Keep
your eyes open!...
October 28, 2011
THE TRIB TIMES WILL
RETURN NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).
(Mat 18:3-4) And
said: amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little
children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever
therefore shall humble himself as this little child, he is the greater
in the kingdom of heaven.
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA David J Sheehan: Medjugorje-Where Our Lady turns Old Men back into children
VIA Father Ted: Reflection by Father Ted – October 25, 2011
My dearest Lord Jesus, thank You
for allowing me to be in Medjugorje with a group of pilgrims earlier
this month and for allowing me to be at the Medjugorje Peace conference in Irvine this past weekend.
You wanted me to share with many of
my brothers and sisters the Good News about Your incredible love for
each and every one of us.
So many do not realize the depth of the love that You and Your Father and Your Holy Spirit have for us.
So many do not know the reason why You created us.
They do not know that You created us in Your image and likeness. They do not know that “they are wonderfully made”.
They do not realize that when they were baptized they became members of Your Most Holy Family.
They do not realize that You are
their brother. And that is why You have commanded us to love one
another. For we are all brothers and sisters of each other together
with You.
They do not realize that You
created them so that they could know You, and could love You, and also
serve You while here on earth and, above all, so that they could join
You in Heaven to enjoy You together with the Father and the Holy Spirit
forever.
They do not realize what a delightful place Heaven is – as Saint Paul reminded us in the first reading for today’s Holy Mass.
While I was in Medjugorje and at
the Medjugorje Peace conference You allowed me to teach many of them
these truths as well as to enable them to experience the healing mercy
that You offer to them through the sacrament of reconciliation – and
through the powerful anointing of them with the blessed oil.
Yes, Jesus, You want so many to experience Your love – to experience Your mercy.
You want all of us who have begun to experience this incredible love and mercy of Yours to help others to do so as well.
Help us each day to seek Your love – to seek Your mercy, Lord.
Help us to share Your love and to share Your mercy, Lord.
Through Mary, the Queen of Peace, may we bring to others Your eternal peace.
As You also mentioned yesterday in
the Gospel for the anniversary of the death of a friend that You are
the Way, and the Truth and the Life.
So may we walk Your Way, live Your Truth, and enjoy Your Life, now and forever.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Holy Eucharist
6. My greatest happiness is to be before the Blessed
Sacrament, where my heart is, as it were, in Its center.
October 27, 2011
(1Co 9:19-23) For
whereas I was free as to all, I made myself the servant of all, that I
might gain the more. And I became to the Jews a Jew, that I might gain
the Jews: To them that are under the law, as if I were under the law,
(whereas myself was not under the law,) that I might gain them that
were under the law. To them that were without the law, as if I were
without the law, (whereas I was not without the law of God, but was in
the law of Christ,) that I might gain them that were without the law.
To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak. I became all
things to all men, that I might save all. And I do all things for the
gospel's sake, that I may be made partaker thereof.
HEADLINE: Pope invites Hindus, Jews, Buddhists for peace pilgrimage, but no common peace prayer
VATICAN RADIO: Assisi 2011, Pope Benedict: that peace reign in the world
Pope Benedict XVI launched an appeal for aid for quake victims in
Turkey on Wednesday, at the end of a Liturgy of the Word with faithful
on the eve his pilgrimage to Assisi. Speaking in Italian he said:
“At this time, our thoughts turn to the people of Turkey hard hit by
the earthquake, which has caused heavy loss of life, many missing and
extensive damage. I invite you to join me in prayer for those who
have lost their lives and to be spiritually close to the many people
who have been sorely tried. May the Almighty support all those
engaged in rescue work”.
The Holy Father’s weekly General Audience this Wednesday had a special
character: that of a prayer meeting in preparation for Thursday’s Day
of Reflection and Prayer for Peace in Assisi. Inclement weather
drove pilgrims inside for the prayer encounter, filling the Paul VI
audience hall to capacity, with participants who could not be
accommodated in the hall present in St Peter’s Basilica. The Holy
Father greeted the overflow pilgrims in the Basilica in several
languages, including English: “I am pleased to receive you in Saint
Peter’s Basilica and to extend a warm welcome to all of you who could
not be accommodated in the Audience Hall. Always stay faithfully
united to Christ and bear joyful witness to the Gospel. To all of
you I cordially impart my Blessing”.
The Cardinal Vicar of Rome, Agostino Vallini presented the pilgrims,
praising the Holy Father for his constant commitment, in the Name of
God, to building bridges of friendship among peoples, cultures and
states, healing the wounds of division and promoting reconciliation and
concord.
“For this,” said Cardinal Vallini, “all the people taking part desire
to make themselves ‘pilgrims of truth, pilgrims of peace’.” The
readings, from the Book of the Prophet Zechariah and from the Gospel
according to St Luke, as well as the responsorial psalm – taken from
Psalm 84, each spoke in its own way of true peace as a gift of the True
God, whose saving action has signed human history indelibly.
In his homily, Pope Benedict XVI said the Kingdom of Peace in which
Christ is the king. “It is,” he said, “a realm that extends
across the whole Earth.” “Dear brothers and sisters,” said Pope
Benedict: “[A]s Christians we want to ask God for the gift of peace, we
pray that He make us instruments of peace in a world still torn by
hatred, by divisions, by selfishness, by war. We ask that the
meeting Thursday in Assisi might encourage dialogue among people of
different religious affiliations and bring a ray of light that might
illuminate the minds and hearts of all men, so that rancor will give
way to pardon, division to reconciliation, hatred and violence to love
and gentleness: that peace reign in the world”.
The Holy Father also had English greetings for pilgrims in Paul VI
Hall: “I am happy to welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims and
visitors here today. I ask you to accompany me in prayer as I
journey tomorrow to Assisi for the celebration of the Day of
Reflection, Dialogue and Prayer for Peace and Justice in the World,
together with representatives of different religions. I extend
special greetings to the pilgrims from the Diocese of Niigata in Japan
celebrating their centenary. I also welcome those present from
England, Denmark, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam and
the United States. May Almighty God bless all of you!”.
POPE BENEDICT XVI: The Kingdom of Christ cannot be built by force
ROME REPORTS: Inter-religious meeting in Assisi: Cardinal Roger Etchegaray explains John Paul II's idea
ZENIT: Program for Assisi Day of Reflection
Upon arrival in Assisi, delegates will go to the Basilica of Saint Mary
of the Angels, where there will be a moment of commemoration of earlier
meetings and further reflection on the topic of the day. The Pope
and a few other representatives will give an address there.
