Pope Leo XIII exhorted Catholics to defend their faith amidst the pluralism of conflicting modern opinions. In his Encyclical Letter Sapientiae Christianae, our beloved Holy Father of happy memory cited the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas that all believers should defend the faith when it is endangered (S.t., 2-2, q.3, a.2, ad 2) and added:
"To recoil before an enemy, or to keep silence when from all sides such clamors are raised against truth, is the part of a man either devoid of character or who entertains doubt as to the truth of what he professes to believe. In both cases such mode of behaving is base and is insulting to God, and both are incompatible with the salvation of mankind." (Leo XIII, Sapientiae Christianae, AAS 22 (1889-90) 390, PE, 111.14).
Canon Law makes it very clear that the laity always share in the responsibility of spreading the Gospel by virtue of their Christian initiation and sometimes share in the clergy's apostolic responsibility because they are called on to do so:
"In virtue of their baptism and confirmation lay members of the Christian faithful are witnesses to the Gospel message by word and by example of a Christian life; they can also be called upon to cooperate with the Bishop and presbyters in the exercise of the ministry of the word." (CIC, c. 759).
As the darkness of apostasy spreads throughout our sin-soaked society and the light becomes more and more difficult to see, it is critical for all authentic Catholics, all those who really believe what they profess and don't just pay lip service to the Gospel, to be salt and light. Jesus has commanded us, "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
Shall we respond in the affirmative to the call of the Lord Jesus? Shall we rise and be on our way to do battle with the forces of Antichrist?
Let's say yes to Jesus. And with the assistance of Our Lady, and placing ourselves under her mantle, we will win the world for Christ.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A prayer to St. Rita
Today is the feast of the great saint from Cascia. Let us pray:
O God, who didst vouchsafe to communicate so great grace to Saint Rita that she imitated Thine example in the love of enemies and bore in her heart and on her countenance the sacred marks of Thy love and passion: grant, we beseech Thee, by her merits and intercession, that we may love our enemies and ever contemplate with deep contrition the sorrows of Thy passion: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
A plenary indulgence on the usual conditions if the daily recitation of this prayer is continued for a month.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Mute dogs.....
In Isaiah 56: 10-11, the Lord God warns us of shepherds who become mute dogs and who no longer care for their flocks, men who have succumbed to vanity and who prefer to follow after the pleasures of this world:
"My watchmen are blind, all of them unaware; They are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; Dreaming as they lie there, loving their sleep. They are relentless dogs, they know not when they have enough. These are the shepherds who know no discretion: Each of them goes his own way, every one of them to his own gain.."
In a message given to Fr. Gobbi on September 8, 1985, Our Lady spoke of negligent priests in the same way, explaining that such shepherds are the cause of the great apostasy which we find ourselves in:
"The cause of such a vast diffusion of errors and of this great apostasy rests with unfaithful pastors. They remain silent when they should speak with courage to condemn error and to defend the truth. They do not intervene when they should be unmasking the rapacious wolves who, hidden beneath the clothing of lambs, have insinuated themselves into the flock of Christ. They are mute dogs who allow their flocks to be torn to pieces.."
The Lord Jesus gave a warning to the Church in Laodicea which applies to all of us. And most especially to His ministers: "So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.." Because the Lord Jesus hates lukewarmness, He will cast the lukewarm out of His sight and into Gehenna. He has said it.
To those priests, religious and members of the laity who haven't succumbed to demonic lukewarmness, Our Lady says: "You, on the other hand, must speak out with force and with courage to condemn error and to spread only the truth. The time of your public and courageous witness has come."
The Lord Jesus told the Pharisees, who were puffed up with pride and self-importance, that He could raise children of Abraham from the very stones. If He finds His ministers neglecting the flock today, why should we be surprised when He raises witnesses elsewhere? His work will be accomplished.
"My watchmen are blind, all of them unaware; They are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; Dreaming as they lie there, loving their sleep. They are relentless dogs, they know not when they have enough. These are the shepherds who know no discretion: Each of them goes his own way, every one of them to his own gain.."
In a message given to Fr. Gobbi on September 8, 1985, Our Lady spoke of negligent priests in the same way, explaining that such shepherds are the cause of the great apostasy which we find ourselves in:
"The cause of such a vast diffusion of errors and of this great apostasy rests with unfaithful pastors. They remain silent when they should speak with courage to condemn error and to defend the truth. They do not intervene when they should be unmasking the rapacious wolves who, hidden beneath the clothing of lambs, have insinuated themselves into the flock of Christ. They are mute dogs who allow their flocks to be torn to pieces.."
The Lord Jesus gave a warning to the Church in Laodicea which applies to all of us. And most especially to His ministers: "So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.." Because the Lord Jesus hates lukewarmness, He will cast the lukewarm out of His sight and into Gehenna. He has said it.
To those priests, religious and members of the laity who haven't succumbed to demonic lukewarmness, Our Lady says: "You, on the other hand, must speak out with force and with courage to condemn error and to spread only the truth. The time of your public and courageous witness has come."
The Lord Jesus told the Pharisees, who were puffed up with pride and self-importance, that He could raise children of Abraham from the very stones. If He finds His ministers neglecting the flock today, why should we be surprised when He raises witnesses elsewhere? His work will be accomplished.
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin
Prayer to the Blessed Virgin
(Never known to fail):
"O most Beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me here you are my Mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech You from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand Your power. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3 times).
Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days and then you must publish and it will be granted to you.
- Rita J. Melanson
lasalette19@juno.com
(Never known to fail):
"O most Beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me here you are my Mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech You from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand Your power. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3 times).
Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days and then you must publish and it will be granted to you.
