In his Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth), Pope John Paul II reminds us that:
"Only God can answer the question about the good, because he is the Good. But God has already given an answer to this question: he did so by creating man and ordering him with wisdom and love to his final end, through the law which is inscribed in his heart (cf. Rom 2:15), the "natural law". The latter "is nothing other than the light of understanding infused in us by God, whereby we understand what must be done and what must be avoided. God gave this light and this law to man at creation". He also did so in the history of Israel, particularly in the "ten words", the commandments of Sinai, whereby he brought into existence the people of the Covenant (cf. Ex 24) and called them to be his "own possession among all peoples", "a holy nation" (Ex 19:5-6), which would radiate his holiness to all peoples (cf. Wis 18:4; Ez 20:41).
The gift of the Decalogue was a promise and sign of the New Covenant, in which the law would be written in a new and definitive way upon the human heart (cf. Jer 31:31-34), replacing the law of sin which had disfigured that heart (cf. Jer 17:1). In those days, "a new heart" would be given, for in it would dwell "a new spirit", the Spirit of God (cf. Ez 36:24-28).
Consequently, after making the important clarification: "There is only one who is good", Jesus tells the young man: "If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments" (Mt 19:17). In this way, a close connection is made between eternal life and obedience to God's commandments: God's commandments show man the path of life and they lead to it. From the very lips of Jesus, the new Moses, man is once again given the commandments of the Decalogue. Jesus himself definitively confirms them and proposes them to us as the way and condition of salvation. The commandments are linked to a promise. In the Old Covenant the object of the promise was the possession of a land where the people would be able to live in freedom and in accordance with righteousness (cf. Dt 6:20-25).
In the New Covenant the object of the promise is the "Kingdom of Heaven", as Jesus declares at the beginning of the "Sermon on the Mount" — a sermon which contains the fullest and most complete formulation of the New Law (cf. Mt 5-7), clearly linked to the Decalogue entrusted by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. This same reality of the Kingdom is referred to in the expression "eternal life", which is a participation in the very life of God. It is attained in its perfection only after death, but in faith it is even now a light of truth, a source of meaning for life, an inchoate share in the full following of Christ. Indeed, Jesus says to his disciples after speaking to the rich young man: "Every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and inherit eternal life" (Mt 19:29).
Jesus' answer is not enough for the young man, who continues by asking the Teacher about the commandments which must be kept: "He said to him, 'Which ones?' " (Mt 19:18). He asks what he must do in life in order to show that he acknowledges God's holiness. After directing the young man's gaze towards God, Jesus reminds him of the commandments of the Decalogue regarding one's neighbour: "Jesus said: 'You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not bear false witness; Honour your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbour as yourself' " (Mt 19:18-19).
From the context of the conversation, and especially from a comparison of Matthew's text with the parallel passages in Mark and Luke, it is clear that Jesus does not intend to list each and every one of the commandments required in order to "enter into life", but rather wishes to draw the young man's attention to the "centrality" of the Decalogue with regard to every other precept, inasmuch as it is the interpretation of what the words "I am the Lord your God" mean for man. Nevertheless we cannot fail to notice which commandments of the Law the Lord recalls to the young man. They are some of the commandments belonging to the so-called "second tablet" of the Decalogue, the summary (cf. Rom 13: 8-10) and foundation of which is the commandment of love of neighbour: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself" (Mt 19:19; cf. Mk 12:31). In this commandment we find a precise expression of the singular dignity of the human person, "the only creature that God has wanted for its own sake".
The different commandments of the Decalogue are really only so many reflections of the one commandment about the good of the person, at the level of the many different goods which characterize his identity as a spiritual and bodily being in relationship with God, with his neighbour and with the material world. As we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "the Ten Commandments are part of God's Revelation. At the same time, they teach us man's true humanity. They shed light on the essential duties, and so indirectly on the fundamental rights, inherent in the nature of the human person".
The commandments of which Jesus reminds the young man are meant to safeguard the good of the person, the image of God, by protecting his goods. "You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness" are moral rules formulated in terms of prohibitions. These negative precepts express with particular force the ever urgent need to protect human life, the communion of persons in marriage, private property, truthfulness and people's good name.
The commandments thus represent the basic condition for love of neighbour; at the same time they are the proof of that love. They are the first necessary step on the journey towards freedom, its starting-point. "The beginning of freedom", Saint Augustine writes, "is to be free from crimes... such as murder, adultery, fornication, theft, fraud, sacrilege and so forth. When once one is without these crimes (and every Christian should be without them), one begins to lift up one's head towards freedom. But this is only the beginning of freedom, not perfect freedom...".
This certainly does not mean that Christ wishes to put the love of neighbour higher than, or even to set it apart from, the love of God. This is evident from his conversation with the teacher of the Law, who asked him a question very much like the one asked by the young man. Jesus refers him to the two commandments of love of God and love of neighbour (cf. Lk 10:25-27), and reminds him that only by observing them will he have eternal life: "Do this, and you will live" (Lk 10:28). Nonetheless it is significant that it is precisely the second of these commandments which arouses the curiosity of the teacher of the Law, who asks him: "And who is my neighbour?" (Lk 10:29). The Teacher replies with the parable of the Good Samaritan, which is critical for fully understanding the commandment of love of neighbour (cf. Lk 10:30-37).
These two commandments, on which "depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Mt 22:40), are profoundly connected and mutually related. Their inseparable unity is attested to by Christ in his words and by his very life: his mission culminates in the Cross of our Redemption (cf. Jn 3:14-15), the sign of his indivisible love for the Father and for humanity (cf. Jn 13:1).
Both the Old and the New Testaments explicitly affirm that without love of neighbour, made concrete in keeping the commandments, genuine love for God is not possible. Saint John makes the point with extraordinary forcefulness: "If anyone says, 'I love God', and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen" (Jn 4:20). The Evangelist echoes the moral preaching of Christ, expressed in a wonderful and unambiguous way in the parable of the Good Samaritan (cf. Lk 10:30-37) and in his words about the final judgment (cf. Mt 25:31-46). (VS, Nos 12-14).
Too many forget that while God loves us even when we sin (He loves even the damned - they would cease to exist if He did not), being loved by God is not enough to be in friendship with Him, because friendship is mutual love. If we all truly understood this, we would exhort others - as Jesus did - to accept God's mercy, repent of their sins, and abide in love. Furthermore, we would all warn others - as Jesus did - that hell awaits those who do not abide in love.
Recall the teaching of Vatican II (specifically Lumen Gentium, No. 14):
"They are fully incorporated in the society of the Church who, possessing the Spirit of Christ accept her entire system and all the means of salvation given to her, and are united with her as part of her visible bodily structure and through her with Christ, who rules her through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops. The bonds which bind men to the Church in a visible way are profession of faith, the sacraments, and ecclesiastical government and communion. He is not saved, however, who, though part of the body of the Church, does not persevere in charity. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but, as it were, only in a "bodily" manner and not "in his heart." All the Church's children should remember that their exalted status is to be attributed not to their own merits but to the special grace of Christ. If they fail moreover to respond to that grace in thought, word and deed, not only shall they not be saved but they will be the more severely judged."
"If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love." (John 15:10).
This is a conditional statement folks. If we are engaging in adultery or homosexual acts, practicing contraception or having abortions, are we keeping His commandments? Will God be mocked? He who can neither deceive nor be deceived? Do we think to ourselves, "As long as God loves me I can continue to do these things because God is love and mercy? Do we say to others, "God and religion are about love, your opposition to my homosexual acts or my adultery is unloving?"
Do we honestly believe that we can remain in Jesus' love without keeping His commandments? If so, we make Jesus a liar and His word, His Love, His life is not in us. Spiritually, we are dead.
Paul Anthony Melanson
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
PROPHECY OF ST. NILUS
Realizing that St. Nilus is scarcely known to a large part of the Church, a brief sketch of his life, taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia (1911 copyright edition), is related below:
St. Nilus was one of the many disciples and fervent defenders of St. John Chrysostom. He was an officer at the Court of Constantinople, married, with two sons.
While St. John Chrysostom was patriarch, before his exile (398-403), he directed Nilus in the study of Scripture and in works of piety. St. Nilus left his wife and one son and took the other, Theodulos, with him to Mt. Sinai to be a monk. The Bishop of Eleusa ordained both St. Nilus and his son to the priesthood. The mother and other son also embraced the religious life in Egypt.
From his monastery at Sinai, St. Nilus was a well-known person throughout the Eastern Church; by his writings and correspondence he played an important part in the history of his time. He was known as a theologian, Biblical scholar and ascetic writer, so people of all kinds, from the emperor down wrote to consult him. His numerous works, including a multitude of letters, consist of denunciations of heresy, paganism, abuses of discipline and crimes, of rules and principles of asceticism, especially maxims about the religious life. He warns and threatens people in high places, abbots and bishops, governors and princes, even the emperor himself, without fear. He kept up a correspondence with Gaina, a leader of the Goths, endeavoring to convert him from Arianism. He denounced vigorously the persecution of St. John Chrysostom both to the Emperor Arcadius and to his courtiers.
St. Nilus must be counted as one of the leading ascetic writers of the fifth century. His feast is kept on November 12th in the Byzantine Calendar; he is commemorated also in the Roman Martyrology on the same date. St. Nilus probably died around the year 430 as there is no evidence of his life after that.
Now the prophecy:
After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognizable. When the time for the Advent of the Antichrist approaches, people's minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonor and lawlessness will grow stronger. Then the world will become unrecognizable. People's appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to their shamelessness in dress and style of hair. These people will be cruel and will be like wild animals because of the temptations of the Antichrist. There will be no respect for parents and elders, love will disappear, and Christian pastors, bishops, and priests will become vain men, completely failing to distinguish the right-hand way from the left. At that time the morals and traditions of Christians and of the Church will change. People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures. Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule in society.
At that future time, due to the power of such great crimes and licentiousness, people will be deprived of the grace of the Holy Spirit, which they received in Holy Baptism and equally of remorse.
The Churches of God will be deprived of God-fearing and pious pastors, and woe to the Christians remaining in the world at that time; they will completely lose their faith because they will lack the opportunity of seeing the light of knowledge from anyone at all. Then they will separate themselves out of the world in holy refuges in search of lightening their spiritual sufferings, but everywhere they will meet obstacles and constraints. And all this will result from the fact that the Antichrist wants to be Lord over everything and become the ruler of the whole universe, and he will produce miracles and fantastic signs. He will also give depraved wisdom to an unhappy man so that he will discover a way by which one man can carry on a conversation with another from one end of the earth to the other. At that time men will also fly through the air like birds and descend to the bottom of the sea like fish. And when they have achieved all this, these unhappy people will spend their lives in comfort without knowing, poor souls, that it is deceit of the Antichrist. And, the impious one! – he will so complete science with vanity that it will go off the right path and lead people to lose faith in the existence of God in three hypostases.
Then the All-good God will see the downfall of the human race and will shorten the days for the sake of those few who are being saved, because the enemy wants to lead even the chosen into temptation, if that is possible... then the sword of chastisement will suddenly appear and kill the perverter and his servants.
Realizing that St. Nilus is scarcely known to a large part of the Church, a brief sketch of his life, taken from the Catholic Encyclopedia (1911 copyright edition), is related below:
St. Nilus was one of the many disciples and fervent defenders of St. John Chrysostom. He was an officer at the Court of Constantinople, married, with two sons.
While St. John Chrysostom was patriarch, before his exile (398-403), he directed Nilus in the study of Scripture and in works of piety. St. Nilus left his wife and one son and took the other, Theodulos, with him to Mt. Sinai to be a monk. The Bishop of Eleusa ordained both St. Nilus and his son to the priesthood. The mother and other son also embraced the religious life in Egypt.
From his monastery at Sinai, St. Nilus was a well-known person throughout the Eastern Church; by his writings and correspondence he played an important part in the history of his time. He was known as a theologian, Biblical scholar and ascetic writer, so people of all kinds, from the emperor down wrote to consult him. His numerous works, including a multitude of letters, consist of denunciations of heresy, paganism, abuses of discipline and crimes, of rules and principles of asceticism, especially maxims about the religious life. He warns and threatens people in high places, abbots and bishops, governors and princes, even the emperor himself, without fear. He kept up a correspondence with Gaina, a leader of the Goths, endeavoring to convert him from Arianism. He denounced vigorously the persecution of St. John Chrysostom both to the Emperor Arcadius and to his courtiers.
St. Nilus must be counted as one of the leading ascetic writers of the fifth century. His feast is kept on November 12th in the Byzantine Calendar; he is commemorated also in the Roman Martyrology on the same date. St. Nilus probably died around the year 430 as there is no evidence of his life after that.
Now the prophecy:
After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognizable. When the time for the Advent of the Antichrist approaches, people's minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonor and lawlessness will grow stronger. Then the world will become unrecognizable. People's appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to their shamelessness in dress and style of hair. These people will be cruel and will be like wild animals because of the temptations of the Antichrist. There will be no respect for parents and elders, love will disappear, and Christian pastors, bishops, and priests will become vain men, completely failing to distinguish the right-hand way from the left. At that time the morals and traditions of Christians and of the Church will change. People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures. Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule in society.
At that future time, due to the power of such great crimes and licentiousness, people will be deprived of the grace of the Holy Spirit, which they received in Holy Baptism and equally of remorse.
The Churches of God will be deprived of God-fearing and pious pastors, and woe to the Christians remaining in the world at that time; they will completely lose their faith because they will lack the opportunity of seeing the light of knowledge from anyone at all. Then they will separate themselves out of the world in holy refuges in search of lightening their spiritual sufferings, but everywhere they will meet obstacles and constraints. And all this will result from the fact that the Antichrist wants to be Lord over everything and become the ruler of the whole universe, and he will produce miracles and fantastic signs. He will also give depraved wisdom to an unhappy man so that he will discover a way by which one man can carry on a conversation with another from one end of the earth to the other. At that time men will also fly through the air like birds and descend to the bottom of the sea like fish. And when they have achieved all this, these unhappy people will spend their lives in comfort without knowing, poor souls, that it is deceit of the Antichrist. And, the impious one! – he will so complete science with vanity that it will go off the right path and lead people to lose faith in the existence of God in three hypostases.
Then the All-good God will see the downfall of the human race and will shorten the days for the sake of those few who are being saved, because the enemy wants to lead even the chosen into temptation, if that is possible... then the sword of chastisement will suddenly appear and kill the perverter and his servants.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Events in the Philippines of prophetic significance?
In an article entitled "Medjugorje Prophecy on RP soon to be fulfilled?", Mr. Bingo P. Dejaresco writes, "A message from Our Lady of Medjugorge spoke of the Philippines to become the "global spiritual center." Will this become a reality soon? The Philippines, the only Catholic nation in Asia, has a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. " (Source: http://www.TheBoholChronicle.com ).
One has to wonder if recent events in the Philippines (such as the building of a statue of Our Lady which will be taller than the Statue of Liberty) have a prophetic significance. After signing the Japanese surrender, General MacArthur (whose involvement in the Philippines fulfilled a prophecy itself) wanted to speak to America and the world about peace, but with a strong warning. He said: “Men since the beginning of time have sought peace…military alliances, balances of powers, leagues of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. The utter destructiveness of war now blots out this alternative. We have had our last chance. If we will not devise some greater and equitable system, our Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence, an improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advances in science, art, literature and all material and cultural developments of the past two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.”
Many prophecies appear to be converging. General MacArthur had served as superintendant of West Point from 1919-1922. In January of 1930, he was promoted to full General, 4 stars and named the U.S. Army's Chief of Staff. MacArthur retired from the Army in 1937 and one year later the President of the Phillipines, Manuel Quezon, appointed him Field Marshall of the Phillipine Army. In 1941 MacArthur was recalled to active duty as the U.S. prepared to enter World War II. By 1942 MacArthur was Supreme Allied Commander of the Southwest Pacific theater. MacArthur was a great man and a military genius who understood the strategic importance of the Philippines and, more importantly, the moral obligation of the United States to stand with its ally. For a time, this obligation was not recognized by Washington: http://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/WHLC.pdf
Will we heed General MacArthur's warning? More importantly, will w heed the warnings of Our Lord Jesus and His Blessed Mother who has appeared at so many locations throughout the world?
Paul.
One has to wonder if recent events in the Philippines (such as the building of a statue of Our Lady which will be taller than the Statue of Liberty) have a prophetic significance. After signing the Japanese surrender, General MacArthur (whose involvement in the Philippines fulfilled a prophecy itself) wanted to speak to America and the world about peace, but with a strong warning. He said: “Men since the beginning of time have sought peace…military alliances, balances of powers, leagues of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. The utter destructiveness of war now blots out this alternative. We have had our last chance. If we will not devise some greater and equitable system, our Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence, an improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advances in science, art, literature and all material and cultural developments of the past two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.”
Many prophecies appear to be converging. General MacArthur had served as superintendant of West Point from 1919-1922. In January of 1930, he was promoted to full General, 4 stars and named the U.S. Army's Chief of Staff. MacArthur retired from the Army in 1937 and one year later the President of the Phillipines, Manuel Quezon, appointed him Field Marshall of the Phillipine Army. In 1941 MacArthur was recalled to active duty as the U.S. prepared to enter World War II. By 1942 MacArthur was Supreme Allied Commander of the Southwest Pacific theater. MacArthur was a great man and a military genius who understood the strategic importance of the Philippines and, more importantly, the moral obligation of the United States to stand with its ally. For a time, this obligation was not recognized by Washington: http://media.pcog.org/en/Literature/WHLC.pdf
Will we heed General MacArthur's warning? More importantly, will w heed the warnings of Our Lord Jesus and His Blessed Mother who has appeared at so many locations throughout the world?
