is made known to her, and how grand an honor it is to bring upon her! She, the humble maid of Nazareth, is to have the ineffable happiness of becoming the Mother of God, and yet the treasure of her virginity is to be left to her! Mary bows down before this sovereign will, and says to the heavenly messenger: 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word.'

Thus, as the great St. Irenaeus and so many of the holy fathers remark, the obedience of the second Eve repaired the disobedience of the first: for no sooner does the Virgin of Nazareth speak her fiat, 'be it done,' than the eternal Son of God (who, according to the divine decree, awaited this word) is present, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, in the chaste womb of Mary, and there He begins His human life. A Virgin is a Mother, and Mother of God; and it is this Virgin's consenting to the divine will that has made her conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost. This sublime mystery puts between the eternal Word and a mere woman the relations of Son and Mother; it gives to the almighty God a means whereby He may, in a manner worthy of His majesty, triumph over satan, who hitherto seemed to have prevailed against the divine plan.

Never was there a more entire or humiliating defeat than that which this day befell satan. The frail creature, over whom he had so easily triumphed at the beginning of the world, now rises and crushes his proud head. Eve conquers in Mary. God would not choose man for the instrument of His vengeance; the humiliation of satan would not have been great enough; and therefore she who was the first prey of hell, the first victim of the tempter, is selected to give battle to the enemy. The result of so glorious a triumph is that Mary is to be superior not only to the rebel angels, but to the whole human race, yea, to all the angels of heaven. Seated on her exalted throne, she, the Mother of God, is to be the Queen of all creation. Satan, in the depths of the abyss, will eternally bewail his having dared to direct his first attack against the woman, for God has now so gloriously avenged her; and in heaven, the very Cherubim and Seraphim reverently look up to Mary, and deem themselves honored when she smiles upon them, or employs them in the execution of any of her wishes, for she is the Mother of their God.

Therefore is it that we, the children of Adam, who have been snatched by Mary's obedience from the power of hell, solemnize this day of the Annunciation. Well may we say of Mary those words of Debbora, when she sang her song of victory over the enemies of God's people: 'The valiant men ceased, and rested in Israel, until Debbora arose, a mother arose in Israel. The Lord chose new wars, and He Himself overthrew the gates of the enemies." Let us also refer to the holy Mother of Jesus these words of Judith, who by her victory over the enemy was another type of Mary: 'Praise ye the Lord our God, who hath not forsaken them that hope in Him. And by me, His handmaid, He hath fulfilled His mercy, which He promised to the house of Israel; and He hath killed the enemy of His people by my hand this night. . . . The almighty Lord hath struck him, and hath delivered him into the hands of a woman, and hath slain him.'


Excerpted from The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.

This day is just another awesome day in the life of the Church. Satan is so proud, that this announcement will crush him entirely, and yet he is left to persecute the Woman and her offspring, us. If we stick close to her, she will help us and, hopefully, save us on our final day. She is our only hope! Let us end our thoughts with this hymn from today's readings:

Hail, star of the sea! Blessed Mother of God, yet ever a Virgin! O happy gate of heaven!

Thou that didst receive the Ave from Gabriel's lips, confirm us in peace, and so let Eva be changed into an Ave of blessing for us.

Loose the sinner's chains, bring light to the blind,drive from us our evils, and ask all good things for us.

Show thyself a Mother, and offer our prayers to Him, who would be born of thee, when born for us.

O incomparable Virgin, and meekest of the meek, obtain us the forgiveness of our sins, and make us meek and chaste.

Obtain us purity of life, and a safe pilgrimage; that we may be united with thee in the blissful vision of Jesus.

Praise be to God the Father, and to the Lord Jesus, and to the Holy Ghost: to the Three one self-same praise.

Amen.


O Mary, please give your 'Fiat' once again for us.

ST. GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL

Today is the feast day of St. Gabriel, the Archangel. It isn't celebrated any more in the 'new' church, but it still holds water for us who believe the entire Truth and try to adhere to it.

The name Gabriel signifies 'the Strength of God'. He is the angel who appeared to Daniel, and this prophet had the vision of the Persian and Grecian empires. Later, Gabriel appeared and told him of the exact hour of the coming of the Messiah. He is the angel who appeared to Zachary announcing the miraculous conception and birth of John the Baptist. He is the one who will announce, six months after this, to the Blessed Virgin Mary that she is chosen to be the Mother of Our Redeemer. We will celebrate this day tomorrow. He is the chosen one from the presence of God Himself to first speak those beautiful words: "Hail, full of grace,, blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb".

St. Gabriel, angel of light and strength of God, help us and pray for us. The following is from the Dominican breviary, and it is pretty nice:


Gabriel, angel of light, and strength of God! whom our Emmanuel selected from the rest of the heavenly princes, that thou shouldst expound unto Daniel the mystery of the savage goat.

Thou didst joyfully hasten to the prophet as he prayed, and didst tell him of the sacred weeks, which were to give us the birth of the King of heaven, and enrich us with plenteous joy.

"Tis thou didst bring to the parents of the Baptist the wondrous and gladsome tidings that Elizabeth, though barren, and Zachary, though old, should have a son.

What the prophets had foretold from the beginning of the world, this thou didst announce in all the fullness of the mystery to the holy virgin, telling her that she was to be the true Mother of God.

Thou, fair spirit, didst fill the Bethlehem shepherds with joy, when thou didst tell them the heavenly tidings; and with thee a host of angels sang the praises of the new-born God.

As Jesus was in prayer on that last night, when a bloody sweat bathed his limbs, thou didst leave heaven to be near him, and offer him the chalice that his Father willed him to drink.

O blessed Trinity! strengthen Catholic hearts with the heavenly gift of faith. Give us grace, as we to thee give glory for ever. Amen.


Let us honor St. Gabriel and all of the holy angels this day and always, since they are here at our sides to help us reach our goal.

3RD SUNDAY OF LENT

Tomorrow is the 3rd Sunday of Lent. We hear about Jesus casting a devil out from a deaf and dumb man. We need to pray for Jesus to cast out the evil spirits in the deaf and dumb men of today. Their number is LEGION. According to our Blessed Abbot Gueranger, concerning the Gospel of tomorrow:


'As soon as Jesus had cast out the devil, the man recovered his speech, for the possession had made him dumb. It is an image of what happens to a sinner, who will not, or dare not, confess his sin. If he confessed it, and asked pardon, he would be delivered from the tyranny which now oppresses him. Alas! how many there are who are kept back, by a dumb devil, from making the confession that would save them! The holy season of Lent is advancing; these days of grace are passing away; let us profit by them; and if we ourselves be in the state of grace, let us offer up our earnest prayers for sinners, that they may speak, that is, may accuse themselves in confession and obtain pardon.'

