Sunday, November 26, 2006

QUAS PRIMAS (On the Feast of Christ the King)

Pope Pius XI
Encyclical promulgated on 11 December 1925

To Our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, and other Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Apostolic See.
Venerable Brethren, Greeting and the Apostolic Benediction.

In the first Encyclical Letter which We addressed at the beginning of Our Pontificate to the Bishops of the universal Church, We referred to the chief causes of the difficulties under which mankind was laboring. And We remember saying that these manifold evils in the world were due to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics: and we said further, that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations.

Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ; and that We promised to do as far as lay in Our power. In the Kingdom of Christ, that is, it seemed to Us that peace could not be more effectually restored nor fixed upon a firmer basis than through the restoration of the Empire of Our Lord. We were led in the meantime to indulge the hope of a brighter future at the sight of a more widespread and keener interest evinced in Christ and his Church, the one Source of Salvation, a sign that men who had formerly spurned the rule of our Redeemer and had exiled themselves from his kingdom were preparing, and even hastening, to return to the duty of obedience.

2. The many notable and memorable events which have occurred during this Holy Year have given great honor and glory to Our Lord and King, the Founder of the Church.

3. At the Missionary Exhibition men have been deeply impressed in seeing the increasing zeal of the Church for the spread of the kingdom of her Spouse to the most far distant regions of the earth. They have seen how many countries have been won to the Catholic name through the unremitting labor and self-sacrifice of missionaries, and the vastness of the regions which have yet to be subjected to the sweet and saving yoke of our King. All those who in the course of the Holy Year have thronged to this city under the leadership of their Bishops or priests had but one aim—namely, to expiate their sins—and at the tombs of the Apostles and in Our Presence to promise loyalty to the rule of Christ.

4. A still further light of glory was shed upon his kingdom, when after due proof of their heroic virtue, We raised to the honors of the altar six confessors and virgins. It was a great joy, a great consolation, that filled Our heart when in the majestic basilica of St. Peter Our decree was acclaimed by an immense multitude with the hymn of thanksgiving, Tu Rex gloriae Christe. We saw men and nations cut off from God, stirring up strife and discord and hurrying along the road to ruin and death, while the Church of God carries on her work of providing food for the spiritual life of men, nurturing and fostering generation after generation of men and women dedicated to Christ, faithful and subject to him in his earthly kingdom, called by him to eternal bliss in the kingdom of heaven.

5. Moreover, since this jubilee Year marks the sixteenth centenary of the Council of Nicaea, We commanded that event to be celebrated, and We have done so in the Vatican basilica. There is a special reason for this in that the Nicene Synod defined and proposed for Catholic belief the dogma of the Con-substantiality of the Only-begotten with the Father, and added to the Creed the words "of whose kingdom there shall be no end," thereby affirming the kingly dignity of Christ.

6. Since this Holy Year therefore has provided more than one opportunity to enhance the glory of the kingdom of Christ, we deem it in keeping with our Apostolic office to accede to the desire of many of the Cardinals, Bishops, and faithful, made known to Us both individually and collectively, by closing this Holy Year with the insertion into the Sacred Liturgy of a special feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This matter is so dear to Our heart, Venerable Brethren, that I would wish to address to you a few words concerning it. It will be for you later to explain in a manner suited to the understanding of the faithful what We are about to say concerning the Kingship of Christ, so that the annual feast which We shall decree may be attended with much fruit and produce beneficial results in the future.

7. It has long been a common custom to give to Christ the metaphorical title of "King," because of the high degree of perfection whereby he excels all creatures. So he is said to reign "in the hearts of men," both by reason of the keenness of his intellect and the extent of his knowledge, and also because he is very truth, and it is from him that truth must be obediently received by all mankind. He reigns, too, in the wills of men, for in him the human will was perfectly and entirely obedient to the Holy Will of God, and further by his grace and inspiration he so subjects our free-will as to incite us to the most noble endeavors. He is King of hearts, too, by reason of his "charity which exceedeth all knowledge." And his mercy and kindness[1] which draw all men to him, for never has it been known, nor will it ever be, that man be loved so much and so universally as Jesus Christ. But if we ponder this matter more deeply, we cannot but see that the title and the power of King belongs to Christ as man in the strict and proper sense too. For it is only as man that he may be said to have received from the Father "power and glory and a kingdom,"[2] since the Word of God, as con-substantial with the Father, has all things in common with him, and therefore has necessarily supreme and absolute dominion over all things created.

8. Do we not read throughout the Scriptures that Christ is the King? He it is that shall come out of Jacob to rule,[3] who has been set by the Father as king over Sion, his holy mount, and shall have the Gentiles for his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession.[4] In the nuptial hymn, where the future King of Israel is hailed as a most rich and powerful monarch, we read: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; the scepter of thy kingdom is a scepter of righteousness."[5] There are many similar passages, but there is one in which Christ is even more clearly indicated. Here it is foretold that his kingdom will have no limits, and will be enriched with justice and peace: "in his days shall justice spring up, and abundance of peace...And he shall rule from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth."[6]

9. The testimony of the Prophets is even more abundant. That of Isaias is well known: "For a child is born to us and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, God the mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace. His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace. He shall sit upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom; to establish it and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever."[7] With Isaias the other Prophets are in agreement. So Jeremias foretells the "just seed" that shall rest from the house of David—the Son of David that shall reign as king, "and shall be wise, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth."[8] So, too, Daniel, who announces the kingdom that the God of heaven shall found, "that shall never be destroyed, and shall stand for ever."[9] And again he says: "I beheld, therefore, in the vision of the night, and, lo! one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven. And he came even to the Ancient of days: and they presented him before him. And he gave him power and glory and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him. His power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed."[10] The prophecy of Zachary concerning the merciful King "riding upon an ass and upon a colt the foal of an ass" entering Jerusalem as "the just and savior," amid the acclamations of the multitude,[11] was recognized as fulfilled by the holy evangelists themselves.

10. This same doctrine of the Kingship of Christ which we have found in the Old Testament is even more clearly taught and confirmed in the New. The Archangel, announcing to the Virgin that she should bear a Son, says that "the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."[12]

11. Moreover, Christ himself speaks of his own kingly authority: in his last discourse, speaking of the rewards and punishments that will be the eternal lot of the just and the damned; in his reply to the Roman magistrate, who asked him publicly whether he were a king or not; after his resurrection, when giving to his Apostles the mission of teaching and baptizing all nations, he took the opportunity to call himself king,[13]
confirming the title publicly,[14] and solemnly proclaimed that all power was given him in heaven and on earth.[15] These words can only be taken to indicate the greatness of his power, the infinite extent of his kingdom. What wonder, then, that he whom St. John calls the "prince of the kings of the earth"[16] appears in the Apostle's vision of the future as he who "hath on his garment and on his thigh written 'King of kings and Lord of lords!'."[17] It is Christ whom the Father "hath appointed heir of all things";[18] "for he must reign until at the end of the world he hath put all his enemies under the feet of God and the Father."[19]

12. It was surely right, then, in view of the common teaching of the sacred books, that the Catholic Church, which is the kingdom of Christ on earth, destined to be spread among all men and all nations, should with every token of veneration salute her Author and Founder in her annual liturgy as King and Lord, and as King of Kings. And, in fact, she used these titles, giving expression with wonderful variety of language to one and the same concept, both in ancient psalmody and in the Sacramentaries. She uses them daily now in the prayers publicly offered to God, and in offering the Immaculate Victim. The perfect harmony of the Eastern liturgies with our own in this continual praise of Christ the King shows once more the truth of the axiom: Legem credendi lex statuit supplicandi. The rule of faith is indicated by the law of our worship.

13. The foundation of this power and dignity of Our Lord is rightly indicated by Cyril of Alexandria. "Christ," he says, "has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but his by essence and by nature."[20] His kingship is founded upon the ineffable hypostatic union. From this it follows not only that Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to him as man angels and men are subject, and must recognize his empire; by reason of the hypostatic union Christ has power over all creatures. But a thought that must give us even greater joy and consolation is this that Christ is our King by acquired, as well as by natural right, for he is our Redeemer. Would that they who forget what they have cost their Savior might recall the words: "You were not redeemed with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled."[21] We are no longer our own property, for Christ has purchased us "with a great price";[22] our very bodies are the "members of Christ."[23]

14. Let Us explain briefly the nature and meaning of this lordship of Christ. It consists, We need scarcely say, in a threefold power which is essential to lordship. This is sufficiently clear from the scriptural testimony already adduced concerning the universal dominion of our Redeemer, and moreover it is a dogma of faith that Jesus Christ was given to man, not only as our Redeemer, but also as a law-giver, to whom obedience is due.[24] Not only do the gospels tell us that he made laws, but they present him to us in the act of making them. Those who keep them show their love for their Divine Master, and he promises that they shall remain in his love.[25] He claimed judicial power as received from his Father, when the Jews accused him of breaking the Sabbath by the miraculous cure of a sick man. "For neither doth the Father judge any man; but hath given all judgment to the Son."[26] In this power is included the right of rewarding and punishing all men living, for this right is inseparable from that of judging. Executive power, too, belongs to Christ, for all must obey his commands; none may escape them, nor the sanctions he has imposed.

