Saturday, July 27, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
“For days will come upon thee
when thy enemies will throw up a rampart about thee, and surround thee and shut
thee in on every side, and will dash thee to the ground and thy children within
thee, and will not leave in thee one stone upon another, because thou has not
known the time of thy visitation.” Lk. 19: 44-5
Fr.
Gabriel of St. Magdalen in his book of
meditations, Divine Intimacy, tells us: “Today
the liturgy invites us to consider the grave problem of our correspondence with
grace. It does this by showing us the sad picture of the sufferings of Israel, the chosen people,
upon whom God had showered His benefits, whom He had surrounded with graces,
protected with jealous care, and who, in spite of all this were lost through
their own infidelity. In the Epistle (I Cor. 10:6-13), St. Paul, after
mentioning certain points about Israel’s unfaithfulness, concludes: ‘Now all these things happened to them as a
type and they were written for our correction, ...Wherefore, he that thinketh
himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall.’ I Cor. 10:11-12. ....The
Gospel (Lk. 19:41-47) continues the same subject of the Epistle and shows us
Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. The Creator, the Lord, the Redeemer weeps over the
ruin of His creatures, the people whom He has loved with predilection, even
choosing them as the companions of His earthly life, and whom He had desired to
save at any price. ‘Jerusalem,
Jerusalem.. how often would I have gathered together thy children as the hen
doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not..’” Mt.
23:37 Fr. Gabriel, p. 753-4
“The time of thy visitation” Lk.19:45
In
today’s Epistle, St. Paul is concerned with two questions on idolatry. He questions
whether a Christian
can participate in heathen sacrificial banquets, and whether a Christian may eat foods that
have been offered to idols. For the
latter, St. Paul tells the Corinthians that it is possible to do so within certain limitations, but for the former, He argues
strongly against participating in idolatrous sacrifices. He cites four events in Hebrew history which
show how the people were punished for their idolatry. First is the incident of
the Golden calf “the people sat down to eat and drink and got up to play.” Ex.
32: 6, 19 The second incident is the
sin of fornication of the Israelites with women of Moab, (cf. Num. 25:1ff)
and the sin of idolatry with
worship of Baal-Peor and heathen banquets: “Neither let us commit fornication, even as
some of them committed fornication and
there fell in one day twenty-three thousand.” I Cor. 10:8 The third
incident concerns the tempting of the Israelites in the desert when they
murmured about the Manna; for this they were punished by a plague of snakes (cf. Num. 21:5-6). The fourth incident concerned the Jews when the destroying angel
killed 14,700 of the Israelites after they murmured against Moses and Aaron
(cf. Num. 16:41ff). St. Paul uses these incidents to teach the Corinthians not
to yield to temptations that
offend God as “God is faithful and will not permit you to
be tempted beyond your strength, but with temptation will also give you a way
out that you may be able to bear it.” I Cor. 10:13
Hardness of Heart
In
today’s Gospel, Jesus reveals His tender concern for the Jews who refuse to
acknowledge Him as Son of God even after all His miracles, His sinless life, and His divine
teaching. (“No one has ever spoken as this man.” Jn. 7:46)
Jesus prophesises about the coming destruction of Jerusalem. St. Paul
spoke of the impending punishment on his people for their lack of faith: “I
have great sadness and continual sorrow have I in my heart; for I wished myself
to be an anathema from Christ for my brethren who are my kinsmen according to
the flesh;” Rom. 9:2-2 Dom
Gueranger in his book, The Liturgical Year, Vol. 11
comments on today’s Gospel: “The passage just read to us from the holy
Gospel takes us back to the day of our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
This triumph, which God the Father willed should be offered to His Son before
the commencement of His Passion, was not, as we well know, anything of a
recognition of the Messiah made by the Synagogue. Neither the meek, gentle
manners of this King, who came to the
daughter of Sion seated on an ass (cf. Zach. 9:9) nor His merciful severity
upon the profaners of the temple, nor His farewell teachings in His Father’s
house could open the eyes of men who were determined to keep them shut against
the light of salvation and peace. Not
even the tears of the Son of Man, then could stay God’s vengeance: there is a
time for justice, and the Jews were resolved it should come to themselves.” Gueranger
p. 230
Prophecies of Jerusalem’s Destruction
In
addition to Jesus’ own prophetic words that “not a stone shall be left upon a
stone,” (Mt. 24:2) there were many Old Testament prophets who warned
the Jewish people of their impending destruction for their lack of belief: “’Woe
to the provoking and redeemed city! She hath not hearkened to the voice of her
God. Her princes are in the midst of her as roaring lions; her judges are ravening wolves; her
prophets are senseless men without
faith; her priests have defiled the sanctuary; they have acted unjustly against
the law (they have violated it) Crush
the city as in a mortar.’ Zeph. 3:1-4, 9, 11. ‘Go through the city, and
strike! Utterly destroy old and young,
maidens, children, and women—yea, destroy all that are not marked upon their
foreheads with Thau! (cross) And begin
ye at my sanctuary; slay my priests, and the ancients; defile the house (my
temple), and fill its courts with the bodies of the slain.’” Ezech.
9:4-7 Gueranger, p. 230-31
Desolation upon Desolation
The Fall of
Jerusalem in 70 AD to the Romans under Titus was the single most destructive
catastrophe the world had seen up until that time. Over 1,100,000 men perished.
Thousands more of women and children
died of starvation. The prophecies were
fulfilled completely. The mighty city of
Jerusalem was destroyed with “not be left
here one stone upon another” (Mt.
24:2) because they had known of the Lord’s visitation. Their curse at the time Jesus’ condemnation, was fulfilled: “His
blood be upon us and our children.” (Mt.27:25) Hitherto, the world had
never witnessed such destruction, and the world has never seen its like again.
New Evangelization III
EXTRA ECCLESIAM NULLA SALUS
(No Salvation Outside the Church) .
The New Testament makes clear the need to attach oneself to the
truths taught by the Catholic Faith. Christ gave to the Apostles the entire
deposit of faith ("The Holy Ghost
will teach you all things" John 14:26), told them to pass it on to
the world ("Going therefore,
teach ye all nations" Matt. 28:19), and threatened damnation for
those who did not believe them ("He
who believes not will be condemned" Mark 16:16).
He would not have condemned to hell the
disbelievers if it were not imperative to believe all that the Apostles
taught. Nor would He have done so if He
were not certain that the Apostles were teaching the truth ("He that heareth you heareth Me"
Luke 10:16). The Apostles themselves knew that anyone whose beliefs diverged
from their infallible teaching would perish – "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you
besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema" (Gal.
1:8).
