Feast of Our Most Holy Redeemer
by VP
Posted on Wednesday October 23, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
St. Joseph Catholic Church, Raleigh NC
All mankind lying under the guilt of sin, were by this rendered enemies to God, and incapable of doing
anything, whereby to make peace with Him; and therefore, had man not
been redeemed, he must have been lost for ever. But would God have been
less happy, if man had been for ever miserable? Or, if God had left man, as he did the fallen angels, under the eternal guilt of his sin, would this have lessened that infinite bliss, which God essentially enjoys within himself? Nothing of all this. Therefore, as leaving the fallen angels in their sin was the effect of his justice; so redeeming man from sin was the sole effect of his mercy. But then, to deliver up his Son to redeem a slave, is the excess of so infinite a mercy, that it is to be feared that we celebrate the memory of it without serious thought, or returning the least part of that adoration and gratitude which we are bound to pay.
Our hearts indeed should be impressed with a lasting sense of love and gratitude, sufficient to preserve us in perpetual fidelity to so merciful a God, and so loving a Redeemer. For this end the Church has appointed this day, to encourage all her children to make our redemption through Christ the serious entertainment of our hearts. The same ought to be renewed every day, and as often as we bow at the holy name of Jesus, to express our love and adoration for the mercies of our divine Redeemer." Source: The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John Gother
Feast of the Maternity of Mary
by VP
Posted on Friday October 11, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Our Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Priests, Holy Name Cathedral, Raleigh NC
"We honor, on this festival, that singular privilege of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to be the Mother of the world's Redeemer. She conceived of the Holy Ghost; and the eternal Son of God, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, took flesh of her,
in order to be born man for our salvation. We are called upon this day
to give thanks to God for this wonderful dignity and favor conferred on our Blessed Lady, that she should be the Mother of God.
We are invited to make our requests to our Blessed Redeemer, that as
for our salvation, He was pleased to be humbled, and chose for His
mother a virgin, who being full of grace, and blessed among women, was, notwithstanding these great prerogatives, the most
humble too, so He would vouchsafe to take from us all pride, and give
us an humble spirit, that so we may be in earnest His disciples. What
was the very motive for which she was chosen out of all women to that great dignity, must be the thing most desired by all who seek to be his. This dignity of Mother of God, is the crown and perfection of her excellence. What may we not hope from the powerful intercession and loving patronage of such
a mother? With what confidence ought we to implore her protection and
intercession in life, but especially in death, when we shall stand most
in need of the protection of Mary. We daily recite the Hail Mary, and therein invoke our Blessed Lady, as the Holy Mother of God;
but we should strive to recite it with ardent devotion and lively
confidence, earnestly desiring to commend ourselves to her powerful
patronage. All the favors conferred by the Almighty on other saints, were not to be compared to that reserved for Mary. She was His peculiar choice, and furnished with His graces to bear the most illustrious and exalted title of honor that heaven could bestow on a creature, to conceive and bring forth the Divine Word made man. Pray on this day that the Holy Mother of God would be a mother to you also." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
"We exhort all those who glory in being the followers of Christ, and who place in Him their own hope and salvation and that of human society, that they should ever join themselves more firmly and more closely to this Roman Church, in which alone Christ is believed in with whole and perfect faith, is worshiped with the sincere worship of adoration, and is beloved with the perpetual flame of burning charity. Let them remember, and in particular those who preside over a flock separated from Us, that the faith which their fathers solemnly professed at Ephesus is preserved unchanged and is strenuously defended, as in past ages so also in the present, by this supreme Chair of Truth. Let them remember that the unity of this genuine faith rests and stands firm only on the one rock set by Christ, and can be preserved safe and intact by the supreme authority of the successors of Blessed Peter.
