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| Something Really Strange Is Happening At Hospitals All Over America |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-04-2021, 07:49 AM - Forum: Health
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Something Really Strange Is Happening At Hospitals All Over America
ZH | NOV 04, 2021
Authored by Michael Snyder via TheMostImportantNews.com,
In a year that has been filled with so many mysteries already, I have another very odd one to share with you. Emergency rooms are filled to overflowing all over America, and nobody can seem to explain why this is happening. Right now, the number of new COVID cases in the United States each day is less than half of what it was just a couple of months ago. That is really good news, and many believe that this is a sign that the pandemic is fading. Let us hope that is true. With less people catching the virus, you would think that would mean that our emergency rooms should be emptying out, but the opposite is actually happening. All across the country, emergency rooms are absolutely packed, and in many cases we are seeing seriously ill patients being cared for in the hallways because all of the ER rooms are already full.
Let me give you an example of what I am talking about. The following comes from an article entitled “ERs Are Swamped With Seriously Ill Patients, Although Many Don’t Have Covid”…
Quote:Inside the emergency department at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan, staff members are struggling to care for patients showing up much sicker than they’ve ever seen.
Tiffani Dusang, the ER’s nursing director, practically vibrates with pent-up anxiety, looking at patients lying on a long line of stretchers pushed up against the beige walls of the hospital hallways. “It’s hard to watch,” she said in a warm Texas twang.
But there’s nothing she can do. The ER’s 72 rooms are already filled.
Can anyone explain why this is happening?
If the number of COVID cases was starting to spike again, it would make sense for emergency rooms to be overflowing.
But at this particular hospital in Michigan, we are being told that some of the main things that are being treated include “abdominal pain", “respiratory problems”, “blood clots” and “heart conditions”…
Quote:Months of treatment delays have exacerbated chronic conditions and worsened symptoms. Doctors and nurses say the severity of illness ranges widely and includes abdominal pain, respiratory problems, blood clots, heart conditions and suicide attempts, among other conditions.
That mention of “heart conditions” immediately got my attention, because I have been seeing this so much in the news recently.
For instance, a high school senior in Pennsylvania just dropped dead from “a sudden cardiac incident”…
Quote:The high school soccer manager ‘greatly enjoyed’ his team’s championship victory Saturday. Later that evening, he was dead.
Now, late student Blake Barklage’s high school is mourning his untimely death. As 6ABC in Philly reports, the tragedy occurred at La Salle College High School in Montgomery County, Pa.
In a letter to parents, the school announced that the senior died after ‘a sudden cardiac incident’ Saturday night.
Elsewhere in the same state, an otherwise healthy 12-year-old boy just suddenly died because of an issue with his coronary artery…
Quote:As family and friends grieve, the cause of death is in for a 12-year-old taken way too soon while warming up for school basketball practice.
As TribLive in Pittsburgh reports, Jayson Kidd, 12, of Bridgeville, Pa., died of natural causes involving his coronary artery, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Heart problems kill elderly people all the time, but it is odd that so many healthy young people have been having these problems.
Over the weekend, Barcelona striker Sergio Aguero suddenly collapsed on the pitch during a match.
He was later diagnosed with “a cardiac arrhythmia”…
Sergio “Kun” Aguero, a striker for the Barcelona soccer team, has been diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia after collapsing during Saturday’s match against Alaves.
The 33-year-old Argentinian was examined by medical staff at the stadium before being taken to a nearby hospital where he is still waiting to undergo further examination.
Just two days later, a match in Norway was brought to a screeching halt after a player experienced “cardiac arrest” right in the middle of a match…
Quote:A football match in Norway’s second division was halted on Monday after Icelandic midfielder Emil Pálsson suffered a cardiac arrest during play.
The 28-year-old Sogndal player suffered the attack as the game against Stjordals-Blink entered the 12th minute, his club said in a statement.
I have been seeing so many stories like this.
So why are so many young people suddenly having such serious problems with their hearts?
Can anyone out there explain this to me?
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| New law could see Australians jailed for 2 years for breaking COVID orders |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-04-2021, 07:36 AM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular]
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New law could see Australians jailed for 2 years for breaking COVID orders
Since the start of the coronavirus crisis, the Australian state of Victoria has on various occasions imposed some of the
most radical restrictions of freedoms anywhere in the world, including daily curfews and mandatory mask wearing in public.
![[Image: andrews_victoria_getty-810x500.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/andrews_victoria_getty-810x500.jpg)
Daniel Andrews, premier of Victoria, Australia.
Wed Nov 3, 2021
MELBOURNE, Australia (LifeSiteNews) – An Australian political leader has submitted to Parliament two bills which could see people in the state of Victoria jailed for two years for breaking public health orders.
Since the start of the coronavirus crisis, the Australian state of Victoria has on various occasions imposed some of the most radical restrictions of freedoms anywhere in the world, including daily curfews and mandatory mask wearing in public.
Victoria’s Premier Dan Andrews recently presented Parliament with the Public Health And Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 and Emergency Powers (Emergency Powers) Safeguards Legislation Amendment Bill 2021.
These two bills, which are currently under deliberation in Parliament, will grant Andrews’ government the authority to impose $90,000 fines on individuals who “intentionally and recklessly” violate public health orders, and $455,000 for businesses. Additionally, law enforcement will be given the authority to imprison Australians who fail to comply with public health orders for up to two years.
If passed, the proposed Public Health And Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021, will empower the Victorian state government to “restrict movement, to require the use of face coverings, or to require persons to be subject to detention or quarantine requirements.”
The Pandemic Management bill’s stated purpose is to suppress “the most egregious pandemic-related behaviors” and “body corporate entities [businesses] from non-compliance” with heavy penalties when actions are determined to be “likely to cause a serious risk to the health of another individual.”
It states, “The maximum penalty for an individual for this offence is 500 penalty units [exceeding $90,000] for a person or imprisonment up to 2 years. For a body corporate, the maximum penalty is the greater of either 2,500 penalty units [exceeding $454,000] or a fine of up to three times the assessed commercial benefit gained as a result of the non-compliance.”
The “egregious” behaviors that could lead to fines and imprisonment include “a person deliberately breaching a quarantine or detention requirement or knowing they are COVID-19 positive, deliberately facilitating or engaging in events that have the potential to result in serious risks to health such as large gatherings [like protests]; or a business deliberately trading or offering services in breach of an order.”
The Pandemic Management bill also contains the explicit provision that Victorian State Premier Dan Andrews will be “responsible for making a pandemic declaration,” and provide “a broad power to make pandemic orders” to Ministers of Health, operating independent of the federal government.
In addition to the Pandemic Management bill, Andrews has also submitted the Emergency Powers Safeguards Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 to Parliament, which is intended to replace the existing state of emergency framework due to expire on December 15th.