This will be followed by a light meal: "a meal that reflects sobriety,
which aims to express our coming together in fraternity and, at the
same time, participation in the sufferings of so many men and women who
know not peace."
There will then be a time of silence for personal reflection and prayer.
The silent pilgrimage to the Basilica of St. Francis will be in
the afternoon; those participating in the event will walk to the
basilica and the leaders of the various groups will join the pilgrimage
for the final stretch.
Cardinal Turskon said that the pilgrimage is an attempt to "symbolize
the journey of every human being in the assiduous search for truth and
the effective building of justice and peace.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Holy Eucharist
5. I will unite all my prayers with those that
the Sacred Heart of Jesus makes for us in the Blessed Sacrament.
October 26, 2011
CHRIST'S PEACE:
Two thousand years ago, Christ Jesus said to his disciples: “Peace I
leave with you; My Peace I give to you. Not as the world gives,
do I give it to you.” (John 14:27) Hitherto, Jesus’ offer of peace is
repeated every time a priest celebrates Mass.
Peace is something which Jesus places in our hands. It is
something which we receive. “My Peace I give to you . . . Jesus
says. Peace is the gift of God. It’s not something we
achieve independently. “Not as the world gives, do I give to
you…” We need to be careful, that the peace we pray for, and the peace
we build, is different from the temporary peace which is built by war
and violence.
The peace that Christ Jesus gives is based on love, truth, justice and
nonviolence. Peace is built on trust and confidence, not fear.
Christ’s peace is built on honesty and openness. It means
beginning a new world, beginning in our midst. Christ’s peace means
praying for our enemies. It means forgiveness.
Christ Jesus didn’t say, “My Peace I will give you, at some far-off
point in the future.” He said, “I give you my peace . . . ” That’s in
the present tense. Part of what we need to do as Christians is to
accept Christ’s peace, and then live it and nurture it.
YOUTUBE: Fr. Bonniwell, O.P. - Catholic Chaplain in World War 1
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA David J Sheehan: I
know this is a local happening here in North Texas, but if you put out
the word, maybe other cities in the USA will follow suit for Veteran's
Day.
http://www.unitefortroops.com/
http://www.unitefortroops.com/downloads/2011Flyer.pdf
I know that Veteran's Day is November 11th; chosen for the end of World
War I - the war to end all wars on the 11th day of the 11th month at
the 11th hour. Our people just need to be reminded from time to time
that we are still working to end war forever.
I have always studied World War I - I think a number of opportunities
for lasting peace were missed in the Hall of Mirrors after the war.
Although the timing of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima in 1917
are often overlooked. John Kennedy was born in 1917 and his murder by
domestic agents opened up the floodgates to our debacle in Vietnam. We
are still feeling the effects of that war.
Our country declared war on Good Friday, April 6th in 1917 and our
troops saw their first action just after the miracle of the sun
(October 13th , 1917)
Interestingly, Our Lady advised Sister Lucia in 1929 that the time had
come for the Pope to consecrate Russia. 1929 was the year that the
Lateran Pact was signed with Mussolini and released the Pope from no
longer being a "prisoner of the Vatican".
I know I only have a small part of the puzzle but we must be near the
end of the 100 years that the devil has to wage war on us; just not
sure how close we are to the end.
IN THE NEWS: Catholic soldier was a hero on two fronts
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Holy Eucharist
4. Jesus was obedient even to the death of the
Cross, therefore I wish to obey even to my last sigh, so as to pay homage
to the obedience of Jesus in the Sacred Host; and the whiteness of the
Host teaches me that I must be a pure victim, in order to be sacrificed
to Him.
October 25, 2011
(Rom 8:24-25) For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not
hope. For what a man seeth, why doth he hope for? But if we hope for
that which we see not, we wait for it with patience.
VATICAN RADIO: Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace urges major economic reform
The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace released a document today
calling for a radical reform of the world's financial and monetary
systems. It also proposed the creation of a global political
authority to manage the economy and a new world economic order based on
ethics.
The note entitled “Towards reforming the international financial and
monetary systems in the context of the global public authority” was
presented to journalists at a press conference today presided over by
the President of the Council, Cardinal Peter Turkson.
“We are talking about finding solutions to issues, finding solutions to problems”.
Cardinal Turkson also told Lydia O’Kane, who participated at the
conference, that the document was also a way of giving a voice to the
voiceless.
“Definitely, that’s part of it and in fact in asking the G20 to pay
attention to this or currently start doing a reflection in this
direction, it is actually in view of those who suffer from this
phenomenon, so giving a voice to the voiceless, that’s what it is”.
The proposal which is not a papal document, suggests that the reform
process might begin with the United Nations as a point of reference.
CHIESA COMMENTARY: "Occupy Wall Street." The Vatican at the Barricades
SURVEY: Religious identity slips among U.S. Catholics
One in four Americans call themselves Catholic, but a survey released
Monday finds this is more a cultural brand label for many than a
religious identity.
An overwhelming majority, 88%, say "how a person lives is more
important than whether he or she is Catholic," according to Catholics
in America: Persistence and change in the Catholic landscape.
The survey, a comprehensive look at the beliefs and practices of 1,442
U.S. adults identifying themselves as Catholics, also finds that
86% say "you can disagree with aspects of church teachings and still
remain loyal to the church."
And 40% say you can be a good Catholic without believing that in Mass,
the bread and wine really become the body and blood of Christ — a core
doctrine of Catholicism.
That could reflect the decline in Mass attendance. The survey
finds it has declined from 44% attending at least once a week in 1987
to 31% in 2011, while those who attend less than monthly rose from 26%
to 47%.
When asked why they don't go to Mass more often, 40% say they are
simply not very religious, says sociologist William D'Antonio of
Catholic University.
Catholic support for "teaching authority claimed by the Vatican" is down to 30% for Catholics of all ages, the survey found.
The church's opposition to the death penalty, same-sex marriage and
permitting priests to marry "has not persuaded a majority of
Catholics," says Tom Roberts, editor of the National Catholic Reporter
and author of a new book on Catholic community life, The Emerging
Church.
"When it comes to questions of abortion, non-marital sex, and
homosexuality," more than half of Catholics, including those most
highly committed to the church in their personal practices, say it's
their own moral views, not those of church leaders, that matter, says
survey co-author Michele Dillon, chair of the sociology department at
the University of New Hampshire.
"They see this as their church and they won't be exiled because there
is a doctrine they disagree with," Dillon says. "To be Catholic,
even for the highly committed, is to keep the bishops at arm's
length. The bishops have lost their credibility to be pastoral
and spiritual leaders."