Desiring
that there may be a liturgical monument of this commemoration, which
may help to nourish the piety of clergy and people towards the great
Mother of God, We have commanded Our supreme council presiding over
Sacred Rites to publish an Office and Mass of the Divine Maternity, which is to be celebrated by the universal Church." Encyclical: Lux Veritatis, Pope Pius XI, 1931.
Liturgical notes on the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (New Liturgical Movement)
Prayer:
Mary, Mother of Jesus, throw your mantle of purity over our priests. Protect them, guide them, and keep them in your heart. Be a Mother to them, especially in times of discouragement and loneliness. Love them and keep them belonging completely to Jesus. Like Jesus, they, too, are your sons, so keep their hearts pure and virginal. Keep their minds filled with Jesus, and put Jesus always on their lips, so that He is the one they offer to sinner and to all they meet.Mary, Mother of Jesus, be their Mother, loving them and bringing them joy. Take special care of sick and dying priests, and the ones most tempted. Remember how they spent their youth and old age, their entire lives serving and giving all to Jesus. Mary, bless them and keep a special place for them in your heart. Give them a piece of your heart, so beautiful and pure and immaculate, so full of love and humility, so that they, too, can grow in the likeness of Christ. Dear Mary, make them humble like you, and holy like Jesus. Amen.
Our Lady of the Rosary
by VP
Posted on Monday October 07, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
"In its present form, the rosary was made known to the world by St. Dominic at the time of the struggles with the Albigensians, that social war of such ill-omen for the Church. The rosary was then of more avail than armed forces against the power of Satan; it is now the Church's last resource. It would seem that, the ancient forms of social prayer being no longer relished by the people, the holy Spirit has willed by this easy and ready summary of the liturgy to maintain, in the isolated devotion of these unhappy times, the essential of that life of prayer, faith, and Christian virtue, which the public celebration of the Divine Office formerly kept up among the nations. Before the thirteenth century, popular piety was already familiar with what was called the Psalter of the laity, that is, the angelical salutation repeated one hundred and fifty times; it was the distribution of these Hail Marys into decades, each devoted to the consideration of a particular mystery, that constituted the rosary. Such was the divine expedient, simple as the eternal Wisdom that conceived it, and far-reaching in its effects; for while it led wandering man to the Queen of Mercy, it obviated ignorance which is the food of heresy, and taught him to find once more the paths consecrated by the Blood of the Man-God, and by the tears of His Mother.
Thus speaks the great Pontiff who, in the universal sorrow of these days, has again pointed out the means of salvation more than once experienced by our fathers. Leo XIII, in his encyclicals, has consecrated the present month to this devotion so dear to heaven; he has honored our Lady in her litanies with a new title, Queen of the most holy rosary;1 and he has given the final development to the solemnity of this day, by raising it to the rank of a second class feast, and by enriching it with a proper Office explaining its permanent object.2 Besides all this, the feast is a memorial of glorious victories, which do honor to the Christian name.