If approved by Parliament, this bill would grant Dan Andrew’s state government the authority to limit the movement of the population, ban social or religious gatherings, shut down businesses, and enforce quarantines.
Chrisopher Blanden QC, President of the Victorian Bar, revealed that Andrews’ pandemic legislation was “appalling” and “lacks the appropriate checks and balances to ensure the proper exercise of these powers.” Blanden added that the proposed legislation “contains many other problematic provisions, including conferring very broad power on authorized officers without effective review or oversight, gathering police power to enter premises without a warrant, and abrogating privilege against self-incrimination.”
Australian Members of Parliament have also publicly denounced Andrews’ proposed legislation.
In an impassioned speech in Parliament, Ryan Smith MP denounced Andews’ legislation as a “draconian” power grab, vowing that he and other MPs would fight to defend freedom and democracy on behalf of the people of Victoria.
Smith began addressing the grievances of Victorians who had only just been released from almost 250 days of lockdowns that caused irreparable harm to families and businesses.
“They were told last week there would be no more lockdowns and, one week later, [here is] legislation that gives [the state government] draconian, unfettered, unshackled power to do it all over again.” Smith said.
“Well, I say to Victorians… the Liberal Party and the National Party will not stand for this. We will oppose this every step of the way, in this place [the Parliament]… and out on the streets!”
In an allusion to Victorians’ disdain for their Premier, Smith said that Andrews should leave his guarded headquarters and head into the streets of Melbourne to receive a free “character assessment.”
Smith’s sharp criticism was supported by fellow MPs including Craig Kelly, Matthew Guy, and Bridget Vallence.
Victorian Premier Dan Andrew’s handling of COVID has gained international notoriety, particularly due to his willingness to use unprecedented, authoritarian tactics to force compliance with public health orders. This includes mandatory vaccinations as a condition of employment and other essential freedoms, such as visiting family members, exercising or attending places of worship.
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| Litany for the Poor Souls in Purgatory |
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Posted by: SAguide - 11-03-2021, 09:33 PM - Forum: Litanies
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Litany for the Poor Souls in Purgatory
O Jesus, Thou suffered and died that all mankind might be saved and brought to eternal happiness. Hear our pleas for further mercy on the souls of:
My dear parents and grandparents,
My brothers and sisters and other near relatives,
My godparents and sponsors of Confirmation,
My spiritual and temporal benefactors,
My friends and neighbors,
All for whom love or duty bids me pray,
Those who have suffered disadvantage or harm through me,
Those who have offended me,
Those whose release is near at hand,
Those who desire most to be united to Thee,
Those who endure the greatest sufferings,
Those whose release is most remote,
Those who are least remembered
Those who are most deserving on account of their services to the Church,
The rich, who are now the most destitute,
The mighty, who are now powerless,
The once spiritually blind, who now see their folly
The frivolous, who spent their time in idleness,
The poor who did not seek the treasures of heaven,
The tepid who devoted little time to prayer,
The indolent who neglected to perform good works,
Those of little faith, who neglected the frequent reception of the Sacraments,
The habitual sinners, who owe their salvation to a miracle of grace,
Parents who failed to watch over their children,
Superiors who were not solicitous for the salvation of those entrusted to them,
Those who strove for worldly riches and pleasures,
The worldly minded, who failed to use their wealth and talent for the service of God,
Those who witnessed the death of others, but would not think of their own,
Those who did not provide for the life hereafter,
Those whose sentence is severe because of the great things entrusted to them,
The popes, kings, and rulers,
The bishops and their counselors,
My teachers and spiritual advisors,
The priests and religious of the Catholic Church,
The defenders of the Holy Faith,
Those who died on the battlefield,
Those who fought for their country,
Those who were buried in the sea,
Those who died of apoplexy,
Those who died of heart attacks,
Those who suffered and died of cancer,
Those who died suddenly in accidents,
Those who died without the last rites of the Church,
Those who shall die within the next twenty-four hours,
My own poor soul when I shall have to appear before Thy judgment seat,
PRAYER
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them: For evermore with Thy Saints, because Thou art gracious.
May the prayer of Thy suppliant people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, benefit the souls of Thy departed servants and handmaids: that Thou mayest both deliver them from all their sins, and make them to be partakers of Thy redemption. Amen.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine on them. Amen.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
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| Pfizer research contractor falsified data in COVID vax trials, whistleblower tells medical journal |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-03-2021, 01:57 PM - Forum: COVID Vaccines
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Pfizer research contractor falsified data in COVID vax trials, whistleblower tells medical journal
‘I don’t think it was good, clean data.’ In fact, ‘it’s a crazy mess.’
Nov 2, 2021
(LifeSiteNews) — A former regional director for a private clinical research company provided evidence that her prior employer falsified data, unblinded trial participants, and neglected the timely follow-up of subjects experiencing adverse events as they conducted a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trial in the fall of 2020.
According to a report from the BMJ, Brook Jackson, a “trained clinical trial auditor” with more than “15 years’ experience in clinical research coordination and management,” worked for Ventavia Research Group of Texas for two weeks in September 2020. After repeatedly alerting her employer of the overwhelming problems in quality control of the trial, she emailed a complaint to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was fired by her employer later the same day.
Paul D. Thacker of the BMJ wrote that his medical journal is in possession of “dozens of internal company documents, photos, audio recordings, and emails” provided by Jackson. One photo shows “vaccine packaging materials with trial participants’ identification numbers written on them left out in the open, potentially unblinding participants.”
“Blinding” is an important aspect for the integrity of randomized control trials. It safeguards against bias in those conducting the trial when collecting data on participants whose status of receiving the intervention or a placebo remains unknown. For example, research organizations may have financial incentives to produce an outcome favorable to their client; in this case, Pfizer, and their knowledge of trial participants’ status may bias them in how they collect data.
Further, according to the report, this unblinding may have occurred on a much wider scale as “drug assignment confirmation printouts were being left in participants’ charts, accessible to blinded personnel.”
Such widespread issues were apparently known by Ventavia management, according to an audio recording of a meeting with Jackson and two directors. One executive is heard lamenting that they were not able to quantify the numbers and types of errors they were uncovering in their quality control process. “In my mind, it’s something new every day,” the executive states. “We know that it’s significant.”
In addition, the neglect of trial subjects experiencing adverse reactions from the injections was an omission that earned Ventavia an emailed reprimand from ICON, a “contract research organization” partnering with Pfizer on the trial.
The September 2020 email reminded Ventavia, “The expectation for this study is that all queries are addressed within 24hrs.” The contractor went on to highlight more than 100 instances where queries were more than three days old. According to Thacker, “Examples included two individuals for which ‘Subject has reported with Severe symptoms/reactions … Per protocol, subjects experiencing Grade 3 local reactions should be contacted. Please confirm if an UNPLANNED CONTACT was made and update the corresponding form as appropriate.’”
