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| July 27th - St. Panteleon |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-27-2021, 12:59 PM - Forum: July
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July 27 – St. Pantaleon, Martyr
The East celebrates today one of her greater martyrs, who was both a healer of bodies and a conqueror of souls. His name, which recalls the strength of the lion, was changed by heaven at the time of his death into Panteleemon, or all-merciful; a happy presage of the gracious blessings our Lord would afterwards bestow on the earth through his means. The various translations and the diffusion of his sacred relics in our West have made his cultus widespread, together with his renown as a friend in need, which has caused him to be ranked among the saints called helpers.
Quote:Pantaleon was a nobleman of Nicomedia and a physician. He was instructed in the faith and baptized by the priest Hermolaus, and soon persuaded his father Eustorguis to become a Christian. Afterwards he freely preached the faith of our Lord Christ in Nicomedia, and encouraged all to embrace his doctrine. This was in the reign of Diocletian. He was tortured on the rack and red-hot plates were applied to his body. He bore the violence of these tortures calmly and bravely, and being finally beheaded obtained the crown of martyrdom.
What is stronger than a lion, and what is sweeter than honey? Greater than Samson, thou, O Martyr, didst in thy own person propose and solve the riddle: Out of the strong came forth sweetness. O lion, who didst follow so fearlessly the Lion of Juda, thou didst imitate his ineffable gentleness; and as he deserved to be called eternally the Lamb, so did he will his Divine Mercy to shine forth in the everlasting heavenly name, into which he changed thy earthly name. Justify that title more and more for the honor of him who gave it to thee. Be merciful to those who call on thee: to the sufferers whom a weary consumption brings daily nearer to the tomb; to physicians, who, like thee, spend themselves in the care of their brethren: assist them in giving relief to physical suffering, in restoring corporal health; teach them still better to heal mortal wounds, and lead souls to salvation.
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| Bishop: Priests who refuse coronavirus vaccine ‘may find themselves limited in their ministry’ |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-27-2021, 12:37 PM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Spiritual]
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Canadian bishop: Priests who refuse coronavirus vaccine ‘may find themselves limited in their ministry’
LifeSiteNews has obtained Bishop Douglas Crosby’s letter stating that unvaccinated priests ‘may not be permitted entrance’ to hospitals and schools. In ‘order that all clergy can carry out their ministries effectively, including celebrating Mass and the other Sacraments, it is imperative that they get fully vaccinated,’ he wrote.
![[Image: 121_810_500_75_s_c1.jpg]](https://assets.lifesitenews.com/images/made/images/remote/https_www.lifesitenews.com/images/local/121_810_500_75_s_c1.jpg)
Hamilton Bishop Douglas Crosby gives a homily at the dioceses' Cathedral of Christ the King.http://http://christthekingcathedral.org/
HAMILTON, Ontario, July 26, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — In a letter obtained by LifeSiteNews, a Canadian bishop warned priests that their ministry may be restricted if they don’t receive an experimental coronavirus vaccine.
“Anyone who does not receive the vaccines may find themselves limited in their ministry,” wrote Hamilton’s Bishop Douglas Crosby in a July 20 letter addressed to his priests and deacons (click HERE to access a PDF of the letter). Crosby urged clergy in his diocese to “continue observing the wise counsel of the health authorities.”
Priest who don’t take a coronavirus shot “may not be permitted entrance to health care facilities (hospitals and nursing homes) and schools,” he continued.
Crosby’s threat to bar unvaccinated priests from visiting health care facilities could hinder priests’ ability to administer the Sacrament of the Sick, sometimes known as the Last Rites, which includes confession, extreme unction (anointing), and the reception of Holy Communion by the sick and dying.
The Bishop of Hamilton did not state definitively that he would restrict priests’ ability to say Mass and perform other sacraments elsewhere. However, he wrote that in “order that all clergy can carry out their ministries effectively, including celebrating Mass and the other Sacraments, it is imperative that they get fully vaccinated.”
Crosby is also pressuring laity to get jabbed: “Similarly, parish ministers and staff members who are fully vaccinated will be able to carry out their respective roles more effectively,” he wrote.
While his letter doesn’t say the vaccine is required for priests or lay ministers, noting that “vaccines are not mandatory at this time,” Crosby invoked Pope Francis to frame COVID vaccination as a “moral imperative.”
“Pope Francis reminds us that it is a moral imperative that everyone get vaccinated in order to prevent the potential infection and spread of COVID-19 and its variants,” he wrote.
Crosby referred here to Pope Francis’s remarks in a January interview, when he said, “I believe that, ethically, everyone should take the vaccine,” and that it’s "an ethical choice, because you are playing with health, life, but you are also playing with the lives of others.”
Pope Francis has not mentioned the fact that the currently available coronavirus vaccines are developed using material from aborted babies, leading many pro-lifers to conscientiously object to taking them. A chart detailing which vaccines use cell lines from aborted babies, and at what stage the cell lines are used, was published by the Charlotte Lozier Institute.
Crosby echoed Pope Francis’s sentiments on vaccines, writing, “We are morally obligated to do all that we know is possible lest the health of our parishioners be jeopardized.”
Nowhere in his letter does Crosby mention the possibility that some of his priests may have natural immunity from prior coronavirus infection, which also puts them at an elevated risk of having an adverse reaction to one of the vaccines. His letter also does not account for the possibility of some of his priests having allergies or other contraindications that medically prevent receiving one of the shots; some of his priests conscientiously objecting to the use of abortion-tainted vaccines; and “parish ministers and staff members” who may be pregnant or of childbearing age and avoiding the vaccine because of worries about miscarriage, birth defects, or fertility.
Some American bishops have already begun to order that laity involved in certain parish activities receive the coronavirus vaccine. Bishop Anthony B. Taylor of Little Rock, Arkansas – the first bishop in the United States to cancel all public Masses at the beginning of the coronavirus – has barred lay people from delivering Communion to the sick and choir members from singing at Mass unless they are “fully vaccinated” with an experimental coronavirus vaccine.
The Catholic Archdiocese of New York, led by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, announced in May 2021 that it would begin segregating vaccinated and unvaccinated parishioners. Only people who have received the abortion-tainted injections will be permitted to sing in the choir or serve on the altar. How to enforce this, or whether to actually look at and possibly store people’s medical records, is up to each parish.
Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago, meanwhile, declared that those who are “full vaccinated” may enter the church doors without masks, but only if they provide proof of their “vaccination status.”
When Pope Francis visits Slovakia in September, only people who have received a coronavirus vaccine will be allowed at the papal Mass, Slovakian health minister Vladimír Lengvarský announced during a press conference on July 20. That decision was made in cooperation with the Slovakian bishops’ conference.
Crosby’s Diocese of Hamilton has history of LGBT activism
Under Crosby, the Diocese of Hamilton argued in favor of flying the “gay pride” flag at Catholic schools, in the form of a document submitted by Episcopal Vicar for Education for the Catholic Partners of the Diocese of Hamilton, Father Cornelius O’Mahony. At the same time, the Chancellor for the Diocese of Hamilton forbade parish priests within the diocese from petitioning against the proposal, or speaking out about the matter in homilies.
On May 6, the Toronto Catholic School District Board passed motions proclaiming June to be observed as Pride Month and mandating the Pride flag be flown at all schools and the school board office. Social media posts later displayed the raising of the Pride flag at several Catholic schools in Ontario.
Largely in response to this move, which scandalized faithful Catholics, laymen of the Diocese of Hamilton have set up a website calling on fellow parishioners to “defund the diocese.”
Father Janusz Roginski, who argued that the LGBT “pride” flag does not reflect the Catholic faith, was asked to leave the Diocese of Hamilton in April because of his “pastoral approach towards the pandemic.”
LifeSiteNews reached out to the Communications team of the Diocese of Hamilton but was referred to the bishop’s secretary, who has not yet replied.
Contact information for respectful communications:
Diocese of Hamilton
Bishop Douglas Crosby
700 King St W
Hamilton, ON L8P 1C7
+1 (905) 528-7988 ext. 2222
bishopsoffice@hamiltondiocese.com
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| CDC Reverses Guidance, Will Mandate Wearing Of Masks Indoors |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-27-2021, 12:16 PM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular]
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CDC Reverses Guidance, Will Mandate Wearing Of Masks Indoors
Zero Hedge | JUL 27, 2021
Update (1015ET): The New York Times has confirmed (with its sources) that the CDC is expected to recommend on Tuesday that people vaccinated for the coronavirus resume wearing masks indoors under certain circumstances, reversing a decision made just two months ago.
As recently as last week, an agency spokesman said that the C.D.C. had no plans to change its guidance, unless there were a significant change in the science. The CDC plans to provide a media update on the pandemic at 3pmET.
“I think that’s great,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York.
Based on what scientists are learning about the Delta’s variant’s ability to cause breakthrough infections, she said, “this is a move in the right direction.”
Well, we are happy someone is pleased that the nation is taking a step back towards Einsteinian insanity.
Maybe this time it will work?
Babylon Bee summed things up perfectly...
* * *
Despite Dr. Anthony Fauci's claim that the federal government wouldn't adopt any new confusing and unscientific mask or vaccine guidance, CNN reports that federal officials are preparing to announce new nation-wide masking guidance after NYC and California ordered public workers to either provide proof of their vaccination status or mask up, while LA has ordered people to wear masks in public once again. According to CNN, the decision is "imminent", and could arrive as soon as Tuesday.
What's more, as the delta variant continues to spread, a drop in new cases seen in the UK and Europe may be signaling a coming "inflection point" in the US.
Alex Berenson pointed to the trend on Twitter on Tuesday.
Yet, despite this, CNN says top US health officials gathered Sunday night to review the new data and evidence on delta's transmissibility. An announcement could land as soon as Tuesday, while others told CNN that it likely won't arrive until later in the week.
This isn't the first hint we have received about a possible revision: Dr. Fauci clarified on Sunday that updating mask guidance is under "active consideration." Dr. Fauci also warned that the US government is going in "the wrong direction" as the number of new COVID cases remains stubbornly high.
Last time the CDC updated its mask guidance was two months ago when they first said people could go without masks outdoors and inside if they have been fully vaccinated. Since then, people have been working out at gyms without masks in most of the US. A reversal of these types of privilege would almost certainly outrage all those adults who got the vaccine solely so they could avoid the restrictions.
As more super-liberal cities and states adopt what he described as "unscientific" regulations, Fox News' Sean Hannity slammed Dems for breaking their promise that the vaccine would mean individuals no longer need to wear masks in public or take other precautions
"The mask-obsessed 'Left' isn't following the science...and they're trying to blame conservatives for it," Hannity said. Berenson has also ridiculed certain local officials for their almost mystical justifications of the mask guidance.
Meanwhile, the White House told CNN that it would be "up to the CDC" to change regulations and guidance surrounding mask use.
Earlier this month, LA County adopted new mandatory masking requirements calling for masks to be worn when in public (despite President Biden's claim that "you can't get COVID" if you've been vaccinated).