Jesus ends the Gospel reading from St. Luke by saying; "...blessed are they who hear the word of God, and keep it."


I'd like to end with a prayer from the Mozarabic breviary for the beginning of this 3rd week.

'Having now passed the fourteenth day of this season, which forms the tithe of our year, we lift up our eyes to thee, O Lord, who dwellest in heaven. Show mercy to the miserable, and heal them that are wounded. Grant that the journey we have begun may be prosperous. Direct our hearts in the way of thy commandments. Through thee may we find the way of light; through thee, may we be inflamed with the bright burning of thy love. Grant rest to our labours, and a home to us that labour; that having gained thy good pleasure by our observance of these days, we may deserve to be partakers of thy glory.'


Let us pray for the grace to, when we hear the Word of God, keep it.


ps. I hope I didn't offend any real deaf and dumb men of the world. Sorry if I did. I am speaking about those who refuse to acknowledge the real Truth when It presents Itself, defend It, and pass It on to the next generation.

pps. I know you realize that I use the writings of the Abbot Gueranger a lot. This is a worthwhile set of books (15) containing the whole Liturgical year. These books have all the Sundays and Holy days, as well as the days of the real Saints. I know he has helped me a lot to know the Truth and pass it on. And, I'd bet anything that he is a real Saint now!

THIS IS WAR !!!!!!!!

We are at war! Not in the general sense of it, but in a sense that we, as Roman Catholics, seem to be losing battles all over the world concerning the Traditional Mass of all times. Our beloved (un)Holy Father, Francis, is in the process of obliterating the Traditional Mass. Countries, such as Costa Rica, have been told that they cannot have this Mass any more. In our own country, at Fisher/More College in Texas, and at the Franciscan Friary of the Immaculate, have been told the same. It will be an avalanche before we know it. Mueller has declared that the Society of St. Pius X is schismatic once again! These losers need a dictionary badly. We are told that we must believe that the 'nervous odor' Mass is the ONE that we are to adhere to. This is a huge pantload!!!! WE Traditionalists are the ones trying to hold onto the Faith which comes to us from the Apostolic age. I was personally told once that I was a heretic and schismatic because I didn't believe what Vat. II was OK. I personally believe it was a valid council (though bad for the Faith). I believe that Jesus is in the tabernacles of the world and is being abused in the 'nervous odor' mass, and that is why the angel (probably St. Michael) told the kids at Fatima the prayer which states our belief in the Eucharist and prays for those who are abusing the Sacred Host in the new mass. I sincerely believe this prayer was for our times. Following is that prayer:


O Most Holy Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all of the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He Himself is offended. Through the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners. Amen.

Say this prayer three times each time you do it. I try to do it every time I pass a Catholic Church, because I know He is being abused there. This is my belief because I don't think that 'Communion in the hand' is a very good thing at all. If particles of our Blessed Lord are dropped on the floor, they are either walked on or swept up in a vacuum cleaner. Mother Teresa called 'Communion in the hand' the biggest sin of the 20th century. And, if those are taking 'Communion in the hand', have they washed their hands before? Did they have to wipe the nose of their kids? Our Blessed Lord deserves better than what we give Him. He is the One who will judge us at our demise. I also don't think that our leaders actually believe in the real Presence anymore. If they did, they wouldn't allow this travesty to keep on. This is all a protestant thing so it doesn't offend anyone. What we want and deserve is the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, and this is NOT being taught like it is suppose to be. We are called dinosaurs and not up to date with the changing of the times. We are the ones trying to teach our kids the Truth and raise them up to know and live it, not like the generic nonsense we are told from the pulpits! Our illustrious leaders are trying to spoon-feed us a steaming pile of excrement and expecting us to say "Yummm!" I don't think so! Even Pope Paul VI said that the smoke of satan had entered the Church. Boy, was he right. And, this smoke really reeks. Well, here's a news flash for our leaders and those who believe them. THE ETERNAL TRUTH NEVER CHANGES! Times will change, and ways to pass the Truth on might change (such as the internet), but the basic Truth from Jesus Christ never changes!

Anyway, we are at war to hold onto the Faith as it was presented by Jesus Himself to the Apostles. The Mass will go on somewhere in the world, and we should hope and pray that it stays in the U.S. Those in charge are against it
and are doing their best to squash it. If it wasn't for Archbishop Lefevbre, we wouldn't even have it these days. We need to be strong and be ready to fight and, maybe die, for it.


As the U.S. Marine motto goes: SEMPER FIDELIS!

Fr. John Hardon on St. Joseph

St. Joseph - Foster Father of Jesus

by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

It is remarkable, how little the Holy Spirit says about famous people in the Bible. The classic example of this is Saint Joseph. He is the most prominent saint in the Catholic liturgy after the Blessed Virgin Mary. Yet there is not a single word in the Scriptures quoting Saint Joseph.

Our plan here is to identify just five qualities of Saint Joseph. Each quality will be briefly described and then applied to ourselves. Of the twenty five invocations in the Litany of Saint Joseph, the ones on which we shall concentrate really cover all we know about the spouse of the Mother of God. Each invocation deserves a volume of commentary.


The Humility of Saint Joseph:

Humility, as we know, is the truth. It is the virtue that enables us to recognize and act on the recognition of our true relationship to God first, and to other persons.

By this standard, Saint Joseph was a very humble man.

He recognized his place with respect to Mary and Jesus. He knew that he was inferior to both of them in the order of grace. Yet he accepted his role as spouse of Mary and guardian of the Son of God.

The lesson for us is that genuine humility prevents us from claiming to be better or more than we really are. At the same time, we are not to underestimate ourselves either. A humble person does not consider himself more than he is but also not less than he is.

If we are truly humble, we do not pretend to be more than we really are, which is pride. But we also do not deny what we are, or claim to be less, which is false humility.

Humility is the moral virtue that keeps a person from reaching beyond himself. It is the virtue that restrains the unruly desire for personal greatness and leads people to an orderly love of themselves based on a true appreciation of their position with respect to God and their neighbors. Religious humility recognizes one’s total dependence on God. Moral humility recognizes one’s creaturely equality with other human beings. Yet humility is not only opposed to pride. It is also opposed to immoderate self-abjection, which would fail to recognize God’s gifts and use them according to the will of God.