LIFESITE NEWS: A battle to the death against moral relativism - Michael O’Brien
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Holy Eucharist
3. As I was about to receive Holy Communion, our
Lord told me that He would come Himself to imprint on my heart the mystical
life which He leads in the holy Eucharist, a life entirely hidden and annihilated
in the eyes of men, a life of sacrifice and seeming inactivity. He added
that He would Himself give me the strength to do what He required of me.
October 21, 2011
THE TRIB TIMES WILL
RETURN NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).
(Rev 19:9) And
he said to me: Write: Blessed are they that are called to the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he saith to me: These words of God are true.
INTRODUCTION TO NEW MISSAL: Let Us Pray by the Most Rev. John Vlazny Archbishop of Portland
RELATED HEADLINES
Changes a time to learn more about the Mass, liturgist says
A revision of the Catholic Mass seeks to restore some theological weight
Deaf Catholics prepare for new missal
CHIESA EDITORIAL: Vatican Diary / Not All Bishops Are of Good Will
SUMMARY: CHANGES IN THE PEOPLE'S PARTS IN THE ORDER OF MASS
Greeting and concluding rites
Old: (Priest) The Lord be with you. (People) And also with you.
New: (Priest) The Lord be with you. (People) And with your spirit.
Penitential Act, Form A
Old: I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed
Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and
sisters, to pray for me to the Lord, our God.
New: I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I
have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my
fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary
ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and
sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Penitential Act, Form B
Old: (Priest) Lord, we have sinned against you: Lord, have mercy.
(People) Lord, have mercy. (Priest) Lord, show us your mercy and love.
(People) And grant us your salvation.
New: (Priest) Have mercy on us, O Lord. (People) For we have sinned
against you. (Priest) Show us, O Lord, your mercy. (People) And grant
us your salvation.
Gloria
Old: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we
give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only
Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the
world; have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the
Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone
are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy
Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
New: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good
will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we
give you thanks for your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God,
almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb
of God, Son of the Father, you take away the sins of the world, have
mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For
you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the
Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the
Father. Amen.
Dialogue at the Gospel
Old: (Deacon or priest) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to N. (People) Glory to you, Lord.
New: (Deacon or priest) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to N. (People) Glory to you, O Lord.
Nicene Creed
Old: We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven
and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord,
Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not
made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power
of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For
our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and
was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the
Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of
the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the
dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has
spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and
apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of
sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the
world to come. Amen.
New: I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and
earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all
ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten,
not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were
made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by
the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For
our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and
was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the
Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of
the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the
dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken
through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic
Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look
forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to
come. Amen.
Apostles' Creed
Old: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and
earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was
conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended
into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will
come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life
everlasting. Amen.
New: I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and
earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived
by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius
Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on
the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and
is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he
will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life
everlasting. Amen.
Invitation to prayer
Old: May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and
glory of his name, for our good, and the good of all his Church.
New: May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and
glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.
Preface dialogue
Old: (Priest) The Lord be with you. (People) And also with you.
(Priest) Lift up your hearts. (People) We lift them up to the Lord.
(Priest) Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. (People) It is right
to give him thanks and praise.
New: (Priest) The Lord be with you. (People) And with your spirit.
(Priest) Lift up your hearts. (People) We lift them up to the Lord.
(Priest) Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
(People) It is right and just.
Preface acclamation
Old: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth
are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
New: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts. Heaven and earth are full of
your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
Mystery of Faith (formerly the Memorial Acclamation)
Old: (Priest) Let us proclaim the mystery of faith: (People) A – Christ
has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. or B – Dying you
destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in
glory. or C – When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim
your death, Lord Jesus, until you come in glory. or D – Lord, by your
cross and resurrection, you have set us free. You are the Savior of the
World.
New: (Priest) The mystery of faith. (People) A – We proclaim your
death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again. or B
– When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your death, O
Lord, until you come again. or C – Save us, Savior of the world, for by
your Cross and Resurrection, you have set us free.
Sign of Peace
Old: (Priest) The peace of the Lord be with you always. (People) And also with you.
New: (Priest) The peace of the Lord be with you always. (People) And with your spirit.
Invitation to communion
Old: (Priest) This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the
world. Happy are those who are called to his supper. (All) Lord, I am
not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.
New: (Priest) Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the
sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
All: Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but
only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Holy Eucharist
2. Jesus makes Himself poor in the Blessed Sacrament.
He gives us all He has, reserving nothing for Himself, so as to possess
our hearts and enrich them with Himself. I must forsake and despise myself,
if I wish to imitate Him and to win His most lovable Heart.
October 20, 2011
(2Th 2:15) Therefore, brethren, stand fast: and hold the traditions, which you have learned, whether by word or by our epistle.
LINK: Reconciliation, the most human of the sacraments
VIA POLAND: Streams of Divine Mercy have flowed out
BLOG: Relics: Pious Devotion, Healing Power, or Something Else?
BLOG: Quantum Levitation and Faith Levitation
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA Father Alex: Everyone should take time, watch and listen to this 8 minute plus video. ...
the words from this child, Garvan Byrne, are more powerful than any
sermon I could have ever preached in my life. I was blessed and
strengthened by his message, I hope your life will be touched as well.
Pass it own to your teens!
Link: The Inspirational Story of Garvan Byrne (Edited Version) - YouTube
VIA Joycelist: What are Spiritual Aspirations? (From the spiritual works of St. Francis de Sales)
“My child, aspire continually to God, by brief, ardent upliftings of
heart; praise God, invoke His aid, cast yourself in spirit at the Foot
of His Cross, adore His Goodness, offer your whole soul a thousand
times a day to Him, fix your inward gaze upon Him, stretch out your
hands to be led by Him, as a little child to its father, clasp Him to
your breast as a fragrant bouquet.
In short, enkindle by every possible action your love for God, your
tender, passionate desire for the Heavenly Bridegroom of souls. Such is
prayer of aspiration, as it was so earnestly inculcated by Saint
Augustine; and be sure, my child, that if you seek such nearness and
intimacy with God your whole soul will imbibe the perfume of His
Perfections.
Neither is this a difficult practice – it may be interwoven with all
our duties and occupations, without hindering any; for neither the
spiritual retreat of which I have spoken, nor these inward upliftings
of the heart, cause more than a very brief distraction, which, so far
from being any hindrance, will rather promote whatever you are doing.
The practice of these short aspirations can supply all our
deficiencies, but without a true contemplative life cannot be lived,
and the active life will be but imperfect.” – St. Francis de
Sales
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: The Holy Eucharist
1. Let every knee bend before Thee, O greatness
of my God, so supremely humbled in the Sacred Host. May every heart love
Thee, every spirit adore Thee and every will be subject to Thee!