In Jackson’s September 25 email to the FDA, she listed many concerns based on her experience with the Pfizer trial. According to the BMJ, these included:
- Participants placed in a hallway after injection and not being monitored by clinical staff
- Lack of timely follow-up of patients who experienced adverse events
- Protocol deviations not being reported
- Vaccines not being stored at proper temperatures
- Mislabeled laboratory specimens, and
- Targeting of Ventavia staff for reporting these types of problems.
Other documents provided by Jackson indicate that significant problems had been present for many weeks before her arrival. In a list of “action items” distributed among Ventavia leadership in early August 2020, one executive identifies three staff members with whom to “Go over e-diary issue/falsifying data, etc.” One of these was “verbally counseled for changing data and not noting late entry,” according to the note.
Former colleagues of Jackson have corroborated her story. One previous executive who was in the recorded meeting referenced above apologized to her in a June text message stating “everything that you complained about was spot on.”
Two others, who spoke to BMJ anonymously out of fear of compromising future job prospects, each “confirmed broad aspects of Jackson’s complaint.” Thacker wrote how one of these individuals said “she had worked on over four dozen clinical trials in her career, including many large trials, but had never experienced such a ‘helter-skelter’ work environment as with Ventavia on Pfizer’s trial.”
“I’ve never had to do what they were asking me to do, ever,” she told BMJ. “It just seemed like something a little different from normal — the things that were allowed and expected.”
She also reported that Ventavia was at times short staffed and unable to test all of the trial participants who reported symptoms for COVID-19, to confirm infection, even though this was “the trial’s primary endpoint.” While such neglect may likely skew infection rate data for vaccine recipients, Thacker does report that an August 2021 FDA memorandum “states that across the full trial (44,000 participants), swabs were not taken from 477 people with suspected cases of symptomatic covid-19.”
However, in regard to this Pfizer research trial conducted by Ventavia, this same employee quoted above concluded, “I don’t think it was good, clean data.” In fact, “it’s a crazy mess.”
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| The Gift of Traditionis Custodes [or, 'The Goal is to Eliminate Tradition'] |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-03-2021, 10:32 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
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All is done in the name of Vatican II, it must reign supreme. Their goal is to attempt to eliminate Tradition, so souls have no where else to turn other than the Conciliar Church of Vatican II! And Pope Francis is implementing the most radical interpretations of Vatican II, helping to usher in the NWO...
![[Image: roman_mosaic_tiled_floor_vatican-musem.jpg?w=900]](https://i0.wp.com/www.siobhan-tarr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/roman_mosaic_tiled_floor_vatican-musem.jpg?w=900)
Mosaic tiled floor in the Vatican Museum
During a recent meeting with our priests in Chicago, I was asked about the motu proprio, Traditionis custodes (TC), recently issued by Pope Francis. They were curious about how the archdiocese would respond to it and what insights this document can offer all of us about the liturgy.
I think it is important to point out from the outset that a careful reading of the motu proprio reveals the Holy Father’s intention in issuing this document. Simply put, it is to re-establish throughout the Church of the Roman Rite a single and identical prayer that expresses its unity, according to the liturgical books promulgated by the saintly Popes Paul VI and John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of the Second Vatican Council. In other words, there are not two forms of the Roman Rite, because the word “reform” means something, namely that we leave behind a former way of celebrating the sacraments and adopt a new form.
To put that word “reform” in perspective, just recall some of the other reforms following the Second Vatican Council, which we have witnessed in our days. In 1983, Pope John Paul II reformed the Code of Canon Law of 1917, in order to insure that Church Law conformed to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council. Likewise, the saintly pope in 1993 reformed the Catechism of the Catholic Church, again for the purpose of bringing it up-to-date in view of the theological insights of the Council. The way we worship was also reformed in view of the new self-understanding of the Church found in the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium and the theological and liturgical developments expressed in the Constitution on the Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium. With the reforms of the Code and the Catechism, the Church left behind their earlier forms. No one would think of arguing that the earlier forms of the Code or the Catechism could still be used, simply because the word reform means something. And, so it has to mean something with regard to the liturgical reform.
With that starting point, Pope Francis offers three important guiding principles for receiving and implementing TC. The first is the unity of the Church. Archbishop Augustine DiNoia, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith made the observation in an interview with Cindy Wooden of Catholic News Service that “when St. John Paul and Pope Benedict expanded the possibility of using the pre-Vatican II Mass, they were hoping to promote unity in the church and to counter abuses that were widespread in the celebration of the post-Vatican II Mass.” This aspiration in granting the concession to use the earlier form of the liturgy was to heal the rift with members of the Society of St. Pius X, established by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Sadly, however, that was not achieved. Instead the archbishop observed, “what we have got now is a movement within the church herself, seemingly endorsed by her leaders, that sows division by undermining the reforms of the Second Vatican Council through the rejection of the most important of them: the reform of the Roman Rite.”
A second guiding principle the pope addresses in TC is that there has to be a solid unequivocal recognition on the part of all Catholics that the Second Vatican Council and its reforms are not only an authentic action of the Holy Spirit but also are in continuity with the Tradition of the Church. In particular, this recognition means the full acceptance that “the liturgical books promulgated by Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II, in conformity with the decrees of Vatican Council II, are the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite.” [1]
A third principle is the role of the bishop as the sole moderator, promoter and guardian of all liturgical life in his diocese. Pope Francis, by issuing TC, has returned competency to the local bishop for the regulation of the use as an exceptional concession of the former liturgy. Consequently, each bishop is to decide if and when it may be opportune to grant by way of exception the use of rituals prior to the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council liturgy (Missale Romanum of 1962 and Rituale Romanum of 1952). In his letter to bishops around the world to accompany the text of TC Pope Francis makes clear that the local bishop is duty bound to take his decision in a way that promotes in his diocese a return to a unitary celebratory form.
Pastorally fulfilling the aims of TC will require that we as pastors accompany people in coming to an understanding of the link between the way we worship and what we believe,[2] keeping in mind the Holy Father’s desire that pastors are to lead the faithful to the sole use of the reformed liturgical books. Accompaniment may take the form of visiting with the faithful who have regularly attended Mass and celebrated sacraments with the earlier rituals to help them understand the essential principles of renewal called for in the Second Vatican Council. It must also involve helping people appreciate how the reformed Mass introduces them to a greater use of scripture and prayers from the Roman tradition, as well as an updated liturgical calendar of feasts that includes recently canonized saints. Accompaniment may also mean creatively including in the Mass reformed by the Council elements which people have found nourishing in celebrating the earlier form of the Mass, which has already been an option, e.g., reverent movement and gestures, use of Gregorian chant, Latin and incense and extended periods of silence within the liturgy.