The Chastity of Saint Joseph:

The Church’s constant tradition holds that Saint Joseph lived a life of consecrated chastity. Some of the apocryphal gospels picture him as an old man, even a widower. This is not the Church’s teaching.

We are rather to believe that he was a virgin, who entered into a virginal marriage with Mary. This was to protect Mary’s reputation and safeguard the dignity of her Son.

What is the lesson for us? That chastity has an apostolic purpose. It is meant to help us win souls. It also shows how highly God regards the virtue of chastity, seeing that He providentially arranged a series of miracles of chastity:

The virginal conception of the Savior.

The virginal birth of the Son of God.

The marriage of Mary and Joseph.

The life of Jesus Christ.

Chastity is the virtue that moderates the desire for sexual pleasure according to the principles of faith. For married people, chastity moderates the desire in conformity with their life. For the unmarried people who wish to marry, the desire is moderated by abstention until (or unless) they get married. For those who resolve not to marry, the desire is totally sacrificed.

Chastity and purity, modesty and decency are comparable in that they have the basic meaning of freedom from whatever is lewd or salacious.

Yet they also differ. Chastity implies an opposition to the immoral in the sense of lustful or licentious. It implies refraining from all acts or thoughts that are not in accordance with the Church’s teaching about the use of one’s reproductive powers. It particularly emphasizes an avoidance of anything that might defile or make the soul unclean because the body has not been controlled in the exercise of its most imperious passion.


The Obedience of Saint Joseph:

Joseph’s obedience covers every aspect of his life.

He was obedient in entering into a marriage with the Blessed Virgin Mary.

He was obedient in his willingness to put her away when, though he knew she was innocent, he found her with child.

He was obedient when he went to Bethlehem to be registered with Mary, and accepted the humiliation of having Jesus born in a stable cave.

He was obedient in taking the Child and His Mother by night and fleeing to Egypt.

He was obedient in taking the Christ Child to Jerusalem, as prescribed by the Law, and accepted God’s mysterious will when the Child was lost, and God’s even more mysterious will when Jesus told Mary that he must be about His Father’s affairs—even to grievously paining Joseph, His foster father, in order to do the will of His Father.

What are the lessons for us? Obedience is the test of our love of God. His laws are God’s way of enabling us to prove our love for Him; there is no obedience where there is no love, there is much obedience where there is much love.

Joseph was head of the Holy Family. He did not have identifiable superiors whom he should obey. Joseph’s obedience consequently was mainly interior.

This is illustrated by the fact that each time Joseph was to obey, he was divinely inspired. Thus it was by a special communication from God that Joseph was told to marry the Blessed Virgin. Thus it was also by interior communication that he was told to marry the Blessed Virgin after he found that she was pregnant. It was also by divine communication that Joseph was told to flee with Mary to Egypt. It was also by divine communication that he was told to return from Egypt to Palestine. It was finally by divine communication that Joseph was instructed to live with Jesus and Mary in Palestine. We may also say that Joseph was divinely instructed to remain in Palestine after the Holy Family returned to Nazareth.

There is not a single recorded word of Saint Joseph which he spoke during his years of caring for Jesus and Mary.

We may say that Joseph’s obedience was profoundly interior. He obeyed God’s will by supernatural instinct. Needless to say, he did not have to be ordered by God to exercise authority over Jesus and Mary. We may say that Joseph obeyed not because he was told to but because his mind was always conformed to the mind of God. We may further say that Joseph’s faith always saw in Jesus the living God who instructed His foster father constantly in everything that the Lord wanted him to do.


The Prudence of Saint Joseph:

The prudence of Saint Joseph is part of our Catholic faith. It is especially shown in his remarkable practice of silence. Of course, Joseph talked. Yet the Gospels do not record a single word he spoke, no doubt to teach us that if we wish to practice the virtue of prudence, we must look to our practice of silence.

We are to be silent when others want us to speak, and we practice charity by our self-control.

We are to be silent when it is clearly necessary to do something and not talk about it. For some people talk and more talk is an excuse for doing God’s will, but speech is no substitute for actions.

No one has practiced prudence better than Jesus and Mary. But Saint Joseph teaches us that prudence is correct knowledge about things to be done or, more broadly, the knowledge of things that ought to be done and of things that should be avoided.

Prudence is the intellectual virtue by which a human being recognizes in any matter at hand what is good and what is evil. In this sense, prudence is a moral virtue that enables a person to devise, choose, and prepare suitable means for the avoidance of any evil. Prudence resides in the practical intellect and is both acquired by one’s own acts and infused along with sanctifying grace. Prudence may be said to be natural as developed by our own efforts, and supernatural because it is conferred by God.

As an act of virtue, prudence involves three stages of mental cooperation: to take counsel carefully with oneself and from others; to judge correctly on the basis of the evidence at hand; and to direct the rest of one’s activity according to the norms determined after a prudent judgment has been made.


The Love that Joseph Had for Jesus and Mary:

Saint Joseph deserves our admiration for his other virtues, but he is to be especially imitated in his love for Jesus and Mary.

He was placed into their lives by an all-wise Providence and lived up to God’s expectations by giving them his deepest attention and care.

What most bears emphasis is not so much that Jesus and Mary were physically so close to Saint Joseph. He was in their company day after day for many years.

It was rather that Joseph put his love into practice.

Joseph put his love to work. He did not merely tell Jesus and Mary that he loved them. He acted out his love. He lived it.

That is the secret of true love. We are as truly devoted to Christ and His Mother as we do what we know they want us to do. And what is that? It is to see God’s providence in everything that enters our lives:

the disappointments and failures

the unexpected turn of events

the frustrating delays

the unwanted demands on our time

the strange behavior of some people

the mysterious silence of God who often hides the purpose He has and yet tells us, through people—that is the key, through people—what He wants us to do.

Saint Joseph is surely worth studying and invoking to help us love Jesus and Mary as he loved them. So we should pray:

Saint Joseph, foster father of Jesus and protector of the Virgin Mary, teach us the hardest lesson we have to learn in life; to love as you loved, by putting our affections to use, and by acting on the sentiments we so often express in our prayers. Teach us to understand what Mary meant when she said, "Be it done to me according to your will." And what Jesus meant when He said, "If you love me, keep my commandments."

Father Hardon (deceased), was the Executive Editor of The Catholic Faith magazine.


Read on for my thoughts on this wonderful Saint Joseph. Maybe the fathers among us can try to immolate him in becoming what is expected of us in raising our children.

