QUEENSHIP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Pope Pius XII established this feast in 1954. But Mary’s Queenship has roots in Scripture. At the Annunciation, Gabriel announced that Mary’s Son would receive the throne of David and rule forever. At the Visitation, Elizabeth calls Mary “mother of my Lord.” As in all the mysteries of Mary’s life, Mary is closely associated with Jesus: Her Queenship is a share in Jesus’ kingship. We can also recall that in the Old Testament the mother of the king has great influence in court.

In the fourth century St. Ephrem (June 9) called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” Later Church fathers and doctors continued to use the title. Hymns of the 11th to 13th centuries address Mary as queen: “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.” The Dominican rosary and the Franciscan crown as well as numerous invocations in Mary’s litany celebrate her Queenship.

The feast is a logical follow-up to the Assumption and is now celebrated on the octave day of that feast. In his 1954 encyclical To the Queen of Heaven, Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God, because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work, because of her preeminent perfection and because of her intercessory power.


I love the Virgin Mother. She kept reeling me into the Faith over the years, and finally hooked me like a giant sucker, and helped me, through faithful believers, to enter into the Eternal Truth of God Himself. Deo Gratias. And, thank you, Blessed Mother.

Below is the encyclical of Pope Pius XII, may he rest in peace. I'd bet he is. It is rather long, but, concerning our Mother, it is worth reading:

AD CAELI REGINAM

ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XII ON PROCLAIMING THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY OCTOBER 11, 1954


To the Venerable Brethren, the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops and other Local Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Holy See.

Venerable Brethren, Health and Apostolic Blessing.

From the earliest ages of the Catholic Church a Christian people, whether in time of triumph or more especially in time of crisis, has addressed prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven. And never has that hope wavered which they placed in the Mother of the Divine King, Jesus Christ; nor has that faith ever failed by which we are taught that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, reigns with a mother's solicitude over the entire world, just as she is crowned in heavenly blessedness with the glory of a Queen.

2. Following upon the frightful calamities which before Our very eyes have reduced flourishing cities, towns, and villages to ruins, We see to Our sorrow that many great moral evils are being spread abroad in what may be described as a violent flood. Occasionally We behold justice giving way; and, on the one hand and the other, the victory of the powers of corruption. The threat of this fearful crisis fills Us with a great anguish, and so with confidence We have recourse to Mary Our Queen, making known to her those sentiments of filial reverence which are not Ours alone, but which belong to all those who glory in the name of Christian.

3. It is gratifying to recall that We ourselves, on the first day of November of the Holy Year 1950, before a huge multitude of Cardinals, Bishops, priests, and of the faithful who had assembled from every part of the world, defined the dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven[1] where she is present in soul and body reigning, together with her only Son, amid the heavenly choirs of angels and Saints. Moreover, since almost a century has passed since Our predecessor of immortal memory, Pius IX, proclaimed and defined the dogma that the great Mother of God had been conceived without any stain of original sin, We instituted the current Marian Year[2] And now it is a great consolation to Us to see great multitudes here in Rome -- and especially in the Liberian Basilica -- giving testimony in a striking way to their faith and ardent love for their heavenly Mother. In all parts of the world We learn that devotion to the Virgin Mother of God is flourishing more and more, and that the principal shrines of Mary have been visited and are still being visited by many throngs of Catholic pilgrims gathered in prayer.

4. It is well known that we have taken advantage of every opportunity -- through personal audiences and radio broadcasts -- to exhort Our children in Christ to a strong and tender love, as becomes children, for Our most gracious and exalted Mother. On this point it is particularly fitting to call to mind the radio message which We addressed to the people of Portugal, when the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary which is venerated at Fatima was being crowned with a golden diadem.[3] We Ourselves called this the heralding of the "sovereignty" of Mary.[4]

5. And now, that We may bring the Year of Mary to a happy and beneficial conclusion, and in response to petitions which have come to Us from all over the world, We have decided to institute the liturgical feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen. This will afford a climax, as it were, to the manifold demonstrations of Our devotion to Mary, which the Christian people have supported with such enthusiasm.

6. In this matter We do not wish to propose a new truth to be believed by Christians, since the title and the arguments on which Mary's queenly dignity is based have already been clearly set forth, and are to be found in ancient documents of the Church and in the books of the sacred liturgy.

7. It is Our pleasure to recall these things in the present encyclical letter, that We may renew the praises of Our heavenly Mother, and enkindle a more fervent devotion towards her, to the spiritual benefit of all mankind.

8. From early times Christians have believed, and not without reason, that she of whom was born the Son of the Most High received privileges of grace above all other beings created by God. He "will reign in the house of Jacob forever,"[5] "the Prince of Peace,"[6] the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords."[7] And when Christians reflected upon the intimate connection that obtains between a mother and a son, they readily acknowledged the supreme royal dignity of the Mother of God.

9. Hence it is not surprising that the early writers of the Church called Mary "the Mother of the King" and "the Mother of the Lord," basing their stand on the words of St. Gabriel the archangel, who foretold that the Son of Mary would reign forever,[8] and on the words of Elizabeth who greeted her with reverence and called her "the Mother of my Lord."[9] Thereby they clearly signified that she derived a certain eminence and exalted station from the royal dignity of her Son.

10. So it is that St. Ephrem, burning with poetic inspiration, represents her as speaking in this way: "Let Heaven sustain me in its embrace, because I am honored above it. For heaven was not Thy mother, but Thou hast made it Thy throne. How much more honorable and venerable than the throne of a king is her mother."[10] And in another place he thus prays to her: ". . . Majestic and Heavenly Maid, Lady, Queen, protect and keep me under your wing lest Satan the sower of destruction glory over me, lest my wicked foe be victorious against me."[11]

11. St. Gregory Nazianzen calls Mary "the Mother of the King of the universe," and the "Virgin Mother who brought forth the King of the whole world,"[12] while Prudentius asserts that the Mother marvels "that she has brought forth God as man, and even as Supreme King."[13]

12. And this royal dignity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is quite clearly indicated through direct assertion by those who call her "Lady," "Ruler" and "Queen."

13. In one of the homilies attributed to Origen, Elizabeth calls Mary "the Mother of my Lord." and even addresses her as "Thou, my Lady."[14]

14. The same thing is found in the writings of St. Jerome where he makes the following statement amidst various interpretations of Mary's name: "We should realize that Mary means Lady in the Syrian Language."[15] After him St. Chrysologus says the same thing more explicitly in these words: "The Hebrew word 'Mary' means 'Domina.' The Angel therefore addresses her as 'Lady' to preclude all servile fear in the Lord's Mother, who was born and was called 'Lady' by the authority and command of her own Son."[16]

15. Moreover Epiphanius, the bishop of Constantinople, writing to the Sovereign Pontiff Hormisdas, says that we should pray that the unity of the Church may be preserved "by the grace of the holy and consubstantial Trinity and by the prayers of Mary, Our Lady, the holy and glorious Virgin and Mother of God."[17]

16. The Blessed Virgin, sitting at the right hand of God to pray for us is hailed by another writer of that same era in these words, "the Queen of mortal man, the most holy Mother of God."[18]

17. St. Andrew of Crete frequently attributes the dignity of a Queen to the Virgin Mary. For example, he writes, "Today He transports from her earthly dwelling, as Queen of the human race, His ever-Virgin Mother, from whose womb He, the living God, took on human form."[19]

18. And in another place he speaks of "the Queen of the entire human race faithful to the exact meaning of her name, who is exalted above all things save only God himself."[20]

19. Likewise St. Germanus speaks to the humble Virgin in these words: "Be enthroned, Lady, for it is fitting that you should sit in an exalted place since you are a Queen and glorious above all kings."[21] He likewise calls her the "Queen of all of those who dwell on earth."[22]

20. She is called by St. John Damascene: "Queen, ruler, and lady,"[23] and also "the Queen of every creature."[24] Another ancient writer of the Eastern Church calls her "favored Queen," "the perpetual Queen beside the King, her son," whose "snow-white brow is crowned with a golden diadem."[25]

21. And finally St. Ildephonsus of Toledo gathers together almost all of her titles of honor in this salutation: "O my Lady, my Sovereign, You who rule over me, Mother of my Lord . . . Lady among handmaids, Queen among sisters."[26]

22. The theologians of the Church, deriving their teaching from these and almost innumerable other testimonies handed down long ago, have called the most Blessed Virgin the Queen of all creatures, the Queen of the world, and the Ruler of all.

23. The Supreme Shepherds of the Church have considered it their duty to promote by eulogy and exhortation the devotion of the Christian people to the heavenly Mother and Queen. Simply passing over the documents of more recent Pontiffs, it is helpful to recall that as early as the seventh century Our predecessor St. Martin I called Mary "our glorious Lady, ever Virgin."[27] St. Agatho, in the synodal letter sent to the fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council called her "Our Lady, truly and in a proper sense the Mother of God."[28] And in the eighth century Gregory II in the letter sent to St. Germanus, the patriarch, and read in the Seventh Ecumenical Council with all the Fathers concurring, called the Mother of God: "The Queen of all, the true Mother of God," and also "the Queen of all Christians."[29]

24. We wish also to recall that Our predecessor of immortal memory, Sixtus IV, touched favorably upon the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, beginning the Apostolic Letter Cum praeexcelsa[30] with words in which Mary is called "Queen," "Who is always vigilant to intercede with the king whom she bore." Benedict XIV declared the same thing in his Apostolic Letter Gloriosae Dominae, in which Mary is called "Queen of heaven and earth," and it is stated that the sovereign King has in some way communicated to her his ruling power.[31]

25. For all these reasons St. Alphonsus Ligouri, in collecting the testimony of past ages, writes these words with evident devotion: "Because the virgin Mary was raised to such a lofty dignity as to be the mother of the King of kings, it is deservedly and by every right that the Church has honored her with the title of 'Queen'."[32]

26. Furthermore, the sacred liturgy, which acts as a faithful reflection of traditional doctrine believed by the Christian people through the course of all the ages both in the East and in the West, has sung the praises of the heavenly Queen and continues to sing them.

