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| Good Friday |
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Posted by: Stone - 04-02-2021, 07:14 AM - Forum: Lent
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INSTRUCTION ON GOOD FRIDAY
Taken from Fr. Leonard Goffine's Explanations of the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays, Holydays, and Festivals throughout the Ecclesiastical Year
36th edition, 1880
THIS day was formerly for the Jewish people a day of preparation for Easter, and was called by them the Parasceve; for us Christians it is the anniversary of the death and burial of our Lord who on this day, being Him-self both High-Priest and Victim, offered Himself upon the cross for the salvation of the world.
Why do Catholics hold this day in such veneration?
Because it is one of the greatest days from the beginning of the world to its end. On this day the designs which God had from all eternity were perfected, as Jesus Himself expressed when He said: All is consummated; for on this day He was given up to the Gentiles by the Jews, was scourged, crowned with thorns, loaded with the cross, dragged to Calvary amid taunts and sneers, there nailed to the cross between two thieves, and by His painful death finished the great work of redemption.
Why did Christ suffer so much to redeem us?
To show us what an immense evil sin is, on account of which He underwent such cruel sufferings that He might satisfy divine justice. His love for us was so great that He gave the last drop of His blood to save us. He rendered satisfaction for all men without exception, that none might be lost, that every one might possess eternal life. Look up to-day, and every day of thy life, to Christ on the cross, and see how God punishes sin, since He did not even spare His only-begotten Son, who took upon Himself our sins, and for them died this cruel death. What death is due to thee, if thou dost not despise and flee from sin?
Why does the Church celebrate the commemoration of the passion of Christ in such solemn quietness?
That we may be induced to thank the Saviour for our redemption, and to move us to sincere love for Him by serious meditation on His passion. For this reason St. Paul ordered the observance of this day, and the Christians even in his time sanctified it by deep mourning, and rigorous fasting.
Why do we not observe Good Friday with such festivities as do the Protestants in Europe?
Because our grief for our Saviour's death is too great to permit us to celebrate it joyously, even nature mourned His death; the sun was darkened, the earth -trembled and the rocks were rent. Although the Christian rejoices on this day in the grace of redemption through Christ, he is aware that his joy cannot be pleasing to God unless he endeavors to participate in the merits of the passion and death of Christ by sorrow for his sins, by amendment and penance; and this is the very reason why the Church solemnizes this day in a sad and touching manner.
Why are there no candles lighted at the beginning of the service?
To signify that on this day Christ, the Light of the world, became, as it were, extinguished.
Why does the priest prostrate himself before the altar at the beginning of the service?
That with him we should consider in deepest sorrow and humility how the Saviour died on the cross for our sins, and how unworthy we are on account of them to lift up our faces.
Why does the service commence with the reading of two lessons?
Because Christ died for Jews and Gentiles. The first lesson is from the Prophet Osee, (Osee vi. i 6.) and the other from Exodus, (Exod. xii. i n.) from them we infer that by the bloody death of the immaculate Lamb Jesus we are healed of our sins, and redeemed from death.
After the first lesson the priest says the following:
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH O God! from whom Judas received the punishment of his sin, and the thief the reward of his confession: grant us the effects of Thy mercy; that as our Lord Jesus Christ at the time of His passion bestowed on each a different recompense of his merits, so having destroyed the old man in us, He may give us the grace of His Resurrection. Who liveth, etc.
REMARK After the Passion: the priest prays in behalf of the one, only true Church, that she may increase, and that peace and unity may always remain with her; for the pope, that his government may be blessed; for the bishops, priests , the clergy , and the people, that they may serve Gad in justice; for those converted to the faith, that they may continue to grow in knowledge and in zeal for the holy religion; for rulers as defenders of the Church, that they may govern with wisdom and justice, and that those under them may be loyal to them with fidelity and obedience; for the unfortunate, that God may have mercy on them; for heretics and apostates, that they may be brought back from error to the truth of the Catholic faith; for the Jews, that they may be enlightened; for the heathens, that they may be converted.
Before each prayer the priest says, Oremus, (Let us pray) Flectamus genua, (Let us kneel); when kneeling, we say Amen, and at the, call Levate (Rise up) we rise: except at the prayer for the Jews, when the genuflection is omitted, be- cause the Jews bent the knee in mockery before our Lord. As Christ on this day prayed for all men, the Church desires, that we do the same; say, therefore, the following:
Quote:PRAYER O Lord Jesus! who on the cross, while enduring the most excruciating pain, didst pray with a loud voice for all men, we humbly pray Thee for Thy vicar, Pope N., for our bishop N., for all the priests and clergy, for our civil government, for the neophytes, for the unfortunate and oppressed, for all Catholics, that Thou mayst preserve them in the true faith, and strengthen them, that they may serve Thee according to their different vocations. We pray Thee also for all unbelievers, and those separated from the true fold, for the Jews, and for the heathens, that Thou mayst unite all in Thy holy Church, and bring them to eternal salvation. Amen.
What is done by the priest after these prayers?
The priest then goes down from the epistle side of the altar, takes the veiled crucifix, and extending it towards the people, uncovers it so much that the head is seen, and sings in a low voice: Ecce lignum crucis, etc.: Behold the wood of the cross on which the Salvation of the world was hanged! The choir answers: Venite, adoremus: Come, let us adore at which all kneel, adoring Christ who died on the cross for us.
The priest then advances to the corner of the altar, uncovers the right arm of the Crucifix, and sings in a higher tone: Ecce lignum crucis, etc.; to which the choir responds as before. Then at the middle of the altar he uncovers the entire Crucifix, and elevating it, sings in a still higher tone than before: Ecce lignum, et. The choir responds again : Venite adoremus.
The image of the crucified Redeemer, which has been hidden from our view since Passion Sunday should make a deep impression upon us; it teaches us at the same time how the Saviour became gradually known to the world. Jesus is adored three times, because He was mocked three times: in the court-yard of the high-priest, in Pilate's house, and on Mount Calvary. When the crucifix is unveiled the priest carries it to the place prepared for it, and kneeling he places it on the cushion covered with a white veil to represent the laying of Christ in the sepulchre; he then retires to the gospel side of the Altar where he puts off his shoes, like Moses, when he was about to approach Almighty God; he then kneels and meditates on the passion of Christ; goes a few steps forward, again kneels, and still a third time, this time directly in front of the crucifix. He adores Jesus with humility, considers His infinite love, which brought Him to the cross and laid Him in the sepulchre for our Redemption, and then kisses with reverence the image of the crucified Saviour.
During this veneration of the cross the choir chants alternately the versicles called the Reproaches, and between each part of the canticle the following words in Greek and Latin: "Holy God! Holy and strong God! Holy and immortal God ! have mercy on us!" In these versicles Christ tenderly and lovingly reproaches the people who crucified Him, which we may also take to ourselves, who have so often crucified Jesus anew by sin. They are therefore called reproaches, words of complaint, and continue during the veneration of the cross by the priest. Afterwards a hymn of praise composed by St. Fortunatus is sung in honor of the victory gained on the cross by our Saviour, which calls upon us also to render praise and thanks to Jesus crucified.
Adore also in deepest humility the Saviour who died on the cross, and is now victoriously enthroned; ask with sincere contrition the forgiveness of your sins, and by a threefold advance, kiss with sincere love His sacred wounds, promising to love all men, even your enemies, and to have pity n all in distress, according to His example.
What follows the veneration of the cross?
The sacred Host consecrated on Holy Thursday, and kept in the chalice, is brought by the priest in procession, from the repository to the high altar, incensed in sign of adoration, and after a few short prayers the priest elevates It with the right hand, breaks It, puts one part in the chalice and communicates, and soon after leaves the altar.
Is there, then, no Mass said on this day?
No; for on this day there is no bread and wine consecrated, which is the essential part of the Sacrifice of the Mass.
Why is no Mass said on this day?
Because Jesus Christ having this day sacrificed Himself on the altar of the cross in a bloody offering, it is not meet that His death sacrifice should be to-day repeated even in an unbloody manner. Besides this, Mass is a joyous and comforting sacrifice, and is therefore omitted because of our mourning.
What devotions may be practised today?