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| Boris Johnson is set to launch a communist China-style social credit score app |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-26-2021, 04:39 PM - Forum: General Commentary
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Nanny State Britain: Boris Johnson to Introduce Junk Food Credit Score App
![[Image: GettyImages-1232544649-640x480.jpeg]](https://media.breitbart.com/media/2021/07/GettyImages-1232544649-640x480.jpeg)
LLANDUDNO, WALES - APRIL 26: Britain's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson eats an ice-cream as he campaigns in Wales ahead of elections on April 26, 2021 in Llandudno, United Kingdom.
Breitbart | 26 Jul 20210
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to launch a communist China-style social credit score app that will reward families based on government-approved choices at the grocery store.
The supposedly Conservative government will launch an app by the end of the year to monitor the supermarket spending habits of families in the UK. Those who choose “healthier” options such as fruits and vegetables or engage in exercise will be rewarded with “loyalty points” in the app, which will translate into discounts and other incentives.
“There is a whole team in Downing Street working on this, and the Prime Minister thinks that we simply cannot go on as before and that we must now tackle it head-on,” a White Hall source told The Telegraph.
“He has been on a very rigorous diet and exercise programme and it is likely he will play a leading role in fronting this whole campaign.”
The outgoing head of the NHS, Lord Stevens said that the UK’s socialised healthcare system will be weighed down in the future if the government failed to tackle the rising obesity in the country.
“The layers of the onion… stretch out to things that are obviously beyond a healthcare system’s direct control, including the obesogenic food environment that children and poorer communities are exposed to.
“Countries, where more than half the population are overweight, have had 10 times more Covid death,” Lord Stevens noted.
Some have criticised the nanny state mentality of the government, likening the programme to the social credit score in China, which tracks the habits of citizens, awarding positive points for buying things like diapers and subtractions for buying alcohol. The communist scheme has also seen tens of millions of citizens barred from travelling because their score was too low.
Political commentator Calvin Robinson wrote in response to the idea of tracking supermarket spending: “The party of small state and privacy has become the party of nanny state interventionism. For shame.
“The Conservative Party needs new leadership.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who blamed his weight for his difficulties when he contracted the Chinese coronavirus last year, has radically shifted his position on government intrusions into personal matters since then.
As a candidate for the Tory Party leadership two years ago, Johnson pledged a review of “sin stealth taxes” and promised to end the “continuing creep of the nanny state”.
“It’s time to take a proper look at the continuing creep of the nanny state and the impact it has on hardworking families across Britain.
“The recent proposal for a tax on milkshakes seems to me to clobber those who can least afford it.
“If we want people to lose weight and live healthier lifestyles, we should encourage people to walk, cycle and generally do more exercise. Rather than just taxing people more, we should look at how effective the so-called ‘sin taxes’ really are, and if they actually change behaviour,” Mr Johnson had said.
However, despite his professed libertarian leanings, Mr Johnson has governed in a far more authoritarian manner, in particular during the Chinese coronavirus crisis, during which he has spearheaded some of the strictest lockdown measures in the world.
Last month, the government announced that “new laws will ban the advertising of food high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) on television and online before 9 p.m. when children are most likely to see them.”
This month a government-backed review also called for increased taxes on sugar and salt, ostensibly in order to reduce obesity, however, critics have warned that the taxes will merely punish the poor, who are less able to purchase healthier alternatives.
The review went on to say that Britons should seek out “alternative” sources of protein in lieu of eating meat, including consuming lab-grown meat, which they claimed was better for the environment.
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| To Defeat Delta Variant, Experts Recommend Doing All The Things That Didn't Work The First Time |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-26-2021, 04:30 PM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular]
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Satire...via The Babylon Bee
To Defeat Delta Variant, Experts Recommend Doing All The Things That Didn't Work The First Time
![[Image: article-9125-1.jpg]](https://media.babylonbee.com/articles/article-9125-1.jpg)
July 26th, 2021
U.S.—To defeat the massive, scary, definitely world-ending wave of COVID being driven by the delta variant of the deadly, frightening disease you should remain afraid of for the rest of your life, experts are recommending we try all the things that didn't work the first time.
From wearing masks and social distancing to locking everyone down and destroying the economy, experts are all suggesting that we just try the same things we did last time that didn't work at all.
"We are going to lock down, wear masks, and social distance, all of which didn't work, but hey. It's worth trying again," said Dr. Anthony Fauci in a television interview this morning. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That's what they taught us in science school. Look at my lab coat. It's white. Do you like it? It has pockets."
The television anchor then assured Dr. Fauci that his pockets were very nice.
"Thanks. I also have the heartbeat thingy. I like to breathe on it to warm it up. Makes me look official and doctory and whatnot."
At publishing time, experts had clarified that while we're going to be doing the same things that didn't work over and over again, we're going to be doing them harder this time.
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| California & NYC Require All Public Workers To Get Vaccinated Or Submit To Weekly Tests |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-26-2021, 04:26 PM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular]
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California & NYC Require All Public Workers To Get Vaccinated Or Submit To Weekly Tests
Zero Hedge | JUL 26, 2021
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday morning that all city workers will either need to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated by the time public schools reopen, or consent to weekly tests, expanding a mandate adopted last week that required all health workers to be vaccinated. It's the latest attempt by the mayor to bolster vaccination rates as the city faces a third wave of coronavirus infections largely driven by the Delta variant.
The edict will apply to roughly 340K city workers, including teachers and officers with the NYPD. The deadline for compliance is Sept. 13, when about 1MM students are set to return to classrooms full time with the new school year. Mayor de Blasio clearly sees a successful resumption of in-person education as critical to his legacy (his second and final term in office will conclude later this year).
Speaking at a news conference Monday morning, Mayor de Blasio reiterated his call to private employers to set similar, or perhaps even more comprehensive, vaccine mandates for their workers in keeping with federal policy guidelines granting employers the "green light" to pressure workers into getting vaccinated.
Quote:"September is the pivot point of the recovery," de Blasio said, "and so on Sept. 13, the first day of school, every single city employee will be expected to be either vaccinated or be tested weekly."
Dr. Dave Chokshi, the city's health commissioner, called on all city employees to get vaccinated sooner than the Sept. deadline: "Don’t wait..We need stronger medicine to deal with Delta, and that’s why we are taking these steps today."
Nearly 5MM New Yorkers have received at least one dose of the vaccine, but the pace of new vaccinations has slowed dramatically since late last year. Meanwhile, 2MM adult New Yorkers are still unvaccinated. The number of virus cases has risen to more than 800 on average per day, more than 3x the daily average in late June.
NYC isn't the only major city hoping to stanch a new resurgence of cases with new restrictions. LA County recently reinstated a mandatory indoor mask order, including for those who have been vaccinated.
Source: NYC data
The city's vaccination rate as a whole is 65% for adults, better than the national average, but there are some neighborhoods where the rate is under 40%. Here's the timeline as it stands for different types of workers: Starting Aug. 2, city hospital and health-care workers will need to be vaccinated or face testing. On Aug. 16, 45K city employees who work in congregate or residential settings, like homeless shelters and senior centers, will be required to do the same. Then on Sept. 13, the measure will take effect for the rest of the city's workforce.
Not to be outdone, California announced a few hours later that the Golden State will soon require state employees and some health-care workers to show proof or face mandatory weekly testing, top state officials said Monday. The new rule will take effect on Aug. 2.
Quote:"State offices and state employees are providing critical services across the state and we believe this is a way to ensure that continuity of government is protected and state employees will be working in a safe environment to continue to provide services to California," California's Human Resources department said.
In state health care facilities, employees who work in a hospital setting will be required to show proof of a COVID vaccine or produce negative COVID tests 2x a week. Those who remain unvaccinated will also be asked to wear cumbersome N-95 masks while at work.
And the talking points appear to have been handed from Mt. White House as if writ in stone...
Coming to every liberal state and city near you very soon...
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| Chaplet of St. Anne |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-26-2021, 08:49 AM - Forum: Prayers and Devotionals
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Chaplet of St. Anne
![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3...%3DApi&f=1]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse3.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.BjK1FMPsPAHIzREDDxyF9wHaL1%26pid%3DApi&f=1)
This little chaplet dates back to 1875 and consists of the recitation of the following prayers:
1. In honor of Jesus, one Our Father and five Hail Marys.
After each Hail Mary say:
Jesus, Mary and St. Ann, grant the favor I ask.
2. In honor of Mary, one Our Father and five Hail Mary.
After each Hail Mary say:
Jesus, Mary and St. Anne, grant the favor I ask.
3. In honor of St. Anne, one Our Father and five Hail Marys.
After each Hail Mary say:
Jesus, Mary and St. Anne, grant the favor I ask.
Prayer
Blessed was the womb that bore thee, O Mary! Blessed was she who had the happiness of carrying thee in her arms and of watching over thy slumbers! Blessed was she who had the happiness of hearing thee call her "Mother"! Blessed was she whose glory it was to teach thee how to speak, to pray, to walk!
Glorious St. Anne, I rejoice with thee because thou wert chosen by God to fulfill so great a destiny; I take part in the joy which thrilled through thee, when, beholding Mary seated on the right hand of Jesus, higher than the elect, than the Angels, Archangels, Cherubim and Seraphim, thou didst say to thyself: " She is my daughter!" Great Saint! be thou for ever filled with joy at thy great happiness, but vouchsafe to not forget a poor sinner who cries to thee.
I ask but one grace: ask thy most admirable daughter to take me under her special protection; obtain this favor for me and I will ask no more; for if she deigns to protect me, I am sure of salvation.
Ejaculation.--St. Anne, mother of she who is our Life, our Sweetness and our Hope, pray to her for us!
Practice: When you pray to St. Anne, do not fail to ask of her the love of Jesus and Mary. It is the most beneficial prayer you can offer, and will always be granted.
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| Litany in Honor of St. Anne |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-26-2021, 08:44 AM - Forum: Litanies
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Litany of St. Anne
(For private recitation only)
![[Image: St.%20Anne%204.jpg]](https://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/St.%20Anne%204.jpg)
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, spotless child of St. Joachim and St. Anne,
Pray for us*
St. Joachim, father of the Blessed Virgin Mary,*
St. Joachim, promised descendant of Abraham and David,*
St. Joachim, venerable patriarch,*
St. Joachim, holy spouse of St. Anne,*
St. Joachim, and St. Anne, shining models of Christian spouses,*
St. Anne, royal lady,*
St. Anne, glory of the House of David,*
St. Anne, faithful and loving wife,*
St. Anne, venerable model of meekness and humility,*
St. Anne, brilliant example of holy obedience,*
St. Anne, sparkling mirror of patience and resignation,*
St. Anne, perfect type of devotion and piety,*
St. Anne, fruitful vine,*
St. Anne, giving wise instruction and careful training to your child,*
St. Anne, worthy mother of the Mother of God,*
St. Anne, tender mother of all virgins,*
St. Anne, mother lending aid to all Christian mothers,*
St. Anne, consoling mother of all widows,*
St. Anne, kind mother of us all,*
St. Anne, refuge of the suffering,*
St. Anne, guiding star of widows,*
St. Anne, harbor of safety in the storms of this life,*
St. Anne, bulwark of the Church,*
Through your virtues and merits,
Pray for us and for our children.**
Through your goodness and compassion,**
Through all your gifts and prerogatives,**
Through your high vocation,**
Through your miraculous maternity,**
Through Mary, your child full of grace,**
Through the joys prepared for you on earth by Jesus and Mary,**
Through the honor they now render you in heaven,**
Through your exceedingly great rapture and bliss,**
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us
Christ hear us!
