SS. Fabian and Sebastian, MARTYRS, A.D. 250 AND 288.
by VP
Posted on Sunday January 19, 2025 at 11:00PM in Saints
"ST. FABIAN was bishop of Rome, and succeeded St. Anterus in the year 236. Eusebius relates that he was elected in consequence of a miraculous sign of a dove appearing over his head. He governed the Church sixteen years, and died a glorious martyr in the persecution of Decius, in the year 250. St. Cyprian calls him an incomparable man; and says that the glory of his death had answered the purity and holiness of his life. Pray for the present bishop of that holy see, that in piety and zeal for his flock, he may imitate his holy predecessors. Pray for yourself, that in all afflictions you may suffer with the meekness, submission, and patience of the martyrs.
St. Sebastian was chief commander under Dioclesian. For encouraging and assisting the persecuted Christians, he was, by order of the emperor, bound to a tree, shot with arrows, and left for dead. Irene, a pious widow, going to bury him, found him still alive, and took him to her lodgings; where by care, he recovered of his wounds, but refused to fly. He even reproached the emperor for his unjust cruelties to the Christians. This freedom of speech greatly astonished the emperor, especially from a person whom he supposed to have been dead. But recovering from his surprise, he gave orders for St. Sebastian to be beaten with cudgels, which finished his glorious martyrdom.
Pray for the spirit of charity
so eminent in this saint; that according to your circumstances, you may
be ever ready to counsel, comfort and relieve those who are in
distress. It is the most effectual means of drawing down the divine
assistance for your own help: for your charity to others opens God's
hands to you. Pray for all soldiers, that they may be better prepared
for death than too generally they are: and pray for their commanders,
that they may keep up Christian, as well as military discipline." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Our Lady's Intercession
by VP
Posted on Saturday January 18, 2025 at 11:00PM in Sunday Sermons
Wedding at Cana, Jacques Tissot
"And the Mother of Jesus was there."-JOHN ii. 2.
1. The incident of the marriage feast.
2. How like a Mother was Mary there.
3. The same loving Mother is she to us.
4. Her intercession for us cannot be refused by her divine Son.
"A plain, simple, but very consoling lesson is taught us in this Gospel, for it reveals to us the thoughtful, tender kindness of one who is not only the Mother of Jesus, but our own blessed Mother too. Recall the incident. Our Blessed Lord has just called the Apostles. The day after our Lord had been baptized, John the Baptist, as the Gospel tells us (John 1. 36), saw Him walking, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." And two of his disciples, who heard this, followed Jesus. St. Andrew was one of them, and he brought Peter to the Lord. And the following day he brought Philip, and he brought Nathaniel. And the third day there was a marriage at Cana of Galilee, "and the Mother of Jesus was there. And Jesus also was invited, and His disciples, to the marriage.”
Our Lady was a simple guest there, but, whilst others were enjoying themselves, she, with that tender mother's heart of hers, was thinking of the comfort and happiness of others. She noticed that the wine was running short, and unbidden, uncalled for, just simply to prevent the confusion and shame of the bride and bridegroom, she quietly tells Jesus that they have no wine. In spite of His remonstrance that His hour had not yet come, in spite of a seeming refusal, her simple request obtains the favour of His first public miracle. Unnoticed by the others, she quietly tells the waiters, "Whatsoever He shall say to you, do ye." "Jesus saith to them, "Fill the waterpots with water". And they filled them to the brim. And Jesus saith to them, "Draw out now and carry to the chief steward of the feast". And they carried it. And when the chief steward had tasted the water made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the waiters knew, who had drawn the water; the chief steward called the bridegroom, and saith to him, "Every man at first setteth forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, that which is worse. But thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him."
This was His Mother Mary's doing! It is this same loving Mother that we pray to so often! If, without a prayer, and just for kindness' sake, she obtained the working of this first great miracle, what will she not do for us? There was no need for her to have done it. She was not bound to do it. She was not asked to do it.
