CAPG

Day 47. Easter with the Cure d'Ars: On Paradise

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"Blessed, O Lord, are those who dwell in Thy house: they shall praise Thee for ever and ever."

To dwell in the house of the good God, to enjoy the presence of the good God, to be happy with the happiness of the good God - oh, what happiness, my children! Who can understand all the joy and consolation with which the saints are inebriated in Paradise? St. Paul, who was taken up into the third heaven, tells us that there are things above which he cannot reveal to us, and which we cannot comprehend.... Indeed, my children, we can never form a true idea of Heaven till we shall be there. It is a hidden treasure, an abundance of secret sweetness, a plenitude of joy, which may be felt, but which our poor tongue cannot explain. What can we imagine greater? The good God Himself will be our recompense: Ego merces tua magna nimis - I am thy reward exceeding great. O God! the happiness Thou promisest us is such that the eyes of man cannot see it, his ears cannot hear it, nor his heart conceive it.

Yes, my children, the happiness of Heaven is incomprehensible; it is the last effort of the good God, who wishes to reward us. God, being admirable in all His works, will be so too when He recompenses the good Christians who have made all their happiness consist in the possession of Heaven. This possession contains all good, and excludes all evil; sin being far from Heaven, all the pains and miseries which are the consequences of sin are also banished from it. No more death! The good God will be in us the Principle of everlasting life. No more sickness, no more sadness, no more pains, no more grief. You who are afflicted, rejoice! Your fears and your weeping will not extend beyond the grave. . . . The good God will Himself wipe away your tears! Rejoice, O you whom the world persecutes! your sorrows will soon be over, and for a moment of tribulation, you will have in Heaven an immense weight of glory. Rejoice! for you possess all good things in one - the source of all good, the good God Himself.

Can anyone be unhappy when he is with the good God; when he is happy with the happiness of the good God, of the good God Himself; when he sees the good God as he sees himself? As St. Paul says, my children, we shall see God face to face, because then there will be no veil between Him and us. We shall possess Him without uneasiness, for we shall no longer fear to lose Him. We shall love Him with an uninterrupted and undivided love, because He alone will occupy our whole heart. We shall enjoy Him without weariness, because we shall discover in Him ever new perfections; and in proportion as we penetrate into that immense abyss of wisdom, of goodness, of mercy, of justice, of grandeur, and of holiness, we shall plunge ourselves in it with fresh eagerness. If an interior consolation, if a grace from the good God, gives us so much pleasure in this world that it diminishes our troubles, that it helps us to bear our crosses, that it gives to so many martyrs strength to suffer the most cruel torments - what will be the happiness of Heaven, where consolations and delights are given, not drop by drop, but by torrents!

Let us represent to ourselves, my children, an everlasting day always new, a day always serene, always calm; the most delicious, the most perfect society. What joy, what happiness, if we could possess on earth, only for a few minutes, the angels, the Blessed Virgin, Jesus Christi In Heaven we shall eternally see, not only the Blessed Virgin and Jesus Christ, we shall see the good God Himself! We shall see Him no longer through the darkness of faith, but in the light of day, in all His Majesty! What happiness thus to see the good God! The angels have contemplated Him since the beginning of the world, and they are not satiated; it would be the greatest misfortune to them to be deprived of Him for a single moment. The possession of Heaven, my children, can never weary us; we possess the good God, the Author of all perfections. See, the more we possess God, the more He pleases; the more we know Him, the more attractions and charms we find in the knowledge of Him. We shall always see Him and shall always desire to see Him; we shall always taste the pleasure there is in enjoying the good God, and we shall never be satiated with it. The blessed will be enveloped in the Divine Immensity, they will revel in delights and be all surrounded with them, and, as it were, inebriated. Such is the happiness which the good God destines for us.

We can all, my children, acquire this happiness. The good God wills the salvation of the whole world; He has merited Heaven for us by His death, and by the effusion of all His Blood. What a happiness to be able to say, "Jesus Christ died for me; He has opened Heaven for me; it is my inheritance. . . . Jesus has prepared a place for me; it only depends on me to go and occupy it. Vado vobis parare locum - I go to prepare a place for you. The good God has given us faith, and with this virtue we can attain to eternal life. For, though the good God wills the salvation of all men, He particularly wills that of the Christians who believe in Him: Qui credit, habeat vitam aeternam - He that believeth hath life everlasting. Let us, then, thank the good God, my children; let us rejoice - our names are written in Heaven, like those of the Apostles. Yes, they are written in the Book of Life: if we choose, they will be there forever, since we have the means of reaching Heaven.

The happiness of Heaven, my children, is easy to acquire; the good God has furnished us with so many means of doing it! See, there is not a single creature which does not furnish us with the means of attaining to the good God; if any of them become an obstacle, it is only by our abuse of them. The goods and the miseries of this life, even the chastisements made use of by the good God to punish our infidelities, serve to our salvation. The good God, as St. Paul says, makes all things turn to the good of His elect; even our very faults may be useful to us; even bad examples and temptations. Job was saved in the midst of an idolatrous people. All the saints have been tempted. If these things are, in the hands of God, an assistance in reaching Heaven, what will happen if we have recourse to the Sacraments, to that never-failing source of all good, to that fountain of grace supplied by the good God Himself! It was easy for the disciples of Jesus to be saved, having the Divine Savior constantly with them. Is it more difficult for us to secure our salvation, having Him constantly with us? They were happy in obtaining whatever they wished for, whatever they chose; are we less so?

We possess Jesus Christ in the Eucharist; He is continually with us, He is ready to grant us whatever we ask, He is waiting for us; we have only to ask. O my children! the poor know how to express their wants to the rich; we have only our indifference, then, to accuse, if assistance and graces are wanting to us. If an ambitious or a covetous man had as ample means of enriching himself, would he hesitate a moment, would he let so favorable an opportunity escape? Alas! we do everything for this world, and nothing for the other? What labor, what trouble, what cares, what sorrows, in order to gather up a little fortune! See, my children, of what use are our perishable goods? Solomon, the greatest, the richest, the most fortunate of kings, said, in the height of the most brilliant fortune: "I have seen all things that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. " And these are the goods to acquire which we labor so much, whilst we never think of the goods of Heaven!

How shameful for us not to labor to acquire it, and to neglect so many means of reaching it! If the fig tree was cast into the fire for not having profited by the care that had been taken to render it fertile; if the unprofitable servant was reproved for having hidden the talent that he had received, what fate awaits us, who have so often abused the aids which might have taken us to Heaven? If we have abused the graces that the good God has given us, let us make haste to repair the past by great fidelity, and let us endeavor to acquire merits worthy of eternal life!"

Source: The Blessed Curé of Ars in His Catechetical Instructions (1951)

Prayer for Lent: O Lord who, for our sake, didst fast forty days and forty nights; give us grace to use such abstinence that, our flesh being subdued to the spirit, we may worthily lament and acknowledge our wretchedness, and may obtain perfect remission and forgiveness of Thee, the God of all mercy, who livest and reignest with the Father and Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen

Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPG

Saint Vincent Ferrer,

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This wonderful apostle, the "Angel of the Judgment," was born in Valencia in Spain, in 1350, and at the age of eighteen professed in the Order of Saint Dominic. After a brilliant course of study he became master of sacred theology. For three years he read only the Scriptures, and knew the whole Bible by heart. He converted the Jews of Valencia, and their synagogue became a church. Grief at the great schism then afflicting the Church reduced him to the point of death; but Our Lord Himself in glory bade him go forth to convert sinners, " for My judgment is nigh." This miraculous apostolate lasted twenty-one years. He preached throughout Europe, in the towns and villages of Spain, Switzerland, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland. Everywhere tens of thousands of sinners were reformed; Jews, infidels, and heretics were converted. Stupendous miracles enforced his words. Twice each day the "miracle bell" summoned the sick, the blind, the lame to be cured. Sinners the most obdurate became saints speaking only his native Spanish, he was understood in all tongues. Processions of ten thousand penitents followed him in perfect order. Convents, orphanages, hospitals, arose in his path. Amidst all, his humility remained profound, his prayer constant. He always prepared for preaching by prayer. Once, however, when a person of high rank was to be present at his sermon he neglected prayer for study. The nobleman was not particularly struck by the discourse which had been thus carefully worked up; but coming again to hear the Saint, unknown to the latter, the second sermon made a deep impression on his soul. When Saint Vincent heard of the difference, he remarked that in the first sermon it was Vincent who had preached, but in the second, Jesus Christ. He fell ill at Vannes in Brittany, and received the crown of everlasting glory in 1419.

Reflection: "Whatever you do," said Saint Vincent, "think not of yourself, but of God." In this spirit, he preached, and God spoke by him; in this spirit, if we listen, we shall hear the voice of God. Source: Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, 1925

Prayer to Saint Vincent Ferrer:
O glorious Apostle and Wonderworker, Saint Vincent Ferrer, new Angel of the Apocalypse and our gracious Protector, deign to accept our humble prayer, and draw down upon us an abundance of divine favors.

Through the love with which your heart is inflamed, obtain for us from the Father of Mercies the forgiveness of all our sins, steadfastness in faith, and perseverance in good works, so that, living as good and fervent Christians, we may render ourselves worthy of your powerful protection.
Extend this protection, too, over our bodies, and deliver us from every infirmity. Preserve our fields from the ravages of storm and hail, and ward off other misfortunes from us. Thus favored by you in the blessings of both spirit and body, we shall remain ever devoted to you, and one day we shall go to heaven to praise God with you, for ever and ever. Amen.

Translated from the French: Prière à Saint Vincent Ferrier. Manuel des indulgences, Paris 1897

Easter Sunday: The Joy of Penance

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Touch me not by Jacques Tissot

"I WISH all of you, my brethren, the joys of this day. It is the day of our Lord's victory over death and hell. Many of you have received Him in Holy Communion either this morning or during the preceding week. To such He has found a way to communicate something of the vast ocean of love and joy which inundates His own soul. A good Communion, following a humble confession of sin, is indeed the nearest way to that tomb, riven and empty, and streaming with the light of heavenly joy, about which the Church gathers her children this morning. How well chosen is Eastertime for the annual Communion of all good Christians. "I have seen the tomb of Christ, who has risen from the dead," may we well say with Mary Magdalen. God grant that not one of you all may pass beyond Trinity Sunday without attending to what is so appropriately called the Easter duty.

It seems to me that this feast is a great day for sinners - meaning, of course, repentant sinners. For look at the facts? Who is the saint of the Resurrection by excellence? Certainly dear Mary Magdalen, the type of all the penitent. She stood beneath the Cross when Jesus died, comforting Him and His Mother in that dreadful hour of His doom and of that Mother's woe. And when the dead corpse was lowered down, Mary Magdalen pressed His limbs and feet and hands to her bosom while our sorrowful Mother clasped His heart to her own and kissed His pallid face a thousand times. Mary Magdalen helped to lay Him in His grave. She watched then; when driven away by the soldiers she bought spices and came again to embalm Him. And whose words are those repeated to-day all round the world as the dawn greets the watching glances of the faithful. "They have taken away my Lord! I know not where they have laid Him"; and again the amazed and ecstatic exclamation when she saw Him in the garden: "Rabboni! Master."

What a great store of love, says St. Gregory the Great, was in that woman's heart, who, when even His disciples were gone away, could not tear herself from the grave of the Lord!