ST. JOSEPH

St. Joseph

Today is the feast day of the foster father of Jesus, St. Joseph. He almost seems to disappear out of our thoughts as if he isn't really important. How shameful of us. He is the official guardian of the Church, of families, of the sick and the dying, of fathers, etc. He is ranked above even the angels who guard us each, because he guarded the Son of God Himself. This is much more important, at least to me. It is of the opinion of all the saints and theologians that he was preserved from sin in his mother's womb, though not at conception as Our Blessed Mother was, but more like Jeremiah and St. John the Baptist. But, probably his inner womb cleansing was even better than theirs. It only makes sense if you stop and think about it. He is the one who gave the holy Name of Jesus at His presentation in the temple. I'm willing to bet that Jesus even looked like St. Joseph, too.

He is regarded as being of the old rite, but he helped bring in the new. He, and him alone, protected the ark of the real God, Jesus, when he protected his wife, Mary, the human ark of the New Covenant. He never got to see the Church with the Apostles get going, but never the less knew of it happening. He was, after Jesus died and Ascended, the first to enter heaven after Our Lord, and has a very prominent place there, for sure.

Two years ago, I resolved to read the entire set of 'The City of God' by Mary of Agreda. In the 3rd volume, 16th chapter, St. Joseph has died, and Our Blessed Mother made the following statements regarding St. Joseph. She said that because of the privileges bestowed upon St. Joseph, his intercession is most powerful, especially for these causes:

1. For attaining the virtue of purity and overcoming the sensual inclinations of the flesh;
2. For procuring powerful help to escape sin and return to the friendship of God;
3. For increasing the love and devotion to the Most Holy Mary;
4. For securing the grace of a happy death and protection against the demons in that hour;
5. For inspiring the demons with terror at the mere mention of his name by his clients;
6. For gaining health of body and assistance in all kinds of difficulties;
7. For securing issue of children in families.

St. Theresa of Avila stated: "I cannot call to mind that I have ever asked at any time for anything, which he has not granted", and..."To other Saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succor us in some of our necessities, but of this glorious Saint my experience is that he succors us in them all."

St. Thomas Aquinas, who was an early devotee of the glorious St. Joseph, taught the same. He wrote: "Some Saints are privileged to extend to us their patronage with particular efficacy in certain needs, but not in others; but our holy patron St. Joseph has the power to assist us in all cases, in every necessity, in every undertaking."








Let's not forget about St. Joseph. Let us ask for his help in our daily needs. He's there waiting to bring us home, just as he did with Mary and Jesus from Egypt.

ST. PATRICK

St. Patrick's day

Today is the feast day of St. Patrick, Bishop of Armaugh, Ireland. He is said to have freed Ireland from snakes, and chased them out of there. The fact is that he routed the people, in particular the Druids who worshiped snakes. He converted thousands of people who did not know the True God, and what they needed to do because of this enlightening. They have been steadfast believers since the early centuries of the Church. However, I don't know if they are of the same belief today, since the destruction and weakening of the Church in the past 50 years. Hopefully, there are still some who hold onto the Truth. Maybe St. Patrick can drive the low-life snakes out of the Church so that we can worship like we were meant to.


The following is a quote from St. Patrick and how he believes:

“Christ shield me this day: Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every person who thinks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me” (from “The Breastplate of St. Patrick”).

St. Patrick, pray for us and for the Church in these troubling times. We sorely need it.

2nd SUNDAY of LENT

Tomorrow is the 2nd Sunday of Lent. Let's try to imagine these series of events more closely.

Jesus was about to pass from Galilee into Judea, that He might go up to Jerusalem and be present at the feast of the Pasch. It was that last Pasch, which was begin with the immolation of the figurative lamb, and end with the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Jesus would like to have His disciples know Him. His works had borne testimony to Him, even before those who were, in a manner, strangers to Him; but as for His disciples, had they not every reason to be faithful to Him, even to death? Had they not listened to His words, which had such power with them that they forced conviction? Had they not experienced His love, which it was impossible to resist? And, had they not seen how patiently He had borne with their strange and untoward ways? Yes, they must have known Him. They had heard one of their company, Peter, declare that He was the Christ, the Son of the Living God! Notwithstanding this, the trial to which their faith was soon to be put was such a terrible kind, that Jesus would mercifully arm them against temptation by an extraordinary grace.

The Cross was to be a scandal and a stumbling-block to the Synagogue, and alas to more than it. Jesus said to His apostles at the last Supper: "All of you shall be scandalized in Me this night." Carnal-minded as they then were, what would they think when they should see Him seized by armed men, handcuffed, hurried from one tribunal to another, and doing nothing to defend Himself! And when they found that the high priests and pharisees, who had hitherto been so often foiled by the wisdom and miracles of Jesus, had now succeeded in their conspiracy against Him, what a shock to their confidence! But there was to be something more trying still: the people, who, but a few days before, greeted Him so enthusiastically with their Hosannas, would demand His execution; and He would have to die, between two thieves, on the Cross, amidst the insults of His triumphant enemies.

Is it not to be feared that these disciples, when they witness His humiliations and sufferings, will lose their courage? They have lived in His company for three years; but when they see that the things He foretold would happen to Him are really fulfilled, will the remembrance of all they have seen and heard keep them loyal to Him? Or will they turn cowards and flee from Him?! Jesus selects three out of the number, who are especially dear to Him: Peter, whom He has made the rock, on which His Church is to be built, and to whom He has promised the keys of the kingdom of heaven; James, the son of thunder, who is to be the first Martyr (witness) of the Apostolic college; and John, James's brother, and His own beloved disciple. Jesus has resolved to take them aside, and show them a glimpse of that glory, which, until the day fixed for its manifestation, He conceals from the eyes of mortals.



His top three Apostles have been privileged to many things, and tomorrow's reading shows it. They have seen Him transfigured before their eyes, but in a few days will totally deny Him. Our beloved Abbot Gueranger expounds on this:

After the Resurrection our three Apostles made ample atonement for this cowardly and sinful conduct, and acknowledged the mercy wherewith Jesus had sought to fortify them against temptation, by showing them His glory on Mt. Tabor a few days before His Passion. Let us not wait til we have betrayed Him; let us at once acknowledge that He is our Lord and our God. We are soon to be keeping the anniversary of His Sacrifice; like the Apostles, we are to see Him humbled by His enemies and bearing, in our stead, the chastisements of Divine justice. We must not allow our faith to be weakened, when we behold the fulfillment of those prophecies of David and Isias, that the Messias is to be treated as a worm of the earth, and be covered with wounds, so as to become like a leper, the most abject of men, and the Man of sorrows. We must remember the grand things of Mt. Tabor, and the adorations paid Him by Moses and Elias, and the bright cloud, and the Voice of the eternal Father. The more we see His glory and divinity; we must join our acclamations with those of the angels and the twenty four elders, whom St. John, one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration, heard crying out with a loud voice: 'The Lamb that was slain, is worthy to receive power and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction!'

