This picture pretty much sums it up. Not just for her, but also for those who think like her.
Not that our vote matters anymore; since everything is now electronic and easy to manipulate, but we have to keep on trying!
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
JUST A NOTE BEFORE VOTING
This picture pretty much sums it up. Not just for her, but also for those who think like her.
Not that our vote matters anymore; since everything is now electronic and easy to manipulate, but we have to keep on trying!
Saturday, July 26, 2014
7th Sunday after Pentecost
Our beloved Abbot Gueranger tells us: By their fruits shall ye know them as we hear in the Gospel, and history confirms the words of our Redeemer. Under the sheep's clothing, which they wear that they may deceive simple souls, the apostles of falsehood ever betray their real nature. the artful language they use, and the flattery they utter for gain's sake, cannot hide the hollowness of their works. They separate themselves from the flock of Christ, and flee from the light; for, as the apostle says: 'All things that are reproved, or deserve to be so, are made manifest by the light; and as to the things that are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of them. Therefore, be ye not partakers with them'.
However, sometimes people of this sort are unavoidable. When I was working, many protestants were trying to convert me, telling me I was going to hell because I was Catholic, which they always say is the 'Whore of Babylon'. I had to study, and found out from them that they had never heard a Catholic say the Catholic Faith like I said it. I told them it was because most Catholics don't know their Faith like they should. I, with the help of my resources, proved their books and tracts wrong, which confused them to no end. I miss those days because they made me study. I told one guy, who was raised Catholic this story: There was flooding in this city, which was rapidly rising up to the rooftops of the houses. One man was on his roof, when a boat came along and asked if he needed help, to which he replied: 'No thanks, the Lord will save me', and so the boat left. Another came along with the same proposition, and received the same answer. Then a helicopter did the same, and was also denied. The man eventually was drowned, and when he came to be judged, asked the Lord why he didn't save him, to which the Lord replied: "Hey, I sent you two boats and a helicopter." I told this guy at work that he has now missed the two boats, and he just kind of looked at me weirdly and never spoke to me again. His problem, not mine. Also, when they ask you: "Where is the word 'Pope' in scripture, ask them where the words 'personal Lord and Saviour' are. Also ask them where it says that we have to know how to read to be saved. The Church is a teaching Church, not a writing one. At Pentecost, it wasn't flaming pencils that descended on the Apostles. And again, tell them that our Douay-Rheims Bible New Testament was printed in 1583, with the Old Testament in 1609. Since the King James bible came out in 1611, and it is different, which bible has been changed? I even sold a Douay Bible to a Jehovah's witness after a whole summer of them trying to convert me. Didn't work. Another thing; get an older bible (pre-1964) to learn from. And, also, Protestant bibles have changed every single verse pertaining to our Blessed Mother, Mary. This happens in the newer versions of supposed 'catholic' bibles also. Learn Church history, because Protestants are idiots in history!
How can we know the false prophets?
By their works; for evil. Corrupted men can produce only bad fruit. If we look into their life we will find that at heart they are immoral hypocrites who observe external propriety only that they may the more easily spread their poison. The false teachers and messengers of error may be known by their lives, but especially by their intentions and actions, which are to subvert all divine order, and to put the unrestrained lust of the flesh and tyranny in its place.
Anyway, study like your life depended on it, because it probably does. Beware of those who would have you believe wrong things. A rotten tree cannot bring forth good fruit!
Grandma of Jesus---St. Anne
Saint Anne, chosen by God to be the mother of Mary, His own Blessed Mother on earth, was the spouse of Saint Joachim. Ancestor of the Eternal King and High Priest, Joachim was of the royal house of David, while Anne was of Levitical descent. Their lives were wholly occupied with prayer and good works. One thing only was wanting to their union - they were childless, and this was held as a bitter misfortune among the Jews. At length, when Anne was well advanced in age, Mary was born, the fruit rather of grace than of nature, and the child more of God than of man.