15. This kingdom is spiritual and is concerned with spiritual things. That this is so the above quotations from Scripture amply prove, and Christ by his own action confirms it. On many occasions, when the Jews and even the Apostles wrongly supposed that the Messiah would restore the liberties and the kingdom of Israel, he repelled and denied such a suggestion. When the populace thronged around him in admiration and would have acclaimed him King, he shrank from the honor and sought safety in flight. Before the Roman magistrate he declared that his kingdom was not of this world. The gospels present this kingdom as one which men prepare to enter by penance, and cannot actually enter except by faith and by baptism, which, though an external rite, signifies and produces an interior regeneration. This kingdom is opposed to none other than to that of Satan and to the power of darkness. It demands of its subjects a spirit of detachment from riches and earthly things, and a spirit of gentleness. They must hunger and thirst after justice, and more than this, they must deny themselves and carry the cross.

16. Christ as our Redeemer purchased the Church at the price of his own blood; as priest he offered himself, and continues to offer himself as a victim for our sins. Is it not evident, then, that his kingly dignity partakes in a manner of both these offices?

17. It would be a grave error, on the other hand, to say that Christ has no authority whatever in civil affairs, since, by virtue of the absolute empire over all creatures committed to him by the Father, all things are in his power. Nevertheless, during his life on earth he refrained from the exercise of such authority, and although he himself disdained to possess or to care for earthly goods, he did not, nor does he today, interfere with those who possess them. Non eripit mortalia qui regna dat caelestia.[27]

18. Thus the empire of our Redeemer embraces all men. To use the words of Our immortal predecessor, Pope Leo XIII: "His empire includes not only Catholic nations, not only baptized persons who, though of right belonging to the Church, have been led astray by error, or have been cut off from her by schism, but also all those who are outside the Christian faith; so that truly the whole of mankind is subject to the power of Jesus Christ."[28] Nor is there any difference in this matter between the individual and the family or the State; for all men, whether collectively or individually, are under the dominion of Christ. In him is the salvation of the individual, in him is the salvation of society. "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved."[29] He is the author of happiness and true prosperity for every man and for every nation. "For a nation is happy when its citizens are happy. What else is a nation but a number of men living in concord?"[30] If, therefore, the rulers of nations wish to preserve their authority, to promote and increase the prosperity of their countries, they will not neglect the public duty of reverence and obedience to the rule of Christ. What We said at the beginning of Our Pontificate concerning the decline of public authority, and the lack of respect for the same, is equally true at the present day. "With God and Jesus Christ," we said, "excluded from political life, with authority derived not from God but from man, the very basis of that authority has been taken away, because the chief reason of the distinction between ruler and subject has been eliminated. The result is that human society is tottering to its fall, because it has no longer a secure and solid foundation."[31]

19. When once men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony. Our Lord's regal office invests the human authority of princes and rulers with a religious significance; it ennobles the citizen's duty of obedience. It is for this reason that St. Paul, while bidding wives revere Christ in their husbands, and slaves respect Christ in their masters, warns them to give obedience to them not as men, but as the vicegerents of Christ; for it is not meet that men redeemed by Christ should serve their fellow-men. "You are bought with a price; be not made the bond-slaves of men."[32] If princes and magistrates duly elected are filled with the persuasion that they rule, not by their own right, but by the mandate and in the place of the Divine King, they will exercise their authority piously and wisely, and they will make laws and administer them, having in view the common good and also the human dignity of their subjects. The result will be a stable peace and tranquillity, for there will be no longer any cause of discontent. Men will see in their king or in their rulers men like themselves, perhaps unworthy or open to criticism, but they will not on that account refuse obedience if they see reflected in them the authority of Christ God and Man. Peace and harmony, too, will result; for with the spread and the universal extent of the kingdom of Christ men will become more and more conscious of the link that binds them together, and thus many conflicts will be either prevented entirely or at least their bitterness will be diminished.

20. If the kingdom of Christ, then, receives, as it should, all nations under its way, there seems no reason why we should despair of seeing that peace which the King of Peace came to bring on earth—he who came to reconcile all things, who came not to be ministered unto but to minister, who, though Lord of all, gave himself to us as a model of humility, and with his principal law united the precept of charity; who said also: "My yoke is sweet and my burden light." Oh, what happiness would be Ours if all men, individuals, families, and nations, would but let themselves be governed by Christ! "Then at length," to use the words addressed by our predecessor, Pope Leo XIII, twenty-five years ago to the bishops of the Universal Church, "then at length will many evils be cured; then will the law regain its former authority; peace with all its blessings be restored. Men will sheathe their swords and lay down their arms when all freely acknowledge and obey the authority of Christ, and every tongue confesses that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father."[33]

21. That these blessings may be abundant and lasting in Christian society, it is necessary that the kingship of our Savior should be as widely as possible recognized and understood, and to the end nothing would serve better than the institution of a special feast in honor of the Kingship of Christ. For people are instructed in the truths of faith, and brought to appreciate the inner joys of religion far more effectually by the annual celebration of our sacred mysteries than by any official pronouncement of the teaching of the Church. Such pronouncements usually reach only a few and the more learned among the faithful; feasts reach them all; the former speak but once, the latter speak every year—in fact, forever. The church's teaching affects the mind primarily; her feasts affect both mind and heart, and have a salutary effect upon the whole of man's nature. Man is composed of body and soul, and he needs these external festivities so that the sacred rites, in all their beauty and variety, may stimulate him to drink more deeply of the fountain of God's teaching, that he may make it a part of himself, and use it with profit for his spiritual life.

22. History, in fact, tells us that in the course of ages these festivals have been instituted one after another according as the needs or the advantage of the people of Christ seemed to demand: as when they needed strength to face a common danger, when they were attacked by insidious heresies, when they needed to be urged to the pious consideration of some mystery of faith or of some divine blessing. Thus in the earliest days of the Christian era, when the people of Christ were suffering cruel persecution, the cult of the martyrs was begun in order, says St. Augustine, "that the feasts of the martyrs might incite men to martyrdom."[34] The liturgical honors paid to confessors, virgins and widows produced wonderful results in an increased zest for virtue, necessary even in times of peace. But more fruitful still were the feasts instituted in honor of the Blessed Virgin. As a result of these men grew not only in their devotion to the Mother of God as an ever-present advocate, but also in their love of her as a mother bequeathed to them by their Redeemer. Not least among the blessings which have resulted from the public and legitimate honor paid to the Blessed Virgin and the saints is the perfect and perpetual immunity of the Church from error and heresy. We may well admire in this the admirable wisdom of the Providence of God, who, ever bringing good out of evil, has from time to time suffered the faith and piety of men to grow weak, and allowed Catholic truth to be attacked by false doctrines, but always with the result that truth has afterwards shone out with greater splendor, and that men's faith, aroused from its lethargy, has shown itself more vigorous than before.

23. The festivals that have been introduced into the liturgy in more recent years have had a similar origin, and have been attended with similar results. When reverence and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament had grown cold, the feast of Corpus Christi was instituted, so that by means of solemn processions and prayer of eight days' duration, men might be brought once more to render public homage to Christ. So, too, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was instituted at a time when men were oppressed by the sad and gloomy severity of Jansenism, which had made their hearts grow cold, and shut them out from the love of God and the hope of salvation.

24. If We ordain that the whole Catholic world shall revere Christ as King, We shall minister to the need of the present day, and at the same time provide an excellent remedy for the plague which now infects society. We refer to the plague of anti-clericalism, its errors and impious activities. This evil spirit, as you are well aware, Venerable Brethren, has not come into being in one day; it has long lurked beneath the surface. The empire of Christ over all nations was rejected. The right which the Church has from Christ himself, to teach mankind, to make laws, to govern peoples in all that pertains to their eternal salvation, that right was denied. Then gradually the religion of Christ came to be likened to false religions and to be placed ignominiously on the same level with them. It was then put under the power of the state and tolerated more or less at the whim of princes and rulers. Some men went even further, and wished to set up in the place of God's religion a natural religion consisting in some instinctive affection of the heart. There were even some nations who thought they could dispense with God, and that their religion should consist in impiety and the neglect of God. The rebellion of individuals and states against the authority of Christ has produced deplorable consequences. We lamented these in the Encyclical Ubi arcano; we lament them today: the seeds of discord sown far and wide; those bitter enmities and rivalries between nations, which still hinder so much the cause of peace; that insatiable greed which is so often hidden under a pretense of public spirit and patriotism, and gives rise to so many private quarrels; a blind and immoderate selfishness, making men seek nothing but their own comfort and advantage, and measure everything by these; no peace in the home, because men have forgotten or neglect their duty; the unity and stability of the family undermined; society in a word, shaken to its foundations and on the way to ruin. We firmly hope, however, that the feast of the Kingship of Christ, which in future will be yearly observed, may hasten the return of society to our loving Savior. It would
be the duty of Catholics to do all they can to bring about this happy result. Many of these, however, have neither the station in society nor the authority which should belong to those who bear the torch of truth. This state of things may perhaps be attributed to a certain slowness and timidity in good people, who are reluctant to engage in conflict or oppose but a weak resistance; thus the enemies of the Church become bolder in their attacks. But if the faithful were generally to understand that it behooves them ever to fight courageously under the banner of Christ their King, then, fired with apostolic zeal, they would strive to win over to their Lord those hearts that are bitter and estranged from him, and would valiantly defend his rights.