Paul.
Dr. Alice Von Hildebrand on hypersensitivity
In an excellent article entitled "Christianity and the Mystery of Suffering," Alice Von Hildebrand (a woman of sheer genius who, like her husband Dietrich, is a tremendous gift to the Church) writes:
There are people who are highly sensitive. In dealing with them one must always be on the lookout for fear of offending them. They are likely to interpret negatively every word one says. A big problem can develop out of the most innocuous remark.
One cannot change the temperament with which one is born, but one can either freely choose to become the slave of one's temperament or learn to guide it in such a fashion that this sensitivity-which is a gift-is used for love and not put at the service of self-centeredness.
There are plenty of "feelings" (such as moods) that arise in us spontaneously that should not be taken seriously. There are "right" feelings (such as contrition, love, compassion), and these feelings should be sanctioned by our will; and there are wrong feelings (such as envy, anger, revenge), and these feelings should be "disavowed" and rejected by our will.
There is no doubt that hypersensitivity-a disproportionate response to daily events-is a great source of suffering. There are persons who groan from morning to night under the weight of imaginary offenses. But man has been given reason, and he ought to distinguish between real offenses (which should be forgiven) and imaginary ones, which should be "dashed to pieces on the Rock that is Christ".
Great sensitivity is a precious gift, but the meaning of this gift is to be other-centered; its caricature is to be self-centered. We all prefer sensitive persons to those who seem to have a bovine temperament. Nothing disturbs the latter because they are too thick-skinned to feel anything. But sensitivity is to be purified.
This is beautifu1ly exemplified in the life of St. Therese of Lisieux. From the time that she was four, when she lost her mother, until she was thirteen, Therese was so hypersensitive that she broke into tears for no reason at all. In her autobiography, she calls these nine years "the sorrowful years", even though she was leading a life that, to many of us, would seem ideal, surrounded by a saintly father, to whom she was bound by the most tender affection, by loving sisters, living in security and peace. Yet in her autobiography she refers to those years as being "sorrowful", whereas from the time she entered the Carmel, where she chose a life of suffering and crucifixion, she enjoyed a deep peace despite the constant trials a Carmelite confronts. Her sensitivity had not decreased; it had been purified. By eliminating illegitimate sufferings, she gained the strength for carrying her daily cross in peace and joy.
Therese had prayed for years that God might grant her the grace of putting her sensitivity at his service, and God granted her request after midnight Mass shortly before she turned thirteen.
Hypersensitivity becomes an illegitimate source of suffering when it is self-centered; as we saw, a sensitive heart is given to us to feel for others, and to love them more deeply and more tenderly. But since original sin, it tends to degenerate into a maudlin self-centeredness that not is only disastrous but also causes great pain for the sensitive person.
However, thanks to prayer and grace, the Christian is given the means of purifying his sensitivity, so that his heart will resemble more and more the Heart of the God-Man, the Sacred Heart, "fornax ardens caritatis". "
Amen Alice my friend. Amen.
Paul.
There are people who are highly sensitive. In dealing with them one must always be on the lookout for fear of offending them. They are likely to interpret negatively every word one says. A big problem can develop out of the most innocuous remark.
One cannot change the temperament with which one is born, but one can either freely choose to become the slave of one's temperament or learn to guide it in such a fashion that this sensitivity-which is a gift-is used for love and not put at the service of self-centeredness.
There are plenty of "feelings" (such as moods) that arise in us spontaneously that should not be taken seriously. There are "right" feelings (such as contrition, love, compassion), and these feelings should be sanctioned by our will; and there are wrong feelings (such as envy, anger, revenge), and these feelings should be "disavowed" and rejected by our will.
There is no doubt that hypersensitivity-a disproportionate response to daily events-is a great source of suffering. There are persons who groan from morning to night under the weight of imaginary offenses. But man has been given reason, and he ought to distinguish between real offenses (which should be forgiven) and imaginary ones, which should be "dashed to pieces on the Rock that is Christ".
Great sensitivity is a precious gift, but the meaning of this gift is to be other-centered; its caricature is to be self-centered. We all prefer sensitive persons to those who seem to have a bovine temperament. Nothing disturbs the latter because they are too thick-skinned to feel anything. But sensitivity is to be purified.
This is beautifu1ly exemplified in the life of St. Therese of Lisieux. From the time that she was four, when she lost her mother, until she was thirteen, Therese was so hypersensitive that she broke into tears for no reason at all. In her autobiography, she calls these nine years "the sorrowful years", even though she was leading a life that, to many of us, would seem ideal, surrounded by a saintly father, to whom she was bound by the most tender affection, by loving sisters, living in security and peace. Yet in her autobiography she refers to those years as being "sorrowful", whereas from the time she entered the Carmel, where she chose a life of suffering and crucifixion, she enjoyed a deep peace despite the constant trials a Carmelite confronts. Her sensitivity had not decreased; it had been purified. By eliminating illegitimate sufferings, she gained the strength for carrying her daily cross in peace and joy.
Therese had prayed for years that God might grant her the grace of putting her sensitivity at his service, and God granted her request after midnight Mass shortly before she turned thirteen.
Hypersensitivity becomes an illegitimate source of suffering when it is self-centered; as we saw, a sensitive heart is given to us to feel for others, and to love them more deeply and more tenderly. But since original sin, it tends to degenerate into a maudlin self-centeredness that not is only disastrous but also causes great pain for the sensitive person.
However, thanks to prayer and grace, the Christian is given the means of purifying his sensitivity, so that his heart will resemble more and more the Heart of the God-Man, the Sacred Heart, "fornax ardens caritatis". "
Amen Alice my friend. Amen.
Paul.
Monday, January 29, 2007
In his Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas est, No. 17, Pope Benedict XVI says:
"A sentiment can be a marvellous first spark, but it is not the fullness of love. Earlier we spoke of the process of purification and maturation by which eros comes fully into its own, becomes love in the full meaning of the word. It is characteristic of mature love that it calls into play all man's potentialities; it engages the whole man, so to speak. Contact with the visible manifestations of God's love can awaken within us a feeling of joy born of the experience of being loved. But this encounter also engages our will and our intellect. Acknowledgment of the living God is one path towards love, and the “yes” of our will to his will unites our intellect, will and sentiments in the all- embracing act of love. But this process is always open-ended; love is never “finished” and complete; throughout life, it changes and matures, and thus remains faithful to itself. Idem velle atque idem nolle —to want the same thing, and to reject the same thing—was recognized by antiquity as the authentic content of love: the one becomes similar to the other, and this leads to a community of will and thought. The love-story between God and man consists in the very fact that this communion of will increases in a communion of thought and sentiment, and thus our will and God's will increasingly coincide: God's will is no longer for me an alien will, something imposed on me from without by the commandments, but it is now my own will, based on the realization that God is in fact more deeply present to me than I am to myself. Then self- abandonment to God increases and God becomes our joy (cf. Ps 73 [72]:23-28)."
There are too many Catholics who speak continually of "love" but who have a distorted notion of what constitutes love. Jesus told us, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).
If we love Him, we will keep His commandments. We will do more than simply speak of love. We will show our love for Jesus by remaining obedient to His Will.
Paul.
"A sentiment can be a marvellous first spark, but it is not the fullness of love. Earlier we spoke of the process of purification and maturation by which eros comes fully into its own, becomes love in the full meaning of the word. It is characteristic of mature love that it calls into play all man's potentialities; it engages the whole man, so to speak. Contact with the visible manifestations of God's love can awaken within us a feeling of joy born of the experience of being loved. But this encounter also engages our will and our intellect. Acknowledgment of the living God is one path towards love, and the “yes” of our will to his will unites our intellect, will and sentiments in the all- embracing act of love. But this process is always open-ended; love is never “finished” and complete; throughout life, it changes and matures, and thus remains faithful to itself. Idem velle atque idem nolle —to want the same thing, and to reject the same thing—was recognized by antiquity as the authentic content of love: the one becomes similar to the other, and this leads to a community of will and thought. The love-story between God and man consists in the very fact that this communion of will increases in a communion of thought and sentiment, and thus our will and God's will increasingly coincide: God's will is no longer for me an alien will, something imposed on me from without by the commandments, but it is now my own will, based on the realization that God is in fact more deeply present to me than I am to myself. Then self- abandonment to God increases and God becomes our joy (cf. Ps 73 [72]:23-28)."
There are too many Catholics who speak continually of "love" but who have a distorted notion of what constitutes love. Jesus told us, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).
If we love Him, we will keep His commandments. We will do more than simply speak of love. We will show our love for Jesus by remaining obedient to His Will.
Paul.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
We read in 1 Corinthians 13 that: "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (v. 4-7).
Now there are those within the Church who would interpret this Scripture in such a way as to discourage any and all forceful defense of the Church and her perennial teaching. For such people, anger is always wrong. It is always sinful. But in so doing, these confused souls accuse Christ of sin:
"Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, 'Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a market-place.'" (John 2: 13-16).
It is important for us to remember that not only may we sin by being angry when we should not, we may sin by not being angry when we should be. To the Pharisees, Jesus was being "rude" and they demanded a sign to know by what right He drove the merchants and money-changers out of the Temple. And he provided them with one. Not that they would understand His words.
If my reason tells me that it is right in a particular set of circumstances to be angry, then I disobey God when I refuse to give place to wrath. We are reminded in Ephesians 4:26 that it is possible to "be angry and sin not." In fact, for the vast majority of us, the fault is not that we are too angry, but that we are not angry enough. Contemplate for a moment all of the evils which are found in the world and which are known to all and admitted to exist in the media. Would these evils have survived for so long if people of good will had shown the indignant anger of Christ in the Temple?
Is it not our own hypocrisy, our own fear of being misunderstood by others, which motivates us to remain silent? We have got to understand that anger is itself neither evil nor good and it can be either. This is where the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence comes into play. An effeminate "Christianity" (rooted in the cult of softness) which condemns all anger as being in opposition to love as defined by the Holy Spirit through St. Paul, does a tremendous disservice to the Church and society in general.
Paul Anthony Melanson
Now there are those within the Church who would interpret this Scripture in such a way as to discourage any and all forceful defense of the Church and her perennial teaching. For such people, anger is always wrong. It is always sinful. But in so doing, these confused souls accuse Christ of sin:
"Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, 'Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a market-place.'" (John 2: 13-16).
It is important for us to remember that not only may we sin by being angry when we should not, we may sin by not being angry when we should be. To the Pharisees, Jesus was being "rude" and they demanded a sign to know by what right He drove the merchants and money-changers out of the Temple. And he provided them with one. Not that they would understand His words.
If my reason tells me that it is right in a particular set of circumstances to be angry, then I disobey God when I refuse to give place to wrath. We are reminded in Ephesians 4:26 that it is possible to "be angry and sin not." In fact, for the vast majority of us, the fault is not that we are too angry, but that we are not angry enough. Contemplate for a moment all of the evils which are found in the world and which are known to all and admitted to exist in the media. Would these evils have survived for so long if people of good will had shown the indignant anger of Christ in the Temple?
Is it not our own hypocrisy, our own fear of being misunderstood by others, which motivates us to remain silent? We have got to understand that anger is itself neither evil nor good and it can be either. This is where the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence comes into play. An effeminate "Christianity" (rooted in the cult of softness) which condemns all anger as being in opposition to love as defined by the Holy Spirit through St. Paul, does a tremendous disservice to the Church and society in general.
Paul Anthony Melanson
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Christ and His Commandments
"My children, I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one. He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world. The way we may be sure that we know him is to keep his commandments. Whoever says, 'I know him,' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him." (1 John 2:1-5).
"Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes." (1 John 2:9-11).
"Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes." (1 John 2:9-11).
Medicinal rebuke and the Saints....
In our sacharrin society, medicinal rebuke is often mistaken for a "lack of charity" when in actuality such constructive criticism aids in healing. In his excellent work entitled "Liberalism is a sin," Fr. Felix Sarda Y Salvany writes:
"If the propagation of good and the necessity of combating evil require the employment of terms somewhat harsh against error and its supporters, this usage is certainly not against charity. This is a corollary or consequence of the principle we have just demonstrated. We must render evil odious and detestable. We cannot attain this result without pointing out the dangers of evil, without showing how and why it is odious, detestable and contemptible. Christian oratory of all ages has ever employed the most vigorous and emphatic rhetoric in the arsenal of human speech against impiety. In the writings of the great athletes of Christianity the usage of irony, imprecation, execration and of the most crushing epithets is continual. Hence the only law is the opportunity and the truth.
But there is another justification for such an usage. Popular propagation and apologetics cannot preserve elegant and constrained academic forms. In order to convince the people we must speak to their heart and their imagination which can only be touched by ardent, brilliant, and impassioned language. To be impassioned is not to be reprehensible----when our heat is the holy ardor of truth. The supposed violence of modern Ultramontane journalism not only falls short of Liberal journalism, but is amply justified by every page of the works of our great Catholic polemicists of other epochs.
This is easily verified. St. John the Baptist calls the Pharisees "race of vipers," Jesus Christ, our Divine Savior, hurls at them the epithets "hypocrites, whitened sepulchers, a perverse and adulterous generation" without thinking for this reason that He sullies the sanctity of His benevolent speech. St. Paul criticizes the schismatic Cretins as "always liars, evil beasts, slothful bellies." The same apostle calls Elymas the magician a "seducer, full of guile and deceit, child of the Devil, enemy of all justice."
If we open the Fathers we find the same vigorous castigation of heresy and heretics. St. Jerome arguing against Vigilantius casts in his face his former occupation of saloonkeeper: "From your infancy," he says to him, "you have learned other things than theology and betaken yourself to other pursuits. To verify at the same time the value of your money accounts and the value of Scriptural texts, to sample wines and grasp the meaning of the prophets and apostles are certainly not occupations which the same man can accomplish with credit." On another occasion attacking the same Vigilantius, who denied the excellence of virginity and of fasting, St. Jerome, with his usual sprightliness, asks him if he spoke thus "in order not to diminish the receipts of his saloon?" Heavens! What an outcry would be raised if one of our Ultramontane controversialists were to write against a Liberal critic or heretic of our own day in this fashion!
What shall we say of St. John Chrysostom? His famous invective against Eutropius is not comparable, in its personal and aggressive character, to the cruel invectives of Cicero against Catiline and against Verres! The gentle St. Bernard did not honey his words when he attacked the enemies of the faith. Addressing Arnold of Brescia, the great Liberal agitator of his times, he calls him in all his letters "seducer, vase of injuries, scorpion, cruel wolf."
The pacific St. Thomas of Acquinas forgets the calm of his cold syllogisms when he hurls his violent apostrophe against William of St. Amour and his disciples: "Enemies of God," he cries out, "ministers of the Devil, members of antiChrist, ignorami, perverts, reprobates!" Never did the illustrious Louis Veuillot speak so boldly. The seraphic St. Bonaventure, so full of sweetness, overwhelms his adversary Gerard with such epithets as "impudent, calumniator, spirit of malice, impious, shameless, ignorant, impostor, malefactor, perfidious, ingrate!" Did St. Francis de Sales, so delicately exquisite and tender, ever purr softly over the heretics of his age and country? He pardoned their injuries, heaped benefits on them even to the point of saving the lives of those who sought to take his, but with the enemies of the faith he preserved neither moderation nor consideration.
Asked by a Catholic, who desired to know if it were permissible to speak evil of a heretic who propagated false doctrines, he replied: "Yes, you can, on the condition that you adhere to the exact truth, to what you know of his bad conduct, presenting that which is doubtful as doubtful according to the degree of doubt which you may have in this regard."
In his Introduction to a Devout Life, that precious and popular work, he expresses himself again: "If the declared enemies of God and of the Church ought to be blamed and censured with all possible vigor, charity obliges us to cry 'wolf' when the wolf slips into the midst of the flock, and in every way and place we may meet him."
This is real meat for real Catholics. It was Sir Edmund Burke who said that, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is for good people to do nothing." When we witness another Catholic (and yes, even a priest) promoting homosexuality, abortion, contraception, New Age, witchcraft, or dissent in general, we have an obligation (in charity) to speak the truth and to show others how that individual's words, ideas or actions fail to hold up when placed in the Lumen Christi - when held up to the Magisterial teaching of the Church.
If someone wants to accuse us of "having an axe to grind," simply because we speak the truth, that's their affair. But such people should recall what St. Catherine had to say about medicinal rebuke and should meditate upon these passages from Sacred Scripture:"Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:7-8).
"Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Whatever you have said in the dark SHALL BE HEARD IN THE LIGHT, and what you have whispered in private rooms SHALL BE PROCLAIMED FROM THE HOUSETOPS." (Luke 12:2-3).
The Word of the Lord.
Amen.
"If the propagation of good and the necessity of combating evil require the employment of terms somewhat harsh against error and its supporters, this usage is certainly not against charity. This is a corollary or consequence of the principle we have just demonstrated. We must render evil odious and detestable. We cannot attain this result without pointing out the dangers of evil, without showing how and why it is odious, detestable and contemptible. Christian oratory of all ages has ever employed the most vigorous and emphatic rhetoric in the arsenal of human speech against impiety. In the writings of the great athletes of Christianity the usage of irony, imprecation, execration and of the most crushing epithets is continual. Hence the only law is the opportunity and the truth.