Solemn Definitions
The Catholic Church has solemnly defined three times by infallible
declarations that outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation. The most
explicit and forceful of the three came from Pope Eugene IV, in the Bull
Cantate Domino, 1441, who proclaimed ex cathedra: "The
Most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of
those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, also Jews,
heretics, and schismatics can ever be partakers of eternal life, but that they
are to go into the eternal fire 'which was prepared for the devil and his
angels' (Mt. 25:41) unless before death they are joined with Her... No one,
let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood
for the Name of Christ can be saved unless they abide within the bosom and
unity of the Catholic Church. Pope
Innocent III declared ex cathedra in the Fourth Lateran Council, 1215 “There
is one universal Church of the faithful, outside of which no one at all can be
saved.” In another solemn definition, Pope Boniface VIII, (Unam
Sanctam, 1302) stated “We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely
necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman
Pontiff.” Pope Boniface VIII,
(Unam Sanctam, 1302).
These assertions imply that all non-Catholic religions are false and
that only the Catholic Church contains the entire deposit of faith given to the
Apostles by Christ. Although these
statements are denied and scorned by today's world, it is fully in accord with
common sense and the constant teaching of the Church there is “No salvation outside the Catholic Church.” (Objectively:
“No Salvation outside the Church.” Subjectively: God alone can judge a soul as to his
dispositions; we cannot judge the eternal salvation of souls.)
To be continued
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The History
From ancient times Carmel felt––one could say––the need of being the mountain of
the Virgin Mary, becoming a symbol of Her. And this for three obvious reasons: because
of its beauty, because of the glory of God claimed on its summit and because of the
beginnings of the coenobitic life, of which it was witness.
That which firstly attracted the gaze of antiquity upon Carmel was none other than
its beauty. This mountain, or rather this small chain of mountains of Palestine, the principal
peak of which rises in the form of a promontory in front of the Mediterranean Sea, as if in
the shape of a watchful sentinel, presents three characteristics which, merging into one,
constitute the true beauty of nature, and these are namely: majesty, grace and melancholy.
Its summit is crowned with pines and with majestic trees, the slopes are embellished
with splendid and thriving vegetation and strewn with pleasant villages; its base, instead, is
bathed in the waters of the Phoenician Sea. A singular mountain, it immediately captured
the admiration of the Jewish people who, by means of the mouth of its great ones, sung of
its beauties. When the bridegroom of the Canticle of Canticles wished to express the
beauty of his bride, he did not believe he could express it better than by saying that her
head is like Carmel: “Caput tuum ut Carmelus” (7:5). And when Isaiah wanted to
represent to us the splendour and the majesty of the future Messiah, he depicted Him
surrounded by the glory of Lebanon and re-clothed with all the beauty of Carmel: “Gloria
Libani data est ei, decor Carmeli et Saron” (35:2).
The sacred interpreters apply these similitudes to the Virgin Mary. And this is
correct, because indeed the beauty of Carmel, in its threefold character, represents
magnificently the beauty of Mary Most Holy. In Her we find the majesty of greatness,
namely the Divine Maternity, which is the supreme greatness to which a creature was ever
to be elevated; virginity replete with every grace and with every blessing, which is the
fruitful virginity of Mary before giving birth, during birth and after birth; and the sadness
of the greatest sorrow––well symbolised in that type of melancholy and of recollection that
arouses the contemplation of the mountain and of the sea––, which is the participation of
Mary in the human Redemption as Coredemptrix of the human race.
Nevertheless, that which rendered this mountain even more celebrated was the
victory which Elijah wrought over the prophets of Baal, claiming the glory and, with it, the
supreme rights of God.
But what relationship is there between this claim of the glory of God and the Virgin
Mary? Between this havoc of preachers of false divinity and She Who is the Mother of
divine grace and of mercy?... Three years before this great scene, Elijah had cast the
interdict over the countryside of Samaria, in punishment for the impiety of its king, Ahab,
saying: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, during these years there shall
be no dew or rain except at my word” (I Kings 17:1). Then, a frightening drought and
famine desolated Samaria: the torrents and springs dried up, and the earth became arid and
Once their pride had in this manner been exhausted, Elijah had to lead the people to
acknowledge and to confess the true God; and this he achieved through the bloody
slaughter of which the people themselves were witnesses and formed part. The fire of
Heaven had revealed the true God, the false prophets were punished terribly. And then
“Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, crouched down to the earth, and put his head
between his knees. ‘Climb up and look out to sea,’ he directed his servant, who went up
and looked, but reported, ‘There is nothing.’ Seven times he said, ‘Go, look again!’ And
the seventh time the youth reported, ‘There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from
the sea.’ Elijah said, ‘Go and say to Ahab, Harness up and leave the mountain before the
rain stops you.’ In a trice, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain
fell”(ivi 18:42-45).
Now, what happened, or rather, what did the Prophet see whilst remaining crouched
on the ground?...The secret of future things which this vision contained apart from the
historical fact, and the great mystery that God pre-announced by it to Elijah, the Prophet
deigned not to manifest publicly to all, but in a hidden manner to his disciples. From them
we know by means of tradition that God, by a symbolic vision, revealed to Elijah four
great mysteries: first, that a little girl would be born, who would leave the maternal womb
free from every sin; second, the time when this would happen; third, that this little girl
would embrace perpetual virginity after the example of Elijah; fourth, that God, taking
upon Himself human nature, would be born of that virgin. And indeed, the small cloud that
the servant of Elijah saw rising from the sea was a figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Who, little by means of Her humility, would be born from this sea, that is, from sinful
human nature, but in a different manner, because at Her birth She would not be oppressed
by the bitterness of crimes, but, like that small cloud, would be light because of Her
immunity from sin and sweet due to being filled with charisms. She, in fact, in Her birth,
was that cloud which had been written of symbolically by Moses: “Then the cloud covered
the meeting tent, and the glory of the Lord filled the Dwelling” (Ex 40:34).
The start of the Carmelite Order
On the slopes of Carmel the monastic life of the Carmelite Order had its beginning.
According to a pious tradition, the disciples of Elijah and Elisha dwelt in the limy caves of
the slopes of the mountain and there lived the hermitical life.
But what was the reason for this choice of place which was so precise, that they
were named the “Hermits of Mount Carmel”? Surely in that Palestine, which Elijah had
passed through in all senses, many other places, all impregnated with remembrances and
with graces of the great Prophet, could attract and detain those who aspired to the
succession of his spirit. The Cherith, on the banks of which Elijah had taken refuge by
order of God, offered them its living waters, considered, due to its having quenched for so
long the thirst of the Prophet, as a symbol of contemplation, for which they were avid.
Zarephath always spoke of the multiplication of the flour and oil and of the resurrection of
the son of the poor woman who gave shelter to the Prophet. And they could not even be
drawn to that region of the desert, a day’s journey from Beersheba, where Elijah, who had
become man again like us, had fallen asleep with a dejected spirit under the shade of a
juniper tree and, awakened twice by the Angel, had been by him refreshed with miraculous
bread that had allowed him to walk forty days in the desert until he reached Horeb, the
mountain of God par excellence? And ought this mountain not to attract them irresistibly,
in as much as it is a witness of the most exalted manifestations between God and Moses
and upon which, in a theophany of great style, the prophet Elijah himself had perceived, at
the testimony of St. John of the Cross, the divine essence itself in the breath of a gentle
Finally, it would have been an excellent choice for these hermits to have established
themselves on the banks of the Jordan, in those places where Elisha had picked up the
mantle of the Prophet, as a guarantee on the part of the firstborn son, and which was due to
him as the spiritual inheritance of his father who had vanished on a chariot of fire.