October 19, 2011
(Rom 8:35-39) Who
then shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? Or
distress? Or famine? Or nakedness? Or danger? Or persecution? Or the
sword? (As it is written: For thy sake, we are put to death all the day
long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.) But in all these
things we overcome, because of him that hath loved us. For I am sure
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, Nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
REALCATHOLICTV.COM: Round Up the Catholics
DFW CATHOLIC: Are We Willing To Suffer Persecution For Christ?
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA: Workers of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel: Garabandal The First Message
Today (10/18/11) we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the
proclamation of the First Message of Our Lady of Mount Carmel de
Garabandal.
News of the apparitions, which had begun on June 18, 1961 with the
appearance of Saint Michael the Archangel, had spread sufficiently to
draw a great crowd which gathered for the announcement.
Anticipation ran high despite the heavy rain which fell throughout the
day.
That evening, before the nine pine trees overlooking the village, the
visionaries read the Message entrusted to them by the Holy Virgin on
July 4:
We must make many sacrifices, perform
much penance, and visit the Blessed Sacrament frequently. But
first, we must lead good lives. If we do not, a chastisement will
befall us. The cup is already filling up, and if we do not
change, a very great chastisement will come upon us.
Like the echo of Fatima, this Message calls to every heart for
conversion. Sacrifices and penances performed in a true spirit of
contrition, increased devotion to the Eucharist and renewed efforts to
sanctify our lives are required to avert a coming chastisement.
The heavenly counsel of Massabeille, "Penance, Penance, Penance"
reaffirmed in the Cova de Ira in 1917 as the remedy for the spreading
contagion of Communism and the unnecessary tragedy of the Second World
War is brought forward to the seventh decade of the twentieth century
to a world in crisis.
At Garabandal, on that tempestuous night, many went away
dissatisfied. The intensity and frequency of the ecstasies had
lead them to believe they were about to receive a major new
revelation. The First Message was too simple, too
childlike. It did not contain the vivid illustration of the
future sought out by the merely curious.
The reading of the First Message marks the culmination of the first
cycle of apparitions and the events of 1961, but this would not be the
last word from Our Lady of Mount Carmel de Garabandal.
How can we best comply with Our Lady's requests of the First Message?
We must begin with the Church's traditional three part teaching on
penance: prayer (especially the daily recitation of the rosary),
fasting, and almsgiving. Once we have fully mastered these
practices, welcoming them within the limits of our state in life, we
will be very close to leading the good lives required by the First
Message.
Second, as taught by Sister Lucia of Fatima, we must train ourselves in
distress and adversity to unite with Christ in prayer, offering our
discomfort as a sacrifice in reparation for our sins and the sins of
others. We encourage you to adopt the Morning Offering of Reparation, by which we offer the prayers, works, joys and suffering of each day for the sins of the world.
-----------
MORNING OFFERING OF REPARATION
O JESUS, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and in union with Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass being offered throughout the world, I offer You
all my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day in reparation
for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for my
sins and the sins of the whole world. Amen
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: "To the Shepherd"
5. A genuine teacher is he who has received from
God the tablet of spiritual knowledge, inscribed by His Divine finger,
that is, by the in-working of illumination, and who has no need of other
books. It is as unseemly for teachers to give instruction from notes taken
from other men's writings, as it is for painters to take inspiration from
other men's compositions.
October 18, 2011
(Heb 12:1-3) And
therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head,
laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by
patience to the fight proposed to us: Looking on Jesus, the author and
finisher of faith, who, having joy set before him, endured the cross,
despising the shame, and now sitteth on the right hand of the throne of
God. For think diligently upon him that endured such opposition from
sinners against himself that you be not wearied, fainting in your minds.
EXCERPT: APOSTOLIC LETTER “MOTU PROPRIO DATA” PORTA FIDEI OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF BENEDICT XVI
FOR THE INDICTION OF THE YEAR OF FAITH
3. We cannot accept that salt should become tasteless or the
light be kept hidden (cf. Mt 5:13-16). The people of today
can still experience the need to go to the well, like the Samaritan
woman, in order to hear Jesus, who invites us to believe in him and to
draw upon the source of living water welling up within him (cf.
Jn 4:14). We must rediscover a taste for feeding ourselves on the
word of God, faithfully handed down by the Church, and on the bread of
life, offered as sustenance for his disciples (cf. Jn
6:51). Indeed, the teaching of Jesus still resounds in our day
with the same power: “Do not labour for the food which perishes, but
for the food which endures to eternal life” (Jn 6:27). The
question posed by his listeners is the same that we ask today: “What
must we do, to be doing the works of God?” (Jn 6:28). We know
Jesus’ reply: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he
has sent” (Jn 6:29). Belief in Jesus Christ, then, is the way to
arrive definitively at salvation.
4. In the light of all this, I have decided to announce a Year of
Faith. It will begin on 11 October 2012, the fiftieth anniversary
of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, and it will end on the
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King, on 24 November
2013. The starting date of 11 October 2012 also marks the
twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, a text promulgated by my Predecessor, Blessed John
Paul II,[3] with a view to illustrating for all the faithful the power
and beauty of the faith. This document, an authentic fruit of the
Second Vatican Council, was requested by the Extraordinary Synod of
Bishops in 1985 as an instrument at the service of catechesis[4] and it
was produced in collaboration with all the bishops of the Catholic
Church. Moreover, the theme of the General Assembly of the Synod
of Bishops that I have convoked for October 2012 is “The New
Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith”. This
will be a good opportunity to usher the whole Church into a time of
particular reflection and rediscovery of the faith.
10. ....Confessing with the lips indicates in turn that faith
implies public testimony and commitment. A Christian may never think of
belief as a private act. Faith is choosing to stand with the Lord so as
to live with him. This “standing with him” points towards an
understanding of the reasons for believing. Faith, precisely because it
is a free act, also demands social responsibility for what one
believes. The Church on the day of Pentecost demonstrates with utter
clarity this public dimension of believing and proclaiming one’s faith
fearlessly to every person. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit that
makes us fit for mission and strengthens our witness, making it frank
and courageous.