Besides adoring Jesus in the holy sepulchre, the stations may be said, meditations made on the sufferings of our Lord. Let the words of St. Augustine touch your heart, when he places the crucified Redeemer before our mind in the following words: "Behold the wounds of Jesus who is hanging on the cross, the blood of the dying, the price of our redemption! His head is bowed to give the kiss of peace; His side is open to love; His arms are extended to embrace us; His whole body sacrificed for our redemption." Let these words be the subject of your meditation that He may be wholly in your heart who is nailed to the cross for you.
MANNER OF CONTEMPLATING CHRIST'S BITTER PASSION
" Christ also suffered for us: leaving you an example that you should follow his steps." (i Peter ii. 21.)
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WHENCE does it come," writes St. Alphonsus Ligouri, "that so many of the faithful look with so much indifference at Christ on the cross? They generally assist during Holy Week at the commemoration of His death without any feeling of gratitude or compassion, as if it were a fable or an event in which they had no interest. Know they not, or believe they not what the gospel relates of Christ's passion? Indeed they know it, and believe it, but do not think of it. It is impossible that he who believes and meditates, should fail to become burning with love for God who suffers and dies for love of him." But why, we may ask here, are there so many who draw so little benefit even from the contemplation of the passion and death of Jesus? Because they fail to consider and imitate the example which Christ gives in His sufferings."
The cross of Christ," says St. Augustine, "is not only a bed of death, but a pulpit of instruction." It is not only a bed upon which Christ dies, but the pulpit from which He teaches us what we must do. It should now be our special aim to meditate upon the passion of Christ, and to imitate those virtues which shone forth so preeminently in His passion and death. But many neglect to do this. They usually content themselves with compassion when they see Christ enduring such great pains, but they see not 'with what love, humility, and meekness He bears them, and so do not endeavor to imitate His example. That you, O Christian soul, may avoid this mistake, and that you may draw the greatest possible benefit for your soul, from the contemplation of the passion and death of Christ, attend to that which is said of it by that pious servant of God, Alphonse Rodriguez: We must endeavor to derive from the meditation on the mysteries of the passion and death of Christ this effect, that we may imitate His virtues, and this by slowly and attentively considering each virtue by itself, exercising ourselves in forming a very great desire for it in our hearts, making a firm resolution to practice it in words and works, and also to conceive a holy aversion and horror of the opposite vice; for instance, when contemplating Christ's condemnation to the death of the cross by Pilate, consider the humility of Jesus Christ, who being God, as humble as He was innocent, voluntarily submitted and silently accepted the unjust sentence and the ignominious death. Here you see from the example given by Jesus, how you should despise yourself, patiently bear all evil, unjust judgment, and detraction, and even seek them with joy as giving you occasion to resemble Him. To produce these necessary effects and resolutions, you should at each mystery contemplate the following particulars:
First, Who is it that suffers? The most innocent, the holiest, the most loving, the only-begotten Son of the Almighty Father, the Lord of heaven and earth.
Secondly, What pains and torments, exterior and interior, does He suffer?
Thirdly, In what manner does He suffer, with what patience, humility, meekness and love, does He bear all ignominy and outrage?
Fourthly, For whom does He suffer? For all men, for His enemies and His executioners.
Fifthly, By whom does He suffer? By Jews and heathens, by soldiers and tyrants, by the devil and all impious children of the world to the end of time, and all who were then united in spirit with His enemies.
Sixthly, Why does He suffer? To make reparation for all the sins of the whole world, to satisfy the justice of God, to reconcile the Heavenly Father, to open heaven, to give us His infinite merits that we may from them have strength to follow the way to heaven.
At the consideration of each of these points, and indeed at each mystery of the passion of Christ, the imitation of the example of His virtues is the main object, because the true life of the Christian consists in the imitation of Jesus. In considering each stage of the passion of Christ place vividly before your mind the virtue which He practiced therein; contemplate it and ask yourself whether you possess this virtue, or whether you still cherish the opposite vice. If you find the latter to be the case make an act of contrition, with the firm resolution to extirpate this vice, and excite in yourself a sincere desire for the opposite virtue. In this way you will draw the greatest advantage from the contemplation of Christ's passion, and will resemble Christ, and, as the pious Louis of Granada says, there can be no greater honor and adornment for a Christian than to resemble his divine Master, not in the way that Lucifer desired, but in that which He pointed out, when He said: "I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so do you also."
THE PASSION OP OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN
(CHAPS. XVIII., XIX.)
AT THAT TIME, Jesus went forth with his disciples, over the brook of Cedron, where there was a garden into which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas also, who betrayed him, knew the place: because Jesus had often resorted thither together with his disciples. Judas therefore having received a band of men and servants from the chief priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth and said to them: Whom seek ye? They answered him: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith to them: I am he. And Judas also, who betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said to them: I am he; they went backward, and fell to the ground.
Again therefore he asked them: Whom seek ye? And they said: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered: I have told you, that I am he. If therefore you seek me, let these go away. That the word might be fulfilled which he had said: Of them whom thou hast given me, I have not lost any one. Then Simon Peter having a sword, drew it, and struck the servant of the high-priest, and cut off his right ear. And the name of the servant was Malchus. Then Jesus said to Peter: Put up thy sword into the scabbard. The cup which my Father hath given me, shall not I drink it?
Then the band, and the tribune, and the servants of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him: and they led him away to Annas first: for he was father-in-law to Caiphas, who was the high-priest of that year. Now Caiphas was he who had given the council to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. And that disciple was known to the high-priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high-priest. But Peter stood at the door without. Then the other disciple who was known to the high priest, went out, and spoke to her that kept the door: and brought in Peter. And the maid that waited at the door, saith to Peter: Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith: I am not. Now the servants and officers stood at a fire of coals, because it was cold, and warmed themselves and with them was Peter also standing, and warming himself. The high-priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him: I have spoken openly to the world: I have always taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither all the Jews resort: and in secret I have spoken nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them who have heard what I have spoken to them: behold they know what things I have said. And when he had said these things, one of the officers standing by, gave Jesus a blow, saying: Answerest thou the high-priest so? Jesus answered him: If I have spoken evil, give testimony of the evil: but if well, why strikest thou me? And Annas sent him bound to Caiphas the high-priest. And Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore to him: Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it and said: I am not. One of the servants of the high-priest, a kinsman to him whose ear Peter cut off, saith to him: Did not I see thee in the garden with him? Then Peter again denied, and immediately the cock crowed. Then they led Jesus from Caiphas to the governor's hall. And it was morning: and they went not into the hall, that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. Pilate therefore went out to them, and said: What accusation bring you against this man? They answered and said to him: If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up to thee. Pilate then said to them: Take him you, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said to him: It is not lawful for us to put any man to death. That the word of Jesus might be fulfilled which he said, signifying what death he should die. Pilate therefore went into the hall again, and called Jesus, and said to him: Art thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered: Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or have others told it thee of me. Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Thy own nation, and the chief priests, have delivered thee up to me. What hast thou done? Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now my kingdom is not from hence. Pilate therefore said to him: Art thou a king then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world, that I should give testimony to the truth: every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice. Pilate saith to him: What is truth?And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and saith to them: I find no cause in him. But you have a custom .that I should release one unto you at the Passover: will you therefore that I release unto you the king of the Jews? Then cried they all again, saying: Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber. Then, therefore, Pilate took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers platting a crown of thorns, put it upon his head: and they put on him a purple garment, and they came to him, and said: Hail, King of the Jews! And they gave him blows. Pilate, therefore, went forth again, and saith to them: Behold I bring him forth to you that you may know that I find no cause in him. So Jesus came forth bearing the crown of thorns, and the purple garment. And he saith to them: Behold the man. When the chief priests, therefore, and the officers had seen him, they cried out, saying: Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith to them: Take him you, and crucify him; for I find no cause in him. The Jews answered him: We have a law; and according to the law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore had heard this saying, he feared the more. And he entered into the hall again, and he said to Jesus: Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore said to him: Speakest thou not to me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and I have power to release thee? Jesus answered: Thou shouldst not have any power against me, unless it were given thee from above. Therefore he that hath delivered me to thee, hath the greater sin. And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him. But the Jews cried out, saying: If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar's friend. For whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Caesar. Now when Pilate had heard these words, he brought Jesus forth: and sat down in the judgment-seat, in the place that is called the Pavement, and in Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the Parasceve of the Passover, about the sixth hour, and he saith to the Jews: Behold your king. But they cried out: Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith to them: Shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered: We have no king but Caesar. Then therefore, he delivered him to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him forth. And bearing his own cross he went forth to that place which is called Calvary, but in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on each side, and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title also, and he put it upon the cross. And the writing was: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. The title, therefore, many of the Jews did read, because the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, in Greek, and in Latin. Then the chief-priest of the Jews said to Pilate: Write not, the king of the Jews: but that he said: l am the king of the Jews. Pilate answered: What I have written, I have written.
