HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

Today is the day when the Constitution was actually signed. We had escaped, through blood and sweat, the tyranny of foreign powers telling us what to do. So now, here we are 200+ years later, and we find ourselves in the same spot our Founding Fathers were in. Foreign powers are telling our 'leaders' what they should to be doing. We need the Lord to help us through. Here are some more thoughts from our Founding Fathers, as well as a couple of others:

"And the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only basis: a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble when I reflect that God is just: that His justice cannot sleep forever." Thomas Jefferson

"I've lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: That God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We've been assured in the sacred writings that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who built it." Benjamin Franklin

"America needs God more than God needs America. If we ever forget that we are 'One Nation Under God', then we will be a nation gone under." Ronald Reagan

"Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe." James Madison

"We are a Christian people...not because the law demands it, not to gain exclusive benefits or to avoid disabilities, but from choice and education; and in a land thus universally Christian, what is to be expected, what desired, but that we shall pay due regard to Christianity?" Senate Judiciary Committee Report, January 19, 1853
"Is it not that in the human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Saviour?--that it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?" John Quincy Adams

"An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!...Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power...Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God Who presides over the destinies of nations and Who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us...Is life so dear, or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" Patrick Henry
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: the people whom He hath chosen for his inheritance." Psalm 32:12



Anyway, today I'm going to sit back, watch some fireworks, listen to some John Philip Sousa marches, and have a Sam Adams beer.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and a quote from St. Anselm: 'If you want to be certain of being in the number of the Elect, strive to be one of the few, not one of the many...'

Betsy Ross flag



As you celebrate the Fourth of July this weekend with family and friends, please take a moment to reflect on its true meaning—the Birth of our Christian Nation. Here are a few more quotes:

George Washington, in his Farewell Address, proclaimed:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. ”

John Adams, another Founding Father agreed:

“Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Patrick Henry, who proclaimed “Give me Liberty or give me death,” declared:

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians: not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”


Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, said:

“America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of the Holy Scripture."

Justice Brewer, in the 1892 case Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, stated:

“... this is a Christian nation.”


Justice William O. Douglas, in the 1952 case of Zorach v. Clauson, wrote:

"We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being...”

And the list goes on ...

The separation of church and state was never the intention of the First Amendment adopted by our Founding Fathers. The plain text simply prohibited the establishment of a national church. However, that all changed, beginning in the 1960's when the U.S. Supreme Court in its opinions declared war on Christianity.

As you celebrate the Fourth of July weekend, please remember ---

The Price of Freedom.
Take the time to honor the sacrifices for our freedom made by our fighting men and women throughout our history — From Lexington and Valley Forge, to Iraq and Afghanistan — and today, by our Special Forces in harm’s way in places known and unknown. Take a moment to thank our men and women in uniform and our veterans. And, please, pray for them.

Why we fly the Flag

History of the Flag
The United States Flag is the third oldest of the National Standards of the world; older than the Union Jack of Britain or the Tricolor of France.

The flag was first authorized by Congress June 14, 1777. This date is now observed as Flag Day throughout America.

The flag was first flown from Fort Stanwix, on the site of the present city of Rome, New York, on August 3, 1777. It was first under fire for three days later in the Battle of Oriskany, August 6, 1777.

It was first decreed that there should be a star and a stripe for each state, making thirteen of both; for the states at the time had just been erected from the original thirteen colonies.

The colors of the Flag may be thus explained: The red is for valor, zeal and fervency; the white for hope purity, cleanliness of life, and rectitude of conduct; the blue, the color of heaven, for reverence to God, loyalty, sincerity, justice and truth.

The star (an ancient symbol of India, Persia and Egypt) symbolized dominion and sovereignty, as well as lofty aspirations. The constellation of the stars within the union, one star for each state, is emblematic of our Federal Constitution, which reserves to the States their individual sovereignty except as to rights delegated by them to the Federal Government.

The symbolism of the Flag was thus interpreted by Washington: “We take the stars from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing Liberty.”

In 1791, Vermont, and in 1792, Kentucky were admitted to the Union and the number of stars and stripes was raised to fifteen in correspondence. As other states came into the Union it became evident there would be too many stripes. So in 1818 Congress enacted that the number of stripes be reduced and restricted henceforth to thirteen representing the thirteen original states; while a star should be added for each succeeding state. That law is the law of today.

The name “Old Glory” was given to our National Flag August 10, 1831, by Captain William Driver of the brig Charles Doggett.

The Flag was first carried in battle at the Brandywine, September 11, 1777. It first flew over foreign territory January 28, 1778, at Nassau, Bahama Islands; Fort Nassau having been captured by the American in the course of the war for independence. The first foreign salute to the flag was rendered by the french admiral LaMotte Piquet, off Quiberon Bay, February 13, 1778.