27. Ardent voices from the East sing out: "O Mother of God, today thou art carried into heaven on the chariots of the cherubim, the seraphim wait upon thee and the ranks of the heavenly army bow before thee."[33]

28. Further: "O just, O most blessed Joseph), since thou art sprung from a royal line, thou hast been chosen from among all mankind to be spouse of the pure Queen who, in a way which defies description, will give birth to Jesus the king."[34] In addition: "I shall sing a hymn to the mother, the Queen, whom I joyously approach in praise, gladly celebrating her wonders in song. . . Our tongue cannot worthily praise thee, O Lady; for thou who hast borne Christ the king art exalted above the seraphim. . . Hail, O Queen of the world; hail, O Mary, Queen of us all."[35]

29. We read, moreover, in the Ethiopic Missal: "O Mary, center of the whole world, . . . thou art greater than the many-eyed cherubim and the six-winged seraphim . . . Heaven and earth are filled with the sanctity of thy glory."[36]

30. Furthermore, the Latin Church sings that sweet and ancient prayer called the "Hail, Holy Queen" and the lovely antiphons "Hail, Queen of the Heavens," "O Queen of Heaven, Rejoice," and those others which we are accustomed to recite on feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary: "The Queen stood at Thy right hand in golden vesture surrounded with beauty"[37]; "Heaven and earth praise thee as a powerful Queen"[38]; "Today the Virgin Mary ascends into heaven: rejoice because she reigns with Christ forever."[39]

31. To these and others should be added the Litany of Loreto which daily invites Christian folk to call upon Mary as Queen. Likewise, for many centuries past Christians have been accustomed to meditate upon the ruling power of Mary which embraces heaven and earth, when they consider the fifth glorious mystery of the rosary which can be called the mystical crown of the heavenly Queen.

32. Finally, art which is based upon Christian principles and is animated by their spirit as something faithfully interpreting the sincere and freely expressed devotion of the faithful, has since the Council of Ephesus portrayed Mary as Queen and Empress seated upon a royal throne adorned with royal insignia, crowned with the royal diadem and surrounded by the host of angels and saints in heaven, and ruling not only over nature and its powers but also over the machinations of Satan. Iconography, in representing the royal dignity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, has ever been enriched with works of highest artistic value and greatest beauty; it has even taken the form of representing colorfully the divine Redeemer crowning His mother with a resplendent diadem.

33. The Roman Pontiffs, favoring such types of popular devotion, have often crowned, either in their own persons, or through representatives, images of the Virgin Mother of God which were already outstanding by reason of public veneration.

34. As We have already mentioned, Venerable Brothers, according to ancient tradition and the sacred liturgy the main principle on which the royal dignity of Mary rests is without doubt her Divine Motherhood. In Holy Writ, concerning the Son whom Mary will conceive, We read this sentence: "He shall be called the Son of the most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end,"[40] and in addition Mary is called "Mother of the Lord";[41] from this it is easily concluded that she is a Queen, since she bore a son who, at the very moment of His conception, because of the hypostatic union of the human nature with the Word, was also as man King and Lord of all things. So with complete justice St. John Damascene could write: "When she became Mother of the Creator, she truly became Queen of every creature."[42] Likewise, it can be said that the heavenly voice of the Archangel Gabriel was the first to proclaim Mary's royal office.

35. But the Blessed Virgin Mary should be called Queen, not only because of her Divine Motherhood, but also because God has willed her to have an exceptional role in the work of our eternal salvation. "What more joyful, what sweeter thought can we have" -- as Our Predecessor of happy memory, Pius XI wrote -- "than that Christ is our King not only by natural right, but also by an acquired right: that which He won by the redemption? Would that all men, now forgetful of how much we cost Our Savior, might recall to mind the words, 'You were redeemed, not with gold or silver which perishes, . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb spotless and undefiled.[43] We belong not to ourselves now, since Christ has bought us 'at a great price'."[44]/[45]

36. Now, in the accomplishing of this work of redemption, the Blessed Virgin Mary was most closely associated with Christ; and so it is fitting to sing in the sacred liturgy: "Near the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ there stood, sorrowful, the Blessed Mary, Queen of Heaven and Queen of the World."[46] Hence, as the devout disciple of St. Anselm (Eadmer, ed.) wrote in the Middle Ages: "just as . . . God, by making all through His power, is Father and Lord of all, so the blessed Mary, by repairing all through her merits, is Mother and Queen of all; for God is the Lord of all things, because by His command He establishes each of them in its own nature, and Mary is the Queen of all things, because she restores each to its original dignity through the grace which she merited.[47]

37. For "just as Christ, because He redeemed us, is our Lord and king by a special title, so the Blessed Virgin also (is our queen), on account of the unique manner in which she assisted in our redemption, by giving of her own substance, by freely offering Him for us, by her singular desire and petition for, and active interest in, our salvation."[48]

38. From these considerations, the proof develops on these lines: if Mary, in taking an active part in the work of salvation, was, by God's design, associated with Jesus Christ, the source of salvation itself, in a manner comparable to that in which Eve was associated with Adam, the source of death, so that it may be stated that the work of our salvation was accomplished by a kind of "recapitulation,"[49] in which a virgin was instrumental in the salvation of the human race, just as a virgin had been closely associated with its death; if, moreover, it can likewise be stated that this glorious Lady had been chosen Mother of Christ "in order that she might become a partner in the redemption of the human race";[50] and if, in truth, "it was she who, free of the stain of actual and original sin, and ever most closely bound to her Son, on Golgotha offered that Son to the Eternal Father together with the complete sacrifice of her maternal rights and maternal love, like a new Eve, for all the sons of Adam, stained as they were by his lamentable fall,"[51] then it may be legitimately concluded that as Christ, the new Adam, must be called a King not merely because He is Son of God, but also because He is our Redeemer, so, analogously, the Most Blessed Virgin is queen not only because she is Mother of God, but also because, as the new Eve, she was associated with the new Adam.

39. Certainly, in the full and strict meaning of the term, only Jesus Christ, the God-Man, is King; but Mary, too, as Mother of the divine Christ, as His associate in the redemption, in his struggle with His enemies and His final victory over them, has a share, though in a limited and analogous way, in His royal dignity. For from her union with Christ she attains a radiant eminence transcending that of any other creature; from her union with Christ she receives the royal right to dispose of the treasures of the Divine Redeemer's Kingdom; from her union with Christ finally is derived the inexhaustible efficacy of her maternal intercession before the Son and His Father.

40. Hence it cannot be doubted that Mary most Holy is far above all other creatures in dignity, and after her Son possesses primacy over all. "You have surpassed every creature," sings St. Sophronius. "What can be more sublime than your joy, O Virgin Mother? What more noble than this grace, which you alone have received from God"?[52] To this St. Germanus adds: "Your honor and dignity surpass the whole of creation; your greatness places you above the angels."[53] And St. John Damascene goes so far as to say: "Limitless is the difference between God's servants and His Mother."[54]

41. In order to understand better this sublime dignity of the Mother of God over all creatures let us recall that the holy Mother of God was, at the very moment of her Immaculate Conception, so filled with grace as to surpass the grace of all the Saints. Wherefore, as Our Predecessor of happy memory, Pius IX wrote, God "showered her with heavenly gifts and graces from the treasury of His divinity so far beyond what He gave to all the angels and saints that she was ever free from the least stain of sin; she is so beautiful and perfect, and possesses such fullness of innocence and holiness, that under God a greater could not be dreamed, and only God can comprehend the marvel."[55]

42. Besides, the Blessed Virgin possessed, after Christ, not only the highest degree of excellence and perfection, but also a share in that influence by which He, her Son and our Redeemer, is rightly said to reign over the minds and wills of men. For if through His Humanity the divine Word performs miracles and gives graces, if He uses His Sacraments and Saints as instruments for the salvation of men, why should He not make use of the role and work of His most holy Mother in imparting to us the fruits of redemption? "With a heart that is truly a mother's," to quote again Our Predecessor of immortal memory, Pius IX, "does she approach the problem of our salvation, and is solicitous for the whole human race; made Queen of heaven and earth by the Lord, exalted above all choirs of angels and saints, and standing at the right hand of her only a Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, she intercedes powerfully for us with a mother's prayers, obtains what she seeks, and cannot be refused."[56] On this point another of Our Predecessors of happy memory, Leo XIII, has said that an "almost immeasurable" power has been given Mary in the distribution of graces;[57] St. Pius X adds that she fills this office "as by the right of a mother."[58]

43. Let all Christians, therefore, glory in being subjects of the Virgin Mother of God, who, while wielding royal power, is on fire with a mother's love.

