Sunday, October 27, 2013
Feast of Christ the King - 27th October 2013
Feast of Christ the King
“The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and divinity and wisdom and power and honour: to Him be glory and empire for ever and ever.” Rev. 5:12 & 1:6
Firstborn of All Creatures
Jesus is the firstborn of all creatures. He gives the Father the greatest glory as Man because He is true God and loves the Father infinitely as God, the Son. This is why the Father is so pleased with His Son. Christ is the King for all eternity because He has given Himself for our ransom and has won for us our eternal salvation: “The Lord will reign forever and will give his people the gift of peace.” Ps. 28: 10-11 Jesus Christ is the “Son of Man” as He is both God and man. He is the first-born of all creatures and as such He gives the Father the greatest glory. This is why He is the “King of Kings” and the “Lord of Lords.” He is Christ the King of all nations and tribes: “He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have our redemption, the remission of our sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For in him were created all things in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and invisible...” Col. 1: 13-16
He Has Redeemed Us
“(Jesus Christ) faithful witness, first-born of the dead and ruler of the Kings of the earth.” Rev. 1:5. Christ is the faithful witness who has given His life and “washed us from our sins in His own blood.” Rev. 1:5 All creation looks to Him as He is the “Alpha and Omega,” (Rev. 1:8) the beginning and the end of all things. All things are measured by His great sacrifice for He has conquered death and redeemed us of our sins. “To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever.” Rev. 1:6
Jesus Christ is King, Priest and Victim
The Preface for the Feast of Christ the King (Ordinary Form) echoes the theme of Christ’s Kingship: “that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to Thee, holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: Who with the oil of gladness didst anoint Thine only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ as Priest for ever and King of all.” (Preface) Jesus is our eternal High Priest and King of Kings forever: “That offering Himself on the altar of the Cross a stainless Victim to appease Thee, He might accomplish the mysteries of man’s redemption...” (Preface) He is not only our King, but He is also our Priest who has sacrificed Himself for our sins. By His sacrifice, we are redeemed for His eternal kingdom in heaven: “and that subjecting all creatures to His sway, He might present to Thine infinite Majesty a universal and eternal Kingdom; a Kingdom of truth and life; a Kingdom of holiness and grace: a Kingdom of justice and peace.” (Preface) To obtain this Kingdom, St. Paul told us we must be “without spot or wrinkle.” (Eph. 5: 27)
Tragic Choice of Modern Man
The nations of the world tragically reject the Kingship of Christ with their immoral opposition to God’s Divine laws. Many nations today have legalized practices which are opposed to the Ten Commandments: abortion, divorce, contraception, same sex marriages, and euthanasia. With these sins against God’s Commandments, the world has chosen Satan, the Prince of this World, as their leader (king). This choice can only lead to tragedy for all of us in this world. People no longer believe in truth and think that they can do what they want; they no longer believe in the eternal truths of heaven, hell and judgment; they deny the Church’s teachings on life and marriage and fail to procreate the children that God wishes to give the world. “Without a deep reverence for the sacredness of life, humanity places itself on the path of self-destruction.” (Bishop Sean O’Malley of Fall River, Ma. USA, In Vitro Fertilization)
Christ the King Must Reign in Our World and in Us All
When Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925 with his decree, “Quas Primas,” he wanted to remind us that Jesus Christ must reign as King in our minds, our hearts, and in our wills if we want peace and happiness in this world. “He must reign in our minds which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desire and love God above all things, and cleave to Him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls.”(#21) Jesus has created us, He has redeemed us, He has sanctified us with His Flesh and Blood, He governs us with love and protection, and He has prepared a place for us in His heavenly Kingdom if we are faithful to His commandments. He will come to judge us in His glory and power. If we choose Him as our King today, we need not fear that He will refuse us His kingdom in Heaven for all eternity.
Feast of All Saints
Friday, 1 November 2013
Holyday of Obligation
Holy Mass is at 10:00 A. M.
The Feast of All Saints is also the First Friday of November
Now is a good time to continue (or begin) the devotion to the “Nine First Fridays” of the Month. The Sacred Heart of Jesus promised to St. Margaret Mary: "I promise thee in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving the Sacraments; My Divine heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment." There is no better way of honouring the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus than in receiving Holy Communion on the “Nine First Fridays.”.
The Feast of All Souls,
Saturday 2 November 2013
Souls in Purgatory: November is the month in which we remember the poor souls in Purgatory who cannot help themselves. They rely on us to shorten their time of purification. Saturday, 2 November 2013 is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed or All Souls Day. Mass is at 7:30 AM as usual.
All-Souls Lists: Please put the names of those who have died on the All-Souls list, and we will include them in our Masses during the month of November .