Soliman II, the greatest of the Sultans, taking advantage of the confusion caused in the west by Luther, had filled the sixteenth century with terror by his exploits. He left to his son, Selim II, the prospect of being able at length to carry out the ambition of his race: to subjugate Rome and Vienna, the Pope and the emperor, to the power of the crescent. The Turkish fleet had already mastered the greater part of the Mediterranean, and was threatening Italy, when, on October 7, 1571, it came into action, in the Gulf of Lepanto, with the pontifical galleys supported by the fleets of Spain and Venice. It was Sunday; throughout the world the confraternities of the rosary were engaged in their work of intercession. Supernaturally enlightened, St. Pius V watched from the Vatican the battle undertaken by the leader he had chosen, Don John of Austria, against the three hundred vessels of Islam. The illustrious Pontiff, whose life's work was now completed, did not survive to celebrate the anniversary of the triumph; but he perpetuated the memory of it by an annual commemoration of our Lady of Victory. His successor, Gregory XIII, altered this title to our Lady of the rosary, and appointed the first Sunday of October for the new feast, authorizing its celebration in those churches which possessed an altar under that invocation." The Liturgical Year: Time after Pentecost ) By Dom Prosper Guéranger
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God, the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Our Lady of Victory, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant Daughter of the Father, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant Mother of the Son, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant Spouse of the Holy Ghost, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant choice of the Most Holy Trinity, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy Immaculate Conception, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in crushing the head of the serpent, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant over all the children of Adam, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant over all our enemies, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the embassy of the Angel Gabriel, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy espousal with St. Joseph, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant at the scene of Bethlehem, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy flight into Egypt, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy exile, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy humble dwelling at Nazareth, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in finding thy Divine Child in the temple, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the earthly life of Our Lord, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in His Passion and Death, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the Resurrection, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the Ascension, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the descent of the Holy Ghost, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy sorrows, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy joys, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the angels who remained faithful, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the felicity of the blessed, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the graces of the just, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the announcement of the prophets, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the desires of the patriarchs, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the zeal of the apostles, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the light of the evangelists, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the wisdom of the doctors, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the crowns of the confessors, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the purity of the numerous bands of virgins, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in the triumphs of the martyrs, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant in thy all-powerful intercession, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant under thy many titles, pray for us
Our Lady of Victory, triumphant at the hour of our death, pray for us
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 for us, O Blessed Lady of Victory !
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
O
Victorious Lady ! thou who hast ever such powerful influence with thy
Divine Son in conquering the hardest of hearts, intercede for those for
whom we pray, that their hearts being softened by the rays of Divine
grace, they may return to the unity of the true Faith, through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Priests' First Saturday
by VP
Posted on Saturday October 05, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Mary as Mother of Priests is in the Dominican Priory Church of the Holy Cross in Leicester. by Lawrence OP
"Listen to what our Holy Father, Pope Pius XI, says: " God in heaven and I on earth, we desire nothing more ardently than prayer and sacrifice for priests...Let us beg God that He may give holy priests! If we have this, all else will follow; but if this be wanting, all else will avail nothing." It was from this trend of thought that the idea of the Priest's Saturday" took its origin, which idea the Superior General of the Salvatorian Fathers placed before the Holy Father in special private audience on November 21, 1934. His Holiness was much pleased with the plan and said, in conclusion: "We heartily praise and bless the work....We repeat, the thing pleases Us, We praise and bless it heartily."
What is the plan?
The Priest's Saturday:
It is something quite simple and easy, yet immeasurable great in its results. You should make it a point to offer the Saturday after the First Friday of each month to your Savior, through the hands of Mary, the great mediatrix of all graces, for the sanctification of all the priests and students for the priesthood throughout the whole world. For this purpose you should give the Saturday wholly and entirely to Him, that is to say, Holy Mass, Holy Communion, all prayers, labors, sacrifices, joys and sorrows. Whatever you cannot do on this day (Holy Mass and Holy Communion) you ought to supply immediately on Sunday. So there is really nothing new for you to do. You merely offer up this Saturday (or even every Saturday or some other day) for the sanctification of priests. It is not a case of any sodality of fraternity or anything like that. Like the First Friday in honor of the Sacred Heart, the Priest's Saturday seeks to become something religiously observed by all the Catholics of the world.
(...) Concern about the holiness of priests is the concern of the Heart of the Divine Savior and of His blessed Mother. Therefore, you also should be sure to take part in this "apostolate to the apostles. " The Holy Father, all bishops, all priests, all students for the priesthood, and especially also your own pastor, earnestly beg of you thus to participate."
Source: Priest's Saturday Series, #2 Prayers and Devotions for Priest's Day. used with permission
Priests' First Saturday. Prayer:
Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, Who hast
entrusted the whole work of Thy redemption, the welfare and salvation of
the world, to priests as Thy representatives, through the hands of Thy
most holy Mother and for the sanctification of Thy priests and
candidates for the priesthood I offer Thee this present day wholly and
entirely, with all its prayers, works, sacrifices, joys, and sorrows.