But there is another justification for such an usage. Popular propagation and apologetics cannot preserve elegant and constrained academic forms. In order to convince the people we must speak to their heart and their imagination which can only be touched by ardent, brilliant, and impassioned language. To be impassioned is not to be reprehensible----when our heat is the holy ardor of truth. The supposed violence of modern Ultramontane journalism not only falls short of Liberal journalism, but is amply justified by every page of the works of our great Catholic polemicists of other epochs.
This is easily verified. St. John the Baptist calls the Pharisees "race of vipers," Jesus Christ, our Divine Savior, hurls at them the epithets "hypocrites, whitened sepulchers, a perverse and adulterous generation" without thinking for this reason that He sullies the sanctity of His benevolent speech. St. Paul criticizes the schismatic Cretins as "always liars, evil beasts, slothful bellies." The same apostle calls Elymas the magician a "seducer, full of guile and deceit, child of the Devil, enemy of all justice."
If we open the Fathers we find the same vigorous castigation of heresy and heretics. St. Jerome arguing against Vigilantius casts in his face his former occupation of saloonkeeper: "From your infancy," he says to him, "you have learned other things than theology and betaken yourself to other pursuits. To verify at the same time the value of your money accounts and the value of Scriptural texts, to sample wines and grasp the meaning of the prophets and apostles are certainly not occupations which the same man can accomplish with credit." On another occasion attacking the same Vigilantius, who denied the excellence of virginity and of fasting, St. Jerome, with his usual sprightliness, asks him if he spoke thus "in order not to diminish the receipts of his saloon?" Heavens! What an outcry would be raised if one of our Ultramontane controversialists were to write against a Liberal critic or heretic of our own day in this fashion!
What shall we say of St. John Chrysostom? His famous invective against Eutropius is not comparable, in its personal and aggressive character, to the cruel invectives of Cicero against Catiline and against Verres! The gentle St. Bernard did not honey his words when he attacked the enemies of the faith. Addressing Arnold of Brescia, the great Liberal agitator of his times, he calls him in all his letters "seducer, vase of injuries, scorpion, cruel wolf."
The pacific St. Thomas of Acquinas forgets the calm of his cold syllogisms when he hurls his violent apostrophe against William of St. Amour and his disciples: "Enemies of God," he cries out, "ministers of the Devil, members of antiChrist, ignorami, perverts, reprobates!" Never did the illustrious Louis Veuillot speak so boldly. The seraphic St. Bonaventure, so full of sweetness, overwhelms his adversary Gerard with such epithets as "impudent, calumniator, spirit of malice, impious, shameless, ignorant, impostor, malefactor, perfidious, ingrate!" Did St. Francis de Sales, so delicately exquisite and tender, ever purr softly over the heretics of his age and country? He pardoned their injuries, heaped benefits on them even to the point of saving the lives of those who sought to take his, but with the enemies of the faith he preserved neither moderation nor consideration.
Asked by a Catholic, who desired to know if it were permissible to speak evil of a heretic who propagated false doctrines, he replied: "Yes, you can, on the condition that you adhere to the exact truth, to what you know of his bad conduct, presenting that which is doubtful as doubtful according to the degree of doubt which you may have in this regard."
In his Introduction to a Devout Life, that precious and popular work, he expresses himself again: "If the declared enemies of God and of the Church ought to be blamed and censured with all possible vigor, charity obliges us to cry 'wolf' when the wolf slips into the midst of the flock, and in every way and place we may meet him."
This is real meat for real Catholics. It was Sir Edmund Burke who said that, "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is for good people to do nothing." When we witness another Catholic (and yes, even a priest) promoting homosexuality, abortion, contraception, New Age, witchcraft, or dissent in general, we have an obligation (in charity) to speak the truth and to show others how that individual's words, ideas or actions fail to hold up when placed in the Lumen Christi - when held up to the Magisterial teaching of the Church.
If someone wants to accuse us of "having an axe to grind," simply because we speak the truth, that's their affair. But such people should recall what St. Catherine had to say about medicinal rebuke and should meditate upon these passages from Sacred Scripture:"Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:7-8).
"Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. Whatever you have said in the dark SHALL BE HEARD IN THE LIGHT, and what you have whispered in private rooms SHALL BE PROCLAIMED FROM THE HOUSETOPS." (Luke 12:2-3).
The Word of the Lord.
Amen.
Iran prepares people for the coming of the "messiah."
Jesus prophesied that another would come in his own name and that the world would accept him as the messiah. He was, of course, referring to the Antichrist.
Paul.
Paul.
Friday, January 26, 2007
On prophets, the dictatorship of relativism, and where it's all leading us...
Deacon Tom McDonnell is a prophet and prophets usually aren't welcome. Why? This article explains very nicely: http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=34&idsub=172&id=7614&t=Why+prophets+aren
We are all called to be prophets. We are all called by the Lord Jesus to confront evil and to publically oppose sinful structures. Sin has become institutionalized. This because of a secularism which is rooted in atheistic philosophy. Pope Benedict XVI, in a homily at the Conclave's Opening Mass, said that:
"Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the Church, is often labelled today as a fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, which is letting oneself be tosed and 'swept along by every wind of teaching,' looks like the only attitude (acceptable) to today's standards. We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires."
In fact, in its June 26, 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas, the "Supreme Court" effectively denied the existence of God's Eternal Law and Natural Law, and established its own atheistic and anarchic "morality," a "morality" which had been formulated by the philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804):
"A person is properly subject to no other laws than those he lays down himself, either alone or in conjunction with others." (Immanual Kant, 'Introduction to the Metaphysics of Morals," source: http://ethics.acusd.edu/Books/Kant/MetaMorals/NS/Kant_MM_NS.htm
The "Supreme Court," with a 6-3 majority, recognized liberty as the supreme norm of human thought and action:
"At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life." (Lawrence, p. 13).
But, as Pope John John Paul II noted:
"The attempt to set freedom in opposition to truth, and indeed to separate them radically, is the consequence, manifestation and consummation of another more serious and destructive dichotomy that separates faith from morality....This separation represents one of the most acute pastoral concerns of the Church amid today's growing secularism, wherein indeed, too many people think and live 'as if God did not exist.'" (Veritatis Splendor, No. 88).
This disturbing trend is now affecting the very life of the Church. Again, Pope John Paul II had warned that:
"Even in the field of the thought and life of the Church certain trends inevitably favor the decline of the sense of sin. For example, some are inclined to replace exaggerated attitudes of the past with other exaggerations: From seeing sin everywhere they pass to not recognizing it anywhere; from too much emphasis on the fear of eternal punishment [here the Holy Father is speaking of Jansenism] they pass to preaching a love of God that excludes any punishment deserved by sin; from severity in trying to correct erroneous consciences they pass to a kind of respect for conscience which excludes the duty of telling the truth." (Reconciliatio et poenitentia, No. 18).
This is why Deacon Tom McDonnell has been publically criticized by his Bishop and the pastor of his parish for publically taking to task a pro-abortion politician. Where will this disturbing trend lead us? What is the end result of the dictatorship of relativism? The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides us with the disturbing answer to that question:
"Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the 'mystery of iniquity' in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh." (No. 675).
Paul Anthony Melanson
We are all called to be prophets. We are all called by the Lord Jesus to confront evil and to publically oppose sinful structures. Sin has become institutionalized. This because of a secularism which is rooted in atheistic philosophy. Pope Benedict XVI, in a homily at the Conclave's Opening Mass, said that:
"Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the Church, is often labelled today as a fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, which is letting oneself be tosed and 'swept along by every wind of teaching,' looks like the only attitude (acceptable) to today's standards. We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one's own ego and one's own desires."
In fact, in its June 26, 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas, the "Supreme Court" effectively denied the existence of God's Eternal Law and Natural Law, and established its own atheistic and anarchic "morality," a "morality" which had been formulated by the philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804):
"A person is properly subject to no other laws than those he lays down himself, either alone or in conjunction with others." (Immanual Kant, 'Introduction to the Metaphysics of Morals," source: http://ethics.acusd.edu/Books/Kant/MetaMorals/NS/Kant_MM_NS.htm
The "Supreme Court," with a 6-3 majority, recognized liberty as the supreme norm of human thought and action:
"At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life." (Lawrence, p. 13).
But, as Pope John John Paul II noted:
"The attempt to set freedom in opposition to truth, and indeed to separate them radically, is the consequence, manifestation and consummation of another more serious and destructive dichotomy that separates faith from morality....This separation represents one of the most acute pastoral concerns of the Church amid today's growing secularism, wherein indeed, too many people think and live 'as if God did not exist.'" (Veritatis Splendor, No. 88).
This disturbing trend is now affecting the very life of the Church. Again, Pope John Paul II had warned that:
"Even in the field of the thought and life of the Church certain trends inevitably favor the decline of the sense of sin. For example, some are inclined to replace exaggerated attitudes of the past with other exaggerations: From seeing sin everywhere they pass to not recognizing it anywhere; from too much emphasis on the fear of eternal punishment [here the Holy Father is speaking of Jansenism] they pass to preaching a love of God that excludes any punishment deserved by sin; from severity in trying to correct erroneous consciences they pass to a kind of respect for conscience which excludes the duty of telling the truth." (Reconciliatio et poenitentia, No. 18).
This is why Deacon Tom McDonnell has been publically criticized by his Bishop and the pastor of his parish for publically taking to task a pro-abortion politician. Where will this disturbing trend lead us? What is the end result of the dictatorship of relativism? The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides us with the disturbing answer to that question:
"Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the 'mystery of iniquity' in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh." (No. 675).
Paul Anthony Melanson
Call for prayer
A beautiful young lady named Tess, a member of the Spiritual Children of Saint Rita, wrote me an email today in which she said:
"Dear Paul,
Thanks a lot for praying about my request. I am happy to hear that you still remember.
Life in my country is so hard because of our poor economic situation.
But our family always pray and trust in the mercy and love of the Lord.
We hope we will soon find a good buyer for our lot through the help of your prayers.
Thank you so much Paul.
God bless you all for your kindness.
Spiritual Child of St. Rita in Asia, Philippines.
Tess."
I would ask readers of this Blog to remember Tess and her family in your prayers. Tess is a remarkable and humble woman who is deeply committed to her Catholic Faith and to her family. I am honored to have her as a friend.
Paul
Deacon is condemned for speaking the truth
It is tragic when a Catholic diocese strives to make a pro-abortion politician comfortable in his sin. The deacon may not be "politically correct," but at least he won't be sentenced to Hell for appeasing the culture of death.
We all have a choice of which master to serve: Christ or the world. Deacon Tom McDonnell has chosen Christ while Rev. Smith and Bishop Kmiec have chosen differently. In an asinine statement released by Bishop Kmiec, Catholics of the Diocese of Buffalo, New York were told that, "The pulpit is not the appropriate place for confronting a member of the congregation. It is my belief that in situations like this, we are more effective when we have substantive, one-on-one conversations with individuals outside the context of the Mass.”
Translation: we should refrain from publically embarassing a politician who is in favor of killing innocent children in the womb. Apparently Bishop Kmiec would have had a problem with Saint Paul as well. For the Apostle to the Gentiles publically rebuked our first Pope (not for teaching error but for actions which were causing scandal):
"And when Kephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong. For, until some people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself, because he was afraid of the circumcised. And the rest of the Jews [also] acted hypocritically along with him, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not on the right road in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Kephas in front of all, 'If you, though a Jew, are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?'" (Galatians 2:11-14).
Paul publically rebuked Peter "in front of all" - or publically - because his attitude was wrong. By what right then does Bishop Kmiec criticize Deacon McDonnell for publically rebuking a politician who supports killing children in the womb?
A "gospel" which doesn't point out sin, a "gospel" which makes sinners comfortable in their sins, is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Such is a gospel from Hell.
Paul.
We all have a choice of which master to serve: Christ or the world. Deacon Tom McDonnell has chosen Christ while Rev. Smith and Bishop Kmiec have chosen differently. In an asinine statement released by Bishop Kmiec, Catholics of the Diocese of Buffalo, New York were told that, "The pulpit is not the appropriate place for confronting a member of the congregation. It is my belief that in situations like this, we are more effective when we have substantive, one-on-one conversations with individuals outside the context of the Mass.”
Translation: we should refrain from publically embarassing a politician who is in favor of killing innocent children in the womb. Apparently Bishop Kmiec would have had a problem with Saint Paul as well. For the Apostle to the Gentiles publically rebuked our first Pope (not for teaching error but for actions which were causing scandal):
"And when Kephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong. For, until some people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to draw back and separated himself, because he was afraid of the circumcised. And the rest of the Jews [also] acted hypocritically along with him, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not on the right road in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Kephas in front of all, 'If you, though a Jew, are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?'" (Galatians 2:11-14).
Paul publically rebuked Peter "in front of all" - or publically - because his attitude was wrong. By what right then does Bishop Kmiec criticize Deacon McDonnell for publically rebuking a politician who supports killing children in the womb?
A "gospel" which doesn't point out sin, a "gospel" which makes sinners comfortable in their sins, is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Such is a gospel from Hell.
Paul.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Many thanks to the members of the Spiritual Children of Saint Rita from all over the world who have written words of encouragement to the apostolate. You are all in our prayers. As many of you know, I have served as the spiritual director of the apostolate for two years now. I also write for various Catholic publications and maintain two Blogs. Needless to say, I have been very busy. But your kind notes of encouragement have been very edifying and I am most grateful. Please continue to forward prayer requests to Mr. John Ansley at: frappe19751975@yahoo.com
God love you all,
Paul Anthony Melanson
God love you all,
Paul Anthony Melanson
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Far more abuse in the public schools than ever occurred in the Catholic Church
And yet, most of the Mainstream Media remains silent.
Paul.
Paul.
The prophetic mission of the lay faithful
In his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici, Pope John Paul II wrote that, "Through their participation in the prophetic mission of Christ, 'who proclaimed the kingdom of his Father by the testimony of his life and by the power of his word,' the lay faithful are given the ability and responsibility to accept the Gospel in faith and to proclaim it in word and deed, without hesitating to courageously denounce evil." (No. 14).
And yet, how often do the lay faithful encounter opposition from other members of the laity as well as priests and religious when they strive to fulfill their prophetic mission and to "courageously denounce evil." Why is this? Largely because, "To understand properly the lay faithful's position in the Church in a complete, adequate and specific manner it is necessary to come to a deeper theological understanding of their secular character in light of God's plan of salvation and in the context of the mystery of the Church" (Christifideles Laici, No. 15).
Pope John Paul II explains that, "..all the members of the Church are sharers in this secular dimension but in different ways. In particular the sharing of the lay faithful has its own manner or realization and function, which, according to the Council, is 'properly and particularly' theirs. Such manner is designated with the expression 'secular character.' In fact the Council, in describing the lay faithful's situation in the secular world, points to it above all, as the place in which they receive their call from God.." (Christifideles Laici, No. 15).
We read in 1 Corinthians 12 that, "As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit...there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I do not need you.'" (1 Cor 12: 12, 13; 20, 21).
And yet, this is precisely what so many of the lay faithful encounter as they strive to fulfill their prophetic mission and to act as salt and light upon the secular world. Too often, the lay faithful are looked upon by certain priests and religious as "second-class citizens" within the Church. Then again, some parishes - anxious to maintain a status quo - will only permit a select few to participate in the life of the parish.
But such an attitude is not holy. It is devilish. It is demonic: "..have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs" (James 2: 4). And again, "For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice." (James 3: 16).
Let us all strive to remember that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not our "private preserve." Let's leave behind all pride, selfish ambition, envy and jealousy. And when we come across another who has been graced with particular gifts which we may not possess ourselves, let's give thanks to the Holy Spirit who distributes His gifts as He pleases and to whom He wants.
Paul Anthony Melanson
And yet, how often do the lay faithful encounter opposition from other members of the laity as well as priests and religious when they strive to fulfill their prophetic mission and to "courageously denounce evil." Why is this? Largely because, "To understand properly the lay faithful's position in the Church in a complete, adequate and specific manner it is necessary to come to a deeper theological understanding of their secular character in light of God's plan of salvation and in the context of the mystery of the Church" (Christifideles Laici, No. 15).
Pope John Paul II explains that, "..all the members of the Church are sharers in this secular dimension but in different ways. In particular the sharing of the lay faithful has its own manner or realization and function, which, according to the Council, is 'properly and particularly' theirs. Such manner is designated with the expression 'secular character.' In fact the Council, in describing the lay faithful's situation in the secular world, points to it above all, as the place in which they receive their call from God.." (Christifideles Laici, No. 15).
We read in 1 Corinthians 12 that, "As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit...there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I do not need you.'" (1 Cor 12: 12, 13; 20, 21).
And yet, this is precisely what so many of the lay faithful encounter as they strive to fulfill their prophetic mission and to act as salt and light upon the secular world. Too often, the lay faithful are looked upon by certain priests and religious as "second-class citizens" within the Church. Then again, some parishes - anxious to maintain a status quo - will only permit a select few to participate in the life of the parish.