Mission of the Immaculate Mediatrix
First Saturday: 2 November 2013
9:30 AM- Tea and coffee: St. Joseph’s Hall)
10:00 AM- First Conference:
Marian Vow of Total Consecration
11:30 AM- Holy Mass in the chapel
12:30 PM- Lunch (Bring your own); Tea supplied
1:30 PM- Quiet Time: Adoration, Confession, Rosary & Divine Mercy Chaplet
3:10 PM- Benediction
3:30 PM- Second Conference: Marian Vow
4:15-4:30 PM- Tea and Departure
The Mission of the Immaculate Mediatrix (Our Lady) is to bring all souls to her Son, Jesus Christ, King of all creation. Our Lady will destroy all His enemies (Cf. Genesis 3:15), that is, Mary will crush under her heel all who are opposed to Christ by making laws contrary to His Commandments. On November 9, 1976 Karol Cardinal Wojtla, the future Pope John Paul II, spoke at the Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia, Pa., USA: “We are now standing in face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that the wide circles of American society or the wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the Anti-Church, of the Gospel and the anti-gospel.”
The Five First Saturdays
Next Saturday, 2 November is the First Saturday of November. Our Lady told Sr. Lucia in 1925 “…I promise to assist at the hour of death, with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months go to confession and receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary and keep me company for a quarter of an hour while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me." If only we would do what Our Lady asks, we would be assured of eternal salvation. Our Lady promises us all the graces necessary for our salvation if we keep The Five First Saturdays!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
22nd Sunday after Pentecost (20th October 2013)
For St. Paul, charity without truth is
“Render, therefore, to Caesar the things
that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are
God’s.” Mt. 22:21
on the liturgy, The Liturgical Year Vol. 11
comments on today’s liturgy: “According to
Honorius of Autun, the Mass of to-day has
reference to the days of the Antichrist. The
Church foreseeing the reign of the man of sin
(cf. II Thess. 2:3) and as though she were
actually undergoing the persecution which is to
surpass all others, takes her Introit of this
twenty-second Sunday from the Psalm De
profundis (cf. Ps. 129).” Gueranger, p. 455 In the
Epistle (Philippians 1: 6-11) St. Paul alludes to
“the day of Christ Jesus” Phil. 1: 6 and 1:10 which
is the day at the end of time when Jesus will come
in power to judge all the world. Dom Gueranger
comments on what this means: “St. Paul, in the
Church’s name, again invites our attention to
the near approach of the last day. But what, on
the previous Sunday, he called the evil day, he
now,...calls twice over the day of Christ Jesus.”
Gueranger, p. 457 According to Dom Gueranger in
the last days, the loss of truth is the greatest peril:
“The diminution of truth (cf. Ps. 11:2) is
evidently to be a leading peril of the latter times;
for, during these weeks (Pentecost) which
represent the last days of the world, the Church
is continually urging us to a sound and solid
understanding of truth, as though she
considered that to be the great preservative for
her children....To-day in the Epistle, she
implored of them to be ever progressing in
knowledge and all understanding, as being the
essential means for abounding in charity, and
for having the work of their sanctification
perfected for the day of Christ Jesus. The
Gospel (Mt. 22: 15-21) comes with an
appropriate finish to these instructions given us
by the apostle; it relates an incident in our
Lord’s life, which stamps those counsels with the
weightiest possible authority, viz., the example
of Him, who is our divine Model. He gives His
disciples the example they should follow, when,
like Himself, they have snares laid by the world,
for their destruction.” Gueranger, p. 462-3
“And I pray, that your charity may more and more
abound in knowledge and all understanding...”
Dom Prosper Gueranger in his book
Phil. 1:9
the cause of darkness and error. Dom Gueranger
tells us how important is the truth which is shown
brightly in the light of Christian civilization: “The
one ambition which rules and absorbs him (cf.
Phil. 1:24-7) is that God, who has begun in them
the work which is good by excellence, the work
of Christian perfection such as we know had
been wrought in the apostle himself, may
continue and perfect it in them all, by the day,
when Christ is to appear in His glory (cf. Col.
3:4). This is what he prays for, that charity, the
wedding-garment of those whom he has
betrothed to the one Spouse (cf. II Cor. 11:2),
may beautify them with all its splendour for the
grand day of the eternal nuptials (cf. Durand,
Ration., vi 139). Now, how is that charity to be
perfected in them? ...Charity, they say, is the
queen of virtues; it makes them take everything
easily, even lies against truth; to give the same
rights to error as to truth is, in their estimation
the highest point of Christian civilization
grounded in love. They quite forget that the first
object of charity, God who is substantial Truth,
has no greater enemy than a lie; ...When
Christianity first shone upon mankind, it found
error supreme mistress of the world. Having,
then, to deal with a universe that was rooted in
death (cf. Mt. 4:16), Christianity adopted no
other plan for giving salvation than that of
making the light as bright as could be; its only
policy was to proclaim the power which truth
alone has of saving man, and to assert its
exclusive right to reign over this world. The
triumph of the Gospel was the result.”
