Dogma of the Assumption

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

DEFINING THE DOGMA OF THE ASSUMPTION
Munificentissimus Deus

Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII issued November 1, 1950

1. The most bountiful God, who is almighty, the plan of whose providence rests upon wisdom and love, tempers, in the secret purpose of his own mind, the sorrows of peoples and of individual men by means of joys that he interposes in their lives from time to time, in such a way that, under different conditions and in different ways, all things may work together unto good for those who love him.[1]

2. Now, just like the present age, our pontificate is weighed down by ever so many cares, anxieties, and troubles, by reason of very severe calamities that have taken place and by reason of the fact that many have strayed away from truth and virtue. Nevertheless, we are greatly consoled to see that, while the Catholic faith is being professed publicly and vigorously, piety toward the Virgin Mother of God is flourishing and daily growing more fervent, and that almost everywhere on earth it is showing indications of a better and holier life. Thus, while the Blessed Virgin is fulfilling in the most affectionate manner her maternal duties on behalf of those redeemed by the blood of Christ, the minds and the hearts of her children are being vigorously aroused to a more assiduous consideration of her prerogatives.

3. Actually God, who from all eternity regards Mary with a most favorable and unique affection, has "when the fullness of time came"[2] put the plan of his providence into effect in such a way that all the privileges and prerogatives he had granted to her in his sovereign generosity were to shine forth in her in a kind of perfect harmony. And, although the Church has always recognized this supreme generosity and the perfect harmony of graces and has daily studied them more and more throughout the course of the centuries, still it is in our own age that the privilege of the bodily Assumption into heaven of Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, has certainly shone forth more clearly.

4. That privilege has shone forth in new radiance since our predecessor of immortal memory, Pius IX, solemnly proclaimed the dogma of the loving Mother of God's Immaculate Conception. These two privileges are most closely bound to one another. Christ overcame sin and death by his own death, and one who through Baptism has been born again in a supernatural way has conquered sin and death through the same Christ. Yet, according to the general rule, God does not will to grant to the just the full effect of the victory over death until the end of time has come. And so it is that the bodies of even the just are corrupted after death, and only on the last day will they be joined, each to its own glorious soul.

5. Now God has willed that the Blessed Virgin Mary should be exempted from this general rule. She, by an entirely unique privilege, completely overcame sin by her Immaculate Conception, and as a result she was not subject to the law of remaining in the corruption of the grave, and she did not have to wait until the end of time for the redemption of her body.

6. Thus, when it was solemnly proclaimed that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, was from the very beginning free from the taint of original sin, the minds of the faithful were filled with a stronger hope that the day might soon come when the dogma of the Virgin Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven would also be defined by the Church's supreme teaching authority.

7. Actually it was seen that not only individual Catholics, but also those who could speak for nations or ecclesiastical provinces, and even a considerable number of the Fathers of the Vatican Council, urgently petitioned the Apostolic See to this effect.

8. During the course of time such postulations and petitions did not decrease but rather grew continually in number and in urgency. In this cause there were pious crusades of prayer. Many outstanding theologians eagerly and zealously carried out investigations on this subject either privately or in public ecclesiastical institutions and in other schools where the sacred disciplines are taught. Marian Congresses, both national and international in scope, have been held in many parts of the Catholic world. These studies and investigations have brought out into even clearer light the fact that the dogma of the Virgin Mary's Assumption into heaven is contained in the deposit of Christian faith entrusted to the Church. They have resulted in many more petitions, begging and urging the Apostolic See that this truth be solemnly defined.

9. In this pious striving, the faithful have been associated in a wonderful way with their own holy bishops, who have sent petitions of this kind, truly remarkable in number, to this See of the Blessed Peter. Consequently, when we were elevated to the throne of the supreme pontificate, petitions of this sort had already been addressed by the thousands from every part of the world and from every class of people, from our beloved sons the Cardinals of the Sacred College, from our venerable brethren, archbishops and bishops, from dioceses and from parishes.

10. Consequently, while we sent up earnest prayers to God that he might grant to our mind the light of the Holy Spirit, to enable us to make a decision on this most serious subject, we issued special orders in which we commanded that, by corporate effort, more advanced inquiries into this matter should be begun and that, in the meantime, all the petitions about the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven which had been sent to this Apostolic See from the time of Pius IX, our predecessor of happy memory, down to our own days should be gathered together and carefully evaluated.[3]

11. And, since we were dealing with a matter of such great moment and of such importance, we considered it opportune to ask all our venerable brethren in the episcopate directly and authoritatively that each of them should make known to us his mind in a formal statement. Hence, on May 1, 1946, we gave them our letter "Deiparae Virginis Mariae," a letter in which these words are contained: "Do you, venerable brethren, in your outstanding wisdom and prudence, judge that the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin can be proposed and defined as a dogma of faith? Do you, with your clergy and people, desire it?"

12. But those whom "the Holy Spirit has placed as bishops to rule the Church of God"[4] gave an almost unanimous affirmative response to both these questions. This "outstanding agreement of the Catholic prelates and the faithful,"[5] affirming that the bodily Assumption of God's Mother into heaven can be defined as a dogma of faith, since it shows us the concordant teaching of the Church's ordinary doctrinal authority and the concordant faith of the Christian people which the same doctrinal authority sustains and directs, thus by itself and in an entirely certain and infallible way, manifests this privilege as a truth revealed by God and contained in that divine deposit which Christ has delivered to his Spouse to be guarded faithfully and to be taught infallibly.[6] Certainly this teaching authority of the Church, not by any merely human effort but under the protection of the Spirit of Truth,[7] and therefore absolutely without error, carries out the commission entrusted to it, that of preserving the revealed truths pure and entire throughout every age, in such a way that it presents them undefiled, adding nothing to them and taking nothing away from them. For, as the Vatican Council teaches, "the Holy Spirit was not promised to the successors of Peter in such a way that, by his revelation, they might manifest new doctrine, but so that, by his assistance, they might guard as sacred and might faithfully propose the revelation delivered through the apostles, or the deposit of faith."[8] Thus, from the universal agreement of the Church's ordinary teaching authority we have a certain and firm proof, demonstrating that the Blessed Virgin Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven- which surely no faculty of the human mind could know by its own natural powers, as far as the heavenly glorification of the virginal body of the loving Mother of God is concerned-is a truth that has been revealed by God and consequently something that must be firmly and faithfully believed by all children of the Church. For, as the Vatican Council asserts, "all those things are to be believed by divine and Catholic faith which are contained in the written Word of God or in Tradition, and which are proposed by the Church, either in solemn judgment or in its ordinary and universal teaching office, as divinely revealed truths which must be believed."[9]

13. Various testimonies, indications and signs of this common belief of the Church are evident from remote times down through the course of the centuries; and this same belief becomes more clearly manifest from day to day.

14. Christ's faithful, through the teaching and the leadership of their pastors, have learned from the sacred books that the Virgin Mary, throughout the course of her earthly pilgrimage, led a life troubled by cares, hardships, and sorrows, and that, moreover, what the holy old man Simeon had foretold actually came to pass, that is, that a terribly sharp sword pierced her heart as she stood under the cross of her divine Son, our Redeemer. In the same way, it was not difficult for them to admit that the great Mother of God, like her only begotten Son, had actually passed from this life. But this in no way prevented them from believing and from professing openly that her sacred body had never been subject to the corruption of the tomb, and that the august tabernacle of the Divine Word had never been reduced to dust and ashes. Actually, enlightened by divine grace and moved by affection for her, God's Mother and our own dearest Mother, they have contemplated in an ever clearer light the wonderful harmony and order of those privileges which the most provident God has lavished upon this loving associate of our Redeemer, privileges which reach such an exalted plane that, except for her, nothing created by God other than the human nature of Jesus Christ has ever reached this level.

15. The innumerable temples which have been dedicated to the Virgin Mary assumed into heaven clearly attest this faith. So do those sacred images, exposed therein for the veneration of the faithful, which bring this unique triumph of the Blessed Virgin before the eyes of all men. Moreover, cities, dioceses, and individual regions have been placed under the special patronage and guardianship of the Virgin Mother of God assumed into heaven. In the same way, religious institutes, with the approval of the Church, have been founded and have taken their name from this privilege. Nor can we pass over in silence the fact that in the Rosary of Mary, the recitation of which this Apostolic See so urgently recommends, there is one mystery proposed for pious meditation which, as all know, deals with the Blessed Virgin's Assumption into heaven.