In the words of our Blessed Abbot Gueranger, who puts it so beautifully:
'Anne was, as it were, the starting point of redemption, the horizon scanned by the prophets, the first span of the heavens to be empurpled with the rising fires of dawn; the blessed soil whose produce was so pure as to make the angels believe that Eden had been restored to us. But in the midst of the incomparable peace that surrounds her, let us hail her as the land of victory surpassing the most famous fields of battle; as the sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception, where our humiliated race took up the combat begun before the throne of God by the angelic host; where the serpent's head was crushed, and Michael, now surpassed in glory, gladly handed over to his sweet Queen, at the first moment of her existence, the command of the Lord's armies.'
After much prayer over the years, Anne's prayers are answered: "And behold an angel of the Lord stood by, and said to her: "Anne, God has heard thy prayer; thou shalt conceive and bear a child, and thy fruit shall be honored throughout the whole inhabited earth." And in due time Anne brought forth a daughter, and said: "My soul is magnified this hour." And she called the child Mary; and giving her the breast, she intoned this canticle to the Lord:
"I will sing the praise of the Lord my God: for He has visited me and has taken away my shame, and has given me a fruit of justice. Who shall declare to the sons of Ruben that Anne is become fruitful? Hear, hear, O ye twelve tribes: behold Anne is giving suck!" (From the Protevangelium Jacobi.)
With the birth of Mary the holy matron began a new life; she watched Her every movement with reverent tenderness, and, aware of the little one's destiny, felt herself hourly sanctified by the presence of her Immaculate Child. But she had vowed her daughter to God; to God the child Mary had already consecrated Herself, and to Him Anne gave Her back. Mary was three years old when Anne and Joachim led Her to the Temple steps, saw Her pass by Herself into the inner sanctuary, and then saw Her no more. Thus was Anne left childless in her old age, and deprived of her purest earthly joy. The holiest parents on earth could not, in the plan of God, raise this Child as was needed: Mary had to suffer from Her earliest years. Saint Anne and Saint Joachim humbly adored the Divine Will, and continued to watch and pray, until God called them to unending rest.
Let us conclude with this praise and prayer to out Lord, from the Ambrosian Missal of Milan:
'It is right and just to give thanks to Thee, O eternal God, Who by a singular privilege of Thy grace, hast exalted the blessed Anne. To whose desire of fruitfulness thou didst give a gift so magnificent and so far surpassing all others, that from her was born Mary, the Virgin of virgins, the Lady of the angels, the Queen of the world, the star of the sea, the Mother of Thy Son, Who is both God and Man.
O almighty everlasting God, Who didst give to blessed Anne, after the affliction of long barrenness, the grace to bear a glorious fruit;grant, we beseech Thee, that, as her merits intercede with Thee for us, we may be made fruitful in works of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.'
St. Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin and Grandmother of Our Lord, please pray for us.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
St. Mary Magdalen
'And behold a woman that was in the city, a sinner, when she knew that He sat at meal in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment; and standing behind at His feet, she began to wash His feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment.' "Who is this woman? Without a doubt it is the Church, answers St. Peter Chrysologus, 'the Church, weighed down and stained with sins committed in the city of this world. At the news that Christ has appeared in Judea, that He is to be seen at the banquet of the Pasch, where He bestows His mysteries and reveals the divine Sacrament, and makes known the secret of salvation, suddenly she darts forward; despising the endeavors of the Scribes to prevent her entrance, she confronts the princes of the Synagogue; burning with desire she penetrates into the sanctuary, where she finds Him whom she seeks, betrayed by Jewish perfidy even at the banquet of love; not the passion, nor the Cross, nor the tomb can check her faith, or prevent her from bringing her perfumes to Christ.'
...Mingling the perfume of her conversion with her tears of repentance, she anoints the feet of her Lord, honoring in them His humanity. Her faith, whereby she is justified, grows equally with her love; soon the Head of the Spouse--that is, His divinity--receives from her the homage of the full measure of pure and precious spikenard--to wit, consummate holiness, whose heroism goes so far as to break the vessel of mortal flesh by the martyrdom of love, if not by that of tortures.
St. Jerome and St. Cyril, along with St. Bede, state that "what Magdalen once did, remains the type of what the whole Church does, and of what every perfect soul must ever do." Also, notice that she wants Him for What and Who He is, and not just for what He can do for her.