44. Theologians and preachers, however, when treating these and like questions concerning the Blessed Virgin, must avoid straying from the correct course, with a twofold error to guard against: that is to say, they must beware of unfounded opinions and exaggerated expressions which go beyond the truth, on the other hand, they must watch out for excessive narrowness of mind in weighing that exceptional, sublime, indeed all but divine dignity of the Mother of God, which the Angelic Doctor teaches must be attributed to her "because of the infinite goodness that is God."[59]

45. For the rest, in this as in other points of Christian doctrine, "the proximate and universal norm of truth" is for all the living Magisterium of the Church, which Christ established "also to illustrate and explain those matters which are contained only in an obscure way, and implicitly in the deposit of faith."[60]

46. From the ancient Christian documents, from prayers of the liturgy, from the innate piety of the Christian people, from works of art, from every side We have gathered witnesses to the regal dignity of the Virgin Mother of God; We have likewise shown that the arguments deduced by Sacred Theology from the treasure store of the faith fully confirm this truth. Such a wealth of witnesses makes up a resounding chorus which changes the sublimity of the royal dignity of the Mother of God and of men, to whom every creature is subject, who is "exalted to the heavenly throne, above the choirs of angels."[61]

47. Since we are convinced, after long and serious reflection, that great good will accrue to the Church if this solidly established truth shines forth more clearly to all, like a luminous lamp raised aloft, by Our Apostolic authority We decree and establish the feast of Mary's Queenship, which is to be celebrated every year in the whole world on the 31st of May. We likewise ordain that on the same day the consecration of the human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary be renewed, cherishing the hope that through such consecration a new era may begin, joyous in Christian peace and in the triumph of religion.

48. Let all, therefore, try to approach with greater trust the throne of grace and mercy of our Queen and Mother, and beg for strength in adversity, light in darkness, consolation in sorrow; above all let them strive to free themselves from the slavery of sin and offer an unceasing homage, filled with filial loyalty, to their Queenly Mother. Let her churches be thronged by the faithful, her feast-days honored; may the beads of the Rosary be in the hands of all; may Christians gather, in small numbers and large, to sing her praises in churches, in homes, in hospitals, in prisons. May Mary's name be held in highest reverence, a name sweeter than honey and more precious than jewels; may none utter blasphemous words, the sign of a defiled soul, against that name graced with such dignity and revered for its motherly goodness; let no one be so bold as to speak a syllable which lacks the respect due to her name.

49. All, according to their state, should strive to bring alive the wondrous virtues of our heavenly Queen and most loving Mother through constant effort of mind and manner. Thus will it come about that all Christians, in honoring and imitating their sublime Queen and Mother, will realize they are truly brothers, and with all envy and avarice thrust aside, will promote love among classes, respect the rights of the weak, cherish peace. No one should think himself a son of Mary, worthy of being received under her powerful protection, unless, like her, he is just, gentle and pure, and shows a sincere desire for true brotherhood, not harming or injuring but rather helping and comforting others.

50. In some countries of the world there are people who are unjustly persecuted for professing their Christian faith and who are deprived of their divine and human rights to freedom; up till now reasonable demands and repeated protests have availed nothing to remove these evils. May the powerful Queen of creation, whose radiant glance banishes storms and tempests and brings back cloudless skies, look upon these her innocent and tormented children with eyes of mercy; may the Virgin, who is able to subdue violence beneath her foot, grant to them that they may soon enjoy the rightful freedom to practice their religion openly, so that, while serving the cause of the Gospel, they may also contribute to the strength and progress of nations by their harmonious cooperation, by the practice of extraordinary virtues which are a glowing example in the midst of bitter trials.

51. By this Encyclical Letter We are instituting a feast so that all may recognize more clearly and venerate more devoutly the merciful and maternal sway of the Mother of God. We are convinced that this feast will help to preserve, strengthen and prolong that peace among nations which daily is almost destroyed by recurring crises. Is she not a rainbow in the clouds reaching towards God, the pledge of a covenant of peace?[62] "Look upon the rainbow, and bless Him that made it; surely it is beautiful in its brightness. It encompasses the heaven about with the circle of its glory, the hands of the Most High have displayed it."[63] Whoever, therefore, reverences the Queen of heaven and earth -- and let no one consider himself exempt from this tribute of a grateful and loving soul -- let him invoke the most effective of Queens, the Mediatrix of peace; let him respect and preserve peace, which is not wickedness unpunished nor freedom without restraint, but a well-ordered harmony under the rule of the will of God; to its safeguarding and growth the gentle urgings and commands of the Virgin Mary impel us.

52. Earnestly desiring that the Queen and Mother of Christendom may hear these Our prayers, and by her peace make happy a world shaken by hate, and may, after this exile show unto us all Jesus, Who will be our eternal peace and joy, to you, Venerable Brothers, and to your flocks, as a promise of God's divine help and a pledge of Our love, from Our heart We impart the Apostolic Benediction.

53. Given at Rome, from St. Peter's, on the feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the eleventh day of October, 1954, in the sixteenth year of our Pontificate.



REFERENCES:
1. Cf. constitutio apostolica Munificentissirnus Deus: AAS XXXXII 1950, p. 753 sq.
2. Cf. Iitt. enc. Fulgens corona: AAS XXXXV, 1953, p. 577 sq.
3. Cf. AAS XXXVIII, 1946, p. 264 sq.
4. Cf. L'Osservatore Romano, d. 19 Maii, a. 1946.
5. Luc. 1, 32.
6. Isai. IX, 6.
7. Apoc. XIX, 16.
8. Cf. Luc. 1, 32, 33.
9. Luc. 1, 43.
10. S. Ephraem, Hymni de B Mana, ed. Th. J. Lamy, t. II, Mechliniae, 1886, hymn. XIX, p. 624.
11. Idem, Oratio ad Ssmam Dei Matrem; Opera omnia, Ed. Assemani, t. III (graece), Romae, 1747, pag. 546.
12. S. Gregorius Naz., Poemata dogmatica, XVIII, v. 58; PG XXXVII, 485.
13. Prudentius, Dittochaeum, XXVII: PL LX, 102 A.
14. Hom. in S. Lucam, hom. Vll; ed. Rauer, Origenes' Werke, T. IX, p. 48 (ex catena Marcarii Chrysocephali). Cf. PG XIII, 1902 D.
15. S. Hieronymus, Liber de nominibus hebraeis: PL XXIII, 886.
16. S. Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo 142, De Annuntiatione B.M.V.: PL Lll, 579 C; cf. etiam 582 B; 584 A: "Regina totius exstitit castitatis."
17. Relatio Epiphanii Ep. Constantin.: PL LXII, 498 D.
18. Encomium in Dormitionem Ssmae Deiparae (inter opera S. Modesti): PG LXXXVI, 3306 B.
19. S. Andreas Cretensis, Homilia II in Dormitionem Ssmae Deiparae: PG XCVII, 1079 B.
20. Id., Homilia III in Dormitionem Ssmae Deiparae: PG XCVII, 1099 A.
21. S. Germanus, In Praesentationem Ssmae Deiparae, 1: PG XCVIII, 303 A.
22. Id., In Praesentationem Ssmae Deiparae, n PG XCVIII, 315 C.
23. S. Ioannes Damascenus, Homilia I in Dormitionem B.M.V.: P.G. XCVI, 719 A.
24. Id., De fide orthodoxa, I, IV, c. 14: PG XLIV, 1158 B.
25. De laudibus Mariae (inter opera Venantii Fortunati): PL LXXXVIII, 282 B et 283 A.
26. Ildefonsus Toletanus, De virginitate perpetua B.M.V.: PL XCVI, 58 A D.
27. S. Martinus 1, Epist. XIV: PL LXXXVII, 199-200 A.
28. S. Agatho: PL LXXXVII, 1221 A.
29. Hardouin, Acta Conciliorum, IV, 234; 238: PL LXXXIX, 508 B.
30. Xystus IV, bulla Cum praeexcelsa. d. d. 28 Febr. a. 1476.
31. Benedictus XIV, bulla Gloriosae Dominae, d. d. 27 Sept. a. 1748.
32. S. Alfonso, Le glone de Maria, p. I, c. I, 1.
33. Ex liturgia Armenorum: in festo Assumptionis, hymnus ad Matutinum.
34. Ex Menaeo (byzantino): Dominica post Natalem, in Canone, ad Matutinum.
35. Officium hymni Axathistos (in ritu byzantino).
36. Missale Aethiopicum, Anaphora Dominae nostrae Mariae, Matris Dei.
37. Brev. Rom., Versiculus sexti Respons.
38. Festum Assumptionis; hymnus Laudum.
39. Ibidem, ad Magnificat 11 Vesp.
40. Luc. 1, 32, 33.
41. Ibid. 1, 43.
42. S. Ioannes Damascenus, De fide orthodoxa, 1. IV, c. 14; PL XCIV, 1158 s. B.
43. I Petr. 1, 18, 19.
44. I Cor. Vl, 20.
45. Pius Xl, litt. enc. Quas primas: AAS XVII, 1925, p. 599.
46. Festum septem dolorum B. Mariae Virg., Tractus.
47. Eadmerus, De excellentia Virginis Mariae, c. 11: PL CLIX, 508 A B.
48. F. Suarez, De mysteriis vitae Christi, disp. XXII, sect. 11 (ed Vives, XIX, 327).
49. S. Irenaeus, Adv. haer., V, 19, 1: PG VII, 1175 B.
50. Pius Xl, epist. Auspicatus profecto: AAS XXV, 1933, p. 80.
51. Pius XII, litt. enc. Mystici Corporis: AAS XXXV, 1943, p. 247.
52. S. Sophronius, In annuntianone Beatae Mariae Virginis: PG LXXXVII, 3238 D; 3242 A.
53. S. Germanus, Hom. II in dormitione Beatae Mariae Virginis: PG XCVIII, 354 B.
54. S. Ioannes Damascenus, Hom. I in Dormitionem Beatae Mariae Virginis: PG XCVI, 715 A.
55. Pius IX, bulla Ineffabilis Deus: Acta Pii IX, I, p. 597-598.
56. Ibid. p. 618.
57. Leo Xlll, litt. enc. Adiumcem populi: ASS, XXVIIl, 1895-1896,p.130.
58. Pius X, litt enc. Ad diem illum: ASS XXXVI, 1903-1904, p.455.
59. S. Thomas, Summa Theol., I, q. 25, a. 6, ad 4.
60. Pius Xll, litt. enc. Humani generis: AAS XLII, 1950, p. 569.
61. Ex Brev. Rom.: Festum Assumptionis Beatae Mariae Virginis.
62. Cf. Gen. IX, 13.
63. Eccl. XLIII, 12-13.