- Rita J. Melanson
lasalette19@juno.com
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Worcester Diocese: More parishes to close....
More signs of decay. As more and people apostasize, as Mass attendance declines, parishes close. Our Lady told Fr. Gobbi, "The hour of its great trial has above all come for the Church, because it will be shaken by the lack of faith, obscured by apostasy, wounded by betrayal, abandoned by its children, divided by schisms, possessed and dominated by Freemasonry, turned into fertile soil from which will spring up the wicked tree of the man of iniquity, the Antichrist, who will bring his kingdom into its interior." (January 1, 1993).
Those of us who adhere to the truths of the Church as taught by the Magisterium are no longer welcome at many parishes which have succumbed to the spirit of Antichrist. Indeed, Our Lady's Movement - the Marian Movement of Priests - is not welcome in many parishes. But dissent groups such as VOTF often are welcome in these parishes.
There are many priests, religious and laity who are betraying the Church from within. Such are preparing the way for the Son of Perdition, whom many believe is about to make his appearance upon the world's stage.
Related reading: http://www.spiritdaily.com/apparitionsupdate.htm
Those of us who adhere to the truths of the Church as taught by the Magisterium are no longer welcome at many parishes which have succumbed to the spirit of Antichrist. Indeed, Our Lady's Movement - the Marian Movement of Priests - is not welcome in many parishes. But dissent groups such as VOTF often are welcome in these parishes.
There are many priests, religious and laity who are betraying the Church from within. Such are preparing the way for the Son of Perdition, whom many believe is about to make his appearance upon the world's stage.
Related reading: http://www.spiritdaily.com/apparitionsupdate.htm
Vatican reaffirms stance against homosexual seminarians...
There are those within the Catholic Church who are attempting to build a new church in their own image and likeness. These proponents of a new religion of humanitarianism see no problem with ordaining homosexual men to the priesthood. Many of them clamor for the ordnation of men who possess a homosexual inclination, an inclination which the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us is "objectively disordered." (2358). But then, their whole notion of "church" is disordered.
In his Summa Contra Gentiles, Saint Thomas Aquinas tells us that God is offended by us only when we act against our own good. The Church warns us that various acts such as abortion, contraception, and homosexual acts are contrary to our own good. These all constitute a disordered choice for a supposed good in such a way that the person who commits them closes himself off to the potentials for that self-realization and happiness which God desires for all men (John 10:10).
It is through bad choices that we constitute ourselves as bad people. And when we become bad people, we soon become unhappy people - unhappy because we are not in communion with the Lord Jesus and His Law of Love (John 14:15). And when we are unhappy people, we soon become miserable people - alienated from God and neighbor - isolated, and, if unrepentant, damned people.
Advocates of the "New Church" want to empty Christianity of its supernatural dimension and reduce it to a humanitarian religion where little (or no) importance is attributed to sin, grace and the transcendent. The Corporeal Works of Mercy alone are emphasized. The Sacraments are abandoned (priests no longer preach on the importance, the necessity, of the Sacrament of Reconciliation), the supernatural is relegated to the margins. Even many otherwise devout and orthodox Catholics are embarassed by the supernatural dimension of the Church and prefer to focus on social justice issues. Many come to view the Church in democratic terms and her Magisterium is contested:
"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." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 675).
In his Summa Contra Gentiles, Saint Thomas Aquinas tells us that God is offended by us only when we act against our own good. The Church warns us that various acts such as abortion, contraception, and homosexual acts are contrary to our own good. These all constitute a disordered choice for a supposed good in such a way that the person who commits them closes himself off to the potentials for that self-realization and happiness which God desires for all men (John 10:10).
It is through bad choices that we constitute ourselves as bad people. And when we become bad people, we soon become unhappy people - unhappy because we are not in communion with the Lord Jesus and His Law of Love (John 14:15). And when we are unhappy people, we soon become miserable people - alienated from God and neighbor - isolated, and, if unrepentant, damned people.
Advocates of the "New Church" want to empty Christianity of its supernatural dimension and reduce it to a humanitarian religion where little (or no) importance is attributed to sin, grace and the transcendent. The Corporeal Works of Mercy alone are emphasized. The Sacraments are abandoned (priests no longer preach on the importance, the necessity, of the Sacrament of Reconciliation), the supernatural is relegated to the margins. Even many otherwise devout and orthodox Catholics are embarassed by the supernatural dimension of the Church and prefer to focus on social justice issues. Many come to view the Church in democratic terms and her Magisterium is contested:
"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." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 675).
Monday, May 19, 2008
The New Tower of Babel.....Shades of Dr. Moreau?
"The mark of the present crisis is man's attempt to free himself from his condition as a created being, to deny his metaphysical situation, and to disengage himself from all bonds with anything greater than himself. Modern man is attempting to build up a new Tower of Babel."
- Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand.
"My trouble took the strangest form. I could not persuade myself that the men and women I met were not also another Beast People, animals half wrought into the outward image of human souls, and that they would presently begin to revert,—to show first this bestial mark and then that. But I have confided my case to a strangely able man,—a man who had known Moreau, and seemed half to credit my story; a mental specialist,—and he has helped me mightily, though I do not expect that the terror of that island will ever altogether leave me. At most times it lies far in the back of my mind, a mere distant cloud, a memory, and a faint distrust; but there are times when the little cloud spreads until it obscures the whole sky. Then I look about me at my fellow-men; and I go in fear. I see faces, keen and bright; others dull or dangerous; others, unsteady, insincere,—none that have the calm authority of a reasonable soul.