How, then, can she refuse us or "despise our petitions in our necessities," when she did this, unbidden, just to prevent shame and confusion to others? Our necessities are so great. It is a matter of life and death to us eternal life, eternal death - that we should not give way to temptation, remain in sin, die in sin; can our Blessed Lady refuse to deliver us from such dangers? Even without our turning to her she is anxious for us; how much more, then, if we pray to her! If we cry to her for help, to avoid sin, to repent, to give our hearts to God, to endeavour to persevere day after day, can our Mother turn a deaf ear to our supplications? Oh! Mary, Mother of the Saviour, remember thy kindness at Cana, and be to us the same loving Mother now. Your request was granted, although His hour had not yet come. Ever since He has been listening to you, and never yet refused you, for He wills that all grace should come to us through you, O blessed Mother.
What daily, hourly prayers should we offer to our Lady; what confidence and trust we should place in her love and her power! Obtain for us, blessed Mother of God, the grace always to turn to thee-like little children to their mother-in all anxieties, fears, and dangers.
"And the Mother of Jesus was there." Let us impress those words on our soul, and endeavour to make them true in our own regard at all times, day after day.
In life, oh! may Mary Mother be there. At Baptism, when we became children of God, our souls had Mary there then. And she remained with us during our childhood, till, perhaps at last, some sad day, we drove our Mother away by mortal sin. But when we had repented, and received Holy Communion, again the Mother of Jesus was with us. How patiently she remains with us, guarding us, helping us, as we battle with temptation, beginning again after failures, rising after little falls, doing our daily duties with a good intention. This is the way to holy perseverance, which we must endeavour to obtain with Mary our Mother's constant help.
And at death-the time of all for a mother to care for her child - oh! may the Mother of Jesus be there.
Then all the prayers of our lifetime will intercede for us; the good habits formed in life will come to our aid; in our hearts, when voice may fail, we shall call upon her to stay with us. How safe shall we be in the arms of our Mother, how blessed the end!
And when we stand before the Judge, please God, may "the Mother of Jesus be there." For the last time she will plead for us, and may it be her happy privilege then," after this our exile is ended, to show us the blessed fruit of her womb, Jesus." Oh! that glorious, never-ending day of eternity in heaven, and Mary the Mother of Jesus will be there." Short Sermons on the Epistles & Gospels of the Sundays of the Year By Rev. Francis Paulinus Hickey, O.S.B. 1922 2nd Sunday after Epiphany
The Perils of the Way
by VP
Posted on Saturday January 18, 2025 at 11:00PM in Meditations
"1. Out into the darkness of the night went Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Can these homeless wanderers really be the three whose value in the eyes of Heaven made all the rest of the world insignificant as a grain of sand compared with a continent? Yes, this is God's way of treating those whom He loves best. Herod, in his luxurious palace, is feasting and reveling in luxury and ease: Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are outcasts from their home, shivering in the cold and stormy night. How foolish, then, to desire ease and comfort, or to regret the hardships and disagreeables that befall me!
2. Whither were they going? To Egypt, along an unknown road to a distant and idolatrous country; not knowing the way, not knowing how long they should find subsistence from day to day. What was the trial of Abraham compared with this? He went forth with an escort of servants and camels, and with tents and a store of good things for the way; the Divine Son of God and His parents, empty-handed and alone. Compassionate the Holy Family in their sufferings by the way.
3. What were those sufferings? Often they knew not where to lay their heads, and had to sleep under the starry sky. Often they had to beg their bread. Sometimes they were in danger from the rough banditti who infested the road. Sometimes the wild beasts howled around them. This is a model of the life of the Christian: sometimes deprived of all spiritual sustenance and of all human consolation; sometimes fiercely attacked by men, sometimes by evil passions and the rage of Satan; yet always safe under the watchful care of God."
Meditations for Christmas . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891
Jan 19: Return of Oriental Separatists (Church Unity Octave Prayer)
by VP
Posted on Saturday January 18, 2025 at 11:00PM in Poetry
"Once more thy guiding star place in the sky,
And lead - lead back the Magi of the East
To thy One See on earth through which from High
Thou speakest to the world's greatest and least:
Communion with the Apostolic See
Will banish schism in true unity.
