CAPG's Blog 

The purification of the Virgin Guido Reni

"On this day, on which we celebrate the purification of the blessed Virgin Mary, consider if you have not sufficient motives to oblige you to undertake your own purification. How much do you want of those holy dispositions, which brought the blessed Virgin this day to the temple? Though you can never hope to obtain either humility or obedience to equal hers; yet the distance between you and her gives scope to your endeavors to advance many degrees beyond what at present are. You have a wide field open before you, wherein to work upon yourself, and make some progress towards that purification, without which you can have no advantage in this day's solemnity.

Candles being blessed and distributed on this day, in memory of Christ's being acknowledged and declared the light of the Gentiles, in taking a candle you are to confess Christ to be the true light of the world, and beg that He will mercifully please to be a light to you, both living and dying. If you follow Him, He will be a light to your feet, and conduct you into the ways of true humility and obedience, who in submission to His Father's will, humbled Himself even to the death of the cross. By His help, you will soon discover all the frauds of your treacherous nature; you will learn to unmask all those vain pretexts, by which you are so often misled, and plainly distinguish between the dictates of self-love or corrupt practice, and the commands of God.

It is for want of this light that you so often go out of the way; while, as in the absence of the sun, you set up other lights in his place, so in not having the light of Christ and His justice to direct you, you substitute in His place a false light, and a false justice to be your guide. To how many unavoidable dangers must you then be exposed, when the way in which you are obliged to walk is so very narrow, and attended with precipices on every side? How can you here go on with any safety, when you have nothing before you but false lights, which confound the sight, and often blind your eyes?

This is the true cause of all the errors, injustices, and wickedness in the world. Men go on in the most unwarrantable ways, and they all have their reasons, which give them a sort of assurance and satisfaction in what they do: they have a kind of light which ever accompanies them, but they are not sincere in examining what light it is. They are not solicitous to take Christ with them; and then the enemy is ready enough to offer them false lights in his place. Their deceitful nature is too ready to accept them, because they lead to what pleases. Hence many taking but one false step in the beginning, it is often followed by most destructive consequences, which are almost irrecoverable. Hence we see a world almost entirely corrupt, and even great numbers of those who pretend to salvation, living in the practice of daily frauds, injustice, and oppressions; in most notorious disorders of prodigality, pride, self-love, and intemperance: and yet all generally persuading themselves that things are well enough. Thus blind and deluded they go on, till the entrance into eternity opens their eyes.

And how will you escape this misfortune; being equally subject to the same misery with others, of deceiving yourself? You have no other means to prevent it, but by making choice of that divine light, which is this day offered you, even Christ Himself. Beg therefore earnestly, that He will ever be a light to you: commit yourself to His guidance: have great confidence in His assistance; begin nothing without Him; submit with humility and obedience to all the ways of His commands and providence; and be ever on the watch, that no consideration of yourself, or the world, may draw you out of this way. Beg of Jesus, to let His light go before you, and to give you so sincere and docile a heart, as ever to follow where He directs." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

Tradition: the churching of women

• Some traditional customs of the church can raise hackles. One of those of recent memory is something called “the churching of women.” Many people — incorrectly — believed that women were not allowed to return to Mass after childbirth because of some impurity on their part. While no longer common in the church, this ritual took place until the liturgical changes after Vatican II in the early 1970s and involved the return of mothers to the celebration of Mass after the birth of a child. Why women stayed away from church after a birth? Compass, Official publication Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin  By Patricia Kasten | Catholic News Service | February 1, 2015

• "Instruction for women after Childbirth: "Churching of women"
  
  
  The law of purification in the Old Testament, it is true, no longer applies to Christian women, because the Church has done away with Jewish ceremonies. But the spirit and intention of that law the Church would yet have complied with. She permits women, therefore, to remain at home, with a good conscience, for six weeks after childbirth, or so long as circumstances may require, without attending divine service, in order to care for their health. This permission is, at the same time, an excellent admonition:

- to women: that, in order to their recovery, they should refrain from anger, from exposure, from hard labor, from injurious food;

- to men: not to refuse their wives during this period, set apart by God Himself under the Old Law, the rest and attention which their nature requires.

But when this time is past the Church desires that women, should, after the example of Mary, repair to the church with their children, to procure the blessing of the priest, to give thanks to God for their safe delivery, to dedicate their children to Him, and to implore of Him, with the priest, grace to bring up their offspring in piety and holiness. In this consists the so-called "churching of women"; and, from what has been said, it is evident, not only that it contains nothing to be ashamed of, but that it should by no means be omitted by such as desire God's blessing. "
Goffine's Devout instructions on the Epistles and Gospels for the Sundays and holydays:1896

"Those Sinai's thunders startled - thine Own race-
Who heard thy Prophets -saw thy miracles,
Who nailed thee to the Cross - despised thy grace:
From their veiled eyes, O Lord, remove the scales;
The Wandering Jew who owned thee not - now claim!
And Israel bend the knee to Jesus' Name.