See, then, my brethren, the reward of the love which is in true sorrow for sin; it is given a singular kind of pre-eminence; it is selected above that of innocence and placed on guard at the post of honor to receive the first public greeting from the Immortal King of Glory, triumphant over sin for ever. I say public greeting, for doubtless Jesus visited and greeted His Mother in private first of all; but this is not written down for our edification, and Mary Magdalen's privilege is. Sinners need encouragement, and certainly they get it today in the honor paid to their glorious patron, to the woman who had many sins forgiven her because she loved much.

I say again that sinners need encouragement. In truth, there is no shame so deadly as that which conscious guilt brings to the human soul. There is no degradation like vice - in fact, there is none other but vice. Hence many sinners are met with who do not turn to God and who hold back from confession and communion because they are ashamed and afraid. It is not so much love of sin as want of confidence that now hinders them. They have felt the force of passion as the slave feels the whip of the slave-driver; or they have repented before and fallen again, and this fills them with distrust in themselves; or their surroundings are a constant source of temptation; or they have been so long away that the very process of reconciliation to God, the very practice of the simplest acts of religion, have grown strange to them. These, and other reasons, varying from mere timidity to utter despair, show the need of a strong word of encouragement to sinners. This is the day for giving sinners courage to repent. Oh! let every man and woman partake of Christ's courage today. All who are sinners, let them loath and detest their sins, and let them feel that if our Lord is with them they can conquer any passion, resist any temptation, and persevere to the end.

It is a singular thing that not only the first recorded words of our Lord after His resurrection were addressed to His favorite child, the great penitent woman of the Gospel, but that the first interview He had with His disciples was begun by the institution of the Sacrament of Penance, the open door of that city of refuge our Lord's Sacred Heart. Now is the time, therefore, most appropriate for the return to God of all sinners among us. May our risen Savior give you that joy if you have it not, and if you have it, may He confirm it to you for ever! Amen." Five minutes sermons by the Paulist Fathers

St. Vincent Ferrer, O.P. Confessor, A.D. 1419.

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"No, I do not believe that there ever existed in the world so much pomp and vanity, so much impurity, as at the present day; to find in the world's epoch so criminal, we must go to the days of Noe and the universal deluge. The inns in the cities and villages are filled with persons of abandoned character; they are so numerous that the entire world is infected by them... Avarice and usury increase under the disguised name of contracts, simony reigns among the clergy, envy among the religious. Gluttony prevails to such an extent in every rank of social life that the fasts of Lent, the vigils and Ember days, are no longer observed... In a word, vice is held in such great honour that those who prefer the service of God to that of the world are held up to scorn as useless and unworthy members of society." Source: St. Vincent of Ferrer, The Angel of the Judgment, by Fr. Andrew Pradel, O.P.

"St. Vincent brought with him into the world a happy disposition for learning and piety, which were improved by a good education. In order to subdue his passions, he fasted from his childhood every Wednesday and Friday. The Passion of Christ was always the object of his tender devotion. The Blessed Virgin he ever honoured as his spiritual Mother. Looking on the poor as the members of Christ, he treated them with the greatest affection and charity. Having taken the habit of the Dominicans, he made surprising progress in perfection, taking St. Dominic for his model. The arms which he employed against the devil were prayer, penance, and perpetual watchfulness over every impulse of his passions. His heart was always fixed on God, and he made his studies, labour, and all other actions a continued prayer. He led a very mortified life, never eating flesh, nor wearing linen. His whole employment was in preaching the gospel, in converting Jews and Infidels to the Christian faith, and sinners to a holy life. He never passed a day wherein he gave not instructions to those who were assembled at prayers with him. Though by his sermons thousands were moved to give their possessions to the poor, the saint never accepted any thing himself; and was no less scrupulous in cultivating in his heart the virtue and spirit of obedience, than that of poverty; for which reason he declined accepting any dignity in the Church, or superiority in his Order. He was favoured with the gift of miracles, and cured innumerable sick wherever he came, also raised a dead man to life, in presence of a great multitude. He continued his preaching and labours to the last; and worn out with age and infirmity, died on the 5th of April, 1419, being sixty-two years old.

Pray for all of his character and function, that they may partake of his spirit and zeal, that they may faithfully labour in the vineyard, and not permit ignorance and vice to spread through their silence and neglect. Pray likewise that you may do your part in giving good example to all. A holy life is a continual sermon, by which you may draw others from error and vice, and make a much better defence of the truth than by hot disputing. And remember that a bad life is a contradiction of all your pretended zeal, and the greatest injury you can do to truth." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

Prayer to Saint Vincent Ferrer

O, Holy Saint Vincent, glorious confessor, whom as thou didst ascend the heavens a mighty choir of angels issued forth to greet. lead us also, we beseech thee, as we sing thy name with frequent praise to the sacred kingdoms of the blessed.
V. Pray for us, blessed Vincent.P
P. That we be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: O God, who by the wonderful preaching of blessed Vincent, thy confessor, hast brought a multitude of nations to acknowledge thy Holy Name, grant, we beseech thee, that we may merit to receive as our reward in heaven the judge whom he announced would come on earth, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: The Method of Saying the Holy Rosary, 1848

Surrexit Christus spes mea

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Peter and John Running to the Tomb Eugène Burnand (1850 – 1921)

Victimae Paschali Laudes

Christians, to the Paschal victim
offer your thankful praises!

A lamb the sheep redeemeth:
Christ, who only is sinless,
reconcileth sinners to the Father.

Death and life have contended
in that combat stupendous:
the Prince of life, who died,
reigns immortal.

Speak, Mary, declaring
what you saw, wayfaring:
"The tomb of Christ, who is living,
the glory of Jesus' resurrection;

"Bright angels attesting,
the shroud and napkin resting.
"Yea, Christ my hope is arisen;
to Galilee he will go before you."

Christ indeed from death is risen,
our new life obtaining;
have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen! Alleluia!

Catholic Chant

Day 46. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Do you want to be happy?

2026-04-04T02:00:00-04:00

"Why, my dear brethren, are our lives full of so many miseries? If we consider the life of man carefully, it is nothing other than a succession of evils: the illnesses, the disappointments, the persecutions, and indeed the losses of goods fall unceasingly upon us so that whatever side the worldly man turns to or examines, he finds only crosses and afflictions. Go and ask anyone, from the humblest to the greatest, and they will all tell you the same thing. Indeed, my dear brethren, man on earth, unless he turns to the side of God, cannot be other than unhappy. Do you know why my friends? No, you tell me. Well, here is the real reason. It is that God, having put us into this world as into a place of exile and of banishment, wishes to force us, by so many evils, not to attach our hearts to it but to aspire to greater, purer, and more lasting joys than those we can find in this life. To make us appreciate more keenly the necessity to turn our eyes to eternal blessings, God has filled our hearts with desires so vast and so magnificent that nothing in creation is capable of satisfying them. Thus it is that in the hope of finding some pleasure, we attach ourselves to created objects and that we have no sooner possessed and sampled that which we have so ardently desired than we turn to something else, hoping to find what we wanted. We are, then, through our own experience, constrained to admit that it is but useless for us to want to derive our happiness here below from transient things.

If we hope to have any consolation in this world, it will only be by despising the things which are passing and which have no lasting value and in striving towards the noble and happy end for which God has created us.

Do you want to be happy, my friends? Fix your eyes on Heaven; it is there that your hearts will find that which will satisfy them completely. All the evils which you experience are the real means of leading you there. That is what I am going to show you, in as clear and brilliant way as shines the noon-day sun.

First of all, I am going to tell you that Jesus Christ, by His sufferings and His death, has made all our actions meritorious, so that for the good Christian there is no motion of our hearts or of our bodies which will not be rewarded if we perform them for Him. Perhaps you are already thinking: "That is not so very clear." Very well! If that will not do you, let us put it more simply. Follow me for a moment and you will know the way in which to make all your actions meritorious for eternal life without changing anything in your way of behaving. All you have to do is to have in view the object of pleasing God in everything you do, and I will add that instead of making your actions more difficult by doing them for God, you will make them, on the contrary, much more pleasant and less arduous. In the morning, when you awake, think at once of God and quickly make the Sign of the Cross, saying to Him: "My God, I give you my heart, and since You are so good as to give me another day, give me the grace that everything I do will be for Your honor and for the salvation of my soul."

Source: The Sermons of the Cure d'Ars 1960 (Public Domain)

Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPG

Holy Saturday: "He descended into hell, the third day he rose again from the dead.”

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James Tissot - Holy Saturday

"The Savior of the world, having expired on the cross, and by His death paid the ransom due to the divine justice for the sins of men, descended into Limbo, to deliver thence those just souls who were waiting for their Redeemer, and were prepared to enter with Him into glory. Inexpressible was the joy of those holy souls at the presence of their Redeemer, who having conquered death and hell, came down in the happy character of a deliverer, and demanded them from their long confinement, to take part in his triumphs. It was the Messias whom they expected; and He being come, they think all the time of their banishment to have been as nothing, beginning now to enjoy Him, whom they had so long desired, and whom no time can ever more take from them. The same will be the happiness of every one that dies well. Whether the evils of life have been great or inconsiderable, long or short, they all disappear at the hour of a happy death, and are lost in eternity.

Our Blessed Redeemer was pleased to be taken down from the cross, and laid in a sepulchre, so to confirm to all generations the truth of His death for us, and of His resurrection from the dead. Pray that by a firm faith of what He has suffered for us, you may plentifully partake of His mercies, and daily increase in that hope and love, which are to bring you to the possession of Him. From His sacred body being laid in the sepulchre, you may learn the mystery which is taught you this day, that you also ought to be buried together with Him; that you are not only to labour that in the likeness of His death the old man may die in you, but that he may be buried also; so that he be altogether hidden from the world, and that nothing may appear in us but the new man, who is renewed in us by his death.

What happy fruit of Christ's passion would it be to us, could we obtain this mercy! We are convinced of the folly of sin, and the vanity of all that pleases for a moment; we are tired of our corruption; but who will deliver us from the body of this death? None can do this but Jesus. Wherefore apply yourself to Him: sit at His sepulchre, and by His sacred passion beseech Him to have compassion on you, to help you in the relief of your necessities, and give you the victory which you desire." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

St. Isidore, Bishop, Doctor of the Church, A.D. 606

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St. Isidore of Seville (1655), by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

"He was born in Spain, and having qualified himself by virtue and learning for the service of the Church, assisted his brother St. Leander, archbishop of Seville, in the conversion of the Visigoths, from the Arian heresy. After the death of his brother, he was, much against his will, chosen to succeed him His election was confirmed by St. Gregory the Great, who also appointed him his Apostolic Vicar over the whole of Spain.

In his episcopal career it is incredible how constant, humble, and patient he was; as well as solicitous for keeping up Christian and ecclesiastical discipline. Indeed he was eminent in all virtue; and distinguished also for great learning, and a general acquaintance with ancient writers, both sacred and profane. He was a great promoter and encourager of monastic institutions throughout Spain; and built several monasteries and colleges. He compiled many useful works, in which he takes in the whole circle of the sciences; and many portions of his writings were embodied in the canon law of the Church.

When St. Isidore was almost fourscore years old, though age and fatigues had undermined and broken his health, he never interrupted his usual exercises and labours. During the last six months of his life, he increased his charities with such profusion, that the poor of the whole country crowded his house from morning till night. Perceiving his end to draw near, he entreated two bishops to come to see him. With them he went to the church, where one of them covered him with sackcloth, and the other put ashes on his head. Clothed with the habit of penance, he stretched his hands towards heaven, prayed with great earnestness, and begged aloud the pardon of his sins. He then received from the hands of the bishops the Body and Blood of our Lord, recommended himself to the prayers of all that were present, remitted the bonds of all his debtors, exhorted the people to charity, and caused all the money which he had not as yet disposed of to be distributed among the poor. This done, he returned to his own house, and calmly departed this life four days after, on the 4th of April, in the year 636.