But such an attitude is not holy. It is devilish. It is demonic: "..have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs" (James 2: 4). And again, "For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice." (James 3: 16).
Let us all strive to remember that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not our "private preserve." Let's leave behind all pride, selfish ambition, envy and jealousy. And when we come across another who has been graced with particular gifts which we may not possess ourselves, let's give thanks to the Holy Spirit who distributes His gifts as He pleases and to whom He wants.
Paul Anthony Melanson
Monday, January 22, 2007
In his Summa Theologica, First Part of the Second Part, Question 96, St. Thomas Aquinas writes that: "Laws framed by man are either just or unjust. If they be just, they have the power of binding in conscience, from the eternal law whence they are derived, according to Prov. 8:15: "By Me kings reign, and lawgivers decree just things." Now laws are said to be just, both from the end, when, to wit, they are ordained to the common good--and from their author, that is to say, when the law that is made does not exceed the power of the lawgiver--and from their form, when, to wit, burdens are laid on the subjects, according to an equality of proportion and with a view to the common good. For, since one man is a part of the community, each man in all that he is and has, belongs to the community; just as a part, in all that it is, belongs to the whole; wherefore nature inflicts a loss on the part, in order to save the whole: so that on this account, such laws as these, which impose proportionate burdens, are just and binding in conscience, and are legal laws.
On the other hand laws may be unjust in two ways: first, by being contrary to human good, through being opposed to the things mentioned above--either in respect of the end, as when an authority imposes on his subjects burdensome laws, conducive, not to the common good, but rather to his own cupidity or vainglory--or in respect of the author, as when a man makes a law that goes beyond the power committed to him--or in respect of the form, as when burdens are imposed unequally on the community, although with a view to the common good. The like are acts of violence rather than laws; because, as Augustine says (De Lib. Arb. i, 5), "a law that is not just, seems to be no law at all." Wherefore such laws do not bind in conscience.."
Now, abortion laws are obviously contrary to the "human good," the "common good." What should be our attitude toward abortion laws? We should always remember that when man-made laws contradict the Divine Law, we have a strict obligation to oppose them. Our attitude should be that of St. Peter and the other Apostles when they were commanded by the chief priests to cease teaching in Jesus' name. We read in the book of Acts (Chapter 5:29), that our first Holy Father and the other Apostles responded thusly to these ministers: "We ought to obey God rather than men."
Make no mistake about it, the abortion movement is a hate movement. It represents hatred of God's Commandment "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus Chapter 20: 13); it represents hatred of human life; it represents hatred of Christ's Church which teaches authoritatively that abortion and infanticide are "unspeakable crimes."
Back in 1991, I participated in a March for Life through the streets of Boston with His Eminence Bernard Cardinal Law and thousands of lay people, priests and religious. As we were processing through the streets of Boston, I was enjoying a conversation with His Eminence and several seminarians when various onlookers from different apartment buildings began to shout obscenities and to engage in hateful and angry rhetoric. I can remember one angry person yelling out, "You're mother should have aborted you" and yet another screaming at the top of his voice "You ass..... should stay out of my bedroom."
It was obvious to me why these confused and angry souls were lowering themselves to such an immature level of rhetoric. They instinctively realized that their hate movement had already lost the intellectual debate. They also knew full well (in their hearts) that the culture of death hate movement had already lost the moral or ethical debate.
This was the reason for the unbridled hate speech. Angry rhetoric and shrill-voices almost inevitably follow when those whose passions are unchecked begin to realize that the truth is not on their side and that their arguments lack any real substance.
Time is on our side. As more and more Americans come to reject the culture of death and as Roe v. Wade collapses in on itself (and even Sandra Day O'Connor once spoke of this moment when she alluded to the fact that Roe v. Wade was on a collision course with itself), the shrill-voices and hate-filled rhetoric will first increase and then totally subside.
It was the same when Dr. King led so many people of good will in the fight for civil rights for African-Americans. In time, as Americans witnessed with horror the face of hatred on their television sets, they increasingly came to realize that they wanted no part of the bigotry and learned to embrace these fellow American citizens as equals.
It is love which will overcome the abortion hate movement. Love always triumphs over hatred, even if there is pain as we make the journey toward justice, peace and the common good. The hatred which is part and parcel of the abortion movement will be transformed by love and by patient witness to the Gospel truth which proclaims the inviolable dignity of every human person.
Dr. King spoke of this before his assasination: "We will match your capacity to inflict suffering with our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. We will not hate you, but we cannot obey your unjust laws. Do to us what you will and we will still love you. Bomb our homes and threaten our children; send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our communities and drag us out on some wayside road, beating us and leaving us half dead, and we will still love you. But we will soon wear you down by our capacity to suffer. And in winning our freedom, we will so appeal to your heart and conscience that we will win you in the process."
Dr. King realized that there is nothing stronger than love or "soul force." And isn't this what Sacred Scripture teaches us? We read in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that, "And now there remain faith, hope and love, these three: but the greatest of these is love." This theologal virtue will triumph over the abortion hate movement just as surely as it triumphed through Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement and through the person and work of Gandhi in India.
Paul Anthony Melanson
On the other hand laws may be unjust in two ways: first, by being contrary to human good, through being opposed to the things mentioned above--either in respect of the end, as when an authority imposes on his subjects burdensome laws, conducive, not to the common good, but rather to his own cupidity or vainglory--or in respect of the author, as when a man makes a law that goes beyond the power committed to him--or in respect of the form, as when burdens are imposed unequally on the community, although with a view to the common good. The like are acts of violence rather than laws; because, as Augustine says (De Lib. Arb. i, 5), "a law that is not just, seems to be no law at all." Wherefore such laws do not bind in conscience.."
Now, abortion laws are obviously contrary to the "human good," the "common good." What should be our attitude toward abortion laws? We should always remember that when man-made laws contradict the Divine Law, we have a strict obligation to oppose them. Our attitude should be that of St. Peter and the other Apostles when they were commanded by the chief priests to cease teaching in Jesus' name. We read in the book of Acts (Chapter 5:29), that our first Holy Father and the other Apostles responded thusly to these ministers: "We ought to obey God rather than men."
Make no mistake about it, the abortion movement is a hate movement. It represents hatred of God's Commandment "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus Chapter 20: 13); it represents hatred of human life; it represents hatred of Christ's Church which teaches authoritatively that abortion and infanticide are "unspeakable crimes."
Back in 1991, I participated in a March for Life through the streets of Boston with His Eminence Bernard Cardinal Law and thousands of lay people, priests and religious. As we were processing through the streets of Boston, I was enjoying a conversation with His Eminence and several seminarians when various onlookers from different apartment buildings began to shout obscenities and to engage in hateful and angry rhetoric. I can remember one angry person yelling out, "You're mother should have aborted you" and yet another screaming at the top of his voice "You ass..... should stay out of my bedroom."
It was obvious to me why these confused and angry souls were lowering themselves to such an immature level of rhetoric. They instinctively realized that their hate movement had already lost the intellectual debate. They also knew full well (in their hearts) that the culture of death hate movement had already lost the moral or ethical debate.
This was the reason for the unbridled hate speech. Angry rhetoric and shrill-voices almost inevitably follow when those whose passions are unchecked begin to realize that the truth is not on their side and that their arguments lack any real substance.
Time is on our side. As more and more Americans come to reject the culture of death and as Roe v. Wade collapses in on itself (and even Sandra Day O'Connor once spoke of this moment when she alluded to the fact that Roe v. Wade was on a collision course with itself), the shrill-voices and hate-filled rhetoric will first increase and then totally subside.
It was the same when Dr. King led so many people of good will in the fight for civil rights for African-Americans. In time, as Americans witnessed with horror the face of hatred on their television sets, they increasingly came to realize that they wanted no part of the bigotry and learned to embrace these fellow American citizens as equals.
It is love which will overcome the abortion hate movement. Love always triumphs over hatred, even if there is pain as we make the journey toward justice, peace and the common good. The hatred which is part and parcel of the abortion movement will be transformed by love and by patient witness to the Gospel truth which proclaims the inviolable dignity of every human person.
Dr. King spoke of this before his assasination: "We will match your capacity to inflict suffering with our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. We will not hate you, but we cannot obey your unjust laws. Do to us what you will and we will still love you. Bomb our homes and threaten our children; send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our communities and drag us out on some wayside road, beating us and leaving us half dead, and we will still love you. But we will soon wear you down by our capacity to suffer. And in winning our freedom, we will so appeal to your heart and conscience that we will win you in the process."
Dr. King realized that there is nothing stronger than love or "soul force." And isn't this what Sacred Scripture teaches us? We read in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that, "And now there remain faith, hope and love, these three: but the greatest of these is love." This theologal virtue will triumph over the abortion hate movement just as surely as it triumphed through Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement and through the person and work of Gandhi in India.
Paul Anthony Melanson
A Sad Anniversary
"Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2271).
Politicians like Senator Hillary Clinton reject this clear and definitive teaching of Christ Jesus through His Church. In the same way that the Nazis waged a war against the Jewish People while denying the personhood of every Jewish person they sent to the gas chamber or placed before a firing squad, pro-death politicians like Senator Clinton attempt to justify the killing of innocent children in the womb by asserting that these victims of genocide cannot be considered human beings until they have reached "viability," which was defined by the United States Supreme Court as that stage of fetal development when the baby is "potentially able to live outside the mother's womb [that is, can survive], albeit with artificial help." (Roe vs. Wade, U.S. Supreme Court, 1973, p. 45).
Pope John Paul II addressed this fallacious argument in his Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life):
"Some people try to justify abortion by claiming that the result of conception, at least up to a certain number of days, cannot yet be considered a personal human life. But in fact, 'from the time the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already. This has always been clear, and...modern genetic science offers clear confirmation. It has demonstrated that from the first instant there is established the program of what this living being will be: a person, this individual person with his characteristic aspects already well determined. Right from fertilization the adventure of a human life begins, and each of its capabilities requires time - a rather lengthy time - to find its place and to be in a position to act." (EV, No. 60).
In a feeble attempt to justify the killing of unborn children in the womb, dishonest politicians like Senator Clinton continue to use the concept of viability as a measure of when the unborn baby is human and therefore in possession of a right to life. However, as Pope John Paul II noted in his Encyclical Letter, modern genetic science has confirmed that "from the first instant" of fertilization, "there is established the aspects the program of what this living being will be: a person.."
In fact, it is completely illogical to use viability as a measure of when the unborn baby is human because 50 years ago viability was at 30 weeks; 25 years ago it dropped to 25 weeks; and today, it is under 20 weeks. Babies are surviving earlier because of tremendous increases in the sophistication of external life support systems as well as neonatal ICU.
As a people of life, we must hold pro-death politicians like Senator Clinton accountable for their cooperation in the genocide of abortion which has angered Our Lord Jesus and which cries out to Heaven for vengeance. We must offer reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. If we do not, then a culture of death will continue to prevail in this nation and we will face the consequences of the Hell which we have silently condoned.
We must recall the words of Gabriel Marcel: "When man becomes God, then society becomes a termite colony and collapses from within."
God love you,
Paul Anthony Melanson
Politicians like Senator Hillary Clinton reject this clear and definitive teaching of Christ Jesus through His Church. In the same way that the Nazis waged a war against the Jewish People while denying the personhood of every Jewish person they sent to the gas chamber or placed before a firing squad, pro-death politicians like Senator Clinton attempt to justify the killing of innocent children in the womb by asserting that these victims of genocide cannot be considered human beings until they have reached "viability," which was defined by the United States Supreme Court as that stage of fetal development when the baby is "potentially able to live outside the mother's womb [that is, can survive], albeit with artificial help." (Roe vs. Wade, U.S. Supreme Court, 1973, p. 45).
Pope John Paul II addressed this fallacious argument in his Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life):
"Some people try to justify abortion by claiming that the result of conception, at least up to a certain number of days, cannot yet be considered a personal human life. But in fact, 'from the time the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already. This has always been clear, and...modern genetic science offers clear confirmation. It has demonstrated that from the first instant there is established the program of what this living being will be: a person, this individual person with his characteristic aspects already well determined. Right from fertilization the adventure of a human life begins, and each of its capabilities requires time - a rather lengthy time - to find its place and to be in a position to act." (EV, No. 60).
In a feeble attempt to justify the killing of unborn children in the womb, dishonest politicians like Senator Clinton continue to use the concept of viability as a measure of when the unborn baby is human and therefore in possession of a right to life. However, as Pope John Paul II noted in his Encyclical Letter, modern genetic science has confirmed that "from the first instant" of fertilization, "there is established the aspects the program of what this living being will be: a person.."
In fact, it is completely illogical to use viability as a measure of when the unborn baby is human because 50 years ago viability was at 30 weeks; 25 years ago it dropped to 25 weeks; and today, it is under 20 weeks. Babies are surviving earlier because of tremendous increases in the sophistication of external life support systems as well as neonatal ICU.
As a people of life, we must hold pro-death politicians like Senator Clinton accountable for their cooperation in the genocide of abortion which has angered Our Lord Jesus and which cries out to Heaven for vengeance. We must offer reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. If we do not, then a culture of death will continue to prevail in this nation and we will face the consequences of the Hell which we have silently condoned.
We must recall the words of Gabriel Marcel: "When man becomes God, then society becomes a termite colony and collapses from within."
God love you,
Paul Anthony Melanson
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Ad Tuendam Fidem, given Motu Proprio
JOHN PAUL II
Apostolic Letter Motu Proprio AD TUENDAM FIDEM, by which certain norms are inserted into the Code of Canon Law and into the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
TO PROTECT THE FAITH of the Catholic Church against errors arising from certain members of the Christian faithful, especially from among those dedicated to the various disciplines of sacred theology, we, whose principal duty is to confirm the brethren in the faith (Lk 22:32), consider it absolutely necessary to add to the existing texts of the Code of Canon Law and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, new norms which expressly impose the obligation of upholding truths proposed in a definitive way by the Magisterium of the Church, and which also establish related canonical sanctions.
1.From the first centuries to the present day, the Church has professed the truths of her faith in Christ and the mystery of his redemption. These truths were subsequently gathered into the Symbols of the faith, today known and proclaimed in common by the faithful in the solemn and festive celebration of Mass as the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
This same Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed is contained in the Profession of faith developed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,(1) which must be made by specific members of the faithful when they receive an office, that is directly or indirectly related to deeper investigation into the truths of faith and morals, or is united to a particular power in the governance of the Church.(2)
2. The Profession of faith, which appropriately begins with the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, contains three propositions or paragraphs intended to describe the truths of the Catholic faith, which the Church, in the course of time and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit “who will teach the whole truth” (Jn 16:13), has ever more deeply explored and will continue to explore.(3)
The first paragraph states: “With firm faith, I also believe everything contained in the word of God, whether written or handed down in Tradition, which the Church either by a solemn judgment or by the ordinary and universal Magisterium sets forth to be believed as divinely revealed.”(4) This paragraph appropriately confirms and is provided for in the Church’s universal legislation, in canon 750 of the Code of Canon Law(5) and canon 598 of the Code of the Canons of the Eastern Churches.(6)
The third paragraph states: “Moreover I adhere with submission of will and intellect to the teachings which either the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops enunciate when they exercise their authentic Magisterium, even if they do not intend to proclaim these teachings by a definitive act.”(7) This paragraph has its corresponding legislative expression in canon 752 of the Code of Canon Law(8) and canon 599 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.(9)
3. The second paragraph, however, which states “I also firmly accept and hold each and everything definitively proposed by the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals,”(10) has no corresponding canon in the Codes of the Catholic Church. This second paragraph of the Profession of faith is of utmost importance since it refers to truths that are necessarily connected to divine revelation. These truths, in the investigation of Catholic doctrine, illustrate the Divine Spirit’s particular inspiration for the Church’s deeper understanding of a truth concerning faith and morals, with which they are connected either for historical reasons or by a logical relationship.
4. Moved therefore by this need, and after careful deliberation, we have decided to overcome this lacuna in the universal law in the following way:
A) Canon 750 of the Code of Canon Law will now consist of two paragraphs; the first will present the text of the existing canon; the second will contain a new text. Thus, canon 750, in its complete form, will read:
Canon 750 – § 1. Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal Magisterium, which in fact is manifested by the common adherence of Christ’s faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium. All are therefore bound to avoid any contrary doctrines.
§ 2. Furthermore, each and everything set forth definitively by the Magisterium of the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals must be firmly accepted and held; namely, those things required for the holy keeping and faithful exposition of the deposit of faith; therefore, anyone who rejects propositions which are to be held definitively sets himself against the teaching of the Catholic Church.
Canon 1371, n. 1 of the Code of Canon Law, consequently, will receive an appropriate reference to canon 750 § 2, so that it will now read:
Canon 1371 – The following are to be punished with a just penalty:
1° a person who, apart from the case mentioned in canon 1364 § 1, teaches a doctrine condemned by the Roman Pontiff, or by an Ecumenical Council, or obstinately rejects the teachings mentioned in canon 750 § 2 or in canon 752 and, when warned by the Apostolic See or by the Ordinary, does not retract;
2° a person who in any other way does not obey the lawful command or prohibition of the Apostolic See or the Ordinary or Superior and, after being warned, persists in disobedience.
B) Canon 598 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches will now have two paragraphs: the first will present the text of the existing canon and the second will contain a new text. Thus canon 598, in its complete form, will read as follows:
Canon 598 – § 1. Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal Magisterium, which in fact is manifested by the common adherence of Christ’s faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium. All Christian faithful are therefore bound to avoid any contrary doctrines.