Give truly holy priests who, inflamed with the fire of Thy divine love,
seek nothing but Thy greater glory and the salvation of our souls.
And thou, Mary, good Mother of priests, protect all priests in the
dangers of their holy vocation and, with the loving hand of a Mother,
also lead back to the Good Shepherd those poor priests who have become
unfaithful to their exalted vocation and have gone astray. Amen
In addition to the above make it a point also to recite frequently the following:
Divine Savior, Jesus Christ, Who Hast entrusted the weal and woes of
Thy Holy Church to priests, with all the fervor of my heart I recommend
to Thee the wants of my pastor and all priests. Enrich them more and
more with true priestly sanctity. Give them generous, all embracing,
apostolic hearts, full of love for Thee and for all Thy souls, so that
they, being themselves sanctified in Thee, may sanctify us who are
confided to their care, and may lead us safely to heaven. Bestow upon
them in rich abundance all Thy priestly graces!
Let them ever
give us a glowing example of love and fidelity towards Holy Mother
Church, towards the Pope, and bishops, and grant that by word and
example they may shine as models of every virtue.
Most loving
Jesus, bless all their priestly labors and sacrifices! Bless all their
prayers and words at the altar and in the confessional, in the pulpit,
and in school, in confraternities, and at the bedside of the sick!
Protect and preserve them in all dangers from within and from without.
Divine Savior, give to Thy Church priests who abound in true holiness!
Call many good boys and young men to the priestly and religious state!
Aid and sanctify all those who are to become Thy priests! And to the
souls of departed priests grant everlasting rest.
But to me
give a true spirit of faith and humble obedience, in order that in my
pastor I may ever behold the representative of God and willingly follow
all his teachings. Amen
Guardian Angels
by VP
Posted on Wednesday October 02, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Felix Castello: Guardian Angel
Angel-guardian of men, spirits and powers we sing,
whom our Father hath sent, aids to our weakly frame,
Heavenly friends and guides, help from on high to bring,
Lest we fail through the foeman's wile.
He, the spoiler of souls, Angel-traitor of old,
Cast in merited wrath out of his honored place,
Burns with envy and hate, seeking their souls to gain
Whom God's mercy invites to heaven.
Therefore come to our help, watchful ward of our lives;
Turn aside from the land God to thy care confides
Sickness and woe of soul, yea, and what else of ill
Peace of heart to it folk denies.
Now to the Holy Three praise evermore resounds:
Under whose hand divine resteth the triple world
Governed in wondrous wise: Glory be theirs and might
While the ages unending Run.
North Carolina Catholic Sept 28 1951
"THIS day is observed by the universal Church in honour of our guardian angels. Fail not to give God thanks for all the help and protection which you receive from those ministering spirits. Let the many examples of both old and new Testament excite your faith and hope, as to this point. Recommend yourself to the charity and protection of your angel guardian: beseech him to go before you in all your ways, and deliver you from all the snares of the infernal spirits, and particularly to stand by you at the hour of death.
Eternal praise is due to God for his mercy to sinners, who knowing how very blind and weak we are in the midst of so many dangers, with which we are encompassed, has given us in charge to his holy angels, to take care of us, that what is wanting to us, through our manifold infirmities, may be supplied by their power and charity; and that by them we may be defended from enemies, delivered from dangers, and conducted to a place of rest, in the participation of that happiness which they enjoy. For this mercy, it is our duty, particularly on this day, to bow down and adore our God; and beg that under the care of our good angels, our lives, in virtue and good discipline, may be a perpetual homage of thanksgiving. We must beg those blessed spirits to supply for what is wanting in us, giving praise to the Lord of glory, in everlasting hymns, for his infinite goodness to us, who have every provision made for us to become eternally glorious with them in heaven.