It was Mary Magdalen who stood with Our Lady and Saint John at the foot of the cross, representative of the many who have loved much because much has been forgiven them.
St. Albert the Great assures us that, in the world of grace as well as in the material creation, God has made two great lights--two Marys, the Mother of our Lord and the sister of Lazarus: the greater, which is the Blessed Virgin, to rule the day of innocence; the lesser, which is Mary the penitent beneath the feet of that glorious Virgin, to rule the night by enlightening repentant sinners. As the moon by its phases points out the feast days on earth, so Magdalen in heaven gives the signal of joy to the angels of God over one sinner doing penance. Does she not also share with the Immaculate One the name of Mary, Star of the Sea, as the Churches of Gaul sang in the Middle Ages, recalling how, though one was a Queen and the other a handmaid, both were causes of joy to the Church: the one being the gate of salvation, the other the messenger of the Resurrection. (Remember, she was the first who saw Him after His death. At least in scripture, because I think His Mother saw Him first.)
St. Mary Magdalen, pray for us sinners. We need all the help we can get.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
MARY IMMACULATE AND ST. VINCENT de PAUL
SAINT VINCENT de PAUL
Founder of the Lazarist Fathers
and the Daughters of Charity
(1576-1660)
His charity embraced the poor, the young and the aged, the provinces desolated by civil war, Christians enslaved by the infidels. The poor man, ignorant and degraded, was to him the image of Him who became as "a leper and no man." "Turn the medal," he said, "and you will see Jesus Christ." He went through the streets of Paris at night, seeking the infants and children left there to die - three or four hundred every year. Once robbers rushed upon him, thinking he carried a treasure, but when he opened his cloak, they recognized him and his burden, an abandoned infant, and fell at his feet. Not only was Saint Vincent the providence of the poor, but also of the rich, for he taught them to undertake works of mercy. When in 1648 the work of the foundlings was in danger of failure for want of funds, he assembled the ladies of the Association of Charity, and said, "Compassion and charity have made you adopt these little creatures as your children. You have been their mothers according to grace, when their own mothers abandoned them. Will you now cease to be their mothers? Their life and death are in your hands. I shall take your votes; it is time to pronounce sentence." The tears of the assembly were his only answer, and the work was continued.
The Priests of the Mission or Lazarists, as they are called, and thousands of the Daughters of Charity still comfort the afflicted with the charity of their holy Founder. It has been said of him that no one has ever verified more perfectly than Saint Vincent, the words of Our Lord: "He who humbles himself shall be exalted, and he that exalts himself shall be humbled..." The more Vincent strove to abase himself in the eyes of all, the more God took pleasure in elevating him and bestowing His blessings on him and on all his works. He died in 1660, in an old age made truly golden by his unceasing good works.
Most people who profess piety ask advice of directors about their prayers and spiritual exercises. Many of these are 'legends in their own mind'. Few inquire whether they are not in danger of damnation from neglect of works of charity. But then, since we are told that everybody goes to heaven, why bother? Let us never forget the terrible foretold words of the Final Judge: "Depart from me, workers of iniquity; I was hungry, and you did not feed Me; I was without shelter, you did not take Me in...; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me, etc." (Cf. Matt. 26:31-46)
I would like to end with a prayer to our Blessed Mother, since this is Saturday, and just because I like it and deem it worthy to be here:
Prayer to Our Lady Immaculate
Most Holy Virgin, who wast pleasing to the Lord and became His Mother, immaculate in body and spirit, in faith and in love; look kindly on the wretched who implore thy powerful patronage.
The wicked serpent, against whom was hurled the first curse, continues fiercely to attack and ensnare the unhappy children of Eve.