"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 Oriental Separatists to the one fold of St. Peter, the one Shepherd
- 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.
Reflection:
"On this second day of the Unity octave our prayers are for a special group cut off from the Church, but united to her in may ways. These dissidents of the East who can trace their spiritual lineage to Ignatius of Antioch, John Chrystostom, the two Gregorys, John Damascene and so many other illustrious saints, have the seven sacraments and the Mass; they have bishops and priests with valid orders. They treasure a deep devotion to the Mother of God, but they lack the fullness of love because they reject the oneness of government and authority in the Holy Father.
Among the so-called Orthodox there are many manifestations of love for Mary. The icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Byzantine in style, is the most popular representation of Mary in the Near East and before the Bolsheviks and Communists defamed her image it was most widely venerated in "Holy Russia." Despite the suffering and persecution of the present hour an ardent love for Mary lives on in the hearts of the Russian people and of others enslaved by the same oppressor, with smuggled pictures and hidden icons that testify to a love that cannot be uprooted by force. The flames now concealed will burst forth again and the Bogoroditza (She-who-gave-birth-to-God) will once more reign as Queen and Mother.
Even in the Kremlin there is a church building dedicated to Mary under the title of the Assumption. Assuredly it is not used for divine services today, but in the future it will again re-echo the prayers and hymns in honor of the Mother of God and the prophecy of a holy priest and Apostles of Mary, Maximilian Kolbe, O.F.M. Conv., will be fulfilled: "One day you will see the statue of the Immaculate atop the Kremlin."
When the Catholics of Zhorimir, Russia, asked Pope Leo XIII for a copy of the most popular picture of Our Lady of Rome, the Pontiff sent a copy of the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. He likewise made it the official seal of the Pontifical Mission for Russia. The same inscription is used as the cover of a publication, Balcan, devoted to the study of Christian Unity, it adorns the walls of the Institute of Oriental Studies in Rome, an inspiration for the Europeans and Asiatics who gather there to discuss plans for reunion.
In 1931 Pope Piux XI issued an encyclical, Lux Veritatis, on the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus. His reference to Our Lady at the end of the document is most appropriate at the present time:
Under the auspices of the Heavenly Queen, We desire all to beg for a very special favor of the greatest importance, that she who is loved and venerated with such ardent piety by the people of the East, may not permit that they should be unhappily wandering and still kept apart from the unity of the Church, and thus from her Son, whose vicar We are. (...) Would, moreover, that very soon the happiest of days might dawn when the Virgin Mother of God, looking through her image so exquisitely worked in mosaic under Our Predecessor, Sixtus III, in the Liberian Basilica, and restored by Us to its original beauty, would see the separated children returning to venerate her with Us with one mind and one faith." Lux Veritatis, Dec. 25 1931
Source: Father Titius Crannis, S.A. The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954
Jan 18. The return of all the "other sheep" to the one fold of St. Peter, the one Shepherd. (Church Unity Octave Prayer)
by VP
Posted on Friday January 17, 2025 at 11:00PM in Prayers
"That all be one, O Lord, bring - bring them home -
The "other sheep" to thy one fold on earth,
To him who sits in Peter's Chair at Rome,
Thy Vicar, since the age which saw thy birth;
That with one Shepherd under one command
May march thy conquering hosts in every land.
"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 return of all the "other sheep" to the one fold of St. Peter, the one Shepherd
- 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.
Reflection:
"On this opening day of the Chair of Unity Octave, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Peter to whom was first confided the primacy and supremacy as the Vicar of Christ. This feast was reestablished by Pope Paul IV in 1558 to emphasize the authority and the primacy of the Papacy, after the Protestants tried to show that St. Peter never lived or died in Rome. This feast providentially stressed the role of St. Peter as Christ's Vicar on earth and it symbolizes the unity of the Church and the authority which St. Peter and his successors received from God.