His memory was held in such veneration, that the eighth Council of Toledo, fourteen years after his death, styles him "The excellent Doctor, the late ornament of the Catholic Church, the most learned man, given to enlighten the latter ages, always to be named with reverence." Give thanks to Almighty God, for His wonderful graces to this His servant, and beg a like mercy on all the present pastors of the Church. Pray likewise for yourself and the whole flock, that God would render us a holy and acceptable people, well-pleasing in his sight." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

Day 45. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Last Judgment

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"Our catechism tells us, my children, that all men will undergo a particular judgment on the day of their death. No sooner shall we have breathed our last sigh than our soul, without leaving the place where it has expired, will be presented before the tribunal of God. Wherever we may die, God is there to exercise His justice. The good God, my children, has measured out our years, and of those years that He has resolved to leave us on this earth, He has marked out one which shall be our last; one day which we shall not see succeeded by other days; one hour after which there will be for us no more time. What distance is there between that moment and this - the space of an instant. Life, my children, is a smoke, a light vapour; it disappears more quickly than a bird that darts through the air, or a ship that sails on the sea, and leaves no trace of its course!

When shall we die? Alas! will it be in a year, in a month? Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps today! May not that happen to us which happens to so many others? It may be that at a moment when you are thinking of nothing but amusing yourself, you may be summoned to the judgment of God, like the impious Baltassar. What will then be the astonishment of that soul entering on its eternity? Surprised, bewildered, separated thenceforth from its relations and friends, and, as it were, surrounded with Divine light, it will find in its Creator no longer a merciful Father, but an inflexible Judge. Imagine to yourselves, my children, a soul at its departure from this life. It is going to appear before the tribunal of its Judge, alone with God; there is Heaven on one side, Hell on the other. What object presents itself before it? The picture of its whole life! All its thoughts, all its words, all its actions, are examined.

This examination will be terrible, my children, because nothing is hidden from God. His infinite wisdom knows our most inmost thoughts; it penetrates to the bottom of our hearts, and lays open their innermost folds. In vain sinners avoid the light of day that they may sin more freely; they spare themselves a little shame in the eyes of men, but it will be of no advantage to them at the day of judgment; God will make light the darkness under cover of which they thought to sin with impunity. The Holy Ghost, my children, says that we shall be examined on our words, our thoughts, our actions; we shall be examined even on the good we ought to have done, and have not done, on the sins of others of which we have been the cause. Alas! so many thoughts to which we abandon ourselves - to which the mind gives itself up; how many in one day! in a week! in a month! in a year! How many in the whole course of our life! Not one of this infinite number will escape the knowledge of our Judge.

The proud man must give an account of all his thoughts of presumption, of vanity, of ambition; the impure of all his evil thoughts, and of the criminal desires with which he has fed his imagination. Those young people who are incessantly occupied with their dress, who are seeking to please, to distinguish themselves, to attract attention and praise, and who dare not make themselves known in the tribunal of Penance, will they be able still to hide themselves at the day of the judgment of God? No, no! They will appear there such as they have been during their life, before Him who makes known all that is most secret in the heart of man.

We shall give an account, my children, of our oaths, of our imprecations, of our curses. God hears our slanders, our calumnies, our free conversations, our worldly and licentious songs; He hears also the discourse of the impious. This is not all, my children; God will also examine our actions. He will bring to light all our unfaithfulness in His service, our forgetfulness of His Commandments, our transgression of His law, the profanation of His churches, the attachment to the world, the ill-regulated love of pleasure and of the perishable goods of earth. All, my children, will be unveiled; those thefts, that injustice, that usury, that intemperance, that anger, those disputes, that tyranny, that revenge, those criminal liberties, those abominations that cannot be named without blushes...."

Source: The Sermons of the Cure d'Ars 1960 (Public Domain)

Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPG

God Surrenders to Man

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"There is a passage in the Following of Christ, II., 11, in which a Kempis insists that nothing we can offer to God is acceptable unless we offer ourselves. "If a man give his whole substance, it is nothing. If he do great penance, it is but little. If he attain to all knowledge, he is far off still. If he have great virtue and very fervent devotion, there is still much wanting to him, the one thing which is supremely necessary to him." What is the one thing necessary? "that having given all things else to God he give himself."

Now, man, recognizing the demand of God that we surrender ourselves to Him, boldly retaliates with a demand that God surrender Himself to us. Man says to God, " Thou mayest multiply Thy favors; Thou mayest overwhelm me with gifts, but though Thy gifts, temporal and spiritual, be piled in mountains before me, my heart remains unsatisfied, my soul is discontent. I want not Thy gifts, I want Thee. Pardon, my God, if I speak boldly, I speak as Thou hast made me. Thou hast made me man, but Thou hast given me the cravings of a god. Thou mayest empty Thy treasure-house before my feet. Still I demand more, that Thou give me Thyself. Thou hast made me for Thyself. My heart remains empty until it be filled with Thee."

The answer is the Incarnation and the Blessed Sacrament."

Source: A Thought a Day for Lent, Rev. James M Gilles, C.P.; Paulist Press, 1923.

Good Friday

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Mother of Mercy, Washington NC.

"On this solemn and sacred day, consider your Blessed Redeemer on Mount Calvary. Being arrived at the holy mount, Jesus is forthwith stretched out upon the cross. His hands and feet are pierced with nails, and with them fastened to the wood: and thus, with shouts and cries of the insulting multitude, He is raised up into the air, and in this manner He offers Himself a bleeding sacrifice to the eternal Father, a propitiation for our sins, and those of the whole world. Who can comprehend what He suffered here, in having His wasted, torn and tormented Body now stretched out upon a cross, His hands and feet fastened to it with nails; and then raised up with shouts into the air between two thieves, with the weight of his whole body now resting only on His wounds? Who will give us a heart to adore our Redeemer, and tears to lament His sufferings, and our sins, which are the occasion of them, and are the very nails, which have bored His sacred hands and feet, and nailed him to the cross?

The first words which our Blessed Saviour uttered, when raised up upon the cross, were: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do". Adore the charity of your crucified Redeemer. He prayed for those who treated Him with the utmost cruelty. This shows that it was an excess of love, that brought Him to this ignominious death, since He offered His blood for those who shed it. Beg of Him to open your breast to that divine charity, of which He has here given you so great an example, and to teach you the practice of forgiving all injuries, and even the worst of enemies.

They that passed by reviled Him and mocked Him. But He was pleased to suffer even to His last breath. We are sensible how great a trial it is to be despised in time of affliction; and yet contempts and insults are His entertainment in His greatest humiliation. Bless the humility and patience of your Saviour, who suffered all this for your sake from the hands of sinners. Pray that being His disciple, you may inherit some portion of His spirit, and then remember what is your duty when you are in affliction, or under contempt.

That the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said:"I thirst". How great must our Saviour's thirst have been, when He complained of that, after going through so many torments without opening His mouth! Bless your Redeemer for whatever He suffered in this His last hour, and beg that this His thirst may be the expiation of your intemperance, as likewise of all your niceness and self-love. Beseech Him on this day of mercy to give you a better spirit; that by the merit of His adorable thirst, all self-love may be moderated in you, and such a change be wrought, that you may no more thirst after the false goods of the world, nor be distracted with those vain desires, which have so often wasted your spirit, and taken your heart from the solicitude of more substantial goods.

About the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice: "My God my God! why hast thou forsaken me?" How great must His suffering have been, for Him thus to cry out ! This is the complaint of nature, which thus expresses its uneasiness under the cross, which the spirit had chosen. It is rather an instruction from the sacred mouth of our Redeemer, to put us in mind of the greatness of His torments, of the rigour of His divine justice, and of the cause for which He is exposed to this extremity. It is to lead us to consider and ask why He suffers all this. It is for the redemption of man: for us poor worms, wretched sinners, enemies of God, captives of hell. Blessed be this His mercy for ever!

And Jesus crying again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. Thus all is accomplished; the great sacrifice is offered for the sins of the world, in the death of Jesus on the cross on this day. Let it be a memorial to you; a memorial of the humiliations of Jesus, of His torments, and of His death. Let it be a day of thanksgiving, a day of humiliation, of patience, of contrition, and penance. On this day, lament your Saviour's sufferings, and your own sins; and do nothing on it, but what may be agreeable to the spirit of an humble penitent and if anything painful happens, bear it with patience, after His example. And let this be your method in proportion, on every Friday through the whole course of the year." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

St. Richard, Bishop of Chichester, A.D. 1253.

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"The saint's devotion to the Holy Eucharist is shown by his minute and careful legislation regarding all things connected with the service of the altar. Everything surrounding it, and especially the linen used for Mass, must be of spotless cleanliness, and no priest may say Mass in torn or dirty vestments. The chalices must be of gold or silver, and a crucifix must always be placed before the celebrant. When the Holy Viaticum is carried to the sick it must be taken with the utmost reverence, the priest in surplice and stole, accompanied by cross, lights, and holy water, and preceded by an acolyte with a bell to let the people know that their Lord is passing.

Only those who have passed a sufficient examination are to be admitted to the ranks of the clergy, and no one is to be ordained to sacred orders if he come with any other design than to serve God alone; ordination, therefore, should be refused to anyone for money, favor, or privilege, and all those in the least tainted with heresy or suspected of leading unholy lives must be rigorously excluded from the priesthood. (...) Finally, the clergy are reminded of the duty of instructing their flocks in the truths of the Faith, and they must teach them simple prayers according to their ability to learn. Source: Richard of Wyche, labourer, Scholar, Bishop, and Saint. by Sister Mary Reginald OP 1913

"St. Richard was born in Worcestershire. From his childhood, he had a great aversion to dances, shows, and gay amusements; and applied diligently to virtue and learning. Quitting all worldly prospects, he studied first at Oxford, then at Paris, where, with two companions, he lived in great poverty, contenting himself with coarse bread, and drinking only water, which nevertheless he used to say was the most pleasant time of his whole life.

He afterwards went to Bologna, to study canon law; and having taught there a short time, he returned to Oxford, and was chosen chancellor of that university. He was afterwards appointed chancellor to St. Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury; in which charge he was faithful, just, affable, modest, and sincere. He kept close to his holy prelate in all his tribulations, and accompanied him in his exile. Being ordained priest, he returned to England; and not long after was chosen bishop of Chichester. The king, Henry III., opposed his nomination, but Pope Innocent IV. ratified his election, and consecrated him with his own hands at Rome.

The saint returned to England, but found all the revenues of his bishopric seized by the king's officers. He went therefore to his diocese poor and penniless, and suffered great hardships for two years, when his revenues were restored to him, though much impaired. Seated now in his episcopal chair, St. Richard shone forth more illustrious then ever in all virtues. He was fervent in prayer, night and day, liberal in alms-deeds, and rigorous in the chastisement of his body. In visiting his diocese, he always made diligent inquiry after the sick and poor; and not only relieved them, but visited them in person, to comfort them with pious exhortations. God was pleased by miracles to testify his approbation of these great charities; especially when one loaf blessed by the saint, was so wonderfully multiplied, as to satisfy three thousand poor. He suffered at one time a great loss by fire; but with a pleasant countenance he only said: "Perhaps God has punished us, because we were not liberal enough in our alms; and therefore see that we give more bountifully for the time to come."