Do thou, then, O Blessed Mother, our Queen and Advocate, who from the first instant of thy Conception didst crush the head of the enemy, receive the prayers which, united with thee in one single heart, we implore thee to present at the throne of God, that we may never fall into the snares which are laid out for us, and may all arrive at the port of salvation; and in so many dangers, may the Church and Christian society sing once again the hymn of deliverance, of victory, and of peace. Amen
Friday, July 18, 2014
INFALLIBILITY
First Vatican Council
Dogmatic Constitution ‘Pastor Aeternus’, Chapter 4
18 July 1870
On the Infallibility of the Roman Pontiff
First Vatican Council
§ 1. In the apostolic primacy which the Roman Pontiff holds in the universal Church as successor of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, there is also included the supreme power of teaching. This Holy See has always held this [truth], the perpetual practice of the Church approves it, and the ecumenical Councils, especially those in which the East has come together with the West in a union of faith and charity, have taught it.
§ 2. For the bishops of the Fourth Council of Constantinople, adhering to the footsteps of their predecessors, issued this solemn profession: "The first thing required for salvation is to preserve the rule of the true faith. And because it is not possible to set aside the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ when he says, 'You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,' we see that these words are proved true by events, because the Catholic faith has always been preserved immaculate in the Apostolic See and its teaching kept holy. Therefore, desiring to be separated in no way from this faith and teaching, we hope that we may deserve to be in the one communion which the Apostolic See preaches, in which [See] there is present the whole and true security of the Christian religion."
§ 3. Indeed, with the approval of the Second Council of Lyons, the Greeks professed: "The Holy Roman Church holds the supreme and full primacy and power over the universal Catholic Church. She humbly and truly recognizes that she has received this from the Lord Himself in Blessed Peter, the Prince or head of the Apostles, whose successor is the Roman Pontiff; and since, before all others, she is held to defend the truth of the faith, if any questions should arise concerning the faith, they should be defined by her judgment."
§ 4. Finally, the Council of Florence defined: "The Roman Pontiff stands as the true Vicar of Christ, the head of the whole Church and the father and teacher of all Christians; to him has been given, in Blessed Peter, by Our Lord Jesus Christ, the full power of shepherding, ruling and governing the universal Church."
§ 5. To satisfy this pastoral office, our predecessors always expended untiring effort to see that the saving doctrine of Christ be propagated among all the peoples of the earth, and, with equal care, they watched that it might be preserved pure and sincere where it had been received. Therefore, the bishops of the whole world, sometimes individually, sometimes gathered in synods, following the long-established custom of the Churches and the manner of the ancient rule [of faith] reported back to this Apostolic See those special dangers which arose in matters of faith, so that harm to the faith might be especially repaired in that place where the faith can suffer no defect.
§ 6. Moreover, the Roman Pontiffs, according to the dictates of time and circumstances, sometimes by calling ecumenical councils or asking the opinion of the Church dispersed throughout the world, sometimes through particular synods, sometimes by using other means which divine providence supplied, defined those things which must be held and which they knew, by the help of God, to be consonant with the Sacred Scriptures and apostolic traditions.
§ 7. For the Holy Spirit promised to the successors of Peter, not that they would unfold new doctrine which he revealed to them, but that, with his assistance, they would piously guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith handed on through the Apostles.
§ 8. All the venerable Fathers and holy orthodox doctors [=theologians] venerated and followed their [i.e., the successors’ of Peter] apostolic doctrine; they knew full well that this See of St. Peter always remained unstained by all error, according to the divine promise which Our Savior made to the chief of his disciples when he said, 'I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail, and you, having turned back, strengthen your brothers.'
§ 9. Therefore this charism of truth and unfailing faith was divinely given to Peter and his successors in this chair so that they might fulfill their high office for the salvation of all, so that the whole flock of Christ might, through them, be turned away from the poisonous food of error and be fed on the food of heavenly doctrine, and so that, the occasion of schism being removed, the whole Church might be preserved as one and, firmly grounded on its foundation, might stand against the gates of hell.
§ 10. Since in our times, which especially require the salvific efficacy of the apostolic office, there are found a few who obstruct its authority, we think it is completely necessary to assert solemnly the prerogative which the only-begotten Son of God deigned to unite with the supreme pastoral office.