There is—though I do not know how there is or why there is—a sense of infinite peace and protection in the glittering hosts of heaven. There it must be, I think, in the vast and eternal laws of matter, and not in the daily cares and sins and troubles of men, that whatever is more than animal within us must find its solace and its hope.
I hope, or I could not live."
-Edward Douglas, H.G. Wells' "The Island of Dr. Moreau."
As the United Kingdom okays man-beast hybrids, elsewhere "sex-change operations" are proposed for children. Read here. And so men continue to prepare the chastisement with their own hands.
- Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand.
"My trouble took the strangest form. I could not persuade myself that the men and women I met were not also another Beast People, animals half wrought into the outward image of human souls, and that they would presently begin to revert,—to show first this bestial mark and then that. But I have confided my case to a strangely able man,—a man who had known Moreau, and seemed half to credit my story; a mental specialist,—and he has helped me mightily, though I do not expect that the terror of that island will ever altogether leave me. At most times it lies far in the back of my mind, a mere distant cloud, a memory, and a faint distrust; but there are times when the little cloud spreads until it obscures the whole sky. Then I look about me at my fellow-men; and I go in fear. I see faces, keen and bright; others dull or dangerous; others, unsteady, insincere,—none that have the calm authority of a reasonable soul.
There is—though I do not know how there is or why there is—a sense of infinite peace and protection in the glittering hosts of heaven. There it must be, I think, in the vast and eternal laws of matter, and not in the daily cares and sins and troubles of men, that whatever is more than animal within us must find its solace and its hope.
I hope, or I could not live."
-Edward Douglas, H.G. Wells' "The Island of Dr. Moreau."
As the United Kingdom okays man-beast hybrids, elsewhere "sex-change operations" are proposed for children. Read here. And so men continue to prepare the chastisement with their own hands.
From the La Salette Journey Archives...
The task of priests
Vatican II, in its' Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests (Presbyterorum Ordinis) No. 4, had this to say: "The People of God are joined together primarily by the word of the living God. And rightfully they expect this from their priests. Since no one can be saved who does not first believe, priests, as co-workers with their bishops, have the primary duty of proclaiming the Gospel of God to all. In this way they fulfill the command of the Lord: "Going therefore into the whole world preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mk 16:15), and they establish and build up the People of God. Through the saving word the spark of faith is lit in the hearts of unbelievers, and fed in the hearts of the faithful. This is the way that the congregation of faithful is started and grows, just as the Apostle describes: "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Rom 10:17).
To all men, therefore, priests are debtors that the truth of the Gospel which they have may be given to others. And so, whether by entering into profitable dialogue they bring people to the worship of God, whether by openly preaching they proclaim the mystery of Christ, or whether in the light of Christ they treat contemporary problems, they are relying not on their own wisdom for it is the word of Christ they teach, and it is to conversion and holiness that they exhort all men."
According to the Council, the task of priests is "not to teach their own wisdom but God's Word." And this task is of no less importance for the priest than his offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Both of these are inseperably linked to each other: "The ministerial priesthood has the task not only of representing Christ - Head of the Church - before the assembly of the faithful, but also of acting in the name of the whole Church when presenting to God the prayer of the Church, and above all when offering the Eucharistic sacrifice." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1552).
For this reason, priests have the very serious obligation to teach the faithful under their care that it is never licit to have sexual relations outside of marriage; that a Catholic cannot (having been validly married in the Church) after divorce, marry another or otherwise pretend that sexual relations with another individual are somehow "marital"; that "formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense" and that '"the Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life" (CCC, 2272); and that "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible, is intrinsically evil.." (CCC, No. 2370, citing Humanae Vitae, No. 14).
The Church proposes these (and other teachings) as true and it does so in the name of Christ. The priest is not to question them. He is not to ignore them or neglect them out of a false sense of "compassion" or "charity." It was Pope Paul VI who said that, "To diminish in no way the saving teaching of Christ constitutes an eminent form of charity for souls." (Humanae Vitae, No. 29).
Pope John Paul II reiterated these words in Familiaris Consortio, No. 33. We are reminded in Lumen Gentium 14 of the Second Vatican Council that: "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."
When a priest ignores or neglects his duty, his task, of serving the Word of God with fidelity, he fails to persevere in that charity described by Popes Paul VI and John Paul II as a charity which diminishes in no way the saving teaching of Christ. And he will be the more severely judged (Luke 12:48)*.
* "..Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."
Vatican II, in its' Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests (Presbyterorum Ordinis) No. 4, had this to say: "The People of God are joined together primarily by the word of the living God. And rightfully they expect this from their priests. Since no one can be saved who does not first believe, priests, as co-workers with their bishops, have the primary duty of proclaiming the Gospel of God to all. In this way they fulfill the command of the Lord: "Going therefore into the whole world preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mk 16:15), and they establish and build up the People of God. Through the saving word the spark of faith is lit in the hearts of unbelievers, and fed in the hearts of the faithful. This is the way that the congregation of faithful is started and grows, just as the Apostle describes: "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Rom 10:17).
To all men, therefore, priests are debtors that the truth of the Gospel which they have may be given to others. And so, whether by entering into profitable dialogue they bring people to the worship of God, whether by openly preaching they proclaim the mystery of Christ, or whether in the light of Christ they treat contemporary problems, they are relying not on their own wisdom for it is the word of Christ they teach, and it is to conversion and holiness that they exhort all men."
According to the Council, the task of priests is "not to teach their own wisdom but God's Word." And this task is of no less importance for the priest than his offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Both of these are inseperably linked to each other: "The ministerial priesthood has the task not only of representing Christ - Head of the Church - before the assembly of the faithful, but also of acting in the name of the whole Church when presenting to God the prayer of the Church, and above all when offering the Eucharistic sacrifice." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1552).