Profession of faith is an act both personal and communitarian. It is
the Church that is the primary subject of faith. In the faith of the
Christian community, each individual receives baptism, an effective
sign of entry into the people of believers in order to obtain
salvation. As we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “ ‘I
believe’ is the faith of the Church professed personally by each
believer, principally during baptism. ‘We believe’ is the faith of the
Church confessed by the bishops assembled in council or more generally
by the liturgical assembly of believers. ‘I believe’ is also the
Church, our mother, responding to God by faith as she teaches us to say
both ‘I believe’ and ‘we believe’.”[17]
Evidently, knowledge of the content of faith is essential for giving
one’s own assent, that is to say for adhering fully with intellect and
will to what the Church proposes. Knowledge of faith opens a door into
the fullness of the saving mystery revealed by God. The giving of
assent implies that, when we believe, we freely accept the whole
mystery of faith, because the guarantor of its truth is God who reveals
himself and allows us to know his mystery of love.[18]
On the other hand, we must not forget that in our cultural context,
very many people, while not claiming to have the gift of faith, are
nevertheless sincerely searching for the ultimate meaning and
definitive truth of their lives and of the world. This search is an
authentic “preamble” to the faith, because it guides people onto the
path that leads to the mystery of God. Human reason, in fact, bears
within itself a demand for “what is perennially valid and lasting”.[19]
This demand constitutes a permanent summons, indelibly written into the
human heart, to set out to find the One whom we would not be seeking
had he not already set out to meet us.[20] To this encounter, faith
invites us and it opens us in fullness.
ESSAY: Faith: A Stumbling Block and a Balm for Christianity
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: "To the Shepherd"
4. A physician is he who suffers from no carnal
or spiritual malady, and has no need of any remedy from other men.
October 14, 2011
THE TRIB TIMES WILL
RETURN NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).
(Mat 9:36-38) And
seeing the multitudes, he had compassion on them: because they were
distressed, and lying like sheep that have no shepherd. Then he saith
to his disciples, The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are
few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth
labourers into his harvest.
ST TERESA OF AVILA: (said of God): "If this is the way you treat your friends, it's no wonder you have so few!”
CNS: Archbishop reflects on challenges, rewards in lives of parish priests
VIS:
The Holy Father praised priests for the work they do, encouraging them
"increasingly to root your own spiritual lives in the Gospel, ...
detaching yourselves from the worldly consumer mentality which is such
a recurring temptation in the times in which we live. ... Use
discernment and ecclesiastical criteria to evaluate groups and
movements", he said.
"Do not be afraid to live and bear witness to the faith in the various
fields of society, in the multifarious situations of human life", he
concluded, addressing the faithful. "Thanks to the light of faith and
the force of charity, you have every reason to be strong, trusting and
courageous".
CATHOLIC OBSERVER: Cardinal Wuerl: Why hope springs anew for the Church
FROM THE MAILBAG:
Perfection
The relatively perfection union with God which is possible in this
world, consisting in proportional to the degree of charity possessed
and exercised: it is therefore compatible with venial sin, but not
mortal sin. "The perfection of Christian life consists
essentially in charity, primarily in loving God, secondarily in loving
ones neighbor." (Saint Thomas Aquinas). When a man loves God with
his whole heart, soul, mind and straight, and his neighbor as himself
for God's sake, then is he perfect. The perfection attainable in
this life is only relative and progressive; absolute and ultimate
perfection belongs to the next life, when the creature will have
definitely gained his last end, God Himself, in the Beatific
Vision. The attachment to God by love which perfect demands
involves as its counter detachment from all that hinders or
diminishes that love. Hence the way of perfection is a way
of renunciation and mortification.
Perfection is open to all, because the full love of God is possible in
any walk of life; and all are called to it, at least remotely, in the
words of Jesus Christ: (Matt. 5:48)--the calendar of saints
includes men and women of all types and all nations. But the
religious life is more conducive to perfection than life in the world,
because it concentrates definitely on this aim by means of the vows of
religion and organized prayer and asceticism. Perfection demands
the observance of the precepts and of such counsels as apply to ones
state of life. The essence of perfection, therefore, does not
consist in a multiplicity of devotions, confraternities, etc: nor
even in austerity, solitude, silence, and virtuous exercises. All
these are means of acquiring perfection, or are manifestations of its
presence.
How to Become a Saint
The way Saints are made outside the cloister as well as in. It
can be expressed in three words: Fidelity to conscience.. All
those who are saved eternally will be saved of their fidelity to
conscience. The only thing you need to do in order to become a
Saint is obey your conscience, and God will do the rest...Begin today;
and see what a wonderful change it will make in your life. Every
time your conscience prompts you to good, do it: every time it tells
you a thing wrong, don't do it. The chief difference between
saints and ordinary Christians is simply this, that they always obey
the slightest suggestion of the still, small voice, while others do
not. This is what St. Paul meant when he said.
"Extinguish not the Spirit;" for conscience is like a flame, which may
be blown out by willful inattention, and thus man is left, without a
guide, to walk in the dark. In such a condition it is utterly
impossible to remain long upon the narrow path that leads to the
kingdom of heaven.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: "To the Shepherd"
3. A pilot is the man who, once having received
spiritual strength from God and from his own toils, is able to draw up
his ship, not merely from out of the billows, but also from out of the
abyss itself.
October 13, 2011
(Act 2:17-19) And it shall come to pass, in the last days, (saith the
Lord), I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy: and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams. And upon my servants indeed and
upon my handmaids will I pour out in those days of my spirit: and they
shall prophesy. And I will shew wonders in the heaven above, and signs
on the earth beneath: blood and fire, and vapour of smoke.
BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 1917, Fatima, Portugal:
"People must amend their lives and ask pardon for their sins. They
must not offend our Lord any more, for He is already too much offended!"
THEREALPRESENCE.ORG: Fatima and Miracles of Conversion by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.
YOUTUBE: The 13th Day - The True Story of Fatima Movie Trailer
YOUTUBE: The Miracle of the Sun in Fatima October 13, 1917
VIA THE13THDAY.COM: The Facts Behind Fatima
Between May and October 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three
young children, Lucia Dos Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco
Marto, in the fields outside their village of Aljustrel, very close to
Fatima in Portugal.
The Lady of Light “more brilliant than the sun” would come and speak to
them at the same time, on the 13th day of each month for six months
promising that on her last visit, she would perform a miracle for all
to see, so that they would believe.
Lucia later revealed that on the Lady’s third visit, she gave the
children a Secret, told in three parts in the form of prophetic visions
of future events including the advent and timing of the Second World
War, the spread of communism, and the assassination of the Pope.
Word quickly spread that the children were experiencing spiritual
encounters with a Lady from Heaven, and crowds soon descended from far
and wide to the site to witness the children’s experience, some to
ridicule them, others bringing pleas of heavenly intercession into
their lives.