Gueranger, p. 457-9. This is why, as Dom
Gueranger reminds us, the Church in today’s
Epistle implores us to progress “in knowledge and
all understanding...” Phil. 1:9, as being essential
means of abounding in charity, and for having
the work of their sanctification perfected for the
day of Christ Jesus.” Gueranger, p. 462
All authority comes from God
importance of today’s Gospel for Jesus’ disciples
who will have to overcome the errors of the world:
“It was the last day of Jesus’ public teaching; it
was almost eve of His departure from this earth
(Tuesday in Holy Week). His enemies had failed
in every attempt hitherto made to ensnare Him;
this last plot was to be unusually deep-laid. The
Pharisees, who refused to recognize Caesar’s
authority and denied his claim to tribute, joined
Dom Gueranger tells us of the
with their adversaries, the partisans of Herod
and Rome, to propose this insidious question to
Jesus: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or
not? If our Lord’s answer was negative, He
incurred the displeasure of the government; if
He took the affirmative side, He would lose the
estimation of the people. With His divine
prudence, He disconcerted their plans. The two
parties, so strangely made friends by
partnership in one common intrigue, heard the
magnificent answer, which was divine enough to
make even Pharisees and Herodians one in the
truth. But truth was not what they were in
search of; so they returned to their old party
quarrels. The league formed against our Jesus
was broken; the effort made by error recoiled
on itself, as must ever be the case; and the
answer it had elicited, passed from the lips of
our Incarnate Lord to those of His bride, the
Church, who would be ever repeating it to the
world, for it contains the first principles of all
governments on earth.
“‘Render to Caesar the things that are
Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s’
(Mt. 22:21): it was the dictum most dear to the
apostles. If they boldly asserted that we must
obey God rather than men (cf. Acts 5:29), they
explained the whole truth, and added: ‘Let
every soul be subject to the higher powers; for
there is no power but from God: and those that
are, are ordained of God....The will of God (cf.
Rom. 8:1, 2. 5 & 6): there is the origin, there is
the real greatness of all authority amongst men!
Of themselves, men have no right to command
their fellow-men.” Gueranger, p. 463-4
All law must conform to God’s will
important truth which Jesus, truth itself (cf. Jn.
14:6), pronounced to the Jews: “But, in order
that the law oblige, that is, be truly law, it is
evident that it must be, first and foremost,
comformable to the commands and the
prohibitions of God, whose will alone can give it
a sacred character by making it enter into the
domain of man’s conscience. It is for this reason
that there cannot be a law against God, or His
Christ, or His Church. When God is not with
Him who governs, the power he exercises is
nothing better than brute force. The sovereign,
or the parliament, that pretends to govern a
country in opposition to the laws of God, has no
right to aught but revolt and contempt from
every upright man; to give the sacred name of
law to tyrannical enactments of that kind is a
profanation unworthy, not only of a Christian,
but of every man who is not a slave.” Gueranger,
p. 465.
Modern Secular Society
When the laws of God break down
and nations legalize practices, like abortion,
contraception, same-sex marriages, euthanasia, etc.
then we have a society that is opposed to Jesus
Christ and is in the beginning stages of the
Antichrist (cf. I Jn. 2:3 and II Thess. 2:3). The
Pharisees were forerunners of those future
antichrists because they refused to believe in the
teaching on the rights and duties that belong to the
State (Caesar) and God (the Church). St. Paul
reminded the Philippians “that your charity may
more and more abound in knowledge and all
understanding...” Phil 1:9 As the laws of our
modern secular society break down and people
believe that because it is a law that they have a
right to actions which are opposed to God’s law,
then we have a society which is in danger of
anarchy in this world and eternal perdition in the
next. They have not heeded the words of today’s
Epistle where charity has the understanding of
truth: “....that you may approve the better things;
be sincere and without offense unto the day of
Christ.” Phil. 1: 10
“The Little Number of Those Who
Are Saved” Part V
by St. Leonard of Port Maurice
Dom Gueranger reminds us the
Our chronicles relate an even more dreadful
happening. One of our brothers, well-known for his
doctrine and holiness, was preaching in Germany.
He represented the ugliness of the sin of impurity
so forceful that a woman fell dead of sorrow in
front of everyone. Then, coming back to life, she
said, "When I was presented before the Tribunal
of God, sixty thousand people arrived at the same
time from all parts of the world; out of that number,
three were saved by going to Purgatory, and all the
rest were damned."
O abyss of the judgments of God! Out of
thirty thousand, only five were saved! And out of
sixty thousand, only three went to heaven! You
sinners who are listening to me, in what category
will you be numbered?... What do you say?... What
do you think?...