The United States Flag is unique in the deep and noble significance of its message to the entire world, a message of national independence, of individual liberty, of idealism, of patriotism.

It symbolizes national independence and popular sovereignty. It is not the Flag of a reigning family or royal house, but of 205 million free people welded into a Nation, one and inseparable, united not only by community of interest, but by vital unity of sentiment and purpose; a Nation distinguished for the clear individual conception of its citizens alike of their duties and their privileges, their obligations and their rights.

It incarnates for all mankind the spirit of Liberty and the glorious ideal of human Freedom; not the freedom of unrestraint or the liberty of license, but an unique ideal of equal opportunity for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, safeguarded by the stern and lofty principles of duty, of righteousness and of justice, and attainable by obedience to self-imposed laws.

Floating from lofty pinnacle of American Idealism, it is a beacon of enduring hope, like the famous Bartholdi Statue of Liberty enlightening the World to the oppressed of all lands. It floats over a wondrous assemblage of people from every racial stock of the earth whose united hearts constitute an indivisible and invincible force for the defense and succor of the downtrodden.

It embodies the essence of patriotism. Its spirit is the spirit of the American nation. Its history is the history of the American people. Emblazoned upon its folds in letters of living light are the names and fame of our heroic dead, the Fathers of the Republic who devoted upon its altars their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Twice told tales of National honor and glory cluster thickly about it. Ever victorious, it has emerged triumphant from eight great National conflicts. It flew at Saratog, at Yorktown, at Palo Alto, at Gettysburg, at Minala bay, at Chateau-Thierry, at Iwo Jima. It bears witness to the immense expansion of our national boundaries, the development of our natural resources, and the splendid structure of our civilization. It prophesies the triumph of popular government, of civic and religious liberty and of national righteousness throughout the world.

The flag first rose over thirteen states along the Atlantic seaboard, with a population of some three million people. Today it flies over fifty states, extending across the continent, and over great islands of the two oceans; and two hundred and five million owe it allegiance. It has been brought to this proud position by love and sacrifice. Citizens have advanced it and heroes have died for it. It is the sign made visible of the strong spirit that has brought liberty and prosperity to the people of America. It is the flag of all us alike. Let us accord it honor and loyalty.

Why do we fly the Flag, a poem:

"Why do you fly the flag today?"
My Grandson wants to know.
I fly it for the graveyards
where the countless crosses grow.

I fly the flag for children
whose fathers are a name.
A half-remembered memory
of a face within a frame.

I fly it for the families
of sons and daughters lost.
They know the price of liberty.
How terrible the cost!

I fly the flag for veterans
who lost their youth in blood.
And saw their comrades slaughtered
in the carnage and the mud.

I fly it for the ones who marched
in cadence off to war
to close their eyes forever
upon some foreign shore.

I fly the flag for grief poured out
upon a granite wall.
The laying-on of hands that heals
the scars within us all.

I fly it for the sound of Taps--
that melancholy tune
that lays to rest those honored dead
who always die too soon.

St. Irenaeus/Doctor of the Church

Today the Church of Lyons presents to the admiration of the whole world her own great Doctor, the valiant Irenaeus, who shines as the light of the West. But while contemplating him confirming with his own blood the doctrine he had preached, let us hearken to his words bearing testimony to holy Church, words of world-side celebrity, confounding hell and closing the mouth of heresy. Let us hearken to this zealous pupil of Polycarp, a disciple of St. John, the Apostle. Listen to him who for this very reason is considered to be the most authentic witness to the Faith in all the Churches of the second century, all which Churches bow down before Rome. He writes: For it behooves all the rest because of her superior principality to agree with her; in her do all the Faithful of whatsoever place preserve ever pure the Faith once preached to them. Great and venerable above all others because of her antiquity, known to all, founded by Peter and Paul, the two most glorious of the Apostles, her Bishops are, by their succession, the channel whereby Apostolic Tradition is transmitted to us in all its integrity: in such sort, that whosoever differs from her in his belief, by this fact alone stands confounded."

The Church is fortunate that Irenaeus was involved in many of its controversies in the second century. He was a student, well trained, no doubt, with great patience in investigating, tremendously protective of apostolic teaching, but prompted more by a desire to win over his opponents than to prove them in error.