"Ut omnes unum sint," O lord, we pray
That all be drawn within thy one, true fold,
Back to thy Church - from which the wand'rers stray
And the true Faith she keeps like saints of Old.
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep;
And rouse the heathen nations from their sleep. Amen"

Source: Catholic Hymns for the People, James Martin Raker 1919 -

Prayer intention: The Conversion of the Jews

•    Ant. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou has sent me.
      ℣. I say to thee, that thou art Peter,
      ℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.
      Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst say to Thine Apostles: peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, look not upon my sins, but upon the faith of Thy Church; and vouchsafe unto Her that peace and unity which is agreeable to Thy will: Who livest and reignest God forever and ever. Amen.

 + One decade (at least) of the Rosary for this particular intention, Holy Communion if possible.

Reflection:

This intention must appeal to Our Lady in a special way, for she, no less than her Divine Son, was a member of the Jewish race. She knew the hopes and desires of her people of their longing for the Savior who would grant them freedom. Mary's pure lips could utter words that no other creature dared to say: "My soul doth magnify the Lord...all nations shall call me blessed because He that is mighty hath done great things unto me."

One of the most poignant scenes from the Gospels shows Mary and Joseph seeking their lost Son who had wandered from them when they began their trip home from Jerusalem. Both thought the Child was with the other, or with relatives. Then came the tragic realization that He was with neither. Back to Jerusalem they hurried and sought Him in the jungle of the dark narrow streets, heedless of fatigue or hunger or of any need whatever - except that of finding Christ.

On the third day they found Him in the temple. In its pillared halls the teaches sat on low stools, while round them gathered those desiring to hear the lectures. In the center was the Child, listening to their statements and answering questions. Surprised and relieved, Mary asked simply: "Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing."

"...I have sought thee sorrowing." How aptly the words apply to the members of the Jewish race of which Mary was the purest flower. Mary is not only the Lily of Israel in the sense of being the fairest of the chosen people, Immaculate, but because she bears a special relationship to the Israelites and seeks with all a Mother's love to bring them to the Church of her Son.

There is a story told of a Jewish woman in Vienna who used to visit the Catholic Church, but only because of its art; she was especially attracted to a picture of the Sorrowful Mother. during the Nazi reign of terror in 1938 she was forced to clean a house occupied but the Storm Troopers. Locked in a room she had to scrub the floor with lye and steel wool. Soon her hands began to smart and then to bleed. Suddenly she heard a piercing scream, such a shriek as she never heard before - a creature crying for freedom. At once she understood the meaning of that image of the Sorrowful Mother: "I have sought thee sorrowing." She saw that in all who are united to Christ, His life and Passion are reflected and repeated so that all suffering borne of love makes the soul Christ-like and serves in His redemptive work. The woman's hands were bleeding, but her heart was full of joy. Grace had struck with marvelous force. The next day she went to the Church of the Sorrowful Mother and asked to become a Catholic.

The same glorious Mother of God, standing by the Cross of Christ and interceding for the unity of all men, gives hope and courage to all the world. Mary worked a miracle with blinding light upon Alphonse Ratisbonne in Rome in the Church of Saint Andrea Della Fratte in 1842 and brought him to his knees and to the priesthood of Jesus. Though Our Lady does not work a miracle to remove the walled obstacles to her love, still her influence is most effective. Mary is the Mother of the Jewish people and with her there is neither bond nor free, neither Jew nor gentile - all are one." The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954

"O Michael, who hast strongly kept the way
Invaders sought, and hast undone their boast:
With thee may blest Saint Boniface now pray
And Mary Queen of Peace, and heav'nly host
That all misled by heresy, may search
The paths and find the Way of Holy Church.

"Ut omnes unum sint," O lord, we pray
That all be drawn within thy one, true fold,
Back to thy Church - from which the wand'rers stray
And the true Faith she keeps like saints of Old.
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep;
And rouse the heathen nations from their sleep. Amen"

Source: Catholic Hymns for the People, James Martin Raker 1919 -

Prayer intention: Return of European Protestants

•    Ant. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou has sent me.
      ℣. I say to thee, that thou art Peter,
      ℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.
      Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst say to Thine Apostles: peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, look not upon my sins, but upon the faith of Thy Church; and vouchsafe unto Her that peace and unity which is agreeable to Thy will: Who livest and reignest God forever and ever. Amen.