16. This belief of the sacred pastors and of Christ's faithful is universally manifested still more splendidly by the fact that, since ancient times, there have been both in the East and in the West solemn liturgical offices commemorating this privilege. The holy Fathers and Doctors of the Church have never failed to draw enlightenment from this fact since, as everyone knows, the sacred liturgy, "because it is the profession, subject to the supreme teaching authority within the Church, of heavenly truths, can supply proofs and testimonies of no small value for deciding a particular point of Christian doctrine."[10]

17. In the liturgical books which deal with the feast either of the dormition or of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin there are expressions that agree in testifying that, when the Virgin Mother of God passed from this earthly exile to heaven, what happened to her sacred body was, by the decree of divine Providence, in keeping with the dignity of the Mother of the Word Incarnate, and with the other privileges she had been accorded. Thus, to cite an illustrious example, this is set forth in that sacramentary which Adrian I, our predecessor of immortal memory, sent to the Emperor Charlemagne. These words are found in this volume: "Venerable to us, O Lord, is the festivity of this day on which the holy Mother of God suffered temporal death, but still could not be kept down by the bonds of death, who has begotten your Son our Lord incarnate from herself."[11]

18. What is here indicated in that sobriety characteristic of the Roman liturgy is presented more clearly and completely in other ancient liturgical books. To take one as an example, the Gallican sacramentary designates this privilege of Mary's as "an ineffable mystery all the more worthy of praise as the Virgin's Assumption is something unique among men." And, in the Byzantine liturgy, not only is the Virgin Mary's bodily Assumption connected time and time again with the dignity of the Mother of God, but also with the other privileges, and in particular with the virginal motherhood granted her by a singular decree of God's Providence. "God, the King of the universe, has granted you favors that surpass nature. As he kept you a virgin in childbirth, thus he has kept your body incorrupt in the tomb and has glorified it by his divine act of transferring it from the tomb."[12]

19. The fact that the Apostolic See, which has inherited the function entrusted to the Prince of the Apostles, the function of confirming the brethren in the faith,[13] has by its own authority, made the celebration of this feast ever more solemn, has certainly and effectively moved the attentive minds of the faithful to appreciate always more completely the magnitude of the mystery it commemorates. So it was that the Feast of the Assumption was elevated from the rank which it had occupied from the beginning among the other Marian feasts to be classed among the more solemn celebrations of the entire liturgical cycle. And, when our predecessor St. Sergius I prescribed what is known as the litany, or the stational procession, to be held on four Marian feasts, he specified together the Feasts of the Nativity, the Annunciation, the Purification, and the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.[14] Again, St. Leo IV saw to it that the feast, which was already being celebrated under the title of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother of God, should be observed in even a more solemn way when he ordered a vigil to be held on the day before it and prescribed prayers to be recited after it until the octave day. When this had been done, he decided to take part himself in the celebration, in the midst of a great multitude of the faithful.[15] Moreover, the fact that a holy fast had been ordered from ancient times for the day prior to the feast is made very evident by what our predecessor St. Nicholas I testifies in treating of the principal fasts which "the Holy Roman Church has observed for a long time, and still observes."[16]

20. However, since the liturgy of the Church does not engender the Catholic faith, but rather springs from it, in such a way that the practices of the sacred worship proceed from the faith as the fruit comes from the tree, it follows that the holy Fathers and the great Doctors, in the homilies and sermons they gave the people on this feast day, did not draw their teaching from the feast itself as from a primary source, but rather they spoke of this doctrine as something already known and accepted by Christ's faithful. They presented it more clearly. They offered more profound explanations of its meaning and nature, bringing out into sharper light the fact that this feast shows, not only that the dead body of the Blessed Virgin Mary remained incorrupt, but that she gained a triumph out of death, her heavenly glorification after the example of her only begotten Son, Jesus Christ-truths that the liturgical books had frequently touched upon concisely and briefly.

21. Thus St. John Damascene, an outstanding herald of this traditional truth, spoke out with powerful eloquence when he compared the bodily Assumption of the loving Mother of God with her other prerogatives and privileges. "It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles. It was fitting that the spouse, whom the Father had taken to himself, should live in the divine mansions. It was fitting that she, who had seen her Son upon the cross and who had thereby received into her heart the sword of sorrow which she had escaped in the act of giving birth to him, should look upon him as he sits with the Father. It was fitting that God's Mother should possess what belongs to her Son, and that she should be honored by every creature as the Mother and as the handmaid of God."[17]

22. These words of St. John Damascene agree perfectly with what others have taught on this same subject. Statements no less clear and accurate are to be found in sermons delivered by Fathers of an earlier time or of the same period, particularly on the occasion of this feast. And so, to cite some other examples, St. Germanus of Constantinople considered the fact that the body of Mary, the virgin Mother of God, was incorrupt and had been taken up into heaven to be in keeping, not only with her divine motherhood, but also with the special holiness of her virginal body. "You are she who, as it is written, appears in beauty, and your virginal body is all holy, all chaste, entirely the dwelling place of God, so that it is henceforth completely exempt from dissolution into dust. Though still human, it is changed into the heavenly life of incorruptibility, truly living and glorious, undamaged and sharing in perfect life."[18] And another very ancient writer asserts: "As the most glorious Mother of Christ, our Savior and God and the giver of life and immortality, has been endowed with life by him, she has received an eternal incorruptibility of the body together with him who has raised her up from the tomb and has taken her up to himself in a way known only to him."[19]

23. When this liturgical feast was being celebrated ever more widely and with ever increasing devotion and piety, the bishops of the Church and its preachers in continually greater numbers considered it their duty openly and clearly to explain the mystery that the feast commemorates, and to explain how it is intimately connected with the other revealed truths.

24. Among the scholastic theologians there have not been lacking those who, wishing to inquire more profoundly into divinely revealed truths and desirous of showing the harmony that exists between what is termed the theological demonstration and the Catholic faith, have always considered it worthy of note that this privilege of the Virgin Mary's Assumption is in wonderful accord with those divine truths given us in Holy Scripture.

25. When they go on to explain this point, they adduce various proofs to throw light on this privilege of Mary. As the first element of these demonstrations, they insist upon the fact that, out of filial love for his mother, Jesus Christ has willed that she be assumed into heaven. They base the strength of their proofs on the incomparable dignity of her divine motherhood and of all those prerogatives which follow from it. These include her exalted holiness, entirely surpassing the sanctity of all men and of the angels, the intimate union of Mary with her Son, and the affection of preeminent love which the Son has for his most worthy Mother.

26. Often there are theologians and preachers who, following in the footsteps of the holy Fathers,[20] have been rather free in their use of events and expressions taken from Sacred Scripture to explain their belief in the Assumption. Thus, to mention only a few of the texts rather frequently cited in this fashion, some have employed the words of the psalmist: "Arise, O Lord, into your resting place: you and the ark, which you have sanctified"[21]; and have looked upon the Ark of the Covenant, built of incorruptible wood and placed in the Lord's temple, as a type of the most pure body of the Virgin Mary, preserved and exempt from all the corruption of the tomb and raised up to such glory in heaven. Treating of this subject, they also describe her as the Queen entering triumphantly into the royal halls of heaven and sitting at the right hand of the divine Redeemer.[22] Likewise they mention the Spouse of the Canticles "that goes up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh and frankincense" to be crowned.[23] These are proposed as depicting that heavenly Queen and heavenly Spouse who has been lifted up to the courts of heaven with the divine Bridegroom.

27. Moreover, the scholastic Doctors have recognized the Assumption of the Virgin Mother of God as something signified, not only in various figures of the Old Testament, but also in that woman clothed with the sun whom John the Apostle contemplated on the Island of Patmos.[24] Similarly they have given special attention to these words of the New Testament: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women,"[25] since they saw, in the mystery of the Assumption, the fulfillment of that most perfect grace granted to the Blessed Virgin and the special blessing that countered the curse of Eve.

28. Thus, during the earliest period of scholastic theology, that most pious man, Amadeus, Bishop of Lausarme, held that the Virgin Mary's flesh had remained incorrupt-for it is wrong to believe that her body has seen corruption-because it was really united again to her soul and, together with it, crowned with great glory in the heavenly courts. "For she was full of grace and blessed among women. She alone merited to conceive the true God of true God, whom as a virgin, she brought forth, to whom as a virgin she gave milk, fondling him in her lap, and in all things she waited upon him with loving care."[26]

29. Among the holy writers who at that time employed statements and various images and analogies of Sacred Scripture to Illustrate and to confirm the doctrine of the Assumption, which was piously believed, the Evangelical Doctor, St. Anthony of Padua, holds a special place. On the feast day of the Assumption, while explaining the prophet's words: "I will glorify the place of my feet,"[27] he stated it as certain that the divine Redeemer had bedecked with supreme glory his most beloved Mother from whom he had received human flesh. He asserts that "you have here a clear statement that the Blessed Virgin has been assumed in her body, where was the place of the Lord's feet. Hence it is that the holy Psalmist writes: 'Arise, O Lord, into your resting place: you and the ark which you have sanctified."' And he asserts that, just as Jesus Christ has risen from the death over which he triumphed and has ascended to the right hand of the Father, so likewise the ark of his sanctification "has risen up, since on this day the Virgin Mother has been taken up to her heavenly dwelling."[28]

30. When, during the Middle Ages, scholastic theology was especially flourishing, St. Albert the Great who, to establish this teaching, had gathered together many proofs from Sacred Scripture, from the statements of older writers, and finally from the liturgy and from what is known as theological reasoning, concluded in this way: "From these proofs and authorities and from many others, it is manifest that the most blessed Mother of God has been assumed above the choirs of angels. And this we believe in every way to be true."[29] And, in a sermon which he delivered on the sacred day of the Blessed Virgin Mary's annunciation, explained the words "Hail, full of grace"-words used by the angel who addressed her-the Universal Doctor, comparing the Blessed Virgin with Eve, stated clearly and incisively that she was exempted from the fourfold curse that had been laid upon Eve.[30]

31. Following the footsteps of his distinguished teacher, the Angelic Doctor, despite the fact that he never dealt directly with this question, nevertheless, whenever he touched upon it, always held together with the Catholic Church, that Mary's body had been assumed into heaven along with her soul.[31]