Also, this holy Pope decreed that on this day "there be renewed the consecration of the human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary." Do you really think this happens anymore? Shame on you, all you leaders of the Church. We need her help now more than ever.

Adrienne's Corner: Ronald Reagan Memorial Day Speech...

A few words from Ronald Reagan as to what this day is all about.

Adrienne's Corner: Ronald Reagan Memorial Day Speech...: “We are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free. We must realize that no arsenal or on weapon in the arsenal of...

MEMORIAL DAY

In 1868, General John A. Logan, commander of the Civil War veterans' organization 'The Grand Army of the Republic', called for a Decoration Day to be observed annually on May 30. (General Logan was a Senator from the state of Illinois, and was fighting for the abolition of slavery, and should be remembered for his contribution. However, in my city of Lansing, Michigan, he has been replaced by MLK on the street which had been named in his honor. He is probably just another stupid 'honky', who doesn't care about any people other than white folks. Just sayin')


A Memorial Day Tribute

Memorial Day is a time to remember the fallen heroes throughout our nation’s history “who gave the last full measure of devotion” to their nation. Mere words cannot capture the enormity of their sacrifice or the anguish of loved ones they left behind.

Honor those who serve today.

On this Memorial Day remember and pray for our troops who are in harm’s way today. And pray for their families and loved ones as they endure the hardship and uncertainty of deployment.


“As we honor their memory today, let us pledge that their lives,
their sacrifices, their valor shall be justified and remembered
for as long as God gives life to this nation.”
Ronald Reagan

If, as everyone today seems to think, even in the Catholic Church sad to say, everybody goes to heaven when they die, my question is this: "Who will be praying for the souls of the dearly departed anymore?"

The sin of presumption is a terrible thing to be happening in these days. Let us faithful Catholics keep praying for these holy souls until we die. Hopefully, someone will take up the slack and pray for us. Just sayin'.

“As we honor their memory today, let us pledge that their lives, their sacrifices, their valor shall be justified and remembered for as long as God gives life to this nation.” Ronald Reagan


It is the Soldier

It is the soldier, not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer
who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.


And, let us NOT forget those who have become disabled because of their service to our country. They have given their own sacrifice. The following is from a New Memorial in Washington, D.C., the American Veteran Disabled for Life memorial, which opened in the fall of 2014. The PBS Memorial Day concert brought it into the open even more.

Bronze Statue

2nd Sunday after Pentecost

Sunday within the Octave of Corpus Christi


This Sunday is the Sunday within the octave of Corpus Christi, or the Second Sunday after Pentecost. We will probably get the Corpus Christi Mass, along with all the readings, then. I personally think our leaders have once again missed the boat, since Thursday is the day Christ established the Holy Eucharist. Thursday should be the most honored day every week.

Watch the fishermen(Bishops) go off into the sunset, leaving behind their catch, the believers, to get choked in the net of today's indifference. This, apparently, is one boat they haven't missed!

There they go!


The Holy Eucharist has been instituted for the very purpose of ceaselessly applying, here on earth, the reality of Christ's Sacrifice.


I am going to insert the hymn for 'Compline' from yesterday because it says soooo much about the Holy Eucharist. If you want to read my thoughts on Corpus Christi, see Thursday's post. Here's the Compline:


Christ is truly our meat, Christ is truly our drink; the Flesh of Christ is truly our meat, the Blood of Christ is truly our drink.

The true Flesh which he took from the Virgin, is what we eat; the true Blood, which He shed for man, is what we drink.

In this banquet, the Word made Flesh is truly eaten; it is on Him that our worship rests, and by Him that we enter heaven.

This Bread, which is all full of sweetness and grace, is the King of eternal glory, that was carried in the Virgin's womb.

Let us feed on the richness of Angel's Bread; that we may find delight in the sweetness of a viaticum so full of mercy.

O thou heavenly banquet! O glory of the redeemed! O repose of the humble! grant us eternal joys.

Grant, O Father, through thy Son; grant, through the Spirit of love, that we, to whom thou givest such nourishment as this, may be brought by thee to a prosperous end. Amen.

In case we do hear the readings from this Sunday, we pretty much hear that we need to get off our rear ends and ACT! This can't be such a bad thing to do. We need to pray for perseverance, and for the conversion of the leaders in the Church, all the way to the top, that they realize their errors and reform before they croak and come 'face to Face' with their Maker.

Our Lady, Help of Christians

May 24th is actually the 'Feast' day dedicated to 'Our Lady, Help of Christians'.
This is yet another day which has been dismissed by the leaders to NOT have much importance anymore. I'm going to try to give Our Mother some of the due she deserves. The 24th of May is a day of great importance. At least it should be to all believing Catholics. I will enter what is from the Liturgy of the 24th, where Our Blessed received her title of Our Lady, Help of Christians'.

The Faithful have frequently witnessed miraculous interventions which prove that the Mother of God is ever ready with her help to repel the enemies of religion. It was on this account that, after the signal victory gained by the Christians over the Turks in the Gulf of Lepanto, through the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin, the holy Pope Pius V ordered that to the other titles given to the Queen of Heaven in the Litany of Loreto, there should be added this of Help of Christians. But one of the most memorable proofs of this her protection, and one which may be regarded as an incontestable miracle, is that which happened during the Pontificate of Pius VII. By the intrigues and armed violence of certain impious men, the Pontiff had been driven from the Apostolic See of Peter, and was kept in close confinement, mainly at Savona, for upwards of five years. During this period, by a persecution unheard of in any previous age, every possible means was resorted to in order to prevent his governing the Church of God. When lo! suddenly and to the surprise of men, he was restored to the Pontifical Throne, to the great joy, and it might be almost said with the concurrence, of the whole world. The same thing happened also a second time, when a fresh disturbance arose and compelled him to leave Rome, and go, with the Sacred College of Cardinals, into Liguria. Here again, the storm that threatened great destruction was appeased by a most prompt interference of God's providence, and the Pontiff's return to Rome filled Christiandom with new joy. Before returning, however, he would carry out an intention which his captivity had hitherto prevented him from doing: with his own hand he solemnly placed a golden crown on the celebrated statue of the Mother of God that was venerated at Savona under the title of Mother of Mercy. The same Sovereign Pontiff, Pius VII, who was so thoroughly acquainted with every circumstance of these events, rightly attributed their happy issue to the intercession of the most holy Mother of God, Whose powerful help He Himself had earnestly besought, besides urging all the Faithful to obtain it by their prayers. He therefore instituted a solemn Feast in honor of the same Virgin-Mother, under the title of Help of Christians. It was to be kept every year on the 24th of May, the anniversary of his own most happy return to Rome. He also sanctioned a proper Office for this Feast, in order that the remembrance of so great a favour might ever be vividly on the minds of the Faithful, and secure the thanksgiving it deserved.


Following is a hymn which is in honor of this title of our Blessed Mother. It is from the Office of this day.

Oft times, when the Faithful of Christ have been threatened by the blood-stained sword of a ruthless foe, the compassionate Virgin came down from bright heaven as their Help.

We know it from the venerable documents of our Fathers: it is attested by the sacred edifices which are enriched with the trophies taken from our enemies, and by the yearly recurrence of our solemn feasts.

Lo! a new favour demands of us today a new canticle of grateful and glad thanks to Mary: it is the favour that made both Rome and the world resound with joy.

O happy and ever memorable day! whereon the See of Peter was blessed with the return of the teacher of Faith, after a sad exile of five years.

Let chaste maidens, and innocent youths, and the glad clergy, and the people, vie with each other in celebrating with grateful hearts the favours granted by the Queen of Heaven.

O thou Virgin of virgins! blessed Mother of Jesus! add favours still to these: pray, we beseech thee, that the good pastor may lead the flock to the pastures of salvation.

O Holy Trinity, to Whom all praise is due! grant that we may praise thee through eternal years. May our souls by their hymns, laud thy Holy Name. Amen.