For this reason, priests have the very serious obligation to teach the faithful under their care that it is never licit to have sexual relations outside of marriage; that a Catholic cannot (having been validly married in the Church) after divorce, marry another or otherwise pretend that sexual relations with another individual are somehow "marital"; that "formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense" and that '"the Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life" (CCC, 2272); and that "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible, is intrinsically evil.." (CCC, No. 2370, citing Humanae Vitae, No. 14).
The Church proposes these (and other teachings) as true and it does so in the name of Christ. The priest is not to question them. He is not to ignore them or neglect them out of a false sense of "compassion" or "charity." It was Pope Paul VI who said that, "To diminish in no way the saving teaching of Christ constitutes an eminent form of charity for souls." (Humanae Vitae, No. 29).
Pope John Paul II reiterated these words in Familiaris Consortio, No. 33. We are reminded in Lumen Gentium 14 of the Second Vatican Council that: "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."
When a priest ignores or neglects his duty, his task, of serving the Word of God with fidelity, he fails to persevere in that charity described by Popes Paul VI and John Paul II as a charity which diminishes in no way the saving teaching of Christ. And he will be the more severely judged (Luke 12:48)*.
* "..Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."
Thursday, May 15, 2008
THE APOSTASY SPREADS
Cardinal Giacomo Biffi: Antichrist "is already among us."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/668048.stm
Related reading: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSL1627550020080516?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=22&sp=true
Consecrated virginity: A luminous and fruitful charism...
VATICAN CITY,
15 MAY 2008 (VIS) -
Five hundred women, members of the "Ordo Virginum" who have come to Rome on pilgrimage to participate in an international congress being held by their order, were received in audience this morning by Benedict XVI.
In his remarks to them the Pope, quoting the theme chosen for the congress, pointed out that consecrated virginity is "a gift in the Church and for the Church". And he invited the women "to develop, from day to day, their understanding of a charism which is as luminous and fruitful in the eyes of the faith as it is obscure and futile in the eyes of the world".
"The Order of Virgins represents a particular form of consecrated life which flowered anew in the Church after Vatican Council II", the Holy Father explained. "However, it has ancient roots that go back to the beginnings of evangelical life when, in an unprecedented novelty, the hearts of certain women began to open to a desire for consecrated virginity: in other words, the desire to give one's entire being to God, which had had its first extraordinary fulfilment in the Virgin of Nazareth and her 'yes'".
"Your charism must reflect the intensity, but also the freshness, of its origins", said Benedict XVI noting how, "when it came into being, the charism did not involve a particular way of life. Little by little, however, it was institutionalised, finally becoming a full public and solemn consecration conferred by the bishop through an inspirational liturgical rite that made the consecrated woman 'sponsa Christi', an image of the Church as bride".
"Your vocation", he told the women, "is profoundly rooted in the particular Church to which you belong. ... From the diocese, with its traditions, its saints, its values, limits and difficulties, you open up to the scope of the Universal Church, sharing particularly in her liturgical prayer. ... In this way your prayerful 'I' progressively broadens out, until in the prayer there is nothing more than a great 'we'. ... In your dialogue with God, open yourselves to dialogue with all creatures".
"The choice of virginal life", the Pope concluded, "is an allusion to the transitory nature of earthly things and an anticipation of future good. Be witnesses of vigilant and industrious hope, of joy, of the peace that belongs to those who abandon themselves to the love of God. Be present in the world, yet pilgrims on the journey to the Kingdom".
15 MAY 2008 (VIS) -
Five hundred women, members of the "Ordo Virginum" who have come to Rome on pilgrimage to participate in an international congress being held by their order, were received in audience this morning by Benedict XVI.
In his remarks to them the Pope, quoting the theme chosen for the congress, pointed out that consecrated virginity is "a gift in the Church and for the Church". And he invited the women "to develop, from day to day, their understanding of a charism which is as luminous and fruitful in the eyes of the faith as it is obscure and futile in the eyes of the world".
"The Order of Virgins represents a particular form of consecrated life which flowered anew in the Church after Vatican Council II", the Holy Father explained. "However, it has ancient roots that go back to the beginnings of evangelical life when, in an unprecedented novelty, the hearts of certain women began to open to a desire for consecrated virginity: in other words, the desire to give one's entire being to God, which had had its first extraordinary fulfilment in the Virgin of Nazareth and her 'yes'".
"Your charism must reflect the intensity, but also the freshness, of its origins", said Benedict XVI noting how, "when it came into being, the charism did not involve a particular way of life. Little by little, however, it was institutionalised, finally becoming a full public and solemn consecration conferred by the bishop through an inspirational liturgical rite that made the consecrated woman 'sponsa Christi', an image of the Church as bride".
"Your vocation", he told the women, "is profoundly rooted in the particular Church to which you belong. ... From the diocese, with its traditions, its saints, its values, limits and difficulties, you open up to the scope of the Universal Church, sharing particularly in her liturgical prayer. ... In this way your prayerful 'I' progressively broadens out, until in the prayer there is nothing more than a great 'we'. ... In your dialogue with God, open yourselves to dialogue with all creatures".
"The choice of virginal life", the Pope concluded, "is an allusion to the transitory nature of earthly things and an anticipation of future good. Be witnesses of vigilant and industrious hope, of joy, of the peace that belongs to those who abandon themselves to the love of God. Be present in the world, yet pilgrims on the journey to the Kingdom".
Death toll in China earthquake could surpass 50,000
Pray for the victims of this horrific natural disaster. We need to intensify our prayers as regional disasters multiply. Take refuge in the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
"...you shall have night, not vision, darkness, not divination.."