Surely the hermits were not insensitive to remembrances so rich in grace for them;
nevertheless it is on Mount Carmel that they established themselves.
In order to discover all the value and the meaning of this choice, one may reflect
that, between Horeb, pedestal of the dazzling and most sublime manifestations of God to
Moses and Elijah, and Carmel, where, in the shade of a symbolic vision, it was permitted
that a glimpse of the Virgin bearing the Messiah be seen, these austere and great
contemplatives did not hesitate. They that, at the testimony of St. Teresa, had such
complete contempt for the world, and who had proceeded to a place of such profound
solitude in order to find the precious pearl of contemplation, had settled on Carmel, near
the fountain of Elijah, in order to drink at the same fountainhead of light as their father.
Aspiring to something else, apart from the most sublime perception of God in His
essence at Horeb, they wanted to find the twofold living reality, announced by the
symbolic vision of Carmel.
It is, therefore, in order to discover the Virgin Mary, and at the same time Christ,
that the sons of Elijah came together on Mount Carmel; and it is in order to merit this grace
and to welcome Her that their contemplative gaze opened unceasingly onto the
supernatural horizons.
Nevertheless, this cult and this way of life, lived in the practice of poverty and of
penance, under the auspices of the Virgin Mary, foreseen in the figure of the small cloud,
could not remain without reward. And it was precisely on the sacred day of Pentecost that
these hermits of Mount Carmel, seeing how in those times that which, as a privilege, God
had revealed to their predecessors by means of the vision of Elijah, would be
accomplished, that is, the birth of a little girl, who would leave the maternal womb free
from every stain of sin and who, imitating them, would choose voluntary virginity and
from whom would be born the Messiah, decided to be baptised by the Apostles.
Considering, then, how the human race would receive from the Son of God, through
the Virgin Mary, the longed for benefit of the rain, that is, of grace, they took care to serve
this Virgin with constant devotion. They undertook, therefore, to venerate Her in such a
way that, before everything else, they dedicated to Mary Most Holy whilst She was still
living, a Chapel, and they erected it at that very spot where Elijah had contemplated the
small rising cloud, an illustrious figure of the Virgin. There, from that time forth, they
gathered together, honouring with pious rites, with prayers and praises, the Most Blessed
Virgin as their singular Patron. There, moreover, they remained in humble conversation
upon the Word of God, the faults to avoid and the salvation of souls to procure. On account
of which, even those foreign to their religion, from that time forth, began always to call
them “Brothers of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel.”
Admirable disposition of divine Providence: the first Chapel dedicated to the divine
Mother was precisely that of Mount Carmel. The Virgin Herself, in a certain manner, thus
took possession of the title of Carmel, of that mountain which already in ancient times,
under various aspects, had prefigured and symbolized Her.
Such, then, was the first origin of the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount
The connection between the historical facts and actual
Devotion to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
Having known the connection between Carmel and the divine Mother, a question
spontaneously arises: what connection is there between the historical facts and actual
devotion to the Virgin of Carmel? And what connection is there with the little habit of
Carmel, which is worn out of devotion to Her?
The coenobites of Carmel had perpetuated themselves, according to tradition, living
as anchorites and venerating in a special manner the Blessed Virgin.
History replaced the pious tradition in about the XII and XIII Century. In the XII
century, in fact, during the Latin reign of Jerusalem, many pilgrims coming from Europe
united themselves to the solitaries of Carmel. In about 1150 a priest from Calabria, named
Berthold, climbed that sacred mountain and restored one of the monasteries already
From that time forth, that family of anchorites developed greatly; Berthold obtained
as first, from the Patriarch of Antioch and Apostolic Legate, Almerico Malafaida, the title
of Prior General, and all the monks dwelling in those caves of the biblical mountain were
placed under his authority. St. Brocard succeeded him in the government, who in 1210
gave to the great Carmelite Family a rule fixed by Bl. Albert of Parma. Towards the year
1238 they spread to Cyprus and Sicily, and through the benevolence of the princes of the
crusade, also to other parts of Europe.
These hermits were respected by the Muslims due to their devotion towards Elijah,
this Prophet being venerated also by them. But then such tolerance came to an end and
their presence on Carmel became dangerous; because of this Alan, Prior General, in the
year 1245 decided upon the immigration to Europe. In the same year in the first chapter
held––at Aylesford––in England, Simon Stock was elected Superior General.
He had laboured much in order to obtain from the Holy See the formal approval of
the Order, which was granted on January 30
From this time forth the real progress and true life of the Carmelite Order had its
beginnings: from being hermits, the Carmelites became coenobites, and their coenobiums
multiplied rapidly.
th
1226, by Pope Honorius III.
St. Simon Stock and the Brown Scapular
Together with these, both in the East and in Europe, devotion to the Virgin of
Carmel started to spread, and in 1251, the same Virgin, to Whom St. Simon Stock was
very devoted, deigned to make him see a sign of love and protection, which She would
ever grant to the holy Order that he directed. In fact, on the night between July 15
, the Saint was at Cambridge, in his cell, when a heavenly light wholly inundated him.
Simon threw himself on his knees and raised his hands beseechingly towards Heaven. And
behold, in the midst of that light, appeared the Blessed Virgin Mary Who, presenting him a
scapular that She held in Her hand, said to him these words, which later he wrote and sent
to all the religious of the Order: “Most beloved son, receive the scapular of your Order, the
sign of my Confraternity, a privilege for you and for all the Carmelites. Whomsoever shall
die clothed with it shall be freed from eternal fire. It is a sign of salvation, a safeguard in
danger, a pledge of peace and of eternal alliance.”
The Christians immediately had great devotion towards the scapular of Carmel, a
devotion which continued to increase, when in 1316, during the long widowhood of the
Church on account of the death of Clement V, the Queen of Carmel appeared to James
d’Euse and, in announcing to him his proximate elevation to the Supreme Pontificate,
recommended him to spread devotion towards and confidence in Her scapular, because
She had granted it for the salvation of the faithful, adding that they who would die with
the little habit would be quickly freed by Her from the pains of Purgatory and conducted
into Paradise on the Saturday following their death. John XXII, moreover, promoted this
privilege, so called the Sabatine privilege, with a bull, in which the Most Holy Virgin
promised these three things: Her descent into Purgatory: “I, the Mother of Grace, will
come down on the Saturday after their death”; the pardon of the punishment and of the sin
at the moment of their death: “Thus the professed brothers of the said Order are absolved
from punishment and from sin, and this on the day on which they depart from this world”;
and the freedom from the pains of Purgatory on the first Saturday after their death: “I, the
Mother of Grace, will come down on the Saturday after their death and will free those
whom I will find in Purgatory and will conduct them to the holy mountain of eternal life.”