However, Rome is not the only spot on earth that needs her powerful help. The vineyard of Christ is everywhere being laid waste by the wild beasts. Vice and error and seduction are everywhere. There is not a country where the Church is not persecuted, and its liberty trampled upon. Society has lost its Christian Traditions; it is at the mercy of revolutions against which it has no power. Our Lady, Help of Christians, is the ONLY solution to our needs. (She said at Fatima: "Only I can help you.") She will not allow the people to be lost who were redeemed by the Blood of Jesus. Our Lord has entrusted everything into her care. She is our only hope!

Pray for us, Blessed Mother, that we be made worthy of the promises of your Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. Not only is she the Mother of God, but she is our Mother, also.

St. Bede

St. Bede the Venerable

ST. BEDE the VENERABLE
Father and Doctor of the Church
(673-735)

Saint Bede, the illustrious ornament of the Anglo-Saxon Church and its first English historian, was consecrated to God in 680 at the age of seven, and entrusted to the care of Saint Benedict Biscop at Weremouth. He became a monk in the sister-house of Jarrow, which he would never leave, and there he trained no fewer than six hundred scholars, whom his piety, learning, and sweet disposition had gathered around him.

He was ordained a priest in 702. To the toils of teaching and the exact observance of his Rule he added long hours of private prayer, with the study of every branch of science and literature then known. He was familiar with Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. In a treatise which he compiled for his scholars, still extant, he assembled all that the world had then conserved of history, chronology, physics, music, philosophy, poetry, arithmetic, and medicine. In his Ecclesiastical History he has left us beautiful lives of Anglo-Saxon Saints and holy Fathers, while his commentaries on the Sacred Scriptures are still in use by the Church.

It was to the study of the Divine Word that he devoted the whole energy of his soul, and at times his compunction was so overpowering that his voice would break with weeping, while the tears of his scholars mingled with his own. Once he was accused of heresy by certain jealous ones, but this scholar who had always made a great effort not to depart from tradition, wrote a letter which vindicated him and stopped the bad reports. He had little aid from others, and during his later years suffered from constant illness; yet he worked and prayed up to his last hour. It has been said of him that it is easier to admire him in thought than to do him justice in expression.

The Saint was employed in translating the Gospel of Saint John from the Greek, even to the hour of his death, which took place on the eve of the Ascension in the year 735. "He spent that day joyfully," writes one of his scholars. In the middle of the afternoon he said: "It is time that I return to the One who gave me being, creating me out of nothing... The moment of my liberty is approaching; I desire to be freed from the bonds of the body and to join Jesus Christ. Yes, my soul longs to see Jesus Christ its king, in the splendor of His glory." In the evening a scribe attending him said, "Dear master, there is yet one chapter unwritten; would you be disturbed if we asked you additional questions?" He answered, "No; take your pen, and write quickly. It is finished. Take my head in thy hands and support me over against the Oratory, for it is a great place where I have so often prayed Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost." The disciple did. He prayed then until his last breath. His body gave forth a very sweet odour of sanctity.

In the 'Imitation of Christ'says: "The more a man is at peace within himself and interiorly simple, the more and deeper things does he understand without labor; for he receives the light of understanding from on high."


Following are some quotes from this great student of divinity:

He alone loves the Creator perfectly who manifests a pure love for his neighbor.

And I pray thee, loving Jesus, that as Thou hast graciously given me to drink in with delight the words of Thy knowledge, so Thou wouldst mercifully grant me to attain one day to Thee, the fountain of all wisdom and to appear forever before Thy face.

“Whenever we enter the church and draw near to the heavenly mysteries, we ought to approach with all humility and fear, both because of the presence of the angelic powers and out of the reverence due to the sacred oblation; for as the Angels are said to have stood by the Lord’s body when it lay in the tomb, so we must believe that they are present in the celebration of the Mysteries of His most sacred Body at the time of consecration.” (I truly believe this. In my early years of being a Catholic, I wanted to get involved, so I had volunteered to be Commentator at the N.O. Mass. I had been told when learning the Faith that, at the Consecration, angels were present. This made sense, but I understood very little concerning the Faith at that time. However, on Easter one year, I was up on the altar, receiving while kneeling and on the tongue, the Holy Eucharist. After receiving Him, I returned to my spot on the side. A man approached on my left carrying a little of approx. 3-4 years of age. The little boy pointed at the area above the altar and asked his dad: "Who are all those people?" All there was at this church was a Crucifix and nothing else. The father replied: "There's nobody there." I know that this was a message for me. The angels ARE there! Too bad the father didn't have the Faith! And, woe to those who were supposed to teach him.)


“‘You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and they tremble.’ (James 2:19)
They alone know how to believe in God who love God, who are Christians not only in name but also in action and [way of] life, because without love faith is empty. With love, it is the faith of a Christian —without love, the faith of a demon.”

“Better a stupid and unlettered brother who, working the good things he knows, merits life in Heaven than one who though being distinguished for his learning in the Scriptures, or even holding the place of a doctor, lacks the Bread of love.”

CORPUS CHRISTI

May our Lord Jesus Christ in the Most Blessed Sacrament be praised, adored, and loved, with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time!

O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!

Corpus Christi, or the Body of Christ. He has left us a constant reminder of this to take advantage of until the end of time. Scripture from the Old to the New Testaments has told it to us.

'He, (the Lord) hath made a remembrance (a memorial) of His wonderful works: He hath given Food to them that fear Him.' Ps. cx. 4,5

'Come! eat my Bread, and drink my Wine which I have mingled for you...' Ps. 9

'Taste and see that the Lord is sweet.' Ps. 33

And let us not forget Melchisedech, a precursor of Christ and the Apostles, who offered bread and wine to Abram. (Interesting enough, he was the high priest of a city named Salem, as in Jerusalem. Go figure!)

'I am the Bread of life: your fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are dead: this is the Bread coming down from heaven; that if any man eat thereof, he may not die.'

(Read the 6th Chapter of the Gospel of St. John. This really ticks the protestants and unbelievers off, mainly because they don't understand. They would have to convert if they did.)

'My flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that abideth in me, and I in him...This is the bread that came down from heaven...he that eateth this Bread, shall liver forever.'

St. Pope Leo writes: "The participation of the Body and Blood of Christ transforms us into that which we receive,".

And St. Paul: 'therefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily. shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But, let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgement unto himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.' (How many of those who receive Him these are guilty of nailing Him to the Cross?)

St. Augustine says:

'No one partakes of this Body until he has first adored, and we not only do not sin when we adore It, but would sin if we did not adore It.'

The Council of Trent excommunicates those who assert that it is not allowable to adore Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, in the Blessed Sacrament. How unjust are those unbelievers who sneer at this adoration, when it has never entered into the mind of any Catholic to adore the external appearances of this Sacrament, but the Savior hidden under the appearances; and how grievously do those indifferent Catholics sin who show Christ so little veneration in this Sacrament, and seldom adore Him if at all!

Trent also states:
Whoever denies that in the venerable Sacrament, of the Eucharist the whole Christ is present in each of the forms and in each part of each form, where a separation has taken place, let him be anathema.

(This should be a problem for those who insist on drinking of the cup at the N.O. mass, so that they can receive His Blood also. They just don't get it!)

Let us go to Confession so that we can be made worthy to receive His Body in the Holy Eucharist.

In regards to giving Him thanks for this great Sacrament, St. Paul the Apostle, in his first Letter to the Corinthians (6.20) writes: ‘Glorify and bear God in your body’. There is no other occasion in which these words are realized so literally as immediately after Holy Communion. We recall the example of St. Philip Neri who sent two altar-boys with lighted candles to accompany a certain person leaving the church having just communicated.

Since Our Lord remains in our body for fifteen to twenty minutes after Holy Communion, this is not the moment for chatting outside or (much less) inside the church. Rather, it is appropriate and also most salutary to devote at least a quarter of an hour to prayerful thanksgiving.

St. John Bosco complained of the ‘many Christians who in church are willfully distracted, immodest, inattentive, irrespectful, standing around, gazing here and there. These persons DO NOT assist at the Divine Sacrifice like Mary and John, but rather like the Jews, crucifying Our Lord one more time’. (Again, how much do you see of this happening at the N.O. mass?)

Finally, let us do all in our means to adore and to offer thanks in an adequate and worthy manner to Our Lord Jesus Christ, and at the same time to demonstrate our faith in the Real Presence in an age in which He is so grievously ignored, neglected, scorned, and outraged.

Note: This Feast should be today, since it recalls to us that Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist on a Thursday. It was always held on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. Also, in the new 'nervous order' way of things, this day will probably be mentioned this upcoming Sunday. The Bishops order it. They are trying to get us to use the new calendar. If they succeed, we will miss out on all of these Feast days, which honor Christ, His Mother, and all of the saints as they should be honored. I guess they wouldn't want to make anyone come to church twice in a week?!!! Once again, the 'newchurch' misses the point of holiness!!!!! Pray much, especially for our pathetic, weak-kneed leaders.

Let us turn our eyes towards the Blessed Virgin, St. John the Evangelist, St. Mary Magdalen and the holy women at the foot of the Cross. These are our models for participation at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: for the glory of God and for the salvation of our souls. (Notice, there are so few witnesses at this scene. Just like today.)


