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  Infographic: How the CCP Seeks to Control America
Posted by: Stone - 02-15-2021, 10:54 AM - Forum: Socialism & Communism - No Replies


[Click link to see enlarged version]

[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3...%3DApi&f=1]

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  Quinquagesima Week [Monday-Tuesday]
Posted by: Stone - 02-15-2021, 09:38 AM - Forum: Lent - Replies (2)

MONDAY OF QUINQUAGESIMA WEEK
Taken from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger (1841-1875)

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The life of a faithful Christian, like that of the patriarch Abraham, is neither more nor less than a courageous journeying onwards to the place destined by him by his Creator. He must put aside everything that could impede his progress, nor must he look back. This is, undoubtedly, hard doctrine; but if we reflect, for a moment, on the dangers which surround fallen man during his earthly pilgrimage, and on what our own sad experience has taught us, we shall not think it hard or strange, that our Saviour has made the renouncing and denying of ourselves an essential condition of our salvation. But, independently of this, is it not far better to put our life under God’s guidance, than to keep it in our own? Are we so wise or so strong, as to be able to guide ourselves? We may resist as we please, but God is our sovereign Lord and Master; and by giving us free-will, whereby we may either resist His will or follow it, He has not abdicated His own infinite rights to His creatures’ obedience. Our refusal to obey would not make Him less our Master.

Had Abraham, after receiving the divine call, chosen to remain in Chaldea, and refused to break up the home which God had bade him leave, God would then have selected some other man to be the patriarch of His chosen people, and father of that very family, which was to have the Messias as one of its children. This substitution of one for another in the order of grace is frequently forced upon divine justice; but what a terrible punishment it is for him that caused the substitution! When a soul refused salvation, heaven does not therefore lose one of its elect: God, finding that He is despised by the one He called, offers the grace to another, until His call His followed.

The Christian life consists in this untiring, unreserved obedience to God. The first effect of this spirit of submission is, that it takes the soul from the region of sin and death, wherein she was wasting away her existence; it takes her from the dark Chaldea, and places her in the promised land of light. Lest she should faint on her way along the narrow path, and fall a victim to the dangers which never leave her because they are within herself, God asks her for sacrifices, and these brace her. Here, again, we have Abraham for our model. God loves him, and promises him the richest of blessings; He gives him a son, as pledge of the promise; and then, shortly after, tests the holy patriarch’s devotedness, by commanding him to slay with his own hand this dear child, on whom he has been told to build his hopes!

Man’s path on earth is sacrifice. We cannot go out from evil except by the way of self-resistance, nor keep our footing on good ground but by constant combating. Let us imitate Abraham: fix our eyes steadfastly on the eternal hills, and consider this world as a mere passing dwelling, a tent, put up for a few days. Our Jesus has said to us: “I came not to send peace, but the sword; for I came to separate.” Separation, then, and trial are sure to be sent us; but we are equally sure that they are for our good, since they are sent us by Him who so loved us that He became one of ourselves. But this same Jesus has also said: “Where thy treasure is, there too is thy heart.” Christians! can our treasure be in this wretched world? No, it must be in that fair land above. There, then, must we be, in desire and affection.

These are the thoughts the Church would have us meditate upon during these days, which immediately precede the forty of Lent. They will help to purify our hearts and make them long to be with their God. The noise of the world’s sins and scandals reaches our ears: let us pray that the kingdom of God may come to us and to those poor sinners; for God’s infinite mercy can change them, if He will, into children of Abraham. Not a day passes but He so changes many a sinner. He has, perhaps, shown that miracle of His mercy to us, and those words of the apostle may be applied to us: “You, who some time were afar off, are now made nigh (to God) by the Blood of Christ.”

Let us pray for ourselves and for all sinners, in these beautiful words of the Mozarabic breviary.

Prayer

Dum te, omnipotens Deus, nostræ delinquentiæ reddunt adversum, tua inspiratione, quæsumus, nostra te invocatio propitium et confessio faciat esse placatum: ut, te miserante, nec tribulatio secularis nostram mentem dejiciat, nec persuasio nociva possideat, nec infidelitas tenebrosa concludat; sed vultus tui super nos signato lumine fulgeamus, semperque in eodem splendore stabilitate veræ fidei gradiamur. Amen.

We beseech thee, O almighty God! that whereas our sins have angered thee against us, our prayers and praise, which thou inspirest, may propitiate and please thee: that thus, by thy mercy, the vexations of this world may not cast down our soul, nor hurtful delusion possess her, nor the darkness of unbelief surround her; but may we gleam with the light of thy countenance, wherewith thou hast signed us, and ever, by firmness in the true faith, walk in the brightness of the same. Amen.

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  Dr. Sherri Tenpenny: Covid Vaccine Science
Posted by: Stone - 02-14-2021, 04:55 PM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular] - No Replies

DR. SHERRI TENPENNY EXPLAINS COVID VACCINE SCIENCE

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  LItany of St. Philomena composed by St. John Mary Vianney
Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 02-14-2021, 04:24 PM - Forum: Litanies - No Replies

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Litany of St. Philomena

(Composed by St. John Mary Vianney)

Lord have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us.
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Queen of Virgins,
St. Philomena,
St. Philomena, filled with the most abundant graces from your very birth,
St. Philomena, faithful imitator of Mary,
St. Philomena, model of Virgins,
St. Philomena, temple of the most perfect humility,
St. Philomena, inflamed with zeal for the Glory of God,
St. Philomena, victim of the love of Jesus,
St. Philomena, example of strength and perseverance,
St. Philomena, invincible champion of chastity,
St. Philomena, mirror of the most heroic virtues,
St. Philomena, firm and intrepid in the face of torments,
St. Philomena, scourged like your Divine Spouse,
St. Philomena, pierced by a shower of arrows,
St. Philomena, consoled by the Mother of God, when in chains,
St. Philomena, cured miraculously in prison,
St. Philomena, comforted by angels in your torments,
St. Philomena, who preferred torments and death to the splendors of a throne,
St. Philomena, who converted the witnesses of your martyrdom,
St. Philomena, who wore out the fury of your executioners,
St. Philomena, protectress of the innocent,
St. Philomena, patron of youth,
St. Philomena, refuge of the unfortunate,
St. Philomena, health of the sick and the weak,
St. Philomena, new light of the church militant,
St. Philomena, who confounds the impiety of the world,
St. Philomena, who stimulates the faith and courage of the faithful,
St. Philomena, whose name is glorified in Heaven and feared in Hell,
St. Philomena, made illustrious by the most striking miracles,
St. Philomena, all powerful with God,
St. Philomena, who reigns in glory.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

V.) Pray of us, Great St. Philomena,
R.) That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray

We implore Thee, O Lord, by the intercession of Saint Philomena, Virgin and Martyr, who was ever most pleasing to Thy eyes by reason of her eminent purity and the practice of all the virtues, pardon us our sins and grant us all the graces we need (and name any special grace you may require). Amen.

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  Archbishop Lefebvre: 1972 Sermon on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-14-2021, 03:43 PM - Forum: Sermons and Conferences - No Replies

Sermon of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre for the Feast of The Immaculate Conception
Econe, Switzerland Decmber 8, 1972


 
In the name of the Father...

My dear friends, my dear brethren,

As the whole liturgy of today shows us, God, in His wisdom, had long ago prepared for us the most Blessed Virgin Mary. It was not just at the moment of Her birth on earth that God decreed to exempt Her from all sin, and to make Her the Immaculate Conception but already in eternity, which preceded the creation of the world.

The epistle today recalls this fact, applying to the Most Holy Virgin the words of the eternal Wisdom; already the Holy Virgin was in the mind of God "iam concepta eram - I was already conceived" - yes, conceived in the mind of God, and thus already in the divine plan God was thinking of the Virgin Mary. Already He wished to fill Her with all His graces, and to give Her this extraordinary privilege of the Immaculate Conception, exempting Her from all sin: "Tota pulchra es, Maria, et macula originalis non est in te - Thou art all fair, O Mary, and there is no stain of original sin in Thee."

So already in eternity, before the creation of the world, God was thinking of this admirable creature, the first of His creatures after our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. All during the course of history which preceded the birth of the Blessed Virgin, during the whole history of humanity, God was thinking of the Blessed Virgin. We see it during the entire history of the Old Testament - already, immediately after the sin of Adam and Eve, God said to Adam and Eve, "I will place an enmity between thee and the woman..She shall crush thy head." So already the Virgin Mary had been foreseen by the Spirit of God and her preparation, the preparation for her Immaculate Conception, was becoming more and more precise the whole time.
The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary can also be found in the holy women of the Old Testament. Think of the account of Sarah, the wife of Tobias, on whose behalf an angel bound up the demon and cast him far into the desert. She is an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, "before whom the devil must flee, and whom the devil fears." The Virgin Mary was not under the empire of Satan for an instant, a single instant.

The story of Judith also illustrates the role of the most Holy Virgin Mary. She delivered the people of Israel from the hands of Holofernes. In cutting off the head of Holofernes Judith saved Israel, and in like manner the Blessed Virgin, by cutting off the head of the devil in a certain sense, saved the people of God.

Thus during the whole course of history God wished that we be reminded of the most Holy Virgin; the Blessed Virgin Mary was always present to God and in the plan of God and thus from her birth the Blessed Virgin Mary was exempt from all sin. At the moment of Her birth she was filled with the Holy Ghost, and yet again even more so - if such be possible - at the moment when the Angel Gabriel came to announce that She would be the Mother of the Savior. Behold what the Angel said to the Blessed Virgin: "Thou art full of grace, overflowing with grace, and the Holy Ghost shall descend upon Thee and overshadow Thee."

