St. Catherine of Siena

SAINT CATHERINE of SIENA
Virgin, (1347-1380)

St. Catherine, the daughter of a humble Christian tradesman, was raised up to be the guide and guardian of the Church in one of the darkest periods of its history, the fourteenth century. As a child, prayer was her delight. She would say the "Ave Maria" on each step as she mounted the stairs, and was granted in reward a vision of Christ in glory. And He revealed to her the secrets of Christian perfection. When six years old, our Lord appeared to her with the Apostles Peter, Paul and John, together with St. Dominic, looked tenderly at her and gave His blessing. This was the beginning of many and extraordinary visions with which the holy virgin was graced until her death. Her heart from this time was filled with intense love of God. She read most carefully the lives of the Saints, and endeavored to follow their example. When only seven years old she made a vow of virginity, afterwards enduring bitter persecution for refusing to marry.

Her parents persisted long in their refusal to allow her to enter religious life, her only ambition; but she made a kind of spiritual and penitential convent cell in her heart's depths, and there she found her Beloved and conversed with Him each day. At the age of fifteen she was permitted to enter the Third Order of Saint Dominic, but continued to reside in her father's house, where she united a life of active charity to the prayer of a contemplative Saint. Our Lord bestowed on her His Heart in exchange for her own, gave her Communion with His own hands, and imprinted on her body the marks of His wounds. She had asked Our Lord that these be not visible (as some stigmatics had them), so Our Lord made them a golden color. However, she experienced the pain just the same as Our Lord had.

Bread, herbs and water were her only nourishment, two bare boards her bed. She was girded by a pointed chain which she Continued to wear until a few hours before her death, when at the instance of her confessor, she laid it aside. She only allowed herself one or two hours of sleep during the night; the remainder she employed in prayer or in the contemplation of the divine mysteries. She scourged herself three times daily, sometimes until she drew blood. These austerities she observed from her eighteenth year until her death. After she had been received into the third order of St. Dominic, she aspired most fervently after sanctification, but Satan endeavored with the most loathsome imaginings and temptations, to trouble the repose of her soul and pervert her thoughts; Catherine, however, increasing her penance and her prayers, withstood him bravely, but still without feeling more relieved or more quiet. At length, when, one day, Christ appeared to her, she said: "O Lord, why hast Thou forsaken me?" "I was in thy heart," answered the Saviour. "What;" said she, "hast Thou been in my heart which was filled with such abominable thoughts?"; "Hast thou then consented to them? Hast thou been pleased with them?" asked Christ. "Oh, no!" replied Catherine, "it was most painful to me to be afflicted with them." "And this was thy merit," said Christ; "I have seen how thou hast battled, and I have assisted thee." Thus ended her temptations, which were succeeded by the most comforting visions of our Lord, His Blessed Mother and other Saints, the number of which is known only to God. She frequently saw Christ as a lovely little child in the holy Sacrament, for which divine mystery she entertained the most fervent devotion. She partook of it almost daily, but always with renewed piety and shedding a flood of tears. It was very remarkable that the receiving of it preserved also her temporal life, for it is a fact that one year she partook of nothing else but the Blessed Eucharist from Ash-Wednesday until Ascension-day. When she was required, as an act of obedience, to take some food, she suffered so greatly by so doing, that the request was not repeated. After some time, Christ commanded her to be kind and charitable to her neighbors, and she began to nurse the sick with an indescribable loving care. Among others, she attended to two women, of whom one was afflicted with leprosy, the other with cancer. In nursing them she evinced the most perfect self-control.

She pressed the offensive matter out of the sores and cleansed them with water. Feeling disgust, she drank the purulent matter which she had kept in a vessel mixed with water, saying to her confessor that she had never tasted anything more agreeable. Christ appeared to her on the following night, praised her self-mortification and rewarded her with great interior peace and tranquility. It was hard for her to bear when this very woman, whom she had so tenderly nursed, instigated by Satan, not only complained of her, but slandered her in the whole city. But Christ visited her and presenting to her two crowns, one of gold, the other of thorns, said: "Which of these two do you desire?" Catherine answered: "Lord, I desire to resemble Thee in this life, and it is a joy to me to suffer as Thou didst": and with these words she took the crown of thorns and pressed it upon her head. Christ, upon this, commanded her to continue her charity towards the sick, which she did with unprecedented patience and kindness. Her love towards those whose souls were diseased, was still more tender, and she offered for such her prayers and many penances, through which means she obtained from God the conversion of many sinners, who otherwise would have gone to destruction. She prayed three whole days for a certain woman who was dangerously sick, and who hated the Saint most bitterly. At last, she said to Christ: "I will not move from this place until Thou givest me this soul." He graciously complied with her request by converting the woman and giving her a happy death.

She was also gifted by God with the grace of reading the inmost thoughts of those who approached her: hence her exhortations were always addressed to their weakest spot. If a lascivious person came near her, she always perceived so terrible an odor that she had to cover her nose and mouth. Many other graces God had bestowed upon her, to relate all of which would take too much space. One of the most remarkable of these was, that Christ had impressed the marks of his five holy wounds upon her, but in such a manner that, exteriorly, nothing was to be seen, while she suffered all their pains. She had prayed to Christ for this grace in order that it might remain unknown to the world. The many miracles which she performed on the sick and possessed, and the heavenly wisdom with which she was filled, secured her not only the highest regard of the people, but also of the prelates of the Church, as well as of worldly princes. She was even sent in times of strife and contention, as a messenger of peace, and the effect of her wonderful talents more than surpassed all expectations. At Rome, whither she had been called by the Pope, she became dangerously sick, and during four months she suffered excruciating pain: she ceased not, however, praising and giving thanks to God. The Almighty, whose judgment, though inscrutable, is always just, sent her a last bitter trial after she had received the holy Sacrament; Satan reproached her that in her actions and ecstasies, she had only sought her own aggrandizement. But she overcame the enemy of her peace, and after this anguish of soul, she had a most consoling and tender discourse with Christ, who visibly appeared to her, and into whose hands she breathed her chaste soul in the thirty-third year of her life. Her last words were: "Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit."


From her obscure home the seraphic virgin was taken by Providence to defend the Church's cause. Her life became a continuing miracle. Armed with Papal authority and accompanied by three confessors, she traveled through Italy, reducing rebellious cities to the obedience of the Holy See, and winning hardened souls to God. In the sight of virtually the whole world she sought out Gregory XI at Avignon, brought him back to Rome (after 60 years), and by her letters to the kings and queens of Europe made good the Papal cause. She was the counselor of Urban VI, and sternly rebuked the disloyal cardinals who took part in electing an antipope.

Long had the holy virgin foretold the terrible schism which began before she died. Day and night she wept and prayed for unity and peace. But in spirit she saw the entire city of Rome full of demons, who were tempting the people to revolt and even to slay the Vicar of Christ. With intense earnestness Saint Catherine begged Our Lord to prevent this enormous crime. Their seditious temper was subdued by her prayers, but they vented their rage by scourging the Saint herself, who gladly endured all for God and His Church. She died in Rome in 1380, at the age of thirty-three years old, the same as Our Lord.


Our beloved Abbot Gueranger has a prayer at the end of his thoughts on St. Catherine. He is asking for prayers for Italy, but the rest of it is quite applicable for these days.

"...Pray, too, for unhappy Italy, which was so dear to thee, and which is so justly proud of its Saint of Siena. Impiety and heresy are now permitted to run wild though the land; the name of thy Spouse is blasphemed; the people are taught to love error, and to hate what they had hitherto venerated; the Church is insulted and robbed; faith has long since been weakened, but now its very existence is imperiled. Intercede for thy unfortunate country, dear Saint! oh! surely, it is time to come to her assistance, and rescue her from the hands of her enemies. The whole Church hopes that thou mayest effect the deliverance of this her illustrious province: delay not, but calm the storm which seems to threaten a universal wreck!"