§ 11. Therefore, faithfully adhering to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian religion, for the glory of God our Savior, for the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the salvation of the Christian people, with the approval of the sacred Council, we teach and define that it is a divinely revealed dogma that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, i.e., when exercising his office as pastor and teacher of all Christians he defines, by his supreme apostolic authority, a doctrine of faith or morals which must be held by the universal Church, enjoys, through the divine assistance, that infallibility promised to him in blessed Peter and with which the divine Redeemer wanted his Church to be endowed in defining doctrine of faith and morals; and therefore that the definitions of the same Roman Pontiff are irreformable of themselves and not from the consent of the Church.
§ 12. Canon. If anyone should presume to contradict this definition of ours - may God prevent this happening -, let him be anathema.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Lighter note for the day
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Padre Pio, an Alter Christus
When we consider the life of the saintly Padre Pio, we think of him mostly as a great stigmatist whose essential mission was to suffer and hear confessions, a 20th century Italian version of St. John Vianney. Yet, another aspect was central in his life, the Holy Mass.
Fr. Pio’s particular form of martyrdom began very early in his religious life as a Capuchin friar, when in 1918, the appearance of his stigmata raised a few doubtful eyebrows among his superiors. The persecution that followed resulted in his exile at the friary in Campobasso (Italy), where he was forbidden any public ministry.
Further contributing to Padre Pio's martyrdom of the stigmata was the fact that they were always a great source of pain and humiliation for him:
Dear Father, I am dying of pain because of the wounds and the resulting embarrassment I feel deep in my soul. I am afraid I shall bleed to death if the Lord does not hear my heartfelt supplication to relieve me of this condition. Will Jesus, who is so good, grant me this grace? Will he at least free me from the embarrassment caused by these outward signs? I will raise my voice and will not stop imploring him until in his mercy he takes away, not the wound or the pain, which is impossible since I wish to be inebriated with pain, but these outward signs which cause me such embarrassment and unbearable humiliation.
Letter to Padre Benedetto, October 22, 1918
Christ did not accede to the request that his stigmata would disappear (at least not until just before his death), though in 1933 Pope Pius XI ended Padre Pio’s exile upon discovering he had been “badly informed” about him.
Thus the faithful son of St. Francis returned to the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo, where he once again heard confessions, and perhaps more famously, celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in a profoundly pious manner [see the image gallery below].
For us today, Padre Pio continues to offer an unsurpassed recent example of a priest fathoming the sacredness of the Divine Action. As the excerpts below from Fra Modestino Fucci demonstrate,[1] his daily Mass was a going to Calvary.
Padre Pio passed to his eternal reward on September 22, 1968, faithful to the Mass of his priestly ordination and as a living representation of an 'alter Christus'.
Fra Fucci’s observations on Padre Pio’s Mass:
"He was totally absorbed and conscious of what he was about to fulfill. His face which was of normal color became frighteningly pale when he put on the amice. From that moment onwards he paid no more attention to anyone. Clothed in the sacred vestments he made his way to the altar. Even though I walked ahead of him, I was aware that his gait became more dragging, his face sorrowful. He seemed to stoop always more, as if, I thought, crushed beneath the weight of a gigantic invisible cross.
Once he arrived at the altar he kissed it lovingly and his pale face became inflamed. His cheeks would become crimson, his skin translucent so that one almost saw the flow of blood that rushed to his cheeks. After the Confiteor, he beat his breast with hollow and heavy blows as if accusing himself of all the worst sins committed by man. His eyes remained closed without being able to prevent large tears that disappeared into his thick beard.
At the Gospel, as he announced the Word of God, it seemed as if he fed himself with these words, tasting their infinite sweetness. Immediately after, the colloquy between Padre Pio and the Eternal began, and he wept abundant tears. He who had received the gift of contemplation from the Lord was penetrating into the depth of the Redemption. The veils of that mystery having been torn by the suffering of his faith and love, all things human disappeared from his sight. Before his gaze was God alone!
Everyone saw Padre Pio suffering. He pronounced the liturgical prayers with difficulty and interrupted by sobs. The Padre felt embarrassment at being watched by the curious eye. He would have preferred to celebrate Mass privately so as to be able to give free rein to his suffering and to his indescribable love.