The descent of the Virgin to Purgatory ought not to be understood as Her personal
presence, as if every Saturday, leaving the glorious throne in the empyrean Heaven, She
would come down personally into Purgatory; but with Her virtual presence, so to say;
Her intercession or help, with which She aids the suffering souls. But even if Mary Most
Holy does not descend personally to Purgatory, nonetheless it must be the presence of Her
power and of Her most efficacious intercession, which the souls experience in that place of
The pardon of the punishment and of sin, at the moment of death, ought not to be
understood in the sense that it would free from some mortal or venial faults, because this
indulgence, as any other, is valid only for the remission of the punishment. Nevertheless it
is said to be conceded in remission of the sin and of the punishment in order to signify that
whoever obtains it must be free from the bonds of sin and of punishment: of the sin with
absolution or with contrition; of the punishment directly through the indulgence.
Lastly, the promise of freedom of the souls on the first Saturday after their death
concerns the benefit of the liberation and the time in which it happens.
All these favours promised us by the blessed Virgin under the title of Carmel, are
recalled precisely with the present Feast, which was extended to the entire Church by the
Dominican Pope Benedict XIII.
What are the conditions necessary in order to enjoy the two favours which the Most
Blessed Virgin, in Her immense mercy towards the Carmelites, has promised them?
The first privilege, as has been said, is the grace of final perseverance, expressed in
various ways: the freedom from the torments of Hell, a good death, the assurance of
Paradise. In order to enjoy this privilege it is necessary: to belong to the pious Association
or the Confraternity of Carmel; to lead a Christian and devout life; to always wear devoutly
the holy scapular, and to be clothed with it at the point of death, in the act of breathing
The second privilege, also called the Sabatine Privilege, is that of the solicitous
liberation from the pains of Purgatory after death. In order to enjoy this second favour,
apart from the conditions already required for the preceding one, it is necessary: to observe
chastity according to one’s state in life; to recite every day the little Office of the Blessed
Virgin Mary and to observe the fasts established by the Church. They, then, who cannot
read any more––being unable to recite the little Office of the Blessed Virgin––should
abstain from meat on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays of every week. It is to be noted,
however, that the abstinence from meat may not be freely chosen, in such a way that each
one may either recite the Office or not eat meat on the three aforementioned days; that is
only established for those who are not able to read. They, however, who are able to do so,
must recite the little Office. In the event, however, that they would not be able––for other
reasons––to recite the Office, and being unable to observe the said abstinences, should ask
a priest who has the faculty or the confessor, the changing of this obligation into another
good work. Generally such duty is usually changed to the recitation of seven Pater and Ave
in honour of the seven joys of the Virgin Mary in Heaven.
The first privilege, moreover, embraces various favours that are at the same time the
justification of the privilege itself as well as a splendid defense against the attacks of
incredulity and of ignorance; favours that have been manifested by the very words of Mary
Most Holy, Who said thus to Her servant: Receive this scapular as a distinguishing mark,
it is the special sign of my favour…” From these words it can already be understood that
we are not to place any intrinsic power in the scapular in itself; it is nothing but a
distinguishing mark, a sign, composed of two pieces of cloth of brown wool, united by
means of two strings.
Certain persons, however, say: “Why choose, as a distinguishing mark, an object so
ordinary, or rather an object which is so simple?”
If God would have consulted these learned ones on the plan that He had to become
incarnate, they would have rejected such a design as being great foolishness. What would
have happened if He had said to them: “This flesh taken from the womb of a woman, I will
conserve it eternally, I will exalt it with Me in glory, I will give it for you to adore on the
altars and to eat on an altar?”... Now, since Jesus has constituted the material and the
sensible signs as means of grace, what impropriety can we find in a material object chosen
by the Blessed Virgin and constituted as a distinguishing mark of an association that She,
in a singular manner, protects?
That the scapular is an ordinary and simple object is true; but we also know that one
of the virtues that is most wanting in the world is precisely humility. Well, even if we
consider this scapular to be so ordinary, it preaches to us the necessity of humility and of
simplicity and it tells us eloquently that it is a distinguishing mark of the protection of
Mary Most Holy, or rather, that an indispensable means to please Her is precisely humility,
united to simplicity.
However, if the scapular is a lowly thing and nothing in itself, it is something great
as a sign, because it is a symbol of one’s devotion towards the Virgin Mary; it is a sign and
symbol that She is pleased with and She protects in a singular manner whoever practices
Moreover, in this humble little habit we see once again and feel the love that the
heavenly Mother shows to them that wear it.
In the Sacred Scriptures, the gift of the garment, of the habit, has always been
considered as a sign of a most singular love. Jacob loved with a singular love his son
Joseph and to show him this love he had made for him a tunic woven in various colours.
Jonathan bound himself with great love to David, and he gave him not only the bow and
the sword, but also the tunic and the other necessary garments. The Virgin Herself, Who
with Her hands made the seamless tunic of Her divine Son Jesus, gave likewise, to St.
Simon Stock, the little habit of Carmel, this garment so simple, as a distinguishing mark
and special sign of love.
Now it is spontaneous for us to ask: do we appreciate this gift of Mary Most Holy,
the gift which She offers us as a special sign of Her love? But if we do appreciate it, we
ought also to understand that it is not enough just to accept it: it is necessary to receive it
with the sentiments with which the Holy Virgin offers it, that is, with the sentiment of
great veneration and of great love towards Her; and, that is why the little habit must be for
us a continuous appeal to the love of Mary Most Holy, to the covenant of love struck with
Let us clothe ourselves, therefore, with this scapular, let us wear it with the correct
dispositions, let us fulfill willingly the required conditions which are not burdensome, and
we will see how the Virgin of Carmel shall be our defense and the Paradise of our
homeland! And if it shall not be possible for us to avoid Purgatory completely, Mary Most
Holy shall also be our merciful liberator! She will speedily open for us its gates. She has
promised it; She will keep Her word if we merit it!