Humanly speaking, prayer for the unity of all men in the true Church seems fantastic; it seems an unattainable goal. For there are more than two billion people on the earth; more than half of these are not Christian in any form, while seven hundred million who call themselves Christians are not members of the true Church. Moreover, the great plan of converting the world has been going on for nearly two thousand years and it is still so far from realization. How can unity come? How will Christ's prayer be answered? It is not foolish even to dream of such a gigantic venture? But this is not a human goal at stake; it does not depend on the flimsy means of human thought and action; it is founded on sacrifice and prayer and grace.
The Blessed Mother of God can conquer souls for her Son. She dispenses the grace by which men come to know and love Him and the grace by which the faithful become zealous apostles fired with the desire of winning souls. As the late Bishop Francis X. Ford, heroic missioner in China, said: "Our Blessed Mother wants us to share anxiety for the conversion of the world...she wants us to carry about with us in our daily work this deep anxiety for the conversion of souls, and a corresponding generosity in offering reparation for the sins of the world...Our hearts must be like the Heart of Mary: anxious, yearning for the conversion of all people."
Though the problem is staggering and the task seem impossible, the gentle but powerful influence of Mary will overcome the forces of evil and of disunity. Mary is not only the humble Maid of Nazareth but the woman clothed with the sun, formidable as an army ready for battle - she will vanquish the powers of hell and win souls to Christ. As Pope Pius XI declared: "May Mary, the most holy Queen of the Apostles, graciously second our common undertakings; Mary, who since as she holds in her mother's heart all men who were committed to her on Calvary, cherishes and loves, not only those who happily enjoy the fruits of the Redemption, but those likewise who still do not know that they have been redeemed by Jesus Christ.
If all the faithful took an active interest in the Octave what a powerful wave of grace would sweep over the world! Or as Bishop Ford wrote: "If the Catholics throughout the world...were to redouble their prayers for the conversion of those outside the fold, the united prayers that would storm heaven would without doubt mark the year as a Pentecostal renewal. Our participation in this octave will at least enlarge our viewpoint, broaden our charity, and make us see in every man a brother whom Christ is yearning to welcome to His sacraments. "
Source: Father Titius Crannis, S.A. The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 130, Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1954
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter
by VP
Posted on Friday January 17, 2025 at 11:00PM in Prayers
The Chair of St. Peter
"St. Peter, having founded the Church at Antioch, and established the Gospel in Gallacia, Capadocia, and other parts, came afterwards to Rome, where he erected his episcopal chair. Give praise to the infinite goodness of God, who thus directed his apostle to the capital city of the world, which being once converted to the faith of Christ, might with so much ease establish it in all nations and provinces subject to its power. Hence it was that we received the gospel; and therefore it is a day wherein we are concerned as well as Rome, and which requires your thanksgiving for this conduct of the divine goodness, ordaining the means of our salvation.
The capital of the empire of the world, and the centre of impiety, called for the zeal of the prince of the apostles. God had established the Roman empire, and extended its dominion beyond that of any former monarchy, for the more easy propagation of His Gospel. Its metropolis was of the greatest importance for this enterprise. St. Peter took that province upon himself; and repairing to Rome, there preached the faith, and established his episcopal chair, whose successors the bishops of Rome have been accounted in all ages.
It was by this means, that the city of Rome, in which was crowded all the superstition and idolatry of the whole world, for which it was called Babylon, was cleansed of its errors, sanctified by the faith of Christ, and made the centre of the Christian communion. Pray for that See now, that God may be ever its protector, and the Gospel its rule. Pray for all those nations, which are drowned in idolatry and error, that He would show them the like mercy, in bringing them to the light of His saving truths. Pray for yourself and your friends; and let not the depth of iniquity, or present obstinacy, put you into despair. You see here the effect of the divine power and mercy, which can easily draw light out of darkness, and of Babylon make a holy Jerusalem." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
Joseph's Obedience
by VP
Posted on Friday January 17, 2025 at 11:00PM in Meditations
"1. No such questioning as we have supposed in our last meditation ever occurred to St.Joseph's mind. His duty, his pleasure, was to hear and to obey. Not a moment did he lose. He roused his virgin-spouse and told her what they had to do, and ere morning dawned, they had left Bethlehem far behind.