Then the soldiers, when they had crucified him, took his garments (and they made four parts, to every soldier a part) and also his coat. Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said then one to another: Let us not cut it, but let us cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the Scripture might be fulfilled which saith: They have parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture they have cast lots. And the soldiers did indeed these things. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing, whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman! behold thy son. After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour the disciple took her to his own.
Afterwards, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said: I thirst. Now there was a vessel set there full of vinegar. And they put a sponge full of vinegar, about hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus, therefore, had taken the vinegar, he said: It is consummated. And bowing his head, he gave up the ghost.
Then the Jews (because it was the Parasceve) that the bodies might not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath-day (for that was a great Sabbath-day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. The soldiers, therefore, came: and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him. But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers opened his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water. And he that saw it gave testimony, and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith true, that you also may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture might be fulfilled: You shall not break a bone of him. And again another Scripture saith: They shall look on him whom they pierced. And after these things, Joseph of Arimathea (because he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews), besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore and took away the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus also came, he who at the first came to Jesus by night, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight. They took therefore the body of Jesus, and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified; and in the garden anew sepulchre , wherein no man yet had been laid. Therefore, because of the Parasceve of the Jews, they laid Jesus there; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
THE PEOPLE AT THE CROSS AND THE PEOPLE OF TODAY
AT Golgotha, in sight of the temple and city of Jerusalem, in the presence of two or three millions of Jews, who had come to the city from all lands, Jesus, the Son of God, hung upon the cross, an expiatory sacrifice for mankind burdened with all manner of sin. Near the cross of her dying Son stood Mary, His mother, filled with grief; by her side John, the beloved disciple, and kneeling at the foot of the cross almost insensible from sorrow and anguish, convulsively winding her arms around the wood of the cross, was Mary Magdalen, the penitent.
On a cross at the right hand hung a penitent thief turned towards the Saviour; at the left hand on another cross groaned another criminal of impenitent heart, blaspheming the Holy One of Israel. Around the agonizing Saviour stood the Scribes and Pharisees, that hypocritical class of practiced miscreants,who hated and persecuted the innocent Lamb Jesus, even in death, who blind to all the predictions of the prophets whose books they had read, blind to the actual miracles which Jesus had wrought before their eyes to prove His divinity and His mission, filled with envy and hatred, reviled the dying Redeemer. At a distance stood a crowd of curious, indifferent people, who had come to Jerusalem to attend the feast of the Passover, and having heard of Jesus were present at His crucifixion. Not far from them the rough soldiers and executioners lay around, dividing among themselves the Saviour's clothes and casting lots for His seamless garment.
This was the society that surrounded the Son of God and Redeemer of the world bleeding on the cross, and in their different phases they are types of the men of today. Only few were there who clung to the Saviour in unwavering faith and true love, ready to die with Him, and for Him. There were few who suffered all taunts and sneers, all revilings and blasphemies, and departed not from the cross. Of these three were especially faithful, viz. Mary, John, and Magdalen. Those who like Mary and John are pure and innocent, or like Magdalen are weeping for their sins, who confess Jesus with their heart and lips, cling faithfully to Him, and permit neither persecution nor death to separate them from Him, are like the faithful three at the cross.
As then by the cross, so today, the number of the faithful is small, and great is the number of those who, like the careless spectators of the crucifixion, are not decided enemies of Jesus crucified, nor yet His firm friends. They have indeed been baptized in the name of Jesus, they remain externally with the Catholic Church, which Christ founded, but they are sunk in lukewarmness, have no living faith, and are wavering to and fro like a reed between the world and Jesus. They fear the sneers of the so-called learned and enlightened, many of whom are well represented by the Scribes and Pharisees, who, having no faith in Christ themselves, bear in their hearts only hatred and contempt for His Church; they shun the cross, because it is too heavy for their sensuality; they do not, it is true, commit public crimes, they prize highly a good name, occasionally observe the law of the Church, but are accessible to every error; their ears incline to every blasphemy against the religion of Jesus and His ministers, the priests.
Instead of standing fearlessly and boldly for Christ, for the holy faith He has taught, and which the Church teaches,they turn away, are silent, even go with the Church's enemies that they may not be sneered at. The are neither hot, nor cold, so that the words of the Scriptures are verified in them: Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, nor hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth. (Apoc. iii. 16.) The Lord casts away from Him these lukewarm, indifferent Christians, as nauseous saliva, and leaves them to their destruction. The true Pharisees of our day are those who purposely close their eyes to the light of truth, who have put aside faith in Jesus, and are no longer disposed to receive instruction. Their pride, their egotism has blinded them , with their poor reason they wish to understand the mysteries of the Almighty, with their weak intellect to fathom His ways, even seek to be equal to God; they deny every revealed truth, they deny the existence of heaven and hell, they propose to live like the animals, without God, but their end is ruin!
Few of them, having seen their error, as the thief on the cross at the right hand of Jesus, turn repentingly to the Redeemer; obdurate as the robber and murderer at His left, the
Pharisees of our day cease not to blaspheme the Crucified, and to revile His holy Church. These are assisted by the apostates and unbelievers, who, like the soldiers and executioners, divide among themselves His clothes, and cast lots for His seamless garment. Those clothes which the soldiers divided among themselves, are the truths which the apostates and heretics yet retain after their apostasy from the Church. They have divided these truths, for they have separated themselves into thousands of sects, and ppsrs,ess only portions of the one truth, which Jesus has laid down in His Church, whole and complete. "Upon my vesture they have cast lots."
This seamless vesture of Christ is His holy Church that cannot be separated or divided, she is one, and must remain one to the end of time. Concerning this one true Church, the sects all quarrel, all want to be the true Church without considering that, as but one soldier, by lots, received Christ's seamless garment, so only one association of men can be the true Church, and that is association which Christ has chosen.
Thus we find at the cross on Golgotha the different classes of people of our day represented, namely, the pure and innocent; the repenting sinners, firm adherents of Jesus and His teachings; as also the lukewarm, wavering, nominal Christians; obdurate heretics, professed infidels and apostates. So today mankind is divided into like parties. To which party do you belong, O Christian soul?
To which do you wish to belong? Choose! The time of the division is near. The Lord already holds in His hand the winnowing shovel to clear His floor. If you are not a firm adherent of Jesus and His Church, in the storm that is gathering you will be blown like chaff. If you remain with the small group at the cross, in persevering courage, you will stand firm, and on the day when the cross shall appear in the clouds of heaven, you, with Mary, the mother of the faithful, with John and with Magdalen, will triumph forever, as a victorious knight of the cross. Decide!
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| The Clock of the Passion |
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Posted by: Stone - 04-02-2021, 06:51 AM - Forum: Lenten Devotions
- Replies (1)
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The Clock of the Passion
Summary listing from the work The Clock of the Passion, or the Affectionate Reflexions on the Sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ,
THURSDAY
Hour 1 - 6:00 p.m. Jesus says good-bye to His Mother before the Supper.
Hour 2 - 7:00 p.m. Jesus washes the feet of His Disciples, and institutes the Most Holy Sacrament.
Hour 3 - 8:00 p.m. Jesus gives the Sermon of the Supper, and goes to the Garden of Olives.
Hour 4 - 9:00 p.m. Jesus prays at the Garden.
Hour 5 - 10:00 p.m. Jesus enters into His agony.
Hour 6 - 11:00 p.m. Jesus sweats blood in His agony.