Whilst he was employed in preaching a crusade for the recovery of the Holy Land, he fell sick; and prepared for his last end, by receiving the Sacraments, and making a general confession of his whole life. He died at Dover on the 3rd of April, 1253, in the fifty-sixth year of his age. Pray for the pastors of the Church, and in particular of this nation, that they may be every way fitted for their charge. Pray for the people also, that peace and charity may reign among them, that they may be united in one faith, and live according to the Gospel." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

Prayer to Saint Richard of Chichester

Most merciful Redeemer,
who gavest to thy Bishop Richard a love of learning,
a zeal for souls, and a devotion to the poor:
grant that, encouraged by his example,
and aided by his prayers,
we may know thee more clearly,
love thee more dearly,
and follow thee more nearly,
day by day;
who livest and reignest with the Father
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God,
world without end. Amen.

Prayer of Saint Richard of Chichester

Gratias tibi ego, Domine Jesu Christe, de omnibus beneficiis, quae mihi praestitisti; pro poenis & opprobiis, quae pro me pertulisti; propter quae plactus ille lamentablis vere tibim competebat. Non est dolor sicut dolor meus.

Hail Rabbi!

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Four causes there were, right courteous reader, which first moved me to explicate unto thee, according unto my small capacity, the mysteries and ceremonies of the Holy Mass.

(…)

3. The third was, the deep, mortal, and cankered malice of wicked heretics, their most execrable blasphemies, together with many most fearful wild,, and damnable facts, done and committed by them, in hatred and contempt of this divine Sacrifice: and what good Christian is there that will not, to the uttermost of his power, defend a treasure so inestimable from the savage assaults of such wicked miscreants?

Day 44. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: The Beloved Crosses

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"The saints, my dear brethren, all loved the Cross and found in it their strength and their consolation. But, you will say to me, is it necessary, then, always to have something to suffer? .... Now sickness or poverty, or again scandal or calumny, or possibly loss of money or an infirmity? Have you been calumniated, my friends? Have you been loaded with insults? Have you been wronged? So much the better! That is a good sign; do not worry; you are on the road that leads to Heaven.

Do you know when you ought to be really upset? I do not know if you understand it, but it should be precisely for the opposite reason -- when you have nothing to endure, when everyone esteems and respects you. Then you should feel envious of those who have the happiness of passing their lives in suffering, or contempt, or poverty.

Are you forgetting, then, that at your Baptism you accepted the Cross, which you must never abandon until death, and that it is the key that you will use to open the door of Heaven? Are you forgetting the words of our Savior: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Not for a day, not for a week, not for a year, but all our lives.

The saints had a great fear of passing any time without suffering, for they looked upon it as time lost. According to St. Teresa, man is only in this world to suffer, and when he ceases to suffer, he should cease to live. St. John of the Cross asks God, with tears, to give him the grace to suffer more as a reward for all his labors.

What should we conclude, my dear children, from all that? Just this: Let us make a resolution to have a great respect for all the crosses, which are blessed, and which represent to us in a small way all that our God suffered for us. Let us recall that from the Cross flow all the graces that are bestowed upon us and that as a consequence, a cross which is blessed is a source of blessings, that we should often make the sign of the Cross on ourselves and always with great respect, and, finally, that our houses should never remain without this symbol of salvation.

Fill your children, my dear brethren, with the greatest respect for the Cross, and always have a blessed cross on yourselves; it will protect you against the Devil, from the vengeance of Heaven, and from all danger. This is what I desire for you."

Source: The Sermons of the Cure d'Ars 1960 (Public Domain)

Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPG

#9 Acts of Adoration Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in reparation for all the offenses committed against Him by mankind

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9. We adore Thee, Savior of the world, to Whom all fidelity and glory is due! And to repair the sacrilegious communions and treacheries of so many false consciences, we offer up to Thee the fervent and faithful zeal of the Archangels. Eternal praise and thanksgiving be to the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament.

O Queen of heaven and earth, hope of mankind, who adores thy Divine Son incessantly! We entreat thee, that, since we have the honor to be of the number of thy children, thou would interest thyself in our behalf and make satisfaction for us, and in our name, to our Eternal Judge, by rendering to Him the duties which we ourselves are incapable of performing. Amen.

Source: CAPG

St. Francis of Paola, Confessor, A.D. 1508.

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Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, St. Francis of Paola

"From his youth he seemed inflamed with the Holy Spirit; for, retiring into a desert, he spent six years in great austerity, with almost continued prayer and divine contemplation. Pray especially for young persons, that God would diminish in them excessive fondness for the world and themselves, and give them a true sense of their eternal state, that they may not admire and adore vanity, but God alone. And if any are under your care, reflect on your obligation both to God and them. See that they want no instruction, keep them to their hours of prayer and reading, teach them to employ themselves, oblige them to order and discipline, examine their company and conversation, study to make them easy in a regular life, allow them innocent diversions, but see that they are not fond of what is vain, extravagant, and foolish. By these degrees you may teach them to love God, to have a true esteem for virtue, and to live as becomes Christians. But by following a contrary method, in giving them liberty to gratify corrupt nature, you will concur to their ruin, and find too late their flattered innocence to end in professed vice.

St. Francis being prevailed upon to leave his solitude, for the encouragement of many who desired to follow his example, procured a church to be built near Faula, in Calabria, the place of his birth, and there laid the first foundation of a religious order. He obliged his followers to perpetual abstinence, to go barefoot, and to lie on the ground. And that they might be ever mindful of that humility, which, above all, he recommended to them as the ground of all Christian virtues, he called them Minims, that is the least and most contemptible of all the servants of God. In this method he lived to the ninety-first year of his age, and made a happy end in the year 1508.

Pray for all of this holy Order, that they may truly practice what they profess; that they may keep up the spirit of their founder, and be an example to all others of the true spirit of the Gospel. Learn something of it for yourself. The corruption of your nature can have no better remedy than in a discreet abstinence from such things as are too favorable to it, in being either vicious, or disposing that way. Learn never to despise others, but judge yourself the least and most contemptible of all." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

Maundy Thursday and the Altar of Repose

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Institution of the Holy Eucharist and of the Christian Priesthood.

"As in the cenacle there is something more than a repast, so there is also something more than a sacrifice - there is the institution of the new priesthood. Our Savior would not have said to men: "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His Blood, you shall not have life in you," had He not thought of instituting a ministry through which He would renew to the end of time what He had now accomplished in presence of these twelve men. Now these are His words to these men whom He hath chose: "Do this in commemoration of Me." By those words He gives power to them also to change the bread into His Body, and the wine into His Blood, and this sublime power shall be transmitted through Holy ordination in the Church to the end of time. Through the ministry of mortal, sinful men, Jesus will continue to work out the miracle He performed in the cenacle, and while He endows His Church with the only one and immortal sacrifice, He gives us according to His promise, through the bread of heaven the means to abide in Him, and for Him to abide in us." Dom Gueranger Annee Liturgique

Maundy Thursday:

The Liturgy of Maundy Thursday is full of memories of the Redemption. It provided formerly for the celebration of three Masses: the first for the reconciliation of public Penitents, the second for the conservation of the Holy Oils, and the third for a special commemoration of the Institution of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper. This last Mass is the only one that has been preserved, and at it the Bishop, attended by twelve priests, seven Deacons and seven Subdeacons, blesses the Holy Oils in his Cathedral Church.

The Reconciliation of Public Penitents: Sinners who had undergone a course of penance were granted on this day "the abundant remission of their sins," "which were washed away in the Blood of Jesus." Dying with Christ, they were "cleansed of all their sins, and clad in the nuptial robe they were admitted once more to the banquet of the Most Holy Supper."
The Blessing of the Holy Oils: This blessing took place with a view to the baptism and confirmation of the Catechumens during Easter night. The Bishop exorcised the oils, praying God "to instill into it the power of the Holy Ghost," so that " the Divine gifts might descend on those who were about to be anointed."

The oil of the sick, which is the substance of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, is the first to be blessed, before the Pater. Formerly this used also to be blessed on other days.

The Holy Chrism, which is the matter of the Sacrament of Confirmation, is the noblest of the Holy Oils, and the blessing of it takes place with greater pomp after the Clergy have communicated. It is used for the consecration of Bishops, in the rite of Baptism, in the consecration of churches, altars and chalices, and in the baptism or blessing of bells.

The third Holy oil, which is blessed immediately after, is that of the Catechumens. It is used to anoint the breast and between the shoulders of the person to be baptized, for the blessing of baptismal fonts on Holy Saturday and on Whitsun Eve, at the Ordination of Priests and for the coronation of kings and Queens.

3. Mass for Maundy Thursday: The Church, which, by placing the Mass of the Catechumens in juxtaposition with the Mass of the Faithful, commemorates throughout the year in the Holy Eucharist all the mysteries of the life of Christ, celebrates today in a special manner the institution of that Sacrament and of the Catholic Priesthood (Secret). [The Eucharist and Priesthood are inseparable, for Jesus instituted them both at the Last Supper. After for the first time changing the bread and wine into His Body and Blood. He at once added, addressing only the Apostles present: "Do this for the commemoration of Me." In those words He charged the Apostles and all their successors, Bishops and Priests, to continue the Eucharistic Sacrifice, thus subordinating its perpetuation to the permanence of His priesthood on earth.]

This Mass then realizes eminently the command laid by Jesus on His Priests to renew the Last Supper, at which Christ, at the very moment of His death was being plotted, instituted His immortal presence among us. And the Church, forgetting for the moment her mourning, celebrates the Holy Sacrifice today with holy joy. The Crucifix is covered with a white veil, her Ministers are vested in festal robes, and the Gloria is sung to the ringing of all the bells. And after this Hymn the bells remain silent till Holy Saturday.

Certain abuses which had crept in owing to the Eucharistic banquet being partaken of after another meal, following the example set by Christ, having been abolished, st. Paul tells us in the Epistle that the Mass is a "memorial of the death of Jesus." The Sacrifice of the Altar is necessary if we are to communicate in the Victim of Calvary and share in His merits. And the Eucharist, which derives all its virtue from the Sacrifice of the Cross, makes it universal as regards time and space in a sense unknown so far. To love the Blessed Sacrament is "to glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (introit). Christ takes on Himself to perform the ablutions prescribed by the Jews during the supper (Gospel), to evidence the purity and charity that God requires of those who desire to communicate, for, as in the case of Judas (collect), "Whosoever eats this bread unworthily is guilty for the body and of the blood of the Lord (Epistle).
After the Mass the altar is stripped in order to show that the Holy Sacrifice is interrupted and will not be offered up again to God until Holy Saturday. The Priest therefore has consecrated two hosts, for on Good Friday the Church refrains from renewing on the altar the Sacrifice of Calvary." Source: Daily Missal with Vespers for Sundays & Feasts By Dom Gaspar Lefebvre, 1925.

Institution of the Holy Eucharist, ©CAPG

"Jesus having loved His own, who were in the world, He loved them unto the end. This love He expressed in a more particular manner in the institution of the Holy Eucharist on this day. Being now about to depart out of the world, He left us His sacred Body and Blood under the forms of bread and wine; that so, being ascended to His Father, He might not leave us orphans, but still abide with us for the food and nourishment of our souls in their spiritual life, for the support of our banishment, and the comfort of our pilgrimage. He gave Himself to us in this Blessed Sacrament, to be our security in dangers, our strength in temptations, our physician in all distempers, our counsel in difficulties, our encouragement in troubles, and our help in infirmities. In fine, He gave Himself to us, to be all to us that can be necessary for carrying us through the evils of this life, to the possession of that eternal happiness, which He has purchased for us with the price of His Blood.