The Government at the time of the apparitions was fanatically
anti-religious, and the children were put under tremendous amounts of
pressure to admit that it was all a lie, including imprisonment and
interrogation under the threat of death, but they refused to capitulate.
On October 13th 1917, the date of the prophesised miracle, a crowd of
70’000 people, including reporters, photographers, government
officials, scientists, sceptics and believers, gathered in the field in
a torrential downpour.
Thousands of independent eye-witness accounts profess that the rain
stopped, the dark clouds broke and the sun ‘dimmed’ so that they could
look at it directly without it blinding them, or hurting their
eyes. It changed colours, bathing the crowds in rainbow shades of
light and began spinning in its orbit before plummeting towards the
earth....
“Then suddenly, on we heard a clamour, a cry of anguish breaking from
all the people. The sun, whirling wildly, seemed all at once to
loosen itself from the firmament and, blood red, advance threateningly
upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge and fiery weight.
The sensation during those moments was truly
terrible.” Prof. Almeida Garrett. His
full account may be found in “Novos Documentos de Fatima” (Loyola
editions, San Paulo, 1984)
People reported that they experienced an instantaneous drying from
their drenched state, to the extent that the muddy ground in which they
stood became hardened.
The phenomenon lasted approximately 10 minutes and was reported by witnesses from up to 25 miles away.
The event became known as the great Solar Miracle of Fatima.
MORE: The Apparitions at Fatima
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: "To the Shepherd"
2. A shepherd is pre-eminently he that is able
to seek out and set aright his lost, rational sheep by means of guilelessness,
zeal, and prayer.
October 12, 2011
(2Ti 4:6-8) For
I am even now ready to be sacrificed: and the time of my dissolution is
at hand. I have fought a good fight: I have finished my course: I have
kept the faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of
justice which the Lord the just judge will render to me in that day:
and not only to me, but to them also that love his coming. Make haste
to come to me quickly.
C.S. LEWIS:
“There is no neutral ground in the universe; every square inch, every
split second, is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan.”
OPINION: Our World: The forgotten Christians of the East
COUNTDOWN TO MASSACRE: Trigger for Copts' anger: Chronicles of a church burning in Upper Egypt
REVIEW: Islam's war on the Cross: Egypt's move to democracy under threat after latest attack on Coptic community
In the 19 or so centuries since Christianity first took root in Egypt,
the ritual of mourning has become an all-too-familiar experience for
the majority of the country’s Coptic community. Egypt’s eight
million Copts may claim to be their nation’s oldest surviving
indigenous faith, but that has not spared them from prolonged periods
of persecution, most recently at the hands of Islamist militants.
In many respects, the tone was set for nearly two millennia of
oppression of the Copts, one of the world’s oldest Christian sects, by
the martyrdom of St Mark the Evangelist, the disciple who established
the Christian faith in Alexandria just a few years after the ascension
of Christ.
The establishment of a new religion was bitterly resented by the city’s
pagan population, who feared it would turn Alexandrians away from the
worship of their traditional gods. They exacted their revenge on
Easter Monday in 68 AD when Roman soldiers put a rope around St Mark’s
neck and dragged him through the streets of Alexandria until he was
dead.
These days the methods used to persecute Egypt’s Copts might not be so
primitive, but their overall effect is no less barbaric. During
the latest outbreak of Coptic-related violence in Cairo on Sunday
night, several Copts are reported to have been crushed to death by the
tracks of an armoured military vehicle that ploughed into a group of
protesters as they sang hymns and held aloft the Cross.
CALL FOR PRAYER AND SUPPORT:
"Egyptian Christians are in urgent need of our help," stated Rev. Majed
El Shafie, President and Founder of One Free World International.
"We cannot afford to sit idly by and leave our brothers and sisters to
face this crisis alone. Please stand up and make your voice heard
on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Egypt who live and worship in
daily apprehension and fear of violent reprisals."
"Remember that the persecuted Christians are dying every day, but they
are still smiling," says El Shafie. "They are in a very deep dark
night, but they have the candle of the Lord. The enemy can have a
very strong weapon and a very strong army, but we have the Lord
Almighty. They can kill the dreamer, but they cannot kill the
dream."
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: "To the Shepherd"
1. In this terrestial book, O divine father, I
have given you the last place, but I am certain that you are inscribed
in the celestial book before us all, if indeed He is truthful who said,
"The last manner of thought shall be first in dignity." (Mat 20:16).
October 11, 2011
(Rev 6:9-11) And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the
altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the
testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying:
How long, O Lord (Holy and True), dost thou not judge and revenge our
blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given to
every one of them one; And it was said to them that they should rest
for a little time till their fellow servants and their brethren, who
are to be slain even as they, should be filled up.
HEADLINE: Egyptian Army Turns Guns on its Citizens
A peaceful march of Coptic Christians was met late on Sunday with
bullets and beatings. At least 24 people were killed and over 200
others wounded after the military opened fire on protesters. The
blood-stained sidewalk in front of the American hotel chain’s shopping
mall revealed the extent of the carnage.
The events have sent shockwaves throughout Egypt and its society, with
many expressing fear that the violence could escalate into a civil war.
Even by the standards of the chaos that has overtaken Egypt since the
fall of President Husni Mubarak last February, Sunday’s violence was
severe. Worse still, it was the government itself that fomented it.
“Think of the countries where the rulers kill citizens, Syria,
Yemen, Bahrain -- and now Egypt,” said a protester as he carried a
woman out of the war zone of downtown, his head dripping with blood
from wounds received.
Eight months after protestors toppled Mubarak, Egypt is still gripped
by violence as its interim military rulers tussle with the opposition
leaders and Muslim leaders over the country’s path to democracy. Many
in the opposition have grown suspicious about the intentions of the
generals as they crack down on the freedoms that emerged with Mubarak’s
fall and the timetable to democratic rule gets pushed back.
“We got rid of Mubarak and now we must get rid of the murderers that
are the military,” said another protestor, clutching his arm across a
bloodied white shirt. Fearing arrest, he would only identify himself as
Amr and refused to be taken to a hospital.
The protest by Christian Copts, demanding the governor of Aswan be
sacked after a church was burned in his jurisdiction last week, began
peacefully as a march from the Shubra district of northern Cairo to the
state television building at Maspero Square. But it was met by a
phalanx of troops who fired live ammunition and teargas.