Christ graciously hear us!
Let us pray:
St. Anne, my dear mother and most compassionate protectress, deign to receive graciously my poor efforts to do you honor. May I ever be devoted to you with a heart full of childlike humility and submission! May your example encourage me, your intercession strengthen me, your goodness console me! Permit me with all my heart to commend to you my children. As you consecrated Mary, your child of grace, entirely to God, I beg you to obtain for me the grace to train my children for Him, and with them to labor perseveringly for heaven. As you lived in holy harmony and peace with St. Joachim, so may love, union, devotion, and zeal for virtue reign in my household, that we may belong to that host of blessed spouses who with you will love, praise, and glorify the Most High forever and ever. Amen
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| July 26th - St. Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-26-2021, 08:42 AM - Forum: July
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July 26 – St Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Uniting the blood of kings with that of pontiffs, the glory of Anne’s illustrious origin is far surpassed by that of her offspring, without compare among the daughters of Eve. The noblest of all, who have ever conceived by virtue of the command to “increase and multiply,” beholds the law of human generation pause before her as having arrived at its summit, at the threshold of God; for from her fruit God himself is come forth, the fatherless Son of the Blessed Virgin, and the grandson of Anne and Joachim.
Before being favored with the greatest blessing ever bestowed on an earthly union, the two holy grand-parents of the Word made Flesh had to pass through the purification of suffering. Traditions which, though mingled with details of less authenticity, have come down to us from the very beginning of Christianity, tell us of these noble spouses subjected to the trial of prolonged sterility, and on that account despised by their people; of Joachim cast out of the temple and going to hide his sorrow in the desert; of Anne left alone to mourn her widowhood and humiliation. For exquisite sentiment this narrative might be compared with the most beautiful histories of Holy Scripture.
“It was one of the great festival days of the Lord. In spite of extreme sorrow, Anne laid aside her mourning garments, and adorned her head and clothed herself with her nuptial robes. And about the ninth hour she went down to the garden to walk; seeing a laurel she sat down in its shade, and poured forth her prayer to the Lord God, saying, God of my fathers, bless me and hear my supplication, as thou didst bless Sara and didst give her a son!
“And raising her eyes to heaven, she saw in the laurel a sparrow’s nest, and sighing she said: Alas! of whom was I born to be thus a curse in Israel?
“To whom shall I liken me? I cannot liken me to the birds of the air; for the birds are blessed by thee, O Lord.
“To whom shall I liken me? I cannot liken me to the beasts of the earth: for they, too, are fruitful before thee.
“To whom shall I liken me? I cannot liken me to the waters; for they are not barren in thy sight, and the rivers and the oceans full of fish praise thee in their heavings and in their peaceful flowing.
“To whom shall I liken me? I cannot liken me even to the earth, for the earth, too, bears fruit in season, and praises thee, O Lord.
“And behold an Angel of the Lord stood by, and said to her: Anne, God has heard thy prayer; thou shalt conceive and bear a child, and thy fruit shall be honored throughout the whole inhabited earth. And in due time Anne brought forth a daughter, and said: My soul is magnified this hour. And she called the child Mary; and giving her the breast, she intoned this canticle to the Lord:
“I will sing the praise of the Lord my God: for he has visited me and has taken away my shame, and has given me a fruit of justice. Who shall declare to the sons of Ruben that Anne is become fruitful? Hear, hear, O ye twelve tribes: behold Anne is giving suck!”
The feast of St. Joachim, which the Church celebrates on the Sunday within the octave of his blessed Daughter’s Assumption, will give us an occasion of completing the account of these trials and joys in which he shared. Warned from heaven to leave the desert, he met his spouse at the golden gate which leads to the Temple on the east side. Not far from here, near the Probatica piscina, where the little white lambs were washed before being offered in sacrifice, now stands the restored basilica of St. Anne, originally called St. Mary of the Nativity. Here, as in a peaceful paradise, the rod of Jesse produced that blessed branch which the Prophet hailed as about the bear the flower that had blossomed from eternity in the bosom of the Father. It is true that Sephoris, Anne’s native city, and Nazareth, where Mary lived, dispute with the holy City the honor which ancient and constant tradition assigns to Jerusalem. But our homage will not be misdirected if we offer it today to Blessed Anne, in whom were wrought the prodigies, the very thought of which brings new joy to heaven, rage to Satan, and triumph to the world.
Anne was, as it were, the starting point of Redemption, the horizon scanned by the prophets, the first span of the heavens to be empurpled with the rising fires of aurora; the blessed soil whose produce was so pure as to make the Angels believe that Eden had been restored to us. But in the midst of the aureola of incomparable peace that surrounds her, let us hail her as the land of victory surpassing the most famous fields of battle; as the sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception, where our humiliated race took up the combat begun before the throne of God by the Angelic hosts; where the serpent’s head was crushed, and Michael, now surpassed in glory, gladly handed over to his sweet Queen, at the first moment of her existence, the command of the Lord’s armies.
What human lips, unless touched like the prophet’s with a burning coal, could tell the admiring wonder of the Angelic Powers, when the Blessed Trinity, passing from the burning Seraphim to the lowest of the nine choirs, bade them turn their fiery glances and contemplate the flower of sanctity blossoming in the bosom of Anne? The Psalmist had said of the glorious City whose foundations were now hidden in her that was once barren: The foundations thereof are in the holy mountains; and the heavenly hierarchies crowning the slopes of the eternal hills, beheld in her heights to them unknown and unattainable, summits approaching so near to God, that he was even then preparing his throne in her. Like Moses at the sight of the burning bush on Horeb, they were seized with a holy awe on recognizing the mountain of God in the midst of the desert of this world; and they understood that the affliction of Israel was soon to cease. Although shrouded by the cloud, Mary was already that blessed mountain whose base, i.e., the starting point of her graces, was set far above the summits where the highest created sanctities are perfected in glory and love.
How justly is the mother named Anne, which signifies grace, she in whom for nine months were centered the complacencies of the Most High, the ecstasy of the Angelic Spirits and the hope of all flesh! No doubt it was Mary, the daughter, and not the mother, whose sweetness so powerfully attracted the heavens to our lowly earth. But the perfume first scents the vessel which contains it, and even after it is removed, leaves it impregnated with its fragrance. Moreover, it is customary to prepare the vase itself with the greatest care; it must be all the purer, made of more precious material, and more richly adorned, according as the essence to be placed in it is rarer and more exquisite. Thus Magdalene enclosed her precious spikenard in alabaster. The Holy Spirit, the preparer of heavenly perfumes, would not be less careful than men. Now the task of blessed Anne was not limited, like that of a material vase, to passively containing the treasure of the world. She furnished the body of her who was to give flesh to the Son of God; she nourished her with milk; she gave to her, who was inundated with floods of divine light, the first practical notions of life. In the education of her illustrious daughter, Anne played the part of a true mother: not only did she guide Mary’s first steps, but she cooperated with the Holy Ghost in the education of her soul, and the preparation for her incomparable destiny; until, when the work had reached the highest development to which she could bring it, she, without a moment’s hesitation or a thought of self, offered her tenderly loved child to him from whom she had received her.
Sic fingit tabernaculum Deo, thus she frames a tabernacle for God. Such was the inscription around the figure of St. Anne instructing Mary, which formed the device of the ancient guild of joiners and cabinet-makers; for they, looking upon the making of tabernacles wherein God may dwell in our churches as their most choice work, had taken St. Anne for their patroness and model. Happy were those times, when the simplicity of our fathers penetrated so deeply into the practical understanding of mysteries, which their infatuated sons glory in ignoring. The valiant woman is praised in the Book of Proverbs for her spinning, weaving, sewing, embroidering, and household cares: naturally then, those engaged in these occupations placed themselves under the protection of the spouse of Joachim. More than once, those suffering from the same trial which had inspired Anne’s touching prayer beneath the sparrow’s nest, experienced the power of her intercession in obtaining for others, as well as for herself, the blessing of the Lord God.
The East anticipated the West in the public cultus of the grandmother of the Messias. Towards the middle of the sixth century, a Church was dedicated to her in Constantinople. The Typicon of St. Sabbas makes a liturgical commemoration of her three times in the year: on the 9th of September, together with her spouse St. Joachim, the day after the birthday of their glorious daughter; on the 9th of December, whereon the Greeks, a day later than the Latins, keep the feast of our Lady’s Immaculate Conception, under a title which more directly expresses St. Anne’s share in the mystery; and lastly, the 25th of July, not being occupied by the feast of St. James, which was kept on the 30th of April, is called the Dormitio or precious death of St. Anne, mother of the most holy Mother of God: the very same expression which the Roman Martyrology adopted later.
Although Rome, with her usual reserve, did not until much later authorize the introduction into the Latin Churches of a liturgical feast of St. Anne, she nevertheless encouraged the piety of the faithful in this direction. So early as the time of Leo III and by that illustrious Pontiff’s express command, the history of Anne and Joachim was represented on the sacred ornaments of the noblest basilicas in the Eternal City. The Order of Carmel, so devout to St. Anne, powerfully contributed, by its fortunate migration into our countries, to the growing increase of her cultus. Moreover, this development was the natural outcome of the progress of devotion among the people to the Mother of God. The close relation between the two worships is noticed in a concession, whereby in 1381 Urban VI satisfied the desires of the faithful in England by authorizing for that kingdom a feast of the blessed Anne. The Church of Apt in Provence had been already a century in possession of the feast; a fact due to the honor bestowed on that Church of having received almost together with the faith, the Saint’s holy body, in the first age of Christianity.
Since our Lord, reigning in heaven, has willed that his blessed Mother should also be crowned there in her virginal body, the relics of Mary’s mother have become doubly dear to the world, first, as in the case of others, on account of the holiness of her whose precious remains they are, and then above all others, on account of their close connection with the mystery of the Incarnation. The Church of Apt was so generous out of its abundance, that it would now be impossible to enumerate the sanctuaries which have obtained, either from this principal source or from elsewhere, more or less notable portions of these precious relics. We cannot omit to mention as one of these privileged places the great Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls; St. Anne herself, in an apparition to St. Bridget of Sweden (Cap. CIV), confirmed the authenticity of the arm which forms one of the most precious jewels in the rich treasury of that Church.
It was not until 1584 that Gregory XIII ordered the celebration of this feast of July 26 throughout the whole Church, with the rite of a double. Leo XIII in 1879 raised it, together with that of St. Joachim, to the dignity of a solemnity of second class. But before that, Gregory XV, after having been cured of a serious illness by St. Anne, had ranked her feast among those of precept, with obligation of resting from servile work.
Now that St. Anne was receiving the homage do to her exalted dignity, she made haste to show her recognition of this more solemn tribute of praise. In the years 1623, 1624 and 1625, in the village of Keranna, near Auray, in Brittany, she appeared to Yves Nicolazie, and discovered to him an ancient statue buried in the field of Bocenno, which he tenanted. This discovery brought the people once more to the place where, a thousand years before, the inhabitants of ancient Armorica had honored that statue. Innumerable graces obtained on the spot spread its fame far beyond the limits of the province, whose faith, worthy of past ages, had merited the favor of the grandmother of the Messias; and St. Anne d’Auray was soon reckoned among the chief pilgrimages of the Christian world.