32. Along with many others, the Seraphic Doctor held the same views. He considered it as entirely certain that, as God had preserved the most holy Virgin Mary from the violation of her virginal purity and integrity in conceiving and in childbirth, he would never have permitted her body to have been resolved into dust and ashes.[32] Explaining these words of Sacred Scripture: "Who is this that comes up from the desert, flowing with delights, leaning upon her beloved?"[33] and applying them in a kind of accommodated sense to the Blessed Virgin, he reasons thus: "From this we can see that she is there bodily...her blessedness would not have been complete unless she were there as a person. The soul is not a person, but the soul, joined to the body, is a person. It is manifest that she is there in soul and in body. Otherwise she would not possess her complete beatitude.[34]

33. In the fifteenth century, during a later period of scholastic theology, St. Bernardine of Siena collected and diligently evaluated all that the medieval theologians had said and taught on this question. He was not content with setting down the principal considerations which these writers of an earlier day had already expressed, but he added others of his own. The likeness between God's Mother and her divine Son, in the way of the nobility and dignity of body and of soul-a likeness that forbids us to think of the heavenly Queen as being separated from the heavenly Kingmakes it entirely imperative that Mary "should be only where Christ is."[35] Moreover, it is reasonable and fitting that not only the soul and body of a man, but also the soul and body of a woman should have obtained heavenly glory. Finally, since the Church has never looked for the bodily relics of the Blessed Virgin nor proposed them for the veneration of the people, we have a proof on the order of a sensible experience.[36]

34. The above-mentioned teachings of the holy Fathers and of the Doctors have been in common use during more recent times. Gathering together the testimonies of the Christians of earlier days, St. Robert Bellarmine exclaimed: "And who, I ask, could believe that the ark of holiness, the dwelling place of the Word of God, the temple of the Holy Spirit, could be reduced to ruin? My soul is filled with horror at the thought that this virginal flesh which had begotten God, had brought him into the world, had nourished and carried him, could have been turned into ashes or given over to be food for worms."[37]

35. In like manner St. Francis of Sales, after asserting that it is wrong to doubt that Jesus Christ has himself observed, in the most perfect way, the divine commandment by which children are ordered to honor their parents, asks this question: "What son would not bring his mother back to life and would not bring her into paradise after her death if he could?"[38] And St. Alphonsus writes that "Jesus did not wish to have the body of Mary corrupted after death, since it would have redounded to his own dishonor to have her virginal flesh, from which he himself had assumed flesh, reduced to dust."[39]

36. Once the mystery which is commemorated in this feast had been placed in its proper light, there were not lacking teachers who, instead of dealing with the theological reasonings that show why it is fitting and right to believe the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, chose to focus their mind and attention on the faith of the Church itself, which is the Mystical Body of Christ without stain or wrinkle[40] and is called by the Apostle "the pillar and ground of truth."[41] Relying on this common faith, they considered the teaching opposed to the doctrine of our Lady's Assumption as temerarious, if not heretical. Thus, like not a few others, St. Peter Canisius, after he had declared that the very word "assumption" signifies the glorification, not only of the soul but also of the body, and that the Church has venerated and has solemnly celebrated this mystery of Mary's Assumption for many centuries, adds these words of warning: "This teaching has already been accepted for some centuries, it has been held as certain in the minds of the pious people, and it has been taught to the entire Church in such a way that those who deny that Mary's body has been assumed into heaven are not to be listened to patiently but are everywhere to be denounced as over-contentious or rash men, and as imbued with a spirit that is heretical rather than Catholic."[42]

37. At the same time the great Suarez was professing in the field of mariology the norm that "keeping in mind the standards of propriety, and when there is no contradiction or repugnance on the part of Scripture, the mysteries of grace which God has wrought in the Virgin must be measured, not by the ordinary laws, but by the divine omnipotence."[43] Supported by the common faith of the entire Church on the subject of the mystery of the Assumption, he could conclude that this mystery was to be believed with the same firmness of assent as that given to the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. Thus he already held that such truths could be defined.

38. All these proofs and considerations of the holy Fathers and the theologians are based upon the Sacred Writings as their ultimate foundation. These set the loving Mother of God as it were before our very eyes as most intimately joined to her divine Son and as always sharing his lot. Consequently it seems impossible to think of her, the one who conceived Christ, brought him forth, nursed him with her milk, held him in her arms, and clasped him to her breast, as being apart from him in body, even though not in soul, after this earthly life. Since our Redeemer is the Son of Mary, he could not do otherwise, as the perfect observer of God's law, than to honor, not only his eternal Father, but also his most beloved Mother. And, since it was within his power to grant her this great honor, to preserve her from the corruption of the tomb, we must believe that he really acted in this way.

39. We must remember especially that, since the second century, the Virgin Mary has been designated by the holy Fathers as the new Eve, who, although subject to the new Adam, is most intimately associated with him in that struggle against the infernal foe which, as foretold in the protoevangelium,[44] would finally result in that most complete victory over the sin and death which are always mentioned together in the writings of the Apostle of the Gentiles.[45] Consequently, just as the glorious resurrection of Christ was an essential part and the final sign of this victory, so that struggle which was common to the Blessed Virgin and her divine Son should be brought to a close by the glorification of her virginal body, for the same Apostle says: "When this mortal thing hath put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory."[46]

40. Hence the revered Mother of God, from all eternity joined in a hidden way with Jesus Christ in one and the same decree of predestination,[47] immaculate in her conception, a most perfect virgin in her divine motherhood, the noble associate of the divine Redeemer who has won a complete triumph over sin and its consequences, finally obtained, as the supreme culmination of her privileges, that she should be preserved free from the corruption of the tomb and that, like her own Son, having overcome death, she might be taken up body and soul to the glory of heaven where, as Queen, she sits in splendor at the right hand of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages.[48]

41. Since the universal Church, within which dwells the Spirit of Truth who infallibly directs it toward an ever more perfect knowledge of the revealed truths, has expressed its own belief many times over the course of the centuries, and since the bishops of the entire world are almost unanimously petitioning that the truth of the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven should be defined as a dogma of divine and Catholic faith-this truth which is based on the Sacred Writings, which is thoroughly rooted in the minds of the faithful, which has been approved in ecclesiastical worship from the most remote times, which is completely in harmony with the other revealed truths, and which has been expounded and explained magnificently in the work, the science, and the wisdom of the theologians-we believe that the moment appointed in the plan of divine providence for the solemn proclamation of this outstanding privilege of the Virgin Mary has already arrived.

42. We, who have placed our pontificate under the special patronage of the most holy Virgin, to whom we have had recourse so often in times of grave trouble, we who have consecrated the entire human race to her Immaculate Heart in public ceremonies, and who have time and time again experienced her powerful protection, are confident that this solemn proclamation and definition of the Assumption will contribute in no small way to the advantage of human society, since it redounds to the glory of the Most Blessed Trinity, to which the Blessed Mother of God is bound by such singular bonds. It is to be hoped that all the faithful will be stirred up to a stronger piety toward their heavenly Mother, and that the souls of all those who glory in the Christian name may be moved by the desire of sharing in the unity of Jesus Christ's Mystical Body and of increasing their love for her who shows her motherly heart to all the members of this august body. And so we may hope that those who meditate upon the glorious example Mary offers us may be more and more convinced of the value of a human life entirely devoted to carrying out the heavenly Father's will and to bringing good to others. Thus, while the illusory teachings of materialism and the corruption of morals that follows from these teachings threaten to extinguish the light of virtue and to ruin the lives of men by exciting discord among them, in this magnificent way all may see clearly to what a lofty goal our bodies and souls are destined. Finally it is our hope that belief in Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven will make our belief in our own resurrection stronger and render it more effective.

43. We rejoice greatly that this solemn event falls, according to the design of God's providence, during this Holy Year, so that we are able, while the great Jubilee is being observed, to adorn the brow of God's Virgin Mother with this brilliant gem, and to leave a monument more enduring than bronze of our own most fervent love for the Mother of God.

44. For which reason, after we have poured forth prayers of supplication again and again to God, and have invoked the light of the Spirit of Truth, for the glory of Almighty God who has lavished his special affection upon the Virgin Mary, for the honor of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages and the Victor over sin and death, for the increase of the glory of that same august Mother, and for the joy and exultation of the entire Church; by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.

45. Hence if anyone, which God forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt that which we have defined, let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith.

46. In order that this, our definition of the bodily Assumption of the Virgin Mary into heaven may be brought to the attention of the universal Church, we desire that this, our Apostolic Letter, should stand for perpetual remembrance, commanding that written copies of it, or even printed copies, signed by the hand of any public notary and bearing the seal of a person constituted in ecclesiastical dignity, should be accorded by all men the same reception they would give to this present letter, were it tendered or shown.

47. It is forbidden to any man to change this, our declaration, pronouncement, and definition or, by rash attempt, to oppose and counter it. If any man should presume to make such an attempt, let him know that he will incur the wrath of Almighty God and of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul.

48. Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, in the year of the great Jubilee, 1950, on the first day of the month of November, on the Feast of All Saints, in the twelfth year of our pontificate.

I, PIUS, Bishop of the Catholic Church, have signed, so defining.