In those moments Padre Pio lived sensibly and really the Passion of the Lord. He was outside time! That was why his Mass lasted an hour and a half or probably more. At the Elevation his suffering reached its height. Watching his weeping, his sobbing, I was afraid his heart would burst, that he was about to faint from one moment to the next. God's Spirit had by now penetrated his whole body. His soul was buried in God. He offered himself with Christ, victim for his brothers in exile.
His heart must have burned like a volcano. He prayed intensely for his spiritual children, for the sick, and for those who had already left this world. I heard him repeat often through his tears: "My God! My God!" A spectacle of faith, love, suffering and emotion that reached the point of drama when the Padre raised the Host. The sleeves of the surplice came down and his torn, bleeding hands were in the sight of all, whereas his gaze was on God!
At Communion he seemed to relax. Transfigured in a passionate, ecstatic abandon, he fed on the Flesh and Blood of Jesus. How much love emanated from his face! The people, astounded, could not but kneel before that mystical agony, to that total annihilation of himself. The incorporation, the assimilation, the fusion was total! Padre Pio would remain as if stunned as he tasted all the divine sweetness that only Jesus in the Eucharist knows how to give.
So the sacrifice of the Mass would be completed with a real participation of love, of suffering and blood. And it brought about many conversions. At the end of the Mass another suffering would devour him—that of going to the choir loft to remain alone and in silence, recollected in prayer to be able to thank Jesus. He would remain immobile as if without life, so absorbed was he in divine contemplation."
The Mass of Padre Pio! No one will be able to describe it. Only one who has had the privilege of living it can understand.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
5th Sunday after Pentecost
The Jews have killed Jesus; He was buried, but He has risen from the tomb as He said. After many weeks, He has now sent the Holy Ghost to teach the world of its sin, and hopefully to bring them to within the fold of Christ. However, they, for the most part, will reject His teachings, Him, and whosoever He has sent. While Jesus was still walking the earth, according to our beloved Abbot Gueranger; 'He never lost an opportunity of denouncing, and castigating those hypocritical scribes and pharisees who took such pains to be ever cleaning the outside of the dish, but within were full of impurities, murder, and the like. the Divine Word, Who had come down from heaven to sanctify men in Truth, that is, in Himself, had to make this His first care: to restore what time had tarnished, to restore all the original brightness to the changeless principles of justice and right, which rest in Him as in their center. No sooner had He called disciples around Him, and chosen twelve out of their number as Apostles, than He began, with all possible solemnity, His Divine work of moral restoration. (Remember St. Pope Pius X, whose motto was to 'Restore all things in Christ? He tried. ) The passage from the Sermon on the Mount, which the Church has selected for the Gospel of this 5th Sunday, follows immediately after His declaring that He had come, not to find fault with, or to destroy, the Law, but to restore it to its true meaning, of which the scribes had misread (and mislead others). He had come that He might give it all in its fullness, which the very contemporaries of Moses were too hard to take in.'
EPISTLE for this Sunday; (I Peter III. 8-15.) Dearly beloved, Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, being lovers of the brotherhood, merciful, modest, humble: not rendering evil for evil, nor railing for railing, but contrariwise, blessing: for unto this you are called; that you may inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him decline from evil, and do good: let him seek?after peace, and, pursue it: because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears unto their. prayers: but the countenance of the Lord upon them that do evil, things. And, who is he that can, hurt you, if you: be zealous of good? But if also you suffer any thing for, justice's sake, blessed are ye. And be not afraid of their fear, and be not troubled; but sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts.
By practicing those virtues which Peter here recommends, and which he so exactly describes; for thereby we become true disciples of Christ, honor Him and edify others, who by our good example are led to admire Christianity, and to become His followers. Moreover, we thus render ourselves more worthy of God's grace and protection, so that if for justice' sake we are persecuted by, wicked men, we need not fear, because God is for us and will reward us with eternal happiness.