Following is the 'Sequence' from today's Mass (It says it all. This was taken from a pre-1962 Missal. The ones we use (1962) have different words than the following. Mostly the same, but not all):


ZION, to Thy Savior sing,
to Thy Shepherd and Thy King!
Let the air with praises ring!
All thou canst, proclaim with mirth,
far higher is His worth
than the glory words may wing.

Lo! before our eyes and living
is the Sacred Bread life-giving,
theme of canticle and hymn.
We profess this Bread from heaven
to the Twelve by Christ was given,
for our faith rest firm in Him.

Let us form a joyful chorus,
may our lauds ascend sonorous,
bursting from each loving breast.
For we solemnly record
how the Table of the Lord
with the Lamb's own gift was blest.

On this altar of the King
this new Paschal Offering
brings an end to ancient rite.
Shadows flee that truth may stay,
oldness to the new gives way,
and the night's darkness to the light.

What at Supper Christ completed
He ordained to be repeated,
in His memory Divine.
Wherefore now, with adoration,
we, the Host of our salvation,
consecrate from bread and wine.

Words a nature's course derange,
that in Flesh the bread may change
and the wine in Christ's own Blood.
Does it pass thy comprehending?
Faith, the law of light transcending,
leaps to things not understood.

Here beneath these signs are hidden
priceless things, to sense forbidden;
signs, not things, are all we see.
Flesh from bread, and Blood from wine,
yet is Christ in either sign,
all entire confessed to be.

And whoe'er of Him partakes,
severs not, nor rends, nor breaks:
all entire, their Lord receive.
Whether one or thousand eat,
all receive the selfsame meat,
nor do less for others leave.

Both the wicked and the good
eat of this celestial Food:
but with ends how opposite!
With this most substantial Bread,
unto life or death they're fed,
in a difference infinite.

Nor a single doubt retain,
when they break the Host in twain,
but that in each part remain
what was in the whole before;
For the outward sign alone
may some change have undergone,
while the Signified stays one,
and the same forevermore.

Hail! Bread of the Angels, broken,
for us pilgrims food, and token
of the promise by Christ spoken,
children's meat, to dogs denied!
Shown in Isaac's dedication,
in the Manna's preparation,
in the Paschal immolation,
in old types pre-signified.

Jesus, Shepherd mild and meek,
shield the poor, support the weak;
help all who Thy pardon sue,
placing all their trust in You:
fill them with Your healing grace!
Source of all we have or know,
feed and lead us here below.
grant that with Your Saints above,
sitting at the feast of love
we may see You face to face.
Amen. Alleluia.

St. Gregory VII

Our Easter Calendar has already given us the two great Popes, Leo the Great and Pius the Fifth; it bids us, today, pay honour to the glorious memory of Gregory the Seventh. These three names represent the action of the Papacy, dating from the period of the Persecutions. The mission divinely put upon the successors of St. Peter, is this: the maintaining intact the truths of Faith, and the defending the Liberty of the Church. St. Leo courageously and eloquently asserted the ancient Faith, which was called in question by the heretics of those days; St. Pius the Fifth stemmed the torrent of the so-called Reformation, and delivered Christendom from the yoke of Mahometanism; St. Gregory the Seventh came between these two, and saved society from the greatest danger it had so far incurred, and restored the purity of Christian morals by restoring the Liberty of the Church.

The end of the 10th, and the commencement of the 11th, Century, was a period that brought upon the Church of Christ one of the severest trials she has ever endured. The two great scourges of Persecution and Heresy had subsided; they were followed by that of Barbarism. The impulse given to civilization by Charlemagne was checked early in the 9th Century; the Barbarian element had been but suppressed, and broke out again with renewed violence. Faith was still vigorous among the people, but, of itself, it could not triumph over the depravity of morals. The Feudal system had produced anarchy throughout the whole of Europe; anarchy created social disorder, and this, in its turn, occasioned the triumph of might and licentiousness over right. Kings and Princes were no longer kept in check by the power of the Church; for, Rome herself being a prey to factions, unworthy or unfit men were but too frequently raised to the Papal Throne.

The 11th Century came; its years were rapidly advancing; and there seemed no remedy for the disorders it had inherited. Bishoprics had fallen a prey to the secular power, which set them up for sale and the first requisite for a candidate to a Prelacy was, that he should be a vassal subservient to the Ruler of the nation, ready to supply him with means for prosecuting war. The Bishops being thus, for the most part, simoniacal, as St. Peter Damian tells us they were, what could be expected from the inferior Clergy, but scandals? The climax of these miseries was, that ignorance increased with each generation, and threatened to obliterate the very notion of duty. There was an end to both Church and society, had it not been for the promise of Christ, that he would never abandon His own Work.

In order to remedy these evils, in order to dispel all this mist of ignorance, Rome was to be raised from her state of degradation. She needed a holy and energetic Pontiff, whose consciousness of having God on his side would make him heedless of opposition and difficulties; a Pontiff, whose reign should be long enough to make his influences felt, and encourage his successors to continue the work of reform. This was the mission of St. Gregory the Seventh. (from 'The Liturgical Year' by the Abbot Gueranger)


Gregory VII, one of the greatest of the Roman Pontiffs and one of the most remarkable men of all times, was known as Hildebrand before he became Pope. Born in Tuscany in 1020, he was sent to Rome to be educated under his uncle, who was Abbot of Saint Mary's monastery on the Aventine Hill. It was a time of great danger for the Church, when the Emperors of Germany were claiming it was their role to elect the successors of Saint Peter, the Vicars of Jesus Christ. They sold ecclesiastic dignities at auction or gave them to unworthy favorites, and many sees were occupied by persons who had obtained them with gold. It was this humble monk who had embraced the Benedictine Rule at the famous monastery of Cluny in France, who was chosen to bring a remedy to the current evils. The three great abuses, simony, concubinage, and the custom of receiving investiture from lay hands, seemed to threaten the very foundations of the Church. This great servant of God would never cease to oppose those corruptions of the reign of Christ.

Hildebrand was admired by the bishops of France when for a time he was at the Court of the Emperor Henry III. He returned to Rome with the bishop of Toul, who had been chosen Pope by the Emperor Henry III, and who invited him to accompany him. The young monk reproached him for having received from his relative a favor which should be granted only by the clergy and people of Rome; but when the bishop ceded to his arguments, he said he would accompany him if he would have his election ratified there. This was carried out, and Hildebrand became the right arm of the good Pope Leo IX. He was made a cardinal and named Superior of the Roman monastery of Saint Paul-Outside-the-Walls, which lay almost in ruins because the major part of its revenues had been usurped by powerful laymen. Hildebrand succeeded in recovering its lands and restored the monastery to its ancient splendor.

When Leo IX died, the clergy and people of Rome sent Hildebrand at the head of a delegation to the Emperor, with full power to elect a Sovereign Pontiff. It was he who chose Pope Victor II, against the Emperor's wishes, and again he became the right arm of the Pope in the combat against abuses. Pope Victor II sent him as legate to France, to stop the practice of simony in the collation of ecclesiastical benefices. He served as Archdeacon under three more Popes, Stephen II, Nicholas II and Alexander II. Upon the death of the last-named in 1073, he was compelled to fill the vacancy.

Pope Gregory VII immediately called upon the clergy throughout the world to lay down their lives rather than betray the laws of God to the will of princes. Rome was in rebellion due to the ambition of the Cenci, a family of Rome whose history is a series of acts of violence and crimes. Pope Gregory excommunicated them. As a consequence they laid hands on him during the Christmas midnight Mass, wounded him and cast him into prison; the following day the people rescued him. He then was forced to face Henry IV, Emperor of Germany, who openly relapsed into simony and claimed to depose the Pope. The Emperor too was excommunicated. The people turned against Henry and he sought absolution of Gregory at Canossa, but he regrettably did not persevere; he set up an antipope and besieged Gregory in the castle of Saint Angelo in Rome. The aged Pontiff was obliged to flee.


He wrote this admirable Letter, in the year 1084. It is addressed to all the Faithful, and may be considered as the last Will and Testament of this glorious Pontiff.

"The kings of the earth and the princes of the priests have met together against Christ (Ps. ii. 2), the Son of the Almighty God, and against his Apostle Peter, to the end that they may destroy the Christian Religion and propagate the wickedness of heresy in every land. But, by the mercy of God, they have not been able, with all their threats, and cruelties, and proffers of worldly glory, to seduce those that put their confidence in the Lord. Wicked conspirators have raised up their hands against us, for no other reason than because we would not pass over in silence the perils of holy Church, nor tolerate them that blush not to make a slave of the very Spouse of God. In every country the poorest woman is allowed, yea, she is assisted by the law of the land, to choose her own husband; and yet, now-a-days, holy Church, the Spouse of God and our Mother, is not allowed to be united to her Spouse, as the Divine Law commands, and as she herself wishes. It cannot be that we should suffer the children of this Church to be slaves to heretics, adulterers, and tyrants, as though these were their parents. Hence we have had to endure all manner of evil treatment, perils, and unheard-of cruelties, as you will learn from our Legates.