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ENDNOTES

1. Rom 8:28.

2. Gal 4:4.
3. Cf. Hentrich-Von Moos, Petitiones de Assumptione Corporea B. Virginis Mariae in Caelum Definienda ad S. Sedem Delatae, 2 volumes (Vatican Polyglot Press, 1942).
4. Acts 20:28.
5. The Bull Ineffabilis Deus, in the Acta Pii IX, pars 1, Vol. 1, p. 615.
6. The Vatican Council, Constitution Dei filius, c. 4.
7. Jn 14:26.
8. Vatican Council, Constitution Pastor Aeternus, c. 4.
9. Ibid., Dei Filius, c. 3.
10. The encyclical Mediator Dei (Acta Apostolicae Sedis, XXXIX, 541).
11. Sacramentarium Gregorianum.
12. Menaei Totius Anni.
13. Lk 22:32.
14. Liber Pontificalis.
15. Ibid.
16. Responsa Nicolai Papae I ad Consulta Bulgarorum.
17. St. John Damascene, Encomium in Dormitionem Dei Genetricis Semperque Virginis Mariae, Hom. II, n. 14; cf. also ibid, n. 3.
18. St. Germanus of Constantinople, In Sanctae Dei Genetricis Dormitionem, Sermo I.
19. The Encomium in Dormitionem Sanctissimae Dominae Nostrate Deiparae Semperque Virginis Mariae, attributed to St. Modestus of Jerusalem, n. 14.
20. Cf. St. John Damascene, op. cit., Hom. II, n. 11; and also the Encomium attributed to St. Modestus.
21. Ps 131:8.
22. Ps 44:10-14ff.
23. Song 3:6; cf. also 4:8; 6:9.
24. Rv 12:1ff.
25. Lk 1:28.
26. Amadeus of Lausanne, De Beatae Virginis Obitu, Assumptione in Caelum Exaltatione ad Filii Dexteram.
27. Is 61:13.
28. St. Anthony of Padua, Sermones Dominicales et in Solemnitatibus, In Assumptione S. Mariae Virginis Sermo.
29. St. Albert the Great, Mariale, q. 132.
30. St. Albert the Great, Sermones de Sanctis, Sermo XV in Annuntiatione B. Mariae; cf. also Mariale, q. 132.
31. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theol., Illa; q. 27, a. 1; q. 83, a. 5, ad 8; Expositio Salutationis Angelicae; In Symb. Apostolorum Expositio, a. S; In IV Sent., d. 12, q. 1, a. 3, sol. 3; d. 43, q. 1, a. 3, sol. 1, 2.
32. St. Bonaventure, De Nativitate B. Mariae Virginis, Sermo V.
33. Song 8:5.
34. St. Bonaventure, De Assumptione B. Mariae Virginis, Sermo 1.
35. St. Bernardine of Siena, In Assumptione B. Mariae Virginis, Sermo 11.
36. Ibid.
37. St. Robert Bellarmine, Conciones Habitae Lovanii, n. 40, De Assumption B. Mariae Virginis.
38. Oeuvres de St. Francois De Sales, sermon for the Feast of the Assumption.
39. St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary, Part 2, d. 1.
40. Eph 5:27.
41. I Tm 3:15.
42. St. Peter Canisius, De Maria Virgine.
43. Suarez, In Tertiam Partem D. Thomae, q. 27, a. 2, disp. 3, sec. 5, n. 31.
44. Gn 3:15.
45. Rm 5-6; I Cor. 15:21-26, 54-57.
46. I Cor 15:54.
47. The Bull Ineffabilis Deus, loc. cit., p. 599.
48. I Tm 1:17.


Paul

Sex Ed and Modesty

The Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, in an Instruction entitled "Educational Guidance in Human Love - Outlines for sex education," had this to say about the importance and role of modesty in sex education:

EDUCATION FOR MODESTY AND FRIENDSHIP

90. Modesty, a fundamental component of the personality, may be considered - on the ethical level - as the vigilant knowledge which defends the dignity of man, woman and authentic love. It tends to react to certain attitudes and to curb behaviour which stains the dignity of the person. It is a necessary and effective means of controlling the instincts, making authentic love flower, integrating the affective-sexual life in the harmonions picture of the person. Modesty has great pedagogic weight and must therefore be respected. Children and young people will thus learn to respect the body itself as a gift from God, member of Christ and temple of the Holy Spirit; they will learn to resist the evil which surrounds them and to have a vision and clear imagination to seek to express a truly human love with all its spiritual components when they meet people in friendship.

91. To such an end, concrete and attractive models of virtue are to be presented, the aesthetic sense be developed, inspiring a taste for the beauty present in nature, in art and in moral life; the young are to be educated to assimilate a system of sensible and spiritual values in an unselfish impetus of faith and love.

92. Friendship is the height of affective maturation and differs from mere cameraderie by its interior dimension, by communication which allows and fosters true communion, by its reciprocal generosity and its stability. Education for friendship can become a factor of extraordinary importance in the making of the personality in its individual and social dimensions.

93. The bonds of friendship which unite the young of both sexes contribute both to understanding and to reciprocal respect when they are maintained within the limits of normal affective expression. If however they become or tend to become manifestations of a genital character, they lose the authentic meaning of mature friendship, prejudice the relationships involved and the future prospects with regard to an eventual marriage, and render the individuals concerned less attentive to a possible call to the consecrated life.

This teaching on modesty is echoed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. For example, No. 2521 says that: "Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity."

And No. 2522 says that: "Modesty protects the mysteryof persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships...Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet."

Bearing this Magisterial teaching in mind, let us examine what one parish in Manchester, New Hampshire considers authentic sex education. The following is from a Catholic layman who resides near the Queen City and who often attends Holy Mass in the city:


Transfiguration Parish in Manchester, New Hampshire, which is led by Msgr. Paul Bouchard, maintains a website which contains links to various other websites geared toward teens and sexual matters. It seems that this parish is promoting immodesty while feigning to promote chastity. The websites which the parish is promoting are designed to undermine modesty and to encourage teens to discuss matters which are highly sensitive and which should be addressed by parents and not by total strangers.

One of the websites which Transfiguration Parish is promoting is:http://www.pamstenzel.com. At this website, one reads that: "Pam Stenzel travels the world talking to teens and their parents about sex...They talk about their experiences, they talk about character, they talk about STD's, pregnancy, boundaries, friends, respect, body parts...It's all real, it's all true. Sex is a big deal, it is a topic we all deal with at some point, and we are all a result of the act...whether we like it or not."

This last line is particularly offensive as it represents an attempt to justify talking about things which belong to a very special and private sphere. Most of us are fully cognizant of the fact that we were conceived as a result of the sex act. But we don't use this as an excuse to discuss - and in graphic detail no less - sexual matters with teens we don't even know. This sphere belongs to parents and not total strangers. One has to wonder why some Catholics are so motivated to talk about private sexual matters with teens. Perhaps this is a recruitment tool?

Another website being promoted by Transfiguration Parish is: http://www.nomoho.org/ This website's title is obviously a play on the words "No more whore." The website discusses various sexual matters in graphic detail, including these subjects: "What about a blowjob"?, "Lesbian kisses at parties"?, and "Is everyone doing it"?

Still another website has xxx in the title. It is obvious to me that Transfiguration Parish is engaged in an effort to undermine modesty in our youth and to introduce them to sexual matters which rob these children of their innocence.

This parish - and the Diocese of Manchester as a whole - is in dire need of prayer.

John

I will leave it to you dear reader to determine whether or not Transfiguration Parish is conforming to Magisterial teaching on sex education and the role of modesty in such teaching. Can we say that websites which discuss "lesbian kisses" and "blowjobs" (and which carry photos such as the one above which includes the caption "No screwin around") are really promoting modesty and the Church's authentic teaching on human sexuality? What do you think?

The website for the Parish of the Transfiguration: http://www.transfigurationnh.org/

Paul

Psalmus 130 and a reflection

Domine, non est exaltatum cor meum,
neque elati sunt oculi mei,
neque ambulavi in magnis,
neque in mirabilibus super me.

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.

We live in a society infected with satanic pride. All too many people (and often those who pride themselves on being "good Catholics") believe themselves to be morally and intellectually "superior" to those around them. For such hearts - hardened by the sin of pride much as the Pharisees were - there can be little or no spiritual growth. Such people may be seen engaging in argumentative and/or hateful rhetoric while denouncing people rather than just sin or error itself.

We must not allow ourselves to become puffed up with self-importance. While it is entirely acceptable, and even necessary, to condemn errors and sinful attitudes, it is never morally licit to judge another person's interior dispositions. Every one of us can benefit from a thorough read and meditation on Gaudium et Spes, No. 28, and what it has to say about judging persons.

Galatians Chapter 5 teaches us that: "People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups; they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these. I warn you now as I have before: those who do these things WILL NOT POSSESS THE KINGDOM OF GOD. But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have put to death their human nature with all its passions and desires. The Spirit has given us life; he must also control our lives. WE MUST NOT BE PROUD OR IRRITATE ONE ANOTHER OR BE JEALOUS OF ONE ANOTHER." (Gal 5:20-26).

Again, it is one thing to engage in strong rhetoric while denouncing sin or error. It is quite another to engage in hateful name-calling, gossip or - God forbid - slander directed against another person created in the Imago Dei. We must all remember that Jesus never blesses infidelity. Perhaps this is why so many dioceses have been plagued with child abusers and dissent, because they have largely succumbed to pride? Perhaps this is why so many Catholics who should be working together against the various evils of our time instead choose to judge one another, slander one another and otherwise engage in hateful and hurtful gossip which has the goal of tearing others down while attempting to make one's own person appear morally superior?

I'll say it again, Jesus never blesses infidelity. If we are proud, He cannot work in us. He cannot - HE WILL NOT - dwell within a proud heart. Ever.