2. Yet there was no hurry or bustle or undue haste in the preparation they made ; no rushing to and fro, no impatience, not a movement but such as was calm and deliberate, modest and dignified. It is one of the marks of sanctity to have thus under control every look and every action. How can I stand this test When time presses, or my indignation is aroused, or my patience tried, am I gentle and peaceful and calm?
3. Observe, moreover, how there is not a single word of complaint or of grumbling, no expression of annoyance or word of mutual commiseration. Each seeks to lighten the work of the other. How cheerful both Mary and Joseph are! Almost joyous. It is a trial; yes, but more for the sake of the Divine Child than for their own. Even the thought of what Jesus may have to suffer never destroys their peace. O happy Joseph! O blessed Mary! make me more like you."
Meditations for Christmas . By Rev. Richard F. Clarke S.J. The Catholic Truth Society, London 1891
Church unity Octave Prayer: January 18th to 25th
by VP
Posted on Thursday January 16, 2025 at 11:00PM in From the Past
Church unity Octave.
The Church Unity Octave is observed every year from the feast of St. Peter's Chair, January 18, to that of the conversion of St. Paul, January 25.
It was approved and blessed by the late Pope Pius X in 1909. His Holiness Pope Benedict XV, by a Papal Brief, dated February 15, 1916, extended its observance of the Universal Church enriching it with Indulgences.
(Catholic Missions Vol 13-14 January 1919).
Prayer:
- 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.
NB. It is also recommended that one decade of the Rosary (at least) be said for the particular intention of each day; also that Holy Communion be received as often as possible during the Octave, daily if possible, certainly on the First or Last Day of the Octave in order to obtain the Plenary Indulgence. Source: Catholic World, Volume 106 Paulist Fathers, 1918
Traditional Version:
(Father Paul of Graymoor began the Chair of Unity Octave. By 1913 a set
of Intentions for each day of the Octave had become fixed)
Jan 18. The return of all the "other sheep" to the one fold of St. Peter, the one Shepherd.
Jan 19. The return of all Oriental Separatists to Communion with the Apostolic See.
Jan 20. The submission of Anglicans to the Authority of the Vicar of Christ.
Jan 21. That the Lutherans and all other Protestants of Continental Europe may find their way "Back to Holy Church."
Jan 22. That Christians in America may become one in Communion with the Chair of St. Peter.
Jan 23. The return to the sacraments of lapsed Catholics.
Jan 24. The Conversion of the Jews.
Jan 25. The Missionary conquest of the world for Christ.
Source: the Living Church Vol 141. 1960
While a great part of mankind looks to its statesmen to devise ways and means by which the diversified and in some instances anti-Christian theories of government of the Allied Nations might be amalgamated and directed towards outlawing future wars, Catholics see in the divinely established unity of the Church the only road by which the concerted action of the true followers of Christ can lead the world to a lasting peace. We possess today a prayer movement for Church Unity, the purpose of which is to gather into the one true Church all those who have unfortunately withdrawn from the Catholic religion and to unite them against the prevailing forces of Liberalism and Materialism. For, as His Holiness Pope Benedict XV remarked in an Apostolic Brief dated Feb. 25, 1916, "in the Unity of Faith the foremost characteristic of the Truth shines forth, and it is thus that the Apostle Paul exhorts the Ephesians to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, by proclaiming that 'there is one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism."" Noting the approval extended to this Octave of Prayer by the Catholic Hierarchy, he asserted that “with a glad heart, therefore, we have heard from the Society which is called 'of the Atonement,' established in New York, that prayers have been proposed to be recited from the Feast of the Chair of Blessed Peter at Rome to the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, in order that this aim of Unity might be obtained from the Lord and at the same time we rejoice that these prayers, blessed by Pope Pius the Tenth, of recent memory, and approved by the Bishops of America, have been circulated far and wide through the United States."