"You know, Brethren, that it was said to the Prophet: Cry from the top of the mountain, cry, cease not! I, then, urged irresistibly, laying human respect aside, and raising my mind above every earthly consideration, I preach the Gospel, I cry out, yea, I cry out unceasingly, and I make known to you, that the Christian Religion, the true Faith which the Son of God, Who came down on the earth, has taught us by our Fathers, is in danger of being corrupted by the violence of secular power; that it is on the way to destruction, and to the loss of its primitive character, being thus exposed to be scoffed at, not only by Satan, but by Jews, and Turks, and Pagans. The very Pagans are observers of their laws, though these cannot profit the soul's salvation, neither have they been guaranteed by miracles, as ours have been, to which our Eternal King has borne testimony; they keep their laws, and believe them. We Christians, intoxicated with the love of the world, and led astray by vain ambition, we make every principle of religion and justice give way to covetousness and pride; we seem as though we had neither law nor sense, for we have not the earnestness our Fathers had for our salvation, and for the glory of both the present and future life; we do not even make them the object of our hopes. If there be some still left who fear God, they only care for their own salvation, and the common good seems not to concern them. Where do we now find persons who labour and toil, or expose their lives by fatigue, out of the motive of the fear or love of the Omnipotent God? whereas we see soldiers of this world's armies braving all manner of dangers for their masters, their friends, and even their subjects! There are thousands of men to be found who face death for the sake of their liege lord; but when the King of heaven, our Redeemer, is in question, so far from being lavish of their lives, Christians dare not even incur the displeasure of a few scoffers. If there be some, (and, thanks to the mercy of God, there are still a few such, left among us,) if, we repeat, there be some, who, for the love of the Christian Law, dare to resist the wicked to their face, not only are they unsupported by their Brethren, but they are accused of imprudence and indiscretion, and are treated as fools.

"We, therefore, who are bound, by our position, to destroy vice and implant virtue in the hearts of our Brethren, we pray and beseech you, in the Lord Jesus Who redeemed us, that you would consider within yourselves, and understand why it is that we have to suffer such anguish and tribulation from the enemies of the Christian Religion. From the day, when, by the Divine will, the Mother Church, despite my great unworthiness, and (as God is my witness) despite my own wish, placed me on the Apostolic Throne, the one object of all my labours has been that the Spouse of God, our Mistress and Mother, should recover her just rights, in order that she may be free, chaste, and Catholic. But such a line of conduct must have caused extreme displeasure to the old enemy; and therefore it is, that he has marshaled against us them that are his members, and has stirred up against us a world-wide opposition. Hence it is that there have been used against us, and against the Apostolic See, efforts of a more violent character than any that have ever been attempted since the days of Constantine the Great. But there is nothing surprising in all this: it is but natural, that the nearer we approach to the time of Antichrist, the more furious will be the attempts to annihilate the Christian Religion (1084. Jaffe. Page 572)."


Opinion is unanimous that no Pontiff since the time of the Apostles undertook more labors for the Church or fought more courageously for her independence. While he was saying Mass, a dove was seen to come down on him; the Holy Spirit thus bore witness to the supernatural views which guided him in the government of the Church. Forced to leave Rome, he withdrew to Monte Cassino, and later to the castle of Salerno, where he died in 1085.



Prayer to St. Gregory VII


O intrepid defender of the liberty of the Church, illustrious S. Gregory, by that firmness which thou didst manifest, in maintaining her rights against the powers of earth and hell combined against her, stretch forth from heaven, we pray thee, thy powerful arm over her, to comfort and defend her in the fierce warfare which she is today waging. Especially encourage, in the great struggle, the venerated Pontiff who, with thy See, has also inherited the intrepidity of thy heart. Obtain for him that he may see his holy efforts crowned with the triumph of the Church and by the return of the wandering to the right path. Obtain finally that all the world may at last understand that it is vain to struggle against that faith which always has and always will overcome the world--haec est victoria qua vincit mundum fides nostra. Such is the prayer which we pour forth to thee, and we trust that, having answered it in this world, thou wilt one day call us with thee to heaven, near the eternal Pontiff, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.


(An Indulgence Of Three Hundred Days,
once a day--Pius IX, 1873)


Maybe we'll get fortunate to get a Holy Father some day. That is, someone who actually has the Faith, and is NOT afraid to show it, whatever needs to be done.

Cal Thomas article

I am going to post something which I thought was interesting by Cal Thomas this last Sunday.


CAL THOMAS: Lessons from Hamilton and the musical

OPINION: What is missing today is a perfect balance between liberty and power


By Cal Thomas

May 22, 2016




The popularity of the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” offers us all an opportunity to consider the wisdom of one of our most prolific Founding Fathers — while we wait in line for tickets.

Alexander Hamilton, like the rest of our founders, provided the solution to dysfunctional, overreaching and costly government, long before it became dysfunctional, overreaching and costly.

In a speech to the New York Ratifying Convention in 1788, Hamilton said, “Good constitutions are formed upon a comparison of the liberty of the individual with the strength of government: If the tone of either be too high, the other will be weakened too much. It is the happiest possible mode of conciliating these objects, to institute one branch peculiarly endowed with sensibility, another with knowledge and firmness. Through the opposition and mutual control of these bodies, the government will reach, in its regular operations, the perfect balance between liberty and power.”

Isn’t this what is missing today, a perfect balance between liberty and power?

None of the presidential candidates talks about liberty. Hillary Clinton is captive to the notion that big government, not individual liberty, is best. “Fighting for us” is her campaign slogan, as she seeks to out-promise — and outspend — Bernie Sanders’ socialist proposals of free stuff for everyone and a 90 percent tax rate on high earners to feed the government beast. As for Donald Trump, who knows? (I think he wants to give the power back to the states where it belongs)

James Madison, the principal author of the Constitution, wrote in Federalist 45, “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined.” Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated.”

Jefferson and Hamilton debated how strong the national government they were creating should be, but it is fair to say both would be shocked at the monster it has become.

It was Hamilton who reiterated the purpose of government, which Jefferson articulated in the Declaration of Independence, when he wrote in Federalist, no. 15, “Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of man will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint.”

Even a microwave dinner comes with instructions. When the instructions are followed, it produces a satisfying meal. America comes with an “instruction book.” It’s called the Constitution. It is precisely because government has escaped its boundaries that we are in trouble — economically, politically and in virtually every other way. Coupled with a growing number of Americans who believe they are entitled to other people’s money and the fruits of their labor — instead of using their success as models for their own — the result is the equivalent of a burned microwave dinner.

In that same 1788 speech, Hamilton addressed the necessary balance between the national government and the states: “The State governments possess inherent advantages, which will ever give them an influence and ascendancy over the National Government, and will forever preclude the possibility of federal encroachments. That their liberties, indeed, can be subverted by the federal head, is repugnant to every rule of political calculation.”


That is no longer true. The federal government consistently overturns state laws that do not conform to its unconstitutional dictates, i.e., transgender bathroom laws, illegal immigration statutes, restrictions on abortions. It is one of many reasons things are out of balance.

The solution is simple. The founders gave it to us in the Constitution. If the federal government would return to its boundaries, which provide a safe harbor against excess, many of the problems we are facing would either be solved or well on their way to resolution.

In the musical “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Miranda, the author and star of the show, sings, “The 10-dollar, Founding Father without a father got a lot farther by working a lot harder, by being a lot smarter, by being a self-starter.”

Today, where does one hear in our political conversation anything about self-starting? It’s all about the government and not about the individual.

If we won’t learn from history, perhaps the musical can teach us.

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com.

TRINITY SUNDAY

Most sublime of all mysteries: the HOLY TRINITY

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 the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He Himself is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners. (Third Angel apparition, Fatima, 1916)

I totally believe that this prayer from the angel was meant for our times. Think about all the abuses taking place at Mass each time there is a Mass. And I mean in the new Mass. Christ is still in the Sacrament and in the tabernacle, but He is being badly abused. Especially, by Communion in the hand. First of all, our hands are NOT consecrated as the priests' hands are. Second, think about the possible crumbs falling onto the floor because of this travesty, and which we will now walk on, or probably to get sucked up into a vacuum cleaner. I'm so sorry, Lord.

This Sunday we celebrate Trinity Sunday. We believe in the Trinity, without totally understanding it. It is impossible to, anyway. Anybody who thinks he understands it is a liar, or another 'legend in his own mind'. From Romans xi: O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God: how incomprehensible are His judgements, and how unsearchable His ways!

St. Paul says the same thing is his Epistle to the Romans, which we hear today.

EPISTLE (ROM XI. 33-36.) O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him? For of him, and by him, and in him, are all things: to him be glory forever. Amen.

(And, notice this. In the Gospel when Jesus tells the Apostles to baptize, He says: "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Not 'names', but NAME. Not many gods, but by ONE Name. Jehovah's Witnesses don't see this, among others. For example, in St. John's Gospel, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' The J.W. bible says 'a' god, which must mean they think that there are more than one God)

GOSPEL (Matt. XXVIII. 18-20.) At that time Jesus said to His disciples: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going, therefore; teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

Why do we celebrate this festival?

That we may openly profess our faith in the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which is the first of Christian truths, the foundation of the Christian religion, and the most sublime of all mysteries; and that we may render thanks, to the Father for having created us, to the Son for having redeemed us, and to the Holy Ghost for having sanctified us.