I want to end with the Collect of tomorrow's Mass:

O God, who seest how destitute we are of all strength, preserve us both within and without, that our bodies may be free from all adversity, and our souls purified from all evil thoughts.

Mary during Lent

This is Saturday; let us have recourse to Mary, the refuge of sinners, especially during the season of Lent. Let us get under her protective mantle, and offer this 'Sequence' for today. It is taken from the Cluny Missal, and is, once again, something we don't hear anymore.


Hail Mary, full of grace! dear Mother of Jesus, and hope of the world!

O gate of heaven! O temple of God! O haven of the sea, where sinners confidently seek shelter and repose.

Thou art the worthy bride of the great King, and, by thy powerful prayers, thou art kind and loving to all.

Thou art light to the blind, and a pure path to such as are lame. Thou art, by thy loving affection, both Martha and Mary to the needy.

Thou wast the flower among the thorns; the flower that, by its rich graces, bloomed to the divine Flower, thy Jesus.

Thou didst speak thy word, and then conceived the Word; thou didst give birth to the King of kings, thou that wast a pure Virgin.

Thou wast ever faithful to this King, thy Child; and, using a mother's privilege, thou didst feed Him at thy breast.

Now, thou art united with Him, and in reward for thy merits, thou art made the Queen of heaven and earth.

Then, pray for us, O Queen, to Him that is our King, beseeching Him to pardon us poor fallen sinners.

Show us thy wonted clemency, and, having obtained us the new life of remission of our sins, bring us to the kingdom, there to reign for ever. Amen.

1st year anniversary for Pope Francis

Today is the first anniversary for the Pope, Francis. He IS the Pope, not just the Bishop of Rome which he prefers. He has done a shake up in things. He says not to be judgmental, which is right. God alone judges. However, he, as well as all the clergy, have the obligation to teach the Eternal Truth and correct those in error. They can't just say that everything is just hunky-dory. To do and say that is a giant pantload.

Following is something I picked up from one of my sites I read. He is talking about the 'Holy' in the title 'Holy Father'. I'm not saying this Pope is holy or unholy. Some of what he says is spot on. Help the impoverished, feed the hungry, etc. This is all good. However, I sincerely hope he doesn't plan on selling anything in the Vatican off to the highest bidder so that he can feed the poor. And, he desperately needs to stick to the plan of God Himself, Jesus Christ, and teach what we all need to hear, and this is the untainted Truth in its entirety. Now, to the comments:


'Thankfully we have the writings of one of the greatest mystical writers of the spiritual life in the 20th Century: Blessed Abbot Marmion, a great Benedictine abbot, who, based on the teaching of Saint Thomas Aquinas, wrote about this very point:

Holiness consists of a double element: it has a negative [absent] element and a positive [present] element.

First, we have to start with the holiness of God. In God holiness is the infinite distance from all that is sin, from all that is imperfect, from all that is impure. He is infinitely free from every spot or stain or shadow of imperfection.

That’s the negative aspect, but the positive aspect is that God adheres by an always-present act of His will to the infinite goodness which is Himself in order to conform Himself entirely to all that infinite goodness is.

Now once we know what that model of holiness is, we see that this model is what we see in Our Lord Jesus Christ. He was infinitely free from every spot or stain or shadow of corruption, and He always adhered by an ever-present act of His will to the infinite good which was Himself.

The same model of holiness we see for Our Blessed Mother. She was without stain of sin, She was born without Original Sin, She was free from every spot, stain or shadow of corruption and She always adhered by an act of Her will to the infinite good which is God, in order to conform Herself to His infinite goodness. The same model of holiness is the model for us.

So now we have a better idea of what we see with “Holy Father”, that the Holy Father himself must teach a doctrine that is free from every spot, stain or shadow of corruption, be free from all error, confusion and ambiguity, and he must also teach a doctrine that adheres to the infinite good which is God Himself, to the true and genuine Catholic doctrine taught throughout the centuries.'

So this is what holiness is, this is the Holy Father’s duty, and as the Message of Fatima says, we must pray a great deal for the Holy Father, and thus pray a great deal for Pope Francis.



Pope St. Pius X: The First Duty
of the Pope is Ensure Purity of Doctrine

In the first lines of Pascendi, the 1907 Encyclical against Modernism, Pius stated that one of the "primary obligations assigned by Christ to the office divinely committed to Us of feeding the Lord's flock is that of guarding with the greatest vigilance the deposit of the faith delivered to the saints, rejecting the profane novelties of words and the gainsay of knowledge falsely so called". He explains that in the face of this Modernist heresy, "We may no longer keep silence, lest We should seem to fail in Our most sacred duty ...”

St. Pius X, pray for the Holy Father and for us, that we all remain true to the teachings of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

ST. JOSEPH NOVENA starts tomorrow

Tomorrow will mark the start of the Novena to St. Joseph, foster-father of Jesus and True Spouse of the Virgin Mary. His powerful intercession can help us in these trying times if we but ask. There are many prayers and novenas to this wonderful, almost forgotten patron saint, out there. It's too bad so many have put him on the back burner of their life. He can help us fathers out there to be better examples to our children. Following is a couple of novena prayers:

An Ancient Prayer to Saint Joseph

O St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in thee all my interests and desires. O St. Joseph, assist me by thy powerful intercession and obtain for me all spiritual blessings through thy foster Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord, so that, having engaged here below thy heavenly power, I may offer thee my thanksgiving and homage.

O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating thee and Jesus asleep in thine arms. I dare not approach while He reposes near thy heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.

St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for me.



Glorious St. Joseph, foster-father and protector of Jesus Christ! To you do I raise my heart and hands to implore your powerful intercession. Please obtain for me from the kind Heart of Jesus welfare. I ask particularly for the grace of a happy death, and the special favor I now implore (Name the request).

Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I feel animated with confidence that your prayers in my behalf will be graciously heard before the throne of God.

V. O glorious St. Joseph, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ, and for the glory of His Name,
R. Hear my prayers and obtain my petitions. Amen.