25. Moreover, the annual and universal celebration of the feast of the Kingship of Christ will draw attention to the evils which anticlericalism has brought upon society in drawing men away from Christ, and will also do much to remedy them. While nations insult the beloved name of our Redeemer by suppressing all mention of it in their conferences and parliaments, we must all the more loudly proclaim his kingly dignity and power, all the more universally affirm his rights.

26. The way has been happily and providentially prepared for the celebration of this feast ever since the end of the last century. It is well known that this cult has been the subject of learned disquisitions in many books published in every part of the world, written in many different languages. The kingship and empire of Christ have been recognized in the pious custom, practiced by many families, of dedicating themselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus; not only families have performed this act of dedication, but nations, too, and kingdoms. In fact, the whole of the human race was at the instance of Pope Leo XIII, in the Holy Year 1900, consecrated to the Divine Heart. It should be remarked also that much has been done for the recognition of Christ's authority over society by the frequent Eucharistic Congresses which are held in our age. These give an opportunity to the people of each diocese, district or nation, and to the whole world of coming together to venerate and adore Christ the King hidden under the Sacramental species. Thus by sermons preached at meetings and in churches, by public adoration of the Blessed Sacrament exposed and by solemn processions, men unite in paying homage to Christ, whom God has given them for their King. It is by a divine inspiration that the people of Christ bring forth Jesus from his silent hiding-place in the church, and carry him in triumph through the streets of the city, so that he whom men refused to receive when he came unto his own, may now receive in full his kingly rights.

27. For the fulfillment of the plan of which We have spoken, the Holy Year, which is now speeding to its close, offers the best possible opportunity. For during this year the God of mercy has raised the minds and hearts of the faithful to the consideration of heavenly blessings which are above all understanding, has either restored them once more to his grace, or inciting them anew to strive for higher gifts, has set their feet more firmly in the path of righteousness. Whether, therefore, We consider the many prayers that have been addressed to Us, or look to the events of the Jubilee Year, just past, We have every reason to think that the desired moment has at length arrived for enjoining that Christ be venerated by a special feast as King of all mankind. In this year, as We said at the beginning of this Letter, the Divine King, truly wonderful in all his works, has been gloriously magnified, for another company of his soldiers has been added to the list of saints. In this year men have looked upon strange things and strange labors, from which they have understood and admired the victories won by missionaries in the work of spreading his kingdom. In this year, by solemnly celebrating the centenary of the Council of Nicaea. We have commemorated the definition of the divinity of the word Incarnate, the foundation of Christ's empire over all men.

28. Therefore by Our Apostolic Authority We institute the Feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ to be observed yearly throughout the whole world on the last Sunday of the month of October—the Sunday, that is, which immediately precedes the Feast of All Saints. We further ordain that the dedication of mankind to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which Our predecessor of saintly memory, Pope Pius X, commanded to be renewed yearly, be made annually on that day. This year, however, We desire that it be observed on the thirty-first day of the month on which day We Ourselves shall celebrate pontifically in honor of the kingship of Christ, and shall command that the same dedication be performed in Our presence. It seems to Us that We cannot in a more fitting manner close this Holy Year, nor better signify Our gratitude and that of the whole of the Catholic world to Christ the immortal King of ages, for the blessings showered upon Us, upon the Church, and upon the Catholic world during this holy period.

29. It is not necessary, Venerable Brethren, that We should explain to you at any length why We have decreed that this feast of the Kingship of Christ should be observed in addition to those other feasts in which his kingly dignity is already signified and celebrated. It will suffice to remark that although in all the feasts of our Lord the material object of worship is Christ, nevertheless their formal object is something quite distinct from his royal title and dignity. We have commanded its observance on a Sunday in order that not only the clergy may perform their duty by saying Mass and reciting the Office, but that the laity too, free from their daily tasks, may in a spirit of holy joy give ample testimony of their obedience and subjection to Christ. The last Sunday of October seemed the most convenient of all for this purpose, because it is at the end of the liturgical year, and thus the feast of the Kingship of Christ sets the crowning glory upon the mysteries of the life of Christ already commemorated during the year, and, before celebrating the triumph of all the Saints, we proclaim and extol the glory of him who triumphs in all the Saints and in all the Elect. Make it your duty and your task, Venerable Brethren, to see that sermons are preached to the people in every parish to teach them the meaning and the importance of this feast, that they may so order their lives as to be worthy of faithful and obedient subjects of the Divine King.

30. We would now, Venerable Brethren, in closing this letter, briefly enumerate the blessings which We hope and pray may accrue to the Church, to society, and to each one of the faithful, as a result of the public veneration of the Kingship of Christ.

31. When we pay honor to the princely dignity of Christ, men will doubtless be reminded that the Church, founded by Christ as a perfect society, has a natural and inalienable right to perfect freedom and immunity from the power of the state; and that in fulfilling the task committed to her by God of teaching, ruling, and guiding to eternal bliss those who belong to the kingdom of Christ, she cannot be subject to any external power. The State is bound to extend similar freedom to the orders and communities of religious of either sex, who give most valuable help to the Bishops of the Church by laboring for the extension and the establishment of the kingdom of Christ. By their sacred vows they fight against the threefold concupiscence of the world; by making profession of a more perfect life they render the holiness which her divine Founder willed should be a mark and characteristic of his Church more striking and more conspicuous in the eyes of all.

32. Nations will be reminded by the annual celebration of this feast that not only private individuals but also rulers and princes are bound to give public honor and obedience to Christ. It will call to their minds the thought of the last judgment, wherein Christ, who has been cast out of public life, despised, neglected and ignored, will most severely avenge these insults; for his kingly dignity demands that the State should take account of the commandments of God and of Christian principles, both in making laws and in administering justice, and also in providing for the young a sound moral education.

33. The faithful, moreover, by meditating upon these truths, will gain much strength and courage, enabling them to form their lives after the true Christian ideal. If to Christ our Lord is given all power in heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by his precious blood, are by a new right subjected to his dominion; if this power embraces all men, it must be clear that not one of our faculties is exempt from his empire. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God.[35] If all these truths are presented to the faithful for their consideration, they will prove a powerful incentive to perfection. It is Our fervent desire, Venerable Brethren, that those who are without the fold may seek after and accept the sweet yoke of Christ, and that we, who by the mercy of God are of the household of the faith, may bear that yoke, not as a burden but with joy, with love, with devotion; that having lived our lives in accordance with the laws of God's kingdom, we may receive full measure of good fruit, and counted by Christ good and faithful servants, we may be rendered partakers of eternal bliss and glory with him in his heavenly kingdom.

34. Let this letter, Venerable Brethren, be a token to you of Our fatherly love as the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ draws near; and receive the Apostolic Benediction as a pledge of divine blessings, which with loving heart, We impart to you, Venerable Brethren, to your clergy, and to your people.

Given at St. Peter's Rome, on the eleventh day of the month of December, in the Holy Year 1925, the fourth of Our Pontificate.
REFERENCES:
1. Eph. iii, 9.
2. Dan. vii, 13-14.
3. Num. xxiv, 19.
4. Ps. ii.
5. Ps. xliv.
6. Ps. Ixxi.
7. Isa. ix, 6-7.
8. Jer. xxiii, 5.
9. Dan. ii, 44.
10. Dan. vii, 13-14.
11. Zach. ix, 9.
12. Luc. i, 32-33.
13. Matt. xxv, 31-40.
14. Joan. xviii, 37.
15. Matt. xxviii, 18.
16. Apoc. 1, 5.
17. Apoc. xix, 16.
18. Heb. 1, 2.
19. Cf. 1 Cor. xv, 25.
20. In huc. x.
21. I Pet. i, 18-19.
22. 1 Cor. vi, 20.
23. I Cor. vi, 15.
24. Conc. Trid. Sess. Vl, can. 21.
25. Joan. xiv, 15; xv, 10.
26. Joan. v, 22.
27. Hymn for the Epiphany.
28. Enc. Annum Sacrum, May 25, 1899.
29. Acts iv, 12.
30. S. Aug. Ep. ad Macedonium, c. iii.
31. Enc. Ubi Arcano.
32. I Cor.vii,23.
33. Enc. Annum Sanctum, May 25, 1899.
34. Sermo 47 de Sanctis.
35. Rom. vi, 13.

More on the time of grace from Mr. Mark Mallett...

Saturday, November 25, 2006

For Your Discernment...

Message to Josyp Terelya...

Mary Said: Our Son,The times have come which St. John had foretold - 'the time of times? The time has arrived to unveil the truth before the eyes of the christian faithful - the Truth which is the beginning of the great travails and tribulations, which inexorably seek to kill the soul of men. (Mt. 24,9: birth pangs; cf. Rev. 12.2)

The devil has seated himself on his throne, his altar. And he has now become the opponent of all good initiative. The antichrist has assumed total control over all human activity, possessing, as he does the might and power of his father, satan.

The evil spirits are leading the apostates into lawlessness and incredulity. The antichrist Is working actively through these evil spirits on the mind of man, conscious and subconscious. As a result man is led to commit yet greater crimes that distance him from Truth. The spirit of the antichrist has long since been operating through the mystery of lawlessness. He is becoming ever stronger in these hapless days.

The terrain is being prepared for the future 'benefactor' of mankind. Until now, the greatest obstacle in the final realization of the ideas of the antichrist is the Church of Christ, which alone is completely in unison with Divine revelation, and truly unveils the dark plans of satan.
In our times there are many dark forces and luciferian organizations that are working to undermine the Christian faith.