How could the Holy Ghost be present with the devil in the soul of the most Holy Virgin? There could be no stain in the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary; already God had decided that. And from the beginning of the Blessed Virgin's existence, we see that, in fact, the Blessed Virgin is wholly filled with the Holy Ghost. She is shown to us as a contemplative, and living in the presence of God, speaking little, reflecting on all the words which Our Lord said. At times she deemed it right to discreetly intervene, as at the marriage feast of Cana, and this was to teach us Her whole gospel: "Do whatever He shall tell you." This is the gospel of our Holy Virgin Mary.

Again, She was present at Calvary as the Mother of the Eternal Priest, at the offering of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for She also was crucified with Our Lord. If St. Paul could say, "Confixus sure cruci - I am nailed to the Cross with Christ," how much more could the Blessed Virgin Mary say it!

Again, She was also present at the moment of Pentecost, when the Apostles received the Holy Ghost - She who was already filled with the Holy Ghost, She did not need to receive Him again but through Her mediation, the Apostles received Him.

Finally the Blessed Virgin Mary went up to heaven, not only in Her soul but also in Her body, and thus was this extraordinary life of Hers completed; a life unique in the history of humanity, but foreseen by God from all eternity.

The influence of the Blessed Virgin Mary has not ceased. Even now in heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary continues to be the Mother of the Mystical Body of Our Lord, the Mother of the Church, the Mother of our souls. She shows it, She proves it, She proves it in every one of us, but She also proves it in Her apparitions. Is it not admirable to think that after the Sovereign Pontiff Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception as a revealed truth, that the Blessed Virgin Mary was Immaculate from Her Conception - already four years later on March 21, 1858, the Blessed Virgin herself said to little Bernadette, the little shepherdess, "I am the Immaculate Conception."

Remember that Bernadette was incapable of understanding, she could not understand what these words meant, and she left the grotto on her way to her pastor’'s house repeating these words which she did not understand, to make sure she would not forget them. The history of the life of Bernadette tells us that it was at that moment that the parish priest of Lourdes, Pere Pomian, was truly convinced by the apparitions at Lourdes. He realized that the poor little shepherdess was incapable of inventing this herself, and that the dogma had been proclaimed four years before by the Sovereign Pontiff. Thus it was confirmed by the Blessed Virgin herself that She was the Immaculate Conception.

What lesson, then, must we draw from this history of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Her Immaculate Conception? For all of us who have been baptized, we who in a certain sense have received more than others because of the offices we may occupy in Holy Church - all of us: If the Blessed Virgin Mary was Immaculate in Her Conception it is because She was to be the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, because she had to carry within herself Our Lord, the Son of God, because She was charged with giving Him to the world, because She was to live in proximity with Him, to be His Mother.

We Christians, who receive Holy Communion, do we not receive the same Jesus Christ, the same Body, which was conceived by the Blessed Virgin Mary? We receive Him in us, in our bodies…, in our souls. If it was decreed that the Blessed Virgin Mary was to be immaculate in her conception, so that she might receive the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ, His soul, His divinity, must we not also be pure? Not that we can be immaculate in our conception, but may our souls be immaculate, by our prayers, by our dispositions, by our efforts, by the grace of God . . . to win this privilege that the Blessed Virgin had by the gift of Our Lord Jesus Christ, may we by our prayers and by the grace of God obtain the grace of having immaculate souls to receive Our Lord Jesus Christ.

We must! We must live without sin, we must struggle against anything that might tarnish our souls, so that it can be said of our souls: "Tota pub chra est, et macula non est in te -Thou art all fair, and there is no stain in thee." Let there be no stain in our souls so that we may worthily receive Our Lord Jesus Christ.

And if that is true for Christians, true for the faithful, true for every person, every soul receiving Our Lord Jesus Christ, how much more, dear brethren, is it true of you - you who are destined in a singular way to consecrate yourselves to God, to offer yourselves to God, and particularly those who offer themselves to God in the priesthood, who, in this world, call down Our Lord Jesus Christ upon the altar and, like the Blessed Virgin, touch Him with their hands, and give Him to others; how much more must your souls be immaculate!

With what joy, therefore, do we receive today the oblations of those who desire to offer their lives, offer their souls, for the service of God, the service of the altar. Let us ask in a special way of the Blessed Virgin to transmit, in a certain degree, this privilege she had, the graces which are necessary to keep our souls immaculate.

She is the creature that was created, designed by God to destroy sin. Thus there is no creature more free of sin than the Blessed Virgin Mary. She has crushed the head of the serpent. Therefore with the Blessed Virgin there is no compromise, no compromise with sin, no compromise with error; she is completely true, completely holy. She cannot bear error, or sin, or vice. Let us then ask the Blessed Virgin that we ourselves have this horror of sin, this horror of vice - but love for sinners, because it was for sinners that she was created, to save sinners. May we have this immense desire, this flame which must consume us, the desire to save souls from sin, to snatch them from the clutches of the devil, the clutches of the world, and the scandals of it.

Therefore let us all ask today that our Society be a sign, a sign of truth, a sign of holiness, a sign of flight from sin, and all the scandals of the world, and a sign of the presence of the Virgin Mary. We will truly be children of the Church, children of Mary, on this condition. But if, unhappily, we also become like the people who are drawn by the world and who want compromises with things of the world, with error - then we will no longer be worthy children of Mary, worthy children of Our Lord.

That is what we ask, for all those who are present at this Holy Mass, for all those who are present here, and particularly for those who, in a moment, will pronounce their oblation and their engagements in the Society.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

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  Season of Lent
Posted by: Stone - 02-14-2021, 02:37 PM - Forum: Lent - Replies (5)

SHORT INSTRUCTION ON LENT
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

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Who instituted Lent?

ACCORDING to the Fathers of the Church, Justin and Irenaeus, the fast before Easter was instituted and sanctified by Christ Himself; according to the saints Leo and Jerome, the holy apostles ordained it after the example given by Jesus.


Why has the Church instituted this fast forty days before Easter?

To imitate Christ who fasted forty days; to participate in His merits and sufferings; to subject, our flesh by voluntary mortification to the spirit, and to mortify our evil desires as did St. Paul; (Col. i. 24.) to enable us to lead a pure life, and thus prepare for the holy festival of Easter, and the reception of the divine Lamb, Jesus: and, finally, to render God satisfaction for our sins, and do penance, as Pope Gregory says, for the sins of one whole year by one short fast, lasting only the tenth part of a year.


Was the fast of Lent observed in early times as in the present?

Yes, but more strictly; for the people of the early ages not only abstained from meat, but also from all that which is connected with it, such as eggs, butter, cheese, etc., even from wine and fish, although this was not the general command of the Church; they fasted all day, and only ate in the evening after vespers, in remembrance of which, vespers are now said before dinner-time, because the Church, as a kind mother, now permits the supper to be changed into a dinner, and also allows something to be taken in the evening, that the body may not be too much weakened, and become unfit for labor.

How much does this ancient custom put to shame the Christians of to-day who think the fast in our times too severe! "But," asks St. Ambrose, "what sort of Christians are they? Christ, who never sinned fasted for our sins, and we will .not fast for our own great and numerous offences?"


How should the holy season of Lent be spent?

As according to the teaching of St. Leo, the main thing in fasting is not that the body be deprived of food, but that the mind at the same time be withdrawn from wickedness, we should endeavor during Lent, not only to be temperate in eating and drinking, but especially to lead a modest life, sanctifying the days by persevering prayer and devoutly attending church.



PRAYER AT THE BEGINNING OF LENT
Almighty God! I unite myself at the beginning of this holy season of penance with the Church militant, endeavoring to make these days of real sorrow for my sins and crucifixion of the sensual man. O Lord Jesus! in union with Thy fasting and passion, I offer Thee my fasting in obedience to the Church, for Thy honor, and in thanksgiving for the many favors I have received, in satisfaction for my sins and the sins of others, and that I may receive the grace to avoid such and such a sin, N. N. and to practice such and such a virtue, N. N.

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  The Stations of the Cross by St. John Mary Vianney
Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 02-14-2021, 01:46 PM - Forum: In Honor of Our Lord - Replies (4)

THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS


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Written by St. John Mary Vianney
Taken from the book “Le Saint Cure d’Ars et le Sacrement de Penitence”
(The Saint Cure of Ars and the Sacrament of Penance)
By Mgr. H. Convert



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I STATION:  JESUS CHRIST IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH


V. We adore Thee, O Jesus, and we praise Thee.

A. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

Jesus Christ.  My child, I went through Judea and Galilee for three years; I comforted the afflicted, healed the sick, preached the Gospel; I did well to everyone. And now the enraged Jews beg Pilate to condemn Me to death. Pilate obeys and delivers Me to the executioners.

The faithful.  The Jews are ungrateful and wicked!

Jesus Christ.  They are indeed. But do you know, my child, why I allow them to ask for My death? Because you have sinned. If I wanted to, I could break My bonds and become free again. I'd rather die to deliver you from hell.

The faithful.  O Jesus, Thou art infinite goodness! It is I who has offended Thee, and it is Thee who suffered to merit my forgiveness! Grant me the grace to hate my sins with all my heart and to weep them all my life.


Our Father.  Hail Mary.  Glory Be.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.
Eternal rest give unto them. O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.

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  SSPX-MC YouTube Channel has both BitChute and Rumble Channels too!
Posted by: Stone - 02-14-2021, 10:14 AM - Forum: The Catacombs: News - Replies (1)

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Dear friends, 

The wonderful people behind the YouTube channel 'SSPX Marian Corp' have created a BitChute Channel as well.  It can be found here: SSPX-Marian Corps, Sorrowful Heart of Mary

As with YouTube, you can create an account and subscribe to be notified of newly published videos as they are available.

Please offer a little prayer for these good souls in thanksgiving for all the hard work they do for us so that we are able to hear the excellent sermons of Frs. Hewko and Ruiz, Archbishop Lefebvre, and all the Catechisms, Conferences, etc. that they make available for us all!




*Update [September 26, 2021]: See last post for Rumble link.