Until next time,
God love you all
Paul Anthony Melanson

Link

www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/melanson/index_e.asp


Paul

Waging a war against the Pope and Catechism

Read this article entitled "How Neo-Modernist Priests Shut Out the Pope & Catechism": http://tcrnews2.com/genkerygma.html

Paul

Prayer of Protection

“Dear Lord Jesus, please surround me with a perimeter of Your Love and Protection throughout the day today a hundred yards in all directions, dear Lord. Render any demons that are there, or should try to come, deaf, dumb, and blind. Strip them of all weapons, illusions, armor, power, and authority. Disable them from communicating or interacting in any way. Bind, sever, and separate them, sending them directly to the foot of Your Cross without manifestation or harm. May Your Precious Blood cover me, the Holy Spirit fill me, Mary's mantle surround me, the Holy Angels and Saints guard and protect me from all unfortunate events. Protect me from fire, theft, flood, storms, ailments, accidents of every sort, distress, hardship, curse, and all untoward things. I ask all this in your Name Lord Jesus I thank and praise you. I love you. Alleluia. Amen!”

Paul

Dr. Germain Grisez and the word "sodomy."

There are those who might be tempted to think that my use of the word sodomy in several articles is evidence of a hostility toward the homosexual person. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a Catholic loyal to the Magisterial teaching of the Church, I follow the great Saint Augustine while hating the sin and loving the sinner (interficere errorem dilligere errantem - kill the error, love the one who errs). Having said that, is it illicit or somehow objectionable to use the word sodomy?

Here's what Dr. Germain Grisez has to say about the matter. "The word sodomy is used, not as a term of reproach, but in its descriptive sense, precisely to distinguish between the act of homosexual intercourse and the disposition toward it. One should not allow sentiment to cloud the truth about this act. John Paul II, Address to the Bishops of the United States (Chicago), 6, AAS 71 (1979) 1224-1225, OR, 29 Oct. 1979, 9, makes the point clearly: 'As men with the message of truth and the power of God (2 Cor 6:7), as authentic teachers of God's law and as compassionate pastors you also rightly stated: "Homosexual activity...as distinguished from homosexual orientation, is morally wrong." In the clarity of this truth, you exemplified the real charity of Christ; you did not betray those people who, because of homosexuality, are confronted with difficult moral problems, as would have happened if, in the name of understanding and compassion, or for any other reason, you had held out false hope to any brother or sister. Rather, by your witness to the truth of humanity in God's plan, you effectively manifested fraternal love, upholding the true dignity, the true human dignity, of those who look to Christ's Church for the guidance which comes from the light of God's word."

Paul

Prayer of exorcism

A Simple Exorcism for Priests or Laity Prayer Against Satan and the Rebellious Angels
Published by Order of His Holiness Pope Leo XIII
The following is a simple exorcism prayer that can be said by priests or laity. The term "exorcism" does NOT always denote a solemn exorcism involving a person possessed by the devil. In general, the term denotes prayers to "curb the power of the devil and prevent him from doing harm." As St. Peter had written in Holy Scripture, "your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour." (1 St.Peter 5,8) The Holy Father exhorts priests to say this prayer as often as possible, as a simple exorcism to curb the power of the devil and prevent him from doing harm. The faithful also may say it in their own name, for the same purpose, as any approved prayer. Its use is recommended whenever action of the devil is suspected, causing malice in men, violent temptations and even storms and various calamities. It could be used as a solemn exorcism (an official and public ceremony, in Latin), to expel the devil. It would then be said by a priest, in the name of the Church and only with a Bishop's permission. Say Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen Most glorious Prince of the Heavenly Armies, Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in "our battle against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places" (Eph., 6,12). Come to the assistance of men whom God has created to His likeness and whom He has redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. Holy Church venerates thee as her guardian and protector; to thee, the Lord has entrusted the souls of the redeemed to be led into heaven. Pray therefore the God of Peace to crush Satan beneath our feet, that he may no longer retain men captive and do injury to the Church. Offer our prayers to the Most High, that without delay they may draw His mercy down upon us; take hold of "the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan," bind him and cast him into the bottomless pit ... "that he may no longer seduce the nations" (Apoc. 20, 2-3).
Exorcism
In the Name of Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, strengthened by the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of Blessed Michael the Archangel, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and all the Saints. (and powerful in the holy authority of our ministry)*, we confidently undertake to repulse the attacks and deceits of the devil. * Lay people omit the parenthesis above. Psalm 67 God arises; His enemies are scattered and those who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, so are they driven; as wax melts before the fire, so the wicked perish at the presence of God. V. Behold the Cross of the Lord, flee bands of enemies. R. The Lion of the tribe of Juda, the offspring of David, hath conquered. V. May Thy mercy, Lord, descend upon us. R. As great as our hope in Thee. (The crosses (+) below indicate a blessing to be given if a priest recites the Exorcism; if a lay person recites it, they indicate the Sign of the Cross to be made silently by that person.) We drive you from us, whoever you may be, unclean spirits, all satanic powers, all infernal invaders, all wicked legions, assemblies and sects. In the Name and by the power of Our Lord Jesus Christ, + may you be snatched away and driven from the Church of God and from the souls made to the image and likeness of God and redeemed by the Precious Blood of the Divine Lamb. (+ = Make the sign of the cross each time) Most cunning serpent, you shall no more dare to deceive the human race, persecute the Church, torment God's elect and sift them as wheat. + The Most High God commands you, + He with whom, in your great insolence, you still claim to be equal. "God who wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (I Tim. 2,4). God the Father commands you. + God the Son commands you. + God the Holy Ghost commands you. + Christ, God's Word made flesh, commands you; + He who to save our race outdone through your envy, "humbled Himself, becoming obedient even unto death" (Phil.2,8); He who has built His Church on the firm rock and declared that the gates of hell shall not prevail against Her, because He will dwell with Her "all days even to the end of the world" (Matt. 28,20). The sacred Sign of the Cross commands you, + as does also the power of the mysteries of the Christian Faith. + The glorious Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, commands you; + she who by her humility and from the first moment of her Immaculate Conception crushed your proud head. The faith of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and of the other Apostles commands you. + The blood of the Martyrs and the pious intercession of all the Saints command you. + Thus, cursed dragon, and you, diabolical legions, we adjure you by the living God, + by the true God, + by the holy God, + by the God "who so loved the world that He gave up His only Son, that every soul believing in Him might not perish but have life everlasting" (St.John 3, 16); stop deceiving human creatures and pouring out to them the poison of eternal damnation; stop harming the Church and hindering her liberty. Be gone, Satan, inventor and master of all deceit, enemy of man's salvation. Give place to Christ in Whom you have found none of your works; give place to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church acquired by Christ at the price of His Blood. Stoop beneath the all-powerful Hand of God; tremble and flee when we invoke the Holy and terrible Name of Jesus, this Name which causes hell to tremble, this Name to which the Virtues, Powers and Dominations of heaven are humbly submissive, this Name which the Cherubim and Seraphim praise unceasingly repeating: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the God of Hosts. V. O Lord, hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto Thee. V. May the Lord be with thee. R. And with thy spirit. Let us pray. God of heaven, God of earth, God of Angels, God of Archangels, God of Patriarchs, God of Prophets, God of Apostles, God of Martyrs, God of Confessors, God of Virgins, God who has power to give life after death and rest after work: because there is no other God than Thee and there can be no other, for Thou art the Creator of all things, visible and invisible, of Whose reign there shall be no end, we humbly prostrate ourselves before Thy glorious Majesty and we beseech Thee to deliver us by Thy power from all the tyranny of the infernal spirits, from their snares, their lies and their furious wickedness. Deign, O Lord, to grant us Thy powerful protection and to keep us safe and sound. We beseech Thee through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen. From the snares of the devil, deliver us, O Lord. That Thy Church may serve Thee in peace and liberty: We beseech Thee to hear us. That Thou may crush down all enemies of Thy Church: We beseech Thee to hear us. (Holy water is sprinkled in the place where we may be.)

Pope Benedict XVI on coming persecution

Pope Benedict XVI recently warned that Catholics and other Christians may not be able to speak out against homosexuality any longer, referring to it as an "objective disorder." Read this important article from LifeSiteNews.com:


Ratzinger Warned in April 1st Lecture - "Very Soon It Will Not Be Possible to State That Homosexuality...is an Objective Disorder"
ROME, Italy, July 28, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In the conclusion of Cardinal Ratzinger’s lecture, now Pope Benedict XVI, delivered on April 1st, the eve of John Paul II’s death, the then Cardinal strongly denounced the European Enlightenment culture and its increasing dogmatism against religion, Christianity and freedom.
The Cardinal expressed his belief that the reasons given by the architects of the EU Constitution for excluding God from the document—that the mention of God or recognition of the Christian roots of the continent might offend those of other religions—doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.
“The affirmation that the mention of the Christian roots of Europe injures the sentiments of many non-Christians who are in Europe, is not very convincing, given that it relates, first of all, to an historical fact that no one can seriously deny…It is not the mention of God that offends those who belong to other religions, but rather the attempt to build the human community absolutely without God,” said the Cardinal.
Instead, Ratzinger continued, it is obvious that the exclusion of religion from the public sphere is rather the result of the imposition of Enlightenment dogma, which dogma falsely professes the ideals of freedom and tolerance. Indeed, one of the inevitable consequences of what Ratzinger called the ‘Culture of Rights’, as divorced from its Judeo-Christian roots, is that “the concept of discrimination is ever more extended, and so the prohibition of discrimination can be increasingly transformed into a limitation of the freedom of opinion.”
“Very soon,” said the Cardinal in a chilling prophesy that is already coming to fulfillment in many Western nations, including Canada, “it will not be possible to state that homosexuality, as the Catholic Church teaches, is an objective disorder in the structuring of human existence.”
According to Ratzinger it is “obvious that the ill-defined or undefined concept of freedom, which is at the base of this culture, inevitably entails contradictions…A confused ideology of freedom leads to dogmatism, which is showing itself increasingly hostile to freedom.”
Ratzinger concluded by expressing his strong doubt that the Enlightenment culture will ever provide a common cause for men. “We have to ask ourselves,” says the Cardinal, “if it is really complete in itself, to the degree that it has no need of a root outside itself.” The implied answer, of course, is no, the Enlightenment culture without the firm foundation of Europe’s roots in Christianity can only devolve into a pseudo and dogmatic religion, ultimately restrictive of freedom.