I believe that we can use this opportunity to help all of our people come to a fuller understanding of the great gift that the Council has given us in reforming the way we worship. I take seriously my obligation to move forward in a way that promotes a return to a unitary celebratory form in accord with the directives of TC, but in the meantime, we all need to pray, as Jesus did the night before he died, that all may be one.
Cardinal Blase Cupich is the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois.
____________________
[1] Traditionis Custodes, art. 1.
[2] See Prosper of Aquitaine, Patrologia Latina, 51, pp. 209–10: “Let us consider sacraments of priestly prayers, which having been handed down by the apostles are celebrated uniformly throughout the whole world and in every Catholic Church so that the law of praying might establish the law of believing [ut legem credendi lex statuat supplicandi].”
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| Feminists Vandalised Cathedral in Bolivia |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-03-2021, 09:52 AM - Forum: Anti-Catholic Violence
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Hate Feminists Vandalised Cathedral
![[Image: sp2a11idyy6yez0smd2dnuijk2752ca1qg6gx8n....ormat=webp]](https://assistant.gloria.tv/FxK6pqhk7ZiS1AZwTDoBU6KMY/sp2a11idyy6yez0smd2dnuijk2752ca1qg6gx8n.webp?format=webp)
gloria.tv | November 2, 2021
Feminists vandalised Santa Cruz de la Sierra Cathedral, Bolivia, while ultra-conformist Archbishop Sergio Gualberti, an Italian and activist of the Amazon-Synod, presided the October 31 Sunday Eucharist.
The haters damaged the outside of the Cathedral, staining the brick wall with red paint. Faithful left the Eucharist helping the police to protect the building.
The hate of the haters was ignited by the fact that the Church helped a 11-year old pregnant mother and her baby from being aborted. The mother was raped by her step-grandfather, 61. Pro-death organisations pressured the innocent girl to murder her innocent baby but she and her mother objected. The local Church offered help and transferred her in a shelter run by the Archdiocese.
Already on October 27, Bolivia’s evil People’s Ombudsman, Nadia Cruz, together with staff from her office, led a hate march to the offices of the Bolivian bishops’ conference and vandalised it with anti-Catholic slogans.
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| Top Doctor Says New CDC Study on Natural Immunity Is 'Highly Flawed' |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-03-2021, 06:36 AM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular]
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Top Doctor Says New CDC Study on Natural Immunity Is 'Highly Flawed'
TH | Nov 02, 2021
Last week the Centers for Disease Control published a study claiming vaccination for Wuhan coronvirus was superior to immunity obtained through natural infection.
Given the CDC's record of issuing "science" based on political motives and leanings, the study was met with skepticism.
Further, a number of other studies have shown natural immunity is far superior to vaccination in terms of protection against infection. The Brownstone Institute has a solid analysis of the CDC study compared to a recent Israeli study, which shows natural immunity offers better protection.
Quote:Concerning the Covid recovered, there are two key public health issues. 1. Would the Covid recovered benefit from also being vaccinated? 2. Should there be vaccine passports and mandates that require them to be vaccinated in order to work and participate in society?
The CDC study did not address the first question, while the Israeli study showed a small but not statistically significant benefit in reducing symptomatic Covid disease. Future studies will hopefully shed more light on this issue.
Based on the solid evidence from the Israeli study, the Covid recovered have stronger and longer-lasting immunity against Covid disease than the vaccinated.
Many of the Covid recovered were exposed to the virus as essential workers during the height of the pandemic before vaccines were available. They kept the rest of society afloat, processing food, delivering goods, unloading ships, picking up garbage, policing the streets, maintaining the electricity network, putting out fires, and caring for the old and sick, to name a few.
They are now being fired and excluded despite having stronger immunity than the vaccinated work-from-home administrators that are firing them.
John Hopkins Doctor Marty MaKary is calling the CDC study "highly flawed."
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| Modesty and Decorum: Twenty-Five Excerpts from St. Jean Baptiste de la Salle |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-03-2021, 06:30 AM - Forum: The Saints
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Modesty and Decorum: Twenty-Five Excerpts from the Writings of St. Jean Baptiste de la Salle
Taken from here.
![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinim...f=1&nofb=1]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fs-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F0a%2F9a%2F9b%2F0a9a9bf183877f98bcea486eb473da4d.jpg&f=1&nofb=1)
'Decorum requires that you have a great horror for anything even remotely suggesting impurity. Far from allowing yourself to laugh and to make jokes about it, you must show that you do not find anything about the topic in any way amusing. Those who laugh about such things give proof that they live more according to the flesh than according to the spirit and that their hearts are thoroughly corrupt.'
- St. Jean Baptiste de la Salle
1. It is surprising that most Christians look upon decorum and politeness as merely human and worldly qualities and do not think of raising their minds to any higher views by considering them as virtues that have reference to God, to their neighbor, and to themselves.
This illustrates very well how little true Christianity is found in the world and how few among those who live in the world are guided by the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Still, it is this Spirit alone which ought to inspire all our actions, making them holy and agreeable to God.
2. It is not appropriate to wear a feather behind your ear, to put flowers in your ear, or to have pierced ears with earrings. . . The most beautiful finery for your ears is to keep them unadorned and clean.
3. While Saint Peter and Saint Paul forbid women to curl their hair, they condemn with even greater reason this sort of behavior in men, who, having naturally far less inclination than women to such vanities, ought to reject them all the more resolutely and be much less inclined to yield to them.
4. It is something very improper, something that shows great vanity and is not at all becoming in a Christian, to apply beauty spots and paint to your face, covering it with powder and rouge. The finest ornament of the cheeks is a modest reserve, which makes wellborn people blush when an indecent word, a lie, or a slander is uttered in their presence.
In fact, only brazen and shameless people can tell lies with ease or say or do something unseemly without blushing.
5. Everyone knows how repulsive it is to see such filth on people's clothes, which ought always to be very clean, no matter how poor they might be, for they are the ornaments of a servant of God and a member of Jesus Christ.
6. Because you ought to consider your body only as a living temple where God wishes to be adored in spirit and in truth and as a living tabernacle that Jesus Christ has chosen as his dwelling place, you must, considering these noble privileges that you enjoy, show much respect for your body. These considerations ought to make you resolve not to touch your body or even to look at it without an indispensable necessity. . .
It is more contrary to decorum and refinement to look at or to touch anyone else, especially a person of the other sex, in a way that God forbids us to do regarding even ourselves.
7. Women must also take great care to cover their body decently and to keep their face veiled, as Saint Paul advises, because it is not allowed to display in themselves what is not allowable and decent for others to look at. Thus, it is highly improper to look at a woman's chest, still more improper to touch it. It is not permitted even to stare fixedly at her face.