 + One decade (at least) of the Rosary for this particular intention, Holy Communion if possible.

Reflection:

There is little to be gained in criticizing Martin Luther today. Rather men should pray that those who follow him may come to a realization of the gift that he, and those who follow him, flung aside: veneration for the Mother of God. As a young priest Luther wrote and preached beautiful tributes to Mary. Even after he nailed his ninety-fives theses to the door of Wittenburg's Cathedral and turned his back on his Lord, he wrote in a commentary on the Magnificat: "If I had as many tongues as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand on the seashore, or leaves of all the forests, and if with all these tongues I did nothing but praise Mary day and night, I could never say anything half so glorious to her as that which is expressed in the single phrase: "Thou art the Mother of God."
In a short while he repudiated Our Lady too, but among his followers devotion to the Virgin did not die so quickly. In many places in the sixteenth century the Lutherans continued to celebrate the feast of the Assumption with meetings and canticles because the people would not give up the festival. At the present day many still demonstrate love for Mary by reciting the Rosary and there has been a notable increase of Marian devotion especially in the Evangelical Church of Mainz.

During the Holy Year of 1950 a Lutheran minister, Richard Baumann, made a pilgrimage to Rome. In writing of his experiences he frequently alluded to the Blessed Virgin. Of the Rosary he said: "...when the rosary is said, truth sinks in to the subconscious like a slow and steady downpour, the hammered sentences of the catechism receive an indelible validity for precisely the little ones..." He made special note of the fact that the symbolical books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church use the following phrases: "Mary, the pure, the holy, the ever-virgin, the God-Bearer, truly the Mother of God, worthy of the amplest praises. She will that we follow her example. She prays for the Church."

For the first time in four hundred years the sons of St. Francis have returned to Norway. The land that produced its St. Olaf and St. Magnus, its St. Hallvard and St. Eyestein is beginning to re-echo with the liturgy of the Church and its Aves in honor of the Mother of God. St. Canute of Denmark will live in other sons of the Church and St. Bridget and St. Catherine of Sweden will rise once more as modern heroines of God's family, if only a sufficient number of missioners will take the torch of faith and carry it full-flaming among men who know it not. In the prayer of the famous Barnabite priest, Fr. Karl Schilling, who labored so extensively for the conversion of the Scandinavian people, we ask divine blessings: "Good Jesus, I humbly fall at Thy feet and pray Thee by Thy holy wounds and by Thy Precious Blood which Thou has shed for the whole world, to look in mercy upon the Scandinavian people. Let astray hundreds of year ago, they are now separated from Thy Church and denied the inestimable benefit of the Sacrament of Thy Body and Blood, and also the many other means of grace which Thou hast instituted for the consolation of the faithful in life and in death.

Remember, O Saviour of the world, that for these souls also Thou didst shed Thy Precious Blood and endure untold sufferings.
Good Shepherd, lead these Thy sheep back to the wholesome pastures of Thy Church, so that they may be on flock together with us under Thy Vicar here on earth - the Bishop of Rome, who in the person of the Holy Apostle Peter was commissioned by Thee to care both for the lambs and for the sheep.

Hear, O merciful Jesus, these our petitions, which we make to Thee with full trust in the love of Thy Sacred Heart towards us, and to Thy Holy Name be glory, honor, and praise through all eternity."

Source: Father Titius Crannis, S.A. The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954

"Then those whom Thy true servant Gregory
Named "angels," and to make them such sent forth
Augustine and his forty monks - to free
From pagan thrall - to give their souls true worth:
Thy Pontiff be today a beacon bright
To lead them into unity's true light.

"Ut omnes unum sint," O lord, we pray
That all be drawn within thy one, true fold,
Back to Thy Church - from which the wand'rers stray
And the true Faith she keeps like saints of Old.
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep;
And rouse the heathen nations from their sleep. Amen"

Source: Catholic Hymns for the People, James Martin Raker 1919 -

Prayer intention: Submission of Anglicans to Christ's Vicar

•    Ant. That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in me and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that Thou has sent me.
      ℣. I say to thee, that thou art Peter,
      ℟. And upon this rock I will build my Church.
      Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst say to Thine Apostles: peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, look not upon my sins, but upon the faith of Thy Church; and vouchsafe unto Her that peace and unity which is agreeable to Thy will: Who livest and reignest God forever and ever. Amen.

 + One decade (at least) of the Rosary for this particular intention, Holy Communion if possible.