PRAYER TO OUR BLESSED LADY OF MT. CARMEL
O Most Blessed and Immaculate Virgin, honour and splendour of Carmel, Thou Who
dost look with particular kindness upon all those who wear Thy blessed habit, gaze
benevolently also upon us and cover us with the mantle of Thy maternal protection. Fortify
our weakness with Thy power; enlighten the darkness of our mind with Thy wisdom;
increase in us faith, hope and charity. Reclothe our souls with such graces and virtues
that they may always be dear to Thy divine son and to Thee. Assist us in life, console us at
death with Thy most amiable presence, and present us to the most august Trinity as Thy
children and devoted servants, so that we may praise Thee and bless Thee eternally in
Paradise. So be it.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
“...if you live according to the flesh, you will die;
but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of
the of flesh, you will live.” Rom. 8:12
Today’s Epistle (Romans 8:12-17) again, as
in the previous two Sundays, emphasizes the
struggle within all of us between the flesh and the
spirit. Fr. Gabriel of St. Magdalen, O.C.D. in his
book of meditations, Divine Intimacy, comments
on today’s readings: “...the life of the old man, a
slave to sin and the passions, from which come
the fruits of death and that of the new man, the
servant, or better, the child of God, producing
fruits of life: ‘...if you live according to the flesh,
you will die; but if, by the spirit, you mortify the
deeds of the of flesh, you will live.’ Rom. 8:12
Baptism has begotten us to the life of the spirit,
but it has not suppressed the life of the flesh in
us; the new man must always struggle against
the old man, the spiritual must fight against the
corporeal. Baptismal grace does not excuse us
from this battle, but it gives us the power to
sustain it.” p. 732 Today’s Gospel (Luke 16:1-9)
teaches us in the Parable of the Unjust Steward, in
an indirect way, as Fr. Gabriel tells us, “how to be
wise in administering the great riches of our life
of grace.” p. 733 In the parable, the unjust
steward who is to be dismissed from his position
uses the master’s goods to advantage by favouring
the master’s debtors so that they will favour him
after he is dismissed. Jesus does not praise the
conduct of the unjust steward, who is actually
stealing from his master by giving away his goods,
but he does praise his worldly prudence: “The
children of this world are wiser in their
generation than the children of light. And I say to
you: ‘Make unto you friends of the mammon of
iniquity; that when you shall fail, they may
receive you into the everlasting dwellings.”
The battle of “the children of light”
This life is a struggle and only those who
are willing to do violence to themselves will be
victorious. Jesus said, “...the kingdom of heaven
has been enduring violent assault, and the violent
have been seizing by force.” Mt. 11:12 This
struggle should not frighten us for St. Paul tells us
of the graces given to the “children of light” who
are made children of God by baptism: “Now you
have not received a spirit of bondage so as to be
again in fear, but you have received a spirit of
adoption as sons, by virtue of which we cry, Abba!
Father!” Rom 8:15 Fr. Gabriel comments: “Jesus
exhorts the ‘children of light’ not to be less
shrewd in providing for their eternal interests
than the ‘children of darkness’ are in assuring
for themselves the goods of the earth.” p. 733
We too have received many gifts of supernatural
grace from our heavenly Father: “The Spirit
himself gives testimony to our spirit that we are
sons of God.” Rom. 8:14-6 The Holy Spirit within
us testifies that we are led by the Spirit of God and
that He prays within us to the Father. The Holy
Spirit arouses confidence within us of our great
destiny: “But if you are sons, we are heirs also;
heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ,
provided, however, we suffer with him that we
may also be glorified with him.” Rom. 8: 17
“This is our great treasure: to be children of
God, co-heirs with Christ, temples of the Holy
Spirit.” Fr. Gabriel, p. 733
“Charity covers a multitude of sins.” I Pt. 4:8
“The Parable of the Unjust Steward”
reminds us that we need to be even more clever
than the “children of darkness” in using what has
been given to us in the order of grace. Just as the
unjust steward used the goods of his master to aid
his cause, so too we should use the goods that God
has given us in the order of grace to win for
ourselves our eternal salvation. Fr. Gabriel reminds
us of our spiritual treasures: “We also, like the
steward in the parable, have received from God
a patrimony to administer, that is, our natural
gifts, and more particularly, our supernatural
gifts, and all the graces, holy inspirations, and
promptings to good which God has bestowed on
us. The hour of rendering an account will come
for us too, and we shall have to admit that we
have often been unfaithful in trafficking with
the gifts of God, in making the treasures of
grace fructify in our soul. How can we atone for
infidelities. This is the moment to put into
practice the teaching of the parable by which, as
St. Augustine says, ‘God admonishes all of us to
use our earthly goods to make friends for
ourselves among the poor. They, in turn,
becoming the friends of their benefactors, will
be the cause of their admission into heaven.’ In
other words, we must pay our debts to God by
charity toward our neighbour, for Sacred
Scripture tells us, ‘Charity covers a multitude of
sins.’ I Pt. 4:8 This does not mean material
charity alone, but also spiritual charity and not
in great things only, but in little ones too—yes,
even in the very least things, such as a glass of
water given for the love of God. These little acts
of charity, which are always within our power,
are the riches by which we pay our debts and
put in order ‘our stewardship.’” Fr. Gabriel, p.
“Make an account of thy stewardship, for thou
canst be steward no longer.” Lk. 16:2.
Dom Prosper Gueranger in his book, The
Liturgical Year Vol. II comments on the meaning
of “The Parable of Unjust Steward” as an allegory
of all of sinners. “The rich man, then, of our
Gospel is Jesus, who in His sacred Humanity,
united to the Word, is heir of all things (cf. Heb.
1:2 & 3:8), and, as such, all things of the most
High God, created and uncreated, finite and
infinite, belong to Him...” Gueranger, p.209. We
are the unjust stewards who have squandered the
goods and talents which our master, Jesus Christ,
has given us. He owns all that we have and all the
resources of the world. We are only stewards of
them. Now that we have misused the goods of this
world for our selfish ends with our sins, we need to
make up to God for our sins. Like the Unjust
Steward who went to his master’s creditors, we
need to go to all who need our charity and give
them of our goods (which really belong to God in
the first place) and help them so that they will be
our witnesses before God when we come to be
judged. This is what is behind the meaning of the
scriptural text, “Charity covers a multitude of
sins.” I Pt. 4:8 Dom Gueranger comments on the
need to give alms: “Alms, whether corporal or
spiritual, secure us powerful friends for that
awful day of our death and judgment.”
Gueranger, p. 212 We too need creditors for when
we have to render an account of our lives: “Make
an account of thy stewardship, for thou canst be
steward no longer.” Lk. 16:2. These are the words
that Jesus will ask us at the end of our lives when
we have to give an account of what we have done
with His riches that He has given us. What have we
done with all the riches, talents and time which
God has given us?
“….and he that is unjust in that which is little, is
unjust in that which is greater.” Lk. 16:10
to this parable which is not included in today’s
Gospel. Jesus had begun this series of parables,
“The Lost Sheep,” “The Prodigal Son,” and
“The Unjust Steward,” after the Pharisees and
There is another important meaning
Scribes had murmured about Him: “This man
welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Lk. 15:2
In addition to the meaning of the parables that He
had come to call sinners, He wanted the Scribes
and Pharisees, like the unjust Steward, to realize
that they were unfaithful in their roles as leaders of
the people. Dom Gueranger comments on the
intention of the Church: “...if we would
understand the whole intention of the Church in
her choice of the present Gospel—we must listen
to St. Jerome....Let us first listen to the words of
the Scripture which the saint quotes (they
immediately follow those of the Gospel): ‘He
that is faithful in that which is least; is faithful in
that which is greater; and he that is unjust in that
which is little, is unjust in that which is greater.