Christians must remember and know, that the choirs of the saints and martyrs of the Church are looking down upon you from the depths of history, questioning: why are you not defending your faith.

My children, as never before the servants of satan, the masons, are becoming active in their subversive efforts against the Church, the family and the nations of the world.
The father of the masons - the antichrist - stands over them. A liar and a thief from age to age. Having infiltrated the Church, the servants of the devil and the lawless one, have begun to eliminate actively from Christian prayers the invocations of the Archangel St. Michael, who is the patron of the Catholic Church.

His name is being removed from Masses and liturgical texts. Modern priests and bishops especially are destroying the statues of the Archangel, Saint Michael. They justify this as if this, take away from Christ, which is an outright lie.

Things are being done in the Church which are opposed to God: penitential practices are eliminated in Lent. Self-denial and penance are scoffed at. Instead, they preach the happy life and love of fame.

The Catholic masons are spreading the idea that Jesus Christ has already won heaven for us by His death on the cross, and that our human efforts are not required. They use modern priests to falsify the Holy Mass, so that nothing of holiness remain. The antichrist through these evil spirits is trying to raise doubts about the truth of the Eucharist. This is why the Pope blessed you to organize Eucharistic Congresses throughout the entire world. On September 17 this year you had the special grace with your wife to kneel before the Holy Father to receive his Papal blessing.

The enemies of the living God and of His Church are spreading the idea, that the blessed Eucharist is only, a symbol, and that Jesus is not present under the appearances of bread and wine during the Sacred Liturgy.

This is why they forbade the celebration of the Holy Mass In Latin. The antichrist has ordered his evil spirits, the masons, to undermine the authority of priests, comparing them to ordinary people. Women in churches walk around everywhere with their heads uncovered.
Modern priests are clamoring to have women serve during Holy Mass on the grounds of the constitution about the equality of the sexes; and are even to be admitted to the priesthood, through which they offend my Son. They are demanding full freedom to act for women as ministerial priests.

The antichrist is clamoring to forbid kneeling during the reception of Holy Communion, as though the spirit of democracy required this.
They tell children that God loves them just as they are and this is why children have full freedom to do as they wish.

The apostate women religious teach the children not to fold their hands devoutly during prayer, for God loves them as they are.
Many churches forbid organ music, and they have substituted modern music for this. Modern priests are doing everything they can to destroy a personal relationship of Jesus with those praying.

At the same time the satanists in the world are rapidly trying to destroy the economy and business. These are the panic signs of the antichrist. He knows that he cannot prevail over the Church. And defeat is coming upon him as never before. Great changes will shortly take place in the East, both the Near East and the North East. Russia will reveal its true face. Remember that you cannot enter into the same river twice. If you want to know a man today, don't judge him by his past events and old deeds. Because man is what he is really and truly only what he is at the present moment of contact with him. He changes very quickly and this is why you must reacquaint yourself with any-one at the moment of your present encounter.

To win time, the antichrist is spreading half truths about his position, to induce people to think that not everything is lost. I have already told you that you must look at their deeds if you want to know the servants of the devil.

There are many church organizations under the control of satan and they are not, in fact, defending the Church. Groups of somnolent Catholics are seeking to paralyze the spreading of truth about the antichrist. This is why the masons will ignore and persecute those visionaries that denounce satan and the works of the devil. Those will become renowned who present primitive visionary accounts about the activity of the antichrist, and will nowhere speak of the threat to mankind because of the large number of degenerates, that are struggling to the top for power over people. This is why you will be the only ones to recognize the truth.

Peace and happiness be with you. Amen.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Latest message from Rev. Albert Roux of the MMP

Marian Movement of Priests:


From the National Director…November 21, 2006
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dear MMP Family,

Greetings in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

URGENT. . . Pray for Our Pope

As many of you know, our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to make a pilgrimage to Turkey from November 28 to December 1, 2006.

In the wake of a speech he gave at the University of Regensburg, Germany, on Sept. 12 in which he quoted Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus, there has been a frenzy of anti-pope provocations and rhetoric because some Muslims misconstrued his inclusion of the quote as offensive against Islam and Mohammed. As a result, very strict security measures will be taken during this official visit.

The highest form of protection he can get will come as a result of our heightened prayers, fasting and sacrifices for his safety.
As members of the Marian Movement of Priests, on of the commi8tments that Our Lady asks of us is fidelity to the Holy Father.

"Of the faithful, who are supporters of my Movement, I ask:
"That they be faithful to the Pope and to the Church united with him, by a total obedience to his commands, anticipating and seconding his desires, spreading his teachings, defending him fro every attack, ready to fight even to the shedding of their blood in order to remain united to him and faithful to the Gospel
.

There will soon come a time when only those who are with the Pope will succeed in keeping the faith of my Son and being preserved from the great apostasy that will be spread everywhere." (#25 lm, November 1. 1973)

Especially of her priests, she asks the following: “This is what I want the priests of my Movement to be in the Church: they must be friends, consolers and defenders of the Pope.— Friends, because they will fill his solitude with much love and prayer.They will always stand by him even at that time when he will be greatly abandoned; they will carry the cross with him even when, as did my Son, he will have to climb the road of Calvary. Near the Pope on the cross and with me, the Mother, I want to find his dearest friends: the priests of my Movement.— Comforters, because they will alleviate his abandonment and his suffering and will not be afraid to share, as he does, the same fate that today awaits those whom I have prepared for the ultimate sacrifice for the salvation of the world.— Defenders, because they will always be faithful to him and will combat all those who challenge and calumniate him.You must be my cohort, ready to fight for the Church and the Pope. Thus you will remain faithful to the Gospel, and through you I will gain my great victory.” (23 l-s; October 30, 1973)

Our Holy Father is being criticized, both by members of his own Church and by outside entities. During this time Our Lady tells us that her voice alone is the voice we will listen to, and that her voice will repeat to us only that which the Pope, and the Church united to him, will proclaim. We have her assurance that her words are his! (see Message #67 below)

Heed, therefore, his teachings. Listen to his words. Put them into practice. “In the darkness which the Evil Spirit will spread everywhere, in the midst of the many false ideas which, propagated by the Spirit of Pride, will be asserted and followed by almost everyone, at that moment when everything in the Church will be called into question, and when even the Gospel of my Son will be proclaimed by some as a legend, you, my consecrated priests, will be my faithful sons: faithful to the Gospel, faithful to the Church, and the strength of your fidelity will come from your habit of entrusting yourselves to me alone and of remaining docile and obedient solely to my voice.Hence, it will not be the voice of this or that theologian, nor the teaching of this or that person — even though he gain widespread approbation — but my voice alone which you will listen to, O my sons. And my voice will repeat to you gently only that which the Pope and the Church united to him will proclaim.Faithful to my voice and that of the Pope, you will be the cohort prepared by me to defend his person, to disseminate his unheeded teachings, to comfort him in his abandonment and his solitude” (#67i-m, Jan. 4, 1975)

And in a very powerful message about the ministry of the Pope (#108- “Your Queen and Your Leader” given on August 22, 1976, the Feast of the Queenship of Mary), she is very emphatic in telling us that in order to belong to her cohort, we must be in union with the Pope!“Return, return, my priest-sons, to love, obedience and communion with the Pope! Only in this way can you belong to my cohort, of which I am the Queen and Leader.” She continues, telling us that she gives her “orders” through the voice of the Pope. “I am your Leader. You therefore, my beloved ones, must listen to my voice, be docile to my teachings and above all be prompt and obedient to my orders. I want to make of you sons who want to obey, who always know how to obey. Obedience and docility: this is the livery in which I wish to attire you. I will give my orders through the voice of him whom my Son has appointed to govern his Church: the Pope with the hierarchy united to him.

How my motherly Heart is wounded and saddened today to see that some priests and even some bishops no longer obey the orders of the Vicar of my Son Jesus! Every kingdom divided against itself is destined to defeat and ruin. These poor sons of mine who do not obey and who rebel are already victims of the most subtle and insidious kind of pride and are walking towards their death. How Satan, my Adversary from the beginning, is succeeding today in deceiving and seducing you!

He makes you believe that you are guardians of tradition and defenders of the faith, while he causes you to be the first to make shipwreck of your faith and leads you, all unaware, into error.

He makes you believe that the Pope is denying the truth, and thus Satan demolishes the foundation on which the Church is built and through which the truth is kept intact throughout the ages. He goes so far as to make you think that I myself have nothing to do with the Holy Father’s way of acting. And so, in my name, sharp criticisms aimed at the person and the work of the Holy Father are spread about.” (#108 j-u, August 22, 1976)

The last recorded words of the Blessed Mother in the Gospels, spoken to the servants at the Wedding Feast of Cana, were: “Do whatever he tells you.” (Jn 2:5) As she is silent so that we can listen to the words of her Son, so also is she is silent at the voice of the Pope so that “it might be heard by all.” “I was silent at my Son’s voice; I was silent at the voice of the Apostles. I am now lovingly silent at the voice of the Pope: that it might be disseminated more and more, that it might be heard by all, that it might be received into souls.”Priests, sons of my maternal predilection, be prudent, be attentive, be enlightened because the darkness is invading everything. How can the Mother publicly criticize the decisions of the Pope, when he alone has the special grace for the exercise of this sublime ministry?I was silent at my Son’s voice; I was silent at the voice of the Apostles. I am now lovingly silent at the voice of the Pope: that it might be disseminated more and more, that it might be heard by all, that it might be received into souls.