As the radical homosexual agenda continues to have its perverted way of life "normalized," Catholics and other Christians will continue to be marginalized.


Paul

Apostasy

There can be little doubt that we are in the Great Apostasy described in Sacred Scripture, foretold by the Prophets. Read this article, which may also be found at: www.spiritdaily.com



IT'S CREEPING INby Alan Yusko
There is a new movement of apostasy attacking the church in these last days. It is the acceptance of the occult. It is a slow process but the occult is being presented and is slowly being accepted by professing Christians. The best example is the demonic Harry Potter books and movie. Many in the professing Christian church have enjoyed the material and actively encourage others to do so. It is not limited to just laymen. There are well-known pastors and teachers who have accepted the demonic Harry Potter.
People seem to believe the lie that the occult is nothing more than make-believe and harmless fun. The fact that acceptance or involvement with the occult is an abomination to God is not considered. Here is what the Bible says concerning the occult:
Deut 18 10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
As you can see there is no room for debate. The occult with its spellcasting, witchcraft, divination etc is all an abomination to God. The Satanic and occultic garbage is not harmless fun. It is deadly dangerous and will be avoided and rejected by all those who belong to and love the Lord Jesus.
The apostates, on the other hand, call themselves Christians, yet they love and partake in the occult. I have heard from such people. These people try to justify their occult and dare to call those against their "occultic fun" nasty names such as legalist, Pharisee etc.
I believe a person who gets involved with the occult and then attempts to justify his sin, is not saved. I do not believe a saved person will commit and enjoy something that is an abomination to God. The occult is an abomination and involvement in it cannot be justified. It is not harmless fun or entertainment. People who attempt to justify the occult are not saved. It is as simple as that.
1 John 2 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
HOW THE DEVIL SUCCEEDED WITH ROCK MUSIC
Lets look at rock music. There was a time when the church knew this music was from the devil and was not an acceptable form of worship. However, today in 2002, Satan has completely succeeded in getting his demonic music accepted in "church" circles. In fact professing Christian young people now are so apostate that they freely listen to secular rock with no care or concern. How did this travesty happen? Did the devil do it over night? Or was it a slow process?
Rock music was accepted into the church in a very slow way. It started slowly in the late 1970's through to the 1990's. Here is how the devil did it:
In the world of biology, we are given the example of a frog that when placed into boiling water, will immediately jump out. However, if that same frog is put into a bowl of cool water which is slowly heated by a Bunsen burner, the frog will eventually boil to death.
Rock and roll is like the frog and the water. The term "rock and roll" means fornication. It is a street name for sexual immorality. It has wrecked the lives of many teenagers through suicide, drug abuse, immorality, perversion, Satanism, etc. Sadly, we live in a day where many Christians and church leaders have allowed this demonic music into their churches claiming that the music is holy and sanctified because the lyrics are changed to include some 'religious' words.
Rock first came into the church and it was immediately rejected by many who love the Lord. Back then it was a complete imitation of the secular, just as it is today. Yet the tare-rebels argued that it was different from secular music because it used assorted "God" words mixed into the lyrics. In the early days, everyone agreed that secular rock was evil. In those early days the rebels considered religious rock as an acceptable alternative to secular rock. From that position all kinds of foolish arguments were given to justify this evil music. It was said that the only way to reach young people was to get them into the church by playing their rock music. The Bible was not considered sufficient for this "modern" generation. In order to win the youth and bring young people into church, the rebels argued, that religious rock music was required.
Unfortunately, many believed this lie from the devil. Liberal pastors believed this lie and allowed this evil music into the church.
Today people have gone so apostate that there is no difference between secular and religious rock music. The rebellious young people listen to both. Listening to secular rock music is very acceptable today with the rebellious and the apostate.
THE PLAN FOR THE OCCULT
The same thing is happening today with the occult as it did with rock music. Satan is working through his tares to bring in occultism and make it acceptable in 'religious' circles. Harry Potter has great blessings from the devil. Both children and adults have enjoyed reading the books and going to the movie. Even so-called Christians have 'enjoyed' Harry Potter. For example, we are aware of a professing Christian lady who read the Harry Potter books. She also encouraged her 9 year old girl to do the same. This lady attends a liberal church and considers herself to be a Christian. There are many professing Christians in churches like that lady. They think nothing of partaking in occult evil and it is all considered harmless fun. To God, however, it is an abomination.
John 14 15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
CONCLUSION
Where is the discernment in the church? Are Christians losing their ability to discern the difference between good and evil? Demonic rock music made it into the liberal churches with the full blessings of professing Christians. Now the occult is packaged to be harmless fun and entertainment and is slowly gaining acceptance in the liberal churches. The very fact that demonic rock music even made it into the church, is proof of the moral and spiritual decline affecting the church. Will the same slow process occur with the occult? I would say yes, but it will not be as slow. Rock and roll has prepared the hearts of the rebellious and acceptance of the occult will be a simple matter.
Christians who love the Lord should be aware and warned of this situation. The days we live in are days of apostasy and falling away. Many people are choosing to fall away from the Lord rather than to draw near unto Him. While professing Christians accept the occult and rock music, they also attack those who do not conform to their perverted false faith that allows such actions.
2 Thess 2 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
We are being invaded by hard rock, acid rock, punk rock, new wave, rap, and heavy metal music under the guise of religious rock and roll. In fact, todays "modern" and "liberated" young person freely listens to all the secular rock and roll without concern or conviction for his sin. What is next on the apostasy scene? Here is the answer: Acceptance of the occult. The devil has made major inroads with the occult with the Harry Potter fad. Expect more occultism to be popularized and justified by so-called Christians in the days to come. I use the term "so-called" because all who accept this hellish garbage are not really saved Christians. There are Satanic false Christian tares who are being mightily used by the devil to wreck havoc from within the professing Christian church.
2 Tim 4 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
It is interesting to note in the above verses that people who seek after rock music and the occult are satisfying their own lusts. They have willingly turned away their ears from the truth and are seeking the lies from the devil. Men must make a choice between God or the devil. It is sad but many (the majority) are choosing the devil over God!
Matt 7 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Whose side are you on reader?

Fasting and our occult times

Michael Brown's website: www.spiritdaily.com is running this important article:


SOMETHING IS IN WIND AS FASTING IS URGED AND THE OCCULT RISES DARKLY AROUND US
Something is in the wind. For weeks now, there has been a special push for fasting, a push that seems to have been spawned almost urgently by the Holy Spirit. After years in which this practice has been urged, suddenly it seems to be taking hold, or at least finding potential new adherents. We have been getting constant feedback and just this week received the proposal for a fasting novena.
We are informed that the French renewed the consecration of their country by a "Novena of Fasting and Prayer" several years ago. So too did the Belgians and Mali (Africa). Germans held their novena before Pentecost. At last report, and probably now done, Italians and Canadians were working out plans for theirs.
Very interesting, especially in that a Medjugorje newsletter recently carried such a novena!
Just Monday, we carried a story about fasting and deliverance.
The Novena in France and the other countries consisted [see here] of uninterrupted prayer for nine days, 24 hours a day, with people being signed up to offer one hour of prayer each and also to fast either from one meal or for up to one day. Medjugorje prayer groups are playing a major role in organizing the novena in some countries.
In the final ceremony, a prayer of consecration, inspired by the 1984 prayer of consecration of the world by Pope John Paul, is offered.
Now comes the latest alleged message from Medjugorje.
"Make good use of this time of grace and devote it to God more than ever up to now," was part of the July 25 message. "Do novenas of fasting and renunciation so that Satan be far from you and grace be around you."
"That grace be around us":
This means protection. This means that for some reason we need special protection. There was no denying the urgent tone. Fasting is potent against the evil one and when we look around us we can see why it is so necessary!
Evil has been institutionalized. As if by magic (a wizard's wand), the occult is now part of the mainstream.
Public libraries have sponsored events to promote Harry Potter this month as kids and librarians and public officials dressed up as witches in some misguided cities. There were parties around the world. Libraries. Bookstores. On the front pages of newspapers was the celebration of wicca.
The problem is that witchcraft is an evil religion. The Bible and Catechism are both clear on the topic. Pope Benedict has seen Potter as having the potential to "seduce" young minds and undermine Christianity.
Yet even Catholics promote it, or think that opposition to it belongs to extremists.
How far we have come! If librarians dressed up as saints, of course, they'd be fired.
But witchery is okay, and what would have been a scandal a few short years ago is now a part of our landscape. Music is filled with direct occult significance (we'll be tackling this shortly), and movies with occult themes are released by the droves. Bewitched!
"Mainstream" Catholics go for books and movies with clear pagan mythology -- as priests defend them.
Meanwhile, a website that was once a major religious stop on the internet, has sections for astrology, witchcraft, kabbalah, earth-based religions, and other dark religions -- all under the guise of openness -- while elsewhere you can now do santeria by e-mail.
"It used to be that young people rarely thought about the supernatural," notes one ministry. "In today’s Western world, they are swamped by it on a regular—even daily—basis."
Look around. The occult -- not just psychic phenomena, not just New Age, but deeper levels of the occult -- have sprung up around you.
No wonder the need for fasting. Even satanists are defended in our modern culture (allowed to perform their rituals in the military and in our prisons)."Teenagers and pre-adolescents watch cartoons, videotapes, and prime time TV shows which contain powerful paranormal and black magic themes," noted the Christian website. "Many listen to raucous music emphasizing occult subject matter. They play video games such as Diablo ii, a Dungeons and Dragons-like computer game, where players battle a demon to save the world and in which elements of magic and witchcraft are an integral part of the action."
Nor is occult the only way that we have seen evil institutionalized. It is okay now for major politicians to be interviewed by shock jocks and it is okay for major supermarket chains to have lust on the cover at the counter and it is not only okay but required that commercials be vulgar. TV comedians prevail with what were once taboo jokes and an x-rated star is allowed at a major Republican fund-raiser.
Then there are the tattoos. Talk about our landscape! They are everywhere, and while most who have them are simply following a trend, there can be occult implications.
Skulls? Devils?
"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord," says Leviticus 19:28 -- if the Bible is any longer relevant.
The offensive practice of body piercing (rings through the lip, through the nostrils, through the tongue) is direct mutilation, and mutilation too has its roots in the occult. To pierce the body was thought by ancients to invite in spirits.
Tongue piercing was practiced in a ritual form by the ancient Aztecs, Mayas of Central America, and the Haida, Kwakiutul, and Tlinglit tribes of the American Northwest. The tongue was pierced to draw blood to propitiate the gods and to create an altered state of consciousness so that the priest or shaman could communicate with the gods.
Writes a former Hindu about a visit to a chat room: "One of the believers there was telling them it was wrong for Christians to have tattoos. Since I was formerly a Hindu, I know tattoo is from Hinduism and also witchcraft. Also, Hindus pierce their tongue with small spears and prick the entire body with little hooks and go in trances. I have witnessed this personally."
So this too is part of the occult scene. It is no coincidence that we find tattoo and body-piercing shops in red-light districts or next to the shops where they do psychic "readings" (often in drug-drenched neighborhoods). As for psychics, they advertise on television. Whether or not the "mainstream" believes it, these are all things that can cause the proliferation and attachment of evil spirits.
So it is a time for fasting! We certainly urge it. Christ told us that some demons respond only to this manner of sacrifice. With it we can protect our families and come against the present growing darkness.
[resources: Freed and Healed Through Fasting, Spiritual Warfare Prayer, Novena of Fasting, and Special exorcism prayer]
[see also: Medjugorje message urges fasting and renunciation to ward off Satan]
[As for other forms of protection: "I'm a theoretical physicist (never went to church) until Mary got her hands on me through Medjugorje in 1996," writes viewer Armond Nirdlinger. "I like to say the rosary at night on a quiet dead end street about two blocks long near down town Sebastopol, California. We are on a well for our water. Since it is hard we use those forty-pound bags of coarse salt. I got the idea of having a bag of it blessed and I sprinkled a loop down one side of the street and up the other. Now I say my prayers enclosed in a fence of demon-repelling prayers. On dark nights it helps eliminate nervous distracting thoughts. I thought some of your readers might find it useful. The bags only cost around $4. You can put a wall around your house." In special times we need special action.]
Novena of Fasting and Prayers
Prayer of Consecration
In union with all mankind, in communion with the entire Church, and with our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, we address to you O Father, this supplication especially for our country, through the heart and the hands of the Virgin Mary.
Father, send your Holy Spirit, so that each one of us might become an instrument of your peace,From hunger and war, deliver us! From nuclear war, from incalculable self destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us!From the sins against the life of man from its very beginning, deliver us! From discouragement, from hatred and from the degradation of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us! From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us! From the readiness to trample on the Commandments of God, deliver us! From the attempt to extinguish the very truth of God in human hearts, deliver us! From the loss of consciousness of good and evil, deliver us! From the sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us!
Mother of Christ and Mother of all peoples, we ask for your protection and your intercession. Pray to your Son for us, to send the Holy Spirit in abundance, the Spirit of Truth who is the source of Life. Welcome the Spirit for us and with us as you did on the feast of Pentecost with the first disciples. Mother you know and share our sufferings and hopes.
Today we entrust the whole world to you. We pray for you to accompany us on our path. Like John the apostle, we wish to accept you into our homes, to learn from you how to resemble Jesus. We entrust all our people to you, starting with those who are the weakest and who suffer the most: the unborn children, those whose life is menaced, those born in poverty, the young people searching for a sense to their life, the refugees, the unemployed, those tried by sickness, the families who are divided, elderly persons deprived of assistance and all those who are alone and without hope.
May the infinite saving power of Redemption rise up once more in the history of the world, the power of the Merciful Love of the Father! May the Holy Spirit transform consciences! May He heal our memories and purify our hearts. May the Lord always reign among us, He who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AMEN.


I couldn't agree more with what Michael Brown is saying. Fasting is absolutely critical to overcome the Evil One in this present hour. Now is also the time for Christians to work together and to refrain from bitter rivalries and jealousies and other forms of infighting.

John Ansley
frappe19751975@yahoo.com

Lest you dash your foot against a stone

Submitted for your edification:



Teen who fell 28 feet says angel caught him
May 22, 2004 - Reported in Omaha.com. Written by Marion Rhodes. Teen who fell 28 feet likely to live. Boy hurt in fall was a 13-year-old. As Edgar Bravo dangled over the Kennedy Freeway with his hands clinging to the pavement of Cornhusker Road, he thought, "If I fall, I'll die." A few seconds later, he did fall. But he didn't die. When the 13-year-old Bellevue student hit the concrete on the shoulder of the freeway underneath the Cornhusker Road overpass, he broke both his wrists, an elbow and his nose. He suffered a broken jaw, broken teeth and several bruises.
His family calls Edgar's survival of the 28-foot fall a miracle, the work of his guardian angel.
The World-Herald interviewed Edgar with the help of Maritza Hernandez of Bellevue, his sister-in-law, who served as a translator. Edgar said he and a friend had planned to walk to another friend's house in Bellevue last Saturday night, but they realized it was too far away and turned around. They were walking east on Cornhusker Road when they approached the bridge over the freeway, also known as U.S. Highway 75. To get to the sidewalk on the bridge, they had to cross the road. The two boys dodged traffic and ran across the westbound lane. At the edge of the road, there was a guardrail.
Edgar thought if he jumped over the rail, he'd land on the sidewalk. He didn't know that behind the rail was a 5-foot gap that separated it from the walkway. He realized his mistake as he was jumping across the rail. Edgar reacted quickly and tried to grab hold of something. He hit his chest and stomach on the edge of the road, and he managed to grip onto the concrete. He hung on for about five seconds before falling 28 feet onto the freeway. Edgar said he feared for his life and started praying: "God, please help me." He thinks his prayer was answered.
As he was falling, he felt pressure around his chest, as if someone was wrapping his arms around him. He remembers seeing long, blond hair, a very bright light and something that looked like wings to his side. Then he hit the pavement. His memory came back as he lay on the shoulder. He heard two men talking to him, asking questions, telling him help was on the way. His friend had wanted to jump the rail as well, but after he saw Edgar fall, he ran to a nearby police car and alerted the officer.
The officer was shocked to see how far Edgar had fallen, Hernandez said. "He was really surprised to see that he was conscious." Edgar was listed in good condition Friday at the intensive pediatric care unit at Creighton University Medical Center. Both his arms were in casts, but he said he felt only a little pain. He has had two surgeries already and will have two more. If everything goes well, he might get to go home next week, Hernandez said. Edgar and his parents moved from Mexico to the United States last August. He is a student at Logan Fontenelle Middle School. Edgar said the experience has strengthened his faith in God.
"He thinks the person holding him was an angel," Hernandez said. "He thinks that's what made him not die."