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  Thomas à Kempis: Passion of Christ
Posted by: Stone - 02-14-2021, 08:52 AM - Forum: Lenten Devotions - Replies (4)

Prayers and Meditations on the Life of Christ
by Thomas à Kempis, 1380-1471

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PART II - ON THE PASSION OF CHRIST, ACCORDING TO THE FOUR EVANGELISTS
[Of His Agony and Arrest]

CHAPTER I - Of the selling of Jesus by the perfidious traitor Judas

BLESS Thee, and give thanks to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, of Goodness supreme, of Majesty eternal, for the wicked sale of Thee by Thy own disciple, by whom Thou wast sold for so paltry and mean a price as thirty pieces of silver. I praise and glorify Thee for the surpassing meekness of Thy forbearance with that treacherous disciple, in that not only wast Thou not moved to anger, or to the use of harsh words, against him, but also (albeit Thou knewest the treachery against Thee which he was so soon to perpetrate) didst not at once make known his villainy to his fellow- disciples, nor didst suspend him from Holy Communion.

O most gentle Lord Jesus, how great is Thy patience, how great my impatience!

Woe is me that I find it so hard to bear with my brother, if aught is said or done to me which I do not like. Thou didst for so long a time uncomplainingly bear with Thy disciple Judas, who was shortly to sell and betray Thee: whereas I, for some slight wrong, fly at once into a passion, and concoct all sorts of plans for revenging or excusing myself. At such a time what becomes of my meekness, and of my patience?

Help me, O good Jesus, I beseech Thee, and instil into my heart more and more fully the virtue of Thy gentleness; for without Thy special grace preventing me, I cannot have the blessing of quietness of soul amidst the worries and the troubles, of which in this life there are so many.


CHAPTER II - Of the sadness and dread which Jesus endured for our sakes

BLESS Thee, and give thanks to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, Maker and Redeemer of all the faithful, for the sad beginning of Thy most bitter Passion ; for the exceeding distress of Thy soul; for the anxiety and dread, which, in the weakness of Thy human Nature, taken upon Thee of Thy own free will for our sakes, Thou didst feel, when, as the hour of Thy betrayal drew nigh. Thou didst begin to be fearful and very sad. Nor didst Thou think shame of confessing this sadness to Thy disciples, for Thou saidst: "My soul is sorrowful even unto death.''  O wondrous dispensation of God! Thou, the Lord of all power, Who but a short while since hadst given strength to Thy disciples for the strife, dost now bear Thyself as One Who is weak, and wanting in strength and courage.

And all this Thou didst undergo in order the more perfectly to comfort us in weakness and faint- heartedness, lest perchance some one of us, when sorely tempted, should despair of pardon or salvation; for if such an one should feel himself less cheerful than he should be under suffering, less brave than he should be, in enduring trials of the flesh, he may still be able to say that which Thou art recorded to have said: ''Nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.''

O most loving Jesus, my only hope in every trouble and distress, make me, I pray Thee, to ponder with a heart full of compassion, the sorrowful beginning of this Thy blessed Passion, and from this sad prelude to go on by degrees to meditate upon the still more bitter parts of it, that so I may be able, from each several part, to gather for the wounds of my soul some healing medicine.

Grant that I may bear with patient courage, for the glory of Thy Name, whatever troubles may be awaiting me, that I may never fall into despair, no matter how severe the tribulation may be, but may in all things resign myself to the good plea- sure of Thy Divine Providence.


CHAPTER III - The thrice-repeated prayer, the prostration before the Father of the Lord Jesus, and the resignation by Him of His Own Will

BLESS Thee, and give thanks to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, Stay of Angels, Refuge of the distressed, for Thy agonizing prayer, and Thy lowly falling flat upon the ground; when thrice, upon Thy bended knees, Thou didst earnestly and devoutly beseech Thy Heavenly Father that, if it were possible, the Chalice of Thy Passion might pass from Thee, and yet didst ever add the words: "Nevertheless not as I wilt, but as Thou wilt."

I praise and glorify Thee, for Thy mighty struggle against the fear of death, and of the anguish of Thy most bitter Passion; when the flame of Divine Love burnt so fiercely within Thee, as to thrust out all human fear.

I praise Thee, and give thanks to Thee, for the copious shedding of Thy Sweat of Blood; when, being in an Agony, Thou didst pray yet more fervently; and, against the order of nature, didst give out from Thy body, as sweat, drops of blood.

I adore Thee, and give Thee glory, for Thy humble acceptance of the angelic consolation, which Thou, the Maker and the King of the Heavenly Host, for the more strengthening of our feebleness, didst not disdain to receive at the hands of Angels: that so, weaklings as we are, we may be led to seek, not the comfort which is but for a moment, but that true strength which comes from above.

O most sweet Jesus, with what fervour of Love must Thou have loved me, that Thou didst pray for me so earnestly as to give forth — in Thy great desire to suffer for me — in place of natural sweat. Thy Own warm Blood, trickling down upon the ground.

O Almighty Creator of my soul, and perfect Pattern of my life, I praise Thee, and magnify Thee forever, for Thy boundless resignation; and for Thy complete conquest of Thy Own Will, and of all Thy feelings as a Man, which would have made Thee shrink from pain and death.  I praise and magnify Thee for having at once, without the least wavering, when the hour of Thy Passion was at hand, resigned Thyself freely and willingly to Thy Father's Will, saying: " Father, not my will, but Thine, be done." Words indeed these were, with which Thou didst magnify Thy Heavenly Father's glory: didst heap further benefits upon us; didst yet more firmly tread the devil under foot; and didst show forth, to those who believe in Thee, more plainly than ever before, the model of perfection, the ensign of salvation, and the path of the highest virtue.

O adorable Jesus, Thou Whose example we must ever keep before us, grant, I most earnestly beseech Thee, that I may obtain the fruit of this Thy thrice-repeated prayer, and that in the life in Religion which I have taken upon myself, I may strive to imitate the example of Thy self-denial. Give me grace manfully to bring into subjection to the spirit the stubbornness of my flesh; to crush all shrinking from bodily pain; to use prayer more often than before; to be ever watchful therein; to trust lovingly to Thee for help; to leave confidently in Thy hands the issue of all my undertakings; utterly to renounce my own will in everything; and to be always ready courageously to bear whatever troubles may come upon me.


CHAPTER IV  - How the Lord Jesus went to meet His betrayer

BLESS Thee, and give thanks to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Deliverer, for Thy cheerful readiness to suffer; in that, after Thou hadst offered to God the Father Thy thrice-repeated prayer, when Thy most cruel enemies, and Judas, Thy most wicked betrayer, came, in the dead of night, with a great multitude, with swords and clubs, and torches and weapons, to take Thee, as if Thou hadst been a robber. Thou didst at once Thyself go forth to meet them, saying: " Whom seek ye ?I am He. If therefore you seek Me, let these go their way." At which first word indeed of Thy power all that arrogant boldness of theirs was discomfited, and utterly put to confusion. For, as soon as Thou hadst said this unto them, they went backwards and fell to the ground. What then would have happened if, at Thy bidding, twelve legions of angels had come upon them? But it was to suffer that Thou hadst come into the world, and so, instead of using Thy Divine power, Thou didst will to show forth Thy most gracious forbearance. Thou hadst made plain, by one short word, the Majesty of Thy power: and now Thou didst allow those impious men to have dominion over Thee, and to wreak their venomous spite against Thee for a season; that so Thou mightest make it plain that it was of Thy own free will that Thou wast entering upon Thy Passion, for the accomplishment of the work of our redemption, and for the fulfilment of the Scriptures of the Prophets.

I praise and glorify Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, most innocent Lamb of God, for Thy unspeakable gentleness, and for Thy invincible spirit of meekness, in that Thou wast not inflamed with anger against Thy most wicked betrayer, and didst not indignantly turn Thy back upon him, but rather
didst deign to enter into friendly conversation with him ; and addressing him with Thy wonted kindness, didst suffer him, unworthy as he was, to kiss Thy most sweet Lips, saying to him: " Friend, whereto art thou come?" — rebuking at the same time his wicked and deceitful insolence with those gentle words: "Judas, dost thou betray the Son of Man with a kiss? " He alas! who had been one of the company of Thy apostles, neither fearing Thee as his Judge, nor pitying Thee as his friend, shrank not from his most horrible villainy; but putting himself at the head of that band of evil men, gave them a sign, saying: "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is He, hold Him fast!” O vilest disciple of a Master most loving! O servant most perfidious of a Master most faithful!

O how wonderful was Thy love, how splendid was that patience of Thine, O most meek, most loving Jesus, Who even at the time of such an arrest, of so base a betrayal, didst not forget Thy old friendship and tenderness! Thou didst repay so great a wrong by bestowing a gift of healing; making whole, by the touch of Thy sacred Hand, the ear of the High Priest's servant which Thy disciple had cut off, and bidding Peter himself, when he would have protected Thee from Thy assailants, to hold his hand, saying: "Put up again thy sword into its place. The chalice which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it? For thus it must be."

Now, therefore, O my God, I beseech Thee to give to me, frail reed that I am, greater patience when things go wrong with me; and when my enemies insult me, or when charges are brought against me, of which I know myself to be innocent, let not sudden anger get the better of me, nor a love of revenge stir me up to render railing for railing. Grant me grace not to shrink from being found fault with; but to take reproaches in good part, and to think him my friend who blames or disparages me the most. Give me grace not to feel angry at any harshness shown me, and not to bear malice for any unjust complaint made against me; but to let the thought of Thy most gentle endurance of the wrongs done to Thee strengthen me to rejoice in my own, and fill me with a desire to suffer even worse things for love of Thee.