As bishop of Lyons he was especially concerned with the Gnostics, who took their name from the Greek word for “knowledge.” Claiming access to secret knowledge imparted by Jesus to only a few disciples, their teaching was attracting and confusing many Christians. St. Irenaeus, chosen by God to oppose to the Gnostic arguments of his own powerful logic, and to re-establish, in opposition thereunto, the true sense of Holy Scripture, excelled most of all when, in the face of a thousand sects bearing on their brow the visible mark of the 'father of discord and lies', he pointed to the Church maintaining as sacred throughout the universe the whole of Tradition, just as received from the Apostles. After thoroughly investigating the various Gnostic sects and their “secret,” Irenaeus showed to what logical conclusions their tenets led. These he contrasted with the teaching of the Apostles and the text of Holy Scripture, giving us, in five books, a system of theology of great importance to subsequent times. Moreover, his work, widely used and translated into Latin and Armenian, gradually ended the influence of the Gnostics.

After he had preached that all were obligated to come to the True Faith, he was crowned with martyrdom, together with an almost countless multitude whom he had himself brought over to the knowledge and practice of the True Faith; he passed away unto heaven in the year of 202 AD. This was during the reign of Septimius Severius Augustus, who commanded that all those who persisted in the practice of the Christian religion should be condemned to the most cruel torments and death.

A group of Christians in Asia Minor had been excommunicated by Pope Victor I because of their refusal to accept the Western church’s date for celebrating Easter. Irenaeus, the “lover of peace” as his name indicates, interceded with the pope to lift the ban, indicating that this was not an essential matter and that these people were merely following an old tradition, one that men such as Saint Polycarp (February 23) and Pope Anicetus had not seen as divisive. The pope responded favorably and the rift was healed. Some one hundred years later, the Western practice was voluntarily adopted.


A deep and genuine concern for other people will remind us that the discovery of truth is not to be a victory for some and a defeat for others. Unless all can claim a share in that victory, truth itself will continue to be rejected by the losers, because it will be regarded as inseparable from the yoke of defeat. And so, confrontation, controversy and the like might yield to a genuine united search for God's truth and how it can best be served.


“So unbridled is their madness, that they declare they have in their power all things which are irreligious and impious, and are at liberty to practice them; for they maintain that things are evil or good, simply in virtue of human opinion. They deem it necessary, therefore, that by means of transmigration from body to body, souls should have experience of every kind of life as well as every kind of action (unless, indeed, by a single incarnation, one may be able to prevent any need for others, by once for all, and with equal completeness, doing all those things which we dare not either speak or hear of, nay, which we must not even conceive in our thoughts, nor think credible, if any such thing is mooted among those persons who are our fellow-citizens), in order that, as their writings express it, their souls, having made trial of every kind of life, may, at their departure, not be wanting in any particular. It is necessary to insist upon this, lest, on account of some one thing being still wanting to their deliverance, they should be compelled once more to become incarnate.”

Irenaeus, Against Heresies (a worthwhile read), 1.25.4


Quotes from St. Irenaeus

"The very fashioning of the world shows forth Him who founded it; its formation hints at Him who made it; the world declares Him who so arranged it. And this tradition the Church throughout the world has received from the Apostles."--St. Irenaeus


"The Church sown throughout the world, spread even to the bounds of the earth, received both from the Apostles and from their disciples that faith which believes in the Passion, Resurrection from the dead, and Ascension into heaven--in His flesh--of Jesus Christ our Lord."--St. Irenaeus

On the Unchangable Teachings of the Catholic Faith

"For the Church of Christ, watchful guardian that she is, and defender of the dogmas deposited with her, never changes anything, never diminishes anything, never adds anything to them; but with all diligence she treats the ancient documents faithfully and wisely; if they really are of ancient origin and if the faith of the Fathers has transmitted them, she strives to investigate and explain them in such a way that the ancient dogmas of heavenly doctrine will be made evident and clear, but will retain their full, integral, and proper nature, and will grow only within their own genus - that is, within the same dogma, in the same sense and the same meaning." (Pope Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus", 1854 A.D.)

 These quotes could be in effect for these days when everyone seems to know the truth about everything, excepting the real Truth.

4th Sunday after Pentecost

This Sunday we hear the Gospel from St. Luke (Luke V. 1-11.), when those fishermen who are chosen to be Apostles, and thus, become fishers of men. We are the fish. Some of us are easy catches, while others take much time to reel in. Some of us almost make it into the boat just to bite off the line which was bringing us in. I was one of these. I said no once to the Catholic Church, because I thought there was too much to learn. HA! I think Our Blessed Mother just kept reeling in the rod, wearing me down, and then successfully getting me into the ark of Salvation, the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Now, I don't seem to have enough time to learn. I hope there's still time for me, though. Go figure! I guess I was just stubborn enough that she thought I might be of some use in her Son's Church. The Church isn't for wimps, you know.