Reflection:

Prior to its separation from Rome in the sixteenth century England was so devoted to Our Lady as to merit the title, "Dowry of Mary." Its valleys and hillsides were dotted with her shrines; its people vied with each other in giving precious gifts to her altars. Every county and diocese abounded with prominent places of devotion: Canteburry, Ely, Lincoln, Worcester, York, and hundreds more. But most celebrated of all was Walsingham where even members of the nobility went in pilgrimage to honor the Mother of God.
King Edward III dedicated the kingdom to Mary as her dowry forever, and his grandson Richard II, confirmed the gift. In the English College at Rome there is an ancient painting showing Richard and his queen on their knees offering, though the hands of St. John, their country to the Blessed Virgin. Below are inscribed the words: "Do tue, Virgo pia, Haec est; quare rege Maria - This, O holy Virgin, is thy dowry; do thou, O Mary, reign over us. "
But England's devotion to Our Lady, is for the most part, a thing of the past. Sadly enough, one of the greatest devotees of Walsingham was Henry VIII; no king of England ever began his reign with greater devotion to this shrine than he who later plundered it and stripped its sanctuary of its gems and precious metals. The lone wall that starkly stands today is mute reminder of what a man did because he cast aside the love of the Mother of God. For more than three hundred years the faith was nearly stifled and devotion to Mary lay hidden, almost buried, in the hearts of a few faithful. But during the last century the Church began its re-conversion of the English nation, and it seems that the ancient prophecy is near fulfillment: "When England returns to Walsingham, then Mary will return to England."

For England is returning. The movement is gradual, but constant and steadily growing; each year sees and increase in conversions so that the Second Spring of which Newman spoke seems to have begun. With his sentiment men can pray to Mary: "Arise, and go forth in thy strength into that north country which once was thine own, and take possession of a land which knows thee not. From thy sweet eyes, from thy pure smile, from thy majestic brow, let then thousand influences rain down, not to confound or overwhelm but to persuade, to win over thine enemies. O Mary, my hope, O Mother undefiled, fulfill to us the promise of this Spring.

"But our prayer is not alone for the Anglicans of England, whether they be "high, low, or broad" but for all who belong to this communion in America, Canada, Indian and other parts of the world. It is a prayer to Our Lady which Pope Leo XIII first sent to England nearly sixty years ago:
O Blessed Mother of God and our most gently Queen and Mother look down in mercy upon England thy dowry and upon all who gently hope and trust in thee. By thee Jesus our Savior and our help was given to the world; and He has given thee to us that we might hope still more. Plead for us, thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross. O Sorrowful Mother! intercede for our separated brethren that they may be united with us in the one fold of the supreme shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son. Pray for us, dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works we may all deserve to see and praise God together with thee in our heavenly home."

Source: Father Titius Crannis, S.A. The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954



St. Mary, Garner NC, Picture used with permission ©MW

"The Rorate or Angel's Masses, are really Advent Masses, because they are said only in Advent. They are called Rorate Masses because the Introit begins with the words: "Rorate caeli desuper" - "Drop down dew, ye heavens." They are also called Angels' Masses, because the Gospel is read in which the Archangel Gabriel brought the Blessed Virgin Mary the message that she should conceive of the Holy Ghost.
(...)
They are said early in the morning, before the rising of the sun. It is still night when the bells ring out and give the first sign to the faithful, addressing to them, as it were, the words of the Apostle: "Brethren, know that it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep, for now our salvation is near." Roman 13:11. The faithful assemble in the church, where the Rorate Mass is said. Whilst the word outside is veiled in darkness, the church, especially the altar, is lighted up with many candles. A symbol rich in meaning. What does the mysterious obscurity outside signify but the darkness of idolatry, of sin, and of spiritual misery, in which man, after separating himself from God, lay buried; while the burning lights in the church remind us of Jesus Christ, the light of the world, "The Orient from on high hath visited us, to enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death." Luke 1: 78,79. The Rorate Masses, however, are not said at midnight, but in the morning, shortly before the break of day, for the reason that they refer to Mary, this spiritual dawn, which immediately precedes Jesus Christ, the Sun of Justice.

The Rorate Masses have a joyful celebration with solemn chant and the accompaniment of the organ. This is beautifully significant, first, because the Rorate Masses represent the mystery of the Incarnation of Christ, as a mystery which must fill every Christian heart with joy; secondly, because these Masses announce the mystery of the Incarnation near at hand, referring to Gabriel, who approaches Mary, and brings her the message that she has been selected by God to become the Mother of his Son.

(...)