This seraphic St. Catherine willingly sacrificed the delights of contemplation to labor for the Church and the Apostolic See. How deeply do the troubles of the Church and the consequent loss of souls afflict us? How often do we pray for the Church and the Pope? This is especially needed these days.
 

4th Sunday after Easter

 

Christ has been with the Apostles since the Resurrection, teaching them what He wants them to know. He tells them that in a few days, they won't see Him anymore, but that He would be sending them another teacher, the Holy Spirit. This 'Teacher' will help them in everything, and remind them all that Jesus taught. This will be passed down through the ages, being the oral 'Tradition' that Scripture tells us about. They will set up the Church, make the rules that will be our guide to salvation. The Church will NOT be going into hiding for 1500+ years, but will be the bulwark which will steer the world right. The Sacraments will be set up. They will be the visible signs of the unity of the Church.

 

Our beloved Abbot Gueranger, who always seems to have the right words, speaks: "...the Sacraments, being visible signs, are an additional bond of union between these members of the Church: we say additional, because these members have the two other strong links of union--submission to Peter and to the pastors sent by him and profession of the same Faith. The Holy Ghost tells us, in the sacred Volume, that a threefold cord is not easily broken.(Eccles. iv: 12). Now we have such a one; and it keeps us in the glorious unity of the Church: hierarchy, dogma, and sacraments; all contribute to make us one Body. The risen Jesus has set the number of these Sacraments at seven, the seven Pillars of the Faith(Prov. ix: i)...Turning our eyes to the kingdom of satan, we see him mimicking God's work, and setting up a 'seven' of his own. Seven capital and deadly sins are the instruments whereby he makes man his slave." They are as follows: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. (Who hasn't been a slave to at least one of these?)

When our Lord in this week's reading from St. John's Gospel tells the Apostles about the Holy Ghost, Who is to come and 'convince the world of sin', He also shows them how awful and terrible this Coming will be to them who have rejected the Messias. St. Augustine, the Doctor of doctors, explains: "When the Holy Ghost is come, He will convince the world of sin, because they have not believed in Me. How great must, indeed, be the responsibility of them that have been witnesses of Jesus' wonderful works, and yet will not receive His teaching! Jerusalem will be told that the Holy Ghost has come down upon the disciples: and she will receive the news with the same indifference as she did the miracles which proved Jesus to be her Messias. The coming of the Holy Ghost will serve as a sort of signal of the destruction of the 'deicide' city. Jesus adds: "The Paraclete will convince the world of justice, because I go to the Father, and ye shall see me no longer." The Apostles, and they that believe their word, shall be just and holy by Faith: they will believe in Him that is gone to the Father--in Him Whom they are to see no longer in this world. Jerusalem, on the contrary, will remember Him only to blaspheme Him: the holiness, the Faith, the justice of them that shall believe, will be her condemnation, and the Holy Ghost will leave her to her fate. Jesus continues: "The Paraclete will convince the world of judgment, because the prince of this world is already judged."

They that follow not Christ Jesus, follow Satan: he is their prince, but his judgment is already pronounced. The Holy Ghost warns the followers of the world that their leader is already in eternal torments. Let them reflect well upon this; for, the pride of man has no right to reckon upon indulgence; let it but think of the hell into which even the angels were cast because they were proud."

I will end with the Antiphon of the Magnificat for this day:

I go to Him that sent me: but because I have spoken these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

O God, Who makes the faithful to be of one mind, grant that thy people may love what Thou commands, and desire what thou promises: that, amidst the uncertainties of this world, we may place our affections where there are true joys.

St. Paul of the Cross

Today is the day we read and think about another great Saint who professed and delivered Christ on the Cross and in His Blessed Sacrament, St. Paul of the Cross. It seems to me, when reading about him, that he was another Padre Pio, but this time for those in the 18th century.  He was born in 1694.  I'm going to quote just part of today's history of him, taken from 'The Liturgical Year', by our blessed Abbot Gueranger:

'...The fire of the love of god burnt so in his heart that his garments often seemed to be scorched, and two of his ribs raised. He could not restrain his tears, particularly when saying Mass, and he was often rapt in ecstasy and raised into the air, while his face shone as with light from heaven. Sometimes when he was preaching, a heavenly voice was heard prompting him, and at others his words became audible at the distance of several miles. He was distinguished for the gifts of prophecy, of speaking with tongues, of reading the heart, and of power over evil spirits, over diseases, and over the elements. Though Popes regarded him with affection and veneration, he looked upon himself as an unprofitable servant upon whom devils might well trample. He persevered in his austerities until extreme old age, and died at Rome on the day he had himself foretold (October 18, 1775), after having received the Last Sacraments and the consolation of a heavenly vision. He left the spirit of his teaching as an inheritance to his disciples in the beautiful exhortations he made to them on his death-bed. Pope Pius IX enrolled him among the Blessed, and, after renewed signs and wonders, proceeded to his Canonization.'

Paul of the Cross was born at Ovada in Liguria [northern Italy], and was descended from a noble family of Castellazzo near Alessandria [Piedmont]. The brilliance of his future holiness was foreshown by a wonderful light which filled his mother's room at night while she was in labor, and by a remarkable favor of the august Queen of heaven who delivered him unhurt from certain destruction when he fell into a river when a child. From the dawn of reason he was filled with an ardent love for Jesus Christ crucified, and began to devote much time to contemplation of Him. He chastised his innocent flesh with watchings, scourgings, and fasting, on Fridays drank vinegar mingled with gall, and practiced all kinds of severe penances. Burning with desire for martyrdom, he enlisted in the army which was being raised at Venice to fight against the Turks. After he learned in prayer the will of God, he gave up the career of arms to serve in a nobler army, which was to defend the Church and strive with all its might for the eternal salvation of men. When he returned home he refused a very honorable marriage, and the inheritance left him by his uncle; he wished to enter upon the narrower way of the Cross and to receive a coarse tunic from his bishop. Then, by command of the bishop, because of his eminent holiness of life and knowledge of divine things, although not yet a cleric, he tilled the Lord's field by preaching the divine word, with great profit to souls.

He went to Rome, and after having studied the regular course in theology, he was ordained priest by command of the supreme Pontiff Benedict XIII, who also gave him permission to gather companions around him. He withdrew to the solitude of Mount Argentaro, where he had already been summoned by the Blessed Virgin, who had also shown him a black habit bearing the emblems of the Passion of her Son, and there he laid the foundations of a new congregation. In a short time by God's blessing it increased very much, sustained by his arduous labors, and attracted eminent men. It received the confirmation of the apostolic See more than once, together with the rules which Paul had himself received from God in prayer, and the addition of a fourth vow, to promote the blessed remembrance of the Passion of the Lord. He also founded a congregation of holy virgins, who would constantly meditate upon the surpassing love of the divine Spouse. In all these works, his untiring love of souls never caused him to weary in the preaching of the Gospel, and he led almost countless men, even the most abandoned, and those who had fallen into heresy, into the footpath of salvation. Wonderful was the power of his eloquence, especially when he spoke of the Passion of Christ, so that both he and his hearers would shed tears, and the most hardened hearts were moved to repentance. (From the Roman Breviary)



Quotes from St. Paul of the Cross:"If, during life, we have been kind to the souls in purgatory, God will see that help will not be denied us after death."

"Let us throw ourselves into the ocean of His goodness, where every failing will be cancelled, and anxiety turned into love."

"The Rosary ought to be recited with great devotion because one is speaking with the Holy Virgin."

Maxims of Christian Perfection
Extracted from the Letters of Blessed Paul of the Cross:
He who desires to be a great saint, must take care that nothing live in him which is not purely God; and this he will know to be the case if all his actions are done for the love of God and united with those of Jesus Christ, who is our way, truth, and life.

The heart of the true servant of God must be like an altar, on which is offered every day the gold of the most ardent charity, the incense of continual humble prayer, and the myrrh of incessant mortification.

When our sins terrify us, and we fear being damned, let us think on the merits of the crucified, and our spirit will be refreshed.