More fortunate than the wife of Elcana, who prefigured thee both in her trial and by her name, thou, O Anne, now singest the magnificent gifts of the Lord. Where is now the proud synagogue that despised thee? The descendants of the barren one are now without number; and all we, the brethren of Jesus, children, like him, of thy daughter Mary, come joyfully, led by our Mother, to offer thee our praises. In the family circle the grandmother’s feast day is the most touching of all, when her grandchildren surround her with reverential love, as we gather around thee today.
Many, alas! know not these beautiful feasts, where the blessing of the earthly paradise seems to revive in all its freshness; but the mercy of our God has provided a sweet compensation. He, the Most High God, willed to come so nigh to us, as to be one of us in the flesh; to know the relations and mutual dependencies which are the law of our nature; the bonds of Adam, with which he had determined to draw us and in which he first bound himself. For, in raising nature above itself, he did not eliminate it; he made grace take hold of it and lead it to heaven; so that, joined together on earth by their Divine Author, nature and grace were to be united for all eternity. We, then, being brethren by grace of him who is ever thy Grandson by nature, are, by this loving disposition of Divine Wisdom, quite at home under thy roof; and today’s feast, so dear to the hearts of Jesus and Mary, is our own family feast.
Smile, then, dear mother, upon our chants and bless our prayers. Today and always be propitious to the supplications which our land of sorrows sends up to thee. Be gracious to wives and mothers who confide to thee their holy desires and the secret of their sorrows. Keep up, where they still exist, the traditions of the Christian home. Over how many families has the baneful breath of this age passed, blighting all that is serious in life, weakening faith, leaving nothing but languor, weariness, frivolity, if not even worse, in the place of the true and solid joys of our fathers. How truly might the Wise Man say at the present day: “Who shall find a valiant woman?” She alone by her influence could counteract all these evils; but on condition of recognizing wherein her true strength lies: in humble household works done with her own hands; in hidden, self-sacrificing devotedness; in watchings by night; in hourly foresight; working in wool and flax, and with the spindle; all those strong things which win for her the confidence and praise of her husband; authority over all, abundance in the house, blessings from the poor whom she has helped, honor from strangers, reverence from her children; and for herself, in the fear of the Lord, nobility and dignity, beauty and strength, wisdom, sweetness and content, and calm assurance at the latter day.
O blessed Anne, rescue society, which is perishing for want of virtues like thine. The motherly kindness thou art ever more frequently bestowing upon us have increased the Church’s confidence; deign to respond to the hopes she places in thee. Mayest thou become known throughout the whole world. As for us, who have long known thy power and experienced thy goodness, let us ever seek in thee, O mother, our rest, security, strength in every trial; for he who leans on thee has nothing to fear on earth, and he who rests in thy arms is safely carried.
Let us offer the blessed Anne a wreath gathered from the Liturgy. We will first cull from the Menæa of the Greeks, as being the earliest in date.
Mensis Julii Die XXV
Ex Officio Vesperatino
Eu splendida solemnitas et dies clara, universo mundo jucunda, venerabilis atque laudana dormitio Annæ gloriosæ, ex qua prodiit Mater Vitæ.
O brilliant solemnity, day full of light and joy to the whole world! This day we celebrate the venerable and praiseworthy passage of the glorious Anne, of whom was born the Mother of Life.
Quæ prius infecunda et sterilis, primitias nostræ salutis germinavit, Christum rogat ut culparum veniam largiatur his qui cum fide eum collaudant.
She who was once unfruitful and barren brought forth the first fruits of our salvation; she beseeches Christ to grant pardon of their sins to them that sing his praises with faith.
Salve, avis spiritualis, verni nuntia gratiæ. Salve, ovis agnam parta, quæ Agnum tollentem peccata mundi, Verbum, verbo genuit.
Hail, spiritual bird, announcing the spring-time of grace! Hail, sheep, mother of the ewe-lamb, who by a word conceived the Word, the Lamb who taketh away the sins of the world!
Salve, terra benedicta, quæ virgam divinitus germinantem mundo florescere fecisti. Sterilitatem tuo partu fugasti, Anna in Deo beatissima, avia Christi Dei, quæ fulgentem lucernam, Dei genitricem, edidisti: quacum intercedere digneris, ut animabus nostris magna misericordia donetur.
Hail, blessed earth, whence sprang the branch that bore a Divine Fruit. Thy fruitfulness put an end to barrenness, O Anne, most blessed in God, grandmother of Christ, our God, who didst give to the world a shining lamp, the Mother of God; together with her deign to intercede that great may be the mercy granted to our souls.
Venite universæ creaturæ, in cymbalis psalmorum Annæ piæ acclamemus, quæ e visceribus suis genuit divinum Montem, et ad montes spirituales ac tabernacula Paradisi est translata. Ad ipsam dicamus: Beata alvus tua quæ vere gestavit illam quæ in ventre suo portavit lumen mundi: gloriosa ubera tua, quibus lactata est ea quæ Christum, cibum vitæ nostræ aluit. Hunc deprecare, ut ab omni vexatione et incursu inimici liberemur, et animæ nostræ salventur.
Come all ye creatures, let us cry out to holy Anne with cymbals and psaltery. She brought forth the mountain of God, and was borne up to the spiritual mountains, the tabernacles of Paradise. Let us say to her: Blessed is thy womb wherein she rested who herself bore the Light of the world; glorious are thy breasts which suckled her who fed Christ the food of our life. Beseech him to deliver us from all harassing attacks of the enemy, and to save our souls.
Let us turn to our Western lands and join in the chants of the various churches. The Mozarabic Liturgy thus interprets the feelings of the once barren woman, after her prayer had been so magnificently answered:
Antiphona
Confitebor tibi, Domine, in toto corde meo: quia exandisti verba oris mei.
I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; for thou hast heard the words of my mouth.
℟. In conspectu Angelorum psallam tibi.
℟. In the sight of Angels I will sing praise to thee.
℣. Deus meus es tu, et confitebor tibi: Deus meus, et exaltabo te.
℣. Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: my God, and I will exalt thee.
℟. In conspectu.
℟. In the sight.
℣. Gloria et honor Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto in sæcula sæculorum. Amen.
℣. Glory and honor be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.
℟. In conspectu.
℟. In the sight.
Apt shall next speak in the name of all Provence, and tell of its glorious honor:
Antiphon
O splendor Provinciæ, nobilis mater Mariæ Virginis, et Davidis filia; avia Redemptoris, nobis open feras veniæ ut vivamus cum beatis.
O glory of Provence, noble mother of the Virgin Mary, daughter of David, grandmother of our Redeemer, bring us the grace of pardon, that we may live with the blessed.
Responsory
Hæc est Mater nobis electa a Domino, Anna sanctissima, Britonum spes et tutela: * Quam in prosperis adjutricem, in adversis auxiliatricem habemus.
Behold the mother chosen for us by our Lord, most holy Anne, the hope and protection of the Bretons. * In prosperity of our helper, in adversity our succor.
℣. Populi sui memor sit semper; adsitque grata filiis suis, terra marique laborantibus. * Quam in prosperis.
℣. May she be ever mindful of her people, ever gracious to her children, whether on land or toiling o’er the sea. * In prosperity.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. * Quam in prosperis.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. * In prosperity.
Let us all unite with Brittany in the following hymn:
Hymn
Lucis beatæ gaudiis Gestit parens Ecclesia, Annamque Judææ decus Matrem Mariæ concinit.
Mother Church exults with the joy of this blessed day, and sings the praise of Anne, the beauty of Judea, the mother of Mary.
Regnum piorum sanguini Jungens Sacerdotes avos, Illustris Anna splendidis Vincit genus virtutibus.
Uniting the blood of holy kings with that of pontiffs, the glory of her ancestry is far outstript by Anne’s resplendent virtues.
Cœlo favente nexuit Vincli jugalis fœdera, Alvoque sancta condidit Sidus perenne virginum.
‘Neath heaven’s smile she ties the nuptial bond; and in her holy tabernacle hides the unwaning star of virgins.
O mira cœli gratia! Annæ parentis in sinu Concepta virgo conterit Sævi draconis verticem.
O wondrous grace of heaven! Scarce is the Virgin conceived in the womb of her mother when she there crushes the head of the cruel dragon.
Tanto salutis pignore Jam sperat humanum genus: Orbi redempto prævia Pacem columba nuntiat.
With such a pledge of salvation mankind finds hope at length; the dove has come foretelling peace to the redeemed world.
Sit laus Patri, sit Filio, Tibique Sancte Spiritus. Annam pie colentibus Confer perennem gratiam. Amen.
Praise be to the Father, to the Son, and to thee, O holy Spirit! To them that lovingly honor blessed Anne, grant everlasting grace. Amen.
We will conclude with these beautiful formulæ of praise and prayer to our Lord, from the Ambrosian Missal of Milan:
Preface
Æterne Deus, qui beatam Annam singulari tuæ gratiæ privilegio sublimasti. Cui desideratæ fœcunditatis munus magnificum, et excellens adeo contulisti; ut ex ipsa Virgo virginum, Maria, Angelorum Domina, Regina mundi, maris Stella, Mater Filii tui Dei et hominis nasceretur. Et ideo cum Angelis.
It is right and just to give thanks to thee, O eternal God, who by a singular privilege of thy grace, hast exalted the blessed Anne. To whose desire of fruitfulness thou didst give a gift so magnificent and so far surpassing all others, that from her was born Mary, the Virgin of virgins, the Lady of the Angels, the Queen of the world, the Star of the sea, the Mother of thy Son, who is both God and Man. And, therefore, with the Angels, &c.
Oratio Super Sindonem
Omnipotens, sempiterne Deus, qui beatam Annam, diuturna sterilitate afflictam, gloriosæ prolis fœtu tua gratia fœcundasti; da, quæsumus: ut, pro nobis apud te intervenientibus ejus meritis, efficiamur sincera fide fœcundi, et salutiferis operibus fructuosi. Per Dominum.
O Almighty everlasting God, who didst give to blessed Anne, after the affliction of a long barrenness, the grace to bear a glorious fruit; grant, we beseech thee, that, as her merits intercede with thee for us, we may be made rich in sincere faith and fruitful in works of salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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| “Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes..." |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-26-2021, 07:12 AM - Forum: General Commentary
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Secular Commentary:
CASCADE OF CONSEQUENCES
“There was truth and there was untruth, and if you clung to the truth even against the whole world, you were not mad.” – George Orwell 1984
“People will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people’s minds.” – Frank Zappa
Burning Platform [slightly adapted] | July 25, 2021
Orwell and Zappa’s words of wisdom have never been truer than they are today. The level of untruth proliferated by the government, mainstream media, central bankers, military leaders, Big Tech, Big Pharma, Big Corp., and billionaire oligarchs has reached prolific heights. We are lost in a whirlwind of lies, destined to grow into a tornado of tragedy and ultimately result in a cascade of consequences.