This was the pure effect of His mercy and love to us: for if we look upon ourselves, what do we see there? Nothing but ingratitude, monstrous self-love, pride, sensuality, stubbornness, and sin. That He should stoop to that humiliating expedient of becoming our food, is the work of His mercy and love to us. It is this love that we are called upon this day to acknowledge and adore: and it must be a reproach to us of insensibility, if we are wanting in this duty.

This is performed in part, by preparing a place for the Blessed Eucharist, which the faithful are accustomed to call the Sepulchre, where it is deposited after Mass on this day, and surrounded with lights, flowers, and other ornaments. As far as these are acknowledgments of our respect and gratitude, they will be acceptable to Him whom we thus honour. But we must pour forth our hearts to God, as we devoutly visit this sepulchre, in the confession of His power and goodness; we must return Him our love for His love to us: and beseech Him to complete the mercy of this day, by teaching us worthily to praise Him, and sincerely to love Him." Maundy Thursday, The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

The Office of Holy Week, 1870 (Washing of the Feet, Holy Mass, Blessing of the Oils) Daily Missal, Dom Gaspar 1925

"It is not uncommon to hear Maundy Thursday referred to as Holy Thursday. This is a mistake. Holy Thursday is a name belonging absolutely from time immemorial to the Feast of the Ascension. Maundy is a significant name and ought therefore to be jealously guarded. Enough of that element of religion which serves to make it popular has been lost in the course of past centuries.

The word Maundy is derived, through the French maundier, from the Latin mandatum: "Mandatum novum do vobis," (a new commandment I give unto you) John, 13:34. The Mandatum or Maundy was the ceremony of the washing of the feet and almsgiving observed on this day, both of which were performed as a token of that brotherly love which Christ so earnestly inculcated at the last supper.

The ceremony of the washing of the feet was and is part of the liturgy. It was performed by Pope, Bishop, and priest, and kings, nobles and peasants imitated their example. Twelve poor men were selected to be the recipients of the dignitaries' favor.

The Maundy is observed in the ceremonies of the church, and in many religious communities even at the present time.

Visiting the repositories is a custom as popular of old as it is today. It is indeed edifying to Catholic and non-Catholic alike to witness the spontaneous demonstration of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and deeper than we are aware of is the impression produced on the multitude of unbelievers around us by this and similar acts of faith." Source: Maine Catholic Historical Magazine, 1914

Altar of Repose, Institute Christ the King, ©DC

" To draw his people more effectually to the holy Eucharist, the Cure d'Ars had endeavoured to communicate to them a taste for all holy things, and his efforts were not in vain. Sunday after Sunday these good people feasted their eyes on beautiful banners and vestments.

("In the minutes of the pastoral visitation held at Ars by the Bishop of Belley, on Monday, June 11, 1838, we read as follows: "After saying Mass and giving confirmation, His Lordship contented himself with giving Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and reciting the prayers for the departed. He deemed it unnecessary to examine the interior of the church, the chapels, vestments and sacred vessels, because everything is so beautiful and so rich that the beholder is filled with admiration" Msgr. Convert. Le Frere Athanase.)

For a long time the saint himself trained the altar boys, and achieved wonderful results. He carried out with gravity, dignity, and the utmost care all the ceremonies of the rite of Lyons, which at that time was likewise in use in the diocese of Belley. Nor was the behaviors of the altar servers less admirable when, in 1849, Frere Athanase undertook the functions of master of ceremony.

He had so fine a liturgical spirit, and he drilled the children with so much precision and good taste, that Mgr. de Langalerie, during a clergy retreat, held him up as a pattern to the clergy of the diocese. "Do you wish to see a church where all the ceremonies are carried out to the letter? Go to Ars; Frere Athanase is a living and unerring ceremonial. His example will show you what you can achieve yourselves if you will only take the means."

There were days when the people of Ars gave special edification to the pilgrims. On Maundy Thursday, in order to commemorate the institution of the Holy Eucharist, M. Vianney insisted on providing a splendid altar of repose, and his heart rejoiced at sight of the decorations which enhanced the majesty of the tabernacle. The whole of the chancel, which had been considerably enlarged in 1845, was draped with banners. Numerous and tastefully arranged lights transfigured the scene. However, he took every precaution lest these decorations should be a hindrance instead of a help to the interior recollection of the people."

Source: The Cure d'Ars, Abbe Trochu

Day 43. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: The Armed Crosses

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"The sign of the cross is the most terrible weapon against the Devil. Thus the Church wishes not only that we should have it continually in front of our minds to recall to us just what our souls are worth and what they cost Jesus Christ, but also that we should make it at every juncture ourselves: when we go to bed, when we awaken during the night, when we get up, when we begin any action, and, above all, when we are tempted. We can say that a Christian who makes the Sign of the Cross with genuine religious sentiments, that is to say, when fully aware of the action which he is performing, makes all Hell tremble. But when we make the Sign of the Cross, we must make it not by habit but with respect, with attention and thinking of what we are doing. Ah, dear Lord, with what devout awe we should be filled when we make the Sign of the Cross upon ourselves and recall that we are pronouncing all that we hold holy and most sacred in our religion."

Source: The Sermons of the Cure d'Ars 1960 (Public Domain)

Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPG

Month of April: The Holy Spirit

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April: Month of the Holy Spirit

Virtue: Patience

"(..) We must pray that the Holy Ghost will descend in the unction of truth and the unction of sanctity upon the Bishops, and Pastors and Priests of the Church throughout the world. They were the first fruits of the Holy Ghost. To them our divine Lord said, when he breathed upon them: "Receive ye the Holy Ghost; on them He descended: they were baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire," that they might be to the end of the world, the image of our Lordʼs own perfection as the Great High Priest, and the Great Shepherd of the sheep. As they are, so will be the flock, if the salt lose its savor, the people will corrupt; if the light burn dimly, the people will wander in darkness.

Pray then for the Bishops who were set by the Holy Ghost to rule the Church of God, which He purchased with His precious blood. Pray for the Pastors that, in charity and courage, they may feed the flock, and if need be, lay down their lives for the sheep. If the seven Gifts rest upon them, their intellect will be guided, they will be strong; they will be holy, humble, undefiled, and separate from sinners, and when Priests are holy the people will be uncontaminated by the spirit of the world."

Source: Special devotion to the Holy Ghost : a manual for the use of seminarians, priests, religious and the Christian people, Rev. Fr. Otto Zardetti 1888

Prayer to the Holy Ghost in Favor of the Church.

Sunday Communion Offered to the Holy Ghost in Favor of the Church and of Priests

O Holy Spirit, Creator, be propitious to the Catholic Church; and by Thy heavenly power make it strong and secure against the attacks of its enemies; and renew in charity and grace the spirit of Thy servants, whom Thou has anointed, that they may glorify Thee and the Father and His Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. amen.
Manual of prayers to the Holy Ghost by Very Rev. Fr. Felix of Jesus 1941

Prayer to the Holy Ghost for Priests

O Holy Ghost, Thou Friend of priests, send them daily Thy seven gifts, that they may live worthy of their calling, and become all to all in order to win souls for heaven. Give them patience with children, pity for the sick, humility toward the poor, and generosity toward the enemies of Thy holy Church. Make them active in teaching, untiring in the tribunal of penance, and zealous in distributing Holy Communion. Let them be terrible to the demons of hell and messengers of peace to all who are of good will.

May Thy blessing accompany them wherever they may go; may Thy peace enter with them in the dwellings they may visit; mayest Thou bless all whom they may bless. Make them true apostles and saints. Amen. Come Holy Ghost, a compilation of prayers in honor of the Divine Spirit.

1932 Fr. Lester Martin Dooley.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit by Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier (1851-1926)

"I am going to reveal to you the secret of sanctity and happiness. Every day for five minutes control your imagination and close your eyes to the things of sense and your ears to all the noises of the world in order to enter into yourself Then, in the sanctity of your baptized soul (which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit), speak to that Divine Spirit, saying to Him:

Oh, Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You.

Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me.

Tell me what I should do; give me your orders.

I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me

and to accept all that You permit to happen to me.

Let me only know Your will. Amen.

If you do this, your life will flow along happily, serenely, and full of consolation, even in the midst of trials. Grace will be proportioned to the trial, giving you the strength to carry it, and you will arrive at the gate of Paradise, laden with merit. This submission to the Holy Spirit is the secret of sanctity."

St. Mary of Egypt, A.D. 421.

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St. Mary of Egypt by Jusepe de Ribera

"She was born in Egypt; and having left her father's house at the age of twelve years, she went to Alexandria, where she abandoned herself to all the liberties of a sinful life. But after some years, being touched by a wonderful grace of God, she resolved upon a new life, and doing penance for her sins. For this end, she retired into the desert beyond the river Jordan, with three loaves, and lived there in prayer and penance seven and forty years, without seeing any person in all that time. She was then discovered by a holy monk and priest, named Zosimus, to whom she gave an account of her life, and begged a share in his prayers. She desired him to return to the same place the following year on Maundy Thursday, and to bring with him the sacred Body and Blood of our Lord, and wait for her on the banks of the river. He did so; and at night she appeared on the other side, and making the sign of the cross over the river, she walked over as if it had been dry land. She received the Blessed Sacrament, and desired him to return the following Lent to the place where he first saw her. On his arrival at the appointed time, he found her dead; and being miraculously assisted by a lion, he dug a grave and buried her.

Pray for all those unhappy souls who live in sin, that they may hear the voice of God, who invites them to repentance. Let the mercy shewn to this sinner arm you against despair. But then let her penance instruct you what you are to do upon your change of life. For if ill habits are strong, they will scarcely yield to resolutions without some more penitential method. There will be a necessity of such a solitude at least as separates you from the occasions of sin, and gives you opportunity of recollection.

On this first day of the month make a sincere offering of yourself and all yours to God, and put all under his direction. Beg His blessing on all your undertakings, and offer yourself to all disappointments and troubles. Beseech God that you may make a right use both of His favors and scourges. Take a review of your past errors and evil habits which every month you resolve to amend. One month is to be your last; who knows but it may be this? Do now, at least, as if it were to be so." Source: The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother

Novena to St. Mary of Egypt

Prayer of St. Mary of Egypt: "O Holy Virgin, mother of the Word made flesh, so pure and humble and chaste, intercede for me. Procure for me, a vile creature, the grace to go in and venerate the Holy Cross on which thy Son shed His blood, and I promise no more to return to my bad life, but to do penance in any way that may be most pleasing to God"

Any girl who comes to confession with simplicity and earnestness as St. Mary did, no matter how much she may have sinned, will find it easy, as Mary did, and will receive from God graces similar to those that Mary received.
Let us thank God for this consoling Sacrament of Penance, and, when we return from it cleansed and strengthened, say, with the Blessed Virgin: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit exult in God my Savior, who hath had regard to the humility of His handmaid. For He wo is powerful hath done great things for me: Blessed be His holy name." (St. Luke i.46)

Source: Guide for Catholic Young women, Especially for Those who Earn Their Own Living By Rev. Fr. George Deshon · 1893: Example of St. Mary of Egypt page 106

Spy Wednesday: the betrayal of Judas

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The Wednesday of Holy Week is popularly known as Spy Wednesday. On this day Judas played the spy and signed the traitor's contract for thirty pieces of silver. The Maine Catholic Historical Magazine, Volume 2, 1914.