If, then, ye have not been faithful in the unjust
mammon, who will trust you with that which is
true.” Lk. 16:10-4 These words, says St. Jerome,
were said in the presence of the scribes and
Pharisees; they felt that the parable was
intended for them; and they derided the divine
preacher. The one that was ‘unjust in that
which is little’ is the jealous Jew, who, in the
limited possession of the present life, refuses to
his fellow-men the use of those goods which were
created for all. If, then, you avaricious scribes
are convicted of mal-administration in the
management of temporal riches, how can you
expect to have confided to you the true, the
eternal, riches of the divine word, and the
teaching of the Gentiles....” Gueranger, p. 213
We may add here that there are many of the
powerful elites, who are cheating and stealing the
goods of this world and which they think belong to
them, that they too will have to render an account
of their stewardship some day to God, the just
judge. “Make an account of thy stewardship, for
thou canst be steward no longer.” Lk. 16:2.
Thank God for all of His Blessings
Fr. Gabriel, quoting St. Augustine, reminds
us how we are to live our spiritual life with love
and gratitude to God for all His gifts to us: “Oh!
How much I owe You, my Lord God, who
redeemed me at so great a price! Oh! How
much I ought to love, bless, praise, honour, and
glorify You who have loved me so much! I shall
give praise to Your Name, O God, who made me
capable of receiving the great glory of being
Your son. I owe to You all I have, all that is of
use for my life, all that I know and love. Who
possesses anything that is not Yours? Bestow
your gifts on me, O Lord our God, so that made
rich by You, I may serve and please You, and
every day return thanks to You for all that Your
mercy has done for me. I cannot serve You or
please You without making use of your gifts to
me.” (cf. St. Augustine). Fr. Gabriel, p. 734-5
Sister, Please tell the people that tea and coffee are
available in St. Joseph’s Hall after Mass
Sunday’s Offerings
There is no collection during Mass. Please
put your offerings for the needs of the monastery
in the box at the main aisle of the chapel. Thank
you for your kindness! Remember, today’s gospel
message: ‘Charity covers a multitude of sins.’ I Pt.
The New Evangelization in the Church
“Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall
enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does
the will of my Father in heaven shall enter the
kingdom of heaven.” Mt. 8:21
“For this is the will of the Father who sent me
that whoever beholds the Son, and believes in him
shall have everlasting life, and I will raise him up
on the last day.” Jn. 6:40
Jesus Christ wishes all men to follow Him
and believe in Him with absolute faith. “Faith is
the theological virtue by which we believe in God
and believe all that He has said and revealed
to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our
belief, because He is truth itself.” Catechism of
the Catholic Church #1814 Jesus established
His Church on Peter: “And I say to thee, thou are
Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; and whatever thou shalt bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven and whatever thou shalt
loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Mt.
16: 18-19 Jesus commissioned His Apostles to go
into the whole world and preach the gospel: . “Go
into the whole world and preach the gospel to
every creature. He who believes and is baptized
will be saved, but he who does not believe shall be
condemned.” Mark 16:15-6
Heb. 6:11
Necessity of being in the Church
It is an absolute necessity for all souls to
believe in Jesus Christ and His Church founded
on St. Peter. We need faith in Jesus’ words.
“Without faith it is impossible please God.” Heb.
6:11
EXTRA ECCLESIAM NULLA SALUS
(No Salvation Outside the Church)
In Catholic Dogma, the Church teaches in
a “de fide” statement that all must belong to the
Catholic Church to gain eternal life: “We declare,
say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely
necessary for the salvation of every human
creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”
Pope Boniface VIII, (Unam Sanctam, 1302).
This assertion implies that all nonCatholic religions are false and that only the
Catholic Church contains the entire deposit of faith
given to the Apostles by Christ. Although this
statement is denied and scorned by today's world,
it is fully in accord with common sense and the
constant teaching of the Church. (Objectively: “No
Salvation outside the Church”: Subjectively:
God alone can judge a soul as to his dispositions; we
cannot judge the eternal salvation of souls.)
Only One True Church
Only the Catholic Church was founded by
Jesus Christ. All other Churches were founded by
men.
Only the Catholic Church has the fullness
of truth. Other faiths deny the Blessed Trinity and
the divinity of Jesus Christ. Other religions do not
have the fullness of God’s moral truth and allow
practices condemned by the Ten Commandments
and the Sacred Scriptures (divorce, contraception,
polygamy etc.)
Only the Catholic Church has the means
of holiness in the sacraments instituted by Jesus
Christ to give grace: Baptism to cleanse the souls
of original sin, the Holy Eucharist enabling the soul
to receive the Body and Blood of Christ (“Amen,
amen, I say to you, unless you eat of the flesh of
the Son of Man and drink his blood you shall not
have life in you.” John 6:51 and 54) Penance to rid
the soul of sin (Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins
you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and
whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.”
John 20:22), and Matrimony to give the husband and
wife the grace to fulfill their marital vows (“What
therefore God has joined together, let no man put
asunder.” Mk. 10:9).
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Seventh Sunday
after Pentecost
7 July 2013
“For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is life everlasting in Christ Jesus.” Rom. 6:23
Fr. Gabriel of
St. Magdalene in his book of meditations, Divine Intimacy, comments on today’s readings: “Both the Epistle (Rom. 6:19-23) and the
Gospel (Mt. 7:15-21) for today speak of the true fruits of the Christian life
and invite us to ask ourselves what fruit we have produced so far. ‘When you
were servants of sin,’ says St. Paul, ‘you brought forth fruits of death, but now, being made from sin and
become servants of God, you have brought your fruit of sanctification.’”
(cf. Rom. 6:22) Fr. Gabriel, p. 711-12. In today’s Gospel, Jesus also speaks of
bearing fruit as a sign of a good soul: “By their fruits you will know them. Do men
gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree
bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad
fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” Mt. 7:16-18 What accounts for the bad fruit? Jesus has redeemed us all with His Precious
Blood in our Baptism, but not everyone has understood the liberty of the children of God. Some have believed in false prophets whose
fruits are bad: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but
inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Mt. 7:15. Those who misuse their freedom become servants of sin and death by following false prophets of a worldly doctrine of pleasure and greed.
Jesus delivers us from sin
Dom Prosper
Gueranger in his book, The Liturgical Year, Vol. 11,
comments on today’s Epistle. He assures us we have been delivered from
original sin and the devil: “Sold
under sin, by our first parents even before we had seen the day, and branded
with the infamous stigma, our whole life belonged to the cruel tyrant. He is a
master who is never satisfied with our
service; he is a merciless exactor; there is scarce an hour that he does not
make us feel his power over the members of our body; he does not allow us to
forget that our body is his slave. But,
if the life of a slave is under his master’s control, death comes at last and
sets the soul free; and as to the body, the oppressor can claim nothing, once
it is buried. Now, it was on the cross of the Man-God, who, as the apostle so
strongly expresses it, was made sin (cf. Rom. 6:11) because of our sins,
that guilty human nature was considered
by God’s merciful justice to have become what its divine and innocent Head was.