8. It is never appropriate to speak about the parts of the body that must always be kept hidden and about certain bodily necessities to which nature has subjected all of us or even to name them. If sometimes you cannot avoid this in the case of a sick person or someone who is indisposed, do so in such a courteous manner that the terms you use cannot offend against decorum.
9. It is very rude, even shameful, for you to kick anyone, no matter in what part of the body. This is something that cannot be permitted to anyone, not even to a master when dealing with his servants. This kind of punishment characterizes a violent and irrational person and does not become Christians, who must not maintain or display any characteristics but kindness, moderation, and wisdom in everything they do.
10. Although civility has nothing to say about the hour when you ought to retire or the time when you ought to get up, it is a matter of decorum to rise early in the morning. Besides the fact that it is a defect to sleep too long, it is, says Saint Ambrose, a shameful and intolerable thing for the sun at its rising to find you still in bed.
It is likewise to change and to reverse the order of nature for you to make day into night and night into day, as some people do. The devil induces you to act in this way, for he knows that darkness provides occasions for sin. He is pleased if you live most of your life during the night. Instead, follow Saint Paul's advice. Lay aside, he says, the works of darkness; walk, that is, act with decorum, as we must during the day. Make use of the weapons of light; devote the night to sleep, and use the day to do all your work. You would no doubt be ashamed and embarrassed to do in broad daylight the works of darkness and to mingle with your actions anything out of place when you can be seen by others.
11. It is, therefore, entirely contrary to decorum, as Saint Paul observes, to go to bed when morning is breaking, as some people do, and to get up around noon. It is quite proper, both for your health and for the good of your soul, to go to bed not later than ten o'clock and to get up no later than six in the morning. Say to yourself the words of Saint Paul, and repeat them to those whom laziness keeps in bed: The time has come for us to rise from our sleep; the night is past, and the day has dawned. Thus you may then address God in the words of the Royal Prophet: O God, my God, I watch for you from the break of day. [Ps. 62]
12. It is not like a person of good judgment to have to be called repeatedly to get up or to hesitate long in doing so. Hence, as soon as you are awake, you must rise promptly.
13. Have a regular time for going to bed, just as you ought to have for rising. It is no less important to perform well this last action of the day than to perform well the first.
14. Children must not go to bed before going to greet their father and mother and wishing them a good night. This is a duty and an act of respect that nature requires them to perform.
15. Just as you must get up with much modesty and in doing so give an indication of your piety, so you must also go to bed in a Christian manner, doing this with all possible propriety, only after having prayed to God. To act like this, you must neither undress nor go to bed when anyone else is present. Unless you are married, you must, above all, never go to bed in the presence of anyone of the other sex, for this is entirely contrary to decency and refinement.
16. It is even less allowable for people of different sexes to sleep in the same bed, even if they are only young children, nor is it appropriate for people of the same sex to sleep together. This is what Saint Francis de Sales recommended to Madame de Chantal in regard to her children, when she still lived in the world, as something extremely important and as much a practice of decorum as one of Christian morality and piety.
17. Decorum also suggests that when going to bed, you keep your eyes away from your body and avoid glancing at it. This is something that parents must strive to teach their children to help them preserve the treasure of purity that they must hold very dear and at the same time conserve the great honor of being members of Jesus Christ and consecrated to his service. As soon as you are in bed, cover your whole body except your face, which must always remain uncovered.
18. When in bed, it is not refined to talk, for beds are made only to sleep in. As soon as you are in bed, you must be ready to go to sleep promptly.
19. It was sin that created the need for us to dress and to cover our body with clothing. This is why, because we carry with us at all times the condition of sinners, we must never appear not only without clothing but also without being fully dressed. This is required both by decency and by the law of God.
A great many people take the liberty of wearing their dressing gowns, often without other clothing or sometimes just with slippers. Although it seems that as long as you do not go outside, you can do practically anything in this attire, it is entirely too casual to be dressed only this way for any length of time.
20. It is against decorum to put on your dressing gown as soon as you have come back home, in order to be comfortable, and to let yourself be seen dressed like this. It is only elderly or infirm people who can be permitted to act in this way.
21. It is also a matter of refinement to dress promptly and to put on first the articles of clothing that cover the body most completely, so as to keep hidden the parts that nature forbids us to show. Always do this out of respect for the majesty of God, which you must keep constantly before your eyes. . . as refinement requires that when you dress, you put on first the articles of clothing that cover most of the body, it is also a sign of decorum, when you undress, to take off the same articles last, so that you cannot be seen without being decently attired.
While undressing, place your clothes neatly on either a chair or some other place that is clean and where you can easily find them again the next morning without having to hunt for them.
22. There are some women who need two or three hours, and sometimes the entire morning, to get dressed. One could say of them with justice that their body is their God and that the time they use in ornamenting it is time they rob from the One who is their only living and true God.
This also robs time from the care they must take of their families and children, something they ought to regard as one of the duties required of them by their state of life. They certainly cannot act in this way without violating God's laws.
23. Clean clothing tells a lot about your attitude and discipline and generally gives a good idea of your virtue, an impression that is not without basis.
For clothing to be proper, it must suit the person who wears it and be in keeping with the person's build, age, and state of life. There is nothing more unseemly than clothes that do not fit the person wearing them.
24. In your clothing, negligence is not to be avoided less than eccentricity; both these excesses are equally to be condemned. Affectation is contrary to God's law, which condemns luxury and vanity in your clothing and in other exterior ornaments. Negligence in your attire is a sign that you either do not pay much attention to God's presence or lack sufficient respect for God. It also shows that you do not respect your own body, which you ought to honor as a temple inhabited by the Holy Spirit and the tabernacle that Jesus Christ has the goodness to visit frequently.
25. Women, being by nature less capable of great things than men, are also more inclined to vanity and luxury in their clothing.
This is why Saint Paul, after exhorting men to avoid the more gross vices into which they fall more easily than do women, goes on to recommend to women to dress modestly, to let reserve and chastity be their adornments, not to wear pearls, gold jewelry, and sumptuous apparel, and to dress as women who show by their good works that they profess to live a life of piety. [1 Tim 2:10]
After this exhortation of the great Apostle, there is nothing more to be prescribed for a Christian than to observe it and to imitate in this matter the early Christians, who edified everyone by the modesty and simplicity of their clothing.
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| German Companies Creating Segregated Canteens For Vaccinated And Unvaccinated |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-03-2021, 06:21 AM - Forum: COVID Passports
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German Companies Creating Segregated Canteens For Vaccinated And Unvaccinated
ZH | NOV 03, 2021
Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Summit News,
Major companies in Germany are segregating their employees by creating canteens for vaccinated people and separate areas for the unvaccinated, who will be forced to continue to follow social distancing and mask mandates.