Hour 7 - MIDNIGHT. Jesus is handed over by Judas, and bound.
FRIDAY
Hour 8 - 1:00 a.m. Jesus is led to the house of Annas.
Hour 9 - 2:00 a.m. Jesus is taken to the house of Caiphas, and slapped.
Hour 10 - 3:00 a.m. Jesus is blindfolded, mistreated and mocked.
Hour 11 - 4:00 a.m. Jesus is dragged before the Great Council, and is judged worthy of death.
Hour 12 - 5:00 a.m. Jesus is taken to Pilate, and accused.
Hour 13 - 6:00 a.m. Jesus is mocked and ridiculed by Herod.
Hour 14 - 7:00 a.m. Jesus is returned to Pilate, and Barabbas is preferred over Him.
Hour 15 - 8:00 a.m. Jesus is cruelly scourged at the pillar.
Hour 16 - 9:00 a.m. Jesus is crowned with thorns, and presented to the people.
Hour 17 - 10:00 a.m. Pilate condemns Jesus to death, and begins His walk to Calvary.
Hour 18 - 11:00 a.m. Jesus is stripped naked and his Crucifixion is commenced.
Hour 19 - MIDDAY. Jesus is now Crucified, and pleads for those who have Crucified Him.
Hour 20 - 1:00 p.m. Jesus commends His Spirit to the Father.
Hour 21 - 2:00 p.m. Jesus undergoes His last hour of agony.
Hour 22 - 3:00 p.m. Jesus dies [offer a moment of silence now], and is then pierced with the lance.
Hour 23 - 4:00 p.m. Jesus is lowered from the Cross, and delivered to His Mother.
Hour 24 - 5:00 p.m. Jesus is buried, and left in the Holy Sepulchre.
Translated from the Italian by Abate J. Gaume, Barcelona, Spain, 3rd corrected edition, 1859 (pg 279-280) and translated from the Spanish by Jan Paul von Wendt - cdigital.dgb.uanl.mx
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| 24hrs Prayer Devotion: For the Intention of Finding a Suitable Property for Fr. Hewko |
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Posted by: Stone - 04-01-2021, 07:33 AM - Forum: Appeals for Prayer
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24HRS Prayer Devotion
Easter to Ascension Thursday
Some of the faithful in Great Britain and elsewhere recently held a 24hrs Prayer Devotion during Holy Week ending on Holy Saturday.
If any faithful would like to follow their example and participate in a 24hr Prayer Devotion from Easter Sunday till Ascension Day for the intention of finding a suitable property for Fr. HEWKO for the growth of Tradition, please contact recusantsspx@hotmail.co.uk
The idea is a 24hrs continual prayer devotion from Easter Sunday till Ascension Thursday. Ideally, people sign up and commit themselves to pray at a particular hour/half hour so that united throughout the world we can pray for the same intention all day and night long.
If you are willing to take part, please contact us at the email above, with the name and the time you can pray. We would be grateful if you could keep to your timings as much as possible but can assure you it is not a sin should you not be able to once in a while. The prayers to be said during that hour can be individually chosen, but must include the rosary as it was given as the spiritual weapon for our times to touch the heart of Our Lord.
Fr. Hewko is searching for a property with a large building to house priests, potential seminarians and Benedictine monks, ideally additional buildings that could serve as retreat centers with housing to accommodate retreatants, or a large amount of acreage for future growth needs, etc. Such a ‘base of operations’ would greatly aid in the development of Catholic Tradition!
As Archbishop Lefebvre said, "We must build again the Social Reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ in this Christian world which is disappearing. You shall tell me: "But, Monseigneur, this is the fight of David against Goliath!" Yes, indeed, I know. But in his fight against Goliath, David won the victory! How did he win the victory? By a little pebble which he took from the torrent. What is this little stone which we have? Jesus Christ! Our Lord Jesus Christ! (Archbishop Lefebvre, 60th Ordination Anniversary Sermon, 1989)
The goal is to get enough people to fill the 24hrs by Easter Sunday so that we won’t miss a day in praying collectively for this intention. If you have more time at hand, please don’t hesitate to chose several time slots. We will update you which hours are covered and which hours still need to be filled.
Viva Cristo Rey!
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| Polyphony and Tenebrae for Holy Week |
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Posted by: Stone - 04-01-2021, 07:23 AM - Forum: Lent
- Replies (2)
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From The Catacombs archives:
Polyphony and Tenebrae for Holy Week
Excerpt from The Easter Book by Fr. Francis X. Weiser (*see note below), pp. 100-101
“… The Miserere is often sung by a choir at the Tenebrae services. The most famous for this psalm is the composition by Gregorio Allegri (sixteenth century) [#1]. It consists of a double chorus for eight voices, was written for the papal choir during Holy Week, and was kept unpublished by order of the popes to reserve this music for exclusive use in the Sistine Chapel. So it remained until 1769, when Leopold Mozart brought his fourteen-year-old son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, from Austria to Rome to hear the music of the Holy Week services in the papal chapel. The youthful genius was so thrilled with the Allegri Miserere that on returning to his lodgings he wrote out the entire eight-part chorus from memory. The following day father and son returned to the Tenebrae service carrying the boy’s manuscript, in order to check what he had written from memory. Only a few notes of the music needed correction. This prodigious feat was brought to the attention of the reigning pope, Clement XIV, who sent for father and son. The Mozarts feared that the Pope would be indignant at the plagiarism implied in the boy’s act, but His Holiness praised him highly, and forthwith ordered the publication of the Miserere for the whole world to enjoy. Since then, throughout the Christian world, to hear this great masterpiece sung is one of the most moving experiences of Holy Week.
Every year during these services in the Sistine Chapel the papal choir performs the “Lamentations” by Palestrina [#2], one of the most majestic pieces of sacred music ever written. Another choral piece by Palestrina is the beautiful Improperia (Reproaches) [#3], first heard in 1560, a work of great tenderness and solemnity. There are other musical compositions inspired by the “Reproaches,” notably that of Victoria [#4], the great rival of Palestrina…."
See HERE for links to this beautiful Holy Week music.
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| Holy Thursday |
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Posted by: Stone - 04-01-2021, 05:35 AM - Forum: Lent
- Replies (5)
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INSTRUCTION ON HOLY THURSDAY
Taken from Fr. Leonard Goffine's Explanations of the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays, Holydays, and Festivals throughout the Ecclesiastical Year
36th edition, 1880
![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3...%3DApi&f=1]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse4.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.DNoeAgu6kC2pu2huWWfOKAHaEQ%26pid%3DApi&f=1)
What festival does the Church celebrate to-day?
THE Catholic Church commemorates to-day the institution, by our Saviour, of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. This commemoration she has celebrated from the first ages of Christianity.
What remarkable things did Christ perform on this day?
He ate with His apostles the Paschal lamb which was a type of Himself; it was eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread; they ate it standing with clothes girded, and staff in hand, in remembrance of the hurried escape of the Jews from Egypt. (Exod. xii.) After having eaten the Paschal lamb our Lord with profound humility washed the feet of His apostles, exhorting them to practise the same humility and charity; afterwards, He gave them His Flesh and Blood under the appearance of bread and wine, for spiritual food and drink, thus instituting the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, the Sacrifice of the Mass, and the priesthood; for when He said to the apostles: Do this in commemoration of Me, he ordained them priests.
After this He held His last discourse in which He particularly recommended brotherly love; said that beautiful, high-priestly prayer, in which He implored His Heavenly Father particularly for the unity of His Church. He then went as usual to Mount Olivet, where He commenced His passion with prayer and resignation ,to the will of His Father, suffering intense, deathlike agony, which was so great that He sweat blood. Here Judas betrayed Him into the hands of the Jews, by a treacherous kiss. They bound Him and led Him to the high-priests, Annas and Caiphas, where He was sentenced to death by the council, and denied by Peter.
The Introit of the Mass reads thus: We ought to glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ: in whom is our salvation, life, and resurrection: by whom we have been saved and delivered. (Gal. vi. 14.) May God have mercy on us, and bless us: may He cause the light of His countenance to shine upon us, and may He have mercy on us. (Ps. lxvi. 2.)