1st SUNDAY OF LENT

Tomorrow is the 1st Sunday of Lent. In the Gospel of St. Matthew, we hear about Christ fasting and praying in the desert for 40 days, and then, at the end, Satan tempting Him with all of the world's goods, if He were to bow down to him. Christ dispels him quickly. We are not immune from temptations from this same devil. He never gives up on trying to get our soul to be with him for all eternity. We also learn that the devil also knows Scripture. He can twist it, like all false religions, to his own use.

Our beloved Abbot Gueranger states:


'We have three enemies to fight against; our soul has three dangers; for, as the beloved disciple says, all that is in the world, is the concupiscence of the flesh, and the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life! By the concupiscence of the flesh, is meant the love of sensual things, which covets whatever is agreeable to the flesh, and, when not curbed, draws the soul into unlawful pleasures. Concupiscence of the eyes expresses the love of the goods of this world, such as riches, and possessions; these dazzle the eye, and then seduce the heart. Pride of life is that confidence in ourselves, which leads us to be vain and presumptuous, and makes us forget that all we have, our life and every good gift, we have from God.'


Let those who must go, on these days, and mingle in the company of worldlings, be guided by St. Francis of Sales, who advises them to think, from time to time, on such considerations as these:--that while all these frivolous, and often dangerous, amusements are going on, there are countless souls being tormented in the fire of hell, on account of the sins they committed on similar occasions; --that, at that very hour of the night, there are many holy religious depriving themselves of sleep in order to sing the divine praises and implore God's mercy upon the world, and upon them that are wasting their time in its vanities;--that there are thousands in the agonies of death, while all that gaiety is going on;--that God and His angels are attentively looking upon this thoughtless group; and finally, that life is passing away, and death so much nearer each moment.


As St. Francis says: 'If we are led by the Spirit of God to the place of temptation, we should not fear, but should be assured that He will render us victorious. But we must not seek temptation not go out to allure it, however holy and generous we may think ourselves to be, for we are not more valiant than David, not than our Divine Master Himself, who did not choose to seek it. Our enemy is like a chained dog; if we do not approach, it will do us no harm, even though it tries to frighten us by barking at us.


St. Bernard, referring to words in Psalm 90(which is a really good Psalm to read during this time of year), which is telling us to have faith in God and He will deliver us. Deliver us from what? There are three kinds of terrors which we might be afraid of. The first fear is that of cowards and slothful souls; the second, that of children; and the third, that of the weak. Fear is the first temptation which the enemy presents to those who have resolved to serve God, for as soon as they are shown what perfection require of them they think, "Alas, I shall never be able to do it." ...But Our Lord does not want this kind of warrior in His army; He wants combatants and conquerors, not sluggards and cowards. He chose to be tempted, and Himself attacked in order to give us an example.


Let us, during this Lenten season, try to make good on our promises, which we made to God, and fight these temptations to the best of our God-given ability.


I'm going to end with a quote from St. Augustine:

"Because we are human, we are not strong.
Because we are not strong, we pray."

St. Thomas Aquinas

Today is the day we honor one of the greatest Saints of the Catholic Church, St. Thomas Aquinas. This is the day he entered his eternity, and, because of all he did, it went well for him. In the picture above St. Thomas is in the upper right corner, looking down and across at St. Dominic. In the upper right of the picture is St. Dionysius the Areopagite (mentioned in Acts), and he is looking down and across at Pope St. Clement I, the third heir to the throne of St. Peter. Notice that Dionysius and Clement seem to have the Stigmata, meaning they were probably martyred. Also notice that Dionysius has the Bishop's crozier, and Clement has the papal miter. Dominic has the rosary, while our saint of the day has his writings. The picture is called the "Madonna and Child Enthroned" with these Saints. It was painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio in 1486. This is my screen saver. I love it.


SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS
Doctor of the Church
(1225-1274)

The great Saint Thomas was born of noble parents at Aquino near Naples in Italy, in 1225; his century was replete with great names and Christian works, yet he dominates it by the power of his thought and the perfection of his works. In his childhood he was the provider for the poor of the neighborhood during a famine; his father, meeting him in a corridor with the food he had succeeded in taking from the kitchen, asked him what he had under his cloak; he opened it and fresh roses fell on the ground. The nobleman embraced his son and amid his tears, gave him permission to follow thereafter all inspirations of his charity.

The young student, like the holy man Job, made a pact with his eyes and forbade them to see anything which might favor in his heart any desires for a life of ease. At the University of Naples he led a retired life of study and prayer, and continued his charities, giving all he had which was superfluous. He was recognized already by his professors as a genius, but it was Saint Albert the Great who later said of his disciple whom some called "the mute ox", that "some day the lowing of this ox will resound throughout the entire world."

At the age of seventeen he received the Dominican habit at Naples. His family opposed this choice, and he was set upon by his brothers on his way to Paris. They attempted in vain to remove his holy habit, but he was taken in custody and obliged to suffer a two years' captivity in their castle of Rocca Secca. Neither the caresses of his mother and sisters, nor the threats and stratagems of his brothers, could shake him in his vocation. His older sister was won over by him and renounced a brilliant marriage to embrace religious life; later she was Abbess of her convent in Capua.

While Saint Thomas was in confinement at Rocca Secca, his brothers endeavored to entrap him into sin, but the attempt only ended in the triumph of his purity. Snatching from the hearth a burning coal, the Saint drove from his chamber the courtesan whom they had concealed there. Then marking a cross upon the wall, he knelt down to pray. Immediately, while he was rapt in ecstasy, an Angel girded him with a cord, in token of the gift of perpetual chastity which God had given him. The pain caused by the girdle was so sharp that Saint Thomas uttered a piercing cry, which brought his guards into the room. But he never related this grace to anyone save Father Raynald, his confessor, a short time before his death. Thus originated the Confraternity of the Angelic Warfare, for the preservation of the virtue of chastity.

Having at length escaped, Saint Thomas went to Cologne to study under Blessed Albert the Great, and afterwards was sent with him to Paris, where for several years he taught philosophy and theology. The Church has ever venerated his numerous writings as a treasure of sacred doctrine; in naming him the Angelic Doctor she has indicated that his science is more divine than human. The rarest gifts of intellect were combined in him with the most tender piety. Prayer, he said, had taught him more than study. His singular devotion to the Blessed Sacrament shines forth in the Office and hymns which he composed for the feast of Corpus Christi. To the words miraculously uttered by a crucifix at Naples, "Well hast thou written concerning Me, Thomas. What shall I give thee as a reward?" he replied, "Naught save Thyself, O Lord." Saint Thomas was loved for his unfailing gentleness and his readiness to lend his services or great lights to all who sought them. He died at Fossa Nuova in 1274, on his way to the General Council of Lyons, to which Pope Gregory X had summoned him.