Anyway, enough about me; let's move on to our lesson of the fishers. I like what St. Augustine says about this topic: '...the fishers of men have cast forth their nets; they have taken the multitude of Christians which we see in wonderment; they have filled the two ships with them, the two peoples, Jew and Gentile. But what is this we are told? The multitude weighs down the ships, even to the risk of sinking them; it is what we witness now: the pressing and mingled crowd of the baptized is a burden to the Church. Many Christians there are who live badly; they are a trouble to, and keep back, the good. Worse than these, there are those who tear the nets by their schisms or their heresies; they are impatient of the yoke of unity, and will not come to the banquet of Christ; they are pleased with themselves. Under pretext that they cannot live with the bad, they break the net which kept them on the Apostolic track, and they die far off the shore. In how many countries have they not thus broken the great net of salvation?...and since their times, how many others have excelled in the work of rupture! Let us not imitate their folly. If grace has made us holy, let us be patient with the bad while living in this world's waters. Let the sight of them drive us neither to live as they do, nor to leave the Church. The shore is not far off, where those on the right, or the good, will alone be permitted to land, and from which the wicked will be repulsed, and cast into the abyss.'
"St. Matthew," St. Ambrose tells us, "describes this boat as tossed by the waves, while St. Luke describes it as full of fish." Here we have a picture of the Church's vicissitudes in her early days and of her wonderful prosperity later on. The vessel which carries Divine Wisdom and is wafted by the wind of Faith runs no danger.

St. Gregory writes: "What does the sea represent, if not the present age in which the changes and chances of this mortal life are like waves which unceasingly dash and break against each other? Of what is the firm ground of the shore a figure if not the permanence of eternal rest? Because the Disciples were still surrounded by the waves of this mortal life, they toiled on the sea; and as our Redeemer had put off the corruptibility of the flesh after His Resurrection, He stood on the shore."

Source of the last two quotes: Dom Gaspar Lefebvre, OSB, 1945, adapted and abridged.
How many do we know who fall into these categories; not caring about the Eternal Truth, but rather quite contented to do what pleases themselves. They decide what's right; they decide the meaning of Scripture; they decide who goes to heaven, which is most everybody since hell isn't around anymore. Much prayer is needed, my friends, even for those who are supposed to be herding us into the right Boat.

Why, you may ask, did the Apostles have such a hard time during the night fishing and catching nothing, but how things changed when Jesus entered the picture. Could it be because at first they trusted in themselves, and did not throw out their nets in the name of the Lord, relying on His blessing and assistance? "This example," says St. Ambrose, "proves how vain and fruitless is presumptuous confidence, and how powerful, on the contrary, is humility, since those who had previously labored without success, filled their nets at the word of the Redeemer." Let us learn from this our inability, that we begin our work only with God, that is, with confidence in His help, and with the intention of working only for love of Him, and for His honor. If we do this, the blessing of the Lord will not be wanting.



On a final note, something to think about. I found this little prayer on the Canadian Catholic Perspective, and I hope they don't mind if I copy the following:

Fisherman’s Prayer: ------------------------
I pray that I may live to fish
Until my dying day,
And when it comes to my last cast,
Then I most humbly pray;
When in the Lord’s great landing net
And peacefully asleep,
That in His mercy I be judged
Big enough to keep.

Incline my heart, O God, to Thy holy commandments. Guard me, that I work not in the night of sin, and thus gain nothing by my works. Assist all your pastors that by Thy divine will, they may win souls for Thy kingdom, and bring them to Thee.

Visitation of the B.V.M. to Elizabeth

Today we celebrate the day when Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist. And, just like when the ancient cities rejoiced when the Ark of the Covenant entered their city, the baby leaps with joy when Mary, the new Ark of the True Covenant, enters into his mother's presence. John, at the words of Mary, is cleansed from Original Sin in his mother's womb. Thus proclaiming the beginning of the new age of man.

Notice the Magnificat of Mary below. The word 'magnificat' in Latin, the Church's official language, means 'magnify'. A magnifying glass makes things clearer, and Mary makes her son Jesus clearer. I only say this, because the new versions say: 'My being proclaims the goodness of the Lord'. These words do NOT mean the same thing!!!!! It is another slam against Our Blessed Mother, just to please the protestants who helped set up the new mass and bibles. Every verse which is about Mary has been changed. They might be approved by the weak clergy, but they are WRONG!! My opinion is this: "If you can't say anything nice about Jesus's Mother, shut up!" I have used this statement when speaking with Mary haters. We wouldn't like it if someone talked bad about our moms, and Jesus is no different. He will remember. Have no doubt!