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH [See Good Friday.]
What ceremonies are observed in this day 's Mass?
The crucifix is covered with a white veil in memory of the sacred institution of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. The priest comes to the altar robed in white vestments; the Gloria in excelsis is solemnly sung, accompanied by the ringing of bells, and all Christians are exhorted to render praise and gratitude to the Lord for having instituted the Blessed Feast of Love; after the Gloria the bells are silent until Holy Saturday to indicate the Church's mourning for the passion and death of Jesus; to urge us also to spend these days in silent sorrow, meditating on the sufferings of Christ, and in memory of the shameful flight of the apostle sat the capture of their Master, and their silence during these days. At the Mass the priest consecrates two hosts one of which He consumes at the Communion, and the other he preserves in the chalice, for the following day, because no consecration takes place on Good Friday. The officiating priest does not give the usual kiss of peace before Communion, because on this day Judas betrayed his Master with a kiss. After Mass, the consecrated host in the chalice, and the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle, are taken in procession to the sacristy or repository, in memory of the earliest times of Christianity, when the consecrated hosts for the communicants and the sick, were kept in a place especially prepared, because there was no tabernacle on the altar. Moreover it also signifies Christ's going to Mount Olivet, where His Godhead was concealed. After the procession the priests with the choir say vespers in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
EPISTLE, (i Cor. xi. 20 32.) BRETHREN, When you come together into one place, it is not now to eat the Lord's supper. For every one taketh before his supper to eat. And one indeed is hungry, and another is drunk. What! have you not houses to eat and drink in? Or despise ye the Church of God?and put them to shame that have not? What shall I say to you? Do I praise you? In this I praise you not. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke it, and said: Take ye, and eat:,this is my body, which shall be delivered for you: this do for the commemoration of me. In like manner,also, the Chalice, after he had supped, saying: This Chalice is the New Testament in my blood. This do ye, as often as you shall drink it, for the commemoration of me. For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink this chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord, until he come. Wherefore, whoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep. But if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But whilst we are judged, we are chastised by the Lord, that we be not condemned with this world.
EXPLANATION. The early Christians were accustomed, after the celebration of the Lord's Supper, to unite in a common repast; those who were able furnished the food, and rich and poor partook of it in common, in token of brotherly love. This repast they called "Agape," a "meal of love." At Corinth this custom was abused, some ate before Communion that which had been brought, became intoxicated,and deprived the poor of their share. The Apostle condemns this abuse, declaring it an unworthy preparation for Communion, and reminds the Corinthians of the institution of the Blessed Sacrament telling them what a terrible sin it is to partake of the body and blood of the Lord unworthily, for whoever does this makes himself guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, and eats and drinks his own judgment, that is, eternal damnation. Therefore prove yourself, O Christian soul, as often as you communicate,see whether you have committed any grievous sin which you have not confessed, or for which you were not heartily sorry.
GOSPEL (John xiii. i 15.) BEFORE the festival day of the Pasch, Jesus knowing that his hour was come, that he should pass out of this world to the Father: having loved his own who were in the world ,he loved them to the end. And when supper was done, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray him: knowing that the Father had given him all things into his hands, and that he came from God, and goeth to God: he riseth from supper, and layeth aside his garments: and having taken a towel, he girded himself. After that, he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them with the towel, wherewith he was girt. He cometh therefore to Simon Peter, and Peter saith to him:Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered, and said to him: What I do, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith to him: Thou shalt never wash, my feet, Jesus answered him : If I wash thee not, thou shaft have no part with me. Simon Peter saith to him: Lord! not only my feet,but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him: He that is washed, needeth not but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly. And you are clean, but not all. For he knew who he was that would betray him: therefore he said: You are not all clean. Then after he had washed their feet, and taken his garments, being set down again, he said to them: Know you what I have done to you? You call me Master, and Lord: and you say well, for so I am. If then I, being your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that as, I have done to you so do you also.
Why did Jesus wash the feet of His disciples?
To give them a proof of His sincere love and great humility which they should imitate; to, teach them that although free from sin, and; not unworthy to receive His most holy body and blood, their feet needed cleansing, that is, that they should be purified from all evil inclinations which defile the heart, and prevent holy Communion from producing fruitful effects in the soul.
Why is it that on this day in each church only one priest says Mass at which the others receive Communion?
Because on this day Christ alone offered the unbloody Sacrifice, and having instituted the Blessed Sacrament, fed with His own hands His disciples with His flesh and blood, it is therefore proper that in commemoration of this, the priests in one church should receive the Blessed Sacrament from the hands of one, according to the example of the apostles, but as a sign of the priestly dignity which on this day Christ gave to the apostles and their successors,each priest wears a stole.
Why are the altars stripped on this day?
To show that Jesus took off, as it were, at the time of His passion, His divine glory, and yielded Himself up in utter humiliation into the hands of His enemies to be crucified, (Phil. ii.6. 7.) and that at the crucifixion He was forcibly stripped of His garments, which the soldiers 'divided among ' them, as foretold in the twenty-first psalm, which is therefore said during this ceremony. The faithful are urged to put off the old sinful man with his actions, and by humbling themselves become conformable to Christ.
Why is it that spiritual superiors wash the feet of their subjects, as do also the Catholic princes the feet of twelve poor men?
To commemorate the washing of the apostles' feet by Christ, and to teach all, even the highest to exercise the necessary virtues of humility and charity towards all, even the lowest, according to the example given by Jesus. Princes and spiritual superiors therefore kiss the feet after washing them, and the pope presses them to his breast giving to each person a silver and a gold medal on which is pictured the washing of the feet by Christ.
What is Tenebrae and what its meaning?
It is the office which the clergy say on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week, accompanied by the lamentations of the Prophet Jeremias, arid other ceremonies. The word Tenebrae means darkness, and represents the prayers formerly said in the dark hours of the morning. In the Tenebrae the Church mourns the passion and death of Jesus, and urges her children to return to God; She therefore makes use of those mournful words of Jeremias: Jerusalem! Jerusalem! be converted to the Lord, thy God!"
Why is the Tenebrae said in the evening?
In memory of that time when the early Christians spent the whole night preceding great festivals in prayer, but later, when zeal diminished, it was observed only by the clergy on the eves of such festivals; also in order that we may consider the darkness, lasting for three hours, at the crucifixion of Christ, whence the name Tenebrae; and lastly, to represent by it that mourning, of which darkness is the type.
Why, during the prayers of the clergy, are the lights in the triangular candlestick extinguished one after another?
Because the Tenebrae, as has been already remarked, in the earliest times of the Church, were held in the night, the candles were extinguished one after another, as the daylight gradually approached they were no longer necessary; again, at the time of the passion and death of Jesus, His apostles whom He calls the light of the world, one after another gradually left Him; at the death of Christ the earth was covered with darkness. The Jews, blinded by pride, would not recognize Christ as the Saviour of the world, and therefore fell by His death into the deepest darkness of hardened infidelity.
What is meant by the last candle which is carried lighted behind the altar, and after prayers are finished, is brought back again?
This candle signifies Christ, who on the third day came forth from the grave, by His own power, as the true light of the world, though according to His human nature He died and lay in the grave until the third day.
Why is a noise made with clappers at the end of the Tenebrae?
This was formerly a sign that service was over; it also signifies the earthquake which took place at Christ's death.
How should we attend the Church service on this day?
The Church commemorates on this day the institution of the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar; we should therefore consider with a lively faith that Jesus, our divine Teacher and Saviour, is really and truly here present; we should adore Him as the Son of God, who became man to redeem us; should admire the love which determined Him to institute the Blessed Sacrament, that He might always be with us; and should thank Him for all the inestimable graces which we derive from this Sacrament.
Remark
In the Cathedrals the holy oils which are used in Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders, and Extreme Unction, as also in consecrating baptismal fonts and altar stones, are blessed on this day. Let us thank our Lord for the institution of these Sacraments at which blessed oils are used.
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| Holy Week Conferences - Livestreamed |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-31-2021, 07:01 AM - Forum: Conferences
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Fr. Hewko is planning on livestreaming his conferences for the Sacred Triduum. Father has planned them tentatively as follows.