§ 2. Furthermore, each and everything set forth definitively by the Magisterium of the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals must be firmly accepted and held; namely, those things required for the holy keeping and faithful exposition of the deposit of faith; therefore, anyone who rejects propositions which are to be held definitively sets himself against the teaching of the Catholic Church.
Canon 1436 § 2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, consequently, will receive an appropriate reference to canon 598 § 2, so that it will now read:
Canon 1436 – § 1. Whoever denies a truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or who calls into doubt, or who totally repudiates the Christian faith, and does not retract after having been legitimately warned, is to be punished as a heretic or an apostate with a major excommunication; a cleric moreover can be punished with other penalties, not excluding deposition.
§ 2. In addition to these cases, whoever obstinately rejects a teaching that the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising the authentic Magisterium, have set forth to be held definitively, or who affirms what they have condemned as erroneous, and does not retract after having been legitimately warned, is to be punished with an appropriate penalty.
5. We order that everything decreed by us in this Apostolic Letter, given motu proprio, be established and ratified, and we prescribe that the insertions listed above be introduced into the universal legislation of the Catholic Church, that is, into the Code of Canon Law and into the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, all things to the contrary notwithstanding.
Given in Rome, at St Peter’s, on 18 May, in the year 1998, the twentieth of our Pontificate.
JOHN PAUL II
(1) CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity, (9 January 1989): AAS 81 (1989), 105.
(2) Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 833.
(3) Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 747 § 1; Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Canon 595 § 1.
(4) Cf. SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 25; Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, 5;
CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian Donum veritatis (24 May 1990), 15: AAS 82 (1990), 1556.
(5) Code of Canon Law, Canon 750 – Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal Magisterium, which in fact is manifested by the common adherence of Christ’s faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium. All are therefore bound to avoid any contrary doctrines.
(6) Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Canon 598 – Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal Magisterium, which in fact is manifested by the common adherence of Christ’s faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium. All Christian faithful are therefore bound to avoid any contrary doctrines.
(7) Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian Donum veritatis (24 May 1990), 17: AAS 82 (1990), 1557.
(8) Code of Canon Law, Canon 752 – While the assent of faith is not required, a religious submission of intellect and will is to be given to any doctrine which either the Supreme Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising their authentic Magisterium, declare upon a matter of faith and morals, even though they do not intend to proclaim that doctrine by definitive act. Christ’s faithful are therefore to ensure that they avoid whatever does not accord with that doctrine.
(9) Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Canon 599 – While the assent of faith is not required, a religious submission of intellect and will is to be given to any doctrine which either the Supreme Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising their authentic Magisterium, declare upon a matter of faith and morals, even though they do not intend to proclaim that doctrine by definitive act. Christ’s faithful are therefore to ensure that they avoid whatever does not accord with that doctrine.
(10) Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian Donum veritatis (24 May 1990), 16: AAS 82 (1990), 1557.
Apostolic Letter Motu Proprio AD TUENDAM FIDEM, by which certain norms are inserted into the Code of Canon Law and into the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
TO PROTECT THE FAITH of the Catholic Church against errors arising from certain members of the Christian faithful, especially from among those dedicated to the various disciplines of sacred theology, we, whose principal duty is to confirm the brethren in the faith (Lk 22:32), consider it absolutely necessary to add to the existing texts of the Code of Canon Law and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, new norms which expressly impose the obligation of upholding truths proposed in a definitive way by the Magisterium of the Church, and which also establish related canonical sanctions.
1.From the first centuries to the present day, the Church has professed the truths of her faith in Christ and the mystery of his redemption. These truths were subsequently gathered into the Symbols of the faith, today known and proclaimed in common by the faithful in the solemn and festive celebration of Mass as the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
This same Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed is contained in the Profession of faith developed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,(1) which must be made by specific members of the faithful when they receive an office, that is directly or indirectly related to deeper investigation into the truths of faith and morals, or is united to a particular power in the governance of the Church.(2)
2. The Profession of faith, which appropriately begins with the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, contains three propositions or paragraphs intended to describe the truths of the Catholic faith, which the Church, in the course of time and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit “who will teach the whole truth” (Jn 16:13), has ever more deeply explored and will continue to explore.(3)
The first paragraph states: “With firm faith, I also believe everything contained in the word of God, whether written or handed down in Tradition, which the Church either by a solemn judgment or by the ordinary and universal Magisterium sets forth to be believed as divinely revealed.”(4) This paragraph appropriately confirms and is provided for in the Church’s universal legislation, in canon 750 of the Code of Canon Law(5) and canon 598 of the Code of the Canons of the Eastern Churches.(6)
The third paragraph states: “Moreover I adhere with submission of will and intellect to the teachings which either the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops enunciate when they exercise their authentic Magisterium, even if they do not intend to proclaim these teachings by a definitive act.”(7) This paragraph has its corresponding legislative expression in canon 752 of the Code of Canon Law(8) and canon 599 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.(9)
3. The second paragraph, however, which states “I also firmly accept and hold each and everything definitively proposed by the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals,”(10) has no corresponding canon in the Codes of the Catholic Church. This second paragraph of the Profession of faith is of utmost importance since it refers to truths that are necessarily connected to divine revelation. These truths, in the investigation of Catholic doctrine, illustrate the Divine Spirit’s particular inspiration for the Church’s deeper understanding of a truth concerning faith and morals, with which they are connected either for historical reasons or by a logical relationship.
4. Moved therefore by this need, and after careful deliberation, we have decided to overcome this lacuna in the universal law in the following way:
A) Canon 750 of the Code of Canon Law will now consist of two paragraphs; the first will present the text of the existing canon; the second will contain a new text. Thus, canon 750, in its complete form, will read:
Canon 750 – § 1. Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal Magisterium, which in fact is manifested by the common adherence of Christ’s faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium. All are therefore bound to avoid any contrary doctrines.
§ 2. Furthermore, each and everything set forth definitively by the Magisterium of the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals must be firmly accepted and held; namely, those things required for the holy keeping and faithful exposition of the deposit of faith; therefore, anyone who rejects propositions which are to be held definitively sets himself against the teaching of the Catholic Church.
Canon 1371, n. 1 of the Code of Canon Law, consequently, will receive an appropriate reference to canon 750 § 2, so that it will now read:
Canon 1371 – The following are to be punished with a just penalty:
1° a person who, apart from the case mentioned in canon 1364 § 1, teaches a doctrine condemned by the Roman Pontiff, or by an Ecumenical Council, or obstinately rejects the teachings mentioned in canon 750 § 2 or in canon 752 and, when warned by the Apostolic See or by the Ordinary, does not retract;
2° a person who in any other way does not obey the lawful command or prohibition of the Apostolic See or the Ordinary or Superior and, after being warned, persists in disobedience.
B) Canon 598 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches will now have two paragraphs: the first will present the text of the existing canon and the second will contain a new text. Thus canon 598, in its complete form, will read as follows:
Canon 598 – § 1. Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal Magisterium, which in fact is manifested by the common adherence of Christ’s faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium. All Christian faithful are therefore bound to avoid any contrary doctrines.
§ 2. Furthermore, each and everything set forth definitively by the Magisterium of the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals must be firmly accepted and held; namely, those things required for the holy keeping and faithful exposition of the deposit of faith; therefore, anyone who rejects propositions which are to be held definitively sets himself against the teaching of the Catholic Church.
Canon 1436 § 2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, consequently, will receive an appropriate reference to canon 598 § 2, so that it will now read:
Canon 1436 – § 1. Whoever denies a truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or who calls into doubt, or who totally repudiates the Christian faith, and does not retract after having been legitimately warned, is to be punished as a heretic or an apostate with a major excommunication; a cleric moreover can be punished with other penalties, not excluding deposition.
§ 2. In addition to these cases, whoever obstinately rejects a teaching that the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising the authentic Magisterium, have set forth to be held definitively, or who affirms what they have condemned as erroneous, and does not retract after having been legitimately warned, is to be punished with an appropriate penalty.
5. We order that everything decreed by us in this Apostolic Letter, given motu proprio, be established and ratified, and we prescribe that the insertions listed above be introduced into the universal legislation of the Catholic Church, that is, into the Code of Canon Law and into the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, all things to the contrary notwithstanding.
Given in Rome, at St Peter’s, on 18 May, in the year 1998, the twentieth of our Pontificate.
JOHN PAUL II
(1) CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity, (9 January 1989): AAS 81 (1989), 105.
(2) Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 833.
(3) Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 747 § 1; Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Canon 595 § 1.
(4) Cf. SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 25; Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, 5;
CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian Donum veritatis (24 May 1990), 15: AAS 82 (1990), 1556.
(5) Code of Canon Law, Canon 750 – Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal Magisterium, which in fact is manifested by the common adherence of Christ’s faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium. All are therefore bound to avoid any contrary doctrines.
(6) Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Canon 598 – Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal Magisterium, which in fact is manifested by the common adherence of Christ’s faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium. All Christian faithful are therefore bound to avoid any contrary doctrines.
(7) Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian Donum veritatis (24 May 1990), 17: AAS 82 (1990), 1557.
(8) Code of Canon Law, Canon 752 – While the assent of faith is not required, a religious submission of intellect and will is to be given to any doctrine which either the Supreme Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising their authentic Magisterium, declare upon a matter of faith and morals, even though they do not intend to proclaim that doctrine by definitive act. Christ’s faithful are therefore to ensure that they avoid whatever does not accord with that doctrine.
(9) Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Canon 599 – While the assent of faith is not required, a religious submission of intellect and will is to be given to any doctrine which either the Supreme Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising their authentic Magisterium, declare upon a matter of faith and morals, even though they do not intend to proclaim that doctrine by definitive act. Christ’s faithful are therefore to ensure that they avoid whatever does not accord with that doctrine.
(10) Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian Donum veritatis (24 May 1990), 16: AAS 82 (1990), 1557.
A Correct Conscience
Vatican II, in its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) No. 25, had this to say:
"This religious submission of will and of mind must be shown in a special way to the authentic teaching authority of the Roman Pontiff, even when he is not speaking ex cathedra. That is, it must be shown in such a way that his supreme magisterium is acknowledged with reverence, the judgments made by him are sincerely adhered to, according to his manifest mind and will. His mind and will in the matter may be known chiefly either from the character of the documents, from his frequent repetition of the same doctrine, or from his manner of speaking."
Therefore, if we claim to be "Vatican II Catholics," we must acknowledge our duty, our serious and imperative obligation, to form a correct conscience, according to the Holy Father's directives and not according to our own subjective desires or wishes. This is the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings." (CCC, 1783).
Our conscience can only be correct when it conforms to God's Will. And God's Will can only be known with absolute certainty through the Catholic Church of which the Pope is the authentic interpreter. In his Encyclical Letter Humani Generis, Pope Pius XII taught that: "...If the Supreme Pontiffs in their official documents purposely pass judgment on a matter up to that time under dispute, it is obvious that the matter, according to the mind and will of the same Pontiffs, cannot be any longer considered a question open to discussion among theologians....God has given to His Church a living Teaching Authority to elucidate and explain what is contained in the Deposit of Faith only obscurely and implicitly. This deposit of faith our Divine Redeemer has given for authentic interpretation not to each of the faithful, not even to theologians, but only to the Teaching Authority of the Church."
Do we accept this teaching, a teaching which was reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council? Or do we consider ourselves to be "wiser" than Christ's Vicar? Do we really understand that obedience (and loyalty) to the Holy Father and the Magisterium of the Church are the hallmarks of true Catholics - as opposed to those who are such in name only?
Do we pretend, like the La Salette priest who said that he believes there is "wiggle room" on the subject of women's ordination, that the Pope or the Magisterium hasn't spoken clearly enough? If so, we should recall these words from Pope St. Pius X - the Pope of the Eucharist -
"When people love the pope, they do not discuss his orders; they do not question the extent of their obedience, nor in what matters they are to obey. When people love the pope, they do not pretend that he has not spoken clearly enough, as if he were obliged to whisper in each one's ear that which he has often expressed so clearly in words and encyclicals. They cannot cast doubt upon his order under the pretext so commonly adduced by those who are unwilling to obey, that it is not the pope who commands but those who surround him; they cannot limit the ground on which he may and ought to exercise his authority; in matters of authority, they cannot give preference to persons whose ideas clash with those of the pope, however learned these may be, for though they be learned, they are not saints."
Are we disobedient to the Pope? If so, we should realize that our disobedience is really against the loving Heart of Christ.
"In order that the Episcopate itself might be one and undivided, Christ placed Blessed Peter over the other apostles, and instituted in him a permanent and visible source and foundation of unity of faith and fellowship. All this teaching about the institution, the perpetuity, the force and reason for the Sacred Primacy of the Roman Pontiff and of his infallible teaching authority, this Sacred Synod again proposes to be firmly believed by all the faithful." (Lumen Gentium, Chap. 3, Sec. 18).
God love you,
Paul Anthony Melanson
"This religious submission of will and of mind must be shown in a special way to the authentic teaching authority of the Roman Pontiff, even when he is not speaking ex cathedra. That is, it must be shown in such a way that his supreme magisterium is acknowledged with reverence, the judgments made by him are sincerely adhered to, according to his manifest mind and will. His mind and will in the matter may be known chiefly either from the character of the documents, from his frequent repetition of the same doctrine, or from his manner of speaking."
Therefore, if we claim to be "Vatican II Catholics," we must acknowledge our duty, our serious and imperative obligation, to form a correct conscience, according to the Holy Father's directives and not according to our own subjective desires or wishes. This is the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened. A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. The education of conscience is indispensable for human beings who are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own judgment and to reject authoritative teachings." (CCC, 1783).
Our conscience can only be correct when it conforms to God's Will. And God's Will can only be known with absolute certainty through the Catholic Church of which the Pope is the authentic interpreter. In his Encyclical Letter Humani Generis, Pope Pius XII taught that: "...If the Supreme Pontiffs in their official documents purposely pass judgment on a matter up to that time under dispute, it is obvious that the matter, according to the mind and will of the same Pontiffs, cannot be any longer considered a question open to discussion among theologians....God has given to His Church a living Teaching Authority to elucidate and explain what is contained in the Deposit of Faith only obscurely and implicitly. This deposit of faith our Divine Redeemer has given for authentic interpretation not to each of the faithful, not even to theologians, but only to the Teaching Authority of the Church."
Do we accept this teaching, a teaching which was reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council? Or do we consider ourselves to be "wiser" than Christ's Vicar? Do we really understand that obedience (and loyalty) to the Holy Father and the Magisterium of the Church are the hallmarks of true Catholics - as opposed to those who are such in name only?
Do we pretend, like the La Salette priest who said that he believes there is "wiggle room" on the subject of women's ordination, that the Pope or the Magisterium hasn't spoken clearly enough? If so, we should recall these words from Pope St. Pius X - the Pope of the Eucharist -
"When people love the pope, they do not discuss his orders; they do not question the extent of their obedience, nor in what matters they are to obey. When people love the pope, they do not pretend that he has not spoken clearly enough, as if he were obliged to whisper in each one's ear that which he has often expressed so clearly in words and encyclicals. They cannot cast doubt upon his order under the pretext so commonly adduced by those who are unwilling to obey, that it is not the pope who commands but those who surround him; they cannot limit the ground on which he may and ought to exercise his authority; in matters of authority, they cannot give preference to persons whose ideas clash with those of the pope, however learned these may be, for though they be learned, they are not saints."
Are we disobedient to the Pope? If so, we should realize that our disobedience is really against the loving Heart of Christ.
"In order that the Episcopate itself might be one and undivided, Christ placed Blessed Peter over the other apostles, and instituted in him a permanent and visible source and foundation of unity of faith and fellowship. All this teaching about the institution, the perpetuity, the force and reason for the Sacred Primacy of the Roman Pontiff and of his infallible teaching authority, this Sacred Synod again proposes to be firmly believed by all the faithful." (Lumen Gentium, Chap. 3, Sec. 18).
God love you,
Paul Anthony Melanson
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Friday, January 19, 2007
NOVENA AD SACRUM COR
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.
R. Amen.
Domine Iesu, qui ineffabiles Cordis tui dulcedines ac divitias Ecclesiae Sponsae tuae singulari dilectione aperire dignatus es: concede nobis famulis tuis, ut gratiis caelestibus, ex hoc dulcissimo fonte manantibus, ditare et recreari mereamur.
R. Amen.
V. Cor Iesu, flagrans amore nostri.
R. Inflamma cor nostrum amore tui.
O divinum Cor Iesu, praesta, quaesumus, animabus purgantibus requiem aeternam, morituris gratiam finalem, peccatoribus veram paenitentiam, paganis fidei lucem, nobis nostrisque omnibus tuam benedictionem. Tibi ergo, Cor Iesu piissimum, omnes has animas commendimus et pro ipsis tibi offerimusomnia merita sacri Cordis tui.
R. Amen.
V. O Sacrum Cor Iesu, Patris voluntati obsequentissimum.
R. Inclina ad te corda nostra, ut quae placita sunt ei faciamus semper.
Domine Iesu Christe, qui dixisti: Petite et accipietis; quaerite etinvenietis; pulsate et aperietur vobis; quaesumus, da nobis petentibusdivinissimi tui amoris affectum, ut te toto corde, ore et operediligamus et a tua numquam laude cessemus.