He who rests with great confidence in God, and is humble of heart, poor and miserable though he be, will become a fitting instrument in God's hands for doing great things. But one who takes another course, will never be able to do anything that is good.

Happy the soul which detaches itself from its own pleasure, from its own will, from its own understanding. A sublime lesson is this, and God will teach it to all those who place their happiness in the cross of Jesus Christ.

The moment we know the will of God, we should execute it with all promptness, and conform ourselves to it, exactly as wax coming near the fire takes the shape which the artist wishes to give it.

Whatever may happen to us, we ought not to be disturbed. Let us calmly and quietly say: the will of God be done--let us leave all to God--the Lord be blessed for ever--what he wills, I will in time and in eternity.

In troubles, in disappointments, in tribulations, we must humble ourselves and stoop down our head; because, when God intends to give us one blow, if we lift up our heads He will give us ten--if we stoop them, though He meant to give us ten, He will give us but one.

People like him are what we are all to strive for, in passing on the Eternal Truth to those unknowing and less fortunate. Only God can convert them, with the help of our Blessed Mother, Mary.

St. Peter Canisius

SAINT PETER CANISIUS
Doctor of the Church,(1521-1597)

One of the champions of the 'reformation'.  Born in 1521 of a distinguished family of Holland, St. Peter Canisius studied in Cologne and received his license as doctor of civil law; he then went to Louvain (Belgium) to learn canon law. These studies followed close upon the days when Luther had burnt the papal bulls at Wittenberg, Germany. Soon Saint Peter, become a Jesuit, was teaching at the University of Cologne; he was there when the unfortunate archbishop of that city fell into the new heresy. The Catholics who desired to depose him needed a deputy to the emperor to present their request, and Saint Peter was chosen.

His mission, seconded by the Holy Spirit, succeeded; and the deputy was remarked by a Cardinal, who desired to send him to the Council of Trent as his representative and theologian. Saint Peter's superior, St. Ignatius of Loyola himself, approved this choice, and the young Jesuit took his place among the Fathers of the Council. He was commissioned to draft a memoir on the exact nature of the errors being propagated in the lands of the reform, in consort with the Pope's theologian, another Jesuit named Jacques Laynez. Their work was admired; the Council was dissolved soon afterwards, however, and Saint Peter was recalled to Rome by Saint Ignatius, to consult with him concerning the formation of the religious and the future of their Order.

To form an idea of his labours, we should have to accompany him on his journeys, and witness his fatigues and sufferings, as well as his battles and his victories. We first find him in Bavaria. He quickly won the admiration of all as professor of theology in Ingoldstadt, and was elected rector of the university. Through his means, an interest in theological science was revived among the students, and the sacred calling of the priesthood came to be held in high honour. His sermons terrified the most hardened sinners, awoke the slumbering faith of the people, and kindled in all hearts a zeal for religion. On account of the veneration he everywhere inspired, the Emperor Ferdinand, placing confidence in him in a case which seemed almost desperate, summoned him to Vienna. Here there was indeed enough to cause him sorrow in the many and deep wounds which the heretics had inflicted on religion. He found the people demoralized, the clergy degraded, God's worship neglected, and most of the towns deprived of their pastors. The once flourishing university had not for twenty years produced a single priest, and there were three hundred parishes without pastors in the territory then belonging to Austria.

Canisius strove with his whole might, by word and example, to combat these evils. His first care was to reintroduce orthodox teaching into the higher schools, and to secure that their authorities should be men of approved faith. But neither did he forget the poor country people. When he learnt how that, far and wide in the country about Vienna, most of the villages were deprived of all spiritual aid, he set forth himself, and made toilsome journeys from place to place, preaching, instructing, and administering the sacraments. And the poor people thanked God with tears of joy, for His mercy in sending to them, as they said, this angel from heaven. From Vienna, Canisius was sent by the Emperor to Bohemia, where religion was attacked by foes still fiercer and more powerful. But nothing could shake the courage of God's servant. The heretics raged against him, insulted him, and pelted him with stones; but in vain. The power of his preaching, his patience, gentleness, and charity, in the end disarmed their wrath, and led back a great part of the people into the bosom of the Church.

Afterwards Saint Peter and two other Jesuits founded a college at Ingolstadt, going there with only two books in their baggage, the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius and the famous Ratio Studiorum, or Plan of Studies of their Order. Saint Peter was named Rector of the University by that institution.

He was in demand everywhere; King Ferdinand of Rome obtained his presence for Vienna. A pestilence broke out there, and he was most often found at the bedside of the dying, caring for the bodies and regenerating the souls of the unfortunate citizens. He opened a boarding school for boys, and Vienna soon found itself reborn in the faith: the famous Catechism of Saint Peter Canisius had much to do with the renovation. During his lifetime it appeared in more than 200 editions, in at least twelve languages. It remains a monument of the triumph of the Church over error in the time of Luther.

Until his death in 1597 the Apostle of Germany continued the valiant and perpetual combat of the Church against error. For a long time forgotten, Saint Peter was canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1927.


Following is a Homily of St. Peter Canisius, followed by a prayer:
I shall always love and reverence the Apostles sent by Christ, and their successors in sowing the seed of the Gospel, those zealous and tireless cooperators in propagating the word, who may justly say of themselves: Let a man so account of us as the ministers of Christ and the dispensers of the mysteries of God. For Christ, like a most watchful and most faithful householder, wished that the Gospel lamp should be lighted by such ministers and delegates with fire sent down from heaven, and once lighted, should not be put under a measure, but set upon a candlestick, so that it may spread its brightness far and wide, and put to flight all darkness and error rife among both Jews and Gentiles.

Now it is not enough for the Gospel teacher to be a brilliant speaker in the eyes of the people; he must also be as a voice crying in the desert, and endeavor by his eloquence to help many to lead good lives, lest, if he omit his duty of speaking, he be called the dumb dog that is not able to bark, spoken of by the prophet. Yes, he should also burn in such a way that, equipped with good works and love, he may adorn his evangelical office, and follow the leadership of Paul. He indeed was not satisfied with bidding the bishop of the Ephesians: This command and teach: conduct thyself in work as a good soldier of Christ Jesus; but he unflaggingly preached the Gospel to friend and foe alike, and said with a good conscience to the bishops gathered at Ephesus: You know how I have kept back nothing that was for your good, but have declared it to you, and taught you in public and from house to house, urging Jews and Gentiles to turn to God in repentance and to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Such should be the shepherd in the Church who, like Paul, becomes all things to all men, so that the sick may find healing in him; the sad, joy; the desperate, hope; the ignorant, instruction; those in doubt, advice; the penitent, forgiveness and comfort, and finally, every one whatever is necessary for salvation. And so Christ, when he wished to appoint the chief teachers of the world and of the Church, did not limit himself to saying to his disciples: You are the light of the world; but also added these words: A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a measure, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all who are in the house. Those churchmen err who imagine that it is by brilliant preaching, rather than by holiness of and all-embracing love, they fulfill their office.


O Almighty God, Ruler of the living and the dead, whose hand holds all things in being, look graciously upon all whom we commend to thy mercy, those who have authority over us, our family, relatives, benefactors, and all who have claims on us by reason of relationship or friendship. Bless our family, our home town, our country, that men and women there in every walk of life may live in peace, and, always earnestly seeking by their manner of life to please thee.


And now, a couple of quotes:

For the sake of obtaining that eternal life no works of piety ought to seem too hard to a true believer; no toil too heavy, no pain too bitter, no time spent in labor and suffering too long or too wearisome. For if nothing is sweeter or more desirable than this present life which is so full of calamities, how much more desirable must that other life be deemed which is so far removed from all sense of evil or fear of it, which will in every conceivable way always abound in the unspeakable and unending joys, delight and happiness of heaven. (De Fide et Symbolo fidei)

Better that only a few Catholics should be left, staunch and sincere in their religion, than that they should, remaining many, desire as it were, to be in collusion with the Church's enemies and in conformity with the open foes of our Faith. (Even if they are within the walls)

Sts. Cletus/Marcellinus, Popes/Martyrs

ST. CLETUS
Pope and Martyr  (†89)

ST. MARCELLINUS
Pope and Martyr  (†304)

Pope, St Cletus, Martyr

Two Popes of the early Church sit on opposite corners of the portico ceiling of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Today, we celebrate their feast days (They died on the same day in different years). The two men served as Popes two centuries apart. What they share is that their pontificates occurred during times of great torture and persecution for professing Christians under Roman rule. Reflecting on the lives of Popes Cletus and Marcellinus puts into perspective the trials the faithful now are facing.