+Holy Thursday+
Conference/Holy Hour of Adoration - 5:30 PM
+Good Friday +
Conference - 2:00 PM
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| Vatican Cardinal: In a Globalized World, ‘There Are No Borders’ |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-31-2021, 06:51 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
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Vatican Cardinal: In a Globalized World, ‘There Are No Borders’
Pope Francis meets a group of faithful from China at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 18, 2018.
Breitbart | 27 Mar 20210
ROME — The president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue said Friday that the Vatican will continue pursuing diplomatic relations with China following the renewal of a 2018 Sino-Vatican accord on the naming of bishops in China.
“What we hope is that this openness continues, that this long process continues, because in a globalized world, there are no differences, there are no borders,” said Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot. What the Vatican hopes for is “an openness that allows us to make a step forward.”
During a round table with journalists Friday, the Spanish cardinal said that interreligious dialogue, including with non-believers, is needed now more than ever “because it favors processes of peace” and facilitates common solutions to problems such as poverty, war, climate change, migration, and human trafficking.
This dialogue is not simplistic or superficial, and it must be done with mutual respect, openness, and without fear, he said, calling it a path “of awareness, sharing, and collaboration” that involves “making concrete steps together with members of other religions and with other people,” Crux reported in its coverage of the event.
“Everyone is called, in our difficult time, to be messengers of peace, artisans of communion,” he said, insisting the present moment must be “a time of fraternity.”
On February 4, Pope Francis celebrated the U.N.’s first International Day of Human Fraternity together with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed.
“This celebration responds to a clear call that Pope Francis has been making to all humanity to build a present of peace in the encounter with the other,” Cardinal Ayuso stated at the time.
In an interview with Vatican media in August 2019, Ayuso declared that “interfaith dialogue is the only efficient antidote to the evil of fundamentalism.”
Religious leaders are called to “build bridges, strengthen dialogue and overcome the temptation to close themselves and fuel the ‘clash of civilizations,’” he said.
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| Wristbands and dining cards: New Army policies exclude, isolate unvaccinated |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-31-2021, 06:38 AM - Forum: COVID Passports
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Wristbands and dining cards: New Army policies exclude, isolate unvaccinated
The US Army can’t legally mandate COVID vaccines, but restrictive policies like those at Fort Drum and Fort Bragg make it increasingly difficult for service members to refuse.
March 31, 2020 (Children’s Health Defense) – “Liberty is always dangerous but it is the safest thing we have.” — Henry Emerson Fosdick
A March 17 memorandum from the commander at the U.S. Army’s Fort Drum reservation in New York lists privileges withheld from service members who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine — an experimental Emergency Use Authorization product not proven to prevent infection or transmission of the COVID virus.
The memo, “Prohibited Activities for Personnel Within the Authority of the Commander, 10th Mountain Division and Fort Drum,” states:
- Fully vaccinated service members do not have “restriction of movement” or quarantine after travel and return to post. Unvaccinated must quarantine for 10 days and can test out after seven days of quarantine. “Family members must be able to quarantine with the service member (i.e. spouse cannot go to work, children cannot go to school).”
- Vaccinated service members only require an O-3 (captain or company commander) to approve their leave, while unvaccinated must request leave from a higher-ranking O-5 (lieutenant colonel or battalion commander) with an additional procedural step of submitting an Exception to Policy (ETP). These ETPs will be tracked at the division level for additional scrutiny, and likely will be denied.
- Vaccinated service members may meet with or host any non-local visitor from outside the five states contiguous to New York (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont). Unvaccinated service members must obtain approval from an O-5 in their chain of command, and then enter a 10-day quarantine to meet with or reside with any non-local visitor.
- Vaccinated service members have no limits on gatherings at a private residence. Unvaccinated have a limit of 12 guests at indoor gatherings, and 15 guests at outdoor gatherings. ETPs may be granted for larger on-post public social gatherings by an O-5 commander, but if all personnel attending the gathering are vaccinated no ETP is required.
- Vaccinated service members can conduct outdoor physical training unmasked. Unvaccinated must wear masks during physical training. Vaccinated personnel may be authorized to conduct unmasked physical training at indoor facilities, “without unvaccinated personnel present.”
- Face masks may be removed if all people in a room are vaccinated.
Perhaps the most shocking item in the new policy is this: Fort Drum authorized a COVID wristband for vaccinated service members.
What’s happening at Fort Drum is bad enough, but maybe not as bad as the civil rights violation occurring against the unvaccinated at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division has made a vaccination card mandatory to enter a dining facility.
Because a majority of lower enlisted soldiers don’t have access to kitchens in the barracks, they are dependent on the dining facilities for most, if not all of their meals while on duty or in training rotations which don’t provide access to public restaurants.
This mandate will disproportionately affect lower-income personnel who may have to trade accepting an experimental vaccine in order to have food.
These policies at Fort Drum and Fort Bragg are reminiscent of the fear and prejudice that led to policies of exclusion, removal and detention of loyal Japanese Americans to internment camps — or concentration camps, in corrected historical terminology, as the targeted people of Japanese descent were not enemies of the state.
The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians concluded that U.S. government policies toward Japanese Americans were based on “race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership” — not military necessity. That conclusion led to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
Likewise, the Army’s COVID policies are based on prejudice against the unvaccinated (personnel who do not put the vaccinated at risk) and hysteria concerning a virus with a 99.9% survival rate for most military service members.
Has the U.S. Army forgotten its historical role in facilitating most of the internment camps that caused loss of income, lack of access to healthcare, psychological trauma and public hostility for thousands of Japanese Americans?
As COVID policies force quarantines upon healthy people and their entire families, have leaders deserted the Ex parte Endo U.S. Supreme Court decision of 1944 that declared loyal citizens of the U.S. cannot be detained without cause?
The policies at Fort Drum and Fort Bragg set the stage for a sequel to the shameful chapter in U.S. Army history detailed in the Commission on Wartime Relocation report, “Personal Justice Denied.”
It is urgent that service members file complaints to the inspector general to halt this momentum towards medical fascism.
[Emphasis mine.]
RELATED
It’s ‘entirely possible’ vaccine campaigns ‘will be used for massive-scale depopulation’: Former Pfizer VP
31 reasons why I won’t take a COVID vaccine
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| Boston Archdiocese mandates that only ‘vaccinated’ can serve at altar |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-31-2021, 06:31 AM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Spiritual]
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Boston Archdiocese mandates that only ‘vaccinated’ can serve at altar
Many pew-sitting Catholics are beginning to worry about how access to the sacraments may soon depend on their vaccination status.
BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 30, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – The Archdiocese of Boston, headed by Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, has made the reception of a COVID vaccine a necessary prerequisite to laity participating in certain ministries at parishes, such as serving at the altar.
The Archdiocese’s March 17 updated COVID protocols include allowing an adult to serve at the altar, but only if the adult has been vaccinated.
“Parishes can use a vaccinated adult altar server at all Masses,” the protocol states.
“The server should wear a mask, and the priest (and deacon) should wear a mask at the times when they are not speaking. When the priest is speaking and therefore not wearing a mask, the server should maintain the greatest distance possible. The server should not hold the missal for the priest,” states the guidelines about the server.
The protocols also allow parishes to resume "a normal frequency" of Communion calls if the minister is “fully vaccinated.” According to the guidelines, such calls should be brief, "just long enough to bring the Sacrament,” adding that “extraordinary ministers of Communion can continue to bring the Blessed Sacrament to their families regardless of vaccination status.”
The new protocols come amid the “steady rollout of vaccines and declining numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations,” reported the Boston Pilot, the Archdiocese’s newspaper.
Many pew-sitting Catholics are beginning to worry about how access to the sacraments may soon depend on their vaccination status.
Just this week, a parish in New Jersey announced that it would only allow those who had been vaccinated to receive the sacrament of Confession. Pushback from Catholics resulted in the local bishop stepping in and successfully asking the parish priest to change his policy.
Last month, a New Mexico parish priest stated that those age 60 and older who wanted to assist in distribution of Holy Communion and in ushering must first receive a COVID vaccine.