At the same time it is our duty to make a good use of these mercies of our God, and be careful not to render his blessings unprofitable to us by our sins. Whatever helps we receive from his creatures, are the effects of his bounty, and thanks are due for them. And since the end of God's ordinances is his own glory and our salvation, we must take care that our lives be so directed, as to answer these purposes of his infinite wisdom and providence.
Pray therefore to your good angel, to direct your feet in the ways of peace, to defend you from all evil spirits, and to help you, as often as the violence of temptation puts you in danger of sin. Always have a great reverence for your angel guardian, and remember his holy presence. Let the sense of his presence be a salutary check to every evil thought, word or action; and let it be a source of consolation
to you, and an encouragement to good. Beseech him to procure for you
help to avoid sin, to perform all your duties, to overcome the world and yourself, and persevere in the love and service of your Creator, till you come to praise him with the choirs of angels for ever." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Month of October
by VP
Posted on Tuesday October 01, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Only two means are left to save Her (the Church) amidst so much confusion: Frequent Communion and Devotion to Mary most holy, making use of every means and doing our best to practice them and having them practiced everywhere and by everybody. -- Don Bosco
Devotion for the month of October: Rosary for the Sanctification of Priests
Virtue of the month of October: Confidence
Month of September
by VP
Posted on Sunday September 01, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Our Lady of Sorrows, Sacred Heart, Dunn NC
Devotion for the month of September: Our Lady of Sorrows
"Our Lady, Mother of Sorrows pray for Priests, your special sons. Strengthen their faith and love of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament, so that they may turn to Him for the grace they need to live a life faithful to their calling. Bring comfort, consolation and courage to those who are suffering under the weight of the Cross. Give them the love of your Son and zeal for the honor and glory of God, and the salvation of souls. Amen"
Virtue for the month of September: Prayer
"One of the acts of the virtue of religion. All intelligent creatures are bound to thing about God and to hold converse with Him; in other words, to pray to Him.
Prayer in this wide sense may be defined to be the raising of our minds to God, "ascensus mentis ad Deum." It may be either purely mental or vocal, that is, expressed in language.
The four great acts of prayer are Adoration (the acknowledgment of God's supreme majesty, and our entire dependence upon Him.),Thanksgiving, Petition, and in the event of our having offended Him, Contrition.The third of these, Petition, is so important that the word prayer (precari) conveys this notion alone: and it is of that we shall here chiefly speak.
The objections to prayer arise from two entirely opposite errors, chance, and fate. If all that happens takes place without any kind of power to regulate it, or if everything is governed by rigid law which cannot be controlled, then of course it is useless to pray. But reason and revelation alike tell us that the world is ruled by the Providence of God. We firmly uphold the existence of law in the universe, but at the same time we maintain that God, the author of this law, can counteract, suspend or change it at His pleasure. Thus we pray for rain, fine weather, or health because we believe that God is the Lord of heaven and earth, "Who worketh all things according to the counsel of His will" (Eph. i. 11; Mt. v.45; Acts xiv. 14-16). How God brings about the answers to our prayers cannot be exactly determined. The late W. G. Ward discussed the subject in a pamphlet entitled, "Science, Prayer, Free Will, and miracles."
Prayer, being an act of religion, should be addressed to God. We pray to Him, not because He does not already know our needs, but because He wills that we should ourselves put them before Him and beg Him to grant them. Although our Lord said, "Your Father knoweth that you have need of these things" (Mt. vi. 32), yet He also told us "that we ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Lk. xviii.1). It is God alone Who can give us what we ask for. This, however, does not prevent us from praying to certain of God's creatures. We ask God directly to grant us our petitions; we ask the Blessed Virgin, the angels, and the saints to ask God to grant them, "And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angels" (Apoc. viii. 4.)