I see almost all of you lowering your
heads, filled with astonishment and horror. But let
us lay our stupor aside, and instead of flattering
ourselves, let us try to draw some profit from our
fear. Is it not true that there are two roads which
lead to heaven: innocence and repentance? Now, if
I show you that very few take either one of these
two roads, as rational people you will conclude that
very few are saved. And to mention proofs: in what
age, employment or condition will you find that the
number of the wicked is not a hundred times
greater than that of the good, and about which one
might say, "The good are so rare and the wicked
are so great in number"? We could say of our times
what Salvianus said of his: it is easier to find a
countless multitude of sinners immersed in all sorts
of iniquities than a few innocent men. How many
servants are totally honest and faithful in their
duties? How many merchants are fair and equitable
in their commerce; how many craftsmen exact and
truthful; how many salesmen disinterested and
sincere? How many men of law do not forsake
equity? How many soldiers do not tread upon
innocence; how many masters do not unjustly
withhold the salary of those who serve them, or do
not seek to dominate their inferiors? Everywhere,
the good are rare and the wicked great in number.
Who does not know that today there is so much
libertinage among mature men, liberty among
young girls, vanity among women, licentiousness
in the nobility, corruption in the middle class,
dissolution in the people, impudence among the
poor, that one could say what David said of his
times: "All alike have gone astray... there is not
even one who does good, not even one."
Go into street and square, into palace and
house, into city and countryside, into tribunal
and court of law, and even into the temple of
God. Where will you find virtue? "Alas!" cries
Salvianus, "except for a very little number who
flee evil, what is the assembly of Christians if not
a sink of vice?" All that we can find everywhere is
selfishness, ambition, gluttony, and luxury. Is not
the greater portion of men defiled by the vice of
impurity, and is not Saint John right in saying, "The
whole world – if something so foul may be called –
"is seated in wickedness?" I am not the one who is
telling you; reason obliges you to believe that out of
those who are living so badly, very few are saved.
But you will say: Can penance not
profitably repair the loss of innocence? That is true,
I admit. But I also know that penance is so difficult
in practice, we have lost the habit so completely,
and it is so badly abused by sinners, that this
alone should suffice to convince you that very few
are saved by that path. Oh, how steep, narrow,
thorny, horrible to behold and hard to climb it is!
Everywhere we look, we see traces of blood and
things that recall sad memories. Many weaken at
the very sight of it. Many retreat at the very start.
Many fall from weariness in the middle, and many
give up wretchedly at the end. And how few are
they who persevere in it till death! Saint Ambrose
says it is easier to find men who have kept their
innocence than to find any who have done fitting
penance.
Fatima and Akita
(extract from recent article by Roberto di Mattei)
The Blessed Virgin Mary was not a talkative and sentimental woman, and Her
messages, when they are authentic, go straight to the point. Her words are a gift from Heaven to
confirm men in their faith or to give them direction and comfort in their difficulties. At Lourdes, in
1858, Mary put the seal on the dogma of the Immaculate Conception which had been promulgated
four years previously by Pius IX. At Fatima, in 1917, She announced a great punishment for the
world if it did not repent of its sins. In this prophecy which Benedict XVI said was “unfinished,”
Our lady wanted to make us understand how the world is living through a tragic hour in its history,
reminding each person of their own responsibilities.
A strong teaching, along the same lines as that of Fatima, comes to us from another
Marian Message that is not very well known, the fortieth anniversary of which occurred
precisely on October 13 2013: that of Akita. Akita is the name of the place, in Japan, where
the apparitions of Our Lady to Sr. Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa, of the order of the Servants of the
Eucharist, took place.
On October 13 1973, the religious received the final and most important message in
which Our Lady described the punishment which awaited humanity in these words: “If men
do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It
will be a punishment greater than the Deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall
from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither
priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The
only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by my Son. Each day,
recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary pray for the Pope, the bishops and the priests.
The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals
opposing cardinals, and bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned
and opposed by their Confreres. The Church and altars will be vandalized. The Church will be full
of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls
to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will rage especially against souls consecrated to God.
The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and
gravity, there will no longer be pardon for them.”
In April of 1984 Msgr. John Shojiro Ito, Bishop of Niigata in Japan, after a thorough
investigation, declared that the revelations of Akita were to be considered as having a
supernatural origin and he authorised the veneration of the Holy Mother of Akita in his
dioceses. In June of 1988 Cardinal Ratzinger, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, declared the events of Akita as being reliable. The Philippine Ambassador to the Holy
See, Howard Dee, has publicly testified that in a conversation with Cardinal Ratzinger, the Cardinal
confirmed to him that the messages of Fatima and of Akita have the same content.
The Prophecies of Fatima and of Akita foresee punishments for humanity and for
the Church on a natural, political and above all on a spiritual level, and remind us that God
is infinitely merciful because, in the first place, He is infinitely just. This is not the hour for
illusions, optimism or superficial smiles, but for earnestness and battle. And the Immaculate has
promised to assist us until Her final triumph.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
The Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Dominic: 'One day through the Rosary and scapular I will save the world'.