From our beloved Abbot Gueranger, commenting on the Holy Trinity:

'Blessed union! whereby God is in man, and man is in God! Union that brings us to adoption by the Father, to brotherhood with the Son, to our eternal inheritance! But how has this indwelling of God in His creature been formed? Gratuitously, by God's eternal love. And how long will it last? Forever, unless man himself refuse to give love for love. Mortal sin admitted into the soul, the divine indwelling is at an end: the very moment that sanctifying grace is lost, the Three divine Persons who had taken us their abode in that soul, and were united with her, abandon her; God is no longer in her, save by His immensity; the soul does not possess Him as she did before. Satan then again sets up his wretched kingdom within her, the kingdom of his vile trinity: concupiscence of the flesh, concupiscence of the eyes, and pride of life. Woe to the man who would dare to defy his God by such rebellion, and put evil in the place of infinite good! Hell and eternal torments are the consequences of the creature's contempt of his Creator. God is a jealous God; if we drive Him from the dwelling of our souls, the deep abyss must be our everlasting abode.'

This doesn't mean that we give up; we can still ask forgiveness from God, and once again be on the right path. God indeed forgives, but we must first ask.

This picture is the last vision Sister Lucy from Fatima had in Tuy, Spain, in 1929. It represents everything we need to know concerning the Most Holy Trinity. It's my opinion on this awesome Subject at hand, and I am unanimous in that. Amen


And now, some words from Fr. Rutler, who is a convert from Anglicanism. I served for him in Flint, MI. in the 90's. He always has something worthy to say.


FROM THE PASTOR
May 22, 2016
by Fr. George W. Rutler


Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity was a French Carmelite who died in 1906, having lived only 26 years, but the greatest theologians would attest that she was their peer in apprehending the deepest mystery of the Faith. St. Thomas Aquinas said that his mystical encounter with the heart of heaven was so wonderful that everything he had ever written was “so much straw,” which is saying a lot since his works are among the greatest thoughts ever recorded. So it is more appropriate to say that the Trinity is apprehended rather than comprehended, for God is beyond all human intelligence. But Jesus explains it: “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). So it is no surprise that even young Elizabeth of the Trinity was able to approach this mystery.

Saint Athanasius wrote:

“Even the gifts that the Spirit dispenses to individuals are given by the Father through the Word. For all that belongs to the Father belongs also to the Son, and so the graces given by the Son in the Spirit are true gifts of the Father. Similarly, when the Spirit dwells in us, the Word who bestows the Spirit is in us too, and the Father is present in the Word. This is the meaning of the text: My Father and I will come to him and make our home with him. For where the light is, there also is the radiance; and where the radiance is, there too are its power and its resplendent grace.”

Having revealed the fact of the Holy Trinity, God left it to humans to find language capable of expressing it. So the Catechism explains: “In order to articulate the dogma of the Trinity, the Church had to develop her own terminology with the help of certain notions of philosophical origin: ‘substance,’ ‘person’ or ‘hypostasis,’ ‘relation,’ and so on. In doing this, she did not submit the faith to human wisdom, but gave a new and unprecedented meaning to these terms, which from then on would be used to signify an ineffable mystery, ‘infinitely beyond all that we can humanly understand.’”

If that seems complicated, there is the prayer of the young Elizabeth of the Trinity:

O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me forget myself entirely so to establish myself in you, unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity. May nothing be able to trouble my peace or make me leave you, O my unchanging God, but may each minute bring me more deeply into your mystery! Grant my soul peace. Make it your heaven, your beloved dwelling and the place of your rest. May I never abandon you there, but may I be there, whole and entire, completely vigilant in my faith, entirely adoring, and wholly given over to your creative action.




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Saturday after Pentecost

The Gift of Wisdom


The second favour destined by the Holy Ghost for the soul that is faithful to Him in action, is the gift of Wisdom, which is superior to that of Understanding. The two are, however, connected together, inasmuch as the object shown by the gift of Understanding, is held and relished by the gift of Wisdom. When the Psalmist invites us to draw nigh to God, he bids us relish our sovereign good: Taste, says he, and see that the Lord is sweet (Ps. xxxiii. 9)! (I like this Verse; to me it is the Holy Eucharist, and the Chapter number 33 is how old Jesus was) Holy Church prays for us, on the Day of Pentecost, that we may "relish what is right and just,"--recta sapere,-- because the union of the soul with God is rather an experience or tasting, than a sight, for such sight would be incompatible with our present state. The light given by the gift of Understanding is not intuitive; it gladdens the soul, and gives her an instinctive tendency to the Truth, but its own final perfection depends upon its union with Wisdom, which is, as it were, its end.

Understanding, therefore, is light; Wisdom is union. Now, union with the sovereign good is attained by the will, that is, by love, which is in the will. Thus, in the angelic hierarchy, the Cherubim, with their sublime intellect, are below the Seraphim, who are inflamed with love. It is quite true, that the Cherubim have ardent love, and the Seraphim profound intelligence; but they differ from each other by their predominating quality; and that choir is the higher of the two which approaches the nearer to the Divinity by its love and relish of the sovereign good.

The seventh gift is called by the beautiful name of Wisdom, which is taken from its uniting the soul, by love, to the Eternal Wisdom. This Eternal Wisdom, Who mercifully puts Himself within our reach even in this vale of tears, is the Divine Word, Whom the Apostle calls the brightness of the Father's glory, and the figure of his substance (Heb. i. 3). It is He who sent us the Holy Ghost, that He might sanctify us and lead us to Himself; so that the sublimest of the workings of this Holy Spirit is His procuring our union with Him, Who, being God, became Flesh, and for our sakes, made Himself obedient unto death, even to the death of the Cross (Philipp. ii. 8). By the mysteries wrought in His Humanity, Jesus enabled us to enter within the veil of His Divinity; by faith, enlightened by supernatural Understanding, we see the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father (St. John, i. 14); and just as He made Himself a partaker of our lowly human nature, so does He give Himself, the uncreated Wisdom, to be loved and relished by that created Wisdom, which the Holy Ghost forms within us, and is the noblest of His Gifts. Happy, then, they who possess this precious Wisdom, which makes the soul relish God and the things that are of God!

The sensual man, says the Apostle, perceiveth not the things that are of the Spirit of God (I Cor. ii. 14); and in order that he may enjoy this Gift, he must become spiritual, and docile to the teachings of the Holy Spirit; and then there would happen to him, what has happened to thousands of others, namely, that after being a slave to a carnal life, he would recover his Christian freedom and dignity. The man who is less depraved than the former, but still imbued with the spirit of this world, is also incapable of receiving or even comprehending the gifts of Understanding and Wisdom. He is ever ridiculing those whom he cannot help knowing possess these gifts; he never leaves them in peace, but is ever carping at their conduct, setting himself in opposition to them, and, at times, seeks to satiate his jealousy by bitter persecution. Jesus assures us,"that the World cannot receive the Spirit of Truth, because it seeth Him not, nor knoweth Him."(St. John, xiv. 17). They, therefore, who would possess the supreme good, must first divorce themselves from the spirit of the world, which is the personal enemy of the Spirit of God. If they break asunder the chain that now fetters them, they may hope to be gifted with Wisdom.

The special result of this Gift is great vigor in the soul, and energy in all her powers. Her whole life is, so to speak, seasoned with it; the effect may be likened to that produced in the body by wholesome diet. There is no disagreement between such a soul and her God; and hence, her union with Him is almost inevitable. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, says the Apostle, there is liberty (II. Cor. iii. 17). Everything is easy to the soul that is under the influence of the Spirit of Wisdom. Things that are hard to nature, are sweet to such a soul; and suffering does not appall her, as once it did. To say that God is near to her is saying too little; she is united with Him. And yet, she must keep herself in an attitude of profound humility, for pride may reach her even in that exalted state, and oh! how terrible would be her fall!

Let us, with all the earnestness of our hearts, beseech the Holy Ghost to give us this Wisdom, which will lead us to our Jesus, the Infinite Wisdom. One who was wise under the Old Law aspired to this Gift, when he wrote these words, of which we Christians alone can appreciate the full meaning: I wished, and Understanding was given to me; and I called upon God and the Spirit of Wisdom came upon me (Wisd. vii. 7). So that we are to ask for this gift, and with great fervour. In the New Covenant, we have the Apostle St. James thus urging us to pray for it: If any of you want Wisdom, let him ask of God, Who giveth to all men abundantly, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him; but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering
O Holy Spirit! we presume to follow this injunction of the Apostle, and say to Thee: O thou Who proceedest from Power and Wisdom! give us Wisdom! He that is Wisdom has sent Thee unto us, that thou mayst unite us to Him. Take us from ourselves, and unite us to Him Who united Himself to our weak nature. O sacred source of Unity! be thou the link uniting us forever to Jesus; then will the Father adopt us as his heirs, and joint heirs with Christ (Rom. vii. 17)!



What are the fruits of the Holy Ghost?

As St. Paul (Gal. v. 22-23.) enumerates them, they are twelve: 1. Charity. 2. Joy. 3. Peace. 4. Patience. 5. Benignity (Kindness). 6. Goodness. 7. Longanimity (self-control). 8. Mildness. 9. Faith. 10. Modesty. 11. Continency. (Sexual abstinence) 12. Chastity. To obtain these fruits as well as the gifts of the Holy Ghost, we should daily say the prayer: "Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of thy faithful; enkindle in the fire of Thy love. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created, and Thou shall renew the face of the earth. O God, Who didst instruct the hearts of Thy faithful by the Light of the Holy Spirit, grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and ever to rejoice in His consolation. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen."


COME, HOLY GHOST!