One time when he had written some things concerning Christ and His Church, he was dissatisfied with it and threw it on the floor. Christ saw this and asked Thomas about it. Thomas replied that after what he had seen, what he had written was mere straw. Christ answered that He was pleased with these writings, and they were gathered up by angels. Apparently Thomas had, like St. John and St. Paul (and probably many others), been taken up to some level of heaven so that he could write with more clarity.

This Angelic Doctor of the Church is called upon by us if we want more knowledge.

Reflection. The knowledge of God is for all, but hidden treasures are reserved for those who have ever followed the Lamb.

St. Thomas of Aquin, pray for us and help us get the knowledge we need.

LENTEN THOUGHTS

A quote to think about during these days of Lent, and for always. "We ought to spend each day, as though it were to be our last."

I'm going to try to interject some thoughts this Lenten season, and most will come from St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622). These writings come from his sermons on Lent. I will write what he said, paraphrasing a little. Maybe they can help us reach our goal; that is, to serve God better so that we can be with Him in the next phase of our soul's life.

Concerning to universality of temptation:

'...If we are led by the Spirit of God to the place of temptation, we should not fear, but should be assured that He will render us victorious. [1 Cor. 10:13] Thus, it is a very necessary practice to prepare our soul for temptation. That is, wherever we may be and however perfect we may be, we must rest assured that temptation will attack us. Hence, we ought to be so disposed and to provide ourselves with the weapons necessary to fight valiantly in order to carry off the victory, since the crown is only for the combatants and conquerors. We ought never to trust in our own strength or in our courage and go out to seek temptation, thinking to confound it; but if in that place where the Spirit of God has led us we encounter it, we must remain firm in the confidence which we ought to have that He will strengthen us against the attacks of our enemy, however furious they may be.

St. Bernard, referring to these words of the Psalm [90], said that the terrors of the night are three kinds. The first fear is that of cowards and slothful souls; the second, that of children; and the third, that of the weak. Fear is the first temptation which the enemy presents to those who have resolved to serve God, for as soon as they are shown what perfection requires of them they think, "Alas, I shall never be able to do it." Do not trouble yourself and do not frame these idle fears that you are not able to accomplish that to which you have bound yourself, since you are armed and encompassed with the Truth of God and with His Word. He will strengthen you and will give you the grace to persevere and to do what is required for His greater glory and for your greater welfare and happiness, provided you walk simply in faithful observance.

The second fear is experienced by children. They cry for 'Mama' when scared, and know nothing can harm them when holding her hand. Let us do the same. If we feel that we lack the courage let us cry out in a loud voice full of confidence, "Lord, save me!" Let us not doubt that God will strengthen us and prevent us from perishing.

The third terror of the night is that of the weak. These fear not only what can bring evil but what can in any way disturb or trouble their peace. They do not want any little noise whatever to come between God and them, since they have convinced themselves that there is a certain quiet and tranquility which maintains those who have it in uninterrupted peace and happiness...Keep this rule in front of us: No one will be so holy in this life as not to be subject to committing some imperfection or other.

We must keep ourselves constant and tranquil in the knowledge of this truth if we will not be troubled with the unrealistic expectation of never committing any imperfection at all. We should have a strong and constant resolution never to be so cowardly as to commit any imperfection voluntarily. But we ought also to be unshaken in this other resolution: not to be astonished or troubled at seeing that we are subject to fall into these imperfections, even often. We must rather confide ourselves to the goodness of God Who, for all that, does not love us less.

St. Bernard assures us that he who has Faith and is armed with Truth will not fear these terrors of the night...the devil deceives souls, transforming himself into an angel of light and causing them to stumble. Yet, whoever will be armed with the shield of Truth and of Faith will overcome these enemies as courageously as all the, as David promises. [Ps. 90, 5-6]

These forty days, as we said just now, symbolize the life of the Christian, of each one of us. Let us then desire these consolations only at the end of our lives, and let us busy ourselves in steadfast resistance to the frontal attacks of our enemies. For whether we desire it or not we shall be tempted. If we do not struggle, we shall not be victorious, nor shall we merit the crown of immortal glory which God has prepared for those of us who are victorious and triumphant.

Let us fear neither the temptation nor the tempter, for if we make use of the shield of Faith and the armor of Truth, they will have not power whatsoever over us. Let us not longer fear the three terrors of the night. And let us not entertain the vain hope of being or wishing to be saints in three months! Let us shun both spiritual avarice and the ambition which occasion so much disorder in our hearts and so greatly impede our perfection. The noonday devil will be powerless in causing us to fail in our firm and steadfast resolution to serve God generously and as perfectly as possible in this life, so that after this life we shall go to enjoy Him forever. May He be blessed! Amen.



I would like to interject a saying from St. Jerome: You are deceived if you think that a Christian can live without persecution. He suffers the greatest who lives under none. Nothing is more to be feared that too long a peace. A storm puts a man upon his guard, and obliges him to exert his utmost efforts to escape shipwreck.


Ps. I have been asked if it is OK to use this material for furthering the Faith. You can copy and paste whatever is here in these pages. Keep the Faith alive and moving to those who don't know it, even if they call themselves Catholic and don't really have a clue what the Faith is. That's why I am doing this blog, to help the uninformed and unknowing. Good luck in your endeavors. May God bless us all. Amen.

ASH WEDNESDAY

PRAY, FAST, AND DO PENANCE. THIS IS HOW WE GET THINGS DONE!

(Joel II. 12-19) Thus with the Lord: Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and in mourning. And rend your hearts and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God; for he is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in mercy, and ready to repent of the evil. Who knoweth but he will return, and forgive, anal leave a blessing behind him, sacrifice and libation to the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Sion: sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather together the people; sanctify the Church; assemble the ancients; gather together the little ones, and them that suck at the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth from his bed, and the bride out of her bride-chamber. Between the porch and the altar the priests, the Lord's ministers, shall weep; and shall say: Spare, O Lord, spare thy people; and give not thine inheritance to reproach, that the heathens should rule over them. Why should they say among the nations: Where is their God? The Lord hath been zealous for his land, and hath spared his people. And the Lord answered, and said to his people: Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and you shall be filled with them; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations, with the Lord Almighty.