This morning, while praying over the Scriptures, I was told to read Micah Chapter 3 and especially verse 5. At the same time, my mother was given the very same Word of Knowledge:
"And I said: Hear, you leaders of Jacob, rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not your duty to know what is right, you who hate what is good, and love evil? You who tear their skin from them, and their flesh from their bones! They eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from them, and break their bones. They chop them in pieces like flesh in a kettle, and like meat in a caldron. When they cry to the Lord, he shall not answer them; Rather shall he hide his face from them at that time, because of the evil they have done. Thus says the Lord regarding the prophets who lead my people astray; Who, when their teeth have something to bite, announce peace, But when one fails to put something in their mouth, proclaim war against him. Therefore you shall have night, not vision, darkness, not divination; The sun shall go down on upon the prophets, and the day shall be dark for them. Then shall the seers be put to shame, and the diviners confounded; They shall cover their lips, all of them, because there is no answer from God, But as for me, I am filled with power, with the spirit of the Lord, with authority and with might; To declare to Jacob his crimes and to Israel his sins. Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel! You who abhor what is just, and pervert all that is right; Who build up Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness! Her leaders render judgment for a bribe, her priests give decisions for a salary, her prophets divine for money, While they rely on the Lord, saying, ‘Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No evil can come upon us!’ Therefore, because of you, Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem reduced to rubble, And the mount of the temple to a forest ridge." (Micah 3: 1-12).
The Lord Jesus is angry with many of His ministers. Our Lady told Fr. Gobbi that, "The hour of divine justice and of great mercy has now arrived. You will know the hour of weakness and of poverty, the hour of suffering and defeat, the purifying hour of the great chastisement. The great trial has arrived for your Church. Those errors which have brought people to the loss of the true faith have continued to spread. Many pastors have been neither attentive nor vigilant and have allowed many rapacious wolves, clothed as lambs, to insinuate themselves into the flock in order to bring disorder and destruction. How great is your responsibility, O pastors of the holy Church of God! You continue along the path of division from the Pope and of the rejection of his Magisterium..." (November 15, 1990).
To those consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart, Our Lady has said, "A great wonder is about to be accomplished in your time, even though for the present it is happening in silence and mystery. In the struggle between the Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun, in which heaven and earth are taking part, the heavenly powers and those of hell, your Mother and Queen is each day accomplishing an important step in the realization of her victorious plan. Therefore I say to you: soon the desert will blossom, and all creation will become again that marvelous garden, created for man to reflect in a perfect manner the greatest glory of God." (November 28, 1979).
Our Lady is preparing us for the desert where the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition, the Red Dragon, will pursue those of us who are consecrated to Her. To those of us who are Her offspring:
"..the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half year.* The serpent, however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current. But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth and swallowed the flood that the dragon spewed out of its mouth. Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus." (Revelation 12: 14-17).
* The reign of Antichrist, "..it was given authority to act for 42 months." (Revelation 13: 5).
"And I said: Hear, you leaders of Jacob, rulers of the house of Israel! Is it not your duty to know what is right, you who hate what is good, and love evil? You who tear their skin from them, and their flesh from their bones! They eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from them, and break their bones. They chop them in pieces like flesh in a kettle, and like meat in a caldron. When they cry to the Lord, he shall not answer them; Rather shall he hide his face from them at that time, because of the evil they have done. Thus says the Lord regarding the prophets who lead my people astray; Who, when their teeth have something to bite, announce peace, But when one fails to put something in their mouth, proclaim war against him. Therefore you shall have night, not vision, darkness, not divination; The sun shall go down on upon the prophets, and the day shall be dark for them. Then shall the seers be put to shame, and the diviners confounded; They shall cover their lips, all of them, because there is no answer from God, But as for me, I am filled with power, with the spirit of the Lord, with authority and with might; To declare to Jacob his crimes and to Israel his sins. Hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel! You who abhor what is just, and pervert all that is right; Who build up Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness! Her leaders render judgment for a bribe, her priests give decisions for a salary, her prophets divine for money, While they rely on the Lord, saying, ‘Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No evil can come upon us!’ Therefore, because of you, Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem reduced to rubble, And the mount of the temple to a forest ridge." (Micah 3: 1-12).
The Lord Jesus is angry with many of His ministers. Our Lady told Fr. Gobbi that, "The hour of divine justice and of great mercy has now arrived. You will know the hour of weakness and of poverty, the hour of suffering and defeat, the purifying hour of the great chastisement. The great trial has arrived for your Church. Those errors which have brought people to the loss of the true faith have continued to spread. Many pastors have been neither attentive nor vigilant and have allowed many rapacious wolves, clothed as lambs, to insinuate themselves into the flock in order to bring disorder and destruction. How great is your responsibility, O pastors of the holy Church of God! You continue along the path of division from the Pope and of the rejection of his Magisterium..." (November 15, 1990).
To those consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart, Our Lady has said, "A great wonder is about to be accomplished in your time, even though for the present it is happening in silence and mystery. In the struggle between the Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun, in which heaven and earth are taking part, the heavenly powers and those of hell, your Mother and Queen is each day accomplishing an important step in the realization of her victorious plan. Therefore I say to you: soon the desert will blossom, and all creation will become again that marvelous garden, created for man to reflect in a perfect manner the greatest glory of God." (November 28, 1979).
Our Lady is preparing us for the desert where the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition, the Red Dragon, will pursue those of us who are consecrated to Her. To those of us who are Her offspring:
"..the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half year.* The serpent, however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current. But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth and swallowed the flood that the dragon spewed out of its mouth. Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus." (Revelation 12: 14-17).