R. Amen.
(Hic morare ad Sacrum Cor petendum)
V. O sacrum Cor Iesu, salutis nostrae sitientissimum.
R. Revoca nos praevaricatores ad Cor, ut non moriamur in peccatis nostris.
Oremus. Deus, qui nobis, in Corde Filii tui, nostris vulneratopeccatis, infinitos dilectionis thesauros misericorditer largiridignaris; concede, quaesumus, ut illi devotum pietatis nostrae praestantesobsequium, dignae quoque satisfactionis exhibeamus officium. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.
NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
R. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Who have deigned to open by Your special love the unutterable goodness and riches of Your Heart to Your Bride, the Church: grant to us, your servants, that we may merit to be enriched and refreshed by Your heavenly graces, flowing from this sweetest of fountains.
R. Amen.
V. Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us.
R. Set our hearts on fire with love of You.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who have said: Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you; mercifully attend toour supplications, and grant us the gift of Your divine charity, that we mayever love You with our whole heart and with all our words and deeds, and may never cease from praising You.
R. Amen.
(Pause here to make petitions to the Sacred Heart.)
V. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, most obedient to the will of the Father.R. Incline our hearts to You, that we may do always what is pleasing to You.
O divine Heart of Jesus, grant, we pray You, eternal rest to the soul sin purgatory, final grace to those who are about to die, true repentance to sinners, the light of faith to non-Christians, and Your blessing to us and all who are dear to us. To You, therefore, we commend all these souls, and in their behalf we offer unto You all the merits of Your Sacred Heart.
R. Amen.
V. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, thirsting for our salvation.
R. Recall us sinners to Your Heart, that we may not die in our sins.
Let us pray. O God, Who deign mercifully to bestow upon us the infinite treasures of love in the Heart of Your Son, which was wounded for our sins; grant, we beseech You, that we who pay Him the devout homage of our piety may in like manner show unto You our due of worthy satisfaction. Through the same Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.
R. Amen.
Domine Iesu, qui ineffabiles Cordis tui dulcedines ac divitias Ecclesiae Sponsae tuae singulari dilectione aperire dignatus es: concede nobis famulis tuis, ut gratiis caelestibus, ex hoc dulcissimo fonte manantibus, ditare et recreari mereamur.
R. Amen.
V. Cor Iesu, flagrans amore nostri.
R. Inflamma cor nostrum amore tui.
O divinum Cor Iesu, praesta, quaesumus, animabus purgantibus requiem aeternam, morituris gratiam finalem, peccatoribus veram paenitentiam, paganis fidei lucem, nobis nostrisque omnibus tuam benedictionem. Tibi ergo, Cor Iesu piissimum, omnes has animas commendimus et pro ipsis tibi offerimusomnia merita sacri Cordis tui.
R. Amen.
V. O Sacrum Cor Iesu, Patris voluntati obsequentissimum.
R. Inclina ad te corda nostra, ut quae placita sunt ei faciamus semper.
Domine Iesu Christe, qui dixisti: Petite et accipietis; quaerite etinvenietis; pulsate et aperietur vobis; quaesumus, da nobis petentibusdivinissimi tui amoris affectum, ut te toto corde, ore et operediligamus et a tua numquam laude cessemus.
R. Amen.
(Hic morare ad Sacrum Cor petendum)
V. O sacrum Cor Iesu, salutis nostrae sitientissimum.
R. Revoca nos praevaricatores ad Cor, ut non moriamur in peccatis nostris.
Oremus. Deus, qui nobis, in Corde Filii tui, nostris vulneratopeccatis, infinitos dilectionis thesauros misericorditer largiridignaris; concede, quaesumus, ut illi devotum pietatis nostrae praestantesobsequium, dignae quoque satisfactionis exhibeamus officium. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum.
R. Amen.
NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
R. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Who have deigned to open by Your special love the unutterable goodness and riches of Your Heart to Your Bride, the Church: grant to us, your servants, that we may merit to be enriched and refreshed by Your heavenly graces, flowing from this sweetest of fountains.
R. Amen.
V. Heart of Jesus, burning with love for us.
R. Set our hearts on fire with love of You.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who have said: Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you; mercifully attend toour supplications, and grant us the gift of Your divine charity, that we mayever love You with our whole heart and with all our words and deeds, and may never cease from praising You.
R. Amen.
(Pause here to make petitions to the Sacred Heart.)
V. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, most obedient to the will of the Father.R. Incline our hearts to You, that we may do always what is pleasing to You.
O divine Heart of Jesus, grant, we pray You, eternal rest to the soul sin purgatory, final grace to those who are about to die, true repentance to sinners, the light of faith to non-Christians, and Your blessing to us and all who are dear to us. To You, therefore, we commend all these souls, and in their behalf we offer unto You all the merits of Your Sacred Heart.
R. Amen.
V. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, thirsting for our salvation.
R. Recall us sinners to Your Heart, that we may not die in our sins.
Let us pray. O God, Who deign mercifully to bestow upon us the infinite treasures of love in the Heart of Your Son, which was wounded for our sins; grant, we beseech You, that we who pay Him the devout homage of our piety may in like manner show unto You our due of worthy satisfaction. Through the same Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Prayer to Our Lady of La Salette
Remember, our Lady of La Salette,
true Mother of sorrows,
the tears which thou didst shed for me on Calvary;
be mindful also of the unceasing care which thou dost exercise to screen me from the justice of God;
and consider whether thou canst now abandon thy child, for whom thou hast done so much.
Inspired by this consoling thought,
I come to cast myself at thy feet, in spite of my infidelity and ingratitude.
Reject not my prayer, O Virgin of reconciliation,
convert me, obtain for me the grace to love Jesus Christ above all things
and to console thee too by living a holy life,
in order that one day I may be able to see thee in Heaven.
Amen.
true Mother of sorrows,
the tears which thou didst shed for me on Calvary;
be mindful also of the unceasing care which thou dost exercise to screen me from the justice of God;
and consider whether thou canst now abandon thy child, for whom thou hast done so much.
Inspired by this consoling thought,
I come to cast myself at thy feet, in spite of my infidelity and ingratitude.
Reject not my prayer, O Virgin of reconciliation,
convert me, obtain for me the grace to love Jesus Christ above all things
and to console thee too by living a holy life,
in order that one day I may be able to see thee in Heaven.
Amen.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
ST. STEPHEN CHARITABLE COMMITMENT AND EVANGELIZATION
VATICAN CITY, JAN 10, 2007 (VIS) - In this morning's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of 7,000 people, Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis to the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen.
"St. Stephen," said the Pope, "is the most representative figure of a group of seven companions," who concerned themselves with charitably serving the needs of members of the Christian community, whether of Jewish or of Greek origin.
"Tradition sees in this group the origins of the future ministry of deacons," upon whom the Apostles "laid their hands," a gesture that in the Old Testament "has above all the significance of transmitting an important task," said the Pope.
"That this was an important action, to be undertaken following due discernment, becomes clear from a reading of the First Letter of Paul to Timothy: 'Do not be hasty in laying on of hands, nor participate in another man's sins'."
"Apart from his charitable service," the Pope continued, "Stephen also carried out evangelizing activity among his countrymen, the so-called 'Hellenists'." To them "he reread the Old Testament in the light of the announcement, death and resurrection of Jesus." This rereading "provoked the reaction of the Jews who perceived his words as blasphemy."
Stephen "shows that the mystery of the cross lies at the center of the history of salvation," and that "the cult of the temple is finished" because the Risen Christ "is the new and true 'temple.' It was precisely this 'no' to the temple" that led to his death sentence and martyrdom. After his stoning, the group of Jewish and Hellenic Christians fled Jerusalem "and became itinerant missionaries. ... Persecution and consequent dispersion became mission."
The Holy Father explained how the story of St. Stephen reminds us that "social commitment to charity can never be disassociated from the courageous announcement of the faith." With charity, the first martyr "announced the crucified Christ, even to the point of accepting martyrdom."
"The cross remains central in the life of the Church as well as in our private lives. In the history of the Church, passion and persecution will never be lacking," said Pope Benedict, but, "in the famous phrase of Tertullian, ... 'we multiply every time we are cut down by you.' The blood of Christians is a seed."
"In our own lives too, the cross, which will never be lacking, becomes a blessing," he concluded. "And accepting the cross, knowing that is it is and becomes a blessing, we learn the joy of being Christian, even in moments of difficulty."
VATICAN CITY, JAN 10, 2007 (VIS) - In this morning's general audience, held in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of 7,000 people, Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis to the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen.
"St. Stephen," said the Pope, "is the most representative figure of a group of seven companions," who concerned themselves with charitably serving the needs of members of the Christian community, whether of Jewish or of Greek origin.
"Tradition sees in this group the origins of the future ministry of deacons," upon whom the Apostles "laid their hands," a gesture that in the Old Testament "has above all the significance of transmitting an important task," said the Pope.
"That this was an important action, to be undertaken following due discernment, becomes clear from a reading of the First Letter of Paul to Timothy: 'Do not be hasty in laying on of hands, nor participate in another man's sins'."
"Apart from his charitable service," the Pope continued, "Stephen also carried out evangelizing activity among his countrymen, the so-called 'Hellenists'." To them "he reread the Old Testament in the light of the announcement, death and resurrection of Jesus." This rereading "provoked the reaction of the Jews who perceived his words as blasphemy."
Stephen "shows that the mystery of the cross lies at the center of the history of salvation," and that "the cult of the temple is finished" because the Risen Christ "is the new and true 'temple.' It was precisely this 'no' to the temple" that led to his death sentence and martyrdom. After his stoning, the group of Jewish and Hellenic Christians fled Jerusalem "and became itinerant missionaries. ... Persecution and consequent dispersion became mission."
The Holy Father explained how the story of St. Stephen reminds us that "social commitment to charity can never be disassociated from the courageous announcement of the faith." With charity, the first martyr "announced the crucified Christ, even to the point of accepting martyrdom."
"The cross remains central in the life of the Church as well as in our private lives. In the history of the Church, passion and persecution will never be lacking," said Pope Benedict, but, "in the famous phrase of Tertullian, ... 'we multiply every time we are cut down by you.' The blood of Christians is a seed."
"In our own lives too, the cross, which will never be lacking, becomes a blessing," he concluded. "And accepting the cross, knowing that is it is and becomes a blessing, we learn the joy of being Christian, even in moments of difficulty."
At his wonderful website Spirit Daily, Mr. Michael Brown has just posted yet another excellent article on the zeitgeist; the spirit of coldness which is envelloping our society like a damp blanket and which is suffocating the Spirit. Here it is:
'HOME INVASIONS' SPUR FEARS OF A FUTURE THAT WITHOUT PRAYER WILL YIELD ANARCHY
"Our society has grown cold. Have you noticed the spirit? There is a prevailing wind. There is 'attitude.' A proud spirit moves, and we feel the chill in the way we conduct ourselves. Perhaps it is because everyone has money. One calls an airline and goes through five minutes of impersonal recorded messages before waiting another ten minutes for an actual human who clearly doesn't want to deal with you.
It isn't just airlines. We are a voice-mail-e-mail-I-Pod-in-your-face nation.
That impersonality has coupled with decades of violence on television (and at the movies) to generate truly unnerving prospects.
Kids are assaulting kids. Teens kill at the drop of the hat. The other day, a boy from a town not so far from us murdered his grandmother for less than $200 in drug money while another assaulted someone with a spiked bat.
How often we look for signs of the times on the global stage and ignore the signs in our own culture and neighborhoods.
Will there be a time of chaos? Will there be a period of anarchy? Are we seeing the glimmerings?
There are those who have had visions of a societal breakdown in which natural or economic turbulence leads to a dismantling of the infrastructure -- and people fighting over a gallon of gas.
Might there come a time when there is an eruption of civil conflicts -- when various groups in various regions wage war on each other, or when a breakdown leads have-nots to invade the homes of those who have temporarily adequate resources?
Without prayer, and conversion, that answer is yes.
It may tend toward the 'paranoiac' and yet we do see disarming cases of home invasion.
Increasingly, vandals and robbers are entering residences while the owners are inside -- a level of boldness that marks a change in behavioral patterns. Consider that:
Last Sunday, in Daytona Beach, a grandmother was dragged from her own home at ten in the morning (as her son helplessly watched), forced to withdraw money from an ATM, and murdered brutally for a pittance.
In a town to the west, several young people were slain in a home over a CD player and other minor possessions two years before.
In November, three men who broke into homes in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, area and were shot dead by homeowners.
In December, in Tucson, an eighty-year-old had to grab a gun and confront intruders -- again, during broad daylight, in the morning.
In Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, another man celebrating the birth of his son was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting after showing off pictures of the newborn at a friend's house.
In Denver, a pro football star was killed in another "drive-by." The cases go on: doors that are jimmied when homeowners are home, masked men at the back door, abductions, carjackings.
How do we protect our homes?
There are the obvious ways, of course (good locks, an alarm system), and then the not-so-obvious. Many are the accounts of menacing strangers kept at bay because the person they targeted was in prayer -- and seemed to be protected by an actual force, sometimes in the form of an angel.
That protection is heightened through sacramentals (medals, crucifixes throughout the home, statues of the Archangel Michael, Holy Water, Blessed Salt on the property). One expert at deliverance covers his property with a special blessing.
'In the same way the strong man marked out the four corners of his property with stone towers, I increase the perimeter of protection surrounding my home with four rocks,' says this Catholic lay minister, Robert Abel. 'I have anointed the rocks with oil and placed one in every corner of my yard. In the spiritual realm the canopy looks like a bullet-proof dome.'
Strange as it may seem, those of an evil bent are actually repelled in the presence of something that is holy.
Superstition?
There is power when we pray and power when we are surrounded by blessed objects.
Such especially comes through the Blessed Mother -- who has said that with prayer and fasting we could even stop wars, never mind local violence. 'No weapon fashioned against me will stand,' says Isaiah 54:17. 'Greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world,' adds 1 John 4:4.
Such is especially crucial to know at this time.
It is to be remembered that an atheistic professor from northern Kentucky named Howard Storm once wrote about a dramatic near-death brush during which he claimed he not only became convinced that God and eternity exist but also was shown the future by what he described as angels.
He has told his account on many national shows, including Today, and his testimony helped convert famed writer Anne Rice, who once wrote about vampires but now writes (if controversially) about Jesus.
Whatever the merits of that, it was Dr. Storm's assertion that the future he glimpsed included a breakdown in America and a civil uprising that led to anarchy. This is the end result of materialism. It is the end result of an obsession with money. It is the end result of putting life on earth before life with God in Heaven."
Well said indeed. And what does Vatican II have to say about this spirit of coldness and those who profess to be Catholic? Lumen Gentium, No. 14 teaches us that:
"All the Church's children should remember that their exalted status is to be attributed not to their own merits but to the special grace of Christ. If they fail, moreover, to respond to that grace in thought, word and deed, not only shall they not be saved but they will be the more severely judged."
Paul Anthony Melanson
'HOME INVASIONS' SPUR FEARS OF A FUTURE THAT WITHOUT PRAYER WILL YIELD ANARCHY
"Our society has grown cold. Have you noticed the spirit? There is a prevailing wind. There is 'attitude.' A proud spirit moves, and we feel the chill in the way we conduct ourselves. Perhaps it is because everyone has money. One calls an airline and goes through five minutes of impersonal recorded messages before waiting another ten minutes for an actual human who clearly doesn't want to deal with you.
It isn't just airlines. We are a voice-mail-e-mail-I-Pod-in-your-face nation.
That impersonality has coupled with decades of violence on television (and at the movies) to generate truly unnerving prospects.
Kids are assaulting kids. Teens kill at the drop of the hat. The other day, a boy from a town not so far from us murdered his grandmother for less than $200 in drug money while another assaulted someone with a spiked bat.
How often we look for signs of the times on the global stage and ignore the signs in our own culture and neighborhoods.
Will there be a time of chaos? Will there be a period of anarchy? Are we seeing the glimmerings?
There are those who have had visions of a societal breakdown in which natural or economic turbulence leads to a dismantling of the infrastructure -- and people fighting over a gallon of gas.
Might there come a time when there is an eruption of civil conflicts -- when various groups in various regions wage war on each other, or when a breakdown leads have-nots to invade the homes of those who have temporarily adequate resources?
Without prayer, and conversion, that answer is yes.
It may tend toward the 'paranoiac' and yet we do see disarming cases of home invasion.
Increasingly, vandals and robbers are entering residences while the owners are inside -- a level of boldness that marks a change in behavioral patterns. Consider that:
Last Sunday, in Daytona Beach, a grandmother was dragged from her own home at ten in the morning (as her son helplessly watched), forced to withdraw money from an ATM, and murdered brutally for a pittance.
In a town to the west, several young people were slain in a home over a CD player and other minor possessions two years before.
In November, three men who broke into homes in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, area and were shot dead by homeowners.
In December, in Tucson, an eighty-year-old had to grab a gun and confront intruders -- again, during broad daylight, in the morning.
In Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, another man celebrating the birth of his son was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting after showing off pictures of the newborn at a friend's house.
In Denver, a pro football star was killed in another "drive-by." The cases go on: doors that are jimmied when homeowners are home, masked men at the back door, abductions, carjackings.
How do we protect our homes?