Judas Goes to Find the Jews (Judas va trouver les Juifs) - James Tissot

Sermons de Saint Jean Marie Vianney:

On the Prayer of a Sinner Who Does Not Wish to Abandon Sin: If Judas—Judas the traitor—instead of giving way to despair, had earnestly prayed to God to forgive his sin, the Lord would have absolved him of his fault. From the French Sermons of the Venerable Jean Marie Vianney, 1883 Vol. 1, 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, p. 194.
On Hope: If Judas had thrown himself at the feet of Jesus Christ to beg Him for forgiveness, Jesus Christ would have remitted his sin just as He did for Saint Peter. From the French Sermons of the Venerable Jean Marie Vianney, 1883 Vol. 2, IV Sunday after Pentecost, p. 216 .
On Absolution: Jesus Christ Himself - God though He was, and Master of Grace - granted forgiveness only to true penitents: He received the Good Thief, whose conversion was sincere, but He rejected the wicked one because of his impenitence. He forgave Saint Peter, whose repentance He knew to be genuine, but He abandoned Judas, whose penitence was false. From the French Sermons of the Venerable Servant of God, Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, 1883 Volume 3, XIII Sunday after Pentecost, p. 90.

Tissot: Judas Leaves the Cenacle

Judas Returns the money, Jacques Tissot

Delay of conversion: "Ah, my friend! I wish I could lead you to the very brink of despair, so that—struck by the dreadful state in which you find yourself—you might at least seize the means that the good Lord still offers you today to escape it.

-But, you might say, surely there are those who have converted at the hour of death—the Good Thief, after all, converted at that very moment.
The Good Thief, my brethren—to begin with, he had never known God. As soon as he came to know Him, he gave himself over to Him; and indeed, he is the only example Holy Scripture offers us, lest we fall utterly into despair in such a moment.

-"But surely there are many others who have converted, even though they lived for a long time in sin."
My friend, take great care—I believe you are mistaken. You might tell me that many have repented, but to be *converted*—that is quite another matter. That is precisely what you will do, and indeed what you have already done during your illnesses: for you summoned a priest simply because you were vexed at suffering from your ailment. Well then! For all your repentance, were you truly converted by it? In all likelihood, you became only the more hardened.

Alas, my brethren! All this mere repentance signifies but very little. Saul truly repented, for he wept over his sins; yet he is damned. Cain truly repented, for he let out dreadful cries of anguish for having slain his brother; nevertheless, he is in hell. Judas truly repented, for he went to return his money, and his sorrow was so great that he went and hanged himself.

If you now ask where all this repentance led them, I will tell you... to hell. I will always return to my conclusion: if you live in sin, and die in it, you will be damned; but I hope that this will not be the case—that you will not come to such an end."

Source: From the French Sermons du bienheureux Jean-Marie Vianney By Jean-Marie Vianney. IV Sunday of Lent, 1909, p389-390 published By Bishop Etienne Delaroche et Dom Marie Augustin Delaroche.

Tissot, Judas hangs himself, Jacques Tissot

Tenebrae

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Wednesday in Holy Week

"Admire the silence with which Christ suffers His many injuries. Who would not have supposed that Divine Justice would have armed every spectator to revenge such terrible treatment? Or, that, as least, Jesus would have defended His innocence with His own sublime eloquence? It is otherwise: "Jesus was silent." Ah, me - the innocent Jesus is accused of so many crimes, before so many judges, in the sight of so many people; and ill report is His, dangers surround Him, thorns, nails, the cross, await Him - and He is altogether silent. "Jesus was silent." He would supply for your pride by His shame, and so He is silent. "But He held His tongue."

Learn to hate your impatient volubility, when you have to suffer anything similar. "Come hither my Jesus and teach me silence." Compare your innocence with His, the accusations you incur with those of Jesus, the reasons for self defense you think you have with those of your Master. Set the sentence you have to fear side by side with that He incurred. "He was silent." And you? You can only blush for your querulous loquacity." Bellacio. "Remember me": daily readings for Lent 1924, International Catholic Truth Society

THE TRIANGULAR CANDLESTICK AT THE TENEBRAE.

Question: What is the meaning of the fifteen candles which are extinguished one by one during the chanting of the Psalms at the Matin Office (Tenebrae) during the last three days of Holy Week? The Office of Holy Week (Baltimore edition), which gives the liturgical text, with the rubrics in English, says: "When about to celebrate this part of the office, they place in front of the altar a large triangular candlestick containing several lighted candles, one of which is extinguished after each psalm." De Herdt, I am told, mentions the number of candles as fifteen, but gives no definite explanation of the mystic significance. Is the number essential, or is it merely optional, and expressive of the gradual darkness that came upon the world through sin from which Christ, symbolized by the light at the top which alone remains burning, has delivered us?

Resp. The most prevalent interpretation of the symbolic candlestick commonly called Herse (hersa, hearse, hercia)(1) during the Middle Ages, was that it signified the patriarchs and prophets, whose teaching served the world as a light leading up to Christ. who became the all-absorbing Light illuminating man to the end of time. There are seven lights on each side leading to the apex of the triangle. These fourteen candles were usually of unbleached wax, while the one on top was of white wax. They represent the patriarchal church from Adam to Joseph on one side, and the Mosaic church from Moses to the last of the prophets on the other, for the number seven, according to the Midrash, is the most perfect and representative number. They counted seven Fathers of tribes, the last of whom was to be Moses, their deliverer-Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Levi, Kahath, Amram, Moses. Seven was the number of revelation (Ps. 96: 13).

Such was the fundamental idea. But since the Patriarchal and Mosaic revelations leading up to Christ might be variously represented by the principal agents of the divine purpose manifesting the coming of the Messiah, so the number of lights which were used to express the expectation of the nations for a Redeemer, and which were to disappear with His coming, varied. Adam, Noe, Abraham, and the succeeding leaders who inaugurated great revivals of the Messianic hope down to Esdras or Judas Maccabæus, might all be represented as lights. Hence there were sometimes as many as twenty-four candles. Feasey, in his Ancient Holy Week Ceremonial, writes: "This Tenebrae candlestick, called Herse or Hersa,' in English Cathedral statutes, is a large triangular candelabrum, or candlestick, or hearse of brass, latten or iron, upon which the tapers used in the Tenebrae office are set, and which is placed on the epistle or south side of the sanctuary and altar. . . . Calfhill says that in England it was called the Judas or Judas Cross.(2)" In some cases the lights were extinguished at once, or at two and three intervals. The six candles on the high altar which are extinguished during the signing of the Benedictus are usually taken to represent the light of Jewish righteousness passing between the birth of our Lord and His death and resurrection.

The upper light is not extinguished, but is hidden behind the altar, while the Miserere is recited in a low tone; after which it is restored to its place at the top of the candlestick, because God did not leave the soul of our Lord in darkness, but raised Him from the dead.

As stated above, the number of candles used in the Tenebrae office appears to have varied very much in the different churches: The Sarum Breviary says twenty-four; at Canterbury and York there were twenty-five; at Nevers there were nine; at Mans twelve; at Paris and Rheims thirteen; at Cambray and St. Quentin twenty-four; at Evreux twenty-five; at Amiens twenty-six; at Coutance forty-four. In some churches the candles corresponded to each psalm and lesson of the office.

--------------------------

1. The word "hearse" (Latin, hercia) is derived through the French herse, from hericius, ericius, ericeus or critius, a harrow, or hedgehog, from its appearance. It was ordinarily used at funerals over the coffin or catafalque.

2. Wordsworth in his Medieval Services in England, says: "One of the candles in the herce for Tenebrae in Holy Week represented the traitor, and is sometimes called the Judas Candle. The antiphon sung at Lauds on Maundy Thursday, when the last light was darkened, was 'He that betrayed Him had given them a token' (Brev. Sar. 783). But what appears a Judace or the Jewes light was the forerunner of these modern dummies and save-alls which are sometimes reprehensively painted to counterfeit the true natural wax." This is the wooden base of the paschal candle blessed on Holy Saturday.

American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 26, erman Joseph Heuser Catholic University of America Press, 1902

Sunday Communion Offered to the Holy Ghost in Favor of the Church and of Priests

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"We recommend very specially to Priest and to the faithful the practice of the Sunday Communion offered to the Holy Ghost, already propagated with such zeal by many distinguished prelates. The practice consists in offering Communion every Sunday to the Holy Ghost, by the hands of Mary, in favor of the Church and of Priests. Those who adopt this devotion should, when making the offering of their Sunday Communion, intercede earnestly for priests, so that they may become every day more holy and more zealous and ardent apostles of the Holy Ghost.

It is much to be desired that this practice of the Sunday Communion should become general in every parish, in Seminaries, Universities, Colleges, and especially in religious Communities."

Prayer to the Holy Ghost in Favor of the Church.

O Holy Spirit, Creator, be propitious to the Catholic Church; and by Thy heavenly power make it strong and secure against the attacks of its enemies; and renew in charity and grace the spirit of Thy servants, whom Thou has anointed, that they may glorify Thee and the Father and His Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. amen.
(300 daysʼ indulgence, once a day. Leo XIII, August 26 1889)

Manual of prayers to the Holy Ghost by Very Rev. Fr. Felix of Jesus 1941

Source: CAPG

Prayer before Mass (Prayers of St. Gertrude)

O Almighty, everlasting God, seeing that it is the true faith of Thy Church that the holy Sacrifice of the Mass instituted by Thy Son is infinitely pleasing to Thy divine Majesty, and renders Thee an infinite worship and praise, and since by it alone Thou canst be worthily and adequately worshiped and praised; impelled by an ardent desire of Thy honor and glory, I purpose to assist at this present sacrifice with the utmost devotion of which I am capable, and to offer this most Holy Oblation to Thee in union with Thy priest.

I offer Thee not only this sacrifice, but all those which shall be this day offered from every part of the world; and I protest before Thee that if it depended on me whether they should be offered or omitted, I would put forth all my powers to procure and further their being offered. And were I able now to raise up to Thee, of the stone which are scattered over the earth, most devoted priests, who should day by day and with glowing fervor offer to Thee this sacrifice of praise, I would most gladly do it. But, being what I am, I implore Thee, O most holy Father, through Jesus Christ Thy Son, to pour into the hearts of all Thy priests, and especially those who might perchance otherwise offer Thee this acceptable sacrifice coldly and without due recollectedness, the spirit of grace and of fervor, that they may be enabled to celebrate Thy tremendous Mystery with becoming awe and devotion.

Grant to me, and to all those who are here present with me, that we may join in this most sacred action with reverence and devotion, so that we may have our portion in its fruit and effect. I confess to Thee, O almighty God, and to the Blessed Mary ever Virgin, and to all the Saints, my own sins and those of all the world; and I lay them on Thy sacred Altar, that they may be entirely blotted out by the virtue of this sacrifice. Do thou deign to grant us this grace, by that love which held back Thy hand from smiting when Thy most beloved Son, Thy only Son, was immolated by the hands of ungodly men. amen"

Preces Gertrudianae; Prayers of St. Gertrude and St. Mechtilde.

St. Benjamin, Martyr, A.D. 424.