* The reign of Antichrist, "..it was given authority to act for 42 months." (Revelation 13: 5).
Related reading: Priest linked to homosexual website
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Homosexual hate movement in Canada wants to censor mail...
As noted here
"On the night of February 27-28, 1933, a mentally disabled Dutch citizen set fire to the German parliament building (the Reichstag). Hitler and his propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, presented the incident as the prelude to an armed Communist uprising and persuaded the aging President Paul von Hindenburg to establish what became a permanent state of emergency. This decree, known as the Reichstag Fire Decree, suspended the provisions of the German constitution that protected basic individual rights, including freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly. The decree also permitted increased state and police intervention into private life, allowing officials to censor mail, listen in on phone conversations, and search private homes without a warrant or need to show reasonable cause. Under the state of emergency established by the decree, the Nazi regime could arrest and detain people without cause and without limits on the length of incarceration."
The homosexual propagandists over at EGALE are really advocating the same thing. State and police intervention into private life which would permit officials to censor mail. And be assured this would only be the beginning. Soon these propagandists would be demanding searches of private homes without a warrant and arrests and detentions without cause.
Does it really matter whether those who are advocating such things are wearing a brown shirt or a pink one? Intolerance is intolerance. The Dictatorship of Relativism is always evil, no matter what face it presents.
Related reading: Ex-homosexuals fear persecution at hands of homosexual activists
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08050719.html
Homofascist persecution: http://www.cwfa.org/articles/14696/CFI/family/index.htm
"On the night of February 27-28, 1933, a mentally disabled Dutch citizen set fire to the German parliament building (the Reichstag). Hitler and his propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, presented the incident as the prelude to an armed Communist uprising and persuaded the aging President Paul von Hindenburg to establish what became a permanent state of emergency. This decree, known as the Reichstag Fire Decree, suspended the provisions of the German constitution that protected basic individual rights, including freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly. The decree also permitted increased state and police intervention into private life, allowing officials to censor mail, listen in on phone conversations, and search private homes without a warrant or need to show reasonable cause. Under the state of emergency established by the decree, the Nazi regime could arrest and detain people without cause and without limits on the length of incarceration."
The homosexual propagandists over at EGALE are really advocating the same thing. State and police intervention into private life which would permit officials to censor mail. And be assured this would only be the beginning. Soon these propagandists would be demanding searches of private homes without a warrant and arrests and detentions without cause.
Does it really matter whether those who are advocating such things are wearing a brown shirt or a pink one? Intolerance is intolerance. The Dictatorship of Relativism is always evil, no matter what face it presents.
Related reading: Ex-homosexuals fear persecution at hands of homosexual activists
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08050719.html
Homofascist persecution: http://www.cwfa.org/articles/14696/CFI/family/index.htm
Monday, May 12, 2008
Archbishop Dolan blasts cults...
"Periodically throughout the church you'll get these crackpots who claim to be bishops or claim to be priests or even claim to be part of the church, and they're not, of course."
- Archbishop Dolan
Related reading: http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2008/02/still-no-answer-from-saint-benedict.html
- Archbishop Dolan
Related reading: http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2008/02/still-no-answer-from-saint-benedict.html
Quake in China: Possibly 5,000 dead....
Related reading: http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2008/03/hour-of-poverty-and-defeat-approaches.html
More signs: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24558648/
Deadliest tornadoes in decade: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2008-05-12-tornado_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Special prayer need - Myanmar (Burma) tragedy - the possible death-toll:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3911696.ece
More signs: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24558648/
Deadliest tornadoes in decade: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2008-05-12-tornado_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Special prayer need - Myanmar (Burma) tragedy - the possible death-toll:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3911696.ece
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Final impenitence leads to Hell
Sacred Scripture, God's Holy Word, tells us that there are sins that cannot be forgiven in the sense that they constitute such a terrible offense against the truth and the light - against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12: 31-32; 1 John 5: 16). The Scriptures speak here of a sin more radical than most mortal sins, of a sin which by its very nature blocks forgiveness.
Since the time of Saint Augustine (Father and Doctor of the Church), theologians have provided us with a list of sins against the Holy Spirit, proceeding from initial impenitence through obduracy (a hardening or stubborness in sin), presumption, despair, rejection of known truth, envy of the grace given to others, to final impenitence. (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 2-2, 1-4).
This final impenitence leads to Hell, which is the eternal separation from God begun in this life through free, self-determining choices to turn away from God and His Law of Love and to embrace inordinately some created good in God's place. Through its willingness to do what it knows is wicked in the sight of the Lord Jesus, the soul opens a chasm* between itself and its Lord. By rationalizing its sin, the soul makes this chasm wider and wider until it is unable to hear His call and discern the Word of Truth that He has spoken in this world.
The Lord Jesus, speaking from His Throne (Revelation 21: 5-8) tells us:
"..Behold, I make all things new...I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The victor* will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he will be my son. But as for cowards*, the unfaithful, the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol-worshipers, and deceivers of every sort, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
Since the time of Saint Augustine (Father and Doctor of the Church), theologians have provided us with a list of sins against the Holy Spirit, proceeding from initial impenitence through obduracy (a hardening or stubborness in sin), presumption, despair, rejection of known truth, envy of the grace given to others, to final impenitence. (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, 2-2, 1-4).
This final impenitence leads to Hell, which is the eternal separation from God begun in this life through free, self-determining choices to turn away from God and His Law of Love and to embrace inordinately some created good in God's place. Through its willingness to do what it knows is wicked in the sight of the Lord Jesus, the soul opens a chasm* between itself and its Lord. By rationalizing its sin, the soul makes this chasm wider and wider until it is unable to hear His call and discern the Word of Truth that He has spoken in this world.