Forced abortions and NOW

Now - the National Organization of Women - remains silent when it comes to stories like this one:

The Epoch Times
Jul 23, 2005
A woman from Hong Kong was taken to have a forced abortion while visiting Hunan Province for her father’s birthday with her eight-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. Though she was six months pregnant, the local family planning office notified her that the pregnancy was unauthorized. With the assistance of the Hong Kong Immigration Department, she was successfully rescued within 24 hours.
A Frightening Journey Home
According to the July 10 Apple Daily News Report, a woman from Hong Kong, surnamed Hsiung, was visiting her 70-year-old father in Wan Jia Village, Tao County, Hunan Province, for his birthday along with her children. Around 7 a.m. on July 8th, she was awakened by loud noises and violent kicking at the door. The visitors claimed to be the county and town family planning officials and stated they wanted to inspect her birth allowance certificate. They suspected she was in violation of the “one child per couple” policy and should submit to a forced abortion. Ms. Hsiung replied that she was a resident of Hong Kong and thus not governed by the mainland's family planning program. She was told, "Hong Kong is part of China and is regulated by Chinese policy." During the confusion, Hsiung, sought assistance, telephoning the Hong Kong Immigration Department and the Apple Daily News.
After speaking with Ms. Hsiung, the Immigration Department contacted the Public Security Bureau of Hunan Province, who then immediately instructed the Tao County Public Security Bureau to take care of this incident properly. When the police arrived, Ms. Hsiung opened the door and unexpectedly saw eight family planning officials there also. A policeman checked her Home Entry Permit, her HK ID Card and Certificate and indicated that he had no authority in this matter. Though she was left with her documents and children, the family planning officials stayed after the police left and tried to force her to go to the hospital for an abortion. Many of her relatives were present and they were able to intervene and prevent her from being taken away. The officials then left, but took her documents.
Hsiung Aware of Her Relatives' Forced Abortions
To control population growth, mainland China's Communist government has maintained a policy called "Population and Family Planning Law," with one child per couple allowed since 1978. Prior to a pregnancy, mainland couples have to apply and obtain an "Allowed Birth Certificate" to accompany their IDs, marriage certificate, etc. The Family Planning Office can force any woman with an unauthorized pregnancy to have an abortion.
Many abuses and tragedies occur because of this policy, such as: female infants being abandoned, the taking of drugs that induce multiple fetus pregnancies and giving birth in seclusion. Punishment for an unauthorized pregnancy can be brutal and instances like the destruction of residences, the impoundment and confiscation of furniture, electronics, and farm animals as well as the refusal to register the unauthorized child have all occurred. This coercive population control policy has led human rights organizations to severely criticize China for these alleged abuses.
Ms. Hsiung revealed that the mere mention of the family planning office would fill her with horror since she had witnessed so many pregnant women who had been subjected to a forced abortion. She said, "Three of my relatives in the countryside were seized and forced to abort their unauthorized pregnancies. All were pregnant for the first time, with one being 8 months along."


The silence of NOW speaks volumes. The organization is not really concerned with furthering the commonn good of women and society in general. No, NOW exists solely to foist a radical agenda upon society. One which enshrines the murder of the unborn as a sort of demonic "sacrament" to the Moloch god while enslaving women to a purely masculine criteria.

And Lucifer smiles.


Paul

On Retreat

Dear Friends of this Blog and the Spiritual Children of Saint Rita,

I will be away on retreat and will return on Sunday. They say it's going to be a much cooler weekend. May God will it so.

God bless,
Paul

Canon 915

The following article may be found at the website of American Life League:

Canon 915
Canon 915 of the Catholic Church's Code of Canon Law states:
Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or the declaration of a penalty as well as others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to communion.
Father James Buckley, FSSP, has clarified why American Life League is asking the Church's bishops to enforce Canon 915:
Prior to Vatican II priests were more conscious that the obligation of preventing public sinners from receiving communion rested on them. Today they hesitate. Further, Canon Law 915 clearly prohibits public sinners from taking the Eucharist. Priests are not disciplining pro-abortion legislators when they enforce this Canon law; they are protecting the Eucharist from sacrilege.
Supporting documentation:
Canon Law is the authentic compilation of the laws of the Catholic Church. Major compilations have been made in the Church's history.
Gratian's Decree, assembled about A.D. 1140 by the Italian Camaldolese monk Gratian.
In 1234 the Dominican canonist Saint Raymond of Penafort completed a systematic arrangement that became known as the Decretals of Gregory IX.
Pope St. Pius X commissioned Pietro Cardinal Gasparri to systematically arrange Church law, and he then promulgated the Code of Canon Law in 1917.
The current code, incorporating revisions required by the Second Vatican Council, was promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1983.
Pope John Paul II's encyclical letter, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, issued in April 2003:
37. The two sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance are very closely connected. Because the Eucharist makes present the redeeming sacrifice of the Cross, perpetuating it sacramentally, it naturally gives rise to a continuous need for conversion, for a personal response to the appeal made by Saint Paul to the Christians of Corinth: "We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor 5:20). If a Christian's conscience is burdened by serious sin, then the path of penance through the sacrament of Reconciliation becomes necessary for full participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
The judgment of one's state of grace obviously belongs only to the person involved, since it is a question of examining one's conscience. However, in cases of outward conduct which is seriously, clearly and steadfastly contrary to the moral norm, the Church, in her pastoral concern for the good order of the community and out of respect for the sacrament, cannot fail to feel directly involved. The Code of Canon Law refers to this situation of a manifest lack of proper moral disposition when it states that those who "obstinately persist in manifest grave sin" are not to be admitted to Eucharistic communion.76
(76Canon 915; Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Canon 712.)

Letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments issued in July 2002:
In view of the law that "sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who opportunely ask for them, are properly disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them" (Canon 843.1) there should be no such refusal to any Catholic who presents himself for Holy Communion at Mass, except in cases presenting a danger of grave scandal to other believers arising out of the person's unrepented public sin or obstinate heresy or schism, publicly professed or declared.

Declaration by the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts
Any interpretation of can. 915 that would set itself against the canon's substantial content, as declared uninterruptedly by the Magisterium and by the discipline of the Church throughout the centuries, is clearly misleading. One cannot confuse respect for the wording of the law (cfr. Can. 17) with the improper use of the very same wording as an instrument for relativizing the precepts or emptying them of their substance.
The phrase "and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin" is clear and must be understood in a manner that does not distort its sense so as to render the norm inapplicable. The three required conditions are:
grave sin, understood objectively, being that the minister of Communion would not be able to judge from subjective imputability;
obstinate persistence, which means the existence of an objective situation of sin that endures in time and which the will of the individual member of the faithful does not bring to an end, no other requirements (attitude of defiance, prior warning, etc.) being necessary to establish the fundamental gravity of the situation in the Church.
The manifest character of the situation of grave habitual sin.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, III:q 80: article 6
I answer that, "A distinction must be made among sinners: some are secret; others are notorious, either from evidence of the fact, as public usurers, or public robbers or from being denounced as evil men by some ecclesiastical or civil tribunal. Therefore Holy Communion ought not to be given to open sinners when they ask for it."
Reply to Objection 1: "Holy things are forbidden to be given to dogs, that is, to notorious sinners…."

Father Buckley comments on the above: "It is from evidence of fact and not from the denunciation of an ecclesiastical tribunal that all men know that some Catholic politicians are obstinate in the manifest grave sin of formal cooperation in abortion. These are notorious sinners who should not be given the Eucharist."
What about the politician who, perhaps due to a failure to comprehend the gravity of abortion, argues that he or she is "personally opposed to abortion" but consistently votes for measures that support abortion? Since such a person does not consider his actions gravely wrong, he may not be in a state of mortal sin.
Father James Buckley, FSSP, responds to this question as follows:
Law deals with what is objective. To vote for abortion legislation is mortally sinful because it is formal cooperation in a grave sin. To do so repeatedly despite the clear teaching of the Catholic Church to the contrary is obstinacy. Moreover, these actions are public. Consequently, pro-abortion legislators obstinately persevere in manifest grave sin and, according to Canon 915, are not to be given Holy Communion.
It must be remembered that Canon 915 puts an obligation on those who are distributing Holy Communion that they not give Holy Communion to notorious sinners.
When someone suggests that notorious sinners are not really notorious sinners because they lack knowledge of serious sin, he or she is retreating from the objective criteria the law demands. Secondly, it is not that the pro-abortion politician lacks knowledge of the Church teaching; he rejects it. The evil is in the will and not in the intellect.
Back to crusade home page
©2003 American Life League, Inc.


Paul

Lumen Gentium, No. 14

14. This Sacred Council wishes to turn its attention firstly to the Catholic faithful. Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition, it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism(124) and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.
They are fully incorporated in the society of the Church who, possessing the Spirit of Christ accept her entire system and all the means of salvation given to her, and are united with her as part of her visible bodily structure and through her with Christ, who rules her through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops. The bonds which bind men to the Church in a visible way are profession of faith, the sacraments, and ecclesiastical government and communion. He is not saved, however, who, though part of the body of the Church, does not persevere in charity. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but, as it were, only in a "bodily" manner and not "in his heart."(12*) All the Church's children should remember that their exalted status is to be attributed not to their own merits but to the special grace of Christ. If they fail moreover to respond to that grace in thought, word and deed, not only shall they not be saved but they will be the more severely judged.(13*)
Catechumens who, moved by the Holy Spirit, seek with explicit intention to be incorporated into the Church are by that very intention joined with her. With love and solicitude Mother Church already embraces them as her own.


How many of those who dissent from the Magisterium of the Church have ever really pondered these words? Note where LG teaches us that, "All the Church's children should remember that their exalted status is to be attributed not to their own merits but to the special grace of Christ. If they fail moreover to respond to that grace in thought, word and deed, not only shall they not be saved but they will be the more severely judged."

When a Catholic engages in dissent from the Magisterium of the Church, he or she is failing to respond to that grace of Christ "in thought, word and deed." And LG says that, "not only shall they not be saved but they will be the more severely judged." Of course, this passage also applies to Catholics who engage in judgmentalism. As I noted in a previous post, we are not free to judge another's interior dispositions. But we are free to judge words, ideas and actions which fail to live up to the demands of the Gospel and which dissipate when held up to the Lumen Christi.

Paul.