Since the installation of the illegitimate dementia patient as president of this dying empire of debt by the Deep State (billionaire oligarchs, surveillance state agencies, military industrial complex, Silicon Valley censorship tyrants, corrupt bought off state politicians, Soros installed bureaucrats, and their propaganda arm – fake news media outlets), the country has further fractured into warring factions.
It has been driven by political party, moral vs. immoral, black vs. white, criminals vs. police, normal vs. abnormal, capitalists vs. communists, Federal Reserve vs. the people, vaxxer sheep vs. natural immunity realists, authoritarians vs. freedom fighters, critical thinkers vs. non-thinking believers, privileged elite vs. common men and women, citizens vs. traitors, powerful vs. powerless, and evil versus good.
As Zappa realized, people believe the narrative they have been conditioned to believe, and no quantity of facts, data or rational arguments will change their minds. Arguing on twitter or facebook is not going to change the mind of those you are arguing against. Our public education indoctrination centers have taught multiple generations to feel rather than think, believe rather than question, obey rather than challenge, and allow their minds to be molded by elitists to follow orders and do as they are told, no questions asked.
This organized effort by men constituting a true invisible government has been a conscious, decades long, manipulation of the minds of the masses, through media propaganda, government cultural indoctrination, and most recently through internet social media platforms.
Those in control have achieved astounding success in exploiting the psychological weaknesses of millions of Americans by inducing them to believe absurd falsities, consume on command, become dependent on government handouts, go into debt, work soul crushing jobs, become addicted to the very technology used to manipulate them and surveil them, and believe anything authority figures tell them to believe. The past seventeen months have proven this to be true.
They convinced an enormous portion of the world’s population a non-lethal virus, for anyone under 80 years old in decent health, was such a threat they agreed to be locked down and masked for a year, destroying the global economy, putting tens of millions out of work, bankrupting hundreds of thousands of small businesses, and benefiting authoritarian government tyrants, mega-corporations, and criminal cabal who stole the presidential election for a senile hair sniffing angry gaffe machine functioning as a Trojan donkey (ass) to implement the Build Back Better, new world order WEF plan.
The Davos elite and their henchmen have accomplished more than they probably thought possible, achieving almost universal compliance and obedience to rules and dictates which have proven to be pointless in controlling Covid, but remarkable in controlling the masses. The throngs have demonstrated their willful ignorance and sheeplike qualities by unquestioningly trusting anything their superiors told them and obeying orders like submissive slaves. Those controlling the narrative took the teachings of Edward Bernays to heart and realized repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.
The number of provable untruths conveyed by those running this global psy-op have reached colossal heights of deceit. When trusted medical “experts”, politicians, Hollywood stars, sports heroes, government health apparatchiks, and corporate media all relentlessly repeat the same lies, it is difficult for a dumbed down populace to not believe the official narrative. Anyone who presented factual data to counter the untruths has been immediately censored and disappeared by the Silicon Valley social media tyrants Zuckerberg and Dorsey.
When doctors and journalists, with opinions and views contrary to Saint Fauci and his fawning media minions, are banned from Facebook and Twitter, while a media conspiracy to cover up Hunter Biden’s laptop and documented voting fraud in multiple states is beyond doubt, and an unarmed selfie taking joke of an insurrection where a bunch of boobs were ushered into the Capital by the police has been portrayed as the worse attack than Pearl Harbor or 9/11, you realize your government is controlled by men who are actively working against your best interests. They are acting to make sure you remain enslaved in debt, beholden to token government handouts of money they have already taken from you, and locked down physically, mentally, and socially.
The blatant disregard for truth displayed by our overlords during the last two years is either a sign of utter disdain for the intelligence of the common man or an act of desperation as this global Ponzi scheme of debt, deception and delusion is teetering on the brink of collapse. I do know the Big Lie strategy has been utilized at a level of zeal monumental in scope and shameful in application against the citizens of this nation and the world.
I will try to document some of the more egregious falsehoods being perpetuated by those attempting to control the narrative and accomplish their goal of world domination, complete control over our lives, and accumulation of massive wealth, while we will own nothing and be happy. The execution of their plan has been virtually flawless until now.
I’ll address the numerous lies related to the plandemic, where the weaponization of relatively non-lethal flu to anyone under 80 years old not tipping the scales at 275 pounds has been used to steal a presidential election; destroy hundreds of thousands of small businesses while shifting the profits to mega-corps like Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target; created division and suspicion among the population making them easier to manipulate and control; effectively implemented authoritarian measures and mandates, putting a final nail in the coffin of our Constitutional rights; unleashed the power of a corporate fascist social media censorship regime designed to silence the truth and punish those who do not comply with the approved narrative; and creating perpetual unfounded fear among the masses in order to make them obey all orders from their oligarch controllers.
One of the biggest lies from the outset has been about masks. All guidance from renowned health organizations prior to 2020, and backed up with scientific studies, unequivocally stated masks DO NOT protect you from viruses. Fauci, the Surgeon General and head of the CDC were not lying in March 2020 when they told the American public masks do not stop the spread of the virus. They have been lying ever since. The manufacturers of the masks even put a warning on the box that they do not work in preventing the spread of Covid-19.
The two charts below prove the point, and I could present fifty more charts from around the world showing the same results. Japan, the most masked country on earth, even when there isn’t a pandemic, was widely lauded early in the pandemic for stopping the spread with masks. Somehow, with 96% mask compliance, they experienced a massive surge in cases in January, another surge in May/June, and now a new surge, just like everywhere. Masks prevented nothing. They are useless against all viruses.
That brings us to the left-wing media whipping boy – Sweden. As the only developed country on earth to not lockdown, close schools, or require masks, they are truly the control group. The NYT, Washington Post and every other left wing fake news outlet wrote numerous fear mongering articles about the disaster in Sweden. They experienced the same exact pattern of cases as every other country in the world, with a surge in April/May 2020 and January 2021.
Their death rate per million people is the 21st highest in the world, with the UK, U.S., Spain, France, and Mexico recording far worse rates despite lockdowns and mask mandates. What becomes self-evident from the graph is they are not experiencing a surge from the Delta variant. Their vaccination rate is in the mid 30% range and virtually no one wears a mask. They have had ZERO deaths “with” covid in the last week. Previously infected people are not catching the Delta variant, while vaccinated people are. It sure looks like Sweden has achieved herd immunity with no lockdowns, masks, or mass vaccinations. But don’t expect the left wing media or Fauci to applaud their undeniable success.
The powers that be are now invoking mask mandates once again. Data and facts are meaningless to these totalitarian tyrants. The masks have never been about safety or stopping the spread. We’ve never been in this together. The point of the masks has been control. They wanted to sow distrust among the masses as nothing but disease spreading parasites. They want to dehumanize us.
They don’t want like-minded people getting together and realizing they are being screwed by their leaders. They want you holed up in your basement, frightened of a flu with a 99.7% survival rate. Smiles don’t exist when you are masked. Giving miserable lonely cat lady Karens a purpose in life is designed to sow discontent, anger, and division. We all become faceless sheep being corralled, shorn, and ultimately sacrificed at the altar of the Build Back Better New World Order.
Again, I could use fifty other charts proving lockdowns did not and do not work, but this chart of the permanently locked down continent of Australia will suffice. The dictatorial lockdowns across Australia didn’t work last July and August, as cases soared, and they have been entirely unnecessary since. A country with 26 million people has recorded less than 5 deaths with Covid since last October. Because the 7- day average of cases (not sick people) in Sydney has “skyrocketed” to 100 (with 1 death of an 80-year-old), the entire city has been locked down.
The propaganda media supports this ridiculous overreach with hyperbolic headlines about super spreader events. At least a portion of their population is fed up and their protests have begun to get violent, clashing with police thugs ordered to silence the discontent. Lockdowns are not for the purpose of keeping you safe. Their purpose is to keep the authoritarian politicians safe, while enriching their corporate and banking benefactors. These politicians and bureaucrats are being bought off to do the bidding of the true masters of the universe – the billionaire class.
This brings us to the big lie about vaccines. It seems both the left and right are in on the vaccine lie. The first lie is this gene altering concoction is actually a vaccine. A vaccine is supposed to trigger your immune system and provide immunity from a disease. This supposed vaccine does nothing of the sort. The polio vaccine didn’t lessen the polio symptoms, it eliminated polio as a disease. The smallpox vaccine didn’t lessen smallpox symptoms, it eradicated smallpox. These covid vaccines were sold to the public as the cure for covid. The CDC’s own website says the vaccine was supposed to keep you from getting the virus. Fact Check – FALSE!!!
Despite the misinformation being promulgated by Dementia Joe and his White House sycophants, vaccinated people are getting covid, being hospitalized, and dying with covid. The vaccine worshipers declared that no one said it was full proof, because its effectiveness was 95%. Of course, there would be a few breakthrough cases. It appears we have a more than a few. The data from Israel, the most vaxxed country on the planet, is proving these “vaccines” to be virtually worthless.
Over 80% of new cases are among the vaxxed and the effectiveness of the vaccines are clocking in at 39%, just a smidge lower than the 95% from the doctored trials. The cognitive dissonance of the vaxxed, rationalizing their stupidity by flailing about with new reasons for why the vaxx works as advertised is fascinating to observe. Just like Zappa said, you cannot change people’s minds, even when their decisions have proven to be asinine.
Now the story-line has changed to it reduces the symptoms and keeps you from being hospitalized or dying. Another Big Lie. The narrative is now 99% of the cases are among the unvaccinated. Untrue once again. They are purposely not testing the vaxxed, but still the data is rolling in day after day of the vaxxed catching covid, being hospitalized and dying. In addition, all the paid off medical “experts”, sports figures, Hollywood stars, and social media influencers appear in the never-ending vaccine marketing blitz commercials, subsidized with your tax dollars, telling you how safe and effective these jabs are. Another huge lie. The VAERS database, which is likely under-counting by a factor of at least three, has recorded 500,000 adverse reactions, 50,000 serious injuries, and over 11,000 deaths from the vaccines.
When the swine flu vaccine killed several people, it was immediately pulled by the FDA as too dangerous. Despite this experimental gene therapy killing and maiming thousands, while not providing the advertised immunity, the powers that be are ramping up the fear volume to 11 in order to sell this Big Pharma profit bonanza (with zero liability for the deaths and injuries caused by this toxic brew) to the public. They have even bought off Republican governors, senators, and the Fox news shills through threats of de-funding or promises of compensation (aka bribes).
They are laboriously ramming the jab as essential for teenagers down out throats, with the assistance of woke leftist university administrators demanding compliance to attend classes. Virtually no one under the age of 19 has died “with” covid in the last 17 months, as the CDC’s own statistics show. The proliferation of myocarditis in young men after getting the jab is being suppressed by the media vaccine complex.
Teenagers have a greater risk of dying from the jab than covid, but their brainwashed willfully ignorant parents are sacrificing them up to the altar of Big Pharma profits. And none of this considers the unknown long-term effects from this emergency use authorized, non-FDA approved brew. World renowned doctors, including the inventor of the mRNA treatment, have declared young people should not get the jab. The risks far outweigh the benefits.