Pharmaceuticals giant Bayer, energy company Eon, and travel company Alltours are all set to impose the new rules, which will see the unvaccinated treated like second class citizens.
“In the ‘2G’ areas for vaccinated and recovered people, employees would be allowed to eat together under completely normal conditions, while those who are not vaccinated or do not provide information about their vaccination status would have to continue to live with rules on social distancing, mask wearing and partitions during meals,” reports the Local.
Bayer also announced that its employees have also started forming work groups that “exclude unvaccinated staff.”
People visiting Christmas markets in Berlin who haven’t been vaccinated will also be denied entry.
As we previously highlighted, despite facing brazen discrimination, 90 per cent of Germans who haven’t had the vaccine say they have no plans to get it in the near future.
As we highlighted back in January, German authorities announced that COVID lockdown rulebreakers would be arrested and detained in refugee camps located across the country.
Earlier this summer it was also confirmed that the unvaccinated would be deprived of basic lifestyle activities like visiting cinemas and restaurants.
The editor-in-chief of Germany’s top newspaper Bild shocked some people by apologizing for the news outlet’s fear-driven coverage of COVID, specifically to children who were told “that they were going to murder their grandma.”
During a meeting with other world leaders in Rome, Angela Merkel engaged in COVID security theater by briefly wearing a mask when she exited her vehicle, only to remove it as soon as she entered the building.
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| A Chaplet for the Poor Souls in Purgatory [1850] |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-02-2021, 07:03 AM - Forum: For the Souls in Purgatory
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A Chaplet for the Souls in Purgatory (1850)
Taken from here
![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3...%3DApi&f=1]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.kDEVGC61QLU6B6Ivquw78wHaEK%26pid%3DApi&f=1)
To be said on an ordinary Blessed Rosary, by repeating the De Profundis at the cross; the Pater at the large beads; and at the smaller, the following invocations:
O good Jesus, have mercy on the souls in purgatory (or the soul, or souls of N.), and grant them eternal rest.
When the Chaplet is addressed to the Blessed Virgin, the Ave Maria (Hail Mary) is said at the larger beads; and at the smaller, the following invocations:
O Mary, Mother of grace, Mother of mercy, pray for (N.) and obtain for them eternal rest.
Each Decade may be offered with a particular intention, by using the following or similar forms:
1st Decade
I offer Thee, O my Savior, this first Decade for the souls of my relations: through the Precious Blood which Thou didst shed them in Thy agony in the Garden of Olives, O good Jesus, have mercy on them.
2nd Decade
I offer Thee O my Savior, this 2nd Decade for the souls of all those who have shown me kindness through the Precious Blood which Thou didst shed for them in Thy scourging, O good Jesus have mercy on them.
3rd Decade
I offer Thee, O my Savior, this third Decade for the souls of those whom I have at anytime offended (or for the soul that is most destitute: or for the souls that were the most devout to the most holy Virgin…): through the Precious Blood which Thou didst shed for them in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, O good Jesus, have mercy on them.
4th Decade
I offer Thee, O my Savior, this fourth Decade for the souls of my friends and companions: through the Precious Blood which Thou didst pour forth upon Thy cross, and through the dollars which Mary, our tender Mother, endured at the foot of the cross, O good Jesus, have mercy on us.
5th Decade
I offer Thee, O my Savior, this fifth Decade for the soul of my father (or my mother: or of N…): I offer Thee for this soul so dear to me, the Precious Blood and the Sacred Water that flowed from Thy Heart, transfixed by the lance: through the mysterious wound in Thy Divine Heart, O good Jesus open to this soul the gate of heaven, and grant me grace to be reunited with it forever in the bosom of Thy goodness.
De Profundis
Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice. Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall abide it. For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness: and because of Thy law, I have waited for Thee, O Lord. My soul hath waited on His word: my soul hath hoped in the Lord. From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord. For with the Lord there is mercy: and with Him plenteous redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
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| An Intercessory Prayer of the Church Militant for the Church Suffering in Purgatory |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-02-2021, 06:58 AM - Forum: For the Souls in Purgatory
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An Intercessory Prayer of the Church Militant for the Church Suffering in Purgatory
"It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins."--2 Mach. xii. 46
Ye souls of the faithful!
Who sleep in the Lord;
But as yet are shut out
From your final reward!
Oh! would I could lend you
Assistance to fly;
From your prison below,
To your palace on high:
O Father of mercies!
Thine anger withhold;
These works of Thy hand
In Thy mercy behold;
Too oft from Thy path
They have wandered aside:
But Thee, their Creator,
They never denied.
O tender Redeemer!
Their misery see;
Deliver the souls
That were ransomed by Thee;
Behold how they love Thee,
Despite of their pain:
Restore them, restore them
To favour again.
O Spirit of grace!
O Consoler divine!
See how for Thy presence
They longingly pine;
Ah, then, to enliven
Their sadness, descend;
And fill them with peace,
And with joy in the end.
O Mother of mercy!
Dear soother in grief!
Lend thou to their torments
A balmy relief;
Attemper the rigour
Of justice severe;
And soften their flames
With a pitying tear.
All ye who would honour
The Saints and their Head,
Remember, remember,
To pray for the dead;
And they, in return,
From their misery freed,
To you will be friends
In the hour of need.
Intercession for the Faithful Departed
"He himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire."--1 Cor. iii. 15
Help, Lord, the souls which Thou hast made,
The souls to Thee so dear,
In prison, for debt unpaid
Of sins committed here.
Those holy souls, they suffer on,
Resigned in heart and will,
Until Thy high behest is done,
And justice has its fill.
For daily falls, for pardoned crime,
They joy to undergo
The shadow of Thy cross sublime,
The remnant of Thy woe.
Oh, by their patience of delay,
Their hope amid their pain,
Their sacred zeal to burn away
Disfigurement and stain;
Oh, by their fire of love, not less
In keenness than the flame,
Oh, by their very helplessness,
Oh, by Thy own great Name,
Good Jesu, help! sweet Jesu, aid
The souls to thee most dear,
In prison, for tho debt unpaid
Of sins committed here.
Supplication to Jesus for the Faithful Departed
"Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of the Lord hath touched me.''--Job xix. 21
The souls, O Lord, by justice torn from Thee,
Who penitent ardently crave for Thee,
Wrapped in sin-cleansing flame who mourn for Thee,
Let Thy sweet mercy now recall to Thee
O Jesu! Miserere Domine.
Font that dost wash all stains of earth away,
And none so dark, but Thou mak'st clear as day,
The pangs of these meek suffering souls allay,
Streteh out Thy hand; raise up the dead, we pray.
O Jesu! Miserere Domine.