Guidance from the Catholic Church on the morality of using COVID-19 vaccines allows the faithful the option of seeking a religious exemption from vaccines, especially those tainted by abortion.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated in December 2020 that “practical reason makes evident that vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation and that, therefore, it must be voluntary.”
“In any case, from the ethical point of view, the morality of vaccination depends not only on the duty to protect one's own health, but also on the duty to pursue the common good. In the absence of other means to stop or even prevent the epidemic, the common good may recommend vaccination, especially to protect the weakest and most exposed. Those who, however, for reasons of conscience, refuse vaccines produced with cell lines from aborted fetuses, must do their utmost to avoid, by other prophylactic means and appropriate behavior, becoming vehicles for the transmission of the infectious agent.”
[Emphasis mine.]
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| Novena of St. Vincent Ferrer |
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Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 03-30-2021, 07:25 PM - Forum: Novenas
- No Replies
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![[Image: il_340x270.1222482647_1csk.jpg?version=0]](https://i.etsystatic.com/13521985/d/il/b59f9d/1222482647/il_340x270.1222482647_1csk.jpg?version=0)
Novena of St. Vincent Ferrer
Day 1 Prayer
O Saint Vincent Ferrer, our guardian, because God our eternal Father has blessed you with an inexhaustible fountain of grace and blessing, we beg you to hear our prayers and to assist us with your powerful intercession which is even more effective now that you are in heaven than it was when you were on earth.
Full of confidence in your mercy and compassion, we kneel in prayer before you, and commend to your powerful intercession all our needs, those of our families, our friends, relatives, and especially
(mention your intention here)
Glorious Saint Vincent Ferrer, let not our hope and confidence in your protection be deceived.
Intercede for us before the throne of God. Watch over our eternal welfare.
If our trials and tribulations in this world multiply, may they serve to give us spiritual joy and happiness.
If God will only grant us the grace of ever increasing patience to the end that we may save our souls.
Amen.
Day 2 Prayer
O Saint Vincent Ferrer, our guardian, because God our eternal Father has blessed you with an inexhaustible fountain of grace and blessing, we beg you to hear our prayers and to assist us with your powerful intercession which is even more effective now that you are in heaven than it was when you were on earth.
Full of confidence in your mercy and compassion, we kneel in prayer before you, and commend to your powerful intercession all our needs, those of our families, our friends, relatives, and especially
(mention your intention here)
Glorious Saint Vincent Ferrer, let not our hope and confidence in your protection be deceived.
Intercede for us before the throne of God. Watch over our eternal welfare.
If our trials and tribulations in this world multiply, may they serve to give us spiritual joy and happiness.
If God will only grant us the grace of ever increasing patience to the end that we may save our souls.
Amen.
Day 3 Prayer
O Saint Vincent Ferrer, our guardian, because God our eternal Father has blessed you with an inexhaustible fountain of grace and blessing, we beg you to hear our prayers and to assist us with your powerful intercession which is even more effective now that you are in heaven than it was when you were on earth.
Full of confidence in your mercy and compassion, we kneel in prayer before you, and commend to your powerful intercession all our needs, those of our families, our friends, relatives, and especially
(mention your intention here)
Glorious Saint Vincent Ferrer, let not our hope and confidence in your protection be deceived.
Intercede for us before the throne of God. Watch over our eternal welfare.
If our trials and tribulations in this world multiply, may they serve to give us spiritual joy and happiness.
If God will only grant us the grace of ever increasing patience to the end that we may save our souls.
Amen.
Day 4 Prayer
O Saint Vincent Ferrer, our guardian, because God our eternal Father has blessed you with an inexhaustible fountain of grace and blessing, we beg you to hear our prayers and to assist us with your powerful intercession which is even more effective now that you are in heaven than it was when you were on earth.
Full of confidence in your mercy and compassion, we kneel in prayer before you, and commend to your powerful intercession all our needs, those of our families, our friends, relatives, and especially
(mention your intention here)
Glorious Saint Vincent Ferrer, let not our hope and confidence in your protection be deceived.
Intercede for us before the throne of God. Watch over our eternal welfare.
If our trials and tribulations in this world multiply, may they serve to give us spiritual joy and happiness.
If God will only grant us the grace of ever increasing patience to the end that we may save our souls.
Amen.
Day 5 Prayer
O Saint Vincent Ferrer, our guardian, because God our eternal Father has blessed you with an inexhaustible fountain of grace and blessing, we beg you to hear our prayers and to assist us with your powerful intercession which is even more effective now that you are in heaven than it was when you were on earth.
Full of confidence in your mercy and compassion, we kneel in prayer before you, and commend to your powerful intercession all our needs, those of our families, our friends, relatives, and especially
(mention your intention here)
Glorious Saint Vincent Ferrer, let not our hope and confidence in your protection be deceived.
Intercede for us before the throne of God. Watch over our eternal welfare.
If our trials and tribulations in this world multiply, may they serve to give us spiritual joy and happiness.
If God will only grant us the grace of ever increasing patience to the end that we may save our souls.
Amen.
Day 6 Prayer
O Saint Vincent Ferrer, our guardian, because God our eternal Father has blessed you with an inexhaustible fountain of grace and blessing, we beg you to hear our prayers and to assist us with your powerful intercession which is even more effective now that you are in heaven than it was when you were on earth.
Full of confidence in your mercy and compassion, we kneel in prayer before you, and commend to your powerful intercession all our needs, those of our families, our friends, relatives, and especially
(mention your intention here)
Glorious Saint Vincent Ferrer, let not our hope and confidence in your protection be deceived.
Intercede for us before the throne of God. Watch over our eternal welfare.
If our trials and tribulations in this world multiply, may they serve to give us spiritual joy and happiness.
If God will only grant us the grace of ever increasing patience to the end that we may save our souls.
Amen.
Day 7 Prayer
O Saint Vincent Ferrer, our guardian, because God our eternal Father has blessed you with an inexhaustible fountain of grace and blessing, we beg you to hear our prayers and to assist us with your powerful intercession which is even more effective now that you are in heaven than it was when you were on earth.
Full of confidence in your mercy and compassion, we kneel in prayer before you, and commend to your powerful intercession all our needs, those of our families, our friends, relatives, and especially
(mention your intention here)
Glorious Saint Vincent Ferrer, let not our hope and confidence in your protection be deceived.
Intercede for us before the throne of God. Watch over our eternal welfare.
If our trials and tribulations in this world multiply, may they serve to give us spiritual joy and happiness.
If God will only grant us the grace of ever increasing patience to the end that we may save our souls.
Amen.
Day 8 Prayer
O Saint Vincent Ferrer, our guardian, because God our eternal Father has blessed you with an inexhaustible fountain of grace and blessing, we beg you to hear our prayers and to assist us with your powerful intercession which is even more effective now that you are in heaven than it was when you were on earth.
Full of confidence in your mercy and compassion, we kneel in prayer before you, and commend to your powerful intercession all our needs, those of our families, our friends, relatives, and especially
(mention your intention here)
Glorious Saint Vincent Ferrer, let not our hope and confidence in your protection be deceived.
Intercede for us before the throne of God. Watch over our eternal welfare.
If our trials and tribulations in this world multiply, may they serve to give us spiritual joy and happiness.
If God will only grant us the grace of ever increasing patience to the end that we may save our souls.
Amen.
Day 9 Prayer
O Saint Vincent Ferrer, our guardian, because God our eternal Father has blessed you with an inexhaustible fountain of grace and blessing, we beg you to hear our prayers and to assist us with your powerful intercession which is even more effective now that you are in heaven than it was when you were on earth.
Full of confidence in your mercy and compassion, we kneel in prayer before you, and commend to your powerful intercession all our needs, those of our families, our
friends, relatives, and especially
(mention your intention here)
Glorious Saint Vincent Ferrer, let not our hope and confidence in your protection be deceived.
Intercede for us before the throne of God. Watch over our eternal welfare.
If our trials and tribulations in this world multiply, may they serve to give us spiritual joy and happiness.
If God will only grant us the grace of ever increasing patience to the end that we may save our souls.
Amen.