This leads us to the lies required to allow these EUA “vaccines” to be used in the first place. The FDA is only supposed to allow emergency use of non-approved drugs if there are no other treatments deemed capable of providing the same level of success in treating the disease. It was known very early in this scamdemic both ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, safe, cheap, and effective drugs, both drastically reduced the symptoms of this flu. Scientific studies and papers were issued.
Many doctors began writing about their effectiveness and life-saving qualities. Even Trump was touting them. Suddenly, the Silicon Valley social media tyrants began censoring doctors, studies, or anyone daring to put forth facts about these cheap, plentiful, safe drugs. Trump stopped talking about them. Only the vaccines could save us. Doctors and hospitals were paid to shut up and deny writing prescriptions for these drugs. There was no money to be made prescribing these life-saving drugs.
How many lives could have been saved if these supposed “do no harm” physicians had not bowed down to Fauci and his Big Pharma co-conspirators. It’s always been about the Benjamins and Fauci has been the Liar-in-Chief during this plandemic, reaping the accolades from the vaccine rollout, keeping the fear flowing, and covering up his role in funding the creation of this virus in the Wuhan bioweapon lab. There are no coincidences when it comes to this engineered and weaponized pandemic. Was it a coincidence Gates, Fauci and Schwab conducted the Event 201 pandemic simulation in October 2019, three months before this bio-engineered virus was released into the world?
Why were Moderna patents for their vaccine obtained before the pandemic began? Why do Fauci and his NIH cronies have financial interests in Moderna? When will Fauci be brought to justice for funding the gain of function research at the Wuhan lab, as he continues to lie to Congress, despite documented proof of his guilt. This troll-like creature is a global mass murderer still lauded by the fake news media and treated like a holy figure by mindless liberal twits across the land. The sheep will bleatingly line up for their Pfizer booster shot, because three must be better than two. The only boost will be to Pfizer’s hundreds of billions of vaccine profits.
Now the latest Big Lie has been revealed, well after the damage has been done. Kary Mullis, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the invention of the PCR test, had this to say about its use and Fauci:
Quote:“The PCR, if you do it well, you can find almost anything in anybody. Those guys have got an agenda which is not what we would like them to have, being that we pay for them to take care of our health in some way. They have a personal kind of agenda. They make up their own rules as they go; they change them when they want to. And they (are smug)—like Tony Fauci does not mind going on television in front of the people who pay his salary and lie directly into the camera.”
His test was misused by Fauci and his financially motivated cohorts across the medical industrial complex to create a global casedemic, by measuring at greater than 35/40 cycles, creating the illusion of a pandemic by producing a huge number of false positives. As CNN and the rest of the propaganda spewing media outlets provided second by second case counts to frighten the masses into lockdown and mask compliance, only a tiny fraction of these cases were actual sicknesses.
There were critical thinking, rational medical professionals, journalists, and bloggers who argued the test was not accurately measuring the level of sickness in the world. The corporate media gave them no platform to speak, and the social media Big Brother entities censored and banned any discussion about the worthlessness of the PCR test and the level of false positives.
If the test had been conducted at 28 cycles, it would have ruined their agenda of removing Trump, destroying the economy, frightening the sheep into mass compliance, and furthering their Build Back Better New World Order. The moment Biden was installed as president, the guidance from the CDC on the PCR test was reduced from 35/40 to 28 cycles. They needed the case counts to drop to make it look like the vaccine was working. There was a narrative to peddle to the plebs.
Now, the vaccines are being revealed to be ineffective and dangerous. In a shocking development (not), late on a Friday night, the FDA put out a little alert that the PCR test is a complete failure and will be pulled from the market. It seems it accomplished its purpose of stoking mass global panic, and now that vaxxed people are testing positive in tremendous numbers, it has outlived its usefulness. And Fauci and his band of incompetent medical “professionals” won’t even blink or admit their devastatingly disastrous mistake of using a faulty test to shut down the entire planet.
Despite all these lies being revealed, the gullible, sheep-like masses breathlessly await the new proclamations and dictates from Fauci and the rest of the medical frauds dancing to the tune of Big Pharma, Gates, Soros, and Schwab. The narrative has devolved into renewed lockdowns, mask mandates, vaccine passports, and blaming the unvaxxed healthy people for the “surge” in cases (still 80% below January and 30% below April).
Despite over a year of factual data proving lockdowns and masks do not work, they demand compliance. Despite the fact vaxxed zombies’ contract and spread the virus, they insist on vaccine passports, which would be useless other than as a further control mechanism over the masses.
And lastly if the PCR test is entirely useless, according to the FDA, the surge in “cases” proclaimed by the politicians and compliant media mouthpieces, is a worthless data point and means nothing. What we do know is the entire U.S. is experiencing about 250 deaths per day “with” covid and the vast majority are over 80 with five co-morbidities. This is 93% below the January peak, 60% below the level in May, and 20% below the level in June. For some perspective, 400 people die each day from strokes and 1,650 die each day from cancer in the U.S. This fading faux pandemic is a nothing burger, with a side of fear mongering, and a dessert of permanent lockdowns.
They have pushed their agenda too far and too fast. The UK, France, Italy and Australia have tried to cross a bridge too far. Their totalitarian lockdowns, mandatory vaccine passport schemes, and generally treating their citizens like cattle has begun to backfire. Violent protests are taking place around the globe against the despotic tyranny of their elected leaders. The psychological manipulation and mass media propaganda worked for over a year. They took their foot off the gas by relaxing lockdowns and mask mandates but think their diabolical heavy-handed schemes will work again amid this faux delta variant charade.
The controllers’ hubris has led them to believe their Bernaysian propaganda mind manipulation techniques will work just as well the 2nd time around. As the mass protests attest, there are millions not buying what they are selling anymore. They want their freedom back. It wasn’t a majority that threw the British tea into the Boston Harbor. It was an irate tireless minority who set the brushfires of freedom in the minds of men. The smell of revolution is in the air.
Orwell’s fiction has become an instruction manual for our Big Brother overlords. He understood what power meant to these evil men. They are trying to remake the world by tearing everything apart and remaking it to their benefit.
“Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your choosing.” – George Orwell
The cascade of consequences created by those wielding power across the globe have only just begun. Their boldness in implementing a plan of global control where we will own nothing, eat bugs, be electronically surveilled 24/7, depend on government for an electronically delivered living stipend, be stripped of our rights to free speech, armed defense, and privacy, while living under constant fear of armed government thugs busting down our doors because we committed thoughtcrime, has rendered them recklessly arrogant.
Despite all their efforts to censor and suppress the truth, the internet is too vast and uncontrollable to shut down – unless this was the true purpose of Schwab’s recent Cyber Polygon simulation. As truth tellers across the world have begun to gain some traction, Huxley’s quote becomes more pertinent.
“You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you mad.” – Aldous Huxley
People are getting mad. Those in power want us to direct our anger at each other. They want the vaxxed fighting the non-vaxxed, blacks fighting whites, citizens fighting immigrants, men fighting women, young fighting old, and the country fighting Russia and China. What the oligarchs do not want is our ire to be focused on them. But they have pushed the people too far. The top 1% of Americans own $42 trillion of wealth, 16 times as much as the bottom 50%, with most of that wealth concentrated among a few hundred families. This is not accidental. It’s part of their plan. This pillaging campaign is aided and abetted by their puppets at the Federal Reserve. And this is not reserved for just America. Europe is equally controlled by the few.
The consequence of their traitorous deeds is pointing towards civil chaos and global conflict – as anticipated in the later stages of a Fourth Turning. The protests arising across the globe are just the beginning. The way to chip away at their power is mass non-compliance to their mandates and individual acts of heroism, which will inspire more people to resist. Mocking and ridiculing the oligarchs and their minions will contribute to their decline in status. Boycotting corporations and entities supporting the narrative weakens their sway. Shunning those supporting the establishment, whether they be family, friends, or coworkers, will be essential in shifting the balance of power.
Most people have proven to be followers. We need to shift the narrative to the point where they begin following the truth tellers. The enemy have the wealth, power of the media, and politicians in their pockets. They think they have the police and military, but videos of the police joining the protestors in Italy, offer hope they may turn on the oligarchs. They have families at risk too. Our freedom and our future hang in the balance. Critical independent thought, courage, and fortitude in the face of tremendous adversity will be essential in defeating these global tyrants who think of you as a parasite to be crushed under their boot. Remember Carlin’s first rule. Don’t believe anything your government tells you. It’s all lies.
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| July 25th - St. Christopher |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-26-2021, 06:23 AM - Forum: July
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July 25 – Saint Christopher, Martyr
The name of Christopher, whose memory enhances the solemnity of the son of thunder, signifies one who bears Christ. Christina yesterday reminded us that Christians ought to be in every place the good odor of Christ; Christopher today puts us in mind that Christ truly dwells by faith in our hearts. The graceful legend attached to his name is well known. As other men were, at a later date, to sanctify themselves in Spain by constructing roads and bridges to facilitate the approach of pilgrims to the tomb of St. James, so Christopher in Lycia had vowed for the love of Christ to carry travelers on his strong shoulders across a dangerous torrent. Our Lord will say on the last day: “What you did to one of these my least brethren you did it for me.” One night, being awakened by the voice of a child asking to be carried across, Christopher hastened to perform his wonted task of charity, when suddenly, in the midst of the surging and apparently trembling waves, the giant, who had never stooped beneath the greatest weight, was bent down under his burden, now grown heavier than the world itself. “Be not astonished,” said the mysterious child, “thou bearest him who bears the world.” And he disappeared, blessing his carrier and leaving him full of heavenly strength.
Christopher was crowned with martyrdom under Decius. The aid our fathers knew how to obtain from him against storms, demons, plague, accidents of all kinds, has caused him to be ranked among the saints called helpers. In many places the fruits of the orchards were blessed on this day, under the common auspices of St. Christopher and St. James.
Prayer
Præsta, quæsumus omnipotens Deus: ut, qui beati Christophori Martyris tui natalitia colimus, intercessione ejus in tui Nominis amore roboremur. Per Dominum.
Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we who celebrate the festival of Christopher thy martyr, may by his intercession be strengthened in the love of thy name. Through.
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| July 25th – Saint James the Great |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-25-2021, 08:27 AM - Forum: July
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July 25 – Saint James the Great
Let us today hail the bright star which once made Compostella so resplendent with its rays that the obscure town became, like Jerusalem and Rome, a center of attraction to the piety of the whole world. As long as the Christian empire lasted, the sepulcher of St. James the Great rivaled in glory that of St. Peter himself.
Among the Saints of God, there is not one who manifested more evidently how the elect keep up after death an interest in the works confided to them by our Lord. The life of St. James after his call to the Apostolate was but short; and the result of his labors in Spain, his allotted portion, appeared to be a failure. Scarcely had he, in his rapid course, taken possession of the land of Iberia when, impatient to drink the chalice which would satisfy his continual desire to be close to his Lord, he opened by martyrdom the heavenward procession of the twelve, which was to be closed by the other son of Zebedee. O Salome, who didst give them both to the world, and didst present to Jesus their ambitious prayer, rejoice with a double joy: thou art not repulsed; he who made the hearts of mothers is thine abettor. Did he not, to the exclusion of all others except Simon his Vicar, choose thy two sons as witnesses of the greatest works of his power, admit them to the contemplation of his glory on Thabor, and confide to them his sorrow unto death in the garden of his agony? And today thy eldest born becomes the first-born in heaven of the sacred college; the protomartyr of the Apostles repays, as far as in him lies, the special love of Christ our Lord.