21st Sunday after Pentecost -13th October 2013
21st Sunday After Pentecost
13 October 2013
“... Wicked servant! I forgave thee all the debt, because thou didst entreat me.”
Mt. 18:32
Don Prosper Gueranger in his book, The Liturgical Year, Vol. 11, tells us of the importance of today’s liturgy in these final weeks after Pentecost: “Durandus, Bishop of Mende, in his Rational, tells us that this and the following Sundays till Advent bear closely on the Gospel of the marriage-feast, of which they are really but a further development. ‘Whereas,’ says he, speaking of this twenty-first Sunday, ‘this marriage has no more powerful opponent than the envy of satan, the Church speaks to us today of our combat with him and on the armour wherewith we must be clad in order to go through this terrible battle, as we shall see by the Epistle (Ephesians 6:10-17).’” Gueranger, p. 438. The combat with Satan is even more dramatic in these last Sundays after Pentecost because the Church reminds us of the approach of the final days of this world and coming general judgment. Dom Gueranger comments on how the person of Job in today’s Offertory Antiphon reveals the “ruling idea” of today’s Mass: “Reduced, like Job on the dung-hill, to the extremity of wretchedness, the world has nothing to trust to but God’s mercy. The holy men who are living in it, imitating in the name of all mankind the sentiments of the just man of Idumea (Job) honour God by patience and resignation which do but add power to and intensity to their supplications.” Gueranger, p. 439. Only those men who are just and patient, like Job, will be able to forgive their enemies. This is the lesson of the parable of The Unmerciful Servant in today’s Gospel (Mt. 18:23-35). If we wish God to forgive us our sins, then we also need to forgive those who have offended us.
Spousal Union with God
The early stages of man’s union with God here on are earth are usually filled with consolation, but then the spiritual combat ensues. However, Dom Gueranger reminds us that Jesus is always available to help His spouses: “There is no name so frequently applied to Him by the prophets as that of God of hosts. His divine Son, who is the Spouse, shows Himself here on earth as the Lord who is mighty in battle. In the mysterious nuptial canticle of the forty-fourth Psalm, He lets us see Him as a powerful prince, girding on His grand sword, and making His way, with His sharp arrows, through the very heart of His enemies, in order to reach, in the fair valiance and beautiful victory, the bride He has chosen as His own. She, too, the bride, whose beauty He has vouchsafed to love, and whom He wills to share in all His own glories (cf. Ps. 45) advances towards Him in the glittering armour of a warrior (cf. Cant. 4:4), surrounded by choirs (cf. Cant. 7:10) singing the magnificent exploits of the Spouse, while she herself is terrible as an army set in array (cf. Cant. 6:9). The armour of the brave is on her arms and breast; her noble bearing reminds one of the tower of David, with its thousand bucklers (cf. Cant. 4:4).” Gueranger, p. 441-2
“... the rulers of this world of darkness....”
In today’s Epistle, St. Paul reminds us that our enemies are the rulers of this world of darkness: “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the Principalities and the Powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness on high.” Eph. 6: 12 The soul, the bride of Christ, has to prove herself by overcoming the forces of evil especially until the evil day of judgment: “Therefore take up the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and stand in all things perfect.” Eph. 6:13 Dom Gueranger reminds us that the Church (i.e. all the faithful souls) is strengthened by the Lord: “The faithful soul is out of herself with love, when she remembers that the armour she wears is the armour of God, that is, the very armour of her Spouse. It is thrilling to hear the prophets describing Jesus, our Leader, accoutred for battle, with all the pieces we, too, are to wear: He girds himself with the girdle of faith (cf. Is. 11:5); then He puts the helmet of salvation on His beautiful head (cf. Is. 59:17); then the breast-plate of justice (cf. Wis. 5:19); then, the shield of invincible equity (cf. 5:20); and finally a magnificently tempered sword, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (cf. Apoc. 2:16)....The victory which overcometh the world, is our faith, says St. John (cf. I Jn. 5:4). When St. Paul, at the close of his career, reviews the combats he had fought through life, he sums up all in this telling word: ‘I have kept the faith’ II Tim. 4:7. The life of Paul, in that, should be the life of every Christian, for he says to us: ‘Fight the good fight of faith!’ I Tim 6:12. It is faith, which, in spite of those fearful odds enumerated in today’s Epistle as being against us, ensures the victory to men of good will...Better than breast-plate or helmet, the shield of faith protects us from every sort of injury; it blunts the fiery darts of the world, it repels the fury of our own passions, it makes us far-seeing enough to escape the most artful snares of the most wicked ones. Is not the word of God good for every emergency? And it is never wanting to us.” Gueranger, p. 443-5
“O thou just Judge of vengeance, grant us the gift of forgiveness before the day of reckoning cometh!” Dies irae
Today’s Gospel parable, The Unmerciful Servant has its main object lesson to teach us how to forgive so that we can be ready for general judgement, that “day of days.” Dom Gueranger comments on the meaning of the parable: “We are all of us, in fact, that negligent servant, that insolvent debtor, whose master might, in all justice, sell him with all he has, and hand him over to the torturers. The debt contracted with God by the sins we have committed is of such a nature as to deserve endless tortures; it supposes an eternal hell, in which the guilty one will ever be paying, yet never cancelling his debt. Infinite praise, then, and thanks to the divine Creditor, who, being moved to pity by the entreaties of the unhappy man who asks for time and he will pay all, grants him far beyond what he prays for, by immediately forgiving him the debt. He attaches but one condition to the pardon, as is evident from the sequel. He insists, and most justly, that he should go and do in like manner towards his fellow-servants, who may perhaps, owe something to him. After being generously forgiven by His Lord and King, after having his infinite debt so gratuitously cancelled, how can he possibly turn a deaf ear to the very same prayer which won pardon for himself? Is it to be believed that he will refuse all pity towards one whose only offense is that he asks him for time, and he will pay all.