FACTBOX: Attacks on Christians in Egypt
EDITORIAL: Egypt: Destroying Churches, One at a Time
REPORT: Persecution Sees 100,000 Christians Flee Egypt
RELATED HEADLINES
Egypt Pope leads Maspero victims' funeral
Arab Spring Falls on Egypt’s Coptic Christians
Egypt's church decrees 3-day fast to mourn victims
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 30- "Concerning the Supreme Trinity
Among the Virtues"
33. Experience of the Lord's gift engenders hope;
he who is without experience remains in doubt.
October 7, 2011 (Our Lady of the Rosary)
THE TRIB TIMES WILL
RETURN NEXT WEEK, GOD WILLING (James 4:15).
(Luk 1:26-28) And in the sixth month,
the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called
Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
house of David: and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being
come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee:
blessed art thou among women.
PADRE PIO SAID: "Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother."
THE ROSARY FOUNDATION: Rosary Miracle Stories - The Secret of the Rosary
ROSARY MIRACLE: Safe in the Midst of Hiroshima Nuclear Blast !!
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA Bread of Heaven International Prayer Group: A Miracle of the Rosary - A Promise Fulfilled
Approximately two years ago, my two
elderly great-aunts asked me for assistance because they were failing
in body and mind and had no one to help them. I agreed to help, and it
was a difficult task because they sometimes were confused and even
hostile. They were family and I loved them, so I did my best.
My aunts were very devoted to the Mass and to the rosary. They said
the rosary daily. Sometimes I would call in the afternoon to check on
them and they would be in the midst of the rosary.
"Can you call back later, honey?" my Aunt Jo would softly ask. Having
been away from the church for about twenty-five years, I was impatient
and not very sympathetic. But I would call back later as requested.
As time went on, My Aunt Jo grew more frail and weak and soon her sweet
little heart gave out. In the emergency room, the day she died, a
doctor explained that there was really nothing more to be done to
prolong her life. So I asked if we could have a private room, that she be made
comfortable and then I asked if there was a priest on hand. The doctor
called the priest and soon my aunt had received the Anointing of the
Sick. A few hours later, she died peacefully.
Six months later, my Aunt Helen, who had been living in a personal care
home near where I lived, fell and broke her hip. Surgery was performed
and she came through it well, considering she was 90 years old, but she
soon developed respiratory problems and one night, was rushed to the
hospital from the personal care home.
Someone from the hospital called to tell me that they had, in fact,
revived her and that if she had a living will, I should bring it to the
hospital immediately so that she wouldn't end up on unwanted life
support. I did bring the will and asked that the priest be called.
This time, Aunt Helen received the Anointing of the Sick, which she
would not have received if they had had her living will the first time
she arrested.
A few days later she died peacefully in the same hospital. Both my
aunts' funerals were held in St. Thomas More Church in a suburb of
Pittsburgh. They loved their church and had attended Mass there for
many years. I felt an immediate connection with their church and soon
found myself attending Mass there and reunited with my faith.
One day a friend presented me with a small pamphlet on the rosary,
which included the promises Our Lady made to anyone who would say the
rosary faithfully. The one that took my breath away was that she would
assist the faithful at the hour of death and they would not be without
the sacraments.
It occurred to me with the forcefulness of a lightning bolt that I had
been the agent of fulfilling Our Lady's promise to my aunts! They had
never said a word about calling a priest - they trusted in the message
and I took care of the arrangements.
Now, through this miracle, I am also devoted to the rosary and even
plan to visit Medjugorje someday. I attend Mass daily and have felt
the powerful change prayer has made in my life. So, in essence, my
aunts have been the spiritual agents in my life as well.
The Blessed Mother fulfills her promises mightily. I will always believe in the miracle of the rosary.
YOUTUBE VIDEO: Elvis Presley: Miracle of the Rosary
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 30- "Concerning the Supreme Trinity
Among the Virtues"
32. A monk of good hope is a slayer of despondency;
with this sword he routs it.
October 6, 2011
(Gal
6:7-9)
Be not deceived: God is not mocked. For what things a man shall sow,
those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh of the flesh
also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit of the
spirit shall reap life everlasting. And in doing good, let us not fail.
For in due time we shall reap, not failing.
LIFENEWS.COM: 180 Movie Changes Opinions From Pro-Abortion to Pro-Life
The new pro-life movie 180 has become an overnight sensation as nearly
half a million people have watched the 33-minute pro-life documentary
in just one week since director and producer Ray Comfort released it to
the public.
The film is changing public opinion on abortion 180 degrees in a matter
of minutes as it shows Comfort asking pro-abortion students questions
that change their views quickly. Titled to reflect the complete
turnaround in the mindsets of all to whom the question is posed, the
award-winning film shows eight “pro-choice” people, mostly college
students, changing their stance to pro-life just moments after the
question is asked in its entirety. It was Comfort’s hope that the
documentary would go viral and it appears to have done so.
Video Link: http://www.180movie.com/
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA Anne Lastman: Broken Branches, the bi-monthly newsletter of Victims of Abortion, has just released Issue 84 for October/November 2011 (LINK).
VIA Ron Smith: Report on Divorce and Sin
VIA David J Sheehan:
When I was in Medjugorje a couple of weeks ago, I heard this prayer
read from the pulpit during the English speaking Mass. It was
great!
Bless this house
Bless this house, O Lord we pray,
Make it safe by night and day;
Bless these walls, so firm and stout,
Keeping want and trouble out;
Bless the roof and chimneys tall,
Let Thy peace lie over all;
Bless this door that it may prove
Ever open to joy and love.
(Helen Taylor)
Blessing for a house
God of earth and God of Heaven,
Bless and sactify this home
Here to you we come in workship
From you never more to roam.
Hear our prayer,
O loving Father Lord eternal, ever same!
In our midst be ever present
As we gather in your name.
Bless the door through which we enter
Make us agree to give and share:
May we welcome friends and needy
And all burdens gladly share.
Jesus bore for us on Calvary
All the weight of sin and shame;
Bless this cross; let it remind us
To be patient in His name.
Word of God that brings us meaning
Lamp of truh guides our way;
Bread of Life that feeds our spirit
Guide our minds and hearts we pray.
Gather in the love of family
Welcoming our Lord in friends
May this room for us be blessed
With God's peace that knows no end.
Jesus shared bread at his table
On the night before he died.
Bless all those who together
May their love be fortified.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 30- "Concerning the Supreme Trinity
Among the Virtues"
31. The failing of hope is the disappearance of
love. Toils are bound by it. Labours depend on it. Mercy encircles it.
October 5, 2011 (Feast Day of St. Faustina Kowalska)
(Mat 5:7) Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Jesus' words to Saint Faustina:
In the Old Covenant I sent prophets
wielding thunderbolds to My people. Today I am sending you with My
mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching
mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart.