CHAPTER V  - The fell seizure and leading away of the Lord Jesus

BLESS Thee, and give thanks to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, Hope of the Saints, and their strong Tower in every distress, for the violent seizure of Thee by Thy hateful enemies; for the insolent laying upon Thee of the sacrilegious hands of those who sought to hold Thee; for the fierce looks they cast upon Thee ; for the threatening shouts of the soldiers; for their rough and cruel binding of Thee; for their rude and ungentle holding of Thee fast; for their hasty and disorderly leading away of Thee; for the contumely and the violence with which they dragged Thee along; when, with wild tumult, Thou wast hurried away by vile and worthless scoundrels to Thy death; while the disciples, who were so dear to Thee, either fled, or with eyes full of grief and sorrow looked upon Thee from afar.

O King of Kings, O Lord Who rulest over all Thy creatures, and alone among mortals art free, how couldst Thou bear to be thus violently seized by evil hands, and to be led away in such contumely and disgrace, by men whom Thou hadst Thyself created, and to whom Thou hadst always done good? Alas! how grievous was the crime committed against Thee, how audacious the insult to Thy sovereign Majesty, when Thou, the Deliverer of souls, wast bound with a malefactor's cord; when Thou, Who wast altogether free from sin, wast led away a prisoner, as if Thou hadst been the vilest of robbers ! But Thou, my most loving Jesus, supreme Author of all virtues, didst will to endure all these things most patiently for our sakes, that so Thou mightest set us an example of perfect meekness, and mightest fulfil that most plain of the prophecies of Isaias: “He shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before His shearer, and He shall not open His mouth. He was offered because it was His own will.”

Compassionate, then, O my soul, thy most loving Lord God, an ill-used prisoner, enduring of His own free will all these things because of thy sins. Groan deeply, and let thine eyes be wet with tears of sorrow, at the thought of the Only-Begotten Son of God being treated with such indignity for thy sake. See what those most insolent dogs, the wicked Jews, are doing. They hold Jesus captive, they lead Him bound before Annas, and before Caiaphas the High Priest: but when He is seized He does not resist; when He is bound He does not complain; when He is led away He does not struggle with His captors; when He is being dragged along He utters no ill-word; but He goes meekly on, is quiet as a lamb, follows His captors as One Who is guiltless, bears everything as One Who is humility itself.

I pray Thee, then, O my God, that the thought of the bitterness of the grievous restraint thus put upon Thee may sink deep into my heart; may often rouse me, and chiefly at the hour of Matins, to fervour in the Divine Office; may drive from me all listlessness; and may make me constant, active, and watchful, in praising Thee, that so I may at least make some return for Thy love, and for the hardships endured by Thee, Who, for my sake, at night-time wast born, and at night-time wast betrayed, wast seized, and wast bound with cords. At night-time, therefore, O Lord, will I ever remember Thy Holy Name, calling to mind what great things Thou hast suffered for me, the chief of sinners.

May Thy painful bonds win for me true liberty, may they hold me back from unprofitable wandering abroad, and by strong discipline keep me ever in Thy service. May I not find it hard to overcome and get rid of self; and may I with a willing heart follow along the path of obedience the injunctions of my superiors, not shrinking from being led whither I would not, provided only that the command be such as is pleasing to Thee.

May I never be found rebellious, quarrelsome, insolent, or noisy; but always kind, tractable and sober-minded; that so I may walk in the way of Thy commandments, and with humble devotion may observe the rites and ceremonies of Holy Church. Bow Thou down my neck to observe the rules of my Order, and bind my hands to fulfil the holy toil assigned to me. May roaming and idleness ever be distasteful to me; stiff-necked and self-willed as I am by nature, may an austere life, and the subdual of my own inclinations be made to me my greatest happiness; and may I have grace to bring my own inner life, at least in some small measure, into conformity with the example which Thou didst set, when Thou wast bound, and held captive.


CHAPTER VI - The forsaking of the Lord Jesus, and the flight of the Apostles

BLESS Thee, and give thanks to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, good Shepherd and gracious Master, for Thy most sad abandonment and for Thy loneliness, in the extremity of Thy need; when Thou wast left, by all Thy disciples and friends, quite alone in the midst of Thy most cruel enemies. For Thy brethren, and Thy familiar friends — who had promised to die, and to give their lives, for Thee —when the need came, one and all forsook Thee and fled.

I praise and glorify Thee, for that tenderness of Heart, which caused Thee to suffer so cruelly from the cowardice with which Thy disciples turned their backs on Thee and deserted Thee, when leaving Thee their Shepherd in the midst of wolves, they were dispersed like sheep, every one to his own, even as Thou hadst foretold to them.

Great indeed must have been the sadness, great indeed the anguish and the grief, which possessed
the hearts of the disciples when they beheld their Lord and Master, Whom they had left all to follow, so violently torn from them, and hurried away to death. But Thou, O Lord, to Whom all things are known, and Who dost not allow anything to hap- pen without its fulfilling some purpose of Thy own, didst permit these chosen vessels of Thine to show such great weakness in order that out of it greater good might come. From this fall, in short, it was that they were led to know their own frailty, and to sympathize with that of other weak brethren ; and so ever afterwards they remained more distrustful of themselves, more fervent in spirit, more humble and more devout.

How useful is it for me to meditate diligently upon this subject, and never to think too highly of myself; for although when in prayer I do sometimes have the grace of renewed fervour, yet I know not how long it will last, nor what may be in store for me in time of temptation. If the pillars of heaven, the Apostles of Christ, gave way in time of tribulation, what is a most frail and unprofitable weakling likely to do, when even a slight temptation assails him? Some indeed, O Lord, would cry shame upon Thy holy Apostles for their base desertion of Thee, and because, being beside themselves from fear, they tried to escape; but such men forget what an every dav thing it is for them to go astray under the stress of love or hate, as the case may be.

Do not, then, I pray Thee, my most dear Lord, suffer me to fall a victim to so great spiritual madness, as ever to turn aside from any holy purpose which I have taken in hand; and grant me grace to follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest, be it to life or to death. May I never forsake Thee in time of adversity, nor be drawn away by my own lusts so as to fall into sin; but may I rather, for the love of Thee, and in pursuit of what is good, play the man, by remaining firm under straits and hardships, of whatever kind; lest, at any time, through my own fault, I should come to lose Thee, my Highest Good. Let not the foot of pride come against me as concerning any good works done by me, nor let me ever join Peter in speaking presumptuously, putting myself before some one else, or claiming to be as good as others; but may 1 do everything in Thy fear, humbly remembering my own weakness. May the fall of holy Peter, and the flight of the apostles, be no stumbling-block to me ; but may these things rather be a warning against sin. May the restoration of Thy apostles to Thy favour, which followed upon their repentance, give me a strong hope of again obtaining mercy after a fall of my own — for there is no one so holy as never to fall into venial sin of some kind — and when it so happens that my friends and acquaintances turn away from me, or those whom I love well think evil of me, and treat me as one who is of no account, and as it were a stranger to them; then, O Lord, grant that I may, for my own comfort, keep in mind Thy most grievous desertion and rejection, and count it gain to be deprived of all human consolation, if only I may thereby, in my small degree, be conformed to what Thou hadst to undergo.

Forgive me, O most merciful Jesus, for having so often offended Thee; for having been so ready to go astray after that which has profited me nothing ; for not having kept my heart steadfastly fixed upon that which I had resolved to do. Also, when I consider my ways, how often do I find that I waste my time upon vain things which can never profit, and fail, alas, in keeping Thy sacred Passion ever in my view! Thou hast trodden the narrow way before me, and I pass by without a tear, as if Thy anguish were no concern of mine. Take pity, I pray Thee, upon my cold dull heart, and fill it with a loving remembrance of Thy most bitter Passion.

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  Archbishop Lefebvre: On Lenten Practices
Posted by: Stone - 02-14-2021, 08:35 AM - Forum: Lenten Devotions - Replies (1)

On Fasting and Abstinence

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Pray and do penance. Do penance in order to pray better, in order to draw closer to Almighty God.

In his Lenten message of February 1982, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre addresses the important subject of fasting and abstinence, especially in light of the newer, relaxed regulations instituted by Pope Paul VI in his apostolic constitution, Paenitemini.


Quote:My dear brethren,

According to an ancient and salutary tradition in the Church, on the occasion of the beginning of Lent, I address these words to you in order to encourage you to enter into this penitential season wholeheartedly, with the dispositions willed by the Church and to accomplish the purpose for which the Church prescribes it.

If I look in books from the early part of this century, I find that they indicate three purposes for which the Church has prescribed this penitential time:

First - in order to curb the concupiscence of the flesh; Then - to facilitate the elevation of our souls toward divine realities; Finally - to make satisfaction for our sins.

Our Lord gave us the example during His life, here on earth: pray and do penance. However, Our Lord, being free from concupiscence and sin, did penance and made satisfaction for our sins, thus showing us that our penance may be beneficial not only for ourselves but also for others.

Pray and do penance. Do penance in order to pray better, in order to draw closer to Almighty God. This is what all the saints have done, and this is that of which all the messages of the Blessed Virgin remind us.

Would we dare to say that this necessity is less important in our day and age than in former times? On the contrary, we can and we must affirm that today, more than ever before, prayer and penance are necessary because everything possible has been done to diminish and denigrate these two fundamental elements of Christian life.

Never before has the world sought to satisfy - without any limit, the disordered instincts of the flesh, even to the point of the murder of millions of innocent, unborn children. One would come to believe that society has no other reason for existence except to give the greatest material standard of living to all men in order that they should not be deprived of material goods.

Thus we can see that such a society would be opposed to what the Church prescribes. In these times, when even Churchmen align themselves with the spirit of this world, we witness the disappearance of prayer and penance - particularly in their character of reparation for sins and obtaining pardon for faults.

Few there are today who love to recite Psalm 50, the Miserere, and who say with the psalmist, Peccatum meum contra me est simper - "My sin is always before me."
How can a Christian remove the thought of sin if the image of the crucifix is always before his eyes?