 

To be a Pope in the first three centuries after Christ was to face the prospect of death by Roman authorities. Pope Cletus was the third pope and reigned from 76 to 88. Marcellinus was Pope from 296 to 304. Cletus, like St. Peter before him, was martyred. Marcellinus himself was not martyred; instead he died a natural death in an era when scores of Christians, including St. George, were murdered for their faith. Thanks be to God, we live in a world where, with a few notable exceptions , Christians are not being killed for their beliefs. But the Church still faces enemies, both in the secular world, as well as from sinners within our own ranks.

 

The first persecutions of Christians happened in Rome, a generation after Christ, under the reign of Nero. This was several years before Cletus became Pope. The tyrant, who killed his own mother and eventually committed suicide, arrested and tortured Christians in Rome. Some were crucified. Others were burned alive. Their bodies were eaten by dogs. It is stunning to consider that just six years before Cletus became pope, a new Emperor, Titus, destroyed the City of Jerusalem, then the hub of Christianity. Until then, Christians were considered a sect of the Jews. Cletus was a Greek ordained by St. Peter. As Pope, St. Cletus ordained at least 25 priests. Here was a man of great faith who knew the dangers he faced by leading the Church.

Pope, St Marcellinus I, Martyr

As for St. Marcellinus, he died in 304, one year after St. George was martyred during the great Diocletian persecution. During this persecution, Roman authorities confiscated the Callistus Catacomb, which for 100 years had been the official cemetery of the Church of Rome. Martyrs and Popes had been buried there. Christians blocked the main entrances to the catacomb to protect the tombs. It is hard to imagine living and dying in such a time.

 

Sts. Cletus and Marcellinus’s lives tell us that, as improbable as it seems, the Church is indestructible, no matter the filth within the Church or the attacks from outside Her. We must continue to pray for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and for the current one Francis (That's a weird deal there, isn't it?); and for children damaged by priest-criminals, and, yes, for the souls of their predators, too.

 

By Frank Weathers patheos.com

 

More on these two:
 

St. Cletus was a disciple of St. Peter, and became the third Bishop of Rome, succeeding to St. Linus, which circumstance alone commends his eminent virtue among the first disciples of St. Peter in the West. He was the first Pope who in his letters used the words 'Health and Apostolic benediction'. A church and a hospital founded by him, though ruined and rebuilt several times, survived until the 18^th century, and the memory of his charity was so well conserved by the Romans, that the Crucifers ( The term "crucifer" comes from the Latin crux (cross) and ferre (to bear, carry). It thus literally means "cross-bearer"), who then were still serving in his hospice, considered him their founder.  He served twelve years, seven months, and two days.

St. Cletus was martyred after the peaceful reign of the Emperor Titus, when Domitian replaced him; the date was April 26^th of the year 89. He was buried near Saint Peter in the Vatican, where his relics are still.

St. Marcellinus, who was of Roman origin, succeeded St. Caius as bishop of Rome in 296, about the time that Diocletian set himself up for a deity, impiously claiming divine honors. In those stormy times of persecution, seventeen thousand Christians of all ages and both sexes were put to death in the various provinces, churches were destroyed, and heaven was populated with martyrs.

St. Marcellinus was beheaded with three others, Claudius, Cyrinus, and Antonius, and their bodies remained without burial in the forum for thirty-six days, to strike fear into the hearts of their fellows. It was on the 26^th of April in the year 304 that a priest named Marcellus came at night, with other priests and deacons of Rome, to gather up their relics, which they laid to rest in the Priscilla catacomb.  Marcellus had received an admonition in his sleep from St. Peter himself, to take care of the body of this Pope.

Reflection. It is a fundamental maxim of Christian morality, and a truth which Christ has established in the clearest terms by innumerable passages of the Gospel, that the cross, sufferings and mortification are the road to eternal happiness. Our Lord Himself, our model and our Head, walked on that path, and His great Apostle reminds us that He entered into bliss only by His blood and His Cross. (Heb. 9:12)




PRAYER:

Lord,  hear the prayers of the martyrs   Sts. Cletus and Marcellinus
and give us courage to bear witness to your Truth.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

St. Mark, Evangelist

Today is the day for St. Mark, the Evangelist. He was like a secretary to St. Peter. His Gospel could almost be called St. Peter's, if you ask me, because it has in it things that presume someone actually saw happen (Peter). Anyway, he is called the 'Lion', who is beside the Man (St. Matthew), the 'Ox' (St. Luke), and the 'Eagle' (St. John). His was the first Gospel to be written. His Gospel is also the shortest (like Peter's letters), but with a punch, like the others. The Old Testament has four main representatives: Isaias, Jeremias, Ezechiel, and Daniel. The New Testament also has four: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, who were to make known to the world the life and teachings of God's divine Son. St. Mark fulfills that role of the Lion, for he starts out his Gospel with the preaching of John the Baptist, whose office as precursor of the Messias had been foretold by Isaias, where he spoke of the voice of one crying in the wilderness--as the Lion that makes the desert echo with his roar. He was also a Martyr, but not til after building a Church at Alexandria, and converting many. I believe that it was his house where the Apostles met in Jerusalem, as well as to where the Last Supper took place, giving us the Holy Eucharist. He is considered one of the 'Four' living creatures who stand before the Throne of the Apocalypse, and are listed in Ezechiel (1:10-14). Here are those passages (I present verses 5-14):

5  And in the midst thereof the likeness of four living creatures: and this was their appearance: there was the likeness of a man in them.

6  Every one had four faces, and every one four wings.

 

7  Their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their foot was like the sole of a calf’s foot, and they sparkled like the appearance of glowing brass.

 

8  And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides: and they had faces, and wings on the four sides,

 

9  And the wings of one were joined to the wings of another. They turned not when they went: but every one went straight forward.

 

10  And as for the likeness of their faces: there was the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side of all the four: and the face of an ox, on the left side of all the four: and the face of an eagle over all the four.

 

11  And their faces, and their wings were stretched upward: two wings of every one were joined, and two covered their bodies:

 

12  And every one of them went straight forward: whither the impulse of the spirit was to go, thither they went: and they turned not when they went.

 

13  And as for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like that of burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps. This was the vision running to and fro in the midst of the living creatures, a bright fire, and lightning going forth from the fire.

 

14  And the living creatures ran and returned like flashes of lightning.

 

(What do you think about it?  Ezechiel saw images that exactly represent the four Evangelists)

 

 

Learn from Saint Mark's Gospel to keep the image of the Son of man ever before your mind, and to ponder every syllable which fell from His lips.

NOTE: If we say the 'Litany of the Saints'  on this day, we may earn a plenary indulgence of 10 years. We can ALL use this. Please pray it:
THE LITANY OF THE SAINTS


The Litany of the saints is one of the oldest Catholic prayers still in use. It was prayed in earlier forms in the procession of St. Mamertus, the Bishop of Vienna, in the fifth century, and in St. Gregory the Great’s Litania Septiformis ("sevenfold procession") of the clergy and the faithful, which followed a terrible spate of floods and disease in Rome in 590. Its stature is such that it is one of only six litanies authorized for use in public services by the Holy See.

The Litany of the Saints is often recited or sung in a shorter form than the one given below (which is itself an abridged version!) on All Saints Day (naturally enough!). It is a moving appeal for help from many of our greatest saints, as well as for divine protection.