The Lord Jesus, speaking from His Throne (Revelation 21: 5-8) tells us:
"..Behold, I make all things new...I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The victor* will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he will be my son. But as for cowards*, the unfaithful, the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol-worshipers, and deceivers of every sort, their lot is in the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
* Chasm: Luke 16: 26
* Victor: Over the forces of evil; See the conclusions of the seven letters (Revelation 2: 7, 11, 17, 26; 3, 5: 12, 21).
* Cowards: Those whose conviction is so weak that they deny Christ in time of trial and become traitors.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Signs...
The Church has now recognized an apparition of Our Lady to a 17th-century shepherd girl in the French Alps. See here. Our Lady foretold that this visit would come to light in the end times. See here.
"Most of us, however, had never before even heard of the message or apparitions of Notre Dame Du Laus. Even most Catholics in France have not heard of Notre Dame Du Laus. Why? Because our Lady's message to Benoite, aside from being filled with great hope, also had another aspect to it—an aspect that is anything but popular to the Church in the modern world. The message placed a tremendous amount of emphasis on the dangers of sin, the importance of repentance, the absolute "essential to salvation" nature of the Sacrament of Penance, and the necessity of receiving that Sacrament frequently.
During the lifetime of Benoite, and for centuries after her death, Laus was a place of great spiritual healing through the Sacrament of Penance. An incredible number of Catholics from every class (peasantry, gentry, and nobility) over the centuries since 1647 found their way back onto the road that leads to salvation, as a direct consequence of the message of Notre Dame Du Laus and the sanctity of the seer Benoite, who proclaimed that message to the world.
The sanctuary at Laus is called the "Refuge of Sinners" and it is, perhaps, due to its emphasis on the evil of sin that the message of Our Lady to Benoite has been all but "swept under the carpet" of Modernism in this our new age of 'enlightened,' 'grown-up' Catholicism*." (Michael Matt, Editor of The Remnant).
Related reading:
*http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2005/10/reading-from-prophecy-of-malachi.html
http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2007/09/reconciliation-its-meaning-and-value.html
http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2008/03/we-judge-that-apparition-of-blessed.html
The official Blog of Our Lady of Laus
Le Blog Notre Dame du Laus:http://notredamedulaus.over-blog.com/
"Most of us, however, had never before even heard of the message or apparitions of Notre Dame Du Laus. Even most Catholics in France have not heard of Notre Dame Du Laus. Why? Because our Lady's message to Benoite, aside from being filled with great hope, also had another aspect to it—an aspect that is anything but popular to the Church in the modern world. The message placed a tremendous amount of emphasis on the dangers of sin, the importance of repentance, the absolute "essential to salvation" nature of the Sacrament of Penance, and the necessity of receiving that Sacrament frequently.
During the lifetime of Benoite, and for centuries after her death, Laus was a place of great spiritual healing through the Sacrament of Penance. An incredible number of Catholics from every class (peasantry, gentry, and nobility) over the centuries since 1647 found their way back onto the road that leads to salvation, as a direct consequence of the message of Notre Dame Du Laus and the sanctity of the seer Benoite, who proclaimed that message to the world.
The sanctuary at Laus is called the "Refuge of Sinners" and it is, perhaps, due to its emphasis on the evil of sin that the message of Our Lady to Benoite has been all but "swept under the carpet" of Modernism in this our new age of 'enlightened,' 'grown-up' Catholicism*." (Michael Matt, Editor of The Remnant).
Related reading:
*http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2005/10/reading-from-prophecy-of-malachi.html
http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2007/09/reconciliation-its-meaning-and-value.html
http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2008/03/we-judge-that-apparition-of-blessed.html
The official Blog of Our Lady of Laus
Le Blog Notre Dame du Laus:http://notredamedulaus.over-blog.com/
Monday, May 05, 2008
The Rosary brings peace and reconciliation....
VATICAN CITY, 3 MAY 2008 (VIS) -
This evening Benedict XVI presided at the praying of the Rosary in the Roman basilica of St. Mary Major, "Marian temple par excellence" in which, as the Holy Father recalled, the image of Mary "Salus Populi Romani" is venerated.
"In the experience of my generation", he said, "May evenings evoke pleasant memories of vespertine appointments to pay homage to the Virgin Mary. ... Today we together confirm that the holy Rosary is not some pious practice relegated to the past, a prayer of distant times to be thought of nostalgically. Indeed, the Rosary is experiencing what is almost a new springtime".
"In the modern world which is so dispersive, this prayer helps us to place Christ at the centre, as did the Virgin who meditated upon everything that was said about her Son and upon what He Himself did and said. When we recite the Rosary we relive important monuments of the history of salvation, we again go over the various stages of Christ's mission. With Mary we turn our hearts to the mystery of Jesus".
"May Mary help us to welcome within ourselves the grace that emanates from these mysteries, so that through us this grace can 'irrigate' society, starting with our everyday relationships, purifying it from many negative forces and opening it to the novelty of God.
"The Rosary", the Pope added, "when it is prayed in an authentic manner - not mechanically and superficially, but profoundly - brings peace and reconciliation. It contains the healing power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, invoked with faith and love at the heart of each Hail Mary".
Benedict XVI then called on those present to ensure they remained united to Mary during these days leading up to Pentecost, "invoking a renewed effusion of the Holy Spirit for the Church". He also entrusted them with "the most urgent intentions" of his ministry: "the needs of the Church, the great problems of humanity, peace in the world, the unity of Christians, and dialogue between cultures", as well as the pastoral objectives of the diocese of Rome, and the "solidary development" of Italy.