O Jesus! who in mercy redeemed all,
Release Thy captives from their fiery thrall;
E'en the least worthy, lamed by many a fall,
With saints and martyrs to Thy banquet call.
O Jesu! Miserere Domine.
O Jesu! spare these souls so dear to Thee,
Who, in prison, so calmly wait for Thee;
Hasten, O Lord, and bid them come to Thee,
Their glorious home, to gaze ever on Thee!
O Jesu! Miserere Domine.
Supplication to our Lady for the Souls in Purgatory
"How canst thou, O Mary, refuse to relieve the miserable, since thou art the Queen of Mercy?"--St. Bernard.
O Turn to Jesus, Mother, turn,
And call Him by His tenderest names;
Pray for the holy souls that burn
This hour among the cleansing flames.
Ah! they have fought a gallant fight;
In death's cold arms they persevered;
And after life's uncheery night
The harbour of their rest is neared.
In pains beyond all earthly pains,
Favourites of Jesus! there they lie,
Letting the fire wear out their stains,
And worshipping God's purity.
Spouses of Christ they are, for He
Was wedded to them by His blood;
And angels over their destiny
In wondering adoration brood.
They are the children of thy tears;
Then hasten. Mother! to their aid;
In pity think each hour appears
An age while glory is delayed.
See, how they bound amid their fires;
While pain and love their spirits fill;
Then with self-crucified desires
Utter sweet murmurs and lie still.
O Mary, let thy Son no more
His lingering spouses thus expect;
God's children to their God restore,
And to the Spirit His elect.
Pray, then, as thou hast ever prayed,
Angels and souls all look to thee;
God waits thy prayers, for He hath made
Those prayers His law of charity.
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| Fr. Michael Muller [1881]: Spiritual Work of Mercy: Praying for the Dead |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-02-2021, 06:51 AM - Forum: Church Doctrine & Teaching
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Spiritual Work of Mercy: Praying for the Dead
by Fr. Michael Muller, 1881
![[Image: ?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcharlestoncathedral.com%...f=1&nofb=1]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fcharlestoncathedral.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F12%2FMass-purgatory-indulgences.jpg&f=1&nofb=1)
" It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." (II Machab., xii., 43.)
If it is an excellent spiritual work of mercy to pray for the living, it is also a most praiseworthy spiritual work of mercy to pray for the dead. Before the coming of Christ, the Jews were the chosen people of God. They looked upon prayer for the dead as a holy and laudable work. They believed that, by offering up prayers for the dead, they could free the souls of the departed from their sins. We read, in the second book of the Machabees, a striking example of their charity towards the departed souls. About two hundred years before Christ, they gained a brilliant victory over the enemies of their religion. Now, as many of the Jews had been slain in the battle, Judas Machabeus, their valiant general, took up a collection, and sent twelve thousand drachms of silver to Jerusalem for a sacrifice to be offered up in expiation of the sins of the dead. The Holy Ghost praises the Jews for their charity towards the departed, by saying: "It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." (II Machab., xii., 43.)
The souls in purgatory, those holy prisoners, and debtors to the divine justice are quite helpless. A sick man, afflicted in all his limbs, and a beggar in the most painful and destitute of conditions, has tongue left to ask relief. At least they can implore heaven--it is never deaf to their prayer. But the souls in purgatory are so poor that they cannot even do this. Those cases, in which some of them were permitted to appear to their friends and ask assistance, are but exceptions. To whom is it that they should have recourse? Is it perhaps to the mercy of God? Alas! they send forth their sighs in plaintive voices: "As the hart panteth after the fountains of water, so my soul panteth after Thee, O God. When shall I come and appear before the face of God? My tears have been my bread day and night, whilst it is said to me daily: Where is thy God." (Ps., xli., 1.) "Lord, where are thy ancient mercies." (Ps., lxxxviii., 50.) "I cry to thee, and thou hearest me not; I stand up, and thou dost not regard me. Thou art changed to be cruel toward me." (Job, xxx., 20–21.) But the Lord does not regard their tears, nor heed their moans and cries, but answers them that His justice must be satisfied to the last farthing. Are they to endeavor to acquire new merits, and thereby purify themselves more and more? Ah! they know that their time for meriting is passed away, that their earthly pilgrimage is over, and that upon them is come that fatal night in which no one can work. (John, ix., 4.)
They know that by all their sufferings they can gain no new merit, no higher glory in heaven--they know, it is through their own fault that they are condemned to this state of suffering; they see clearly, how many admonitions, exhortations, inspirations and divine lights they have rejected, how many prayers, opportunities to receive the sacraments and to profit by the means of grace they have neglected through mere caprice, carelessness and indolence; they see their ingratitude towards God, and the deep wounds they made in the Sacred Heart of Jesus--and their extreme grief and sorrow for all this is a worm never ceasing to gnaw at them. It is a heart-rending pain, it is a killing torment for them, to know that they have put themselves wilfully and wantonly into this state of the most cruel and most lacerating pains! "O cruel comforts! O accursed ease!" they cry out, "it is on your account that we are deprived of the enjoyment of God, our only happiness for all eternity!"
Shall they console themselves by the thought that their sufferings will soon be over? But they are ignorant of the duration of their sufferings unless it be revealed to them by God. Hence it is that they sigh day and night, that they weep constantly and cry unceasingly : "Wo is to us, that our sojourn is prolonged."
Shall these poor, helpless souls seek relief from their fellow-sufferers--all utterly incapable of procuring mutual relief? Lamenting, sobbing and sighing, shedding torrents of tears, and crying aloud, these poor souls stretch out their hands for one to help, console and relieve them. We are the only ones who have it in our power to assist them in their sufferings.
The souls in purgatory are holy souls. They are confirmed in grace and no longer in a condition to offend God or to forfeit heaven. They love God above every thing; all their disorderly affections and passions have died away, and as they love God, so are they loved by Him in an unutterable manner. For this reason, our Lord wishes that they should be united to him as soon as possible; but as He is a God most holy and most just, His holiness and justice forbid him to admit them into the city of the heavenly Jerusalem before their indebtedness to His divine justice has been fully discharged, either by their own sufferings or by the prayers and good works of their brethren on earth. To remove, then, by our charity this bar to the divine goodness, and to assist these souls in being sooner united to the angelic choirs and the number of the blessed in heaven, there to love, praise and glorify God in a most perfect manner, cannot but be a work most pleasing and most acceptable to the Almighty. "I was hungry," He will say to the elect on the day of judgment, "and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you took me in ; naked, and you clothed me: sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me." And when the just will ask the Lord upon what occasion they acted thus toward Him, He will answer: "Amen, I say to you: so long as you did it to one of these, my least brethren. you did it to me." (Matt.., xxv., 34–40.)