Remember what I said the other day, of course copying Christ in a way, that by their fruits you shall know them. We hope and pray that one day, maybe in our lifetimes, will see beautiful fruit from the Tree of Life, Christ. This, of course, is after much pain and suffering. We are experiencing some bad fruit from our poor leaders. Our Blessed Mother said that there would be peace some day, but only after more people prayed the Rosary. I don't think it is so much about how many rosaries we pray each day, but rather how many people pray it. Last week, we heard about Peter and the disciples fishing, and when Jesus had them put out their nets again, they broke. Another time, these same caught in their full nets catch 153 fish. Think about it, that number is the same number of Aves we say in an entire Rosary. Just saying I don't think it's just a coincidence. I really don't believe in 'coincidence' anyway.
We also hope and pray that our current Holy Father, Francis, along with all the Bishops of the world, finally get around to teaching us the whole Truth which comes to us from the Apostles, with Peter as its earthy head. AND, maybe they could even get around to consecrating Russia to our Our blessed Mother and to her Immaculate Heart, in the way she requested at Fatima 97 years ago. All the Bishops of the world, on the same day, at the same time, consecrating Russia by name. This is what Our Lady requested in 1917. Or, actually, from Tuy, Spain in 1929, when she appeared to Sister Lucy. We need all the help we can get.
I'd like to end with the Collect for this Sunday. Its what we all should ask for:
O God, Who hast prepared invisible good things for them that love Thee; pour forth into our hearts an affectionate love for Thee; that, loving Thee, in all things, and above all things, we may come to the enjoyment of Thy promises, which surpass all that we could desire.
Kyrie, Eleison
Friday, July 11, 2014
FYI
The following is incredible, but not unbelievable. How much history do you really know? And no, the answers aren’t all Obama. Who said it?
1) “We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.”
A. Karl Marx
B. Adolph Hitler
C. Joseph Stalin
D. Barack Obama
E. None of the above
2) “It’s time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few…And to replace it with shared responsibility, for shared prosperity.”
A. Lenin
B. Mussolini
C. Idi Amin
D. Barack Obama
E. None of the above
3) “(We)…can’t just let business as usual go on, and that means something has to be taken away from some people.”
A. Nikita Kruschev
B. Joseph Goebbels
C. Boris Yeltsin
D. Barack Obama
E. None of the above
4) “We have to build a political consensus and that requires people to give up a little bit of their own…in order to create this common ground.”
A. Mao Tse Tung
B. Hugo Chavez
C. Kim Jong Il
D. Obama
E. None of the above
5) “I certainly think the free market has failed.”
A. Karl Marx
B. Lenin
C. Molotov
D. Obama
E. None of the above.
6) “I think it’s time to send a clear message to what has become the most profitable sector in the entire economy that they are being watched.”
A. Pinochet
B. Milesevic
C. Saddam Hussein
D. Obama
E. None of the above
ANSWERS
(1) E. None of the above. Statement made by Hillary Clinton 6/29/2004
(2) E. None of the above. Statement made by Hillary Clinton 5/29/2007
(3) E. None of the above. Statement made by Hillary Clinton 6/04/2007
(4) E. None of the above. Statement made by Hillary Clinton 6/04/2007
(5) E. None of the above. Statement made by Hillary Clinton 6/04/2007
(6) E. None of the above. Statement made by Hillary Clinton 9/02/2005
*Want to know something scary? She may very well be the next president. Is this what you want?
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
WORLD CUP
Or, this one. This is called the 'Great Chalice of Antioch', and supposedly used by Jesus at the Last Supper. This is what I use when becoming a follower of sites.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
4th Sunday after Pentecost
Anyway, enough about me; let's move on to our lesson of the fishers. I like what St. Augustine says about this topic: '...the fishers of men have cast forth their nets; they have taken the multitude of Christians which we see in wonderment; they have filled the two ships with them, the two peoples, Jew and Gentile. But what is this we are told? The multitude weighs down the ships, even to the risk of sinking them; it is what we witness now: the pressing and mingled crowd of the baptized is a burden to the Church. Many Christians there are who live badly; they are a trouble to, and keep back, the good. Worse than these, there are those who tear the nets by their schisms or their heresies; they are impatient of the yoke of unity, and will not come to the banquet of Christ; they are pleased with themselves. Under pretext that they cannot live with the bad, they break the net which kept them in the Apostolic track, and they die far off the shore. In how many countries have they not thus broken the great net of salvation?...and since their times, how many others have excelled in the work of rupture! Let us not imitate their folly. If grace have made us holy, let us be patient with the bad while living in this world's waters. Let the sight of them drive us neither to live as they do, not to leave the Church. The shore is not far off, where those on the right, or the good, will alone be permitted to land, and from which the wicked will be repulsed, and cast into the abyss.'