The old man that was the issue of Adam the sinner has been crucified; he has
died in Christ; the slave by birth, affranchised by this happy death, has had
buried under the waters of Baptism the body of sin, which carried in its flesh
the mark of its slavery....the sacred stream has not only washed away the defilement
of this degraded body, but it has also set it free from the those members of
sin, which are the evil passions. These passions were the powers of
iniquity—that is, power which deformed, and turned into uncleanness, those
faculties and organs wherewith God had endowed us, that we might fulfil all
justice unto sanctification. At the moment of our Baptism the strong-armed
tyrant forfeited his possession of us;
that Baptism was a death which set his slave free.” Gueranger, p. 175-6.
This new freedom is to what St. Paul is referring: “But now set free from sin and become slaves
to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and as your end life
everlasting. For the
wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is life everlasting in Christ
Jesus.” Rom. 6:22-23
“By their fruits you will know
them.” Mt. 7:16
There seems
little doubt that today’s Gospel should be applied to those who did not believe
in Jesus. This is why Jesus compares
people to good and bad fruit. Those who
listen to His word are the good fruit; those who oppose Him and teach others to do so are the
bad fruit. “By their fruits you will know them.” Mt. 7:16 The bad fruit are the “wolves
in sheep’s clothing” who lead people away with the false teachings. This
is why Jesus says: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but
inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Mt. 8:15. Jesus is directing these words
to the teachers of the law during His time who by their office appeared “in
sheep’s clothing” and looked good on the outside, but within they were
filled with treachery to destroy souls with their false teachings. Dom Gueranger
comments on them: “False prophets and
false Christs are numerous in Israel since the true Messiah, whom the prophets foretold, has been ignored, and treated by His
own people as the prophets themselves had been.” Gueranger, p. 182 “By
their fruits you will know them.” Mt. 7:16
“Under sheep’s clothing, which they wear that they may deceive simple
souls, the apostles of falsehood ever
betray their real nature. The artful language they use, and the flatteries they
utter for gain’s sake, cannot hide the
hollowness of their words. They separate themselves from the flock of
Christ,...” Gueranger, 187. They are
the bad fruit that come from a bad tree.
We know the tree by its fruit. “Do
men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree
bears good fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” Mt. 8: 16-18
Obey the
Commandments
In case anyone
did not understand what good and bad fruit had to do with His teaching, Jesus
clearly states that one needs to do His will which means to keep His
Commandments: “Not everyone who says to me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my
Father in heaven shall enter the kingdom of
heaven.” Mt. 8:21 As in
Jesus’ time, so today, there are many who pretend to work for God but are
really “false prophets.” They
teach in Jesus’ Name and they may even
prophesy in His Name, but they do not keep His Commandments. The prophet
Jeremiah spoke of this bad fruit: “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord
deceitfully.” Jer. 48:10 No wonder St. John would also be strong in his
condemnation of “bad fruit”: “He who says he loves God and does not keep
the commandments is a liar and there is no truth in him.” I Jn. 2:4 These “false prophets” have returned to
their father, the devil, a murderer and a liar from the beginning (cf. Jn.
8:44), and they have become slaves
of sin and death. Those who keep God’s Commandments are the good fruit who will inherit the kingdom because they have kept
God’s Word and have produced fruit unto life everlasting.
The New Evangelization in the Church
“Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Heb. 6:11
God wants us
to believe in Him and His Son Jesus Christ redeemed by His death on the Cross
and established His Church on Peter and the other Apostles as a means of salvation. As there are so many
Catholics who have lost their faith and there are so many people who are not
Catholics, the Church has called for a “New
Evangelization” for our time. You might wonder how this “New
Evangelization” should be conducted in these times. It should be done
as it was in early days of the Church
As in days long ago, when the pagan world was evangelized, the
Apostles and their successors preached
the necessity of believing in Jesus Christ and joining His Church by being
baptized. “Go into the whole world and
preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be
saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned.” Mark 16:15-6
“…thou
are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church…” Mt. 16:18
Jesus Christ
founded His Church on St. Peter:
“And I say to thee, thou are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom
of heaven; and whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and
whatever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Mt. 16:
18-19 Only the Catholic Church can trace
its origin back to St. Peter and Jesus Christ. All other churches were founded
by men! The Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis I, is the
successor of St. Peter and the Vicar of Christ on earth. Jesus promised that the gates of hell
(untruth) shall not prevail against His Church.
Only the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth. Jesus promised that whatever the Church
teaches on earth will be approved by Him (in heaven).
Solemn Teachings of Jesus Christ
Jesus wanted
all to be baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. How many religions do not believe in the
Blessed Trinity of three Divine Persons (Father, Son and Holy Ghost) in one
God? Many do not believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. They also do
not believe in Sacraments which were instituted by Jesus to give grace. Jesus said,
“I am the living bread that has come down from heaven. If anyone eat of
this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh
for the life of the world….Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat of the
flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you shall not have life in you.”
John 6:51 and 54 On Easter Sunday night,
Jesus also promised his Apostles that they would be able to forgive sins: “Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you
shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.”
John 20:22 St. Anthony Mary Claret
said: “It is not that everyone has to be
a Catholic per se, but where else are they to get their sins forgiven.” The great English author and convert to
Catholicism, Gilbert Keith Chesterton, said, “I wanted a Church in which my sins could be forgiven.”
People in the
world need to hear these truths which were uttered by Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. They need to realize that only the
Catholic Church was founded by Him and that He wants all to believe in His
words and listen to His Church which teaches in His name. We all need to
proclaim these truths for where else can souls gain eternal salvation except in
the Catholic Church. (to be
continued next week)
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
FATIMA - The most important message of our times...
but are we listening?
The message of Fatima has been given to us by the Mother of God Herself. In 1917 She spoke to three simple shepherd children and through them told us to stop offending God, because He is already too much offended by the sins of mankind. Perhaps we know the message well, but are we doing all we can to actually live it and spread it to others? Enormous perils face our troubled and sinful world of today. Our Blessed Mother brought to us a remedy and told us that if we listen to Her and do what She says, Russia will be converted and a period of peace granted to the world: Here is a summary of what we should do in order to respond to Our Lady’s Motherly plea to Her children:
v Offer up our daily duties as a sacrifice for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for our sins and those of others. Jesus said: “The penance that I request and require now is the sacrifice demanded of everybody by the accomplishment of his own duty and the observance of my Law.”
v Say the Rosary every day – at least 5 decades - whilst meditating upon the various mysteries, ending each mystery with the prayer: “Oh my Jesus forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.” The Rosary is the scourge of the evil one and a prayer which is so pleasing to God.
v Wear the Brown Scapular as a sign of our personal consecration to Our Lady and make acts of reparation to Her Immaculate Heart. Lucia said: “The Rosary and the Scapular are inseparable” and Our Lady Herself said: “One day with the Rosary and the Scapular I will save the world.”
v Attend Holy Mass even daily, if possible, and spend more time in adoration before the Most Blessed Sacrament. This will prove to be the most valuable time of our life.
v Pray and offer sacrifices for the conversion of poor sinners saying the prayer which Our Lady gave to the three little shepherds “Oh Jesus it is for love of You, for the conversion of poor sinners and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” Our Lady said that many souls go to hell because there is no one to pray or make a sacrifice for them.
v Practice the 5 First Saturdays of the month – see page 9 for explanation.
v Consecrate ourselves and our families to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady told the children that: “God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart.” – see consecration prayer on page 13.