At the Council the bishops requested such a diminution of fast and abstinence that the prescriptions have practically disappeared. We must recognize the fact that this disappearance is a consequence of the ecumenical and Protestant spirit which denies the necessity of our participation for the application of the merits of Our Lord to each one of us for the remission of our sins and the restoration of our divine affiliation [i.e., our character as adoptive sons of God].

In the past the commandments of the Church provided for:

+ An obligatory fast on all days of Lent with the exception of Sundays, for the three Ember Days and for many Vigils;
+ Abstinence was for all Fridays of the year, the Saturdays of Lent and, in numerous dioceses, all the Saturdays of the year.

What remains of these prescriptions - the fast for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstinence for Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent?

One wonders at the motives for such a drastic diminution. Who are obliged to observe the fast? - adults from age 21 to 60 [In the USA, the minimum age is 18 years old - Ed.]. And who are obliged to observe abstinence? - all the faithful from the age of 7 years.

What does fasting mean? To fast means to take only one (full) meal a day to which one may add two collations
(or small meals), one in the morning, one in the evening which, when combined, do not equal a full meal. [The archbishop is referring to the European order of meals; in the United States though, dinner is usually the evening meal - Ed.]

What is meant by abstinence? By abstinence is meant that one abstains from meat.

The faithful who have a true spirit of faith and who profoundly understand the motives of the Church which have been mentioned above, will wholeheartedly accomplish not only the light prescriptions of today but, entering into the spirit of Our Lord and of the Blessed Virgin Mary, will endeavor to make reparation for the sins which they have committed and for the sins of their family, their neighbors, friends and fellow citizens.

It is for this reason that they will add to the actual prescriptions. These additional penances might be to fast for all Fridays of Lent, abstinence from all alcoholic beverages, abstinence from television, or other similar sacrifices.

They will make an effort to pray more, to assist more frequently at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, to recite the rosary, and not to miss evening prayers with the family.

They will detach themselves from their superfluous material goods in order to aid the seminaries, help establish schools, help their priests adequately furnish the chapels and to help establish novitiates for nuns and brothers.

The prescriptions of the Church do not concern fast and abstinence alone but also of the obligation of the Paschal Communion (Easter Duty).
Here is what the Vicar of the Diocese of Sion, in Switzerland, recommended to the faithful of that diocese on February 20, 1919:
Quote:+ During Lent, the pastors will have the Stations of the Cross twice a week; one day for the children of the schools and another day for the other parishioners. After the Stations of the Cross, they will recite the Litany of the Sacred Heart.

+ During Passion Week, which is to say, the week before Palm Sunday, there will be a Triduum in all parish churches, Instruction, Litany of the Sacred Heart in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament, Benediction. In these instructions the pastors will simply and clearly remind their parishioners of the principal conditions to receive the Sacrament of Penance worthily.

+ The time during which one may fulfill the Easter Duty has been set for all parishes from Passion Sunday to the first Sunday after Easter.

Why should these directives no longer be useful today? Let us profit from this salutary time during the course of which Our Lord is accustomed to dispense grace abundantly. Let us not imitate the foolish virgins who having no oil in their lamps found the door of the bridegroom's house closed and this terrible response: Nescio vos - "I know you not."

Blessed are they who have the spirit of poverty for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The spirit of poverty means the spirit of detachment from things of this world.

Blessed are they who weep for they shall be consoled. Let us think of Jesus in the Garden of Olives who wept for our sins. It is henceforth for us to weep for our sins and for those of our brethren.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for holiness for they shall be satisfied.  Holiness - sanctity is attained by means of the Cross, penance and sacrifice. If we truly seek perfection then we must follow the Way of the Cross.

May we, during this Lenten Season, hear the call of Jesus and Mary and engage ourselves to follow them in this crusade of prayer and penance.

May our prayers, our supplications, and our sacrifices obtain from heaven the grace that those in places of responsibility in the Church return to her true and holy traditions, which is the only solution to revive and reflourish the institutions of the Church again.

Let us love to recite the conclusion of the Te Deum: In te Doming, speravi; non confundar in aeternum "In Thee, O Lord, I have hoped. I will not be confounded in eternity."

+ Marcel Lefebvre Sexagesima Sunday February 14, 1982 Rickenbach, Switzerland


Guidelines for Traditional Penitential Practices


Traditional rules of fast and abstinence as observed per the 1962 liturgical calendar and outlined in Canons 1250-1254 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law.

Who was bound to observe these laws?

+ The law of abstinence bound all Catholics, beginning on the day after their 7th birthday.
+ The law of fasting bound all Catholics, beginning on the day after their 21st birthday and ending at the midnight which completed their 59th birthday. [Note: The USA's particular law has lowered the obligatory fasting age to 18.]

What was forbidden and allowed to be eaten?
+ The law of abstinence forbade the eating of flesh meat and of broth made of meat, but did not exclude the use of eggs, dairy products, or seasonings made from the fat of animals.
+ The law of fasting prescribed that only one full meal a day was taken with two smaller meals that did not equal the main one.

In the Universal Church
Abstinence was obligatory on all Fridays, except on Holy Days of Obligation outside of Lent. Fasting and complete abstinence were obligatory on the following days:
Ash Wednesday Fridays and Saturdays in Lent Good Friday Holy Saturday Ember Days Vigil of Pentecost Vigil of Christmas

Partial Abstinence
Fasting and partial abstinence were obligatory on all other weekdays of Lent . ( i.e ., Monday through Thursday - Friday was always complete abstinence) This meant that meat could be eaten at the principal meal on these days.

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  Quinquagesima Sunday
Posted by: Stone - 02-14-2021, 07:38 AM - Forum: Lent - Replies (7)

QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY
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

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The Introit of this day's Mass is the sigh of an afflicted soul confiding in God: Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a place of refuge, to save me: for thou art my strength and my refuge: and for thy name's sake thou wilt be my leader, and wilt nourish me. (Ps. xxx. 3.4.) In thee, O Lord! I have hoped, let me never be confounded: deliver me in thy justice, and set me free. (Ps. xxx. 2.)


PRAYER OF THE CHURCH. Lord, we beseech Thee, graciously hear our prayers, and unloosing the bonds of our sins, guard us from all adversity. Through our Lord, &c.


EPISTLE. (i. Cor. xiii. I — 13.) Brethren, if I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not; dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; is not ambitious; seeketh not her own; is not provoked to anger; thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth ; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part: but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known. And now there remain faith, hope, charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.

Quote:EXPLANATION. In this epistle St. Paul speaks of the necessity, the excellence, and the nature of true charity. He says, that all natural and supernatural gifts, all good works, even martyrdom, cannot save us if we have not charity; because love alone can render our works pleasing to God. Without charity, therefore, though ever so many prayers be recited, fasts observed, and good deeds performed, nothing will be acceptable to God, or merit eternal life. Strive then, O Christian soul, to lead a pious life in love, and to remain always in the state of grace.

Can faith alone, as the so-called Reformers assert, render man just, and save him?
Faith alone, however strong, though it could move mountains, without love, that is, without good works performed for love of God and our neighbor, can never justify or save us. For, when St. Paul says, that man is justified by faith without works, (Rom. iii. 28.; xi. 6.; Eph. ii. 8. 9.) he means to refer to those works which were performed by command of the law of Moses, and which, as they were external and without true charity, were of no avail; he did not refer to those works which are performed in a state of grace with a lively, love-inspired faith. Therefore the same Apostle writes to the Galatians: (Gal. v. 6.) Faith only availeth which worketh by charity; to Titus: (Tit. iii. 8.) It is a faithful saying: and these things I will have thee affirm constantly: that they who believe in God, may be careful to excel in good works. These things are good and profitable unto men; and he exhorts the Colossians (Colos. i. 10.) to be fruitful in every good work. St. James confirms the same by saying: (James ii. 17. 24.) So faith if it have not works, is dead in itself; by works man is justified and not by faith only. That this is the true doctrine of Christ, is evident from His own words. when He says: "Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire." (Matt. vii. 19.) At the day of judgment Christ will demand good works from all men, (Matt. xxv. 35.) and will not judge them only according to their faith, but by their good works, which true faith must always produce. (Apoc. xx. 12.) Would Christ and His apostles demand good works, if faith alone be sufficient? "The devils also believe and tremble.'' (James ii. 19.) they believe, but they are not saved, and their faith but increases their torments. Therefore, the assertion that faith without good works is sufficient for justification and salvation, is plainly against the doctrine of Christ and His Church, and must of necessity lead man to vice and misery, as shown by the history of the unhappy separation of the sixteenth century.

Are good works available which are performed in the state of mortal sin ?
Good works performed while in a state of mortal sin avail nothing in regard to eternal life, writes St. Lawrence Justinian, but aid in moderating the punishment imposed for disobedience and the transgression of God's commandments. They bring temporal goods, such as honor, long life, health, earthly happiness, etc; they prevent us from falling deeper into sin, and prepare the heart for the reception of grace; so the pious Gerson writes: "Do as much good as you can even though in the state of mortal sin, that God may give light to your heart."

ASPIRATION. God of love, pour the spirit of true charity into my heart that, according to the spirit of St. Paul. I may endeavor to be always in a
state of grace, that all my works may be pleasing to Thee, and meritorious for me.


GOSPEL. (Luke xviii. 31 —43.) At that time, Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said to them: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things shall be accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man. For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and scourged, and spit upon; and after they have scourged him, they will put him to death; and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things, and this word was hid from them, and they understood not the things that were said. Now it came to pass, when he drew nigh to Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the way-side, begging. And when he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what this meant. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me. And they that went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace. But he cried out much more: Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus standing, commanded him to be brought unto him. And when he was come near, he asked him. saying: What wilt thou that I do to thee? But he said: Lord, that I may see. And Jesus said to him: Receive thy sight; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he saw, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.