“‘It is quite true,’ says St. Augustine, ‘that every man has his fellow-man for a debtor; for who is the man that has had no one to offend him? But, at the same time, who is the man that is not debtor to God? For all of us have sinned. Man, therefore, is both debtor to God and creditor to his fellow man. It is for this reason that God has laid down this rule for thy conduct, that thou must treat thy debtor, as He (God) treats His...” Gueranger, p. 449-50
Forgetfulness of our sins
Dom Gueranger reminds us how we all want God to forgive and forget our sins, so we should do the same for our neighbour: “But, if we thus feel it a happy necessity, to find in the heart of our heavenly Father (cf. Mt. 6:9) forgetfulness of our day’s faults, and an infinitely tender love for us, how can we, at that very same time, dare to be storing up in our minds any bitterness against our neighbours, our brethren, who are also His children. Even supposing that we had been treated by them with outrageous injustice or insult, could their faults bear any comparison with our offences against that good God, whose born enemies we were, and whom we have cause to be put to an ignominious death? Whatsoever may be the circumstances attending the unkindness shown us, we may and should invariably practise the rule given us by the apostle: ‘Be ye kind one to another, merciful, forgiving one another, even as God has forgiven you, in Christ! Be ye imitators of God as most dear children.’” Eph. 4:32 Gueranger, p. 451 Only those are true spouses of Jesus Christ and worthy of heaven who are merciful and forgiving to those who have offended them.
“The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved” Part V
by St. Leonard of Port Maurice
Salvation in the Various States of Life
But oh, I see that by speaking in this manner of all in general, I am missing my point. So let us apply this truth to various states, and you will understand that you must either throw away reason, experience and the common sense of the faithful, or confess that the greater number of Catholics is damned. Is there any state in the world more favorable to innocence in which salvation seems easier and of which people have a higher idea than that of priests, the lieutenants of God? At first glance, who would not think that most of them are not only good but even perfect; yet I am horror-struck when I hear Saint Jerome declaring that although the world is full of priests, barely one in a hundred is living in a manner in conformity with state; when I hear a servant of God attesting that he has learned by revelation that the number of priests who fall into hell each day is so great that it seemed impossible to him that there be any left on earth; when I hear Saint Chrysostom exclaiming with tears in his eyes, "I do not believe that many priests are saved; I believe the contrary, that the number of those who are damned is greater."
Look higher still, and see the prelates of the Holy Church, pastors who have the charge of souls. Is the number of those who are saved among them greater than the number of those who are damned? Listen to Cantimpre; he will relate an event to you, and you may draw the conclusions. There was a synod being held in Paris, and a great number of prelates and pastors who had the charge of souls were in attendance; the king and princes also came to add luster to that assembly by their presence. A famous preacher was invited to preach. While he was preparing his sermon, a horrible demon appeared to him and said, "Lay your books aside. If you want to give a sermon that will be useful to these princes and prelates, content yourself with telling them on our part, 'We the princes of darkness thank you, princes, prelates, and pastors of souls, that due to your negligence, the greater number of the faithful are damned; also, we are saving a reward for you for this favor, when you shall be with us in Hell.'"
Woe to you who command others! If so many are damned by your fault, what will happen to you? If few out of those who are first in the Church of God are saved, what will happen to you? Take all states, both sexes, every condition: husbands, wives, widows, young women, young men, soldiers, merchants, craftsmen, rich and poor, noble and plebian. What are we to say about all these people who are living so badly? The following narrative from Saint Vincent Ferrer will show you what you may think about it. He relates that an archdeacon in Lyons gave up his charge and retreated into a desert place to do penance, and that he died the same day and hour as Saint Bernard. After his death, he appeared to his bishop and said to him, "Know, Monsignor, that at the very hour I passed away, thirty-three thousand people also died. Out of this number, Bernard and myself went up to heaven without delay, three went to purgatory, and all the others fell into Hell." (to be continued)
Sister, please get rid of the yellow highlighting if you can.