And what shall we say about those who, like the Catholic priest who sabotaged my efforts to bring a Rosary hour to my local parish back in the 1990's, actively discourage this devotion? Let's let St. Louis de Montfort do the talking:
The Secret of the Rosary
NINTH ROSE:
ENEMIES
It is very wicked indeed and unfair to other souls to hinder the progress of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. Almighty God has severely punished many of those who have been so benighted as to scorn the Confraternity and who have sought to destroy it. Even though God has set His seal of approval on the Holy Rosary by many miracles, and in spite of the Papal Bulls that have been written approving it, there are only too many people who are against the Holy Rosary today.
These freethinkers and those who scorn religion either condemn the Rosary or try to turn others away from it. It is easy to see that they have absorbed the poison of Hell and that they are inspired by the devil----for nobody can condemn devotion to the Holy Rosary without condemning all that is most holy in the Catholic Faith, such as the Lord's Prayer, the Angelic Salutation and the mysteries of the life, death and glory of Jesus Christ and of His Holy Mother.
These freethinkers who cannot bear others to say the Rosary often fall into a really heretical state of mind without even realizing it and some to hate the Rosary and its holy mysteries. To have a loathing for confraternities is to fall away from God and true piety, for Our Lord Himself has told us that He is always in the midst of those who are gathered together in His name. No good Catholic should forget the many great indulgences which Holy Mother Church has granted to Confraternities.
Finally, to dissuade others from joining the Rosary Confraternity is to be an enemy of souls because the Rosary is a sure means of curing oneself of sin and of embracing a Christian life. Saint Bonaventure said (in his Psalter) that whoever neglected Our Lady would perish in his sins and would be damned: "He who neglects her will die in his sins." If such is the penalty for neglecting her, what must be the punishment in store for those who actually turn others away from their devotions!"
Let's pray for those who discourage devotion to the Holy Rosary or who attempt to portray it as an outdated "medieval" Catholic devotion. For their attitude contradicts the mind of the Church on this matter.
This evening Benedict XVI presided at the praying of the Rosary in the Roman basilica of St. Mary Major, "Marian temple par excellence" in which, as the Holy Father recalled, the image of Mary "Salus Populi Romani" is venerated.
"In the experience of my generation", he said, "May evenings evoke pleasant memories of vespertine appointments to pay homage to the Virgin Mary. ... Today we together confirm that the holy Rosary is not some pious practice relegated to the past, a prayer of distant times to be thought of nostalgically. Indeed, the Rosary is experiencing what is almost a new springtime".
"In the modern world which is so dispersive, this prayer helps us to place Christ at the centre, as did the Virgin who meditated upon everything that was said about her Son and upon what He Himself did and said. When we recite the Rosary we relive important monuments of the history of salvation, we again go over the various stages of Christ's mission. With Mary we turn our hearts to the mystery of Jesus".
"May Mary help us to welcome within ourselves the grace that emanates from these mysteries, so that through us this grace can 'irrigate' society, starting with our everyday relationships, purifying it from many negative forces and opening it to the novelty of God.
"The Rosary", the Pope added, "when it is prayed in an authentic manner - not mechanically and superficially, but profoundly - brings peace and reconciliation. It contains the healing power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, invoked with faith and love at the heart of each Hail Mary".
Benedict XVI then called on those present to ensure they remained united to Mary during these days leading up to Pentecost, "invoking a renewed effusion of the Holy Spirit for the Church". He also entrusted them with "the most urgent intentions" of his ministry: "the needs of the Church, the great problems of humanity, peace in the world, the unity of Christians, and dialogue between cultures", as well as the pastoral objectives of the diocese of Rome, and the "solidary development" of Italy.
And what shall we say about those who, like the Catholic priest who sabotaged my efforts to bring a Rosary hour to my local parish back in the 1990's, actively discourage this devotion? Let's let St. Louis de Montfort do the talking:
The Secret of the Rosary
NINTH ROSE:
ENEMIES
It is very wicked indeed and unfair to other souls to hinder the progress of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. Almighty God has severely punished many of those who have been so benighted as to scorn the Confraternity and who have sought to destroy it. Even though God has set His seal of approval on the Holy Rosary by many miracles, and in spite of the Papal Bulls that have been written approving it, there are only too many people who are against the Holy Rosary today.
These freethinkers and those who scorn religion either condemn the Rosary or try to turn others away from it. It is easy to see that they have absorbed the poison of Hell and that they are inspired by the devil----for nobody can condemn devotion to the Holy Rosary without condemning all that is most holy in the Catholic Faith, such as the Lord's Prayer, the Angelic Salutation and the mysteries of the life, death and glory of Jesus Christ and of His Holy Mother.
These freethinkers who cannot bear others to say the Rosary often fall into a really heretical state of mind without even realizing it and some to hate the Rosary and its holy mysteries. To have a loathing for confraternities is to fall away from God and true piety, for Our Lord Himself has told us that He is always in the midst of those who are gathered together in His name. No good Catholic should forget the many great indulgences which Holy Mother Church has granted to Confraternities.
Finally, to dissuade others from joining the Rosary Confraternity is to be an enemy of souls because the Rosary is a sure means of curing oneself of sin and of embracing a Christian life. Saint Bonaventure said (in his Psalter) that whoever neglected Our Lady would perish in his sins and would be damned: "He who neglects her will die in his sins." If such is the penalty for neglecting her, what must be the punishment in store for those who actually turn others away from their devotions!"
Let's pray for those who discourage devotion to the Holy Rosary or who attempt to portray it as an outdated "medieval" Catholic devotion. For their attitude contradicts the mind of the Church on this matter.
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