My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
And his mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of his mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.
_____________________________________________________________________________

Now, let us contemplate the canticle below, which is in today's Mass, and refers to Mary:


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

V. Blessed art thou among women.
R. And blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

And now, to end this post, something from 'The Liturgical Year' by the Abbot Gueranger, about today's readings:

The church introduces us into the depth of the mystery. What she has just been reading to us is the explanation of that word of Elizabeth's which sums up the whole of today's feast: "When thy voice sounded in mine ear, the infant in my womb leaped for joy." O voice of Mary, voice of the turtledove, putting winter to flight, and announcing springtime flowers and fragrance! At this sweet sound John's soul, a captive in the darkness of sin, casts off the badge of slavery, and suddenly developing germs of highest virtues, appears as beautiful as a bride decked in nuptial array: and, therefore, how Jesus hastes unto this well-beloved soul! Between John and the Bridegroom, oh! what ineffable outpourings! what sublime dialogues pass between them, from womb to womb of Mary and Elizabeth! Admirable mothers! Sons yet more admirable! In this happy meeting, the sight, the hearing, the voice of the mothers belong less to themselves than to the blessed fruit each bears within her; thus their senses are the lattices through which the Bridegroom and the friend of the Bridegroom see one another, understand one another, speak one to the other!

How awesome is that?! Isn't God great?

FEAST OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD

The month of July is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of our Redeemer. Supreme homage is given to the Sacred Blood. As we adore the Sacred Heart, because it is the Heart of Jesus, who is God, so we also adore His Most Precious Blood.

The Blood of Jesus is the fountain of salvation. Each drop that flowed from the wounds of the Saviour is a pledge of man’s eternal salvation. All races of the earth have been ransomed, and all individuals, who will allow the saving power of the Sacred Blood to be applied to their soul, are heirs of heaven. St. John Chrysostom calls the Precious Blood “the saviour of souls”; St. Thomas Aquinas, “the key to heaven’s treasures”; St. Ambrose, “pure gold of ineffable worth”; St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, “a magnet of souls and pledge of eternal life”. The sins of mankind, in their number, in their offense to the Supreme Being, in the effects on transgressors, are immense; yet, the Precious Blood of Jesus is not frightened by numbers, it has in Itself the power to appease an angered God and to heal wounded creatures.

The Precious Blood is a cleansing bath. Unlike all other blood, which stains, the Blood of Jesus washes clean and white. According to the words of St. John, in the Apocalypse, the Angels wonder, and the question is asked: “These that are clothed in white robes, who are they?” The Lord answers: “These are they that have washed their robes, and have made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” For no other reason did the Precious Blood flow but to regain for the souls of men the beautiful dress of innocence, and , once regained, to preserve it throughout life and into eternity.

The Blood of the Saviour is a well of consolation for troubled hearts. Can anyone, confidingly, look at the Sacred Blood trickling down from the Cross without taking courage to carry on, in spite of the difficulties which are the common lot of all? One glance at the Cross must be able to drive away fear. And, another, must be able to instill trust in Him who did not rest until the last drop, mingled with water, flowed out of an opened Heart. He, who was willing to do so much for men, must be willing to overlook and forget the frailties which they deeply regret; He must be willing to come to their assistance when harassed, to defend them when tempted, to comfort them when afflicted. The Blood of Jesus must be for Christians what the north-star is to sailors.

Would that men on earth honored the Precious Blood in the manner in which they who are in heaven give honor and praise and thanksgiving! They proclaim that It purchased the glory which they enjoy. Without It, they would have remained slaves of Satan and outcasts from the eternal mansions of God. Let us profess that we owe to the Sacred Blood of Jesus all that we have in this life, and that to It we shall owe all that we shall enjoy in a better and eternal life!

Thank you to the Magnificat site for this valuable info. This HEART which was opened when He was dead on the Cross by Longinus with his spear, is now open for all of us to help us learn what we need to know. May we be inspired to do so.

Think about this image when attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.


July 1st
The Precious Blood--Its Name

Why is the Blood of Jesus called the Precious Blood? Because it was the Blood of God Himself, veiled under the form of man; and therefore every drop of it, flowing through His sacred veins, deserved our supreme homage, as being united to His Divinity. Hence we can adore the Precious Blood as we adore the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and all else that belongs to the Sacred Humanity, with that supreme homage that belongs to God alone.

We also term it the Precious Blood, inasmuch as it was the Blood of One Who was not only full of grace, but was Himself the source of all grace. The grace that dwelt with Him was infinite, and the grace that manifested itself through the veil of His flesh had no bounds or limits, save those, that the mere fact of His Human Nature carried with it. If, therefore, the blood of the Saints is counted as most precious, if we treasure up a piece of cloth stained with their blood, how much more is the Blood of the King of Saints precious beyond all price?