Monday, October 7, 2013
AVE REGINA SACRATISSIMI ROSARII
20th Sunday After Pentecost - 6th October 2013
20th Sunday After Pentecost
6 October 2013
“Unless you see signs and wonders, you do not believe.” Jn. 4:48
Today’s readings remind us that, as beloved spouses of the Son of God, we will have spiritual warfare with the forces of evil from hell. The devil knows that he cannot overcome God, therefore, he will vent his anger on souls especially dear to God in order to deny God the love that they would give to Him for all eternity. For this he tempts man in his weakness in order to cause him to lose his faith and fall into sin. This is why, in today’s Epistle (Eph. 5: 15-21), St. Paul enjoins his disciples to take care to keep their hearts pure in these evil days: “See to it therefore, brethren, that you walk with care: not as unwise but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” Eph. 5:15-6 We see a similar message in today’s Gospel ( Jn. 4:46-51), where, according to Dom Prosper Gueranger in his book, The Liturgical Year Vol. 11, “The world is drawing towards its end; like the ruler’s son, it begins to die. Tormented by fever of the passions which have been excited in Capharnaum, the city of business and pleasure, it is too weak to go itself to the Physician who could cure it. It is for its father—for the pastors, who by Baptism, gave it the life of grace, and who govern the Christian people as rulers of holy Church—to go to Jesus, and beseech Him to restore the sick man to health. St. John begins this account by mentioning the place where they were to find Jesus: it was at Cana, the city of the marriage feast, where He first manifested His power (cf. Jn. 4:11) in the banquet hall; it is in heaven that the Man-God abides, now that He has quitted our earth, where He has left the disciples deprived of the Bridegroom (cf. Mt. 9:15), and having to pass a certain period of time in the field of penance. Capharnaum signifies the field of penance, and of consolation, which penance brings with it. Such was this earth intended to be when man was driven from Eden; such was the consolation, to which, during this life, the sinner was to aspire; and, because of his having pretended to turn this field of penance into a new paradise, the world is now to be destroyed. Man has exchanged the life-giving delights of Eden for the pleasures which kill the soul, and ruin the body, and draw down the divine vengeance.” Gueranger, p. 432-433
Supernatural Light in Dark Days.
The “days of evil” to which St. Paul refers and the pleasures of sin to which St. John alludes to at Capharnaum are the days when the devil will use all his cunning to defeat the children of light and destroy their faith. Dom Gueranger comments on the attack which will come to the Church in these times which seem so much like our times today: “Supernatural light will, in those days not only have to withstand the attacks of the children of darkness , who will put forward their false doctrines; it will, moreover, be minimized and falsified by the very children of light yielding on the question of principles; it will be endangered by the hesitations, and the human prudence of those who are called far-seeing men. Many will practically ignore the master-truth, that the Church never can be overwhelmed by any created power. If they remember that our Lord has promised to uphold His Church even to the end of the world (cf. Mt. 28:20), they will still believe that that they do a great service to the good cause by making certain politically clever concessions, not weighed in the balance of the sanctuary. Those future worldly-wise people will forget that our Lord needs no shrewd schemes to help Him to keep His promise; they will entirely overlook this most elementary consideration, that the co-operation which Jesus deigns to accept at the hands of His servants in the defence of the rights of His Church, never could consist in the disguising of those grand truths which constitute the power and beauty of the bride. They will forget the apostle’s maxim, laid down in his Epistle to the Romans, that to conform oneself to this world, to attempt an impossible adaptation of the Gospel to a world that is unchristianized, is not the means for proving what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God (cf. Rom. 12:2). So that it will be a thing of great and rare merit, in many an occurrence of those unhappy times, merely to understand what is the will of God, as our Epistle expresses it.” Gueranger, p. 426-7 St. Paul tells us what the will of God is: “Therefore, do not become foolish, but understand what the will of Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, for in that is debauchery; but be filled with Spirit...” Eph. 5: 17-8.