Should we specify our petitions, and, if so, what may we ask for? St. Thomas considers that the opinion of Socrates, that we should merely ask for what is good for us, is only partially true. Some things we know to be certainly good for us, and these we may specify: the Lord's Prayer contains a number of specific petitions. This being granted, the general rule is that laid down by St. Augustine: we may pray for whatever we may lawfully desire. Hence we may ask for even temporal blessings, not indeed for their own sake, but as aids to our spiritual welfare. According to the Apostle we should pray for all men. (1 Tim.ii.). Charity bids us help our neighbor on the road to salvation, and prayer is one of the most potent means of doing so (1 Jn. v. 16; James v. 16; Rom xv.). The order in which we should pray for others follows the order of Charity, and depends upon their nearness to us and their needs. With regard to enemies, we are bound to pray for them in general - not excluding them from the benefit of our prayers. To pray for them specially belongs not to precept but to counsel. (Mt. v. 44.)
It is obvious that as prayer is a thinking about God and speaking with him, it should be performed with great attention and devotion. Merely to utter the words is no prayer. "This people honoreth Me with their lips but their heart is far from Me" (Mt. xv. 7). St. Thomas distinguishes three kinds or degrees of attention: to the words, to the meaning of the words, and to the object of the prayer, that is, to God and what we pray for. It is the last kind that is required. To keep one's attention fixed on an unseen object is difficult, and consequently we are very liable to mind-wandering when we pray. But if our distractions are not wilful - if whenever we recollect ourselves we try once more to fix our attention to God - our prayer is not altogether unfruitful. To be willfully distracted would be sinful. The best plan is to collect our thoughts for a few moments before kneeling down. "Before prayer prepare thy soul, and be not as a man that tempteth God" (Ecclus. xviii. 23)"
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
by VP
Posted on Thursday August 15, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Palma Vecchio: Assumption of Mary
Munificentissimus Deus: Defining the Dogma of the Assumption, Pope Pius XII,
"Queen of heaven, thy immense love for God maketh thee likewise love His Church. We pray thee, come to its help amidst the ills under which it is now suffering, rent asunder as she is by her own children. Thy prayers, being a mother’s, can obtain all from that God Who loveth Thee so well. Pray then, pray for the Church; ask for enlightenment for so many unbelievers who are persecuting it, and obtain for faithful souls the necessary strength to resist being caught in the snares of the unbelievers who would drag them down into their own ruin." Source: St. Alphonsusʼ Prayer Book (Father Edward Saint Omer, Redemptorist.1888)
The Assumption of the B. V Mary.
"THIS solemnity is in memory of the happy passage of the Blessed Virgin out of this life into the kingdom of her Son. Pray for a happy death; prepare for it, and be assured that the best preparation for it is a holy life.
It is to celebrate that happy privilege, which by a pious tradition we have received, of her being assumed into heaven, and glorified both in body and soul. Adore the wonderful goodness of God, and bless Him for all the privileges of grace and glory bestowed on the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her soul magnified our Lord: join with her in giving praise to Him, who is the author of every good gift.
Though the general resurrection is the time appointed for our souls to be again united to our bodies, yet it is in the power of God to exempt some from this general decree. This power He has certainly manifested in those, who at Christ's resurrection took up their bodies, and appeared to their friends in Jerusalem. He dispensed with Enoch and Elias, as to the general sentence of death at the usual time; and these He dispensed with in the anticipation of the general resurrection. For it is easy for that power, which makes a decree, to privilege some with an exemption, and to do to some only, from particular motives, what He could have done to all, if He had so pleased. The power admits of no dispute; and that the Blessed Virgin had a part in this privilege may be easily allowed. For this is not so particular as those other privileges, which were granted to her, in being Mother of God, in being both mother and virgin. And this more especially since we know how great was her humility, who being raised to the highest dignity, considered herself the meanest of God's servants. We need not doubt that God has exalted her in proportion to her humility: and that as she reputed herself the lowest of all, so he, who regarded her humility, has raised her above all. This none of the faithful can question: but whether this has been as to her soul only, or both in body and soul, the Church has not positively declared. It is plain, however, that she inclines to the pious belief that the Blessed Virgin was assumed both body and soul; and will not the faithful do well to believe the same? But however this maybe, the joy of this festival is still the same. For as we honor world, so we have the departure of other saints out of this reason to honor and rejoice on this day, when the Blessed Virgin, who had been chosen Mother of Christ, left this world, and entered into the possession of those joys, which her divine son had prepared for her. It was a day of joy and glory to her; it ought to be a day of joy and thanksgiving to us. In these holy transports our souls ought to pour themselves forth before God; and then turning back our thoughts upon ourselves, we are to consider whether, as we are created for the same happiness, we are in so holy a disposition, as to hope that the day of our departure will be to us a day of joy, in opening us a passage into bliss.