There are the obvious ways, of course (good locks, an alarm system), and then the not-so-obvious. Many are the accounts of menacing strangers kept at bay because the person they targeted was in prayer -- and seemed to be protected by an actual force, sometimes in the form of an angel.
That protection is heightened through sacramentals (medals, crucifixes throughout the home, statues of the Archangel Michael, Holy Water, Blessed Salt on the property). One expert at deliverance covers his property with a special blessing.
'In the same way the strong man marked out the four corners of his property with stone towers, I increase the perimeter of protection surrounding my home with four rocks,' says this Catholic lay minister, Robert Abel. 'I have anointed the rocks with oil and placed one in every corner of my yard. In the spiritual realm the canopy looks like a bullet-proof dome.'
Strange as it may seem, those of an evil bent are actually repelled in the presence of something that is holy.
Superstition?
There is power when we pray and power when we are surrounded by blessed objects.
Such especially comes through the Blessed Mother -- who has said that with prayer and fasting we could even stop wars, never mind local violence. 'No weapon fashioned against me will stand,' says Isaiah 54:17. 'Greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world,' adds 1 John 4:4.
Such is especially crucial to know at this time.
It is to be remembered that an atheistic professor from northern Kentucky named Howard Storm once wrote about a dramatic near-death brush during which he claimed he not only became convinced that God and eternity exist but also was shown the future by what he described as angels.
He has told his account on many national shows, including Today, and his testimony helped convert famed writer Anne Rice, who once wrote about vampires but now writes (if controversially) about Jesus.
Whatever the merits of that, it was Dr. Storm's assertion that the future he glimpsed included a breakdown in America and a civil uprising that led to anarchy. This is the end result of materialism. It is the end result of an obsession with money. It is the end result of putting life on earth before life with God in Heaven."
Well said indeed. And what does Vatican II have to say about this spirit of coldness and those who profess to be Catholic? Lumen Gentium, No. 14 teaches us that:
"All the Church's children should remember that their exalted status is to be attributed not to their own merits but to the special grace of Christ. If they fail, moreover, to respond to that grace in thought, word and deed, not only shall they not be saved but they will be the more severely judged."
Paul Anthony Melanson
Saturday, January 06, 2007
New Age infiltration
Many "Catholic" parishes and retreat centers have already succumbed to New Age occultism and ideology. The La Salette "Center for Christian Living" in Attleboro has offered (and continues to offer) "Christian yoga." This retreat center has also offered workshops conducted by a former Catholic nun who practices witchcraft and on at least one occasion an altar was erected to the four directions. On another occasion, women were taught how to make a "woman's Rosary" based upon a woman's menstrual cycle.
At Ste. Marie's Parish in Manchester, New Hampshire, a retreat center (Joseph House) continues to offer New Age "Centering Prayer."
The apostasy continues to spread as many Catholics engage in New Age Reiki, horoscopes, the use of crystals to obtain "healing," recourse to mediums etc.
Meanwhile, the National Director of the Marian Movement of Priests had this to say recently:
From the National Director…
December 8, 2006
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Advent Season
Dear Friends of the MMP,
Greetings during this penitential season of Advent, that special time during the liturgical year when the Church prepares and waits in joyful expectation for the celebration of Christ’s birth.
The Gospel for 1st Sunday of Advent (Dec. 3, 2006) Luke – Chapter 21Jesus said to his disciples:“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. “But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:25-28, 34-36)
Be Ready to Receive the LordLet us heed these words and be watchful and ready so that we are not caught off guard, for the Son of Man will come like a thief in the night. Prepare yourselves well with a good Confession so that you can receive Jesus without any stain, spot or wrinkle on your soul. This can be your gift to Him…a heart contrite and humble, pure and chaste, and filled with love, peace and good will. Our Blessed Mother tells us how to prepare: “Prepare yourselves with me to live, in peace, in silence and in trembling expectation, the liturgical remembrance of his birth. In this time of preparation, let faith increase, hope be illumined, charity be strengthened and your prayer become more intense. (367b, Nov. 28, 1987)
“I urge you to walk, each and all, along the way of light which I have traced out for you, to offer your life to the perfect glory of the Most Holy Trinity, to live well the last times of this second Advent, in such a way as to be ready and with lamps burning to receive the Lord who is coming.” (429i, August 15, 1990)
“And so, listen, one and all, to my voice, and hasten after the immaculate light of my virginal beauty, to the encounter with the divine splendor of Christ.Open your hearts to hope. The second coming of Christ is near at hand. The signs that He Himself has given you, to prepare yourselves to receive Him, in these times of yours, are all on the point of being realized.Open your hearts to hope. Live in peace of heart and in prayer. Live in faith and in joy. Live in grace and in purity. Live in love and in holiness. Because Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, our Savior and our King, is about to come to you in the splendor of his glorified body.” (438jkl, December 8, 1990)
Signs Described in Holy ScriptureIn the passage from the Gospel of Luke, read during the 1st Sunday of Advent, Our Lord tells us that there will be signs to warn us that “our redemption is near at hand.” Our Lady speaks of these signs in her messages to Fr. Gobbi. In Message #485, “The End of Times”, given on December 31, 1992, Our Blessed Mother helps us to understand all of the signs, as described in Scripture, which indicate that his glorious return is now close. We can see that we are now living through these very times. Yes, the return of Jesus is indeed close at hand. Prepare in a special way this Advent season because the time of his Second Coming is upon us. (…)“I have announced to you many times that the end of the times and the coming of Jesus in glory is very near. Now, I want to help you understand the signs described in the Holy Scriptures, which indicate that his glorious return is now close.These signs are clearly indicated in the Gospels, in the letters of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and they are becoming a reality during these years.—
The first sign is the spread of errors, which lead to the loss of faith and to apostasy.These errors are being propagated by false teachers, by renowned theologians who are no longer teaching the truths of the Gospel, but pernicious heresies based on errors and on human reasonings. It is because of the teaching of these errors that the true faith is being lost and that the great apostasy is spreading everywhere.‘See that no one deceives you. For many will attempt to deceive many people. False prophets will come and will deceive very many.’ (cf. Mt 24:4-5, 11)‘The day of the Lord will not come unless the great apostasy comes first.’ (cf. 2 Thes 2:3)‘There will be false teachers among you. These will seek to introduce disastrous heresies and will even set themselves against the Master who ransomed them. Many will listen to them and will follow their licentious ways. Through their offense, the Christian faith will be reviled. In their greed, they will exploit you with fabrications.’ (cf. 2 Pt 2:1-3)—
The second sign is the outbreak of wars and fratricidal struggles, which lead to the prevalence of violence and hatred and a general slackening off of charity, while natural catastrophes, such as epidemics, famines, floods and earthquakes, become more and more frequent.‘When you hear of reports of wars, close at hand or far away, see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many places. All this will be only the beginning of greater sufferings to come. Evildoing will be so widespread that the love of many will grow cold. But God will save those who persevere until the end.’ (cf. Mt 24:6-8,12-13)—
The third sign is the bloody persecution of those who remain faithful to Jesus and to his Gospel and who stand fast in the true faith. Throughout this all, the Gospel will be preached in every part of the world.Think, beloved children, of the great persecutions to which the Church is being subjected; think of the apostolic zeal of the recent popes, above all of my Pope, John Paul II, as he brings to all the nations of the earth the announcement of the Gospel.‘They will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all because of me. And then many will abandon the faith; they will betray and hate one another. Meanwhile, the message of the kingdom of God will be preached in all the world; all nations must hear it. And then the end will come.’ (cf. Mt 24:9-10,14)—
The fourth sign is the horrible sacrilege, perpetrated by him who sets himself against Christ, that is, the Antichrist. He will enter into the holy temple of God and will sit on his throne and have himself adored as God.‘This one will oppose and exalt himself against everything that men adore and call God. The lawless one will come by the power of Satan, with all the force of false miracles and pretended wonders. He will make use of every kind of wicked deception, in order to work harm.’ (cf. 2 Thes 2:4,9-10)
‘One day, you will see in the holy place he who commits the horrible sacrilege. The prophet Daniel spoke of this. Let the reader seek to understand.’ (cf. Mt 24:15)Beloved children, in order to understand in what this horrible sacrilege consists, read what has been predicted by the prophet Daniel: ‘Go, Daniel; these words are to remain secret and sealed until the end time. Many will be cleansed, made white and upright, but the wicked will persist in doing wrong. Not one of the wicked will understand these things, but the wise will comprehend.‘Now, from the moment that the daily Sacrifice is abolished and the horrible abomination is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits with patience and attains one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.’ (Dn 12:9-12)The Holy Mass is the daily Sacrifice, the pure oblation which is offered to the Lord everywhere, from the rising of the sun to its going down.
The Sacrifice of the Mass renews that which was accomplished by Jesus on Calvary. By accepting the Protestant doctrine, people will hold that the Mass is not a sacrifice but only a sacred meal, that is to say, a remembrance of that which Jesus did at his Last Supper. And thus, the celebration of Holy Mass will be suppressed. In this abolition of the daily Sacrifice consists the horrible sacrilege accomplished by the Antichrist, which will last about three and a half years, namely, one thousand two hundred and ninety days.— The fifth sign consists in extraordinary phenomena, which occur in the skies.‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; and the stars will fall from the sky; and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’ (Mt 24:29)
The miracle of the sun, which took place at Fatima during my last apparition, is intended to point out to you that you are now entering into the times when these events will take place, events which will prepare for the return of Jesus in glory.‘And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. All the tribes of the earth will mourn, and men will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven, with great power and splendor.’ (Mt 24:30)
My beloved ones and children consecrated to my Immaculate Heart, I have wanted to teach you about these signs, which Jesus has pointed out to you in his Gospel, in order to prepare you for the end of the times, because these are about to take place in your days.The year which is coming to a close, and that which is beginning, form part of the great tribulation, during which the apostasy is spreading, the wars are multiplying, natural catastrophes are occurring in many places, persecutions are intensifying, the announcement of the Gospel is being brought to all nations, extraordinary phenomena are occurring in the sky, and the moment of the full manifestation of the Antichrist is drawing ever nearer.
And so I urge you to remain strong in the faith, secure in trust and ardent in charity. Allow yourselves to be led by me, and gather together, each and all, in the sure refuge of my Immaculate Heart, which I have prepared for you especially during these last times. Read, with me, the signs of your time, and live in peace of heart and in confidence.
I am always with you, to tell you that the coming about of these signs indicates to you with certainty that the end of the times, with the return of Jesus in glory, is close at hand.‘Learn a lesson from the fig tree: when its branches become tender and sprout the first leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things taking place, know that your liberation is near.’ ” (cf. Mt 24:32-33)
The Holy Night We are presently living through the concluding times of this second Advent. Yes, our liberation is near! It all began two thousand years ago with the birth of Jesus during the Holy Night when He, our true and only Liberator, came to offer humanity our Heavenly Father’s merciful love and forgiveness. This, his Redemptive Work, will finally be completed at his Second Coming which, according to Our Lady’s words to us, is closely approaching. It is imperative that we prepare ourselves well for this glorious day of his Second Coming. One of the many means we have is the contemplation of the mysteries of the Incarnation and the Birth of Jesus. Thus, allow me to quote a few excerpts from Our Lady’s messages on the First Coming of Jesus, to fill you with the spirit of that Holy Night as if you were actually there gazing at the child in the manger alongside the shepherds. O Come, Let Us Adore Him, Christ the Lord. Message #189 “How Great a Light” December 24, 1979 “This is the holy night. Beloved sons, gather about me to welcome my divine Child. There is so much darkness all about. And yet, an ever increasing light shines within the cave. And now it appears entirely from heaven, while the Mother is deeply absorbed in prayer. How great a light descends from the bosom of the Father into the virginal womb of the Mother, who opens herself to his gift, to Life. And completely enveloped in this divine light, I behold for the first time his body: his eyes, his cheeks, his lips, his face, his arms, his hands; I feel his little Heart which has scarcely begun to beat. Each beat is a gift of love which now will never again be quenched. There is so much cold about us: the severity of the cold and the frost of those who have shut all doors on us. But here, within the cave, there is a pleasant and welcome warmth. It is the shelter that this poor place offers us; it is the warmth of little things; it is the help which a little straw gives us, and a manger which offers itself as a cradle…No place is so warm, now, as this most chilly cave. And the Mother bends happily over her Baby who has been given you by the Father, over her Flower finally come to bloom, over her Heaven now forever opened, over her God who has been awaited for so long. And my tears mingle with my kisses, while I gaze enraptured on my Son and my God, who has been born of me on this holy night. There is still a great night lying over the world. There is a great cold freezing hearts and souls.But the light has now conquered the darkness, and love has forever defeated all hate. My beloved sons, on this holy night, keep watch in prayer. In my Immaculate Heart, remain in readiness. His glorious return is now near. And new light and great fire will renew this world.”Message #462 “The Bright Cave”December 24, 1991 (…)“This is the holy night. This is the night which brings to an end the expectation of the centuries. This is the night which is opened to the Light and brings to an end forever the time of the first Advent. This is the night which brings to a beginning the new day which knows no setting.In this night, heaven is espoused to earth; the song of the angels blends with the voices of the little ones, of the poor, of the pure; to the shepherds is given the announcement which gives joy to all: ‘Today is born for you a Savior.’ (cf. Lk 2:11)Bow down, together with me, to cover the Child with kisses and tears, with warmth and love, with sweet and affectionate tenderness. He is so little; He is just born; He cries because of the sharpness of the cold; He wails because of the great coldness which enfolds the whole world. Like the shepherds, you too, bring Him simple gifts. Your priestly heart, filled with love, becomes for Him his one great comfort.And do you also welcome the great announcement of joy that is given to you today: his second birth in glory is close at hand. You too are traveling along the last stage of a long journey. You too are coming to the end of the time of the second Advent. So therefore, live with me and with my spouse, Joseph, the precious hours of this new vigil.Let a deep silence surround the great noise of words and of images, which today is filling the whole world. Let the prayer of the heart bring you to a continuous loving dialogue with the Lord Jesus who has come, who comes and who will come in glory. And let the tranquil peace of the soul mark the passing of your days, so threatening and thick with sorrows for all.
Go forward safely on the tempestuous waves of these last times of the great tribulation, without becoming troubled at seeing that the doors are still closing to Jesus Christ, who is coming.
My Immaculate Heart is the bright cave, which brings to an end this second Advent, because it is with its triumph that Jesus will return to you in glory.” The Birth of “Merciful Love”Together with the Mother of Divine Mercy let us receive the birth of “Merciful Love” who is Mercy for ALL. For on this day is born our Savior and Redeemer. He is the Heart which beats to renew the heart of every creature…the new heart of the world. “Beloved sons, live with me, in silence and in prayer, the anxious hours of the vigil.Walk with my most chaste spouse, Joseph, and with your heavenly Mother on the long road which is bringing us from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Feel, you too, the fatigue of the journey, the weariness which takes hold of us, the assurance which leads us on, the prayer which accompanies each step, as a heavenly blessedness fills our hearts, now united in perfect communion with the Heart of the Heavenly Father which is about to open itself in the gift of his only-begotten Son.
The noise of the crowded caravan does not disturb us, nor does discouragement take hold of us before all the doors which are closed on our request to be taken in.
The compassionate hand of a shepherd points out to us a poor cave, which opens itself to the most sublime and divine prodigy. The only-begotten Son of the Father is about to be born to his human life. There is about to descend to the world that Merciful Love who becomes man in the Son born of me, his Virgin Mother. After long centuries of expectation and of prayerful supplication, your Savior and Redeemer at last comes to you.
This is the holy night. This is the dawn which arises upon the new day of your salvation. This is the light which shines forth in the deep darkness of all history.My spouse Joseph seeks to make the frigid cave more hospitable and sets about transforming a poor manger into a crib.
I am absorbed in an intense prayer and enter into ecstasy with the Heavenly Father, who surrounds me with his light and his love, and fills me with his fullness of life and blessedness, while paradise, with all its angelic cohorts, prostrates itself in an act of profound adoration. When I emerge from this ecstasy, I find in my arms the divine Child, miraculously born of me, his Virgin Mother.
I press Him to my Heart, cover Him with tender kisses, warm Him with my motherly love, wrap Him in clean linens and place Him in the manger, which is now ready.
My God is completely present in this Child of mine. The mercy of the Father is made visible in the newborn Infant who utters his first plaintive cries.
Divine Mercy has given his Fruit to you: together let us prostrate ourselves and adore the Merciful Love who has been born for us.— Together let us look into his eyes, which open to bring upon the world the light of the truth and of divine wisdom.— Together let us wipe away his tears, which run down to bring compassion upon every suffering, to wash away every stain of sin and evil, to close every wound, to bring solace to each oppressed person, to cause the awaited dew to descend upon the frigid desert of the world.— Together let us clasp his hands, which open themselves to bring the caress of the Father upon human miseries, to bring help to the poor and the little, support to the weak, assurance to the discouraged, pardon to sinners, health to the sick, and to all the gift of redemption and salvation.— Together let us warm his feet which will follow the barren and insecure roads to search out the straying, to find the lost, to give hope to the despairing, to bring liberty to prisoners and the Good News to the poor.— Together let us kiss his little Heart, which has just begun to beat with love for us. It is the very Heart of God. It is the Heart of the only-begotten Son of the Father, who becomes man to bring back to God a humanity redeemed and saved by Him. It is the Heart which beats to renew the heart of every creature. It is the new heart of the world.