The contents of these Masses refer in everything to the mystery of the Incarnation in the chaste womb of the blessed Virgin Mary.

a. The Introit of the Mass has reference to this mystery, "Drop down dew, ye heavens, and let the clouds rain the just; let the earth be opened, and bud forth a Saviour." Isaiah 45:8. These words express the mournful sighing of the people in the Old Law for the promised Redeemer, and form the principal idea of Advent. This longing for the coming of the Redeemer must animate us; for, if Jesus is to come into our hearts with His grace, we must have a longing for Him. To him who has no desire to possess Jesus, our Christmas will be as little of a festival of grace as the first Christmas at Bethlehem was to Herod, to the high-priest, the Scribes, and the Pharisees. The Incarnation of Christ is also the prevailing sentiment in the three prayers of the Rorate Masses.

b. The Epistle contains the prophecy of Isaiah on the conception and birth of Christ by the Blessed Virgin Mary. By the command of God, the prophet had called upon Achaz, King of Judea, to ask for a sign from heaven, that his faith might thereby be strengthened. But Achaz, perverse as he was, rejected this invitation, and told the prophet that he would ask no sign. The prophet reprimanded him, and told him that God Himself would give a wonderful sign; which he recalled to him in these words: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son, and he shall be called Emmanuel." Is. 7:14. The Virgin of whom the prophet here speaks is the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Emmanuel, that is, God-with-us, whom she was to conceive and bring forth, is Jesus Christ.

The fulfillment of this prophecy is narrated in the Gospel of the Rorate Masses. It is the same Gospel which read on the Feast of the Annunciation of Mary, and treats of the mystery of the Incarnation. At the very moment when Mary said to the angel: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word," the greatest miracle of the love and mercy of God was performed. The Son of God assumed human nature in the chaste womb of the Virgin Mary. This Gospel forms the boundary line between the Old and the New Testaments; with it the time of expectation is concluded, and the fulfillment of grace begins. For this reason, the Church celebrates the Rorate Masses early in the morning, before dawn, for the night is passed, and day is at hand.

Peroration:

Reflect on the great and solemn mysteries which the Church, in her masses on the Sundays during Advent, and especially in the Rorate Masses, presents to you, and labor with renewed zeal that you may employ this holy season of Advent for the salvation of your souls. Contemplate the great misery into which the human race had fallen; reflect upon the mercies of God, who, in the very beginning, promised, and after four thousand years sent a Redeemer. Consider also what you would be without a Redeemer, and what you are, or rather still may be through him. Practice those holy exercises which are necessary in order to worthily prepare for Christmas and to participate in the graces of that festival. Amen"

Source: The Pulpit Orator, By Rev. Zollner 1884

Devotion for the Month of December:  the Immaculate Conception

Virtue for the month of September: Union

Qui manet in eharitate, in Deo manet, et Deus in eo — Whoabidethin charity, abideth in God, and God in him. — I John, iv : 16.

 The object of all virtues is to bring us into union with God, in which alone is laid up all the happines that can be enjoyed in this world. Now, in what does ibis unioa properly consist ? In nothing save a perfect conformity and resemblance between our will and the will of God, so that these two wills are absolutely alike — there is nothing in one repugnant to the otber ; all that one wishes and loves, the other wishes and loves ; whatever pleases or displeases one, pleases or displeases the other. — St. John of the Cross.

Fra Angelico: The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs

Halloween was originally a day of Fasting by Philip Kosloski

St. Raphael

"AMONG the holy archangels, three are particularly distinguished in the Scriptures, SS. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. This day is appointed in honor of St. Raphael, whose name signifies the Healing of God. The archangel Raphael was sent to conduct the younger Tobias on his journey to Rages, and carefully directed and guarded him on his way, appearing as an Israelite, under the name of Azarias. He conducted the young man to the house of his virtuous kinsman, and procured for him the person, who by a special providence had been reserved for his wife. The holy angel brought them both home in safety to the aged parents of Tobias; and by his direction the young man anointed the eyes of his father who was blind, and he was immediately restored to sight. For all these valuable services, the father and son were anxious to reward the faithful Azarias, and begged him to accept of half of all things that they had brought. Then the heavenly messenger discovered to them who he really was; and invited them to bless the God of heaven, because he had shewn mercy to them. For," said he, "I am Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the Lord." And when they had heard these things, they were troubled, and being seized with fear, they fell upon the ground on their face. And the angel said to them: Peace be to you, fear not. For when I was with you, I was there by the will of God: bless ye Him, and sing praises to Him. It is time therefore that I return to Him that sent me: but bless ye God, and publish all His wonderful works. And when he had said these things, he was taken from their sight, and they could see him no more." (Tob. xii.) See, says St. Augustin, how great is the merit of alms-deeds, for which Tobias was so remarkable, and which brought down an archangel from heaven to serve him.