(1588)
It's a sign for the end times;
after it will come the day of justice. While there is still time, let
them have recourse to the fount of My mercy; let them profit from the
Blood and Water which gushed forth for them. (848) Before I come as a
just Judge, I first open wide the doors of My mercy. He who refuses to
pass through the doors of My mercy must pass through the doors of My
justice... (1146)
OVERVIEW VIA MARYPAGES: http://www.marypages.com/FaustinaEng.htm
MISSION:
Sister Mary Faustina was chosen by Our Lord as the Apostle and
"Secretary" of His Mercy. He said to her "In the Old Covenant, I sent
prophets wielding thunderbolts to My people. Today I am sending you
with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish
aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful
Heart." (Diary 1588) Sister Mary Faustina's mission had 3 tasks:
- Spreading the truth revealed in the Holy Scripture about God's merciful love for every human
- Spreading God's Infinite Mercy for
the whole world and particularly for sinners by practicing new forms of
devotion to the Divine Mercy. These included the veneration of the
image of the Divine Mercy, the Feast of the Divine Mercy which is
celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of Easter, Chaplet to the Divine Mercy,
and prayer at the Hour of Mercy of 3:00pm.
- Founding the apostolic movement of the Divine Mercy.
At the request of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, Sister Mary Faustina's recorded the details of her mission in a
Diary. Being practically illiterate, she managed to write almost 700
pages in her diary phonetically.
Sister Mary Faustina died on 5
October 1938 of tuberculosis at a convent in Krakow, Poland. She was
buried in the convent chapel beneath the image of the Divine Mercy. She
was beatified on April 18, 1993. On 30 April 2000, Pope John Paul II
canonized Maria Faustina Kowalska, Virgin, of the Sisters of the
Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy. The day of both her beatification and
canonization were the Second Sunday of Easter, the Feast of the Divine
Mercy, Mercy Sunday.
VIDEO: Baptismal And First Confession Site of St Faustina Kowalska
THEREALPRESENCE.ORG PAMPHLET LINK: http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/english_pdf/Kowalska.pdf
PRAYER FOR THE INTERCESSION OF SAINT FAUSTINA
Saint Faustina, you told us that your mission would continue after your death and that you would not forget us.
Our Lord also granted you a great privilege, telling you to “distribute
graces as you will, to whom you will, and when you will”.
Relying on this, I ask your intercession for the graces I need, especially (here mention your special intentions).
Help me, above all, to trust in Jesus as you did and thus to glorify His mercy every moment of my life.
Amen.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 30- "Concerning the Supreme Trinity
Among the Virtues"
30. Hope is a rest from labours; it is the door
of love; it is the annulment of despair; it is an image of what is absent.
October 4, 2011
(Mat
10:38-39) And he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth me, is not
worthy of me. He that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that
shall lose his life for me, shall find it.
VIA MANILA: St. Francis of Assisi Feast Tuesday
Catholics mark Tuesday the feast of one of the most popular saints of
the Church, Saint Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Order of the
Friars Minor (OFM), also known as the Franciscans. His feast day
coincides with the observance of World Animal Day, held in remembrance
of St. Francis’ unbounded love for nature and all creatures. St.
Francis is the patron of animals and the environment.
He founded the OFM in 1209 and in 1212, he co-founded with St. Clare,
the Order of the Poor Clares. In 1220, he set up the first known
Nativity scene in Greccio, Italy. In 1224, he received the gift of a
phenomenon known as the stigmata, or the five wounds of Christ.
(Christina I. Hermoso)
VIA CNA: Saint Francis of Assisi, 'giant of holiness,' honored Oct. 4
BOOK ARCHIVE: St. Francis of Assisi and the Conversion of the Muslims by Frank M. Rega, S.F.O.
"The most important book on St. Francis in English, in recent years." Brother Alexis Bugnolo, Editor, the Franciscan Archive,
www.franciscan-archive.org/
"This
is a rare and daring approach to the life of St. Francis and one that
is so necessary in our world at this time." From the Preface by Father
Angelus M. Shaughnessy, O.F.M. Capuchin and EWTN Priest.
". .
. ecumenical revisionists are now seeking to deconstruct the great
Franciscan and refashion him into a multi-cultural icon, as forewarned
in this . . . forthcoming book, which concentrates on his Islamic
encounters during the 5th Crusade." Rod Pead - Editor, "Christian Order"
EXCERPT (with permission): (Sultan)
Al-Kamil made another attempt to test St. Francis, this time in the
matter of the Gospel teachings of Christ. This incident shows that he
had some familiarity with Christian doctrine, perhaps based on what had
already been preached to him by Francis. The Sultan confronted the
friar with the words from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, recounted in the
Gospel of St. Matthew:
But I
say to you not to resist evil: but if one strike thee on thy right
cheek, turn to him also the other: And if a man will contend with thee
in judgment, and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also unto him.
(Matthew 5: 39-40).
The sultan asked Francis why, in the
light of this teaching of Jesus, should Crusaders be invading the lands
of the Muslims? Since the passage teaches “turning the other cheek” and
repaying evil with good, the sultan was contending that there was no
justification for the Crusader invasions, even though he knew that the
Muslims had taken the land by force from the Christians centuries
earlier.
Once again the response of Francis surprised al-Kamil.
He declared that the sultan had not completely studied the Gospel, and
pointed out to the king the words Jesus had spoken earlier in the same
discourse:
And if thy right
eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. For it is
expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than
that thy whole body be cast into hell. And if thy right hand scandalize
thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is expedient for thee
that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body
be cast into hell. (Matthew 5: 29-30).
Francis then
proceeded to impart a distinctive interpretation to these lines, by
referring them to those who attempt to turn Christians away from their
faith and love of God. The sultan was as dear to him as his own eye, he
admitted to the potentate. But, explaining Our Lord’s words that
a person should pluck out his own eye if it leading him astray, Francis
continued.
Here He wanted to teach us that every man, however
dear and close he is to us, and even if he is a precious to us as the
apple of our eye, must be repulsed, pulled out, expelled if he seeks to
turn us aside from the faith and love of our God. That is why it is
just that Christians invade the land you inhabit, for you blaspheme the
name of Christ and alienate everyone you can from His worship. But if
you were to recognize, confess, and adore the Creator and Redeemer,
Christians would love you as themselves. . . .”
When Francis had finished addressing the sultan, “All the spectators were in admiration at his answers.”
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 30- "Concerning the Supreme Trinity
Among the Virtues"
29. Hope is a wealth of hidden riches. Hope is
a treasure of assurance of the treasure in store for us.
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