This hope cannot be reasonable, except we discover in ourselves some proportion at least of those graces and virtues by which the soul of the Blessed Virgin was prepared for the happiness of this day. It is the love of God, humility, purity, patience, the spirit of adoration, praise and thanksgiving, that must be the ground of these hopes; these being the necessary dispositions, by which our souls must be prepared for the state of bliss. For that being a state, wherein the souls of the blessed are for ever magnifying and adoring our Lord, how can a Christian be prepared for this, but by the spirit of adoration here? That being a state of perfect union with God in love and submission, how can a Christian be prepared for this, but by loving Him here, and by perpetual endeavors to approve and embrace His will in all things? That being a state of infinite holiness and purity; what other preparation can there be for it, but by daily disengaging our souls from sin and impurity, and ever laboring to obtain clean hearts. It is certainly a great delusion to think of being translated to that life of infinite perfection, from a worldly and sinful life. There must be nuptial robes for as many as are to be admitted to the marriage of the Lamb. And if all others are to be cast forth into utter darkness, who come not thus vested, what hopes can they have, who in this life, when they should be making preparation, have their souls covered with no other garments but those of slaves, of the enemies of God, and of sin? The life of the just in heaven, and on earth, is the same, consisting in the knowledge and love of God; and the difference of one life from the other, is only in the different degrees of this knowledge and love. So that the qualifications which make up the justice of this life, being the same with those of the life eternal, there is nothing more necessary for the just on earth to become eternally blessed, but only the augmenting those very gifts, with which their souls are found enriched at the hour of their death; God then perfecting His work by glory, which was begun and carried on here by His grace. How then can those Christians, in reason, hope to have any part in this happiness, who have none of those graces in them, which are to be perfected by glory? Can the knowledge and love of God be perfected in those souls, which have neither the knowledge nor love of God in them? They have more reason to apprehend that those very affections and passions, with which their souls are disordered at the hour of their deaths, will then be augmented, their ingratitude, disobedience, aversion to God's law and will, their pride, self-love, and sensuality. Heaven being not accessible to these abominations, whither must they go, but to the place of eternal confusion, where being incapable of change, their souls will for all eternity lie under those very disorders, in which death found them?
Have not then all Christians great reason to be preparing their souls all their lives, and not to put off this work to the last
hour? For who knows if they shall then have that time, which they now
promise themselves? Who knows if their sickness will be such, as to give
them opportunity of then undertaking this work? And if they do undertake it, how very little hopes can they have of finishing it? Will the divine grace be then at their command, which they have neglected all their lives? Christ said to the Jews,
that they would seek Him, and yet die in their sins. These seek Christ
then, but not seeking Him as they ought, may not find Him, who has been
so often rejected by them. And though they come to confession, and find
their hearts then oppressed with grief, yet who can say that this may
not be more a natural trouble, than contrition for their sins? Who can
give hopes that this works now in a moment that effectual change in
their souls, of which they had so long before thought, but without any effect? This can be the effect of nothing
less than a miraculous grace: and are miracles to be expected by those
who have so long been obstinate against all ordinary helps? Truly there
appear so many difficulties in this case, that they must be
presumptuously mad, who expose their salvation to this hazard. This is
not the method of the saints whom we honor: it is not the lesson which we learn from our Master, who knowing the danger of the last
hour, commands us to be prepared against it: Be you also ready. Teach
us, O Jesus, this lesson, that when Thou callest, we may be found
watching. Deliver us from all the effects of sloth
and presumption; and since what we desire is to enjoy Thy presence, may
we never permit any disorder in our souls, which would exclude us from
this happiness." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord.