The Precious Blood is also precious on account of its effects. One drop of it is sufficient not only to cleanse the world from sin, but to earn all possible graces for all the millions who have ever lived on earth. How infinite then must be its preciousness! What has it not done for man? What has it not done for me? It has washed me clean and made me pure, in spite of all my sins. O Jesus, give me an ever-increasing devotion to the Precious Blood!


Prayer to Venerate With Solemn Worship
The Price of Our Salvation

Almighty, and everlasting God, who hast appointed thine only- begotten Son to be the Redeemer of the world, and hast been pleased to be reconciled unto us by His Blood, grant us, we beseech Thee, so to venerate with solemn worship the price of our salvation, that the power thereof may here on earth keep us from all things hurtful, and the fruit of the same may gladden us for ever hereafter in heaven Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen


(An Indulgence of 5 Years --Roman Missal)




We adore You, O Christ,
and we bless You,
because by Thy Holy Cross,
thou hast redeemed the world.

FEAST OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD--PART II

We have just ended the month of the Sacred Heart. Just recently, we celebrated the days of Sts. Peter and Paul. Now, as we begin the month of July, we concentrate on the Most Precious Blood of our Lord and Savior. he shed it all for us. I found the following on a site from last year. It was written in 1883. I think it is worth reading. Enjoy, pray, and then pray some more.


The Feast of the Precious Blood
by Fr. Johann Evalgelist Zollner, 1883

"Converse in fear during the time of your sojourning here; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled."
-- Pet. 1: 18.

On this day, the Church celebrates the feast of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. This feast, which had been celebrated in some dioceses since the fifteenth century, on Monday after Trinity Sunday, was extended by Pope Pius IX. over the whole Christian world, and its celebration prescribed for the first Sunday of July. The time of persecution and suffering had already begun for the Sovereign Pontiff. Compelled by a revolution to leave Rome, he repaired to Gaeta, in the kingdom of Naples, where he lived in exile for seventeen months, till April, 1850. Here it was that on the tenth day of August, 1849, he instituted the feast of the Precious Blood. That most sacred blood is the price of our Redemption, and is poured out daily in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, whence it flows into the channels of the seven Sacraments, as an atonement for our sins and for our sanctification. For, as in Egypt, God was propitiated by the blood of the paschal lamb, the type and figure of the true Lamb of God, so He is propitiated by the blood of his Son, the true Paschal Lamb, which speaketh better than Abel's. Herein is the strongest evidence of the infinite love of Jesus Christ, who not only once, but seven times, shed his precious blood amidst the most cruel sufferings for our salvation. Let this seven-fold shedding of the precious blood be the subject of our present meditation.




1. The first shedding of blood was at His Circumcision: Jesus shed His blood the first time when He was circumcised. According, to the law of Moses, every Israelitish male child was to be circumcised eight days after his birth. This circumcision was a sign of the covenant which God had made with the children of Israel. The circumcised belonged only to the people of Israel, and partook of the graces which God bestowed on this people; they were also obliged to observe the law of Moses. Out of obedience to the laws Jesus permitted himself to be presented in the temple, to be circumcised, but thereby he had a far higher purpose; he wished to indicate the mystery that he would redeem us by the shedding of His precious blood. When our Saviour was born in Bethlehem, the holy angels announced Him as our Redeemer, without intimating, however, in what manner He was to redeem the world. Eight days later Jesus himself revealed this mystery of blood by His circumcision. As a rosy morn announces an evening rain, so this rosy morn of circumcision means nothing else than that in the evening of His life His blood was to flow, like rain, from all the veins of His sacred body.

This first shedding of the precious blood is an exhortation to us to serve Jesus from our earliest childhood. When He shed His blood as a mere infant, is it not becoming that we should devote to His service the years of our childhood? But, alas! how many of us have urgent reasons to exclaim with David: "The sins of my youth and my ignorances do not remember."--Ps. 24: 7. Think of the years of your childhood; did you not pass them in levity? Did not some of you suffer shipwreck of your innocence and commit grievous sins in those years. Call to mind the years of your youth. Did you not commit sins then, which perhaps on your death-bed will lie on your conscience as a heavy load? Let us then repent of the many sins of our childhood and youth and let us at least henceforth lead a penitent life. You, Christian parents, possess a special means of atoning for the sins of your youth by educating your children in the fear and love of God.