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St. Benjamin

"He was a deacon in Persia, and one of the glorious champions of Christ in the persecution begun by the king Isdegerdes, and continued by his son and successor, Varanes. The tyrant caused him to be beaten and imprisoned. He had laid a year in the dungeon, when an ambassador from the emperor obtained his enlargement, on condition that he should never speak to any of the courtiers about religion. The ambassador passed his word in his behalf that he would not; but Benjamin, who was a minister of the gospel, declared that he could not detain the truth in captivity, conscious to himself of the condemnation of the slothful servant for having hid his talent. He therefore neglected no opportunity of announcing Christ. The king ordered him to be apprehended; but the martyr made no other reply to his threats, than by asking him what opinion he would have of any of his subjects who should renounce his allegiance to him, and join in war against him. The enraged tyrant caused reeds to be run in between the nails and flesh of his hands and feet; and a knotty stake to be thrust into his bowels to rend and tear them, under which torment he expired in the year 424.

Reasons are easily found for dispensing with such duties as are troublesome; and it is by these reasons that tepid souls are governed, when through an absurd nicety they are more afraid of what will give them a short uneasiness or trouble, than of running into hell. This is not the method of the martyrs, who living by faith, knew no other evils but such as are eternal; and for escaping these, cheerfully offered themselves to such sufferings as threatened nothing beyond this life. Pray for a better sense of their principles; and be not so fond of present ease, as to run the hazard of everlasting torments. If you are afraid of suffering, fear that which is eternal. Let self-love for once teach you to be so wise, as to choose the lesser evil.

It being the last day of the month, endeavour to put a good end to it, by a hearty thanksgiving for all blessings and preservations, and for all afflictions too; and by a sincere contrition for all your offences, for your sins of ignorance, for your hidden and unknown sins. Resolve upon amendment, and beg for grace, that it may be effectual." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

Day 42. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Bad Death

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"If you ask me what most people understand by a bad death, I will reply: "When a person dies in the prime of life, married, enjoying good health, having wealth in abundance, and leaves children and a wife desolate, there is no doubt but that such a death is very tragic." King Ezechiel said: "What, my God! It is necessary that I die in the midst of my years, in the prime of my life!" And the Prophet-King asks God not to take him in his prime. Others say that to die at the hands of the executioner on the gallows is a bad death. Others say that a sudden death is a bad death, as, for instance, to be killed in some disaster, or to be drowned, or to fall from a high building and be killed. And then some say that the worst thing is to die of some horrible disease, like the plague or some other contagious malady. And yet, my dear brethren, I am going to tell you that none of these are bad deaths.

Provided that a person has lived well, if he dies in his prime, his death will not fail to be valuable in God's eyes. We have many saints who died in the prime of their lives. It is not a bad death, either, to die at the hands of the executioner. All the martyrs died at the hands of executioners. To die a sudden death is not to die a bad death either, provided one is ready. We have many saints who died deaths of that sort. St. Simeon was killed by lightning on his pillar. St. Francis de Sales died of apoplexy. Finally, to die of the plague is not a dreadful death. St. Roch and St. Francis Xavier died of it.

But what makes death bad is sin. Ah, this horrible sin which tears and devours at this dread moment! Alas, no matter where the poor, unfortunate sinner looks, he sees only sin and neglected graces! If he lifts his eyes to Heaven, he sees only an angry God, armed with all the fury of His justice, Who is ready to punish him. If he turns his gaze downwards, he sees only Hell and its furies already opening its gates to receive him. Alas! This poor sinner did not want to recognize the justice of God during his life on earth; at this moment, not only does he see it, but he feels it already pressing down upon him. During his lifetime, he was always trying to hide his sins, or at least to make as little of them as possible. But at this moment everything is shown to him as in the broad light of day. He sees now what he should have seen before, what he did not want to see. He would like to weep for his sins, but he has no more time. He scorned God during his lifetime; God now, in His turn, scorns him and abandons him to his despair.

Listen, hardened sinners, you who are wallowing now, with such pleasure, in the slime of your vice, without casting even a thought upon amending your lives, who perhaps will give thought to this only when God has abandoned you, as has happened to people less guilty than you. Yes, the Holy Ghost tells us that sinners in their last moments will gnash their teeth, will be seized by a horrible dread, at the very thought of their sins. Their iniquities will rise up before them and accuse them. "Alas!" they will cry at this dread moment, "alas! Of what use is this pride, this vain ostentation, and all those pleasures we have been enjoying in sin? Everything is finished now. We have not a single item of virtue to our credit but have been completely conquered by our evil passions." This is exactly what happened to the unhappy Antiochus, who, when he fell from his chariot, shattered his whole body. He experienced such dreadful pain in his entrails that it seemed to him as if someone were tearing them out. The worms started to gnaw at him while he was still alive, and his whole body stank like carrion. Then he began to open his eyes. This is what sinners do -- but too late. "Ah," he cried, "I realize now that it was the evils which I committed in Jerusalem that are tormenting me now and gnawing at my heart." His body was consumed by the most frightful sufferings and his spirit with an inconceivable sadness. He got his friends to come to him, thinking that he might find some consolation in them. But no. Abandoned by God, Who gives consolation, he could not find it in others. "Alas, my friends," he said to them, "I have fallen into a terrible affliction. Sleep has left me. I cannot rest for a single instant. My heart is pierced with grief. To what a terrible state of sadness and anguish I am reduced! It seems that I must die of sorrow, and in a strange country, too. Ah, Lord, pardon me! I will repair all the evil that I have done. I will pay back all I took from the temple in Jerusalem. I will present great gifts to the temple. I will become a Jew. I will observe the Law of Moses. I will go about publicizing the omnipotence of God. Ah, Lord, have mercy on me, please!" But his illness increased, and God, Whom he had scorned during his life, no longer had ears to hear him. He was a proud man, a blasphemer, and despite his urgent prayers, he was not listened to and had to go to Hell.

It is a grievous but a just punishment that sinners, who throughout their lives have spurned all the graces which God has offered them, find no more graces when they would like to profit by them. Alas! The number of people who die thus in the sight of God is great. Alas! That there are so many of these blind people who do not open their eyes until the moment when there are no further remedies for their ills! Yes, my dear brethren, yes, a life of sin and a death of rejection! You are in sin and you do not wish to give it up? No, you say. Very well, my children, you will perish in sin. You will see that in the death of Voltaire, the notorious blasphemer. Listen carefully and you will see that if we despise God always and if God waits for us during our lives, often, by a just judgment, He will abandon us at the hour of our death, when we would like to return to Him. The idea that one can live in sin and give it all up one day is one of the Devil's traps which will cause you to lose your soul as it has caused so many others to lose theirs.

Voltaire, realizing that he was ill, began to reflect upon the state of the sinner who dies with his conscience loaded with sins. He wished to examine his conscience and to see whether God would be willing to pardon him all the sins of his life, which were very great in number. He counted upon the mercy of God, which is infinite, and with this comforting thought in mind, he had brought to him one of those priests whom he had so greatly outraged and calumniated in his writings. He threw himself upon his knees and made a declaration to him of his sins and put into his hands the recantation of all his impieties and his scandals. He began to flatter himself on having achieved the great work of his reconciliation. But he was gravely mistaken. God had abandoned him; you will see how. Death anticipated all spiritual help. Alas! This unfortunate blasphemer felt all his terrors reborn in him. He cried out: "Alas, am I then abandoned by God and men?" Yes, unhappy man, you are. Already your lot and your hope are in Hell. Listen to this godless man; he cries out with that mouth sullied with so many profanities and so much blasphemy against God, His religion, and His ministers. "Ah," he cried, "Jesus Christ, Son of God, who died for all sinners without distinction, have pity on me!" But, alas! Almost a century of blasphemy and impiety had exhausted the patience of God, Who had already rejected him. He was no more than a victim which the wrath of God fattens for the eternal flames. The priests whom he had so derided but whom, in this moment he so desired, were not there. See him as he falls into convulsions and the horrors of despair, his eyes wild, his face ghastly, his body trembling with terror! He twists and turns and torments himself and seems as if he wants to atone for all those previous blasphemies with which his mouth had been so often sullied. His companions in irreligion, fearing, lest someone might bring him the last Sacraments, something which would have seemed to them to dishonor their cause, brought him to a house in the country, and there, abandoned to his despair ... [sermon unfinished - Trans.]" Death of Voltaire, Abbe Baruel, S.J. 1829

Source: The Sermons of the Cure d'Ars 1960 (Public Domain)

Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPG

St. John Climacus, Abbot, A.D. 605

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St. Climacus

"He was born in the beginning of the sixth century; and at the age of sixteen renounced the world, to undertake a monastic life on Mount Sina, under the conduct of a holy hermit. To him he was so entirely subject, that he seemed to have no will of his own, but to be wholly dead to himself. By silence he curbed the insolent itch of talking about every thing; a vice too common, but usually a mark of pride and self-sufficiency. By perfect humility and obedience, he banished the dangerous desire of self-complacency in his actions. He never contradicted, or disputed with any one. Four years he spent in the trial of his own strength, and in learning the obligations of his state, before he made his religious profession, which was in the twenti eth year of his age. From that moment he seemed to be renewed in spirit; and his master admired the strides with which, like a mighty giant, the young disciple advanced daily more and more towards God by self-denial, obedience, humility, and the uninterrupted exercises of divine love and prayer. His desire was to be unknown to men, and therefore he lived forty years in this solitude, fervent in prayer, industrious in working and writing, mortified in his diet, sparing in his sleep. His virtues being at length discovered, he was known to many, amongst whom were some whose envy cast upon him the blemish of idleness and ignorance; but these he overcame by his moderation and patience, and brought them into the number of his admirers and disciples. In his old age he was chosen head of all the holy inhabitants of Mount Sina; and being consummate in virtue, died in this charge, an example to all.

If you cannot leave the world, you must learn, at least, to leave your own will. All your trouble and sin must be dated from your wilfulness, obstinacy and positiveness; and till you have obtained the art of submitting your will to the orders of Providence, and yielding with peace under the pride and violence of men, you must expect no calm that is true and lasting. You must die to your own will, if you desire to live to the will of God. This will preserve your peace, much better than passion or revenge. But this will never be their method, who love idleness, and indulge sleep and appetite. Begin here then your reformation, if you desire this holy spirit." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

Day 41. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Model your Death upon that of Jesus Christ

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"if we were required to die twice, we could jettison one death. But man dies once only, and upon his death depends his eternity. Where the tree falls, there shall it lie. If, at the hour of his death, someone is living in some bad habit, his poor soul will fall on the side of Hell. If, on the other hand, he is in the state of grace, it will take the road for heaven. Oh, happy road! .... Generally speaking, one dies as one has lived. That is one of the great truths which Holy Scripture and the Fathers repeat in many different places.

If you live as good Christians, you will be sure to die as good Christians, but if you live badly, you will be sure to die a bad death. The prophet Isaias warns us that the impious man who thinks only of doing evil is in a woeful state, for he will be treated as he deserves. At death he will receive the reward for the work he has done. It is true, however, that sometimes, by a kind of miracle, one may begin badly and finish well, but that happens so rarely that, as St. Jerome puts it, death is generally the echo of life. You think that you will return then to God? No, you will perish in sin....

The Holy Ghost tells us that if we have a friend, we should do him some good before we die. Well, my dear brethren, could one have a better friend than one's soul? Let us do all the good for it that we can, for at the moment when we would like to do our souls good, we shall be able to do no more!

Life is short. If you defer changing your ways until the hour of your death, you are blind, for you do not know either the time or the place where you will die, perhaps without any assistance. Who knows if you will not go this night, covered in your sins, before the tribunal of Jesus Christ? .... Yes, my dear brethren, as life is, so is death. Do not hope for a miracle, which God but rarely performs. You are living in sin; very well, you will die in sin.... If we desire to die a good death, we must lead a Christian life. And the way for us to prepare for a good death is to model our deaths upon the death of Jesus Christ.