The Prophet Joel exhorts the Jews to sorrow and penance for their sins, that they evade the expected judgment to be sent by God upon the city of Jerusalem. He required of them to show their repentance not merely by rending their garments, a sign of mourning with the Jews, but by a truly contrite heart. The Church wishes us to see plainly from this lesson of the prophet what qualities our penance should possess, if we desire reconciliation with God, forgiveness of our sins, and deliverance at the Last Day, which qualities are not merely abstinence from food and amusements, but the practice of real mortification of our evil inclinations, thus becoming with our whole heart converted to God.

GOSPEL (Matt. VI. 16-21) At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: When you fast, be not as the hypocrites, sad. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face, that thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee. Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth, where the rust and moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also.


Jesus forbids us to seek the praises of men when performing good works, (fasting is a good work,) and still worse it would be to do good as the Pharisees, through hypocrisy. He also warns us against avarice and the desire for temporal riches, urging us to employ our temporal goods, in giving alms, and doing works of charity, thus laying up treasures in heaven, which are there rewarded and will last there forever. "What folly", says St. Chrysostom, "to leave our goods where we cannot stay, instead of sending them before us where we are going — to heaven!"'


Don't forget!

Let's make this Lent a fruitful one. And be cheerful about it!

CHURCH MILITANT TV FAUX PAS?

I received this e-mail, and it concerned me a great deal. I subscribe to the Church Militant feed. To see M.V. attack fellow Roman Catholics is disconcerting. These men are real men. They have raised Catholic families. They are strong in the Faith, as we all are suppose to be. 'Catholic Family News' and 'The Remnant' are very worthy papers to read if you want to keep your faith. It seems to me in this case that the devil has caused some dissention among true believers. It is what he does best. Anyway, if M.V. doesn't send some kind of retraction to his diatribe, I will be cancelling the feed. What he says is usually right, but he has missed the boat entirely this time!



March 1, 2014: From John Vennari

A Response to Michael Voris' assault
against Traditional Catholic Writers

Thank you Mr. Louie Verrecchio for your common-sense response to a remarkably silly and confused attack against us by Michael Voris' Church Militant TV.

Here is what Voris' ChurchMilitantTV said about us, as part of a larger manifesto:
"It is our judgment that most Catholics should not read articles and essays such as those above by Christopher A. Ferrara and John Vennari, nor similarly themed articles and essays available elsewhere. We also believe that such articles and essays should not be published anywhere for public consumption but, rather, reserved for those capable of reading such without risk of damaging their faith in the Church and the Vicar of Christ. We make these recommendations for the same reasons that we discourage people from visiting sedevacantist and pornography web sites: they are potential occasions of sin…" Check out the video below.

Mr. Verrecchio produced an intelligent video as a response. Below is how Mr. Verrecchio prefaced the video:

The Gore-Tex

Well… it is now undeniable: Michael Voris is all-in with the manifesto. Damn shame too. The guy screwed up. It happens. I’m pretty sure I did that once too. Maybe even twice.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the least bit pleased about this rift between Voris and people like John Vennari, Christopher Ferrara and Michael Matt. Not only do I respect these men a great deal, I’m out here doing the same kinds of things; namely, defending our Catholic faith against all comers, even the occasionally naked pope. A stone thrown at them hits me as well.

At the end of the day, we’re still Catholics. That makes us family. In other words, it ain’t over ’til it’s over; so with that in mind I’m offering a bit of fraternal correction.

Go to video:
http://www.cfnews.org/page88/files/751b83874a7bdfab126e65e854b51207-193.html

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QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY

Tomorrow is Quinquagesima Sunday, or approx. 50 days til Easter. Ash Wednesday is just a few short days away now. St. Paul tells us about Charity, and how nothing will be good unless we have it and use it. In the new church, we hear this as love. I personally think they are connected, but are NOT the same at all. In the Gospel, we hear about the blind man who hears Jesus coming, and begs earnestly to healed from his blindness. Christ grants his wish because of his faith. We are all desirous to be healed from our blindness, and pray for those who are still blind to the Eternal Truth. This is our job, what we are called to do.

In regards to this, St. Francis of Sales tells us how "we must go on these days, and mingle in the company of worldlings, to think, from time to time, on such considerations as these:--that while all these frivolous, and often dangerous, amusements are going on, there are countless souls being tormented in the fire of hell, on account of the sins they committed on similar occasions; that, at that very hour of the night, there are many holy religious depriving themselves of sleep in order to sing the divine praises and implore God's mercy upon the world, and upon them that are wasting their time in its vanities; that there are thousands in the agonies of death, while all that gaiety is going on; that God and His angels are attentively looking upon this thoughtless group; and finally, that life is passing away, and death so much nearer each moment."

As we enter into the Lenten season on Ash Wednesday this coming week, I would like to end with a hymn from the Greek Church, which proclaims the annual fast of Lent:


The week, the harbinger of spring, is come; the week that cleanses away sin by the sacred and ever venerable fast, which enlightens the body and soul of every man.

Lo! the gate of penance is thrown open, O ye that love God! Come, then, let us joyously go in, before Christ shut it against us as being unworthy to enter.

Brethren, let us prepare, and bring with us purity, abstinence, and modesty, and fortitude, and prudence, and prayers, and tears; for it is by these we enter on the path of justice.

Be not solicitous, O mortals! about the body, how you may pamper it, not seek delicacies in what you give it to eat; give it, rather, fullness of vigor by abstinence; that so it may aid the soul to conquer in the battle with the enemy.

This day, O ye that love God! begins the fast, which is to prepare our souls and bodies by expiation, and infuse into our hearts the generous light of the sacred and venerable Passion of Christ.



Let us, O ye people! enter on our fast with a glad heart; for lo! the spiritual combat begins. Let us throw off the effeminacy of the flesh, redouble the gifts of the spirit, and suffer with Christ, as it behooves them that are his servants; that thus, we may rejoice together with him, and our souls be enlightened by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost within us.

Let us, O faithful! cheerfully receive the divinity inspired messenger of our fast,as did the Ninivites; and as the harlots and the publicans did, of old, receive John, when he preached penance unto them. Let us prepare, by abstinence, for a participation in the Sacrifice of our Lord on Sion. Let his divine laver be preceded by that of our tears. Let us beseech Him to show unto us, when the time is come, the consummation of both Paschs, the figurative, and the True. Let us put ourselves in readiness to adore the cross and Resurrection of Christ; saying unto Him: Let me not be confounded in my expectation, O thou Lover of mankind.


Lord Jesus, have mercy on me, that I may see