The Litany of the Saints is also often a special part of both the Easter Vigil (the mass in which those who have received instruction in our faith are baptized) and Ordination Masses for priests, deacons, and bishops, as well.

It can be prayed alone or in a group setting. (As in a church service, the group responds to a leader with the italicized words below. Each response in the Litany of the Saints is repeated after each line until a change appears.)

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. (repeat after each line)
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
God the Holy Ghost,
Holy Trinity, one God,

Holy Mary, pray for us (repeat after each line)
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
St. Michael,
St. Gabriel,
St. Raphael,
All you holy angels and archangels,
All you holy orders of blessed spirits,
St. John the Baptist,
St. Joseph,
All you holy patriarchs and prophets,
St. Peter,
St. Paul,
St. Andrew,
St. James,
St. John,
St. Thomas,
St. James,
St. Philip,
St. Bartholomew,
St. Matthew,
St. Simon,
St. Thaddeus,
St. Matthias,
St. Barnabas,
St. Luke,
St. Mark,
All you holy apostles and evangelists,
All you holy disciples of our Lord,
All you holy innocents,
St. Stephen,
St. Lawrence,
St. Vincent,
SS. Fabian and Sebastian,
SS. John and Paul,
SS. Cosmas and Damian,
SS. Gervase and Protase,
All you holy Martyrs,
St. Sylvester,
St. Gregory,
St. Ambrose,
St. Augustine,
St. Jerome,
St. Martin,
St. Nicholas,
All you holy bishops and confessors,
All you holy doctors,
St. Anthony,
St. Benedict,
St. Bernard,
St. Dominic,
St. Francis,
All you holy priests and levites,
All you holy monks and hermits,
St. Mary Magdalen,
St. Agatha,
St. Lucy,
St. Agnes,
St. Cecilia,
St. Catherine,
St. Anastasia,
All you holy virgins and widows,
All you holy men and women, saints of God, intercede for us.
Be merciful, spare us, O Lord.
Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Lord.

From all evil, deliver us, O Lord. (repeat after each line)
From all sin,
From Thy wrath,
From a sudden and unprovided death,
From the deciets of the devil,
From anger, and hatred, and all ill-will,
From the spirit of fornication,
From lightning and tempest,
From the scourge of earthquakes,
From plague, famine and war,
From everlasting death,
By the mystery of Thy holy incarnation,
By Thy coming,
By Thy nativity,
By Thy baptism and holy fasting,
By Thy Cross and Passion,
By Thy Death and burial,
By Thy holy Resurrection,
By Thine admirable Ascension,
By the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete.
On the day of judgment.

We sinners, we beseech Thee, hear us (repeat after each line)
That Thou wouldst spare us,
That Thou wouldst pardon us,
That Thou wouldst bring us to true penance,
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to govern and preserve Thy Holy Church,
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve our Apostolic Prelate, and all ecclesiastical orders in holy religion,
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to humble the enemies of holy Church,
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give peace and true concord to Christian kings and princes,
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant peace and unity to all Christian peoples,
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to ring back to the unity of the Church all who have strayed away, and lead to the light of the Gospel all unbelievers,
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to confirm and preserve us in Thy holy service,
That Thou wouldst lift up our minds to heavenly desires,
That Thou wouldst render eternal blessings to all our benefactors,
That Thou wouldst deliver our souls, and the souls of our brethren, relatives, and benefactors from eternal damnation,
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give and preserve the fruits of the earth,
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed,
That Thou wouldst vouchsafe graciously to hear us, Son of God,

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.

Our Father, etc. (inaudibly)

V. And lead us not into temptation
R. But deliver us from evil.

The Litany of the Saints reminds us of a moving line about them from one of the Eucharistic prayers to God the Father said at Mass: “May their merits and prayers gain us Your constant help and protection.”

St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen

SAINT FIDELIS of SIGMARINGEN
Martyr  (1577-1622)

St. Fidelis was born of noble parents at Sigmaringen in what is now Prussia, in 1577. In his youth he frequently approached the Sacraments, visited the sick and the poor, and spent many hours before the altar. For a time he followed the legal profession and was remarkable for his advocacy of the poor and his respectful language towards his opponents.

Finding it difficult to be both a rich lawyer and a good Christian, Fidelis entered the Capuchin Order and embraced a life of austerity and prayer. Hair shirts, iron-pointed girdles, and disciplines were penances too light for his fervor. At Weltkirchen, where he was Superior of the convent during an outbreak of the plague, he devoted himself indefatigably to the care of the sick soldiers and citizens. Animated by a desire for martyrdom, he rejoiced at being sent with several fellow Capuchins on a mission to Switzerland, which the newly-founded Congregation of the Propaganda named him to preside. There he braved every peril to rescue souls from the errors of Calvin.

When preaching one day at Sevis he was fired at by a Calvinist, but fear of death could not deter him from proclaiming Divine Truth. After his sermon, when leaving the city he was waylaid by a body of his enemies, who attacked him and tried to force him to embrace their so-called reform. But he said, "I came to refute your errors, not to embrace them; I will never renounce Catholic doctrine, which is the truth of all ages, and I fear not death." On this they fell upon him with their daggers; and the first martyr of the Propaganda, losing his life for Christ, went to find in heaven the veritable life his Master promised to all who are losers for His sake.


Our Risen Lord would have around Him a bright phalanx of martyrs.  Its privileged members belong to the different centuries of the Church's existence.  Its ranks open today to give welcome to a brave combatant, who won his palm, not in a contest with paganism, as those did whose feasts we have thus far kept, but in defending his mother, the Church, against her own rebellious children.  They were heretics that slew this day's martyr, and the century that was honored with his triumph was the seventeenth.

Fidelis was worthy of his beautiful name.  Neither difficulty nor menace could make him fail in his duty.  During his whole life, he had but the glory and service of his divine Lord in view:  and when the time came for him to face the fatal danger, he did so, calmly but fearlessly, as behooved a disciple of the Jesus who went forth to meet his enemies.  Honor, then, be today to the brave son of St. Francis, who confronted the Saracens, and was a martyr in desire!

Protestantism was established and rooted by he shedding of torrents of blood; and yet protestants count it as a great crime that, here and there, the children of the True Church made an armed resistance against them.  The heresy of the 16th was the cruel and untiring persecutor of men, whose only crime was their adhesion to the old Faith--the Faith that had civilized the world.  The so-called 'Reformation' proclaimed liberty in matters of religion, and massacred Catholics who exercised this liberty, and prayed and believed as their ancestors had done for long ages before Luther and Calvin were born.  A Catholic who gives heretics credit for sincerity when they talk about religious toleration, proves that he knows nothing of either the past or the present.  there is a fatal instinct in error, which leads it to hate the Truth; and the True Church, by its unchangeableness, is a perpetual reproach to them that refuse to be her children.  Heresy starts with an attempt to annihilate them that remain faithful; when it has grown tired of open persecution it vents its spleen in insults and calumnies; and when these do not produce the desired effect, hypocrisy comes in with its assurances of friendly forbearance.  The history of Protestant Europe, during the last three (five) centuries, confirms these statements; it also justifies us in honoring those courageous servants of God who, during that same period, have died for the ancient Faith.

Reflection. We delight in decorating the altars of God with flowers, lights, and jewels, and it is right to do so; but if we wish to offer to God gifts of higher value, let us, in imitation of Saint Fidelis, labor to save souls who would be lost; that is to offer Him the ornaments of paradise which He so ardently longs to acquire.