2. The shedding of blood in the garden of Olives: The Evangelist says: "And being in an agony, He prayed the longer And His sweat became as drops of blood trickling down upon the ground."--Luke, 22: 43. 44. The love of Jesus was so great that He would not wait for the scourges, thorns and nails, but, as the myrrh sends forth its precious oil through the foliage before its bark is cut, so His infinite love and His desire to redeem us urged Him to shed for us His innocent blood in the garden of Olives as a sacrifice of propitiation. This sheding of blood in the garden of Olives was the most painful of all His sufferings; for it was not caused by external, bodily wounds, but by internal sufferings, by the agony of His soul. Jesus anticipated in it His entire Passion, which was vividly represented before His eyes. He trembled at the thought of the loss of so many souls for whom he foresaw he would die in vain; who might be saved, but will not. When the death agony is very severe, you notice with heartfelt compassion, large drops of sweat on the brow and face of the dying. But there was never heard of a dying man who sweat drops of blood. Our Saviour alone exhibited this sign of mortal anguish at the moment when He commenced His sacred Passion.

A legend says that on every place where a drop of Jesus's blood trickled down, a flower sprang up. Spiritually explained, this legend is literally true. Meditation on our Saviour's shedding blood in the garden is the fruitful seed of virtue. Can you be so cruel as to offend Jesus again by sins, when you remember his sadness of spirit and his agony caused by your sins, which was so vehement that he sweat blood? Or can you be indifferent to your own salvation and persevere in an impenitent spirit when you reflect that the remembrance of His sacred Passion being fruitless in regard to many sinners because of their obduracy, made the Son of God sweat blood?




3. Jesus is scourged. The four Evangelists narrate that Jesus was Scourged: Thus St. Matthew says that ''Pilate having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to the Jews to be crucified. The Jews were forbidden by law to inflict more than forty stripes. The Romans had no number of stripes fixed by law. That Jesus was scourged after the manner of the Romans is evident from the fact that it was a Roman judge that passed sentence upon Him, as also from the words of Jesus: "They shall deliver the Son of Man to the Gentiles to be mocked, and to be scourged, and to be crucified."--Matt. 20: 19. This punishment, as inflicted by the Romans, was one of excessive cruelty. Many expired before it was finished. As Pilate by the punishment of scourging intended to move the Jews to compassion, it is to be inferred that it was inflicted on Jesus with the utmost cruelty. The prophets who saw in spirit our scourged Saviour, say of him that "from the sole of the foot unto the top of the head, there is no soundness therein; wounds and bruises and swelling sores."--Isaiah, 1: 6. They say there was no beauty in Him, nor comeliness; that they thought Him, as it were, a leper, and as one struck by God.--Is. 53: 2-5. Our Saviour was so cruelly scourged that even Pilate, the heartless Gentile, cried out at the pitiable sight: "Behold the man."

St. Bridget, when a child of ten years, saw in a vision our Saviour in the act of being scourged. The good child, moved to compassion, said: "Who has disfigured you thus?" Jesus answered: "Not the Jews only have done it, but all those who despise my love." And who are these? Especially those Christians who do not endeavor to restrain the passions of their flesh. If your conscience reproaches you with having scourged your Redeemer anew by committing such heinous sins, repair the outrage by a virtuous and penitential life. "Let not sin therefore, reign in your mortal body so as to obey the lusts thereof," (Rom. 6: 12); on the contrary, "mortify your members which are upon the earth," (Col. 3: 5); and make no provision for the flesh in its concupiscences.--Rom. 13: 14.




4. Jesus shed His blood the fourth time, when he was crowned with thorns: The Evangelist, St. Matthew, relates this cruel coronation, in the following manner: "Then the soldiers of the governor, taking Jesus into the hall, gathered together unto Him the whole band, and stripping Him, they put a scarlet cloak about Him. And plaiting a crown of thorns, they put it upon His head, and a reed in His right hand. And bowing the knee before Him, they mocked Him saying: Hail, king of the Jews. And spitting upon Him, they took the reed and struck His head."--Matt. 27: 27-30. The adorable head of Jesus had thus its own sufferings. The coronation was as ignominious as it was painful; ignominious, because in order to jeer at His pretensions, they put a crown of thorns upon his head; painful, because of the many wounds the thorns made in His head.

The coronation is to us an earnest exhortation to banish all proud and ambitious thoughts from our minds. Jesus crowned with thorns says to us: "Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart."--Matt. 11: 29. "Far be it from me," said St. Elizabeth of Hungary, "that I, poor creature that I am, should appear with a bright crown upon my head before my God and Saviour, who, being king of heaven and earth, wore a crown of thorns."




5. Jesus shed his blood the fifth time, carrying the cross: We cannot doubt that Jesus shed blood when He carried the cross. When he took the cross upon his shoulders, he was already bruised, and full of wounds, which, being fresh, bled continually; He also fell several times under the heavy weight of the cross, whereby He received new wounds, out of which blood flowed; He was also struck by the soldiers and executioners, and this could not be done without shedding blood.