Why did Christ so often foretell His passion to His disciples?
Because He wanted to show how great was His desire to suffer for us, for we speak often of that which we crave; and because He wished His disciples when they should see Him treated as a criminal and martyred, not to think evil of Him, or imagine themselves deceived, but remember, that He had foretold all, minutely, that all happened of His own will.


Did not the disciples understand anything of what He predicted in regard to His future sufferings?
They may, certainly, have well understood He was to suffer, for which reason Peter tried to dissuade Him from it; (Matt. xvi. 22.) but they did not comprehend why or for what He would suffer, or how He would rise again.  All this the Holy Ghost gave them to understand, after it had come to pass. (John xiv. 26.) The light of the Holy Ghost is of so much value, that without it even the clearest doctrines of faith are not understood.


Why does Christ so often call Himself the Son of Man?
He wished to show, in the Jewish way of speaking, He was also man, a descendant of Adam, and that we should be humble, and not seek or desire high titles.


Why did the blind man call Christ the Son of David?
Because, like all the Jews, he believed that the Messiah, according to humanity, would be of the house of David, as was promised. (Ps. cxxxi. n.)


Why did Christ ask the blind man: What wilt thou that I do to thee?
This He asked, not because He was unaware of the blind man's wish, but to enable him the better to prove his faith and hope that through Christ he would receive his sight; and to teach us how willing He is to help us, and how it pleases Him if we confidingly place our wants before Him. We should learn from this blind man, who would not be restrained by the passing crowd in his ardent and reiterated request, not to pay attention, in the work we have commenced, to human respect, or human judgment, but to persevere, and not allow ourselves to be led astray by the world's mockery or contempt. We should also learn to be grateful to God, and faithfully cling to Him, if He has once opened the eyes of our mind, and healed our spiritual blindness, which is far more deplorable than physical blindness , for nothing can be more miserable than not to see and understand God, not to know what is necessary for our salvation, and what is pernicious.


Why is this gospel read on this Sunday?
The Church wishes to remind us of the painful passion and death of Jesus, and to move us by the contemplation of those mysteries to avoid and despise the wicked, heathenish amusements of carnival, sinful pleasures which she has always condemned, because they come from dark paganism, and, to avert the people from them, commands that during the three days of carnival the Blessed Sacrament shall be exposed for public adoration, sermons given, and the faithful exhorted to have recourse at this time to the Sacraments of Penance and the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, with the reception of which Pope Clement XIII. (Breve, 23. June 176s) connected a plenary indulgence. A true Catholic will conform to the desire of
his holy Church, considering the words which St. Augustine spoke, at this time, to the faithful. "The heathens (as also the worldly people of our days) shout songs of love and merriment, but you should delight in the preaching of the word of God; they rush to the dramatic plays, but you should hasten to Church; they are intoxicated, but you should fast and be sober."


PRAYER. O most benign Jesus! who didst so desire to suffer for us, grant, that we may willingly suffer for love of Thee: that we may hate and flee from the detestable; pleasures of the world and the flesh, and practice penance and mortification, that by so doing we may merit to be released from our spiritual blindness to love Thee more and more ardently, and finally possess Thee forever.

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  April 3rd - St. Richard of Chichester
Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-14-2021, 12:06 AM - Forum: April - No Replies

[Image: img-Saint-Richard-of-Chichester-1.jpg]
Saint Richard of Chichester
Bishop
(1197-1253)

Saint Richard of Chichester was born in 1197 in a little town a few miles from Worcester, England. He and his elder brother were left orphans while still young, and his brother was imprisoned as a result of their property's unpaid debts. Richard gave up the studies which he loved, to farm his brother's impoverished estate. His brother, in gratitude for Richard's successful labors, proposed to turn over to him all his lands; but he refused both the estates and the offer of a brilliant marriage, to study for the priesthood at Oxford.

In 1235 Saint Richard was appointed, for his learning and piety, chancellor of that University and afterwards chancellor of his diocese by Saint Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury. The new Chancellor stood by the Saint in his long contest with the king, and then accompanied him into exile in France, in the Abbey of Pontigny. After Saint Edmund's death there, he studied theology in Orleans before returning to England to toil as a simple parish priest. He was, however, soon elected by the Canons of Chichester, when their see became vacant, for their Bishop. This election greatly displeased the king, who had nominated another candidate whom the Canons judged unworthy.

The king in revenge refused to recognize the election, and seized the revenues of the see. Thus Saint Richard found himself fighting the same battle in which Saint Edmund had died. He went to Lyons, where he was consecrated bishop by Innocent IV in 1245, and returning to England he exercised fully his episcopal rights despite his poverty and the king's hostility, and thoroughly reformed his see. Young and old loved Saint Richard, and after two years his revenues were restored. To feed the poor and heal the sick, he gave all he had and worked miracles; and when the rights or the sanctity of the Church were concerned, he was inexorable.

A priest of noble blood polluted his office by sin; Richard deprived him of his benefice, and refused the king's petition in his favor. On the other hand, when a knight violently imprisoned a priest, Richard compelled the knight to walk around the priest's church with the same log of wood on his neck to which he had chained him. And when the burgesses of Lewes tore a criminal from the church and hanged him, Richard made them dig up the body from its unconsecrated grave, and bear it back to the sanctuary they had violated. Richard died in 1253 while preaching, at the Pope's command, a crusade against the Saracens.

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  April 2nd - St. Francis of Paula
Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-14-2021, 12:04 AM - Forum: April - Replies (1)

[Image: jusepe-de-ribera-saint-francis-of-paola-1.jpg]
Saint Francis of Paula
Thaumaturge, Founder
(1416-1507)

At the age of fifteen, Saint Francis left his poor home at Paula in Calabria, Italy, to live as a hermit in a cave on the seacoast. In time disciples gathered around him, and with them, in 1436, he founded the Order of the Minims. He chose this name that they might always consider themselves the least of monastic Orders. They observed a perpetual Lent, never touching meat, fish, eggs, or milk. Francis himself made the rock his bed; his best garment was a hair shirt, and boiled herbs were his only fare. His first consideration in all things was Caritas, charity.
Saint Francis was a thaumaturge, which denomination indicates a miracle-worker known for his virtually unceasing wonders. The Church recognizes that God, as a rule, does not raise up more than one every century. He cured the sick, raised the dead, averted plagues, expelled evil spirits, and brought sinners to penance. But opposition arose; a famous preacher, misled by a few misguided monks, set to work to preach against Saint Francis and his miracles. The Saint took no notice of it, and the preacher, finding that he made no way with his hearers, determined to go to see this poor hermit whom he did not know, and confound him in person. The Saint received him kindly, gave him a seat by the fire, and listened to a long exposition of his own frauds. He then quietly took some glowing embers from the fire, and closing his hands upon them unhurt, said, Come, Father Anthony, warm yourself, for you are shivering for want of a little charity. Father Anthony, falling at the Saint's feet, asked for pardon, and then, having received his embrace, left him, to become his panegyrist and himself attain great perfection.

When the avaricious King Ferdinand of Naples offered him a gift of money for his convent, Francis told him to give it back to his oppressed subjects, and softened his heart by causing blood to flow from the ill-gotten coin.

King Louis XI of France, trembling at the approach of death, sent for the poor hermit to come and ward off the foe whose advance neither his fortresses nor his guards could check. Francis went at the Pope's command, leaving his country and his foundations there, which he foretold he would not see again; and he prepared the king for a pious death. He set the court to marveling when a delicately seasoned fish, which the king had ordered prepared for his guest's dinner, swam away after Saint Francis cast it into the pool from which it had been taken. And the successors of King Louis showered favors on their remarkable guest, desiring him to remain in France. It was God's will that retained him there.

His Rule for the Order of Minims was adopted also by women religious, and spread throughout Europe; a less rigorous Rule was adapted for the Third Order Secular for those who desired a life of penance in their state. His name was reverenced everywhere in the Christian world; his prophecies were, during his lifetime, and are still today, held in great veneration. He died at the age of ninety-one, on Good Friday, 1507, with the crucifix in his hand and the last words of Jesus on his lips: Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.

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  Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence by Father Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure
Posted by: Hildegard of Bingen - 02-13-2021, 09:38 PM - Forum: Articles by Catholic authors - Replies (7)

The Will of God Made and Governs All Things


1. God controls all events, whether good or bad How can God will or allow evil?

Practical examples

2. God does everything with supreme wisdom

Trials and punishments are blessings from God and proof of His mercy

Our trials are never greater than our strength to bear them Treating of the Will of God St. Thomas, following St.
Augustine, teaches that it is the cause of all that exists. 1 The Psalmist tells us that "all that the Lord wills He does in heaven and
on earth, in the seas and in all the deeps." 2 Again in the Book of the Apocalypse it is written: "Worthy art thou, O Lord our God, to
receive glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and because of thy will they existed and were created. " 3
Hence it is the Will of God which from nothingness drew out  the universe with all its grandeur and all that lives in it, the earth
with all that is on it and beneath it, all creatures visible and invisible, living and inanimate, reasonable and without reason, from the
highest to the lowest.