Sick at Capharnaum
Traditionally, those who are sick at Capharnaum are those who have partaken of sinful pleasures. The bodily sickness is only an indication of the greater sickness in the soul. This is why the father has to go to Jesus for his sick son. Cornelius a Lapide in his Commentary on St. John’s Gospel comments: “Tropologically (morally), the ruler, or the little king, is the mind of every man; the sick son is the will, which is weak in choosing the good; the servants are senses and bodily members; the heat of fever is the desire and love of earthly things; the chill of fever is the fear of them,...Christ heals them; He should therefore be approached and called upon, to restore the complete rule of the mind and to make a king out of this ‘little king,’...” a Lapide, p. 170. Only Jesus Christ can forgive us of our sins, which have caused our sickness. However, the Official needs to have his faith developed, as he does not believe that Jesus can cure him from a distance: “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jn. 4:49 He wants to see the sign, his son’s cure, but he does not have the faith to believe that Jesus can do it without being present in Capharnaum which is a journey of several hours from Cana. This is why Jesus wants to see his faith improve: “Unless you see signs and wonders you do not believe.” Jn. 4:48
“Lord, come down before my son dies.” Jn. 4:49
With these words, the Official pleads with Jesus for a miracle. Jesus is pleased to do it for him even though his faith is not perfect: “’Go thy way, thy son lives.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and departed.” Jn. 4:50-1 On his return home, the Official meets his servants who tell him that his son got better at the seventh hour which was the exact time in which Jesus told him that “thy son lives” Because of this miracle, he and his whole household believed in Jesus Christ. “And he himself believed and his whole household.” Jn. 4: 53 No doubt, Jesus saw that the Official was increasing in his faith and rewarded him with the miracle and stronger faith for himself and his whole household. In commenting on this passage, St. Bede, the Venerable tells us: “From this we may understand that there are degrees of faith, as well as other virtues. There is the beginning, the increase, and the perfection of faith. This man’s faith had its beginning when he asked for his son’s safety; its increase when he believed the word of the Lord saying, ‘Thy son liveth,’ Jn. 4:50; it was perfected by the announcement of his servants.” The son was cured at the symbolic seventh hour: “...He was healed at the seventh hour: 1. Because, as Origen says, seven is the symbol of the Sabbath, and of rest in which is health. 2. Because the same number is the symbol of the seven-fold Holy Spirit, in whom is all salvation. 3. Because, as Alcuin says, sins are remitted through the seven-fold Spirit. For seven, which is divided into three and four, signifies the Holy Trinity ruling in the four corners of the world.” a Lapide, p. 170-1
:“...but be ye filled with the Holy Ghost...”
St. Paul reveals a most important reason for the amount of faith in a soul in today’s Epistle:“...but be ye filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ....: Eph. 5:18-20. When a soul fails to praise and thank God, he will lose his faith: “And so they are without excuse, seeing that, although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks, but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless minds have been darkened.” Rom. 1: 20-21. Today, as Dom Gueranger revealed, there are many who are in great darkness both within and outside the Church. They think that they know better than the Church. They fail to realize that the Church is preserved from error as Dom Gueranger commented: “Those future worldly-wise people will forget that our Lord needs no shrewd schemes to help Him to keep His promise; .....Many will practically ignore the master-truth, that the Church never can be overwhelmed by any created power.” Gueranger, p. 426 How many today have lost their faith by listening to the Devil who tries to deceive men into thinking that they know better than the Church. They devise all kinds of innovative ideas which oppose the Catholic teachings of the Church. St Paul reminds us that the punishment for such souls who do not glorify God and thank Him is that they will become vain in their reasonings, and their senseless minds will become darkened. (cf. Rom. 1:21)
“The Little Number of Those Who Are Saved” Part IV
by St. Leonard of Port Maurice
The Words of Holy Scripture
“But why seek out the opinions of the Fathers and theologians, when Holy Scripture settles the question so clearly? Look in to the Old and New Testaments, and you will find a multitude of figures, symbols and words that clearly point out this truth: very few are saved. In the time of Noah, the entire human race was submerged by the Deluge, and only eight people were saved in the Ark. Saint Peter says, "This ark was the figure of the Church," while Saint Augustine adds, "And these eight people who were saved signify that very few Christians are saved, because there are very few who sincerely renounce the world, and those who renounce it only in words do not belong to the mystery represented by that ark." The Bible also tells us that only two Hebrews out of two million entered the Promised Land after going out of Egypt, and that only four escaped the fire of Sodom and the other burning cities that perished with it. All of this means that the number of the damned who will be cast into fire like straw is far greater than that of the saved, whom the heavenly Father will one day gather into His barns like precious wheat.
“I would not finish if I had to point out all the figures by which Holy Scripture confirms this truth; let us content ourselves with listening to the living oracle of Incarnate Wisdom. What did Our Lord answer the curious man in the Gospel who asked Him, "Lord, is it only a few to be saved?" Did He keep silence? Did He answer haltingly? Did He conceal His thought for fear of frightening the crowd? No. Questioned by only one, He addresses all of those present. He says to them: "You ask Me if there are only few who are saved?" Here is My answer: "Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Who is speaking here? It is the Son of God, Eternal Truth, who on another occasion says even more clearly, "Many are called, but few are chosen." He does not say that all are called and that out of all men, few are chosen, but that many are called; which means, as Saint Gregory explains, that out of all men, many are called to the True Faith, but out of them few are saved. Brothers, these are the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Are they clear? They are true. Tell me now if it is possible for you to have faith in your heart and not tremble.”
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
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