It is the Merciful Love which comes down from the bosom of the Father, to bring redemption, salvation and peace to all humanity.Receive Him with love, with joy and with immense blessedness. And let there come forth from your heart the hymn of perennial gratitude for this Child, virginally given to you by me who, on this holy night, have become for all the Mother of Divine Mercy.”(Message #559, December 24, 1995)Through Mary – “Our Gate” Just as Jesus assumed a human nature to come to us through his Virgin Mother, so too he will return to us by means of her, our Mother of the Second Advent and the “Gate which opens upon the new era”: “I am the Gate which opens upon the new era, which awaits you and which is just now coming upon the world. For this reason, in your times, I am called to be the Mother of the Second Advent. Just as, by means of me, Jesus has come to you in the fragility and humility of his human nature, so too, again by means of me, Jesus will return to you in the splendor of his glory, to restore his kingdom in the world.” (461e)
As we celebrate the Holy Night of many centuries ago, let us look forward to the Holy Day of his Second Coming in glory.May you have a most blessed season of Advent.
May your Christmas be holy and the New Year bring you an abundance of God’s peace, joy and love.In the Infant Jesus and His Loving Mother,Peace and blessing +
Rev. Albert G. Roux
National Director
At Ste. Marie's Parish in Manchester, New Hampshire, a retreat center (Joseph House) continues to offer New Age "Centering Prayer."
The apostasy continues to spread as many Catholics engage in New Age Reiki, horoscopes, the use of crystals to obtain "healing," recourse to mediums etc.
Meanwhile, the National Director of the Marian Movement of Priests had this to say recently:
From the National Director…
December 8, 2006
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
Advent Season
Dear Friends of the MMP,
Greetings during this penitential season of Advent, that special time during the liturgical year when the Church prepares and waits in joyful expectation for the celebration of Christ’s birth.
The Gospel for 1st Sunday of Advent (Dec. 3, 2006) Luke – Chapter 21Jesus said to his disciples:“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. “But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:25-28, 34-36)
Be Ready to Receive the LordLet us heed these words and be watchful and ready so that we are not caught off guard, for the Son of Man will come like a thief in the night. Prepare yourselves well with a good Confession so that you can receive Jesus without any stain, spot or wrinkle on your soul. This can be your gift to Him…a heart contrite and humble, pure and chaste, and filled with love, peace and good will. Our Blessed Mother tells us how to prepare: “Prepare yourselves with me to live, in peace, in silence and in trembling expectation, the liturgical remembrance of his birth. In this time of preparation, let faith increase, hope be illumined, charity be strengthened and your prayer become more intense. (367b, Nov. 28, 1987)
“I urge you to walk, each and all, along the way of light which I have traced out for you, to offer your life to the perfect glory of the Most Holy Trinity, to live well the last times of this second Advent, in such a way as to be ready and with lamps burning to receive the Lord who is coming.” (429i, August 15, 1990)
“And so, listen, one and all, to my voice, and hasten after the immaculate light of my virginal beauty, to the encounter with the divine splendor of Christ.Open your hearts to hope. The second coming of Christ is near at hand. The signs that He Himself has given you, to prepare yourselves to receive Him, in these times of yours, are all on the point of being realized.Open your hearts to hope. Live in peace of heart and in prayer. Live in faith and in joy. Live in grace and in purity. Live in love and in holiness. Because Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, our Savior and our King, is about to come to you in the splendor of his glorified body.” (438jkl, December 8, 1990)
Signs Described in Holy ScriptureIn the passage from the Gospel of Luke, read during the 1st Sunday of Advent, Our Lord tells us that there will be signs to warn us that “our redemption is near at hand.” Our Lady speaks of these signs in her messages to Fr. Gobbi. In Message #485, “The End of Times”, given on December 31, 1992, Our Blessed Mother helps us to understand all of the signs, as described in Scripture, which indicate that his glorious return is now close. We can see that we are now living through these very times. Yes, the return of Jesus is indeed close at hand. Prepare in a special way this Advent season because the time of his Second Coming is upon us. (…)“I have announced to you many times that the end of the times and the coming of Jesus in glory is very near. Now, I want to help you understand the signs described in the Holy Scriptures, which indicate that his glorious return is now close.These signs are clearly indicated in the Gospels, in the letters of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and they are becoming a reality during these years.—
The first sign is the spread of errors, which lead to the loss of faith and to apostasy.These errors are being propagated by false teachers, by renowned theologians who are no longer teaching the truths of the Gospel, but pernicious heresies based on errors and on human reasonings. It is because of the teaching of these errors that the true faith is being lost and that the great apostasy is spreading everywhere.‘See that no one deceives you. For many will attempt to deceive many people. False prophets will come and will deceive very many.’ (cf. Mt 24:4-5, 11)‘The day of the Lord will not come unless the great apostasy comes first.’ (cf. 2 Thes 2:3)‘There will be false teachers among you. These will seek to introduce disastrous heresies and will even set themselves against the Master who ransomed them. Many will listen to them and will follow their licentious ways. Through their offense, the Christian faith will be reviled. In their greed, they will exploit you with fabrications.’ (cf. 2 Pt 2:1-3)—
The second sign is the outbreak of wars and fratricidal struggles, which lead to the prevalence of violence and hatred and a general slackening off of charity, while natural catastrophes, such as epidemics, famines, floods and earthquakes, become more and more frequent.‘When you hear of reports of wars, close at hand or far away, see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many places. All this will be only the beginning of greater sufferings to come. Evildoing will be so widespread that the love of many will grow cold. But God will save those who persevere until the end.’ (cf. Mt 24:6-8,12-13)—
The third sign is the bloody persecution of those who remain faithful to Jesus and to his Gospel and who stand fast in the true faith. Throughout this all, the Gospel will be preached in every part of the world.Think, beloved children, of the great persecutions to which the Church is being subjected; think of the apostolic zeal of the recent popes, above all of my Pope, John Paul II, as he brings to all the nations of the earth the announcement of the Gospel.‘They will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all because of me. And then many will abandon the faith; they will betray and hate one another. Meanwhile, the message of the kingdom of God will be preached in all the world; all nations must hear it. And then the end will come.’ (cf. Mt 24:9-10,14)—
The fourth sign is the horrible sacrilege, perpetrated by him who sets himself against Christ, that is, the Antichrist. He will enter into the holy temple of God and will sit on his throne and have himself adored as God.‘This one will oppose and exalt himself against everything that men adore and call God. The lawless one will come by the power of Satan, with all the force of false miracles and pretended wonders. He will make use of every kind of wicked deception, in order to work harm.’ (cf. 2 Thes 2:4,9-10)
‘One day, you will see in the holy place he who commits the horrible sacrilege. The prophet Daniel spoke of this. Let the reader seek to understand.’ (cf. Mt 24:15)Beloved children, in order to understand in what this horrible sacrilege consists, read what has been predicted by the prophet Daniel: ‘Go, Daniel; these words are to remain secret and sealed until the end time. Many will be cleansed, made white and upright, but the wicked will persist in doing wrong. Not one of the wicked will understand these things, but the wise will comprehend.‘Now, from the moment that the daily Sacrifice is abolished and the horrible abomination is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits with patience and attains one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.’ (Dn 12:9-12)The Holy Mass is the daily Sacrifice, the pure oblation which is offered to the Lord everywhere, from the rising of the sun to its going down.
The Sacrifice of the Mass renews that which was accomplished by Jesus on Calvary. By accepting the Protestant doctrine, people will hold that the Mass is not a sacrifice but only a sacred meal, that is to say, a remembrance of that which Jesus did at his Last Supper. And thus, the celebration of Holy Mass will be suppressed. In this abolition of the daily Sacrifice consists the horrible sacrilege accomplished by the Antichrist, which will last about three and a half years, namely, one thousand two hundred and ninety days.— The fifth sign consists in extraordinary phenomena, which occur in the skies.‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; and the stars will fall from the sky; and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’ (Mt 24:29)
The miracle of the sun, which took place at Fatima during my last apparition, is intended to point out to you that you are now entering into the times when these events will take place, events which will prepare for the return of Jesus in glory.‘And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. All the tribes of the earth will mourn, and men will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven, with great power and splendor.’ (Mt 24:30)
My beloved ones and children consecrated to my Immaculate Heart, I have wanted to teach you about these signs, which Jesus has pointed out to you in his Gospel, in order to prepare you for the end of the times, because these are about to take place in your days.The year which is coming to a close, and that which is beginning, form part of the great tribulation, during which the apostasy is spreading, the wars are multiplying, natural catastrophes are occurring in many places, persecutions are intensifying, the announcement of the Gospel is being brought to all nations, extraordinary phenomena are occurring in the sky, and the moment of the full manifestation of the Antichrist is drawing ever nearer.
And so I urge you to remain strong in the faith, secure in trust and ardent in charity. Allow yourselves to be led by me, and gather together, each and all, in the sure refuge of my Immaculate Heart, which I have prepared for you especially during these last times. Read, with me, the signs of your time, and live in peace of heart and in confidence.
I am always with you, to tell you that the coming about of these signs indicates to you with certainty that the end of the times, with the return of Jesus in glory, is close at hand.‘Learn a lesson from the fig tree: when its branches become tender and sprout the first leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things taking place, know that your liberation is near.’ ” (cf. Mt 24:32-33)
The Holy Night We are presently living through the concluding times of this second Advent. Yes, our liberation is near! It all began two thousand years ago with the birth of Jesus during the Holy Night when He, our true and only Liberator, came to offer humanity our Heavenly Father’s merciful love and forgiveness. This, his Redemptive Work, will finally be completed at his Second Coming which, according to Our Lady’s words to us, is closely approaching. It is imperative that we prepare ourselves well for this glorious day of his Second Coming. One of the many means we have is the contemplation of the mysteries of the Incarnation and the Birth of Jesus. Thus, allow me to quote a few excerpts from Our Lady’s messages on the First Coming of Jesus, to fill you with the spirit of that Holy Night as if you were actually there gazing at the child in the manger alongside the shepherds. O Come, Let Us Adore Him, Christ the Lord. Message #189 “How Great a Light” December 24, 1979 “This is the holy night. Beloved sons, gather about me to welcome my divine Child. There is so much darkness all about. And yet, an ever increasing light shines within the cave. And now it appears entirely from heaven, while the Mother is deeply absorbed in prayer. How great a light descends from the bosom of the Father into the virginal womb of the Mother, who opens herself to his gift, to Life. And completely enveloped in this divine light, I behold for the first time his body: his eyes, his cheeks, his lips, his face, his arms, his hands; I feel his little Heart which has scarcely begun to beat. Each beat is a gift of love which now will never again be quenched. There is so much cold about us: the severity of the cold and the frost of those who have shut all doors on us. But here, within the cave, there is a pleasant and welcome warmth. It is the shelter that this poor place offers us; it is the warmth of little things; it is the help which a little straw gives us, and a manger which offers itself as a cradle…No place is so warm, now, as this most chilly cave. And the Mother bends happily over her Baby who has been given you by the Father, over her Flower finally come to bloom, over her Heaven now forever opened, over her God who has been awaited for so long. And my tears mingle with my kisses, while I gaze enraptured on my Son and my God, who has been born of me on this holy night. There is still a great night lying over the world. There is a great cold freezing hearts and souls.But the light has now conquered the darkness, and love has forever defeated all hate. My beloved sons, on this holy night, keep watch in prayer. In my Immaculate Heart, remain in readiness. His glorious return is now near. And new light and great fire will renew this world.”Message #462 “The Bright Cave”December 24, 1991 (…)“This is the holy night. This is the night which brings to an end the expectation of the centuries. This is the night which is opened to the Light and brings to an end forever the time of the first Advent. This is the night which brings to a beginning the new day which knows no setting.In this night, heaven is espoused to earth; the song of the angels blends with the voices of the little ones, of the poor, of the pure; to the shepherds is given the announcement which gives joy to all: ‘Today is born for you a Savior.’ (cf. Lk 2:11)Bow down, together with me, to cover the Child with kisses and tears, with warmth and love, with sweet and affectionate tenderness. He is so little; He is just born; He cries because of the sharpness of the cold; He wails because of the great coldness which enfolds the whole world. Like the shepherds, you too, bring Him simple gifts. Your priestly heart, filled with love, becomes for Him his one great comfort.And do you also welcome the great announcement of joy that is given to you today: his second birth in glory is close at hand. You too are traveling along the last stage of a long journey. You too are coming to the end of the time of the second Advent. So therefore, live with me and with my spouse, Joseph, the precious hours of this new vigil.Let a deep silence surround the great noise of words and of images, which today is filling the whole world. Let the prayer of the heart bring you to a continuous loving dialogue with the Lord Jesus who has come, who comes and who will come in glory. And let the tranquil peace of the soul mark the passing of your days, so threatening and thick with sorrows for all.
Go forward safely on the tempestuous waves of these last times of the great tribulation, without becoming troubled at seeing that the doors are still closing to Jesus Christ, who is coming.
My Immaculate Heart is the bright cave, which brings to an end this second Advent, because it is with its triumph that Jesus will return to you in glory.” The Birth of “Merciful Love”Together with the Mother of Divine Mercy let us receive the birth of “Merciful Love” who is Mercy for ALL. For on this day is born our Savior and Redeemer. He is the Heart which beats to renew the heart of every creature…the new heart of the world. “Beloved sons, live with me, in silence and in prayer, the anxious hours of the vigil.Walk with my most chaste spouse, Joseph, and with your heavenly Mother on the long road which is bringing us from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Feel, you too, the fatigue of the journey, the weariness which takes hold of us, the assurance which leads us on, the prayer which accompanies each step, as a heavenly blessedness fills our hearts, now united in perfect communion with the Heart of the Heavenly Father which is about to open itself in the gift of his only-begotten Son.
The noise of the crowded caravan does not disturb us, nor does discouragement take hold of us before all the doors which are closed on our request to be taken in.
The compassionate hand of a shepherd points out to us a poor cave, which opens itself to the most sublime and divine prodigy. The only-begotten Son of the Father is about to be born to his human life. There is about to descend to the world that Merciful Love who becomes man in the Son born of me, his Virgin Mother. After long centuries of expectation and of prayerful supplication, your Savior and Redeemer at last comes to you.
This is the holy night. This is the dawn which arises upon the new day of your salvation. This is the light which shines forth in the deep darkness of all history.My spouse Joseph seeks to make the frigid cave more hospitable and sets about transforming a poor manger into a crib.
I am absorbed in an intense prayer and enter into ecstasy with the Heavenly Father, who surrounds me with his light and his love, and fills me with his fullness of life and blessedness, while paradise, with all its angelic cohorts, prostrates itself in an act of profound adoration. When I emerge from this ecstasy, I find in my arms the divine Child, miraculously born of me, his Virgin Mother.
I press Him to my Heart, cover Him with tender kisses, warm Him with my motherly love, wrap Him in clean linens and place Him in the manger, which is now ready.
My God is completely present in this Child of mine. The mercy of the Father is made visible in the newborn Infant who utters his first plaintive cries.
Divine Mercy has given his Fruit to you: together let us prostrate ourselves and adore the Merciful Love who has been born for us.— Together let us look into his eyes, which open to bring upon the world the light of the truth and of divine wisdom.— Together let us wipe away his tears, which run down to bring compassion upon every suffering, to wash away every stain of sin and evil, to close every wound, to bring solace to each oppressed person, to cause the awaited dew to descend upon the frigid desert of the world.— Together let us clasp his hands, which open themselves to bring the caress of the Father upon human miseries, to bring help to the poor and the little, support to the weak, assurance to the discouraged, pardon to sinners, health to the sick, and to all the gift of redemption and salvation.— Together let us warm his feet which will follow the barren and insecure roads to search out the straying, to find the lost, to give hope to the despairing, to bring liberty to prisoners and the Good News to the poor.— Together let us kiss his little Heart, which has just begun to beat with love for us. It is the very Heart of God. It is the Heart of the only-begotten Son of the Father, who becomes man to bring back to God a humanity redeemed and saved by Him. It is the Heart which beats to renew the heart of every creature. It is the new heart of the world.
It is the Merciful Love which comes down from the bosom of the Father, to bring redemption, salvation and peace to all humanity.Receive Him with love, with joy and with immense blessedness. And let there come forth from your heart the hymn of perennial gratitude for this Child, virginally given to you by me who, on this holy night, have become for all the Mother of Divine Mercy.”(Message #559, December 24, 1995)Through Mary – “Our Gate” Just as Jesus assumed a human nature to come to us through his Virgin Mother, so too he will return to us by means of her, our Mother of the Second Advent and the “Gate which opens upon the new era”: “I am the Gate which opens upon the new era, which awaits you and which is just now coming upon the world. For this reason, in your times, I am called to be the Mother of the Second Advent. Just as, by means of me, Jesus has come to you in the fragility and humility of his human nature, so too, again by means of me, Jesus will return to you in the splendor of his glory, to restore his kingdom in the world.” (461e)
As we celebrate the Holy Night of many centuries ago, let us look forward to the Holy Day of his Second Coming in glory.May you have a most blessed season of Advent.
May your Christmas be holy and the New Year bring you an abundance of God’s peace, joy and love.In the Infant Jesus and His Loving Mother,Peace and blessing +
Rev. Albert G. Roux
National Director
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