The precious blood which Jesus shed when carrying the cross, points out to us the way that leads to heaven. It is no other way than that which He trod before us; the way of the cross. Jesus Himself declares: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."--Matt. 16: 24. Both the sinner and the just man must tread this bloody way; the sinner, because without mortification he is not able to overcome his passions and do penance; the just man, because without self-denial it is impossible to resist the many temptations with which all are assailed, to make progress in virtue, and to persevere in justice to the end. Let us follow Jesus on the way of the cross, let us suffer with Him, that we may be glorified with Him.--Rom. 8: 7.




6. Jesus shed his blood the sixth time, when He was crucified: St. John (19: 18) says: "Bearing His own cross, he went forth to that place which is called Calvary, but in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him." Having arrived at the place of execution, the soldiers stripped off His clothes, and crucified Him, by piercing His hands and feet with heavy nails, and fastening them to the wood of the cross. Who is able to describe the torments of our dear Lord, when He was nailed to the cross and hung thereon, supported by His own wounds? How truly can He cry out with the Prophet: "O all ye that pass by the way, attend and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow."-- Lam. 1: 12.

Cast one glance at your crucified Redeemer and take to heart the words of St. Bernard: "I need no other evidence to convince me how grievous an evil sin must be. I know sufficiently from the nature of the medicine; the nature of my wound, and the remedy being so painful, I clearly see how dangerous my disease was. God himself, the holy and innocent God, would suffer in His human nature for the sins that we regard so little; for the guilty pleasures we enjoy so easily, God Himself would die the death, the most ignominious death, of the Cross." O let us make the resolution, never again to offend God by a mortal sin.




7. The seventh and last time Jesus shed His blood was when His side was opened: "When the soldiers came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one of the soldiers opened His side with a spear and immediately there came out blood and water."--John, 19: 33, 34. Blood and water came out as an evidence that these were the last drops of the Sacred Blood. Thus it is literally true, that our Redeemer shed the last drop of his blood for us. We are reminded of this infinite charity by the separate consecration of bread and wine in holy Mass, for after the Elevation the Body and the Blood of Christ appear separated, the sacred species being separated on the altar.

By the shedding of the precious blood from the wound of the Sacred Heart our Saviour gave us the last proof of His infinite love. Let us return the love of Jesus by devoting to Him all the affections of our heart. Let us give Him a proof of our love by fulfilling His divine will and fearing nothing so much as to offend Him. "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me."--John, 14: 21.


Peroration:
Thus Jesus shed His precious blood seven times, and the price of these seven sheddings of blood is found in the seven Sacraments, by which we are cleansed from sin and sanctified. These seven sheddings of blood remind us also of the three Theological and the four Cardinal virtues; also of the seven virtues opposed to the seven deadly or capital sins, which are infused into us by baptism; also of the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, which we receive in confirmation, and finally of the seven days of the week, which we should dedicate to the service of God. The covenant between God and the Israelites was sealed with blood. The new covenant was sealed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. The covenant between God and men is sealed again as many times as the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered to God. Assist, whenever you can, at the tremendous Sacrifice of the Mass, and frequently receive holy communion.


 
Offering of the Precious Blood
Eternal Father, I offer You the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ in Atonement for my sins, and in supplication for the holy souls in purgatory and for the needs of Holy Church.

(500 days indulgence. An indulgence of 3 years if recited
during the month of July)

Also, in a related note, I have a picture that I believe is a miraculous photo. That is when you take a picture of one thing, and something else comes out. I would scan it into my computer, but my scanner is broken, so you will just have to take it from my word. It was taken of a tabernacle in Grand Rapids, Michigan. When it developed, what came out was, I think, amazing. I was just new in the Catholic Faith, and I think things happened for me to confirm and strengthen my newly found faith. What came out was this: You can see the tabernacle in a haze in the background, and it looks like an umbilical cord of red coming out of it. At the end of this, right in the center of the photo, was a human heart, in red also. This tells me that He IS in that tabernacle, and is why the other prayer given by the angel at Fatima is so important. You know the one: "O Most Holy Trinity..." He is getting abused every day by the abuses at the Novus Ordo masses. This prayer is for our time. Just thought you'd like to know.

I would like to end with the Collect for this great day:

Almighty and Eternal God, who hast appointed thy only-begotten Son to be the Redeemer of the world, and hast been pleased to be appeased by his Blood: grant us, we beseech thee, so to venerate with solemn worship the price of our salvation, and to be on earth so defended by its power from the evils of this present life, that we may rejoice in its perpetual fruit in heaven. Through the same Lord, Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.