Pope Pius XII said: “The time for doubting Fatima is past; it is now time for action.” In the Old Testament God repeatedly sent the Prophets to remind His people of their eternal destiny and to warn and even punish them when they strayed from the path of salvation. Today He sends the Queen of Prophets Herself, entrusted with the same message: “Pray, do penance for your sins, amend your lives, or God will be compelled to let fall the arm of His justice.”
Fatima is a loud warning bell for us all to amend our lives; a loving invitation for sincere contrition on our part.
The Holy Rosary – the scourge of the devil
This is a very great gift to us from Heaven. It is like a sword which Our Lady uses to destroy heresy and the forces of evil, which are so rampant in our world today. It is the greatest Marian prayer and that which is most pleasing to God. It is the compendium of the Gospel and after the Liturgy, the prayer which Holy Mother Church recommends most highly to Her children. This devotion was given by Our Lady to St. Dominic and once, when he was performing an exorcism, the demons themselves said: “Now that we are forced to speak, we must tell you this. Nobody who perseveres in saying the Rosary will be damned, because She (Mary) obtains for Her servants the grace of true contrition for their sins and by means of this they obtain God’s forgiveness and mercy.” It is the Holy Rosary that Our Lady constantly asks Her children to pray whenever She appears upon this earth and She has promised great graces and Her special protection to all those who will do this – see page 7. Sr. Lucia (one of the little shepherds of Fatima) said that there is no problem, spiritual or material, which cannot be resolved by the prayer of the Holy Rosary. The family Rosary is very highly recommended, because the family that prays together stays together. We realise how important this is in these days when family life is threatened with destruction on all sides.
The 15 Promises of the Holy Rosary given by Our Lady
Whoever shall faithfully serve Me by the recitation of the rosary shall receive signal graces.
I promise My special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
The Rosary shall be a powerful armour against hell. It will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.
It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
The soul which recommends itself to Me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.
Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice; he shall not perish by an un-provided death; if he be just, he shall remain in the grace of God and become worthy of eternal life.
Whoever shall have a true devotion to the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of their death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise.
I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.
You shall obtain all you ask of Me by the recitation of the Rosary.
All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by Me in all their necessities.
I have obtained from My Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for their intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.
All who recite the Rosary are My sons and brothers of My only Son, Jesus Christ.
Devotion to My Rosary is a great sign of predestination.
The Devotion of
the Five First Saturdays of the month
Perhaps the most important thing we need to grasp about the message of Fatima is the vital need to make reparation for the countless sacrileges and blasphemies committed against our Immaculate Mother, especially against Her Immaculate Conception and Her virginal purity. Once St. Maximlian Mary Kolbe was walking along the street and he heard a man blaspheming Our Lady. In tears he exclaimed: “How can you blaspheme your own Mother?” The best way of making reparation is to put into practice the devotion of the five first Saturdays of the month. Its importance is confirmed by Jesus Himself who said: “Whether the world has war or peace depends on the practice of this devotion, together with consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” But later on, He also complained to Lucia that many souls begin the 5 First Saturdays, but few finish them, and those who do, complete them so as to receive the graces that are promised thereby. He said: “ It would please Me more if they did five with fervour and with the intention of making reparation to the Heart of their Mother, than if they did 15 in a tepid and indifferent manner.” Thus Jesus confirms how pleased He is when we strive to make reparation for the sins and blasphemies committed against Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart. We will never regret having done this and will rejoice very much the Heart of Jesus.
Our Lady’s Great Promise of
the Five First Saturdays
On December 10th 1925, in Tuy, Spain, the most Holy Virgin appeared to Lucia, and by Her side, elevated on a luminous cloud, was a child. The most holy Virgin rested Her hand on Lucia’s shoulder and as She did so, She showed her a heart encircled with thorns, which She was holding in Her other hand. At the same time the Child said: “Have compassion on the Heart of your most holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them.” Then the most holy Virgin said: “Look my daughter at My Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce Me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console Me and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary and keep Me company for fifteen minutes, while meditating on the fifteen (now twenty including the Luminous mysteries) mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to Me.”
NB The meditation may be upon one or more of the mysteries.
Why does Our Lady ask for five Saturdays?
She asks specifically for five in order to make reparation for the following:
Blasphemies against Her Perpetual Virginity.
Blasphemies against Her Divine Maternity and the refusal to accept Her as Mother of all.
In reparation for those who seek to instil into the hearts of children indifference, scorn and even hatred for their Immaculate Mother.
In reparation for those who those who directly insult Her in Her holy images.
Consecration to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary
Our Lady wants people to consecrate themselves to Her Immaculate Heart, so that they can then become instruments of salvation in Her hands for the countless souls in danger of being lost for all eternity. By doing this, they pay special homage to their heavenly Mother, placing themselves under Her protection, whilst striving to imitate Her virtues. It would be good to renew the consecration often – daily and especially on the feast days of Our Lady.
Prayer of Consecration
to Our Lady of Fatima
O Virgin of Fatima, Mother of mercy, Queen of Heaven and earth, refuge of sinners, we consecrate ourselves to your Immaculate Heart. To you we consecrate our hearts and souls, our families and all that we have. And in order that this consecration may be truly effective and lasting, we renew today the promises of our Baptism and Confirmation: and we undertake to live as good Christians, faithful to God, the Church and the Holy Father. We desire to pray the Rosary, partake in the holy Eucharist, attach special importance to the first Saturday of the month and work for the conversion of sinners. Furthermore we promise, o most holy Virgin, that we will zealously spread devotion to you, so that through our consecration to Your Immaculate Heart and through Your own intercession, the coming of the Kingdom of Christ in the world may be hastened. Amen.
Is the Message of Fatima Relevant Today?
The message of Fatima is more relevant today than when it was given to us by our Blessed Mother in 1917. Above all it confirms and emphasises certain truths of our Faith which some people of our days are trying to eliminate:
The great importance of the Holy Eucharist (which many try to strip of all meaning) which is Jesus Christ Himself present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the consecrated host.
The existence of Angels and demons.
The reality of hell which was confirmed by Our Lady Herself.
The value of prayer (especially the Holy Rosary) and penance in our lives.
It is true that Revelation ended with Christ and His Apostles, but that does not mean that God cannot speak any longer to His children and abandon them. Not at all; God speaks again in our times and He does so by means of our Immaculate Mother.
“In the end My Immaculate Heart Will Triumph!”
Today Fatima stands as a magnificent symbol of hope for our sinful world dominated by the spectre of mass apostasy from God. Our only hope for world peace is found in the Message of Fatima – the message from Heaven for OUR TIMES! Are we listening?
This article was written in order to offer a small act of reparation for the sins and blasphemies which are continuously committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our most beloved Mother.
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