This is why I am very close to the person of this first of my beloved sons, the Vicar of my Son Jesus. By my silence, I am helping him to speak. By my silence, I am lending strength to his own words. Return, return, my priest-sons, to love, obedience and communion with the Pope! Only in this way can you belong to my cohort, of which I am the Queen and Leader. Only in this way can you hear my orders, which I will give through the very voice of the Pope. Only in this way can you fight along with me for the assured victory; otherwise, you are already marching toward defeat.” (#108v-E, August 22, 1976)

The Power of Her Name

Now, more than ever, we must publicly invoke the name of Mary to combat these attacks against the Church. Proclaim her name throughout the day – as you work, as you rest, as you pray the Rosary. Proclaim that every grain of sand, every raindrop, every snowflake praise their Holy Names. Implore her to protect Our Holy Father - she who was born “terrible as an army in battle array.” (cf. Sg 6:10) When the Turks laid siege to the city of Vienna, it was Our Lady who saved the Christian world from its destruction. She tells us, — “In the name of your heavenly Mother, yes, in the name of Mary, the Turks were defeated, when they laid siege to the city of Vienna and threatened to invade and destroy the whole Christian world. They were far superior in strength, in numbers and in weapons, and they felt that their victory was assured. But I was publicly invoked and called upon; my name was inscribed upon their banners and shouted out by the soldiers, and thus through my intercession, there took place the miracle of this victory which saved the Christian world from its destruction. It is for this reason that the Pope instituted, on this day, the feast of the Name of Mary.

— In the name of Mary, Marxist communism, which for decades had been exercising its rule and holding so many of my poor children in oppressive and bloody slavery, has been defeated in these countries. Not because of political movements or persons, but through my personal intervention, has your liberation finally come about.It will again be in the name of Mary that I will bring to completion my work with the defeat of Masonry, of every diabolical force, of materialism, and of practical atheism, so that all humanity will be able to attain its encounter with the Lord and be thus purified and completely renewed, with the triumph of my Immaculate Heart in the world.It is for this reason that I desire that the feast in honor of the name of Mary be restored, now that you are entering into the fiercest moments of the struggle and the most painful stage of the great tribulation.” (#456c-f, Sept. 12, 1991)

Her task is that of conquering Satan: “I am terrible as an army drawn up in battle array, because the task which has beenentrusted to me by the Lord is that of conquering Satan; of crushing the head of the ancient serpent; of enchaining the huge Red Dragon and of casting him into his abyss of fire; ofstruggling with and of defeating the one who opposes himself to Christ, namely theAntichrist, in order to prepare the second coming of Jesus, who will restore his gloriousreign among you.” (#431f)

As of now, the great apostasy is indeed upon us and the entire world is in the grips of the spirit of the Antichrist. There are disorders and evils on all levels: natural, religious, social and political. The laws of God have been violated by the legalization of abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research using human embryos, same-sex marriage, etc. The earth has been shaken by natural disasters. The Church has been in crisis because of the clergy scandal. The markets are volatile. Humanity has made gods of money, power, prestige and pornography. We are living in times worse than those of Sodom and Gomorrah. We are indeed a depraved humanity. The evil one and his minions think they have secured the victory. But God is allowing all of this to occur because he is still offering his mercy to those who are far away. He sends us his Mother to beg her children to return to the Lord of our salvation. Even amidst all the evils we are experiencing in our country and throughout the world, I remind you of what Our Lady told Fr. Gobbi in 1973, on the anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. The following is taken from message #29, “The Triumph of My Immaculate Heart.” In fact at the very moment when Satan will be enthroned as lord of the world and will think himself now the sure victor, I myself will snatch the prey from his hands. In a trice he will find himself empty-handed, and in the end the victory will be exclusively my Son’s and mine. This will be the triumph of my Immaculate Heart in the world. (#29g, December 19, 1973)

Her Times Have Arrived

In 1987, Our Lady gave a dire message to her priests who were gathered in Valdragone (San Marino) for their annual spiritual exercises in the form of a continuous cenacle. Given the state of our country and that of the world, it bears repeating here. Following are excerpts from this message, “My Times Have Arrived.” “…Come back, O humanity so far away and depraved; come back along the road of conversion and of a return to the Lord of your salvation! These are the times of my great admonition, and you are here because I want to make you instruments of this appeal of mine.As you go down from this mountain, to all whom you will meet in all the countries to which you will return, you must proclaim and spread this motherly, anxious and urgent message of mine: Come back immediately to the God of salvation and of peace! The time that is granted to you for your conversion is almost over; the days are counted. Walk along the road of return to the Lord if you want to be saved.These are the times of the great chastisement. The cup of divine justice is full, is more than full, is flowing over.Iniquity covers the whole earth; the Church is darkened by the spread of apostasy and of sin. The Lord, for the triumph of his mercy, must as of now purify with his strong action of justice and of love. The most painful, most bloody hours are in preparation for you. These times are closer than you think. (…)These are the times of the great mercy: they are therefore the times of the triumph of my Immaculate Heart. It is for this that I have again wanted you up here. Now you must go down to be the apostles of my message. Bring to every part of the earth my pressing request to gather together, all of you, in the cenacle of my Immaculate Heart, to prepare yourselves to live the awaited vigil of the new times which are now at the doors.Do not become discouraged by the difficulties which you encounter. I am your comfort. I am the Mother of Consolation. One by one, I welcome you and with you the souls who are entrusted to you, your dear ones, the persons whom you love, your brothers who are furthest away.

Do not forget anyone; come to me together, because I am the Mother of all, and you are only the instruments, chosen by me, to bring all my children to my Immaculate Heart.With your dear ones, with those who have been entrusted to you, I bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (#357, July 3, 1987)

Our Lady often speaks of the state of blatant and total disregard for human life to which our country has been reduced, but she promises that there is still time to make reparation to the bleeding and wounded Hearts of her and her Son. To be saved, we need to enter into the ark that she gives us…her Immaculate Heart. The following is taken from another message also titled “My Times Have Arrived,” given in Effingham, Illinois during the 1994 clergy retreat with Fr. Gobbi: “My times have arrived.And so I invite you to follow me along the road of prayer and penance, of purity and holiness.See how your countries have become victims of materialism and of the unbridled search for pleasure! The Law of God is being more and more violated. Impurity is being advertised through all the means of social communication. Recourse is being had to every means of impeding life. Abortions are increasing everywhere and are being legitimized by unjust and immoral laws.My times have arrived.Tell everyone to enter into the ark of my Immaculate Heart, in order to be protected and saved by me. I request that you multiply your cenacles of prayer among priests, among children, among youth, and especially in families.

I have been consoled by the very great response which I received in Canada and in the United States during these cenacles. Never before have they seen a participation in such great numbers, on the part of both priests and faithful.

Because of the generous response which I am receiving everywhere from my littlest children, I promise to intervene to save you in the hour of the great trial.My maternal presence among you is the sure sign of protection and of salvation.Open your hearts therefore to hope, and live in the greatest trust and in complete abandonment to my Immaculate Heart.With your dear ones, and with the persons entrusted to you, I bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (#529 l-u, October 13, 1994)

And in another powerful message, “My Motherly Action”, given in Fatima on the Vigil of the Solemnity of Christ the King, she reminds us that, “ where Satan has conquered, [she is] achieving the greatest triumph. “Beloved children, let yourselves be led by me at each moment, and always second the desires of my Immaculate Heart. In silence and hiddeness your heavenly Mother is now carrying out her great loving plan. This is the hour of my battle. With you, I have now begun to attack my Adversary precisely where he seems to have, for the moment, won a victory. Where Satan has demolished, I am building. Where Satan has wounded, I am healing. Where Satan has conquered, I am achieving the greatest triumph. In this, my motherly action becomes visible to all. I am Mother, and my action comes from the depths of my Immaculate Heart to help all those children who are at present in great difficulties. Above all, my love wishes to manifest itself in an extraordinary manner to those who have strayed and who are in grave danger of being eternally lost. It is in this motherly action of mine that there shines forth all the love of God, who wishes to let pour out upon the world the torrents of his merciful love. The time has come when the desert of this world will be renewed by the merciful love of the Father who, in the Holy Spirit, desires to draw all to the divine Heart of the Son so that his reign of truth and grace, of love, of justice and peace may at last shine in the world. The Church and the world will thus be able to attain a splendor which they have never before known. And that his mercy might shine forth all the more, God has entrusted the preparation of this renewal to my motherly action. It is my desire that the time be shortened, because each day many souls are being eternally lost! How many souls are going to hell...because people no longer pray, because sin increases and reparation for it is no longer made, because error is followed with such ease! I can shorten the time of the great purification through you, the apostles of light of my Immaculate Heart...” (#164a-p, November 25, 1978)

The Powers of Hell Will Not Prevail So you see, as I have often repeated in my newsletters and talks, the battle has been won. We need not fear that the forces of evil will triumph because we have the assurance that the gates of Hell will never prevail over the Church. (cf. Mt 16:18) Our Lady confirms this in message #565, “The Powers of Hell Will Not Prevail,” given on February 22, 1996, Feast of the Chair of Peter:“Jesus has founded his Church upon the solid rock of the Apostle Peter. To Peter, Jesus has given the task of being the foundation of the Church and of safeguarding all her truth. For Peter, Jesus has prayed, that his faith might remain intact throughout the whole course of human history. To Peter, He has given the sure guarantee of his victory: the powers of hell will not prevail.—The powers of hell will not prevail. The task entrusted to Peter is handed down to his successors. Thus the Pope becomes today the foundation upon which the Church is built, the center where there converge her charity and assurance to ever maintain intact the deposit of faith.—The powers of hell will not prevail, despite the fact that my Adversary has broken loose in order to bring you to a breakdown of charity. For this, he launches a strong attack on the Pope, who presides over all the charity of the Church. And so, division has entered into her very own structure. Above all in the division which often sets bishops against bishops, priests against priests, faithful against faithful, Satan has succeeded in building up his triumph.But the powers of hell will not prevail, because, after the painful period of the purification and the great tribulation, the Church will shine forth in all her light of charity, of unity and of holiness. And this will be one of the greatest benefits which my motherly love will bring to the Church.—The powers of hell will not prevail, even if now they have reached the point of contesting the Pope, of opposing him openly and of rejecting his Magisterium. Thus, errors are being spread about which draw many away from the true faith, and sects are being propagated which draw to themselves many children of the Church. Never as in Latin America has the great spread of the sects represented such a victory on the part of the powers of hell, who appear to have the upper hand.