But how was he a messenger of the faith, since the sword of Herod Agrippa put such a speedy end to his mission? And how did he justify his name of son of thunder, since his voice was heard by a mere handful of disciples in a desert of infidelity?
This new name, another special prerogative of the two brothers, was realized by John in his sublime writings, wherein as by lightning flashes he revealed to the world the deep things of God; it was the same in his case as in that of Simon, who having been called Peter by Christ, was also made by him the foundation of the Church: the name given by the Man-God was a prophecy, not an empty title. With regard to James too, then, Eternal Wisdom cannot have been mistaken. Let it not be thought that the sword of any Herod could frustrate the designs of the Most High upon the men of his choice. The life of the Saints is never cut short; their death, ever precious, is still more so when in the cause of God it seems to come before the time. It is then that with double reason we may say their works follow them; God, himself, being bound in honor, both for his own sake and for theirs, to see that nothing is wanting to their plenitude. As a victim of a holocaust he hath received them, says the Holy Ghost, and in time there shall be respect had to them. The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds. They shall judge nations, and rule over peoples; and their Lord shall reign for ever. How literally was this Divine oracle to be fulfilled with regard to our Saint!
Nearly eight centuries, which to the heavenly citizens are but as a day, had passed over that tomb in the North of Spain, where two disciples had secretly laid the Apostle’s body. During that time, the land of his inheritance, which he had so rapidly traversed, had been overrun first by Roman idolaters, then by Arian barbarians, and when the day of hope seemed about to dawn, a deeper night was ushered in by the Crescent, One day lights were seen glimmering over the briars that covered the neglected monument; attention was drawn to the spot, which henceforth went by the name of the field of stars. But what are those sudden shouts coming down from the mountains and echoing through the valleys? Who is this unknown chief rallying against an immense army the little worn-out troop whose heroic valor could not yesterday save it from defeat? Swift as lightning, and bearing in one hand a white standard with a red cross, he rushes with drawn sword upon the panic-stricken foe, and dyes the feet of his charger in the blood of 70,000 slain. Hail to the chief of the holy war, of which we have so often made mention! Saint James! Saint James! Forward, Spain! It is the reappearance of the Galilæan Fisherman, whom the Man-God once called from the barque where he was mending his nets; of the elder son of thunder, now free to hurl the thunderbold upon these new Samaritans, who pretend to honor the unity of God by making Christ no more than a prophet. Henceforth, James shall be to Christian Spain the firebrand which the Prophet saw, devouring all the people round about, to the right hand and to the left, until Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place in Jerusalem.
And when, after six centuries and a half of struggle, his standard bearers, the Catholic kings, had succeeded in driving the infidel hordes beyond the seas, the valiant leader of the Spanish armies laid aside his bright armor, and the slayer of Moors became once more a messenger of the faith. As fisher of men, he entered his barque, and gathering around it the gallant fleets of a Christopher Columbus, a Vasco di Gama, an Albuquerque, he led them over unknown seas to lands that had never yet heard the name of the Lord. For his contribution to the labors of the twelve, James drew ashore his well-filled nets from West and East and South, from new worlds, renewing Peter’s astonishment at the sight of such captures. He, whose apostolate seemed at the time of Herod III, to have been crushed in the bud before bearing any fruit, may say with St. Paul: I have no way come short of them that are above measure Apostles, for by the grace of God I have labored more abundantly than all they.
Let us now read the lines consecrated by the Church to his honor:
Quote:James, the son of Zebedee, and own brother of John the Apostle, was a Galilæan. He was one of the first to be called to the Apostolate together with his brother, and, leaving his father and his nets, he followed the Lord. Jesus called them both Boanerges, that is to say, sons of Thunder. He was one of the three Apostles whom our Savior loved the most, and whom he chose as witnesses of his transfiguration, and of the miracle by which he raised to life the daughter of the ruler of the Synagogue, and whom he wished to be present when he retired to the Mount of Olives, to pray to his Father, before being taken prisoner by the Jews.
After the Ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven, James preached his Divinity in Judea and Samaria, and led many to the Christian faith. Soon, however, he set out for Spain, and there made some converts to Christianity; among these were the seven men, who were afterwards consecrated bishops by St. Peter, and were the first sent by him into Spain. James returned to Jerusalem, and, among others, instructed Hermogenes, the magician, in the truths of faith. Herod Agrippa, who had been raised to the throne under the Emperor Claudius, wished to curry favor with the Jews, he, therefore, condemned the Apostle to death for openly proclaiming Jesus Christ to be God. When the man who had brought him to the tribunal saw the courage with which he went to martyrdom, he declared that he, too, was a Christian.
As they were being hurried to execution, he implored James’ forgiveness. The Apostle kissed him, saying: “Peace be with you.” Thus both of them were beheaded; James having a little before cured a paralytic. His body was afterwards translated to Compostella, where it is honored with the highest veneration; pilgrims flock thither from every part of the world, to satisfy their devotion or to pay their vows. The memory of his natalis is celebrated by the Church today, which is the day of his translation. But it was near the feast of the Pasch that, first of all the Apostles, he shed his blood, at Jerusalem, as a witness to Jesus Christ.
Patron of Spain, forget not the grand nation which owes to thee both its heavenly nobility and its earthly prosperity; preserve it from ever diminishing those truths which made it, in its bright days, the salt of the earth; keep it in mind of the terrible warning that if the salt lose its savor, it is good for nothing any more but to be cast out and to be trodden on by men. At the same time remember, O Apostle, the special cultus wherewith the whole Church honors thee. Does she not to this very day keep under the immediate protection of the Roman Pontiff both thy sacred body, so happily rediscovered, and the vow of going on pilgrimage to venerate those precious relics?
Where now are the days when thy wonderful energy of expansion abroad was surpassed by thy power of drawing all to thyself? Who but he that numbers the stars of the firmament could count the Saints, the penitents, the kings, the warriors, the unknown of every grade, the ever-renewed multitude, ceaselessly moving to and from that field of stars, whence thou didst shed thy light upon the world? Our ancient legends tell us of a mysterious vision granted to the founder of Christian Europe. One evening after a day of toil, Charlemagne, standing on the shore of the Frisian Sea, beheld a long belt of stars, which seemed to divide the sky between Gaul, Germany, and Italy, and crossing over Gascony, the Basque territory, and Navarre, stretched away to the far-off Province of Galicia. Then thou didst appear to him and say: “This starry path marks out the road for thee to go and delivery my tomb; and all nations shall follow after thee.” And Charles, crossing the mountains, gave the signal to all Christendom to undertake those great Crusades, which were both the salvation and the glory of the Latin races, by driving back the Mussulman plague to the land of its birth.
![[Image: Santiago_Matamoros_18th_century.jpg?w=414&ssl=1]](https://i1.wp.com/sensusfidelium.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Santiago_Matamoros_18th_century.jpg?w=414&ssl=1)
When we consider that two tombs formed, as it were, the two extreme points or poles of this movement unparalleled in the history of nations: the one wherein the God-Man rested in death, the other where thy body lay, O son of Zebedee, we cannot help crying out with the Psalmist: Thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honorable! And what a mark of friendship did the Son of Man bestow on his humble apostle by sharing his honors with him, when the military Orders and Hospitallers were established, to the terror of the Crescent, for the sole purpose, at the outset, of entertaining and protecting pilgrims on their way to one or other of these holy tombs? May the heavenly impulse now so happily showing itself in the return to the great Catholic pilgrimages, gather once more at Compostella the sons of thy former clients. We, at least, will imitate St. Louis before the walls of Tunis, murmuring with his dying lips the Collect of thy feast; and we will repeat in conclusion: “Be thou, O Lord, the sanctifier and guardian of thy people; that, defended by the protection of thy Apostle James, they may please thee by their conduct, and serve thee with secure minds.”
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| Ninth Sunday after Pentecost |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-25-2021, 08:01 AM - Forum: Pentecost
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INSTRUCTION ON THE NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST.
From Fr. Leonard Goffine's Explanations of the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays, Holydays, and Festivals throughout the Ecclesiastical Year 36th edition, 1880
IMPLORE God for help and protection against all temptations both visible and invisible, and say with the priest at the Introit: Behold, God is my helper, and the Lord is the protector of my soul: turn back the evils upon my enemies, and cut them off in thy truth, O Lord, my protector. (Ps. liii.) Save me, O God, by thy name, and deliver me in thy strength.
PRAYER OE THE CHURCH. Let the ears of Thy mercy, O Lord, be open to the prayers of Thy suppliants: and that Thou mayest grant them their desires, make them to ask such things as please Thee. Thro'.
EPISTLE, (i Cor. x. 6—13.) Brethren, Let us not covet evil things, as they also coveted. Neither become ye idolaters, as some of them: as it is written: The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and there fell in one clay three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them tempted, and perished by the serpents. Neither do you murmur, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them in figure, and they are written for our correction , upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore he that thinketh himself to stand, let him take heed lest he fall. Let no temptation take hold on you, but such as is human: and God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able, but will make also with temptation issue that you may be able to bear it.
Can we sin by thought and desire?
Yes, if we desire evil and forbidden things, or voluntarily think of them with pleasure, for God prohibits not only evil deeds, but evil thoughts and desires in regard to our neighbor's wife or goods. (Exod. xx. 17.) Christ says, (Matt. v. 28.) that he who looks upon a woman with evil desire, has already committed adultery. But wicked thoughts and imagination are sinful only when a person consents to, or entertains them deliberately. They become however an occasion of gaining merit, if we earnestly strive against them. For this reason God sometimes permits even the just to be tempted by them.
What is meant by tempting God?
Demanding presumptuously a mark or sign of divine omnipotence, goodness, or justice. This sin is committed when without cause we desire that articles of faith should be demonstrated and confirmed by a new miracle; when we throw ourselves needlessly into danger of body or soul expecting God to deliver us; when in dangerous illness the ordinary and natural remedies are rejected, and God's immediate assistance expected.
Is it a great sin to murmur against God?
That it is such may be learned from the punishment which God inflicted on the murmuring Israelites; for besides Kore, Dathan, and Abiron whom the earth devoured, many thousands of them were consumed by fire; and yet these had not murmured against God directly, but only against Moses and Aaron whom God had placed over them as their leaders. From this it is seen that God looks upon murmuring against spiritual and civil authority, instituted by Him, as murmuring against Himself. Hence Moses said to the Israelites: Your murmuring is not against us, but against the Lord. (Exod. xvi. 8.)
ASPIRATION. Purify my heart, I beseech Thee, O Lord, from all evil thoughts and desires. Let it never enter my mind to tempt Thee, or to be dissatisfied with Thy fatherly dispensations. Suffer me not to be tempted beyond my strength, but grant me so much fortitude, that I may overcome all temptations, and even derive benefit from them for my soul's salvation.