How many do we know who fall into these categories; not caring about the Eternal Truth, but rather quite contented to do what please themselves. They decide what's right; they decide the meaning of Scripture; they decide who goes to heaven, which is most everybody since hell isn't around anymore. Much prayer is needed, my friends, even for those who are supposed to be herding us into the right Boat.
Why, you may ask, did the Apostles have such a hard time during the night fishing and catching nothing, but how things changed when Jesus entered the picture. Could it be because at first they trusted in themselves, and did not throw out their nets in the name of the Lord, relying on His blessing and assistance? "This example," says St. Ambrose, "proves how vain and fruitless is presumptuous confidence, and how powerful, on the contrary, is humility, since those who had previously labored without success, filled their nets at the word of the Redeemer." Let us learn from this our inability, that we begin our work only with God, that is, with confidence in His help, and with the intention of working only for love of Him, and for His honor. If we do this, the blessing of the Lord will not be wanting.
On a final note, something to think about. I found this little prayer on the Canadian Catholic Perspective, and I hope they don't mind if I copy the following:
Fisherman’s Prayer:
------------------------
I pray that I may live to fish
Until my dying day,
And when it comes to my last cast,
Then I most humbly pray;
When in the Lord’s great landing net
And peacefully asleep,
That in His mercy I be judged
Big enough to keep.
Incline my heart, O God, to Thy holy commandments. Guard me, that I work not in the night of sin, and thus gain nothing by my works. Assist all your pastors that by Thy divine will, they may win souls for Thy kingdom, and bring them to Thee.
Friday, July 4, 2014
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!
"And the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only basis: a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble when I reflect that God is just: that His justice cannot sleep forever." Thomas Jefferson
"I've lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: That God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We've been assured in the sacred writings that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who built it." Benjamin Franklin
"America needs God more than God needs America. If we ever forget that we are 'One Nation Under God', then we will be a nation gone under." Ronald Reagan
"Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe." James Madison
"We are a Christian people...not because the law demands it, not to gain exclusive benefits or to avoid disabilities, but from choice and education; and in a land thus universally Christian, what is to be expected, what desired, but that we shall pay due regard to Christianity?" Senate Judiciary Committee Report, January 19, 1853
"Is it not that in the human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Saviour?--that it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?" John Quincy Adams
"An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!...Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power...Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God Who presides over the destinies of nations and Who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us...Is life so dear, or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" Patrick Henry
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: the people whom He hath chosen for his inheritance." Psalm 32:12
About that sparrow thing, just a comment. That verse where we are told that God knows if a sparrow falls and that the hairs on a man's head are numbered, I realized something: My head is making that task easier for Him.
Anyway, today I'm going to sit back, watch some fireworks, listen to some John Philip Sousa marches, and have a Sam Adams beer.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, and a quote from St. Anselm: 'If you want to be certain of being in the number of the Elect, strive to be one of the few, not one of the many...'
Thursday, July 3, 2014
July, the month of the Precious Blood
So, whether being a martyr for Him and His Church, or receiving Him the Holy Eucharist, we can be made clean. The Blood of the Saviour is a well of consolation for troubled hearts. Can anyone, confidingly, look at the Sacred Blood trickling down from the Cross without taking courage to carry on, in spite of the difficulties which are the common lot of all? One glance at the Cross must be able to drive away fear. And, another, must be able to instill trust in Him who did not rest until the last drop, mingled with water, flowed out of an opened Heart. He, who was willing to do so much for men, must be willing to overlook and forget the frailties which they deeply regret; He must be willing to come to their assistance when harassed, to defend them when tempted, to comfort them when afflicted. The Blood of Jesus must be for Christians what the north-star is to sailors.
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