But I am calling all my children to the greatest fidelity to the Catholic Church; I am instilling in them a love for the Church, zeal for her unity, passion for her holiness, and strength for her work of evangelization.

And thus, through those who are consecrating themselves to my Immaculate Heart, I am bringing to nothing all the effort which Satan is exerting, in his attempt to draw many of my children away from the one and only Church instituted by my Son Jesus. And by means of my extraordinary and motherly intervention, once again, the powers of hell will not prevail.The power of Christ will be revealed, when He brings his reign of glory into the Church, and then all the powers of hell will be imprisoned, so that they will no longer be able to do any more harm in the world. Then the holy Church of God will be able to pour out upon all the nations of the earth the greatest splendor of her truth and her holiness.” (565 b-c, f-k)

The Times of the Great Mercy We will, however, have to live through the hours of the purification and the tribulation, but the chastisement can be mitigated by means of our prayers and a sincere return to the law of God. And while the tempest rages and evil runs rampant, our prayer must be one of compassion and caring for every single human being created in the image and likeness of God. Does He not want each one of us saved? He has extended his time of mercy so that, by our prayers, we can help win back the souls of the most hardened sinners. “And so bring all my children into the refuge of my Immaculate Heart; call them; take them by the hand; do not forget anyone. Beloved sons, see along your roads those who are far away, the little ones, the poor, those cast aside, the persecuted, the sinners, the drug addicts, those who are victims of the reign of Satan. I want to save all my children. I have need of you because I want to save them through you. In the time of the chastisement, they must be protected and defended; they must be helped and consoled. Why do you not want to heed my voice which is imploring you this evening to go everywhere so as to gather the weakest, the littlest, the most fragile, those who are suffering most, those who are furthest away, those who are lost. Bring them all to me because I want them all in the secure refuge of my Immaculate Heart.These are the times of the great return. Yes, after the time of the great suffering, there will be the time of the great rebirth, and all will blossom again. Humanity will again be a new garden of life and of beauty and the Church, a family enlightened by truth, nourished by grace, consoled by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Jesus will restore his glorious reign. He will dwell with you, and you will know the new times, the new era. You will at last see a new earth and new heavens.These are the times of the great mercy. The Father thrills with ardor and wills to pour out upon this poor humanity the torrents of his infinite love. The Father wants to mold with his hands a new creation where his divine imprint will be more visible, welcomed and received and his fatherhood exalted and glorified by all. The breath of this new creation will be the breath of the love of the Father who will be glorified by all, while the fullness of his divine love will spread everywhere in an increasingly fuller way, like water which gushes from a living and inexhaustible fount.And Jesus will reign: Jesus for whom all has been created, Jesus who became incarnate, who became your Brother, who lived with you, who suffered and died on the Cross to redeem humanity and bring it to a new creation and so that his reign might gradually be disseminated in hearts, in souls, in individuals, in families and in all society.Jesus, who has taught you the prayer to invoke the coming of the reign of God upon earth, will at last see fulfilled this prayer of his, because He will restore his reign. And creation will again be a new garden where Christ will be glorified by all, and his divine kingship will be welcomed and exalted. It will be a universal reign of grace, of beauty, of harmony, of communion, of holiness, of justice and of peace.The great mercy will come to you as a burning fire of love and will be brought by the Holy Spirit, who is given to you by the Father and the Son, so that the Father may see Himself glorified and the Lord Jesus may feel Himself loved by all his brothers.The Holy Spirit will come down as fire, but in a manner different from his first coming: it will be a fire which will burn and transform everything, which will sanctify and renew the earth from its foundations. It will open hearts to a new reality of life and lead all souls to a fullness of holiness and of grace. You will know a love that is so great and a sanctity that is so perfect that it will be such as you had never known before. It is in this that the Spirit will be glorified: in bringing everyone to the greatest love for the Father and for the Son.” (#357n-t, “My Times Have Arrived,” July 3, 1987)

And you will never be in darkness if you walk always in the light that shines forth from her Immaculate Heart: “My beloved sons, the more this darkness will descend upon the world and into the Church, the clearer will be the light which will shine forth from my Immaculate Heart to show you the way. Walk in this light. Thus you will always be filled with light (…) the more you see darkness enveloping everything, the more brilliant will be the light of my presence among you.” (#116mnt, Jan. 1, 1977)

What comforting words! “…the more you see darkness enveloping everything, the more brilliant will be the light of my presence among you.” As little children, we run into the arms of Our Blessed Mother who will pour soothing balm on our wounds and give us the courage and strength to pick ourselves up and realize that what seem like major defeats are merely the precursor of what will be a blazing victory, and the fire of truth and justice will never again be extinguished. Turn to her; entrust yourselves to her; allow her to be your guiding light in the midst of this great spiritual darkness. Soon we will see her rays of light burn through the dense fog of a world that has distanced itself from God, and the sunlight will become stronger as a new day dawns. We have only to be patient. Let us encourage each other as we wait for the brilliance of this sun that will burn through all that is evil and give us a “new day” that will never end. As I impart God’s choicest blessings upon each and every one of you, I assure you of my prayers,Peace and blessing +

Fr. Albert G. RouxRev. Albert G. RouxNational Director

Monday, November 20, 2006

From Mr. Michael Brown at Spirit Daily:


A MATTER TO DISCERN: FROM APPARITION TO EXORCISMS WERE CLAIMS ON AN ANTI-CHRIST

When we left off, we were speaking about the claims from exorcists and others that a special evil entered the world during the past two centuries and especially the claim that it occurred since the pontificate of Pius IX -- who tirelessly fought the heresies of the 19th century (and instituted the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception).

As he himself said, "Since we have fallen on these evil times let us take care first and foremost, as good soldiers of Christ, not to lose heart. Indeed, in the very storms in which we are tossed, there is a certain hope of achieving future tranquility and greater serenity in the Church."
So tumultuous were those times that for a while Pius was forced to flee Rome. He faced a myriad of other challenges, challenges that continued after his pontificate and remain with us in ways that seem to be intensifying.

At LaSalette, France, where Mary appeared in 1846 -- the same year that Pius rose to the Throne of Peter -- a "secret" prophecy related that "in the year 1864, Lucifer, together with a large number of demons, will be unloosed from hell. They will put an end to faith little by little, even in those dedicated to God. They will blind them in such a way that, unless they are blessed with a special grace, these people will take on the spirit of the angels of hell; several religious institutions will lose all faith and will lose many souls." As we have noted, the year 1864 was smack in the middle of Pius IX's pontificate, which was the longest in history (1846-1878).

While the Church declared the apparition itself and an initial prophecy (concerning a coming famine and disease) as authentic, the secret portion referred to above was treated separately and has gone through both acceptance and rejection. Among a long list of coming evils, it asserted that many priests would fall away from the Church and that convents would no longer be houses of God but rather "the grazing ground of Asmodeus" (a pagan idol).

"It will be during this time," said the controversial part of LaSalette, "that the anti-christ will be born of a Hebrew nun, a false virgin who will communicate with the old serpent, the master of impurity."

He would perform wonders, said a message conveyed by seer Melanie Mathieu, and would have brothers who would "each lead armies."
At this time, claimed Melanie, "the seasons will be altered" and "the anti-christ will perform great wonders on earth and in the atmosphere." He would be preceded, it was said, by "ten kings of the anti-christ" as "the wicked will give themselves over to all kinds of sin."
The Church would be in "eclipse."

From this would precipitate an anti-christ, several mystics have discerned, and such was also claimed by evil spirits that were commanded to speak during exorcisms conducted by Father Theophilus Riesinger, a well-respected and especially holy twentieth-century priest (1868-1941) who said an evil spirit spoke through the mouth of a woman in 1928 while she was going through a famous and unusually difficult deliverance in Earling, Iowa. During those sessions, Father Theophilus ordered the demons to answer certain questions -- including queries about anti-christ.

"It must be clearly borne in mind that the questions directed to the devil and the answers given by him were by no means an entertaining dialogue between the evil spirits and the exorcist," wrote Father Carl Vogl in Begone Satan!, a booklet about the exorcism. "On occasions a long time intervened before an answer could be forced out of Satan."