Prayer from the Liturgical Year, 1877

How truly couldst thou, O Fidelis! say with the Apostle: I have finished my course (II. Tim. iv. 7)! Yea, thy death was even more beautiful than thy life, holy as that was. How admirable the calmness wherewith thou receivedst death! how grand the joy wherewith thou didst welcome the blows of thine enemies,--thine, because they were those of the Church! Thy dying prayer, like Stephen's, was for them; for the Catholic, while he hates heresy, must love the heretics who put him to death. Pray, O holy Martyr, for the children of the Church. Obtain for them an appreciation of the value of Faith, and of the favour of God bestowed on them when he made them members of the true Church. May they be on their guard against the many false doctrines, which are now current through the world. May they not be shaken by the scandals which abound in this our age of effeminacy and pride. It is Faith that is to bring us to our Risen Jesus: and He urges us to it by the words he addressed to Thomas: Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed (St. John, xx. 29)!
Of this number we wish to be; and therefore is it, that we cling to the Church, the sovereign mistress of Faith. We wish to believe her, and not Human Reason, which has neither the power to fathom the Word of God, nor the right to sit in judgment over it. Jesus has willed, that this holy Faith should come down to us bearing on itself the strengthening testimony of the Martyrs; and each age has had its Martyrs. Glory to thee, O Fidelis, who didst win thy palm by combating the errors of the pretended Reformation! Take a Martyr's revenge, and pray without ceasing, to our Jesus, that He would bring all heretics back to the Faith and to union with the Church. They are our Brethren by Baptism; pray for them, that they may return to the Fold, and that we may one day celebrate with them the true Paschal Banquet, wherein the Lamb of God gives Himself to be our food, not figuratively, as in the Old Law, but really and truly, as becometh the New Covenant. Amen

 

St. George, Martyr

Have you noticed that in our liturgical year, we are shown the lives who have been involved in the entire life of Christ? From the Magi, to the Apostles, to all involved in His death, the year gives us these prime examples of heroism to try to emulate. After the Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are given many martyrs who gave their lives for this same Person and His teachings. Today is such a person, St. George. He is often seen slaying a dragon or saving a damsel in distress, and is considered the patron saint of Christian soldiers. It was often wondered if he was a person at all, or maybe just a myth, used to inspire those being lead to their death. But, he is listed in the annals of early Christian writing. He was being tortured, and while he was, the wife of the emperor saw his bravery and also converted, and following this was her death.

 

Saint George was born in Palestine of Christian parents, towards the close of the third century. In early youth he chose a soldier's life, and soon obtained the favor of Diocletian, who advanced him to the grade of tribune. But when the emperor began to persecute the Christians, George rebuked him at once for his cruelty, sternly and openly, and announced his resignation. Having foreseen that the words he would say might bring about his death, he had first distributed his wealth and clothing to the poor.

"Young man," Diocletian said to him, "think of your future!" "I am a Christian," George replied, "and nothing in this world is the object either of my ambition or my regret. Nothing can shake my faith.  I worship the only true God, whose service, neither fear of the anger of a mortal man, nor the loss of my earthly possessions, can cause me to abandon. I shall consider it my highest honor to be permitted to shed my blood, in the defense of His Holy Name. That you speak so irreverently of Christianity and its Founder is only to be ascribed to your ignorance. If you were better instructed you would speak differently." Then turning to the emperor he said, "Oh! how much would it redound to the advantage of your Majesty if you would worship with me the God of the Christians! The kingdom He would give you in the other world would be incomparably greater than that which you now possess."

It is impossible to describe the wrath of the emperor on hearing so unexpected a confession. He immediately ordered that the valiant confessor of Christ should be fettered with heavy chains and be thrown into a dark dungeon. The following day he was bound to a wheel which was set with sharply pointed irons, and was rolled up and down on it so long that his whole body seemed to be one great wound. During this dreadful torture, which the Christian hero cheerfully endured, appearing almost insensible to pain, a Voice from heaven was distinctly heard, saying: "Fear not, for I am with thee; combat bravely." After the torture, St. George was dragged again into the dungeon, where he thanked God for the strength vouchsafed to him, admonished all Christians who came to see him to be constant in their faith, and healed several sick persons by making the sign of the cross over them. The Almighty sent an angel to him who cured his wounds and exhorted him to remain faithful. When, the next morning, he was brought before the emperor, the latter ascribed the complete restoration of the Saint to witchcraft, and again tried to persuade him to the worship of the idols. The Saint desired to see the idols he was requested to adore. The emperor, thinking that his eloquence had prevailed over the constancy of the Saint, led him, accompanied by the empress, and followed by all the counsellors, into the temple of an idol. The Saint, after having looked around for one moment, placed himself before a statue of Apollo, and asked: "Is it thou who demanded of me the sacrifice which is due only to the true God of heaven and earth?" Having said this, he made the sign of the holy cross towards the image, when the devil, who was hidden in it, cried, with dreadful roaring: "No! no! I am no God. There is no other God than He whom thou dost worship." "How dare you then, remain in my presence?" said St. George; and hardly had the words passed his lips, when, amid a terrible howling and lamenting all the idols fell down from their altars and burst into a thousand pieces. The idolatrous priest beholding this, uttered loud cries demanding vengeance, and the emperor, foaming with rage, commanded them to torture the magician (thus he called St. George) in the most unheard-of manner.

It is the opinion of many that St. George was the first who fell a victim to the fury of Diocletian against the Christians, and that in order to frighten others he gave full sway to his cruelty in torturing the Saint. At last, however, convinced that he could effect nothing with the Saint, he ordered that the invincible follower of Christ should be decapitated. The Empress Alexandra was led to execution at the same time. She had secretly embraced Christianity some time before, but not until she was witness of the above described scene in the temple, had she the courage to confess openly that she also adored the God of the Christians. Many others were converted at the same time, who afterwards sealed with their blood the truth of their Faith.

While proceeding with a joyful heart to the place of execution, the empress prayed unceasingly, raising her eyes to heaven. Having arrived there, St. George knelt down, and after thanking God that he had been a Christian from his infancy and had been strengthened to remain so until his end, he prayed most fervently that the Almighty might have compassion on the heathens, that light might be given to them, and that they might all be brought to the knowledge of the true faith. After this he fearlessly offered his head and received the death stroke from the hands of the executioner.



Saint Bruno (1030?-1101)wrote: "What shall I say of fortitude, without which neither wisdom nor justice is of any value? Fortitude is not of the body, but is a constancy of soul; with it we are conquerors in righteousness, patiently bearing all adversities, and in prosperity are not puffed up. Fortitude is never conquered, or if conquered, is not fortitude."

I would like to end with the words of St. Paul, when he wrote to the Ephesians:

'Take unto you the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of justice, and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. In all things taking the shield of Faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one. And take unto you the helmet of the hope of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.'

I would like, if anyone is allowed, to see my funeral, and hear the people there say: "He kept the Faith."

Wear your sacramentals and pray the Rosary, as well as any other prayers you do. We need all the heavenly help we can get. And, since she said at Fatima in 1917:  "Only I can help you", let's give her some extra attention and ask for her powerful intercession. She will indeed help us if we only ask her to.

3rd Sunday after Easter

The Church continues to encourage us in joy because of Christ's resurrection, and sings at the Introit of this day's Mass: Shout with joy to God all the earth, Alleluia: Sing ye a psalm to His name, Alleluia. Give glory to his praise. Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia. (Ps. lxv.) Say unto God: How terrible are thy works, O Lord! Thy great power shall convict thy enemies of a lie. Glory be etc.

Our Lord Jesus Christ has conquered the chains of death. For forty days we fasted and prayed during Lent and now we partake of the fifty days of celebration for Easter. The Alleluia from the 1962 Missal so beautifully sings of the hope and victory still deserving to be proclaimed on the mountaintops: “Alleluia, Alleluia. The Lord hath sent redemption to His people. Alleluia. It behooved Christ to suffer and to rise again from the death, and so to enter into His glory. Alleluia.”

What is truly profound is that Jesus Christ really and physically rose from the dead! It is a historical event. Not just His soul rose, but also He bodily rose from the dead after dying on the Cross and descending into Hell. As is stated in the visions recorded in 'The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ', our Lord, at the instance of His death on the Cross, descended to the Limbo of the Fathers, Purgatory, and Hell. In the Limbo of the Fathers, He preached to the patriarchs, prophets, and holy people that had died before Heaven was opened by His death (1 Peter 4:6). Included among these people was Adam and Eve. What many people are not taught is that the exact place of Jesus' Crucifixion on Mt. Calvary is exactly above the spot where the first Adam was interred. The Body of the New Adam (Jesus) covered that of the Old Adam! Jesus also went to Purgatory and gazed upon Hell. According to 'The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ,' by St. Catherine Emmerich, Jesus spoke with Judas, who was in Hell.