If God then has produced all these things, as St. Paul says, according to the purpose of His will, 4 is it not supremely right and
reasonable as well as absolutely necessary that they should be preserved and governed by Him according to the counsel of His will?
And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you? 5  But the works of God
are perfect it is written in the Canticle of Moses. 6 They are so well done that God Himself, whose judgment is  strict and righteous,
found when He had created them that they were good and very good. 7 It is quite obvious that He who hath founded

1 St. Thomas, Sum. p. 1, q. 19, a. 4; St. Augustine, De Gen.
2 Ps. 134:6
3 Apoc. 4:11
4 Eph. 1:5
5 Wis. 11:25
6 Deut. 32:4
7 Gen. 1:31

the earth by wisdom and hath established the heavens by understanding 8 could not show less perfection in governing His
works than in creating them. So, as He is careful to remind us, if his Providence continues to have care of all things, 9 it is in measure and
number and weight, 10 it is with justice and mercy. 11 Neither can any man say to Him, Why dost thou so? 12 For if He assigns to His
creatures the end that He wills, and chooses the means which seem good to Him to lead them to it, the end He assigns them must be good
and wise, nor can He direct them towards their end other than by good and wise means. Therefore do not become foolish 13 the Apostle
tells us, but understand what the will of the Lord is, so that doing it you may receive the promise, 14 that is to say eternal happiness, for it
is written the world with its lust is passing away, but he who does the will of God abides forever. 15 God Controls All Events, Whether Good or Bad
Nothing happens in the universe without God willing and allowing it. This statement must be taken absolutely of everything
with the exception of sin. 'Nothing occurs by chance in the whole course of our lives' is the unanimous teaching of the Fathers and
Doctors of the Church, 'and God intervenes everywhere.'  I am the Lord, He tells us Himself by the mouth of the prophet
Isaias, and there is none else. I form light and create darkness; I make peace and create evil. I, the Lord, do all these things. 16 It is I who
bring both death and life, I who inflict wounds and heal them, He said to Moses. 17 'The Lord killeth and maketh alive, it is written in
the Canticle of Anna, the mother of Samuel, He bringeth down to the tomb and He bringeth back again; the Lord maketh poor and maketh

8 Prov. 3:19
9 Wis. 12:13
10 id. 11:20
11 id. 12:15; 16:1
12 Eccles. 8:4
13 Eph. 5:7
14 Heb. 10:36
15 1 John 2:17
16 1s. 45:6-7
17 Deut. 32:39

rich, he humbleth and he exalteth. 18 Shall there be evil (disaster, affliction) in a city which the Lord hath not done? 19 asks the prophet
Amos: Good things and evil, life and death, poverty and riches are from God Solomon proclaims. 20 And so on in numerous other
passages of Scripture. Perhaps you will say that while this is true of certain necessary effects, like sickness, death, cold and heat, and other
accidents due to natural causes which have no liberty of action, the same cannot be said in the case of things that result from the free
will of man. For if, you will object, someone slanders me, robs me, strikes me, persecutes me, how can I attribute his conduct to the will
of God who far from wishing me to be treated in such a manner,  expressly forbids it? So the blame, you will conclude, can only be laid
on the will of man, on his ignorance or malice. This is the defense behind which we try to shelter from God and excuse our lack of
courage and submission.

It is quite useless for us to try and take advantage of this way of reasoning as an excuse for not surrendering to Providence. God
Himself has refuted it and we must believe on His word that in events of this kind as in all others, nothing occurs except by His order and
permission. 

Let us see what the Scriptures say. He wishes to punish the murder and adultery committed by David and He expresses Himself
as follows by the mouth of the prophet Nathan: Why therefore hast thou despised the word of the Lord, to do evil in my sight? Thou hast
killed Urias the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of
Ammon. Therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised me, and host taken the wife of Urias the
Hittite to be thy wife.

Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thy own house, and I will take thy wives before thy eyes and
give them to thy neighbor and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing in the
sight of all all Israel, and in the sight of the sun.

21 18 1 Kings 2:6-7
19 Amos 3:6
20 Ecclus. 11:14
21 2 Kings 12:9-12

Later when the Jews by their iniquities had grievously offended Him and provoked His wrath, He says: The Assyrian is the
rod and the staff of My anger, and My indignation is in his hands. I will send him to the deceitful nation, and I will give him charge
against the people of my wrath, to take away the spoils, and to lay hold on the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.
22 Could God more openly declare Himself to be responsible for the evils that Absalom caused his father and the King of Assyria the
Jews? It would be easy to find other instances but these are enough. Let us conclude then with St. Augustine: "All that happens to us in
this world against our will (whether due to men or to other causes)  happens to us only by the will of God, by the disposal of Providence,
by His orders and under His guidance; and if from the frailty of our understanding we cannot grasp the reason for some event, let us
attribute it to divine Providence, show Him respect by accepting it from His hand, believe firmly that He does not send it us without
cause."

Replying to the murmurs and complaints of the Jews who attributed their captivity and sufferings to misfortune and causes
other than the will of God, the prophet Jeremias says to them: Who is he that hath commanded a thing to be done, when the Lord
commandeth it not? Do not both evil and good proceed out of the mouth of the Highest? Why doth a living man murmur, a man
suffering for his sins? Let us search our ways, and seek, and return to  the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to the Lord in the
heavens, saying, We have done wickedly and provoked thee to wrath; therefore thou art inexorable. 23 Are not these words clear enough?
We should take them to heart for our own good.  Let us be careful to attribute everything to the will of God andbelieve that all is guided by
His paternal hand.

22 Is. 10:5-6
23 Lam. 3:37-42


How Can God Will or Allow Evil?

However, you will perhaps now say, there is sinfulness in all these actions. How then can God will them and take part in them if
He is all-holy and can have nothing in common with sin? God indeed is not and cannot be the author of sin. But it must
be remembered that in every sin there are two parts to be distinguished, one natural and the other moral. Thus, in the action of
the man you think you have a grievance against there is, for example, the movement of the arm that strikes you or the tongue
that offends you, and the movement of the will that turns aside from right reason and the law of God. The physical action of the arm or the
tongue, like all natural things, is quite good in itself and there is nothing to prevent its being produced with and by God's
cooperation. What is evil, what God could not cooperate with, is the sinful intention which the will of man contributes to the act.
When a man walks with a crippled leg the movement he makes comes both from the soul and the leg, but the defect which
causes him to walk badly is only in the leg. In the same way all evil  actions must be attributed to God and to man in so far as they are
natural, physical acts, but they can be attributed only to the will of man in so far as they are sinful and blameworthy.

If then someone strikes you or slanders you, as the movement of the arm or tongue is in no way a sin, God can very well be, and
actually is, the author of it; for existence and movement in man not less than in any other creature proceed not from himself but from
God, who acts in him and by him. For in Him says St. Paul, we live and move and have our being. 24 As for the malice of the intention, it
proceeds entirely from man and in it alone is the sinfulness in which God has no share but which He yet permits in order not to interfere
with our freedom of will.

Moreover, when God cooperates with the person who attacks or robs you, He doubtless intends to deprive you of health or goods
because you are making a wrong use of them and they will be harmful to your soul. But He does not intend that the attacker or
robber should take them from you by a sin. That is the part of human malice, not God's design.

24 Acts 17:28

An example may make the matter clearer. A criminal is condemned to death by fair trial. But the executioner happens to be a
personal enemy of his, and instead of carrying out the judge's sentence as a duty, he does so in a spirit of hate and revenge.
Obviously the judge has no share in the executioner's sin. The will and intention of the judge is not that this sin should he committed,
but that justice should take its course and the criminal be punished. In the same way God has no share at all in the wickedness of
the man who strikes or robs you. That is something particular to the man himself. God, as we have said, wishes to make you see your own
faults, to humble you, deprive you of what you possess, in order to free you from vice and lead you to virtue; but this good and merciful
design, which He could carry out in numerous other ways without any sin being involved, has nothing in common with the sin of the
man who acts as His instrument. And in fact it is not this man's evil intention or sin that causes you to suffer, humiliates or impoverishes
you, but the loss of your well being, your good name or your possessions. The sin harms only the person who is guilty of it. This is
the way we ought to separate the good from the evil in events of this kind, and distinguish what God operates through men from what
men add to the act by their own will.


PRACTICAL EXAMPLES

St. Gregory sets the same truth before us in another light. A doctor, he says orders leeches to be applied. While these small
creatures are drawing blood from the patient their only aim is to gorge themselves and suck up as much of it as they can. The doctor's
only intention is to have the impure blood drawn from the patient and to cure him in this manner. There is therefore no relation
between the insatiable greed of the leeches and the intelligent purpose of the doctor in using them. The patient himself does not
protest at their use. He does not regard the leeches as evildoers.

Rather he tries to overcome the repugnance the sight of their ugliness causes and help them in their action, in the knowledge that
the doctor has judged it useful for his health. God makes use of men as the doctor does of leeches. Neither should we then stop to
consider the evilness of those to whom God gives power to act on us or be grieved at their wicked intentions, and we should keep
ourselves from feelings of aversion towards them. Whatever their particular views may be, in regard to us they are only instruments of
well being, guided by the hand of an all-good, all-wise, all-powerful God who will allow them to act on us only in so far as is of use to us.
It is in our interest to welcome instead of trying to repel their assaults, as in very truth they come from God. And it is the same with
all creatures of whatever kind. Not one of them could act upon us unless the power were given it from above.

This truth has always been familiar to the minds of those truly enlightened by God. We have a celebrated example in Job. He
loses his children and his possessions; he falls from the height of fortune to the depths of poverty. And he says The Lord gave and the
Lord hath taken away. As it hath pleased the Lord, so is it done. Blessed be the name of the Lord. 25 "Note" observes St. Augustine "Job
does not say 'The Lord gave and the devil hath taken away' but says, wise that he is, 'The Lord gave me my children and my possessions,
and it is He who has taken them away; it has been done as it has pleased the Lord."