But certain answers led the exorcist to a particular conclusion.
"Father Theophilus, who has had nineteen cases of possession under his care within recent years, seems convinced that present indications point to the beginning of a great battle between Christ and anti-christ," wrote Vogl, who said that at one point when Father Theophilus tried to banish the devil, he refused to go, mentioning that he had to prepare the way for the anti-christ.

As at LaSalette, Father Theophilus believed that this "anti-christ" would "perform wonderful deeds and false miracles." He saw the anti-christ as a person controlled by a demon calling itself Judas.

"At one time Satan became rather talkative about the anti-christ," wrote Vogl. "When asked whether he meant that the furious rage of the anti-christ would be directed against the Church of God, he asserted that such was self-evident and insolently continued: 'Yes, Satan is already abroad, and the anti-christ is already born in Palestine. (On another occasion he also mentioned America.) But he is still young. He must first grow up incognito before his power can become known."

These are strong claims in need of discernment. A "young" man in 1928 (when the exorcism occurred) would now be in his nineties! So too did an expert on exorcism from Germany state that due to evil in the world, "it almost seems that the millennium mentioned in Apocalypse 20:7 is at hand" (he wrote about a period in the late 1800s).

Can we trust anything out of the mouths of demons, which by definition are "deceiving spirits"?
The argument: when commanded to speak the truth by an exorcist, they must do precisely that.

Are there various "anti-christs"? Was Hitler, was Stalin, was Mao an "antichrist"?
The only place in the Bible where the word "anti-christ" is actually used is 2 John, and it is employed there in the plural. There it is defined as someone who denies that Christ is the Son of God.

Anne Catherine Emmerich, the famed mystic from Germany, saw a wave of evil beginning "fifty or sixty years" before the year 2000 -- which precisely fits with the time frame leading up to the notorious Sixties.

Is that different from the one of a century earlier -- is it a subsequent episode -- or a heightened part of the same surge of evil?
When Pius IX's successor, Leo XIII, had a famous vision in 1884 in which it is said he heard the devil ask for a 100 years of extended power with which to test mankind, was a hundred years to be taken literally, and if so, did that too relate to the period announced at LaSalette just twenty years before? In Ecuador, a seer claimed in the 1990s that the anti-christ was a young man.

Whatever turns out to be the truth, there is no doubt that we live in special times and no doubt that there has been an upwelling of evil that presents us both grief and challenges. Just before he was made Pope, John Paul II was quoted as saying that our time is an "apocalyptic" one in which good and evil are battling each other and one of his very last writings, to youth, mentioned that "darkness" seemed to be gathering -- and enveloping the planet. He was to speak further on this the Sunday after he died.

But he also held a rosary as the remedy.
And as Pius IX -- Blessed Pius -- said: "Let us arouse ourselves and the toiling clergy and laity, propped up by Divine help and inspired by that most noble statement of Chrysostom: 'Many waves and dire storms press on but we do not fear lest we be submerged, for we stand on a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot dissolve the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the bark of Christ. Nothing is stronger than the Church. The Church is stronger than the heavens. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words will not pass away. What words? Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.'"


Read more from Michael Brown at: http://www.spiritdaily.com

Paul.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

True Devotion to Mary

The person who wishes to be led by this spirit of Mary:

p. 259 1) Should renounce his own spirit, his own views and his own will before doing anything, for example, before making meditation, celebrating or attending Mass, before Communion. For the darkness of our own spirit and the evil tendencies of our own will and actions, good as they may seem to us, would hinder the holy spirit of Mary were we to follow them.

2) We should give ourselves up to the spirit of Mary to be moved and directed as she wishes. We should place and leave ourselves in her virginal hands, like a tool in the hands of a craftsman or a lute in the hands of a good musician. We should cast ourselves into her like a stone thrown into the sea. This is done easily and quickly by a mere thought, a slight movement of the will or just a few words as, "I renounce myself and give myself to you, my dear Mother." And even if we do not experience any emotional fervour in this spiritual encounter it is none the less real. It is just as if a person with equal sincerity were to say - which God forbid! - "I give myself to the devil." Even though this were said without feeling any emotion, he would no less really belong to the devil.

3) From time to time during an action and after it, we should renew this same act of offering and of union. The more we do so, the quicker we shall grow in holiness and the sooner we shall reach union with Christ, which necessarily follows upon union with Mary, since the spirit of Mary is the spirit of Jesus.

With Mary

p. 260. We must do everything with Mary, that is to say, in all our actions we must look upon Mary, although a simple human being, as the perfect model of every virtue and perfection, fashioned by the Holy Spirit for us to imitate, as far as our limited capacity allows. In every action then we should consider how Mary performed it or how she would perform it if she were in our place. For this reason, we must examine and meditate on the great virtues she practised during her life, especially:

1) Her lively faith, by which she believed the angel's word without the least hesitation, and believed faithfully and constantly even to the foot of the Cross on Calvary.

2) Her deep humility, which made her prefer seclusion, maintain silence, submit to every eventuality and put herself in the last place.

3) Her truly divine purity, which never had and never will have its equal on this side of heaven.

And so on for her other virtues.

Remember what I told you before, that Mary is the great, unique mould of God, designed to make living images of God at little expense and in a short time. Anyone who finds this mould and casts himself into it, is soon transformed into our Lord because it is the true likeness of him.

In Mary

p. 261. We must do everything in Mary. To understand this we must realise that the Blessed Virgin is the true earthly paradise of the new Adam and that the ancient paradise was only a symbol of her. There are in this earthly paradise untold riches, beauties, rarities and delights, which the new Adam, Jesus Christ, has left there. It is in this paradise that he "took his delights" for nine months, worked his wonders and displayed his riches with the magnificence of God himself. This most holy place consists of only virgin and immaculate soil from which the new Adam was formed with neither spot nor stain by the operation of the Holy Spirit who dwells there. In this earthly paradise grows the real Tree of Life which bore our Lord, the fruit of Life, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which bore the Light of the world.
In this divine place there are trees planted by the hand of God and watered by his divine unction which have borne and continue to bear fruit that is pleasing to him. There are flower-beds studded with a variety of beautiful flowers of virtue, diffusing a fragrance which delights even the angels. Here there are meadows verdant with hope, impregnable towers of fortitude, enchanting mansions of confidence and many other delights.

Only the Holy Spirit can teach us the truths that these material objects symbolise. In this place the air is perfectly pure. There is no night but only the brilliant day of the sacred humanity, the resplendent, spotless sun of the Divinity, the blazing furnace of love, melting all the base metal thrown into it and changing it into gold. There the river of humility gushes forth from the soil, divides into four branches and irrigates the whole of this enchanted place. These branches are the four cardinal virtues.

262. The Holy Spirit speaking through the Fathers of the Church, also calls our Lady the Eastern Gate, through which the High Priest, Jesus Christ, enters and goes out into the world. Through this gate he entered the world the first time and through this same gate he will come the second time.

The Holy Spirit also calls her the Sanctuary of the Divinity, the Resting-Place of the Holy Spirit, the Throne of God, the City of God, the Altar of God, the Temple of God, the World of God. All these titles and expressions of praise are very real when related to the different wonders the Almighty worked in her and the graces which he bestowed on her. What wealth and what glory! What a joy and a privilege for us to enter and dwell in Mary, in whom almighty God has set up the throne of his supreme glory!

p. 263. But how difficult it is for us to have the freedom, the ability and the light to enter such an exalted and holy place. This place is guarded not by a cherub, like the first earthly paradise, but by the Holy Spirit himself who has become its absolute Master. Referring to her, he says: "You are an enclosed garden, my sister, my bride, an enclosed garden and a sealed fountain." Mary is enclosed. Mary is sealed. The unfortunate children of Adam and Eve driven from the earthly paradise, can enter this new paradise only by a special grace of the Holy Spirit which they have to merit.

264. When we have obtained this remarkable grace by our fidelity, we should be delighted to remain in Mary. We should rest there peacefully, rely on her confidently, hide ourselves there with safety, and abandon ourselves unconditionally to her, so that within her virginal bosom:

1) We may be nourished with the milk of her grace and her motherly compassion.
2) We may be delivered from all anxiety, fear and scruples.
3) We may be safeguarded from all our enemies, the devil, the world and sin which have never gained admittance there. That is why our Lady says that those who work in her will not sin, that is, those who dwell spiritually in our Lady will never commit serious sin.

4) We may be formed in our Lord and our Lord formed in us, because her womb is, as the early Fathers call it, the house of the divine secrets where Jesus and all the elect have been conceived. "This one and that one were born in her."

For Mary

265. Finally, we must do everything for Mary. Since we have given ourselves completely to her service, it is only right that we should do everything for her as if we were her personal servant and slave. This does not mean that we take her for the ultimate end of our service for Jesus alone is our ultimate end. But we take Mary for our proximate end, our mysterious intermediary and the easiest way of reaching him.

Like every good servant and slave we must not remain idle, but, relying on her protection, we should undertake and carry out great things for our noble Queen. We must defend her privileges when they are questioned and uphold her good name when it is under attack. We must attract everyone, if possible, to her service and to this true and sound devotion. We must speak up and denounce those who distort devotion to her by outraging her Son, and at the same time we must apply ourselves to spreading this true devotion. As a reward for these little services, we should expect nothing in return save the honour of belonging to such a lovable Queen and the joy of being united through her to Jesus, her Son, by a bond that is indissoluble in time and in eternity. Glory to Jesus in Mary! Glory to Mary in Jesus! Glory to God alone!