According to the previously mentioned book, Jesus also commanded nearly 100 of the holy people in the Limbo of the Fathers to re-enter their bodies temporarily. He then commanded them to visit their relatives and preach the truth - that Jesus Christ was the salvation of the world. With the darkness and earthquakes too, many people were converted and believed after the Crucifixion. All of this took place roughly 1 hour after Jesus died on the Cross. Yet, the Patriarchs, Prophets, etc. in their bodies did not look like Jesus's glorified bodies. They merely re-entered their bodies temporarily to fulfill the command of Jesus. Afterwards, their souls again left their bodies. On that day, the Limbo of the Fathers was forever closed. Heaven was opened by the death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ (CCC 1026).

Concerning Jesus, Scripture attests, 'He is the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep' (1 Cor. 15:12). With His glorified Body, He is no longer bound by the limitations of time, space, or physics. As we believe as part of the Faith also, Mother Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven. They remain the only two people to have a glorified body. But we too shall follow! That is our hope! The very same Body we have now will be raised again at Judgment. For we, unlike Mary (e.g. Immaculate Conception) and Jesus, are sinners, so our Resurrection is yet to come. At the time of Judgment, all people will be united with their bodies. At that time, the Prophets, Patriarchs, Saints, etc., will all receive a glorified body.


The reading of the GOSPEL for this Sunday(John XVI. 16‑22.)

At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: "A little while, and now you shall not see me: and again a little while, and you shall see me: because I go to the Father." Then some of his disciples said one to another: What is this that he saith to us: A little while, and you shall not see me: and again a little while, and you shall see me, and, because I go to the Father? They said therefore: What is this that he saith, A little while? We know not what he speaketh. And Jesus knew that they had a mind to ask him, and he said to them: "Of this do you inquire among yourselves, because I said: A little while, and you shall not see me: and again a little while and you shall see me. Amen, amen I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice: and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman, when she is in labor, hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she hath brought forth the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. So also you now indeed have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice: and your joy no man shall take from you."

What is the meaning of Christ's words: A little while and you shall not see me; and again a little while and you shall see me?

St. John Chrysostom applies these words, which Christ spoke to His apostles a few hours before His passion, to the time between the death of Jesus and His Resurrection; but St. Augustine, to the time between the Resurrection and the Ascension, and then to the Last judgment at the end of the world, and he adds: "This little while seems long to us living, but ended, we feel how short it is." In affliction we should console ourselves by reflecting, how soon it will terminate, and that it cannot be compared with the future glory, that is awaiting eternally in heaven him who patiently endures.


Why did our Saviour tell His disciples of their future joys and sufferings?

That they might the more easily bear the sufferings that were to come, because we can be prepared for suf­ferings which we know are pending; because He knew that their sufferings would be only slight and momentary in comparison with the everlasting joy which awaited them, like the pains of a woman in giving birth to a child which are great indeed, but short, and soon forgotten by the mother in joy at the birth of the child. "Tell me" says St. John Chrysostom, "if you were elected king but were obliged to spend the night preceding your entrance into your capital city where you were to be crowned, if you were compelled to pass that night in much discomfort in a stable, would you not joyfully endure it in the expectation of your kingdom? And why should not we, in this valley of tears, willingly live through adversities, in expectation of one day obtaining the kingdom of heaven?"

Enlighten us, O Holy Spirit! that we may realize that this present life and all its hardships are but slight and momentary, and strengthen me that we may endure patiently the adversities of life in the hope of future heavenly joys.


CONSOLATION IN TRIALS AND ADVERSITIES
You shall lament and weep. (John XVI. 20.)

That Christian is, most foolish who fancies that the happiness of this world consists in honors, wealth, and pleasures, while Christ, the eternal Truth, teaches the contrary, promising eternal happiness to the poor and oppressed, and announcing eternal affliction and lamentation to those rich ones who have their comfort in this world. How much, then, are those to be pitied who as Christians believe, and yet live as if these truths were not for them, and who think only how they can spend their days in luxury, hoping at the same time to go to heaven where all the saints, even Christ the Son of God Himself and His Mother, have entered only by crosses and sufferings.

And, we know, that God Almighty will not send us anything which He knows that we cannot bear. He is testing us and strengthening us all the while.


PRAYER IN TRIBULATION:

O best Jesus! who hast revealed, that we can enter heaven only by many tribulations (Acts xiv. 21.), hast called them blessed who in this world are sad, oppressed, and persecuted, but patiently suffer, and will therefore be consoled and rejoiced, and who hast also taught us, that without the will of Thy Heavenly Father, not the slightest evil is done, not one hair of our head can be bent (Luke xxi. 13.): I firmly believe, that I shall become the more happy the more I am persecuted and oppressed, if I only patiently suffer. I therefore submit entirely to Thy divine will, for I know that even though all hell, with its adherents, should rise against me, it could do me not the slightest injury without Thy permission.

St. Anselm, Bishop/Doctor

SAINT ANSELM
Archbishop of Canterbury
(1034-1109)

Today is the day we honor yet another Bishop and Doctor of the Church. He was a martyr, also, at least in desire and in merit too. When we think about Anselm, we picture to ourselves a man in whom are combined the humility and meekness of the cloister (since he was a monk), and with the zeal and courage of the episcopal dignity; a man who was both a sage and a saint; a man whom it was impossible not to love and respect. We need more like him today, if you ask me. I like his writings. He puts things so simply, yet with a force to be reckoned with, just as our Lord did. As Bishop, his whole life was spent in fighting for the liberty of the Church. Though gentle as a lamb by nature, he was all energy for this great cause. He used to say: "Christ would not have His Spouse be a slave; there is nothing in this world that God loves more than the liberty of His Church." There was a time when the Son of God allowed Himself to be fettered with bonds in order that He might loosen us from the chains of our sins; but now that He has risen in triumph from the dead, He wills that His Spouse should be, like Himself, free.

As our beloved Abbot Gueranger states: 'St. Anselm would have abominated all such theories such as progress and modern society; he knows that there is nothing on earth equal to the Church; and when he sees the world convulsed by revolutions; he knows that all comes from the Church having been deprived of her rights. One of these is that she should not only be recognized, in the secret of our conscience, as the one only True Church, but that, as such, she should be publicly confessed and outwardly defended against every opposition or error. Jesus, her divine Founder, promised to give her all nations as her inheritance; He kept His promise, and she was once the queen and mother of them all. But nowadays, a new principle has been asserted, to the effect that the Church and all sects must be on an equal footing as far as the protection of the State goes. The principle has been received with acclamation, and hailed as a mighty progress achieved by modern enlightenment: even Catholics, whose previous services to religion had endeared them to our hearts and gained our confidence, have become warm defenders of the impious theory.'

Keep in mind that these books (The Liturgical Year) were written over a hundred years ago. Seems like nothing changes, doesn't it? We have leaders today who spit out nonsense to us; this tripe; and expect us to say: "Yum"! Don't eat this tripe, and don't drink the grape-flavored drink(cruel-aid).

Saint Anselm of Canterbury - More Quotes (exercising your mind):

 

'I acknowledge, Lord, and I give thanks that you have created your image in me, so that I may remember you, think of you, love you. But this image is so obliterated and worn away by wickedness, it is so obscured by the smoke of sins, that it cannot do what it was created to do, unless you renew and reform it. I am not attempting, O Lord, to penetrate your loftiness, for I cannot begin to match my understanding with it, but I desire in some measure to understand your truth, which my heart believes and loves. For I do not seek to understand in order that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this too I believe, that "unless I believe, I shall not understand." (Isaiah 7:9)'

"I have written the little work that follows . . . in the role of one who strives to raise his mind to the contemplation of God and one who seeks to understand what he believes."