The example of Joseph is no less instructive. His brothers had old him into slavery from malice and for a wicked purpose, and
nevertheless the holy patriarch insists on attributing all to God's providence. God sent me, he says, before you into Egypt 26 to save
life. . . . God sent me before you to preserve a remnant for you in the land, and to deliver you in striking way. Not you but God sent me
here, and made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his house, and ruler over the land of Egypt. Let us now listen to Our Savior himself who
came down from heaven to teach us by His word and example. In an excess of zeal Peter tries to turn Him aside from His purpose of submitting to His
passion and prevent the soldiers laying their hands on Him. But Jesus said to him: Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me? 27
In fact He attributed the suffering and ignominy of His passion not to the Jews who accused him, not to Judas who betrayed Him, nor to
Pilate who condemned Him, nor to the soldiers who ill-treated and

25 Job 1:21
26 Gen. 45:5-8
27 John 18:11

crucified Him, nor to the devil who incited them all, though they were the immediate causes of His sufferings, but to God, and to God
not considered as a strict judge but as a loving and beloved Father. Let us never then attribute our losses, our disappointments,
our afflictions, our humiliations to the devil or to men, but to God as their real source. "To act otherwise" says St. Dorothy, "would be to
do the same as a dog who vents his anger on the stone instead of putting the blame on the hand that threw it at him." So let us be
careful not to say 'So-and-so is the cause of my misfortune.' Your misfortunes are the work not of this or that person but of God. And
what should give you reassurance is that God, the sovereign good, is guided in all His actions by His most profound wisdom for holy and
supernatural purposes.


God Does Everything With Supreme Wisdom  All wisdom comes from the Lord God we find in the Book of Ecclesiasticus, and with him
it remains forever, and is before all time . . . and he has poured her forth upon all his works. 28 How manifold are your works, O Lord!
exclaims the Psalmist, In wisdom thou hast wrought them all. 29 It could not be otherwise, for God, being infinite wisdom and acting by
Himself, cannot act except in an infinitely wise manner.

For this reason many of the Doctors of the Church hold that, having regard to the circumstances, His works are so perfect that
they could not be more so, and so good that they could not be better. 'We ought then' says St. Basil, 'to ponder well on this thought, that
we are the work of a good Workman, and that He dispenses and distributes to us all things great and small with the wisest
providence, so that there is nothing had, nothing that could even be conceived better.' The works of the Lord are great the Psalmist again
says, exquisite in all their delights. 30 His wisdom is especially shown  in the right proportion between the means He employs and the end
He has in view. She reaches from end to end mightily and governs all things well. 31 She (Wisdom) governs men with admirable order, she
leads them to their happiness mightily but without violence or constraint, with sweetness and not only with sweetness, but still
more with circumspection.

But though you have might at your disposal, says the Sage,you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us. 32
You are endowed with an infinite strength that nothing can resist but with us you do not use the absolute power of your sovereign
authority. You treat us with extreme condescension and adapting yourself to the weakness of nature, design to place each one of us in
the best and most suitable situation for working out our salvation. You dispose of us with great favor as persons who at your living
image and of noble origin and who, because of their condition, are

28 Eccles. 1:1,8
29 Ps. 103:24
30 Ps. 110:2
31 Wis. 8:1
32 Wis. 12:18

not to be ordered in the voice of a master as if they were slaves, but with care and consideration. You treat us with the same
circumspection as one handles a vase of precious crystal or fragile pottery for fear of breaking it. When it is necessary for our good for
you to afflict us or send us some illness or make us suffer some loss or pain, you always do so with a certain respect and a kind of
deference. As a surgeon who has to operate on a person of importance takes extra care to cause him as little suffering as
possible and only what is strictly necessary for his recovery, or as a father unwillingly punishes a son he loves dearly only because he is
obliged to do so for his son's good, so God treats us as noble beings  for whom He has the highest regard, or as beloved children whom he
chastises because he loves them. 33 Trials and Punishments Are Blessings From God Looking, St. Paul tells us, towards the author and finisher of
faith, Jesus (the only begotten and beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased) .... Consider then Him Who endured such opposition
from sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. For you have not yet resisted unto blood (as He did) in the
struggle with sin, and you have forgotten the exhortation that is addressed to you as sons, saying, My son, neglect not the discipline of
the Lord, neither be thou weary when thou art rebuked by Him. For whom the Lord loves He chastises, and He scourges every son whom
He receives. Continue under discipline, for God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not correct? 34
In short, the purpose for which God acts is a high and holy one, His own glory and the good of His creatures. Infinitely good -- Goodness
itself -- He seeks to make them all perfect by drawing them towards Him and making them sharers in His divinity as far as they are
capable. But because of the close ties He has established with us by the union of our nature with His in the person of his Son, we in a still
more special manner are the object of His benevolence and tender care. A glove is not more fitted to a hand or a sword to a scabbard
than what He does and ordains in us and for us is suited to our

33 Apoc. 3:19
34 Heb. 12:2-7

strength and capabilities, so that everything may serve to our advantage and perfection if we but cooperate with the designs of his
providence.  Our Trials Are Never Greater Than Our Strength to Bear Them Do not let ourselves be troubled when we are sometimes
beset by adversity, for we know that it is meant for our spiritual welfare and carefully proportioned to our needs, and that a limit has
been set to it by the wisdom of the same God who has set a bound to  the ocean. Sometimes it might seem as if the sea in its fury would
overflow and flood the land, but it respects the limits of its shore and its waves break upon the yielding sand. There is no tribulation or
temptation whose limits God has not appointed so as to serve not for  our destruction but for our salvation. God is faithful says the Apostle,
and will not permit you to be tempted (or afflicted) beyond your  strength, 35 but it is necessary for you to be so, since through many
tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God 36 in the steps of our Redeemer who said of Himself, Did not the Christ have to suffer all
these things before entering into His glory? 37 If you refused to accept these tribulations you would be acting against your best
interests. You are like a block of marble in the hands of the sculptor. The sculptor must chip, hew and smooth it to make it into a statue
that is a work of art. God wishes to make us the living image of Himself. All we need to think of is to keep still in His hands while He
works on us, and we can rest assured that the chisel will never strike  the slightest blow that is not needed for His purposes and our
sanctification; for, as St. Paul says, the will of God is your sanctification. 38

35 1 Cor. 10:13
36 Acts. 14:21
37 Luke 24:26
38 I Thessalonians 4:3

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  French Traditioanl Catholic Author Condemned for Writing against Freemasonry
Posted by: Elizabeth - 02-13-2021, 05:45 PM - Forum: Anti-Catholic Violence - No Replies

The following was sent in an email to those who are subscribed to the Éditions St. Rémi, which is a French publishing company that sells and prints Catholic books.

The books from this author in French include (I translated the titles), under the Judaism-Freemasonry category: Synthesis of the World Revolutionary Movement; A MASONIC LODGE LEADS THE VATICAN; FREEMASONRY: 300 YEARS OF IMPOSTURE; and CONSPIRACY AGAINST GOD.

His books are available at the following link: https://saint-remi.fr/fr/35-livres?q=Fil...ETTE+Johan

I also included the French PDF that Éditions St. Rémi made themselves.



Johan LIVERNETTE, the author whose books we publish, which denounce the action of Freemasonry against the Catholic Church, was incarcerated.

We communicate below the message he succeeded in spreading on his Facebook page, thanks to one of his friends, despite his incarceration at the prison of La Farlède in Toulon.

We would like to express our support for this courageous Catholic author who finds himself behind bars because of a machiavelic plot, according to the first-hand accounts we have received. This writer is disturbing; with his writings and his communications on the Internet, he denounces the action of the counter-church and brings many people back to the Catholic Faith. "Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you." (Mt., V, 10-12)

A convert himself for about ten years, he has not had the grace of a Catholic education since childhood in a traditional Catholic family. He has had to redo his education and religious instruction, despite the very hostile family and relational environment in which he lives.

We invite you to support him by your prayers, by your visits or letters to him, a work of mercy, and by obtaining his books.

 

Bruno Saglio
Director of Éditions Saint-Remi



"Rights and Standing,

18 months in prison: this is the very heavy penalty that was imposed on me on February 5th at the criminal court of Toulon. My two rosaries per day in police custody added to the "Ave Maria" before the judgment were not enough. This news must surprise those who were not aware that I have been in the crosshairs of justice for several weeks. In a short period of time, I have indeed lived through hard trials during two police custody periods of 48 hours each (or 96 hours). For the time being, I will refrain from expressing myself too much on this absolutely scandalous condemnation in view of the facts (violence). For there was nothing at all about the events of December 5, and all those present know this very well. Nothing at all. Nothing at all. Cinema. In one sentence: a simulated aggression leading to a serious conviction. My personality and my politico-religious ideas were obviously very displeasing to the public prosecutor's office. But this is by no means a fact worthy of imprisonment. To be imprisoned when you have done wrong is already difficult from a human point of view. To be incarcerated for an injustice is terrible. The truth was the biggest loser in my judgment of February 5th.

This affair, which has marked me for life, will be the subject of a book (a "novel") in which I will write everything I have lived through, in detail, these last few weeks: the sequence of events, the anecdotes (funny and often dramatic), the encounters, the suffering, and above all: the betrayals. The immense betrayal of the mother of my children. Betrayal also of one of my relatives who signed his testimony without having read it!

On Friday, February 5th, with my lawyer, the valiant and exemplary Philip Fitzgerald, we lost a battle. But we fought with dignity, heart and righteousness, in a spirit of truth and honesty. And that is what matters. We were defeated, of course, but we stood tall and upright, despite the injustice. On February 4th and 5th, before this shameful condemnation, I lived strong moments, humanly and emotionally, with my lawyer and a father from Marseilles with whom I made friends in the jails.   

Here people don't understand why I'm here; here people suffer in silence, and in some cases noisily. It's in these difficult moments when we see who is, where I will see who really loves me sincerely. Today I am a destroyed man. I have to admit it. But tomorrow will be another day. By my example on a daily basis, I hope to be able to celebrate Christmas 2021 with my children. This is my primary goal.

I invite you to write to me as often as possible at this address:

Toulon Penitentiary Center - la Farlède
CS 10543
Livernette Johan
Numéro d'écrou: 25532
83041 Toulon cedex 9

 
I will be happy to answer you. Our exchanges will be valuable and certainly fruitful.

For those who want to support me by buying my books, thank you for ordering them from Saint-Rémi Editions.

May the Lord Jesus be with you and with your spirit."

                                                                         Johan Livernette
 



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