- St. Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary.

Chastisement

Mr. Russell Pond, a friend of mine from Nashua, New Hampshire, just forwarded to me the latest edition of his publication The St. Michael Brigade Newsletter. In this edition, he reminds his readers that, "As of today a estimated 40,086,075 american babies have been murdered by abortion since jan 22 1973."

And yet, there are still Catholics who insist that "all is well" and that anyone who says otherwise is being "negative" or "judgmental." Add to this the fact that our society continues to push for same-sex "marriage" and the acceptance of various forms of pornography and it is easy to see (unless you are spiritually blind) that our society is in crisis and on the edge of an abyss.

Is a great chastisement coming? There are signs that such a chastisement is just around the corner. Recently, Mr. Michael Brown authored an article on chastisement and the world's hostility toward that concept:


As Events Intensify, Media, Reacts With Frenzy To Any Mention Of Chastisement
One has to smile, how any mention of God's "judgment" these days draws an explosive response. Obviously, the devil does not want the public-at-large to know anything about the concept of chastisement.

That's not to say it hasn't been used in the wrong manner. We have long had a problem with the way Reverend Pat Robertson of Virginia expresses himself, and there was a strange juxtaposition of spontaneous remarks earlier this week by New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin (who proclaimed that the hurricanes occurred because God is unhappy with the U.S., at the same time that he vowed to keep his city "chocolate").

But the vitriol with which the secular media react to any notion of God allowing events to come as purification remains intriguing and has increased as those events have become all the more apparent.

The new tactic is to quote a liberal preacher from somewhere as citing a scripture that talks about how no one can know the Mind of God. In context, of course, that's true; no one can know the full thoughts of the Lord; although it's also true that in event after event, the prophets pronounced just such happenings in biblical times (especially to do with Israel, Egypt, and Babylon). Have we in the modern era developed a wisdom that transcends those who founded Judeo-Christianity (see here)?

To dispense of the notion of "chastisement" -- of God punishing, for example, a nation -- is to dispense of most Old Testament prophets.

Clumsiness? Yes. But the attempt to intimidate Christians from discussing purification won't work, especially as events grow increasingly intense. For the time being, the secularists have even influenced many in the "mainstream" religious media. "Chastisement" is high on the list of words that are politically and now religiously "incorrect." This is especially ironic in light of remarks from Archbishop Philip Hannan, the most famous bishop in the history of New Orleans and still a prominent figure in retirement. Soon after "Katrina," the archbishop, who is known as the "pope of New Orleans," pronounced the hurricane "a Divine chastisement." The same was mentioned by a New Orleans councilman, a state legislator in Mississippi, and a former Louisiana state senator, among others who had the nerve.

"I keep telling people, you have got to talk about this chastisement, you've got to let not only your children and grandchildren, but other people know about it -- the others who have not gone through it, how much of a penance it was," said Archbishop Hannan, a bishop emeritus. "To come back to your home and find it destroyed is an enormous shock, not only to the father and the mother, but to the children. Because this is the worst storm in our history, it should become part of our heritage. We should tell our descendants just how terrible it was so they will understand that it was a chastisement and should improve our morality."

That quote, you saw hardly anywhere. Had the New Orleans archbishop emeritus said the storm was not a chastisement, of course, it would have been on network news. Don't mention chastisement because doing so would point out problems with society and underscore the cost of sin. Even Catholic media back away from this. As a pro-life website has pointed out, in the Gospel of Luke at chapter 13, Jesus Himself spoke of a disaster, noting that those who perished were not more evil than others, but that it was a warning for all to repent. 'Or those eighteen upon whom the tower fell in Siloe, and slew them: think you, that they also were debtors above all the men that dwelt in Jerusalem? No, I say to you; but except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish.'"

It is not so much God punishing us, but the fact that our darkness erupts in the nature around us. The good and evil suffer alike. Let us pray for the people of Louisiana and Mississippi, at this time when many have forgotten them. Meanwhile, we continue to bear concerns about future events. It's chilling to note the extent of animal cloning, and it is chilling to see a recent statistic showing that forty percent of all pregnancies in New York City are aborted. This is similar to the reproductive horrors of China. Let us be politically incorrect and loudly: God in His Mercy is going to allow events to purify us.

We have to be careful. There remains much in the way of errant prophecy. We tried to point that out two weeks ago by citing an alleged "seer" who was calling for events to occur on the Epiphany. To our surprise, some readers did not understand the warning: Stay away from anything that is too specific. The devil plays both sides. He is a man of extremes. He is also presumptuous, so stay away from prophecies that seem presumptuous. It is a dangerous time, because at the same moment that false seers have risen on all sides, the credibility of bishops, who are charged with controlling such visions, has frighteningly decreased in the wake of scandal (and because so much of the supernatural is rejected out of hand). They must still be strictly obeyed.

But there is a prophetic pulse, and it is beating through the general populace.

"A few years ago I was lying in bed putting my son to sleep," wrote Bianca Hendicott. "I was not asleep. In my mind but before my eyes I saw tables and chairs as if strewn in destruction. On two tables sat two bibles or bible like books which opened with a great light which went up into the heavens. Then I saw flashes of other things I can't entirely recall. Then, lastly and most distinctly (as I cannot get this image out of my head), I saw the earth, a globe, surrounded by a watch like the ring around Saturn. I remember as if it was yesterday thinking the time of Our Lord is at hand."

Many continue to believe that time has "sped" up. "I am chronically sick and mainly in bed most days," wrote Rebecca Leech of New Zealand. "I do not have a fast-paced life, but instead one that should go very slowly. Yet I am finding the days rushing by at the rate of knots and feel something is up. My mother was talking about how she used to have a routine before she would go to work and everything would be planned. She can no longer fit in this 'routine,' yet the time she goes to work is exactly the same as it ever was."

Many are those with "messages" out there. Most of them are more like personal meditations. The pure locutions are rare. But there is truth in thoughts of inspiration. Our intuitions are speaking to us.

It's just that the devil doesn't want us to hear.


And many indeed don't hear. Caught up in a consumer society, a materialistic society, a hedonistic society, too many people - Catholics included - are more intent on their next meal, what's on television, or what they will purchase at the mall. Witness the mad rush for the new "playstation." If only people had the same zeal for Holy Mass and the other sacraments.

Although the parking lot at my local mall is almost always filled to capacity, many churches are not. And what about the sacrament of Penance? I make it a practice to confess regularly and no matter which parish I frequent to receive this most precious sacrament, I am almost always the only one there. At one parish alone will I see a few other Catholics in attendance to receive absolution. And why is this? Because our society has lost the very sense of sin.

Pollyanna "Catholics" view those of us who are witnessing to our faith as "rigid," "too dogmatic," too "pre-Vatican II," and "judgmental." But there is nothing "judgmental" about crying out "danger" when we witness another individual (or a society) rushing headlong toward a cliff. An authentic charity is always rooted in truth. Only a perverse notion of "charity" leaves the individual or a society comfortable in their sins.

Charity is primarily the love of God and secondarily the love of neighbor for God's sake. Reflect on paragraph 1822 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We are commanded by Our Lord to read the signs of the times:

Jesus said to his disciples:"In those days after that tribulationthe sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken."And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds'with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angelsand gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky."Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves,you know that summer is near.In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Mark 13: 24-32).

Paul.

Friday, November 17, 2006

St. Louis de Montfort's Prayer to Mary


Hail Mary, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father. Hail Mary, admirable Mother of the Son. Hail Mary, faithful Spouse of the Holy Ghost. Hail Mary, my Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign. Hail, my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul. Thou art all mine by mercy, and I am thine by justice. But I am not yet sufficiently thine. I now give myself wholly to thee without keeping anything back for myself or others. If thou seest anything in me which does not belong to thee, I beseech thee to take it and make thyself the absolute Mistress of all that is mine.

Destroy in me all that may displease God; root it up and bring it to nought. Place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to thee. May the light of thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind. May thy profound humility take the place of my pride; may thy sublime contemplation check the distractions of my wandering imagination.

May the continuous sight of God fill my memory with His Presence; may the burning love of thy heart inflame the lukewarmness of mine. May thy virtues take the place of my sins; may thy merits be my only adornment in the sight of God and make up for all that is wanting in me.

Finally, dearly beloved Mother, grant, if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but thine to know Jesus, and His Divine Will; that I may have no other soul but thinke to praise and glorify God; that I may have no other heart but thine to love God with a love as pure and ardent as thine.

I do not ask thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotions, or spiritual pleasures. It is thy privilege to see God clearly, it is thy privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is thy privilege to triumph gloriously in heaven at the right hand of thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men, and demons.

It is thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of God, just as thou willest. Such, O heavenly Mary, the 'best part', which the Lord has given thee, and which shall never be taken away from thee--and this thought fills my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that which was thine, to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures, to suffer joyfully without human consolation, to die continually to myself without respite, and to work zealously and unselfishly for thee until death, as the humblest of thy servants.

The only grace I beg thee, for me, is that every moment of the day, and every moment of my life, I may say, "Amen, so be it, to all that thou art doing in heaven. Amen, so be it, to all thou didst do while on earth. Amen, so be it, to all thou art doing in my soul," so that thou alone mayest fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity.

Amen.

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