Can the life of the good Christian be anything other than that of a man nailed to the Cross with Jesus Christ?"

Source: The Sermons of the Cure d'Ars 1960 (Public Domain)

Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPG

Serving God from the Heart

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The Procession in the Streets of Jerusalem by Jacques Tissot

"Hosanna to the Son of David."-St. Matt. xxi. 9.

"Today, my dear brethren, we are reminded of that hour in the life of our Lord on earth in which He was receiving from the people of His own nation all the honor they could render Him. He then entered the chosen city of God in triumph over all who had opposed Him. Thousands surrounded Him, went before Him and followed after Him. They paved the road before Him with their own clothing and with the branches of trees, that they might thus make His entry into Jerusalem as glorious as possible.

In a few days, when He had been arrested by His enemies, where was this great crowd? Where were those who had cried out so fervently, "Hosanna to the Son of David"? But few could there be found. The rest had either deserted Him or joined in with the crowd that mocked Him even while He was dying on the Cross. Nearly all had abandoned Him in the day of His adversity. The first test of their faith in Him, the first trial that proved the strength of their love for Him, found them entirely wanting in that characteristic of true love, fidelity to the end.

Is it impossible for us to do as they did? No; it is not impossible, for many who are Catholics born and bred do the same thing now.

But who are these? They are those who fail to keep the Ten Commandments of God and the precepts and laws of the Church. Every Catholic who breaks the Commandments of God and refuses to obey the laws of the Church does worse than those did who deserted our Lord when He was condemned and crucified. With their lips they declare they are Catholics, and in this way cry out "Hosanna to the Son of David," but in their hearts and lives they live and associate with the enemies of Christ.

But why are these men worse than the others? Simply because they received the graces of Christ in their baptism, in their confirmation, and in their First Communion, as well as in their many Communions thereafter. In Communion they receive our Lord Himself, the Lord of eternal glory who is eternal life itself. These have been, in truth, members of the kingdom of heaven, but have cast themselves out by not keeping the Commandments of God, by not obeying the laws of the Church. Truly does the Scripture say of many of them: "He that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.” For dead many of them are apparently-dead eternally. They seem to be in the spiritual slumber of eternal death. They appear to be eternally judged; their eternal fate already sealed.

Why do I say this? Because nothing can move their hearts to return to God. Missions, sermons, exhortations, threatenings, warnings, counsels, the prayers and entreaties of fathers, mothers, kindred, and friends are all unheeded by them, are all in vain. Even the tears of their fathers and mothers, and the blushes of shame whenever they are alluded to by friends, have no effect upon them, none whatever. They will not return to God.

Poor souls! Remember that whatever excuse you make to yourselves, this is true, that those who keep the Commandments and the laws of the Church show they are the true friends of our Lord; those who do not keep these show to all in heaven and earth that they are His enemies. We have but one sure and positive test of our love for our Lord. The Ten Commandments and the laws of the Church constitute that test. All who really love Him keep this faithfully. "If you love Me," said our Lord, "keep My commandments." All who do not love Him break them and disregard them. God Himself is not their friend. They have no part in the triumphs of our Lord on this day. It is true they cry out with us "Hosanna to the Son of David," but in their lives they side with His enemies and crucify our Lord.

What, then, is to be done? Let those who are faithful profit by the terrible examples of these abandoned souls. Let them dread and tremble lest they also be brought into the same state by their increasing tepidity and neglect. Let them care to secure to our Lord a complete triumph in their own souls that He may rule there in time and eternity. "The kingdom of God is within you,” said our Lord, and the Christian soul is truly the throne of God. None but faithful or truly repentant souls can cry out today, in all sincerity, "Hosanna to the Son of David." Palm Sunday -Five-minute Sermons by the Paulist Fathers 1893

St. Armogastes, Martyr, A.D. 457

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"A nobleman in Africa, who, in the persecution of the Vandals was apprehended, and most cruelly tortured. But no sooner had the jailers bound him with cords, than they broke of themselves, as the martyr lifted up his eyes to heaven; and this happened several times. And though they afterwards hung him up by one foot with his head downwards for a considerable time, the saint was no more affected by this torment than if he had been all the while upon a soft bed. He seemed, however, so desirous of martyrdom, that the malice of his enemies reprieved him from the sentence of death pronounced against him, that he might be deprived of the glory of dying a martyr. He was therefore sent to work in the mines; and afterwards for more public ignominy, to keep cows in a place near Carthage, where he was exposed to the eyes of all. But this was no confusion to him, who knew how to glory in being dishonoured by men, for the interest of truth, and of God.

Learn from this holy man the spirit of Christianity, which is not to be pleased with the esteem of men, but rather in being despised by them. It is pride and self-love that make us solicitous to please, and give disquiet upon the apprehension of contempt. And according to the degree of this solicitude and disquiet, may be taken the truest measures of a prevailing pride, and of self-love not subdued. Let this be your daily observation; and accordingly use daily endeavours for overcoming that which must be overcome. For until you have gained this point, of placing your satisfaction in doing your duty, whether it pleases others or displeases; and can think yourself happy in those accidents which bring abjection with them, and disesteem, which are justly due to your unworthiness and state of sin, you have not the spirit of the Gospel, nor that humility which Christ has taught you. Pray therefore, and labour every day to obtain it. Pray that like this saint, you may consider it your true glory to be dishonoured before man in the sacred cause of God and religion." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

Prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians. ( Raccolta, 1935)

Virgin most powerful, loving helper of the Christian people, how great thanks do we not owe thee for the assistance thou didst give our fathers, who, when they were threatened by the Turkish infidels, invoked thy maternal help by the devout recitation of thy Rosary! From heaven thou didst see their deadly peril; thou didst hear their voices imploring thy compassion; and their humble prayers, enjoined by the great Pope, Saint Pius the Fifth, were acceptable unto thee, and thou camest quickly to deliver them. Grant, dear Mother, that in like manner the prolonged sighs of the holy Bride of Christ in these our days may come to thy throne and engage thy pity; do thou, moved anew to compassion for her, rise once again to deliver her from the many foes who encompass her on every side.

Even now from the four quarters of the earth there arises to thy throne that lovéd prayer, to win thy mercy in these troublous times even as of old. Unhappily our sins hinder, or at least retard, its effect. Wherefore, dear Mother, obtain for us true sorrow for our sins and a firm resolution to face death itself rather than return to our former iniquities; we are sore distressed that, through our fault, thy help, of which we stand in such extreme need, should be denied or come too late.Rise, then, O Mary, incline thyself to hear the prayers of the whole Catholic world, and beat flat to the ground the pride of those wretched men, who in their insolence blaspheme Almighty God and would destroy His Church, against which, according to the infallible words of Christ, the gates of hell shall never prevail. Let it be seen once more that when thou dost arise to protect the Church, her victory is sure. Amen. SC Ind 1891; SP Ap 1935

Day 40. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: On Death

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"A day will come, perhaps it is not far off, when we must bid adieu to life, adieu to the world, adieu to our relations, adieu to our friends. When shall we return, my children? Never. We appear upon this earth, we disappear, and we return no more; our poor body, that we take such care of, goes away into dust, and our soul, all trembling, goes to appear before the good God. When we quit this world, where we shall appear no more, when our last breath of life escapes, and we say our last adieu, we shall wish to have passed our life in solitude, in the depths of a desert, far from the world and its pleasures. We have these examples of repentance before our eyes every day, my children, and we remain always the same. We pass our life gaily, without ever troubling ourselves about eternity. By our indifference to the service of the good God, one would think we were never going to die.

See, my children, some people pass their whole life without thinking of death. It comes, and behold! they have nothing; faith, hope, and love, all are already dead within them. When death shall come upon us, of what use will three-quarters of our life have been to us? With what are we occupied the greatest part of our time? Are we thinking of the good God, of our salvation, of our soul? O my children! what folly is the world! We come into it, we go out of it, without knowing why. The good God places us in it to serve Him, to try if we will love Him and be faithful to His law; and after this short moment of trial, He promises us a recompense. Is it not just that He should reward the faithful servant and punish the wicked one? Should the Trappist, who has passed his life in lamenting and weeping over his sins, be treated the same as the bad Christian, who has lived in abundance in the midst of all the enjoyments of life? No; certainly not. We are on earth not to enjoy its pleasures, but to labor for our salvation.

Let us prepare ourselves for death; we have not a minute to lose: it will come upon us at the moment when we least expect it; it will take us by surprise. Look at the saints, my children, who were pure; they were always trembling, they pined away with fear; and we, who so often offend the good God - we have no fears. Life is given us that we may learn to die well, and we never think of it. We occupy ourselves with everything else. The idea of it often occurs to us, and we always reject it; we put it off to the last moment. O my children! this last moment, how much it is to be feared! Yet the good God does not wish us to despair; He shows us the good thief, touched with repentance, dying near Him on the cross; but he is the only one; and then see, he dies near the good God. Can we hope to be near Him at our last moment - we who have been far from Him all our life? What have we done to deserve that favor? A great deal of evil, and no good.

There was once a good Trappist Father, who was trembling all over at perceiving the approach of death. Someone said to him, "Father, of what then are you afraid?" "Of the judgment of God," he said. "Ah! if you dread the judgment - you who have done so much penance, you who love God so much, who have been so long preparing for death - what will become of me?" See, my children, to die well we must live well; to live well, we must seriously examine ourselves: every evening think over what we have done during the day; at the end of each week review what we have done during the week; at the end of each month review what we have done during the month; at the end of the year, what we have done during the year. By this means, my children, we cannot fail to correct ourselves, and to become fervent Christians in a short time. Then, when death comes, we are quite ready; we are happy to go to Heaven.

Source: The Blessed Curé of Ars in His Catechetical Instructions (1951)

Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPG

CAPG

Day 47. Easter with the Cure d'Ars: On Paradise

Saint Vincent Ferrer,

Easter Sunday: The Joy of Penance

St. Vincent Ferrer, O.P. Confessor, A.D. 1419.

Surrexit Christus spes mea

Day 46. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Do you want to be happy?

Holy Saturday: "He descended into hell, the third day he rose again from the dead.”

St. Isidore, Bishop, Doctor of the Church, A.D. 606

Day 45. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Last Judgment

God Surrenders to Man

Good Friday

St. Richard, Bishop of Chichester, A.D. 1253.

Hail Rabbi!

Day 44. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: The Beloved Crosses

#9 Acts of Adoration Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in reparation for all the offenses committed against Him by mankind

St. Francis of Paola, Confessor, A.D. 1508.

Maundy Thursday and the Altar of Repose

Day 43. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: The Armed Crosses

Month of April: The Holy Spirit

Prayer to the Holy Spirit by Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier (1851-1926)﻿

St. Mary of Egypt, A.D. 421.

St. Mary of Egypt by Jusepe de Ribera

Spy Wednesday: the betrayal of Judas

Tenebrae

Sunday Communion Offered to the Holy Ghost in Favor of the Church and of Priests

St. Benjamin, Martyr, A.D. 424.

Day 42. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Bad Death

St. John Climacus, Abbot, A.D. 605

Day 41. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Model your Death upon that of Jesus Christ

Serving God from the Heart

St. Armogastes, Martyr, A.D. 457

Day 40. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: On Death

Prayer to the Holy Spirit by Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier (1851-1926)