"My God, I pray that I may so know you and love you that I may rejoice in you. And if I may not do so fully in this life let me go steadily on to the day when I come to that fullness . . . Let me receive That which you promised through your truth, that my joy may be full."

"God often works more by the life of the illiterate seeking the things that are God's, rather than by the ability of the learned seeking the things that are their own."

"No created being has anything from itself. For how could a thing which does not exist from itself have anything from itself? Moreover, if there is not anything except the One Who has created and the things created by Him, it is clear that nothing at all can exist except the One Who has created and what He has created."
De Casu Diaboli I. 1085-90.


"[The Devil] freely lost the will which he had. And just as he received the possession of it for as long as he had it, so he was able to receive the permanent keeping of what he deserted. But because he deserted, he did not receive. Therefore, that which he did not receive to keep because he deserted it, he did not receive not because God did not give it, but, rather, God did not give it because he did not receive it."
De Casu Diaboli III. 1085-90.

"Then, since [Satan] cannot be called just or unjust merely because he wills happiness or merely because he wills what is fitting (for he would will these of necessity), and since he neither can nor ought to be happy unless he wills to be happy and wills justly, it is necessary for God to make both wills so agree in him that he wills to be happy and wills justly.."
De Casu Diaboli XIV. 1085-90.

"Since we believe that God is truth, and since we say that truth is in many other things, I would like to know whether in whatever things it is said to be we ought to affirm that truth is God. For in your Monologion, by appealing to the truth of a statement, you too demonstrate that the Supreme Truth has no beginning and no end:"
DeVeritate I. 1080-86.

"By whose evil will it is committed (concipitur), it ought not to be. In this way, then, the Lord Jesus ought not to have undergone death because He alone [among men] was innocent; and no one ought to have inflicted death upon Him; nevertheless, He ought to have undergone death because He wisely and graciously and usefully willed to undergo it."
DeVeritate VIII. 1080-86.


"Let us see, then, how extensive the truth of signification is. For there is a true or a false signification not only in those things which we ordinarily call signs but also in all the other things which we have discussed. For since someone should do only what he ought to do, then by the very fact that someone does something, he says and signifies that he ought to do it. Now, if [morally speaking] he ought to do what he does, he speaks the truth. But if [morally speaking] he ought not [to do what he does], he speaks a lie."
DeVeritate IX. 1080-86.

"0 Lord: my heart is made bitter by its own desolation; sweeten it by Your consolation. I beseech You, 0 Lord, that having begun in hunger to seek You, I may not finish without partaking of You. I set out famished; let me not return still unfed."
Prologion, I. 1077/78.

"To what was I aspiring?, for what do I sigh? I sought after good things and, behold, [here is] turmoil. I was striving unto God but collided with myself."
Prologion, I. 1077/78.

"So even the Fool is convinced that something than which nothing greater can be thought is at least in his understanding; for when he hears of this [being], he understands [what he hears], and whatever is understood is in the understanding. But surely that than which a greater cannot be thought cannot be only in the understanding. For if it were only in the understanding, it could be thought to exist also in reality."
Prologion, II. 1077/78.

"Hence, something than which a greater cannot be thought exists so truly that it cannot even be thought not to exist. And You are this , 0 Lord our God. Therefore, 0 Lord my God, You exist so truly that You cannot even be thought not to exist. And this is rightly the case. For if any mind could think of something better than You, the creature would rise above the Creator and would sit in judgment over the Creator; something which is utterly absurd. Indeed, except for You alone, whatever else exists can be thought not to exist. Therefore, You alone exist most truly of all and thus most greatly of all; for whatever else exists does not exist as truly [as do You] and thus exists less greatly [than do You]. Since, then, it is so readily clear to a rational mind that You exist most greatly of all, why did the Fool say in his heart that God does not exist? Why , except because [he is] foolish and a fool!"
Prologion, III. 1077/78

"Yet, it is also just that You punish those who are evil. For what is more just than for those who are good to receive good things and for those who are evil to receive bad things? But, then, how is it just for You to punish those who are evil and likewise just for You to spare them? Do You justly punish them in one respect and justly spare them in another? For when You punish those who are evil, it is just because suits their merits. But when You spare them, it is just, not because [sparing them] suits their merits but because it befits Your goodness. For in sparing them, You are just in Yourself but are not just from our viewpoint, even as You are merciful from our viewpoint but are not merciful in Yourself. For in saving us whom You could justly damn, You are just not because You requite us as we deserve but because You do what befits You as supremely good, even as You are merciful not because You experience any emotion but because we experience the effect [of Your mercy]. So, then, without inconsistency, You both punish justly and spare justly."
Prologion, X. 1077/78.

"How vast that Truth is in which resides everything that is true and outside of which there is only nothing and what is false! How immense that Truth which beholds in one spectrum all created things and beholds by whom, through whom, and in what manner [all things] were created from nothing! What purity, what simplicity, what assurance and splendor are present there! Surely, [these] surpass what can be understood by any creature."
Prologion, XIV. 1077/78.

"Amidst Your blessedness and light, 0 Lord, You are still hidden from my soul. Therefore, my soul still dwells in darkness and in its own unhappiness. For it looks in all directions but does not see Your beauty. It listens but does not hear Your harmony. It fills its nostrils but does not smell Your fragrance. It tastes but does not savor Your succulence. It feels but does not detect Your softness. For in Your ineffable manner, 0 Lord God, You have these [features] within You; and You have bestowed them, in their own perceptible manner, upon the things created by You. But the senses of my soul have been stiffened and deadened and impaired by the old-time infirmity of sin."
Prologion, XVII. 1077/78.


"Therefore, since it is certain that if compared with one another all good things are either equally or unequally good, it is necessary that all things are good through something which is understood to be identical in different goods; although at times, ostensibly, some things are said to be good through something else."
Monologion, Chapter one. 1075/76.

"Just as something has been found to be supremely good inasmuch as all good things are good through some one thing which is good through itself, so it follows necessarily that something is supremely great inasmuch as whatever things are great are great through some one thing which is great through itself. I do not mean great in size, as is a material object; but that the greater the better or more excellent it is; as in the case of wisdom. Now, since only what is supremely good can be supremely great, it is necessary that something be the greatest and the best, i.e., the highest, of all existing things"
Monologion, Chapter two. 1075/76.


"But to question whether or not [the rational soul] will enjoy Supreme Beatitude endlessly would be very foolish. For while enjoying this Beatitude, [the soul] cannot be tormented by fear or deceived by a false security. Nor having experienced the need of this Beatitude can [the soul] keep from loving it. Nor will Supreme Beatitude forsake [a soul] which loves it. Nor will there be anything more powerful which will separate it and the soul against their wills. Therefore, any soul which once begins to enjoy Supreme Beatitude will be eternally happy."
Monologion, Chapter seventy. 1075/76.

"[And, most clearly, this Spirit is the one] from whom alone good fortune is to be hoped for, to whom alone flight from adversity is to be taken, and of whom alone supplication is to be made for anything whatsoever. Truly, then, this Spirit not only is God but is the only God; ineffably Three and One."
Monologion, Chapter eighty. 1075/76.


Our beloved Abbot Gueranger ends with this:

'Obtain for us, O holy Doctor, that 'our Faith,' like thine, 'may seek understanding.' Nowadays, there are many who blaspheme what they know not (Jude 10); but there are many also who know little or nothing of what they believe. Hence arise a deplorable confusion of ideas, compromises are made between Truth and error, and the only True doctrines are despised, scouted, or at least undefended. Pray to our heavenly Father, O Anselm, that He would bless the world with holy and learned men, who may teach the path of Truth, and dispel the mists of error; that thus the children of the Church may not be led astray.'
Like I said at the beginning, these books were written over a hundred years ago, but seem to be written today, which is experiencing so much turmoil.

And, please pray for my life-long friend Rick, who has his birthday today. Pray for his conversion. He won't know what hit him!