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| Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales - April |
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Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 03-30-2021, 07:07 PM - Forum: Doctors of the Church
- Replies (2)
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Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
APRIL 1st (page 93)
Friendship based on the pleasures of the senses is coarse and does not deserve the name of friendship. The same holds true for friendships based on vain and frivolous qualities, since they also have their roots in the senses. By pleasures of the senses I mean those that principally originate from the external senses, such as pleasure in looking at beautiful things or listening to a sweet voice, pleasure of touch and the like. Friendships based on such things deserve to be called follies rather than friendships!
(INT. Part III, Ch. 17; O. III, p 196)
On April 1st, 1618, Francis de Sales, on a visit to Grenoble, gave a eulogy on Saint Hugo, one of those saints to whom he had a particular devotion. "I honor this saint," he said, "because he did so much to populate the frightening solitude of Chartreuse with a countless number of religious, whose virtue spread a marvelous perfume of holiness throughout the Church." Francis never tired of turning over in his mind this rich expression of Saint Hugo, "The evil I do is truly evil and truly mine; the good that I do is not attributable to me or really mine."
(A.S. IV, p. 2)
We shall never have peace if it is not practiced amid repugnance, aversion and disgust. True peace does not lie in not fighting, but in conquering.
Perfection does not consist in being perfect or in acting perfectly. It is the striving for perfection that is important.
Every Day with Saint Francis de Sales
Teachings and Examples from the Life of the Saint by Salesiana Publishers
APRIL 2nd (page 94)
Venial sin, no matter how slight it may be, displeases God. Therefore, if it displeases God, any will and affection that one has for venial sin is nothing less than a disposition to offend the Divine Majesty. Is it possible that an upright soul should not only displease God but even nourish within itself an affection and a will to displease Him?
(INT. Part I, Ch. 22; O. III, p. 63)
Francis de Sales, wishing to publicly proclaim his devotion to Saint Francis of Paula, received the cord of the Minims in the monastery at Grenoble. He knelt before the mantle with which the saint had passed over the sea with dry feet, which was exposed for this occasion. The people, who wanted to express their own devotion, threw themselves on top of him and used his shoulders as their support. The saint made no effort to stop them from doing all this. When he was leaving the church the religious made their apologies, saying that they admired his patience. He replied, "Is it not necessary for each one to show his devotion in some way or other? I can assure you that I paid very little attention to those who were all around me. I was thinking of Saint Francis, who spiritually and personally gave me his cord and obliged me, with ties both external and internal, to consider all the Minims as my brothers."
(A.S. IV, p. 38)
There is nothing more contrary to charity - or to the love of God - than to have little concern for one's neighbor.
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| Vatican Observes ‘Earth Hour’ of Darkness Against Climate Change |
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Posted by: Stone - 03-29-2021, 06:11 PM - Forum: Pope Francis
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Lights Out: Vatican Observes ‘Earth Hour’ of Darkness Against Climate Change
Breitbart | Mar 20210
ROME — The Vatican extinguished the lights of the dome and the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica for an hour on Saturday night in commemoration of “Earth Hour 2021.”
From 8:30pm to 9:30pm the iconic basilica was darkened as a symbolic gesture against climate change, joining monuments of cities across the globe that turned off their lights as well. Vatican News reported that the act was performed “to demonstrate the serious global climate crisis.”
Earth Hour is an initiative launched by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2007 to call attention to the gravity of the “climate crisis” by symbolically abstaining from the use of energy for an hour. It began in Sydney, Australia, but quickly spread all over the globe and now each year more than 10,000 landmarks and monuments switch off their lights.
Vatican News noted that Earth Hour is billed as the “largest global mobilisation against climate change” and is intended to “unite citizens, institutions and businesses in a common desire to give the world a sustainable future and to overcome the challenge of climate change.”
According to Earth Hour official propaganda, millions of people in more than 180 countries and territories take part in the annual ritual, switching off their lights to show support for the planet.
Earth Hour “has become a catalyst for positive environmental impact, driving major legislative changes by harnessing the power of the people and collective action,” it claims.
The WWF has plenty of critics, even among True Believers in the evils of climate change. The Copenhagen Consensus Center, for instance, a “think tank that researches and publishes the smartest solutions for the world’s biggest problems,” declares that the Earth Hour project “is nothing but an ineffective feel-good event.”
This combination of pictures created on March 27, 2021 shows St. Peter’s Basilica in The Vatican on March 27, 2021
before (Top) and after (Bottom) the lights were turned off for Earth Hour.
Earth Hour “does little for the climate in terms of reducing CO emissions and distracts us from the real problems and solutions — especially giving light to those in the darkness,” the Center states on its website.
Even the liberal journal Slate has criticized Earth Hour, saying that its “vain symbolism reveals exactly what is wrong with today’s feel-good environmentalism,” while others have said that the symbolic act “celebrates ignorance, poverty and backwardness” and promotes the idea that “civilization is something to be ashamed of.”
Many scholars have expressed deeper concerns with Earth Hour that go to the very heart of the modern environmentalist movement itself, suggesting that the initiative is just one more senseless activity encouraging an obscurantist attitude toward the benefits of modern energy and technology.
The Ayn Rand Institute, for instance, suggests that Earth Hour exploits ignorance of the vital importance of energy, sending “the comforting-but-false message: Cutting off fossil fuels would be easy and even fun! People spend the hour stargazing and holding torch-lit beach parties; restaurants offer special candle-lit dinners. Earth Hour makes the renunciation of energy seem like a big party.”
Observing Earth Hour “bears no relation whatsoever to what life would actually be like under the sort of draconian carbon-reduction policies that climate activists are demanding: punishing carbon taxes, severe emissions caps, outright bans on the construction of power plants,” wrote Dr. Keith Lockitch, a physicist with postdoctoral research in relativistic astrophysics.
“The lights of our cities and monuments are a symbol of human achievement, of what mankind has accomplished in rising from the cave to the skyscraper,” says Lockitch. “Earth Hour presents the disturbing spectacle of people celebrating those lights being extinguished.”
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| Quotes of Various Saints |
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Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 03-29-2021, 01:24 PM - Forum: The Saints
- No Replies
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QUOTES OF VARIOUS SAINTS
“God in His omnipotence could not give more, in His wisdom He knew not how to give more, in His riches He had not more to give, than the Eucharist. - St. Augustine (354-430)
“Under the influence of fear, we bear the Cross of Christ with patience. Under the more inspiring influence of hope, we carry the Cross with a firm and valiant heart. But under the consuming power of love, we embrace the Cross with ardor.” - St. Bernard (1090-1153)
“The gates of Heaven will open to all who confide in the protection of Mary.”
- St. Bonaventure (1221-1274)
“The suffering of adversity does not degrade you but exalts you. Human tribulation teaches you; it does not destroy you. The more we are afflicted in this world, the greater will be our joy in the future.
- St. Isidore of Seville (d. 636)
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“If I love Mary, I am certain of perseverance, and shall obtain whatever I wish from God.”
- St. John Berchmans (1599-1621)
“Purity means that we put on the likeness of God, as far as is humanly possible.”
- St. John Climatus (d. 649)
“One just soul can obtain pardon for a thousand sinners.”
- St. Margaret Mary Aloque (1647-1690)
“Good example is the most efficacious apostolate. You must be as lighted lanterns and shine like brilliant chandeliers among men. By your good example and your words, animate others to know and love God.”
- St. Mary Joseph Rosello (1811-1880)
“Take the holy crucifix in your hands, kiss its wounds with great love, and ask Him to preach you a sermon. Listen to what the thorns, the nails, and that Divine Blood say to you. Oh, what it sermon!”
- St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)
“Is there anything that a generous heart would not willingly suffer on contemplating Jesus crucified?”
- St. Raphaela Mary (1850-1925)
“The devil strains every nerve to secure the souls which belong to Christ. We should not grudge our toil in wresting them from Satan, and giving them back to God.” - St. Sebastian (d. 288)
“Before prayer, endeavor to realize whose presence you are approaching, and to whom you are about to speak. We can never fully understand how we ought to behave towards God, before whom the angels tremble.” – St. Theresa of Avila (1515-1582)
“True charity consists in putting up with all one’s neighbor’s faults, never being surprised by his weakness, and being inspired by the least of his virtues.” - St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)
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