At no time in the past nineteen hundred years has the pendulum of history registered such terrible spiritual, moral, and material catastrophe as has befallen mankind in this tragic moment. For as the old world lies in fragments, the future of Christian civilization in Europe and the rest of the world hangs in the balance. Even the joy of hard-won victory, accompanied by the dawning hope of a new day of peace and reconstruction, cannot offset the knowledge that the progress of the human race in the present confusion of ideologies has been a progress without God and even against God; without Christ and even against Christ. If mankind had but listened to the Church, there is little doubt that the chaos of this age, resulting from a weakening of faith in God and in Jesus Christ, and the darkening in men's minds of the light of moral principles, could have been avoided.
Our generation is reaping the woeful consequences of an incredulity which has succeeded in excluding Christ from modern life, especially from public life. The deep spiritual crisis that has overthrown the sound principles of private and public morality is the result of cleavage from the Church in the course of centuries and the divorcing of civil power from every kind of dependence on a Supreme Being. Cut off from the age-old teaching authority of the Catholic Church, many of the separated brethren have gone so far as to overthrow the central dogma of Christianity, the Divinity of the Saviour, and have hastened thereby the advance of spiritual and moral decay.
Now, in this hour of perhaps irrevocable decisions, the Church may well be envisioned as the voice of one crying in the wilderness, appealing to her wandering children to be united with her in the unity of faith and worship, so that their return to the Christian way of life might be a bulwark against the menace of modern pagan teaching. She alone, in the words of St. Augustine, "is the holy Church, the one Church, the true Church, the Church which strives against all heresies." She alone fully recognizes the widespread atheistic and anti-Christian tendency rampant in the world, threatening to destroy all the ancient Christian institutions, the life of which consists in a supernatural principle, and to erect on their ruins and with their remains an illusory millennium of universal happiness, a new order which would rest on the quicksands of changeable and ephemeral standards contingent upon the selfish interests of groups and individuals.
Already, through the mysterious workings of divine Providence, this invitation extended by the Church has received long awaited welcome from many who now perceive the inability of all human efforts to replace the laws of God and the unifying and elevating influence of Christ's love. But this is not enough. For, however much this hour of disillusionment has become an hour of grace, "a passage of the Lord” for some, sincere Catholics must humbly recognize their grave responsibility to work and pray that the tireless and salutary occupation of the Church in the spiritual and religious re-education of mankind might bear fruit in the reestablishment of the Christian heritage over the whole world. On the minds of all those who seek refuge from the vortex of error and anti-Christian movements they should impress the words Our Holy Father addressed to the College of Cardinals on June 2, 1944. “How much more potent and efficacious would be the influence of Christian thought and Christian life on the moral sub-structure of the future plans for peace and social reconstruction, if there were not this vast division and dispersal of religious confessions, that in the course of time have detached themselves from Mother Church! Who, today, can fail to recognize what substance of faith, what a genuine power of resistance to anti-religious influence is lost in so many groups as a result of separation."
As never before, the collaboration of the laity in the Apostolate of the Hierarchy must have as its central theme Christ resplendent in His Divine Kingship, if He is to "grant the gifts of peace and unity to all nations." For “in the recognition of the royal prerogatives of Christ and in the return of individuals and of society to the law of His truth and of His love lies the only way of salvation." If Christian thought is to succeed in maintaining and supporting the work of restoration in individual, social and international life, then all who are working for a plan that does not conflict with the religious and moral content of Christian civilization must acknowledge that the Church which Christ founded on earth is the infallible spokesman on faith and morals for the whole world. For the Catholic Church alone possesses, in her infallible pronouncements, the fullness of the principles of Christian morality in all its ramifications. Because of the special assistance of the Holy Spirit promised to the Apostles and their successors, the episcopate united to the Roman Pontiff, she alone teaches men to observe all things whatsoever Christ has commanded. Further, only the Church possesses, from her very institution, a visible unity in doctrine, government and worship. Therefore, only she can establish an organic unity of all men-a supernatural union based on an all-embracing love deeply felt and practiced, rather than a unity which is exclusively human, external, superficial, and by that very fact, weak.