by VP
Posted on Tuesday August 06, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
The Transfiguration by James Tissot
"AN ancient festival of the Church, in memory of the glorious transfiguration of Christ on mount Thabor, in presence of three of his
apostles, when a voice was heard from heaven saying: "This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him." Pray for a true
sense of this mystery; that as Christ's apostles, by this foretaste of glory, were prepared to suffer, and to regard all troubles of this life as inconsiderable, in comparison of the eternal weight of glory to be purchased by them; so you may conceive this day so true an idea of future happiness, as not to value all the difficulties of this life, so that you may but secure your portion with the blessed. Pray for this heartily; for if you had a true sense of the goods
to come, you would be more diligent in all duties, and less concerned
in all troubles. All your neglect, sloth, and impatience proceed from
this root: and you love this world, because you take no pains to know the next. Endeavor therefore to form a lively idea of that glorious state, which God has prepared for those that serve him, where souls shall be brought to the presence of their God, where they shall be filled with the glory of his majesty, penetrated with the sweetness of his adorable mercy, overflow with the transporting love of his goodness, and see themselves so encompassed with unspeakable comforts and joys on every side, as to be out of all danger of interruption, change or end. If your soul is penetrated with a vigorous and quickening faith of this goodness and mercy of God, and his love to man, this faith will so prepare you for the trials of this life, as to think no suffering hard, which is the way to this happiness. O God, when will the thoughts of future glory so possess our souls, as to make us despise all the goods and evils of this life? Thabor is our encouragement; but Calvary is the way of bliss. Offer yourself with indifference to both; and beseech God to confirm you in this spirit." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Month of August
by VP
Posted on Thursday August 01, 2024 at 12:00AM in Tradition
Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, St. Anthony of Padua NC
Devotion for the Month of August: Blessed Sacrament and the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Virtue for the month of August: Diligence
What is diligence? Diligence is a virtue which enables us to serve God readily and cheerfully, to promote His honor as much as lies in our power, and faithfully to perform all our duties.
Application: Unless you perseveringly struggle with your wicked inclinations, you will never acquire the Christian Virtues; therefor fight faithfully until death, and God will give you the crown of life. (Apoc.ii.10) A Full Catechism of the Catholic Faith by Fr. Joseph Deharbe SJ 1883
Sloth is a laziness of soul, by which persons neglect to begin, or to perform, such things as are necessary for salvation; for, as one of the deadly sins, it means spiritual sloth. The more this sloth is indulged, the more burdensome it becomes. The slothful Christian has indeed faith; but is is a dead faith; because he neglects to keep it alive by good works. We are sent into the world, not to live at our ease, but to work our our salvation; and to succeed in this work, we must bot only be resolute in "declining from evil;" but diligent also in "doing good." (example of the five foolish Virgins; and also of the slothful servant.)
Diligence or spiritual fervor is a virtue by which we are zealous in laboring for the service of God, and the salvation of our soul: it makes the duties of Religion appear, not burdensome or tedious, but easy and agreeable; - it keeps the lamp of our faith burning with the oil of good works; and so causes us to be always ready, like the give wise Virgins; and, having made us rich in good works, it will entitle us, at our entrance into eternity, to hear from our Lord these consoling words: "Well done, good and faithful servant; because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
A full course of instructions for the use of Catechists, by Rev. Fr. John Perry 1852