GOSPEL. (Luke xix. 41 — 47.) At that time, when Jesus drew near Jerusalem, seeing the city, he wept over it, saying: If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy) day, the things that are to thy peace: but now they are hidden from thy eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, and thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and straiten thee on every side, and beat thee flat to the ground, and thy children who are in thee: and they shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone, because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation. And entering into the temple, he began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought, saying to them: It is written, My house is the house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves. And he was teaching daily in the temple.
Why did our Saviour weep over the city of Jerusalem?
Because of the ingratitude and obduracy of its inhabitants who would not receive Him as their Redeemer, and who through impenitence were hastening to destruction.
When was the time of visitation?
The period in which God sent them one prophet after another who urged them to penance, and whom they persecuted, stoned, and killed. (Matt, xxiii. 34.) It was especially the time of Christ's ministry, when He so often announced His salutary doctrine in the temple of Jerusalem, confirmed it by miracles, proving Himself to be the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, but was despised and rejected by this hardened and impenitent city.
Who are prefigured by this hardened and impenitent city?
The hard-hearted, unrepenting sinners who will not recognize the time of God's visitation, in which He urges them by the mouth of His preachers, confessors, and superiors, and by inward inspiration to reform their lives and seek the salvation of their soul, but who give no ear to these admonitions, and defer conversion to the end of their lives. Their end will be like to that of this impious city; then
the enemy, that is, the evil spirit, will surround their soul, tempt, terrify, and drag it into the abyss of ruin. Oh, how foolish it is to squander so lightly the time of grace, the days of salvation! Oh, how would the damned do penance, could they but return to earth! Oh, how industriously would they employ the time to save their soul! Use then, my dear Christian, the time of grace which God designs for you, and which, when it is run out or carelessly thrown away, will not be lengthened for a moment.
Will God conceal from the wicked that which serves for their salvation?
No; but while they are running after the pleasures of this life, as St. Gregory says, they see not the misfortunes treading in their footsteps, and as consideration of the future makes them uncomfortable in the midst of their worldly pleasures, they remove the terrible thought far from them, and thus run with eyes blindfolded in the midst of their pleasure into eternal flames. Not God, but they themselves hide the knowledge of all that is for their peace, and thus they perish.
ASPIRATION. I beseech Thee, O Lord, who didst weep over the city of Jerusalem, because it knew not the time of its visitation, to enligthen my heart, that I may know and profit by the season of grace.
✠ ✠ ✠
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CITY AND TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM
Has our divine Saviour's prophecy concerning the city of Jerusalem been fulfilled?
YES, and in the most terrible manner. The Jews, oppressed by the Romans, their cruel masters, revolted, killed many of their enemies, and drove them out of Jerusalem. Knowing well that this would not be permitted to pass unavenged, the Jews armed themselves for a desperate resistance. The Emperor Nero sent a powerful army under the command of Vespasian against the city of Jerusalem, which first captured the smaller fortresses of Judea, and then laid siege to the city. The want and misery of the inhabitants had already reached the highest pitch; for within the city ambitious men had caused conflicts; factions had been formed, daily fighting each other, and reddening the streets with blood, while the angry Romans stormed outside.
Then a short time of respite was granted to the unfortunate Jews. The Emperor Nero was murdered at Rome in the year of our Lord 68; his successor Galba soon died, and the soldiers placed their beloved commander Vespasian upon the imperial throne. He then left Jerusalem with his army, but in the year 70, sent his son Titus with a new army to Judea, with order to capture the city at any price, and to punish its inhabitants.
It was the time of Easter, and a multitude of Jews had assembled from all provinces of the land, when Titus appeared with his army before the gates of Jerusalem, and surrounded the city. The supply of food was soon exhausted famine and pestilence came upon the city and raged terribly, The leader of the savage revolutionists, John of Gischala, caused the houses to be searched, and the remaining food to be torn from the starving, or to be forced from them by terrible tortures. To save themselves from this outrageous tyrant, the Jews took the leader of a band of robbers, named Simon, with his whole gang into the city. John and Simon with their followers now sought to annihilate each other. John took possession of the temple. Simon besieged him; blood was streaming in the temple and in the streets. Only when the battle-din of the Romans was heard from without, did the hostile factions unite, go to meet the enemy, and resist his attack. As the famine increased, many Jews secretly left the city to seek for herbs.
But Titus captured them with his cavalry, and crucified those who were armed. Nearly five hundred men, and sometimes more, were every day crucified in sight of the city, so that there could not be found enough of crosses and places of execution; but even this terrible sight did not move the Jews to submission. Incited by their leaders to frenzy, they obstinately resisted, and Titus finding it impossible to take the city by storm, concluded to surround it by walls in order to starve the inhabitants. In three days his soldiers built a wall of about ten miles in circumference, and thus the Saviour's prediction was fulfilled: Thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and straiten thee on every side. The famine in this unfortunate city now reached its most terrific height; the wretched inhabitants searched the very gutters for food, and ate the most disgusting things. A woman, ravenous from hunger, strangled her own child, roasted it, and ate half of it; the leaders smelling the horrible meal, forced a way into the house, and by terrible threats compelled the woman to show them what she had eaten; she reached them the remaining part of the roasted child, saying: "Eat it, it is my child; I presume you are not more dainty than a woman, or more tender than a mother." Stricken with horror they rushed from the house. Death now carried away thousands daily, the streets and the houses were full of corpses. From the fourteenth of April when the siege commenced, to the first of July, there were counted one hundred and fifty-eight thousand dead bodies; six hundred thousand others were thrown over the walls into the trenches to save the city from infection. All who could flee, fled; some reached the camp of the Romans in safety; Titus spared the helpless, but all who fell into his hands armed, were crucified. Flight offered no better security. The Roman soldiers had learned that many Jews had swallowed gold to secure it from the avarice of the robbers, and therefore the stomachs of many were cut open. Two thousand such corpses were found one morning i n the camp of the Romans. The attempts of Titus to prevent this cruelty were unavailing. Finally, when misery had reached its height, Titus succeeded in carrying the fort, Antonia, and with his army forced a passage as far as the temple which had been held by John of Gischala with his famous band.
Desirous of saving the temple, Titus offered the revolutionists free passage from it, but his proposition was rejected, and the most violent contest then raged; the Romans trying to enter the temple, and being continually repulsed, at last, one of the soldiers seized a firebrand, and threw it into one of the rooms attached to the temple. The flames in an instant caught the whole of the inner temple, and totally consumed it, so that this prediction of our Lord was also fulfilled. The Romans butchered all the inhabitants whom they met, and Titus having razed the ruins of the temple and city, ploughed it over, to indicate that this city was never to be rebuilt. During the siege one million one hundred thousand Jews lost their lives; ninety-seven thousand were sold as slaves, and the rest of the people dispersed over the whole earth. Thus God punished the impenitent city and nation, over whose wretchedness the Saviour wept so bitterly, and thus was fulfilled the prediction made by Him long before.
What do we learn from this?
That as this prediction so also all other threats and promises of the Saviour will be fulfilled. The destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem, the dispersion of the Jews, are historical facts which cannot be denied, and testify through all centuries to the truth of our Lord's word: Heaven and earth shall pass but my words shall not pass. (Matt. xxiv. 35.)
USEFUL LESSONS CONCERNING DEATH-BED REPENTANCE
Can a sinner rely upon his being converted at the end of his life?
BY no means, for this would be a sin against the mercy of God which is much the same as the sin against the Holy Ghost. "God," says St. Augustine, "generally so punishes such negligent sinners, that in the end they forget themselves, as in health they forgot Him." He says: They have turned their back to me, and not their face: and in the time of their affliction they will say: Arise, and deliver us! Where are the gods whom thou hast made thee? Let them arise and deliver thee in the time of thy affliction. (Jer. ii. 27 — 28.) And although we have a consoling- example in the case of the penitent thief, yet this, as St. Augustine says, is only one, that the sinner may not despair: and it is only one, so that the sinner may have no excuse for his temerity in putting off his repentance unto the end.
What may we hope of those who are converted at the close of life?
Everything that is good if they be truly converted, but this is a very rare thing, as St. Augustine says: "It cannot be asserted with any security, that he who repents at the end has forgiveness;" and St. Jerome writes: "Scarcely one out of thousands whose life was impious, will truly repent at death and obtain forgiveness of sin;" and St. Vincent Ferrer says, "For a man who has lived an impious life to die a good death is a greater miracle than the raising of the dead to life." We need not be surprised at this, for repentance at the end of life is extorted by the fear of death and the coming judgment. St. Augustine says, that it is not he who abandons sin, but sin abandons him, for he would not cease to offend God, if life were granted him. What can we expect from such a conversion?
When should we repent?
While we are in health, in possession of our senses and strength, for according to the words of St. Augustine, the repentance of the sick is a sickly repentance. As experience proves, man while ill is so tormented and bewildered by the pains of sickness and the fear of death, by remorse of conscience, and the temptations of the devil as well as by anxiety for those whom he leaves, that he can scarcely collect his thoughts, much less fit himself for true repentance. Since it is so hard for many to do penance while they are in health, and have nothing to prevent them from elevating their mind to God, how much more difficult will it be for them, when the body is weakened and tortured by the pains of sickness. It has been made known by many persons when convalescent, that they retained not the slightest recollection of anything which occurred during their illness, and although they confessed and received the last Sacraments, they did not remember it. If then you have committed a grievous sin, do not delay to be reconciled as soon as possible by contrition and a sacramental confession. Do not put off repentance from day to day, for thereby conversion becomes more difficult, so much so that without extraordinary grace from God, you cannot repent. God does not give His grace to the presumptuous scoffer.
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| Italians Hit the Streets to Protest Mandatory Vaccine Passports |
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Posted by: Stone - 07-24-2021, 06:31 AM - Forum: COVID Passports
- No Replies
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Italians Hit the Streets to Protest Mandatory Vaccine Passports
Demonstrators shout “No dictatorship!”
Summit News | 22 July, 2021
After the Italian government followed other European countries in announcing mandatory vaccine passports, Italians hit the streets to protest the measure, with demonstrators in Turin shouting, “No dictatorship!”
After France and the United Kingdom announced that proof of vaccination would be required to enter some venues, Italy followed suit.
From August 6, Italian authorities will mandate their citizens be enrolled in a “green certification” program which will bar access for the unvaccinated or those who can’t prove a negative COVID test to venues such as “indoor bars and restaurants, go to museums, swimming pools, gyms, theme parks and more,” reports Axios.
Irate Italians in Turin reacted by immediately hitting the streets.
The crowd chanted, “No green pass, no green pass!”, “No dictatorship, no dictatorship!” and “freedom, freedom!” during the demonstration.
The new measures were justified by “a spike in infections driven by the Delta variant,” although the 5,057 new coronavirus infections reported on Thursday are around 10 times lower than the peak in infections the country experienced back in November.
If the protests in Italy are anything like what we’ve seen in France, expect them to become unruly in a hurry.
Although the unrest there forced President Macron to marginally reduce back some of the places where vaccine passports will be required, the list is still lengthy and includes public transport, bars, cafes and shopping centers with a surface area of more than 20,000 square meters.
Another major protest against vaccine passports is also scheduled to take place in London on Saturday.
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