One of the most efficacious means for assuring a just and lasting peace is a Catholic Unity of all those who, seeking brotherly communion in Christ, humbly submit themselves and obey the Vicar of Christ as teacher and ruler of the Church. That is the end of the Prayer Octave for Church Unity founded by Father Paul James Francis, S.A., in 1908. It seeks to restore to God the honor denied Him for so many centuries and to acquire for men the fullness of the Christian heritage which alone can determine the most firm foundation of true peace, that interior peace which cannot be found except by coming close to the spiritual light of Bethlehem's cave.
Catholics especially must unite with Christ who prayed to His Heavenly Father "that they all may be one, even 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." And it is incumbent on them to make known the observance of this Octave to all others who sincerely seek eternal salvation, the promotion of the temporal welfare of peoples, their true prosperity, order, and tranquillity. During this Church Unity Octave, from Jan. 18 to Jan. 25, all should pray especially that God the Father may send His Holy Spirit to direct and guide statesmen, that He might inspire their thoughts, their feelings and deliberations, making them spiritually and materially vigorous and firm against obstacles, mistrust, and peril, so that as a result of their deliberations, a new order under the patronage of Christ the King may be established which will lead many wanderers back to the Unity of supernatural faith and love as found in His Mystical Body. For, says St. Ambrose, "great is the glory of justice; for she, existing rather for the good of others than of self, is an aid to the bond of union and fellowship amongst us. She holds so high a place that she has all things laid under her authority ... but the Church, as it were, is the outward form of Justice, she is the common right of all. For all in common she prays, for all in common she works, in the temptation of all she is tried ... For this reason, Paul has made Christ to be foundation, so that we may build upon Him the works of Justice."
Source: GREGORY FIGUEROA, S.A. Atonement Seminary, Washington, D. C. The American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 114 Herman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1946
Our Lady of Hope, January 17
by VP
Posted on Thursday January 16, 2025 at 11:00PM in Articles
Notre Dame de Pontmain, France
To that place for ever hallowed by the presence of God's Mother, and made a fertile source of blessings, you will often resort to pray for yourselves, for your families, for France, for Pius IX. : there you will cast yourselves upon your knees in the earnestness of sacred ardor, and with your hands clasped and your eyes bathed in tears, will cry with us from the bottom of your heart :
“‘O our Lady of Hope, O Immaculate, O Queen, O Mother, O Virgin Priestess, turn thine eyes upon us, upon those who are dear to us, upon France, upon the Church, upon the Vicar of thy Divine Son! We are at thy feet, groaning and entreating ; thou dost present to us the bleeding Host of Calvary: we receive it from thy hands; we press it to our heart: we adore it ; we love it. Ah Mary, through Jesus give us the victory !
Jules Denys Le Hardy du Marais, by divine mercy and the authority of the Holy Apostolic See, Bishop of the Church at Laval, to the clergy and faithful of our diocese, health and apostolic benediction in our Lord Jesus Christ. January 6th, 1877.
Saint Anthony, Father of monastic life
by VP
Posted on Thursday January 16, 2025 at 11:00PM in Quotes
Painting of Saint Anthony, by Piero di Cosimo, c. 1480
"Wrath is about to strike the Church and she is about to be delivered up to men who are like to senseless beasts. For I saw the table of the Lord's house, and mules around it standing on all sides in a ring and kicking up their hoofs at what was within, the same as the kicking you have when a frisking herd runs wild. You surely heard," he said, "how I moaned; I heard a voice saying: "My altar shall be desecrated."
So spoke the old man; and two years later came the present assault of the Arians and the plundering of the churches, when they took the vessels by force and had them carried away by the pagans; when, too, they forced the pagans from the shops to their meetings and in their presence did as they pleased on the sacred table. Then we all realized that the kicking of the mules presaged to Antony what the Arians are now doing like so many senseless beasts.
When he saw this vision, he consoled his companions, saying: "Do not be discouraged, Children, for as the Lord has been angry, so will He bring us recovery later. And the Church will quickly regain the beauty that is hers and shine with her wonted splendor. You will see the persecuted restored and irreligion retreating again to its proper haunts and the true faith asserting itself everywhere with complete freedom. Only, do not defile yourselves with the Arians. This their teaching is not of the Apostles, but of the demons and their father, the Devil. Indeed, it is sterile and unreasonable, and it lacks right sense - like the senselessness of mules."(...)