Truly, if our Lord so highly values the least act of charity, what value will he not set on that charity which freed from their expiatory place such souls as were already espoused to Him for all eternity. We read in the life and revelations of St. Gertrude, that she one day inquired of our Lord why the recital of the Psalter for the souls of the departed was so agreeable to him, and why it obtained so great a relief for them, since the immense number of psalms and the long prayers after each, caused more weariness than devotion. Our Lord replied: "The desire which I have for the deliverance of the souls of the departed, makes it acceptable to me; even as a prince who had been obliged to imprison one of his nobles, to whom he was much attached, and was compelled by his justice to refuse him pardon, would most thankfully avail himself of the intercession and satisfaction of others to release his friend. Thus do I act towards those whom I have redeemed by my death and precious blood, rejoicing in the opportunity of releasing them from their pains and bringing them to eternal joy." "But," continued the Saint, "is the labor of those who recite this Psalter acceptable to thee?" He replied: "My love makes it most agreeable to me; and if a soul is released thereby, I accept it as if I had been myself delivered from captivity and I will assuredly reward at it a fitting time, according to the abundance of my mercy."--(Chap., xvi.) St. Gertrude never felt happier than on the days on which she had prayed much for the relief of the souls in Purgatory. One day she asked our Saviour why it was that she felt so happy on those days. "It is," He replied, "because it would not be right for me to refuse the fervent prayers which you on these days pour out to me for the relief of my suffering spouses in purgatory." "It is not right for me," says Jesus Christ, "to refuse the prayers which you address to me in behalf of my captive spouses." How consoling, then, and at the same time, how encouraging must it be to remember in our prayers the poor sufferers of purgatory!
Dinocrates, the brother of St. Perpetua, died at the age of seven years. Now, one day when St. Perpetua was in prison for the sake of faith, she had the following vision: "I saw Dinocrates," she says, "coming out of a dark place, where there were many others exceedingly hot and thirsty; his face was dirty, his complexion pale, with the ulcer in his face of which he died; and it was for him that I prayed. There seemed a great distance between him and me, so that it was impossible for us to meet each other. Near him stood a vessel full of water, whose brim was higher than the stature of an infant. He attempted to drink, but though he had water, he could not reach it. This mightly grieved me, and I awoke. By this I knew my brother was in pain, but I trusted I could, by prayer, relieve him; so I began to pray for him, beseeching God, with tears, day and night, that He would grant me my request, as I continued to do till we were removed to the camp-prison. The day we were in the stocks, I had this vision: I saw the place, which I had beheld dark before, now luminous; and Dinocrates, with his body very clean and well clad, refreshing himself, and, instead of his wound, a scar only. I awoke and I knew he was relieved from his pains."--(Butler's Lives of the Saints, March 7.)
After St. Ludgardis had offered up many fervent prayers for the repose of the soul of her deceased friend, Simeon, abbot of the monastery of Toniac, our Lord appeared to her saying: "Be consoled, My daughter, on account of thy prayers I will soon release this soul from purgatory." "Oh Jesus, Lord and Master of my heart," she rejoined; "I cannot feel consoled so long as I know that the soul of my friend is suffering so much in the purgatorian fire! Oh! I cannot help shedding most bitter tears until Thou hast released this soul from her sufferings." Touched and overcome by this tender prayer, our Lord released the soul of Simeon, who appeared to Ludgardis, all radiant with heavenly glory, and thanked her for the many fervent prayers which she had offered up for his delivery. He also told the saint that, had it not been for her fervent prayers, he should have been obliged to stay in purgatory for eleven years. (Life 1. i., 4) "It is, therefore, a holy and wholesome thought," says Holy Writ, "to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins."--(II. Machabees, xii., 46.)
The relief, however, which the souls in purgatory receive from our prayers, is in proportion to the fervor with which we say them. This was one day expressly declared by our Lord to St. Gertrude when asking Him "How many souls were delivered from purgatory by hers and her sisters' prayers?" "The number," replied our Lord, "is proportioned to the zeal and fervor of those who pray for them." He added: "My love urges me to release a great number of souls for the prayers of each religious, and at each verse of the psalms which they recite, I release many." Although the souls of the departed are much benefited by these vigils and other prayers, nevertheless a few words, said with affection and devotion, are of far more value to them. And this may be easily explained by a familiar comparison; for it is much easier to wash away the stains of mud or dirt from the hands by rubbing them quickly in a little warm water, than by pouring a quantity of cold water on them without using any friction; thus, a single word, said with fervor and devotion, for the souls of the departed, is of far more efficacy than many vigils and prayers offered coldly and performed negligently.
What a soothing satisfaction to the heart is not prayer for the dead? It changes tears, heretofore barren, into works of piety and mercy; causes our sorrow to be a succor to the object of our love, and makes it, therefore, less bitter; it establishes and maintains, between ourselves and those who leave us, the most pleasing and salutary relations--a continual exchange of services and of precious help. Admirable relations between the living son and the departed father, between the mother and the daughter, the husband and the wife, between life and death! While I share what I have to spare with the poor, God, to recompense me, will withdraw my father, my mother, my friend, from a place of suffering. That same penny which goes to give his daily bread to a poor sufferer, will perhaps give to a delivered soul a place for all eternity at the table of the Lord. What heart does not thrill at such a thought! Who among us does not see one of those most near and dear to us in life, appear to exhort us to the work of prayer and the labors of virtue Who does not exclaim, when watering with his tears the tomb of a beloved one: "O beloved soul, whom so many virtues and good works have recommended to the clemency of the great Judge! whom so many sufferings have so long tried and purified before my eyes! whom a death, so very bitter indeed, but sanctified by religion and consoled by its hopes, has so quickly withdrawn from my embraces!--I hope for thy everlasting salvation, from the divine goodness and merits of Jesus Christ: but I know not if it is yet consummated by thy entrance into glory. In this uncertainty I pray for thee, and I unite to my prayers the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which I daily offer upon his altar. My prayer made effectual by our Saviour's blood relieves thee if thou art still suffering; it obtains for myself the favors of heaven in greater abundance. The remembrance of thee accompanies me everywhere; the desire of hastening thy happiness urges me on, and unceasingly stimulates my zeal. I feel thee present, as it were, like a guardian angel, who at one time encourages me to prayer and good works, at another assures me of his prayers and assistance. Death has only brought our souls nearer to each other. Formerly I surrounded thee with my attentions, and was in turn the object of thy tenderest solicitude; now I still love, and still am loved, and more than ever is my love capable of helping thee, and is itself repaid by thee."
What purity is there not in this love! What holiness in the works which it imposes? What a charm in the consolations it procures! What a mysterious and holy association is that which unites in a community of mutual aid the visible and the invisible life, time and eternity: the just man who is still engaged in the combat, with him who is having his wounds healed in an exile that must soon end, and him who is already enjoying the glory and the triumph of heaven!
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