"He exhorted them "not to grow lax in their efforts nor to lose heart in the practice of the ascetic life, but to live as though dying daily; and, as I have said before, to work hard to guard the soul from filthy thoughts; to emulate holy men. Do not go near the Meletian schismatics, for you know their wicked and unholy teaching. Have nothing to do with the Arians, for the irreligion of these is plain to everyone.And if you should see the judges supporting them, you must not permit yourself to be confused: this will come to an end - it is a phenomenon that is mortal and bound to last for but a short time. Therefore, keep yourselves clean from these and watch over the tradition of the Fathers, and, above all, the orthodox faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, as you have learned it from the Scriptures and as you have often been put in mind of by me."
Source:The Life of Saint Antony, by St. Athanasius
"He was remarkable from his childhood for his temperance, "close attendance on church duties, and punctual obedience to his parents. Having heard these words read in the Gospel: If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and come, follow me; he understood them as spoken to himself, sold all that he had, and distributed it to the poor. Pray for a like obedience to all the commands of Christ, and that as often as you read the Scripture, it may be with the like fruit to your soul. Pray for poverty of spirit; that your affections being taken off from the things of this world, you may ever be in readiness to forsake all. If you find your heart too eagerly set on anything here, have you not reason to judge yourself unsafe? If forsaking creatures be the way of perfection, must not seeking and loving them be very dangerous ?
St. Antony retired from his father's house into a desert, where he lived in the exercise of prayer, rigorous fasting, and the constant practice of all virtues, to the age of a hundred and five years. He separated himself as much as pos sible from all creatures, that his heart might not be withdrawn from God. Pray for this spirit. Your obligation of seeking and loving God is as great as his; but your difficulty in doing it is so much greater than his, as you are more engaged with creatures than he was. If the life of hermits who had quitted the world, was so mortified, are not greater watchfulness and self-denial necessary for you, who are in much greater danger than they were?
In that retirement, St. Antony was assaulted with much greater temptations than before. But he went on with courage, not fearing what the devil could do. Pray for constancy like his. Be not dejected by the most violent temptations: the devil
may terrify, but he cannot hurt you, unless you are willing. If God is
pleased thus to exercise you, submit with patience and humility, ever
placing your confidence in his assistance. Peaceable devotion is more to
your inclination; but a life of greater exercise is also one of greater merit, and if you overcome, will gain you a greater crown." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother
Prayer: " We unite, great Saint, with the universal Church in offering you the homage of our affectionate veneration, and in praising our Emmanuel for the gifts He bestowed on you. How sublime a life was yours, and how rich in fruit were your works! Verily, you are the Father of a great people and one of the most powerful auxiliaries of the Church of God. We beseech you, therefore, pray for the Monastic Order, that it may re-appear in all its ancient fervour, and pray for each member of the great Family. Fevers of the body have been often allayed by your intercession and we beg for a continuance of this your compassionate aid — but the fevers of our soul are more dangerous and we beg your pity and prayers that we may be delivered from them. Watch over us, in the temptations which the enemy is unceasingly putting in our way. Pray for us that we may be vigilant in the combat, prudent in avoiding dangerous occasions, courageous in the trial and humble in our victory.
The angel of darkness appeared to you in a visible shape, but he hides himself and his plots from us. Here again, we beg your prayers that we be not deceived by his craft. May the fear of God’s judgements and the thought of eternity penetrate into the depth of our souls. May prayer be our refuge in every necessity, and penance our safeguard against sin. But above all, pray that we may have that which you counselled above all —the love of Jesus — of that Jesus who, for love of us, deigned to be born into this world so that He might merit for us the graces with which we might triumph — of that Jesus who humbled Himself even so far as to suffer temptation that so He might show us how we were to resist and fight."
Source: Dom Prosper Gueranger:
