Dignare Me Laudare Te, Virgo Sacrata

A Prophecy That Has Largely Come True - God Helps Us All

2012-01-31T23:04:00.002-05:00

"Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection."

"Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife."

-Pope Paul VI, Encyclical Humanae Vitae, 25 July 1968, Paragraph 17

The Martyrdom of Blessed Elias Nieves

2011-12-30T12:18:00.003-05:00

Painting of Blessed Elias Nieves,
taken from Blessed Elia del Soccorso (Matteo Nieves), March 10
(The following is excerpted from Chapter III of "Mexican Martyrdom," by Father Wilfrid Parsons, S.J., reprinted in 1987 by TAN Books.)

"...Father Elias Nieves, an Augustinian...stuck to his post as parish priest [in the town of La Cañada de Caracheo]...he moved out of the rectory to the hut of a native. On March 8 [1928] a company of soldiers arrived and asked for the priest. His house [the rectory] was locked and silent. They began to break down the door. The news spread like wildfire in the vicinity and in no time a crowd...had made a solid phalanx around the church, for fear it, too, would be destroyed....someone tipped off the soldiers....and Father Nieves was dragged forth. Two...made a hopeless effort to protect him, and they, too, were taken along....The Captain [Manuel Marquez Cervantes]...offered the two...their liberty, even urged it upon them. They stolidly refused to leave their pastor, and the Captain shrugged his shoulders...."

"Father Nieves and the others were called early [the morning of March 10], and the troops kept the villagers cowed. The two...knelt down for Confession and absolution, and they stepped forward together. 'We are ready,' they announced. One after the other they took the hail of bullets without flinching."

"It was the priest's turn. As he walked to the wall beside the two motionless bodies, he turned and asked for a few moments to recollect himself. He knelt a long while, and then standing, said: 'I am ready.' But at the moment that the soldiers lifted their rifles, he raised his hand."

"'Kneel down,' he said, 'I will give you the blessing of a priest - and along with it my pardon for what you are about to do.'"

"Every one of the simple soldiers knelt down and piously received the blessing of the priest, making the Sign of the Cross on their bodies. The Captain laughed."

"'Even for you there is a blessing and my pardon,' said Father Nieves. For answer the Captain drew his revolver and shot him dead. [Another account of the martyrdom adds that "The Father had time to shout too, clearly: 'Long live Christ the King!'" Of course, that slogan is ¡Viva Cristo Rey! in Spanish.] Then, to make sure, he stepped forward and gave him the coup de grace in the temple, blowing his brains out."

"His funeral the next day was a triumph for the countryside, and his body was laid beside those of his two faithful companions."

[Father Nieves was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 12 October 1997.]

Every priest who preaches the Word of God in times of persecution has no escape; he will die like Jesus on the Cross, with arms tied. -Blessed Elias Nieves

Alleluia Chant for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

2011-12-08T23:12:00.002-05:00

"Alleluia. alleluia. Thou art all fair, O Mary, and the original stain is not in thee. Alleluia." (taken from the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal)

Last Sunday in October - Feast of Christ the King

2011-10-30T23:39:00.002-04:00

[Image of Christ the King, taken from Pius XI: The Kingship of Christ]
(The following is excerpted from the supplement in Volume XIV of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of Dom Prosper Guéranger's 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook. As the feast of Christ the King wasn't instituted until the 1920s, Dom Guéranger likely didn't write this entry, but a later Benedictine religious.)

"The Kingdom of Heaven - Holy Church - is seen bringing forth out of her treature 'things new and old.'....Hence, guided by the Holy Spirit, of [H]im who has promised to be with her not merely for a few centuries but unto the end of the world, she defines or emphasizes certain points of doctrine as she sees fit, considering the needs of the times. We have an example in the institution of the feast of the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ by the Sovereign Pontiff, Pope Pius XI, in the jubilee year 1925, and explained to the faithful in the Encyclical Quas Primas."

"Christians have ever hailed our divine Lord as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It was as a King that the representatives of the Eastern world came to adore [H]im in a manger; it was as a King, albeit not knowing what he did, that the official representative of the Western world lifted [H]im up upon the Cross. The patriarchs and prophets of the old dispensation foretold [H]is royalty; [H]e spoke constantly of [H]is kingdom: when asked plainly whether [He] were in truth a king by the representative of Caesar, [H]e acknowledged that such indeed [H]e was, though of a kingdom not of this world...."

"Yet though [H]is is a spiritual kingdom, opposed to no just earthly polity, 'it would be a grave error to say that Christ has no authority whatever in civil affairs, since by virtue of the absolute empire over all creatures committed to [H]im by the Father, all things are in [H]is power. All men, whether collectively or individually, are under the dominion of Christ. In [H]im is the salvation of the individual, in [H]im is the salvation of society.'"

"To-day, we sadly behold 'a world undone,' largely paganized in principles and outlook, and, in recent years, in one country even glorying in the name 'pagan.' At the best, governments mostly ignore God; and at the worst, openly fight against [H]im, as we of to-day are witnessing in the Old World and in the New. Even the statesmen's well-meant efforts to find a remedy for present ills and, above all, to secure world peace, prove futile because, whereas peace is from Christ, and possibly only in the Kingdom of Christ, [H]is [N]ame is never mentioned throughout their deliberations or their documents. Christ is kept out of the State schools and seats of higher education; and the rising generations seem to be taught anything and everything save to know, love, and serve [H]im. Art and literature all too frequently reflect the same tendencies."

"And since the spirit of evil reigns inevitably wherever the spirit of Christ has ceased to reign, in public and in private men are flouting the moral laws of God, and some of the worst abominations of ancient paganism are becoming matters of every-day life. Moreover, be it remembered, modern paganism is worse than that of the ancient world, in that the former knows what ides as the latter did not. There is now an intense, positive hatred of Jesus Christ in the militant atheist, which differs in kind from the attitude of the fiercest Roman or Eastern persecutor: 'If I had not come and spoken to them... if I had not done among them the works that no other man hath done, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father' [John 25: 22, 24]."

"Ever as practical as she is supernatural, the Church is not content with merely deploring the evil, nor even with counteracting it by sound teaching. She would also make definite reparation to the divine majesty thus denied and defied; to [H]im whose royalty is slighted and insulted. Something must be done by those who, in a measure, understand and love, in order to atone for those who do not. 'To repair the crime...which denies God's rights over the human society whose author [H]e is, we must exalt Jesus Christ as King over all individuals, families, and peoples. If [H]is universal royalty be proclaimed and [H]is reign in society recognized, one of the principal evils of the modern world - the secularizing of public and private life - will be attacked at its roots' [quoted from L'Amour de Dieu et de la Croix de Jesus, P. Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P.]. Hence we have the special exhortation of the Vicar of Christ, and the institution of the feast of this divine Kingship...."

Prayer For the Reign of the Sacred Heart (On the Feast of Holy Michael the Archangel)

2011-09-29T23:37:00.003-04:00

(The above video was found on the Rorate Caeli blog: Crisis? What Crisis? The beast was slain)
"O Mary Immaculate, great Queen of Heaven and earth and our gentle advocate, deign, we beseech thee, to intercede for us. Ask God to send St. Michael and the holy Angels to war of all the obstacles contrary to the reign of the Sacred Heart in our souls, our families, our country, and in the whole world. And thou, O holy Michael, Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, from our hearts we beg thee to come to our aid. Defend us against the rage of Satan, and through the divine power bestowed upon thee by God, after securing victory for the Church here below, guide souls to our eternal home. Amen."

"St. Michael, First Champion of the Kingship of Christ, pray for us!"

Martyrology for August 31

2011-08-31T23:53:00.003-04:00

The above image is taken from All Saints blog.
[The following is the entry for the Thirty-First Day of August from the English translation of the 1962 edition of The Roman Martyrology, edited by Canon J.B. O'Connell.]

"St. Raymund Nonnatus, of the Order of our Lady of Random for the Redemption of Captives, Cardinal and Confessor. His birthday [in heaven] is commemorated on August 26."

"In Tuscany at Monte Senario, the birthday of St. Bonajuncta, Confessor, and one of the seven founders of the Order of the Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary; while he was preaching to the brethren about the Lord's Passion, he gave up his soul into the hands of the Lord. His festival with that of his companions is kept on February 12."

"At Trier, the birthday of St. Paulinus, Bishop; in the time of the Arian heresy he was exiled by the Arian Emperor Constantius on account of the Catholic faith. Wearied out by constantly changing the place of his exile until the day of his death, in places far beyond the Christian lands, he finally received from the Lord the crown of such blessed suffering, and died in Phrygia."

"At Trassaco on Lake Fucino in the Abruzzi, the birthday of the holy martyrs [Sts.] Caesidius, Priest, and his companions, who were crowned with martyrdom in the persecution of Maximin."

"Likewise, SS. Robustian and Mark, Martyrs."

"At Caesarea in Cappadocia, SS. Theodotus, Rufina and Ammia; the first two of these were the parents of St. Mamas the Martyr, to whom Rufina gave birth in prison and whom Amnia educated."

"At Auxerre, St. Optatus, Bishop and Confessor."

"In England, St. Aidan, Bishop of Landisfarne; St. Cuthbert (of whom mention is made on March 20), who was then a shepherd-boy, saw his soul being borne up into heaven. He forthwith left his flock and became a monk."

"At Nusco, St. Amatus, Bishop."

"At Athens, St. Aristides, a man most renowned in faith and wisdom; he offered a book on the Christian religion, which set forth the grounds for our beliefs, to the Emperor Hadrian, and, in the presence of the emperor himself, he maintained with great eloquence that Jesus Christ alone is God."

Feast Day of Sts. Abdon and Sennen, Martyrs

2011-07-30T23:55:00.002-04:00

Stained glass window of Sts. Abdon and Sennen, taken from Saint Abdon et Saint Sennen
(The following is excerpted from the 30 July entry in Volume III of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of Dom Prosper Guéranger's 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"The decrees of eternal Wisdom ordained that the West should be honoured before the East with the glory of martyrdom. Yet when the hour had come, Jesus was to have, beyond the Tigris, millions of witnesses by no means inferior to their forerunners, astonishing heaven and earth by new forms of heroism. Impatient of the delay, two noble Persians won their palm on this day by the command of Rome. By shedding their blood they paid tribute for their native land to the eternal City; and now they protect our Latin Churches, and receive the prayers and praise of the West. France receive a goodly portion of their sacred relics; and the city of Arles-sur-Tech, in Roussillon, can show to an incredulous generation the sarcophagus, from which flows a mysterious liquor, a symbol of the continual benefits bestowed on us by these holy martyrs."

"During the of Decius, two Persians, Abdon and Sennen, were accused of burying on their own estate the bodies of the Christians which had been exposed. By order of the Emperor they were apprehended and commanded to sacrifice to the gods. As they refused to obey, and moreover with the greatest constancy proclaimed Jesus Christ to be God they were placed in close confinement, and when later Decius returned to Rome they were led in chains in his triumphal march. They were dragged to the Roman idols, but to show their hatred of the demons, they spat upon them. Upon this they were exposed to the fury of lions and bears, but the beasts did not dare to touch them; at length they were put to death by the sword. Their bodies were dragged by the feet before the statue of the sun, but they were secretly carried away and buried by Quirinus the deacon in his own house."

"Hearken to our earnest prayers, O blessed martyrs! May the faith at length triumph in that land of Persia whence so many flowers of martyrdom have been culled for heaven. Before the time appointed for the struggle to begin in your native land, ye went to meet death elsewhere, and thus ye gained a new fatherland whereon to bestow your love. Bless us, the fellow-citizens of your choice, and bring us all to the eternal fatherland of all the children of God."

Martyrology for June 30

2011-06-30T23:39:00.002-04:00

Painting of St. Paul, taken from Prayers and Devotion to St. Paul
[The following is the entry for the Thirtieth Day of June from the English translation of the 1962 edition of The Roman Martyrology, edited by Canon J.B. O'Connell.]

"The Commemoration of St Paul the Apostle [who, according to the entry for the Twenty-Ninth Day of June, suffered...under the Emperor Nero....[He] was slain with the sword, and buried...on the Via Ostiensis.]."

"At Rome, St Lucina, a disciple of the Apostles, who disposed of her goods for the needs of the saints, visited the Christians kept in prison, and cared for the burials of the martyrs, near to whom she was buried in a tomb she herself had built."

"In the same city, St. Emiliana, Martyr."

"On the same day, the holy martyrs Caius, Priest, and Leo, Subdeacon."

"At Alexandria, the passion of St Basilides, under the Emperor Severus. Having protected St Potamiaena, Virgin, whom he led to her torture, from the insults of shameless men, he received from her the reward of his religious service; she appeared to him after three days, and placing a crown on his forehead, not only converted him to Christ, but also made him by her prayers a glorious martyr after he had suffered in a brief combat."

"At Limoges in Aquitaine, St Martial, Bishop, with two priests, Alpinian and Austriclinian, whose life shone brightly with signs and miracles."

"In the Vivarais, France, St Ostian, Priest and Confessor."

"At Salanigo in the district of Vicenza, St Theobald, Priest and Hermit, one of the Counts of Champagne. On account of his renowned holiness and miracles Pope Alexander III inscribed him on the list of Saints."

St. Augustine of Canterbury

2011-05-28T23:56:00.002-04:00

Stained glass image of St. Augustine of Canterbury, taken from Flickr.
(The following is excerpted from the 26 May entry in Volume VIII of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of Dom Prosper Guéranger's 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook. 28 May was the feast day of St. Augustine of Canterbury on the traditional sanctoral calendar from 1882 on.)

"Augustine was a Monk of the Monastery of Saint Andrew, in Rome, where also he discharged the office of Prior with much piety and prudence. He was taken from that Monastery by St. Gregory the Great; and sent by him, with about forty Monks of the same monastery, into Britain. Thus would Gregory carry out, by his disciples, the conversion of that country to Christ - a project which he at first resolved to effect himself. They had not advanced far on their journey, when they became frightened at the difficulty of such an enterprise; but Gregory encouraged them by letters which he sent to Augustine, whom he appointed as their Abbot, and gave him letters of introduction to the kings of the Franks, and to the Bishops of Gaul. Whereupon Augustine and his Monks pursued their journey with haste. He visited the tomb of St. Martin, at Tours. Having reached the town of Pont-de-Ce, not far from Angers, he was badly treated by its inhabitants, and was compelled to spend the night in the open air. Having stuck the ground with his staff, a fountain miraculously sprang up; and on that spot a Church was afterwards built, and called after his name."

"Having procured interpreters from the Franks, he proceeded to England and landed at the Isle of Thanet. He entered the country, carrying, as a standard, a silver Cross, and a painting representing our Saviour. Thus did he present himself before Ethelbert, the king of Kent, who readily provided the heralds of the Gospel with a dwelling in the city of Canterbury, and gave them leave to preach in his kingdom. There was close at hand an Oratory which had been built in honor St. Martin, when the Romans had possession of Britain. It was in this Oratory that his queen, Bertha, (who was a Christian, as being of the nation of the Franks) was wont to pray. Augustine, therefore, entered into Canterbury with solemn religious ceremony, amidst the chanting of psalms and litanies. He took up his abode for some time near to the said Oratory; and there, together with his Monks, led an apostolic life. Such manner of living, conjointly with the heavenly doctrine that was preached, and confirmed by many miracles, so reconciled the islanders, that many of them with induced to embrace the Christian Faith. The king himself was also converted, and Augustine baptized him an a very great number of his people. On one Christmas Day he baptized upwards of ten thousand English, in a river at York; and it is related that those among them who were suffering any malady, received bodily health, as well as their spiritual regeneration."

"Meanwhile, the man of God Augustine received a command from Gregory to go and receive Episcopal ordination in Gaul, at the hands of Virgilius, the Bishop of Arles. On his return he established his See at Canterbury, in the Church of our Saviour, which he had built, and he kept there some of the Monks to be his fellow-labourers. He also built in the suburbs the Monastery of Saint Peter, which was afterwards called 'Saint Augustine's'. When Gregory heard of the conversion of Angli, which was told to him by the two Monks Laurence and Peter, whom Augustine had sent to Rome, he wrote letters of congratulation to Augustine. He gave him power to arrange all that concerned the Church in England, and to wear the Pallium. In the same letters he admonished him to be on his guard against priding himself on the miracles which God enabled him to work for the salvation of souls, lest pride should turn them to the injury of him that worked them."

"Having thus put in order the affairs off the Church in England, Augustine held a Council with the Bishops and Doctors of the ancient Britons, who had long been at variance with the Roman Church in the keeping of Easter and other rites. And in order to refute, by miracles, these men, whom the Apostolic See had often authoritatively admonished, but to no purpose, Augustine, in proof of the truth of his assertions, restored sight to a blind man in their presence. But on their refusing to yield even after witnessing the miracle, Augustine, with prophetic warning, told them of the punishment that awaited them. At length, after having laboured so long for Christ, and appointed Laurence as his successor, he took his departure for heaven on the seventh of the Calends of June (May 26) and was buried in the Monastery of Saint Peter, which became the burying-place of the Archbishops of Canterbury, and of several kings. The Churches of England honoured him with great devotion. They decreed that each year his feast should be kept as a holyday, and that his name should be inserted in the Litany [of the Saints], immediately after that of St. Gregory, together with whom Augustine has ever been honoured by the English as their Apostle, and as the propagator of the Benedictine Order in their country."

St. John Houghton, Martyr

2011-05-04T23:09:00.003-04:00

Painting of St. John Houghton,
taken from Il martirio dei certosini in Inghilterra
[Taken from Saint John Fisher, by Michael Davies, The Neumann Press, 1998.]

"...On 20 April 1535 [during the reign of King Henry VIII], [Saints] John Houghton, Augustine Webster, and Robert Lawrence, the priors of the Charterhouses [Carthusian monasteries] of London, Beauvale, and Axelhome were arrested. They were committed to the Tower [of London] which they entered by the Traitors' Gate, and in which they remained in foul conditions. They were soon joined by [Saint] Dr. Richard Reynolds, of the Brigettine monastery at Syon who was reputed to be 'the most learned monk in England'. While in the Tower they were subjected to a personal interrogation by [Thomas] Cromwell and the Royal Commissioners who brought with them the Act of Parliament [the first Act of Supremacy] under which it was intended to condemn them if they refused the oath. The priests said that they were ready to consent to all that the law of God permitted. 'I admit no exception,' said Cromwell. 'Whether the law of God permits it or no, you shall take the oath without any reserve whatsoever, and you shall observe it too.' The prisoners objected that the Catholic Church had always taught the contrary to what was set forth in the Act of Parliament. 'I care nothing for what the Church has held or taught,' replied Cromwell. 'I will that you testify by solemn oath that you believe and firmly hold what we propose to you to profess: that the king is Head of the English Church.' The prisoners answered that the fear of God would not allow them to disobey or abandon the Church, seeing that St. Augustine says that he would not believe even the Gospel if the Holy Catholic Church did not teach him to do so."

"At their trial the monks insisted that the supremacy of the pope had been instituted by Our Lord 'as necessary to the conservation of the spiritual unity of the mystical body of Christ.' They were cut short by the judge who stated that as the Act has been passed and was law it could not be called into question. Twice the jury refused to condemn priests of such radiant holiness despite threats that if they failed to find in favour of the king they would suffer the same fate as the monks. Cromwell himself then came to intimidate them in person, and they brought in a reluctant verdict of guilty. The four prisoners were sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn. Tuesday 4 May 1535 was the day fixed for their execution. It had rained during the night and the streets were coated with mud. The martyrs for the faith were dragged by horses to Tyburn, lying on their backs on hurdles, jolting over rough cobbles, their heads beaten against the rough stones, and splashing through puddles of filthy water. St. Thomas More, and his daughter Margaret who was visiting him, witnessed the beginning of the sad procession from the window of his cell in the Bell Tower. Tears came into his eyes as he gazed down upon the scene below, and he said to Margaret: 'Lo, dost thou not see Meg, that these blessed fathers be now as cheerfully going to their deaths as bridegrooms to a marriage.' As a young man More had aspired to the Carthusian life, but eventually decided that this was not his vocation. In his deep humility the saint told Margaret that God was calling the monks to everlasting life as a reward for spending their days in a hard, penitential, and painful life, but because of his own unworthiness he was condemned to remain longer on earth."

"The painful three mile journey [from] the Tower halted at the hospital of St. Giles-in-the-Fields where, in accordance with tradition, the condemned men were offered a bowl of ale. Together with a secular priest, [Blessed] John Hale, the Vicar of Isleworth, they were hanged, drawn, and quartered as traitors. Hale had been denounced to the authorities for remarks concerning the king's tyranny and licentiousness made during a private conversation. In an act of unprecedented barbarism the monks were executed wearing their religious habits. Had they truly been guilty of treason or any other capital offence they should have been degraded to the lay state and executed wearing secular clothing. This had been the invariable practice in England."

"To Blessed John Houghton [this account was written after his beatification, but before his canonization], God was pleased to grant the signal honour of being the first man since pagan times to suffer death in England for being a Catholic. After lovingly embracing the executioner, who craved his pardon, the holy martyr entered the cart which stood beneath the gallows; and there, in the sight of the multitude, he was asked once again whether he would submit to the King's laws before it was too late. Nothing daunted, he replied: 'I call Almighty God to witness, and I beseech all here present to attest for me on the dreadful day of judgment, that, being about to die in public, I declare that I have refused to comply with the will of His Majesty the King, not from obstinacy, malice, or a rebellious spirit, but solely for fear of offending the supreme Majesty of God. Our holy Mother the Church has decreed and enjoined otherwise than the king and Parliament have decreed. I am therefore bound in conscience, and am ready and willing to suffer every kind of torture, rather than deny a doctrine of the Church. Pray for me. and have mercy on my brethren, of whom I have been the unworthy Prior.' He then asked for time to say his last prayer, which he took from the 30th Psalm: 'In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let me never be confounded: deliver me in Thy justice...Into Thy hands I commend my spirit; for Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.' Blessed John Houghton was now ready to meet death."

"A thick rope had been chosen, for fear he might be strangled and expire too quickly. It was placed about his neck. The sheriff gave the signal. The cart was drawn aside; and the gentle monk, who had done good to many, and harm to none, was hanging like a malefactor from the gallows. Then came the worst part of the business, for no mercy was shown, and the hideous sentence was carried out in all its details. The rope was cut, and the body fell heavily on the ground; but John Houghton was not dead. They tore off his holy habit, and laid him on a plank or platform. The executioner inflicted a long and ghastly wound with a sharp knife, dragged out his entrails, and threw them into a fire prepared for the purpose. The poor sufferer was conscious the whole time; and while he was being embowelled he was heard to exclaim: 'Oh most holy Jesus, have mercy upon me in this hour!' When at last the executioner placed his hand upon the heart to wrench it from its place, the blessed martyr spoke again. A German, Anthony Rescius, who afterwards became auxiliary Bishop of Wiirzburg, was close by. He overheard his last words: 'Good Jesu, what will ye do with my heart?' The struggle was over at last. John Houghton had been faithful unto death, and gained the crown of life."

[Saints] Augustine Weber, Robert Lawrence, [and] Richard Reynolds were all butchered in the same way as the protomartyr. Each was offered a free pardon if he would renounce his Catholic faith, but each preferred death to apostasy. Insults were heaped upon the lifeless bodies of the martyrs. [Saint] John Houghton's heart was rubbed in his face. The bodies were cut into quarters which were thrown into a cauldron of boiling pitch to prevent decay, and then set up in different parts of London as proof positive that the king was indeed the head of the Church in England....In order to terrify the remaining Carthusians into submission, [Saint] John Houghton's severed arm, all bloody from Tyburn, was nailed above the gateway of the Charterhouse. When it eventually fell to the ground it was hidden by the monks and may still be lying where they hid it. This alone suffices to make the London Charterhouse a hallowed place for Catholics."

"...It is impossible not to see the divine irony in the fact that three Carthusian priors were among the first five Catholics who shed their blood for the rights of the Church since the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket in 1170. The iron derives from the fact that as part of his penance for the death of the archbishop, King Henry II made a vow before the tomb of St. Thomas to build a monastery. The austere Carthusian order stood highest in the veneration of Christendom, and so the king build the first Carthusian monastery in England at Witham in Somersetshire. The third prior of this monastery at the earnest request of Henry II was the great St. Hugh (1140-1200). The king later persuaded him to become Bishop of Lincoln. His tomb in Lincoln Cathedral was second only to that of St. Thomas Becket as a place of pilgrimage and popular devotion. Both tombs were despoiled by Henry VIII."

St. Hermenegild, King and Martyr

2011-04-13T21:58:00.004-04:00

(Posted 14 April 2010. The following is excerpted from the 13 April entry in Volume VIII of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of Dom Prosper Guéranger's 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

Depiction of St. Hermenegild Resisting the Arian Bishop,
taken from Salve Maria Regina
"... [Saint] Hermenegild, a young Visigoth prince, is put to death by his heretical father, because he courageously refused to receive his Easter Communion from an Arian bishop. The martyr knew that the Eucharist is the sacred symbol of Catholic unity; and that we are not allowed to approach the Holy Table in company with those who are not in the true Church. A sacrilegious consecration gives heretics the real possession of the divine Mystery, if the priestly character be in him who dares to offer sacrifice to the God whom he blasphemes; but the Catholic, who knows that he may not so much as pray with heretics, shudders at the sight of the profanation, and would rather die than share by his presence in insulting our Redeemer in that very Sacrifice and Sacrament which were instituted that we might all be made one in God."

"The blood of the martyr produced its fruit: Spain threw off the chains of heresy that had enslaved her, and a Council, held at Toledo, completed the work of conversion begun by [Saint] Hermenegild's sacrifice. There are very few instances recorded in history of a whole nation rising up as one man to abjure heresy; but Spain did it, for she seems to be a country on which heaven lavishes exceptional blessings. Shortly after this she was out through the ordeal of the Saracen invasion; she triumphed here again by the bravery of her children; and ever since then, her faith has been so staunch and so pure as to merit for her the proud title of The Catholic Kingdom."

"St. Gregory the Great, a contemporary of St. Hermenegild, has transmitted to us the following account of the martyrdom. The Church has inserted it in her Lesson of today's Matin's.

King [Saint] Hermenegild, son of Leovigild, king of the Visigoths, was converted from the Arian heresy to the Catholic faith by the preaching of the venerable [Saint] Leander, bishop of Seville, one of my oldest and dearest friends. His father, who continued in the Arian heresy, did his utmost, both by promises and threats, to induce him to apostatize. But [Saint] Hermenegild returned him ever the same answer, that he never could abandon the true faith, after having once known it. The father, in a fit of displeasure, deprived him not only of his right to the throne, but of everything he possessed. And when even this failed to break the energy of his soul, he had him put into close confinement with chains on his neck and hands. Hereupon the youthful king Hermenegild began to despise the earthly, and ardently to long for the heavenly kingdom. Thus fettered, and wearing a hairshirt, he besought the omnipotent God to support him. As to the glory of this fleeting world, he nobly looked on it with disdain, the more so as his captivity taught him the nothingness of that which could thus be taken from him."

"It was the Feast of Easter. at an early hour of the night, when all was still, his wicked father sent an Arian bishop to him, with this message, that if he would receive Communion from his hands (the Communion of a sacrilegious consecration!)he should be restored to favour. True to his Creator, the man of God gave a merited reproof to the Arian bishop, and, with holy indignation, rejected his sinful offer; for though his body lay prostrate in chains, his soul stood on ground beyond the reach of tyranny. The bishop therefore returned whence he had come. The Arian father raged, and straightway spent his lictors, bidding them repair to the prison of the unflinching confessor of the Lord, and murder him on the spot. They obeyed; they entered the prison; they cleft his skull with a sword; they took away the life of the body, and slew what he, the slain one, had sworn to count as vile. Miracles soon followed, whereby heaven testified to the true glory of [Saint] Hermenegild; for during the night there was heard sweet music nigh to the body of the king and martyr-king indeed, because he was a martyr."

"It is said that lights were seen at the same time burning in the prison. The faithful were led by these signs to revere the body as being that of a martyr. As to the wicked father, he repented having imbrued his hands in his son's blood; but his repentance was not unto salvation, inasmuch as, whilst acknowledging the Catholic faith to be the true one, he had not the courage to embrace it, for he feared the displeasure of his subjects. When in his last sickness, and at the point of death, he commended his son Reccared, a heretic, to the care of Leander, the bishop, whom he had hitherto persecuted, but whom he now asked to do for his son what he had, by his exhortations, done for [Saint] Hermenegild. Having made this request, he died, and was succeeded on the throne by Reccared, who, taking not his wicked father but his martyred brother as his model, abandoned the impious Arian heresy, and led the whole Visigothic nation to the true faith. He would not allow any man to serve in his armies who dared to continue the enemy of the God of hosts by heresy. Neither is it to be wondered at, that being the brother of a martyr, he should become a propagator of the true faith, for it was by [Saint] Hermenegild's merits that he has succeeded in reconciling so many thousands to the great God of heaven."

"...We offer thee, O brave witness to the truth of our holy faith! our admiration and gratitude. Thy courageous death was proof of the love thou hadst for Christ; and thy contempt of earthly honours teaches us to despise them. Though thou wert heir to a throne, a prison was thy abode here below. It was thence that thou didst ascend to heaven, wearing on thy brow the laurels of martyrdom, a crown far brighter than that which was offered thee on condition of thy apostatizing from the faith. Pray now for us: the Church asks it of thee, by inserting thy name in the Calendar of her Saints. The Pasch was the day of thy triumph; obtain for us that this may be a true Pasch for us, a real resurrection, which may lead us to the heaven above, where we may enjoy with thee the sigh of our Risen Jesus. Intercede for us, that we may be firm in the faith, obedient to the teachings of holy Church, and enemies of every error and innovation. Protect Spain, thy fatherland, which owes to the martyrdom long centuries of loyalty to the true faith. Pray for her, that she may ever continue to merit her glorious title of Catholic Kingdom."

VIVA CRISTO REY!

2011-03-31T19:49:00.003-04:00

Do watch the trailer for the upcoming movie "Cristiada" and spread the word!

March 24 - St. Gabriel the Archangel

2011-03-24T22:20:00.002-04:00

Icon of St. Gabriel the Archangel, taken from a Picasa Web Album
(The following is excerpted from the 24 March entry in Volume V of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of Dom Prosper Guéranger's 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook. 24 March is the traditional feast day of St. Gabriel the Archangel.)

"Angel of strength, friend of mankind! continue thy ministry of aiding us. We are surrounded by terrible enemies: our weakness makes them bold; come to our assistance, procure us courage. Pray for us during these days of conversion and penance. Obtain for us the knowledge of all we owe to God in consequence of that ineffable mystery of the Incarnation, of which thou wast the first witness. We have offended Him: enlighten us, that so, henceforth, we may be faithful to His teachings and examples. Raise up our thoughts to the happy abode where thou dwellest; assist us to merit the places left vacant by the fallen angels, for God has reserved them for His elect among men."

"Pray, O Gabriel, for the Church militant, and defend her against the attacks of hell. The times are evil; the spirits of malice are let loose, nor can we make stand against them, unless with God's help. It is by His holy angels that He gives victory to His bride. Be thou, O strength of God! foremost in the ranks. Drive heresy back, keep schism down, foil the false wisdom of men, frustrate the policy of the world, arouse the well-minded from apathy; that over the earth He has redeemed, and that we may sing together with thee and the whole angelic choir: 'Glory be to God, peace to men!'"

Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

2011-03-12T22:26:00.006-05:00

Painting of Pope Saint Gregory the Great,
taken from Music History blog
(The following is excerpted from the 12 March entry in Volume V of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of Dom Prosper Guéranger's 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"Among all the pastors whom our Lord Jesus Christ has placed, as His vicegerents, over the universal Church, there is not one whose merits and renown have surpassed those of the holy Pope, whose feast we keep to-day. His name is Gregory, which signifies watchfulness..."

"In recounting the glories of this illustrious Pontiff, it is but natural we should begin with his zeal for the services of the Church. The Roman liturgy, which owes to him some of its finest hymns, may be considered as his work, at least in this sense, that it is he who collected together and classified the prayers and rites drawn up by his predecessors, and reduced them to the form in which we now have them. He collected also the ancient chants of the Church, and arranged them in accordance with the rules and requirements of the divine Service. Hence it is, that our sacred music, which gives such solemnity to the liturgy, and inspires the soul with respect and devotion during the celebration of the great mysteries of our faith, is known as the Gregorian chant."

"He is, then, the apostle of the liturgy, and this alone would have immortalized his name; but we must look for far greater things from such a Pontiff as Gregory. His name was added to the three, who had hitherto been honoured as the great Doctors of the Latin Church. These three are Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome; who else could be the fourth but Gregory? The Church found in his writings such evidence of his having been guided by the Holy Ghost, such a knowledge of the sacred Scriptures, such a clear appreciation of the mysteries of faith, and such unction and authority in his teachings, that she gladly welcomed him as a new guide for her children...."

"Throned on the apostolic See, our saint proved himself to be a rightful heir of the apostles, not only as the representative and depositary of their authority, but as a fellow-sharer in their mission of calling nations to the true faith. To whom does England owe her having been, for so many ages, 'the island of saints'? To Gregory, who, touched with compassion for those Angli, of whom, as he playfully said, he would fain make Angeli, sent to their island the monk [Saint] Augustine [of Canterbury] with forty companions, all of them as was Gregory himself, children of St. Benedict. The faith had been sown in this land as early as the second century, but it has been trodden down by the invasion of an infidel race. This time the seed fructified, and so rapidly that Gregory lived to see a plentiful harvest...."

"During the fourteen years that this holy Pope held the place of Peter, he was the object of the admiration of the Christian world, both in the east and in the West [Byzantine-rite Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, credit St. Gregory with the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts used during their Great Lent]. His profound learning, his talent for administration, his position, all tended to make him beloved and respected. But who could describe the virtue of his great soul? That contempt for the world and its riches, which led him to seek obscurity in the cloister; that humility, which made him flee the honours of the papacy, and hide himself in a cave, where, at length, he was miraculously discovered, and God Himself put into his hands the keys of heaven, which he was evidently worthy to hold, because he feared the responsibility; that zeal for the whole flock, of which he considered himself not the master, but the servant, so much so indeed that he assumed the title, which the Popes have ever since retained. of 'servant of the servants of God'; that charity which took care of the poor throughout the whole world; that ceaseless solicitude, which provided for every calamity, whether public or private; that unruffled sweetness of manner, which he showed to all around him, in spite of the bodily sufferings which never left him during the whole period of his laborious pontificate; that firmness in defending the deposit of the faith, and crushing error wheresoever it showed itself; in a word, that vigilance with regard to discipline, which made itself felt for long ages after in the whole Church? All these services and glorious examples of virtue have endeared our saint to the whole world, and will cause his name to be blessed by all future generations, even to the end of time."

"Let us now read the abridged life of our saint, as given us in the liturgy."

"Gregory the Great, a Roman by birth, was son of the senator Gordian. He applied early to the study of philosophy, and was entrusted with the office of praetor. After his father's death he built six monasteries in Sicily, and a seventh, under the title of Saint Andrew, in his own house in Rome, near the basilica of Saints John and Paul, on the hill Scaurus. In this last named monastery, he embraced the monastic life, under the guidance of Hilarion and Maximian, and was, later on, elected abbot. Shortly afterwards, he was created Cardinal-Deacon, and was by Pope Pelagius sent to Constantinople, as legate, to confer with the emperor Constantine. While there, he achieved that celebrated victory over the patriarch Eutychius, who had written against the resurrection of the flesh, maintaining that it would not be a real one. Gregory so convinced him of his error, that the emperor threw his book into the fire. Eutychius himself fell ill not long after, and when he perceived his last hour had come, he took between his fingers the skin of his hand, and said before the many who were there: 'I believe that we shall all rise in this flesh.'"

"On his return to Rome, he was chosen Pope, by unanimous consent, for Pelagius had been carried off by the plague. He refused, as long as it was possible, the honour thus offered him. He disguised himself and hid himself in a cave; but he was discovered by a pillar of fire shining over the place, and was consecrated at Saint Peter's. As Pontiff, he was an example to his successors by his learning and holiness of life. He every day admitted pilgrims to his table, among whom he received, on one occasion, an angel, and, on another, the Lord of angels, who wore the garb of a pilgrim. He charitably provided for the poor, both in and out of Rome, and kept a list of them. He re-established the Catholic faith in several places where it had fallen into decay. Thus, he put down the Donatists in Africa, and the Arians in Spain; and drove the Agnoites out of Alexandria. He refused to give the pallium to Syagrius, bishop of Autun, until he should have expelled the Neophyte heretics from Gaul. He induced the Goths to abandon the Arian heresy. He sent [Saint] Augustine [of Canterbury] and other monks into Britain, and, by these learned and saintly men, converted that island to the faith of Christ Jesus; so that [Saint] Bede truly calls him the Apostle of England. He checked the haughty pretensions of John, the patriarch of Constantinople, who had arrogated to himself the title of bishop of the universal Church. He obliged the emperor Mauritius to revoke the decree, whereby he had forbidden any soldier to become a monk."

"He enriched the Church with many most holy practices and laws. In a Council held at St. Peter's he passed several decrees. Among these, the following may be mentioned: That in the Mass the Kyrie eleison should be said nine times; that the Alleluia should always be said, except during the interval between Septuagesima and Easter. That these words should be inserted in the Canon: Diesque nostros in tua pace disponas (And mayst thou dispose our days in thy peace). He increased the number of processions (litanies) and stations, and completed the Office of the Church. He would have the four Councils, of Nicea, Constantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon, to be received with the same honour as the four Gospels. He allowed the bishops of Sicily, who, according to the ancient custom of their Churches, used to visit Rome every three years, to make that visit once every fifth year. He wrote several books; and Peter the deacon assures us, that he frequently saw the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove resting on the head of the Pontiff, while he was dictating. It is a matter of wonder that, with his incessant sickness and ill health, he could have said, done, written, and decreed, as he did. At length, after performing many miracles, he was called to his reward in heaven, after a pontificate of thirteen years, six months and ten days; it was on the fourth of the Ides of March (March 12), which the Greeks also observe as a great feast, on account of this Pontiff's extraordinary learning and virtue. His body was buried in the basilica of Saint Peter near the secretarium."

...Father of the Christian people! Vicar of the charity, as well as of the authority of Christ! O Gregory, vigilant Pastor! the Church, which thou hast so faithfully loved and served, turns to thee with confidence. Thou canst not forget the flock, which keeps us such an affectionate remembrance of thee; hear the prayer she offers thee on this thy solemnity. Protect and guide the Pontiff, who now holds the place of Peter, as thou didst; enlighten and encourage him in the difficulties wherewith he is beset. Bless the hierarchy of the pastors, which has received from thee such magnificent teachings and such admirable examples. Assist it to maintain inviolate the sacred trust of faith...God chose thee as the regulator of the divine service, the holy liturgy; foster, by thy blessing, the zeal which is now rising up among us for those holy traditions of prayer, which have been so neglected; teach us the long forgotten secret, that the best way of praying is to use the prayers of the Church. Unite all Churches in obedience to the apostolic See, which is the ground and pillar of faith, and the fountain of spiritual authority...."

"These are the days of salvation; pray for the faithful, who have entered on their career of penance. Obtain for them compunction of heart, love of prayer, and an appreciation of the liturgy and its mysteries. The solemn and devout homilies which thou didst address, at this season, to the people of Rome, are still read to us; may they sink into our hearts fill them with fear of God's justice, and hope in His mercy, for His justice and mercy change not to suit the time. We are weak and timid, and this makes us count as harsh the laws of the Church which oblige us to fasting and abstinence; get us brave hearts, brave with the spirit of mortification. Thy holy life is an example to us, and thy writings are our instruction; what we still want is to be made true penitents, and this thy intercession must do for us: that so we may return, with the joy of a purified conscience, to the divine Alleluia, which thou hast taught us to sing on earth, and which we hope to chant together with thee in heaven."

The Feast Day of St. John Ogilvie

2011-03-10T23:46:00.002-05:00

(The following is excerpted from March 10, St. John Ogilvie – Noble Scot.)

"Ogilvie, the son of a wealthy noble, was born into a Calvinist family near Keith in Banffshire, Scotland and was educated in mainland Europe where he attended a number of Roman Catholic educational establishments...In the midst of the religious controversies and turmoil that engulfed the Europe of that era he decided to become a Roman Catholic. In 1596, aged seventeen, he was received into the Roman church at Louvain, Belgium by Father Cornelius a Lapide. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1608 and was ordained a priest in Paris in 1610."...

"He returned to Scotland in November 1613 disguised as a soldier, and began to preach in secret, celebrating [M]ass clandestinely in private homes, mostly among his fellow nobility. However, his ministry was to last less than a year. In 1614, he was betrayed and arrested in Glasgow and taken to jail in Paisley. He suffered terrible tortures, including being kept awake for eight days and nine nights, in an attempt to make him divulge the identities of other Roman Catholics. Nonetheless, Ogilvie did not relent; consequently, after a biased trial, he was convicted of high treason for refusing to accept the King's spiritual jurisdiction. On 10 March 1615, aged 36 years, John Ogilvie was paraded through the streets of Glasgow and...hanged at Glasgow Cross.

"His last words were 'If there be here any hidden Roman Catholics, let them pray for me but the prayers of heretics I will not have.'..."

"As a martyr of the Counter-Reformation he was beatified in 1929 and canonized in 1976. He is the only post-Reformation saint from Scotland."

"Saint John Ogilvie is commemorated 10 March in the Roman Catholic Church."

The Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2010-12-18T21:08:00.002-05:00

Image of the Expectation of Our Lady,
taken from the blog of the same name
(The following is taken from the 18 December entry in Volume I of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of Dom Prosper Guéranger's 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"This feast, which is now kept not only throughout the whole of Spain but in many other parts of the Catholic world, owes its origin to the bishops of the tenth council of Toledo, in 656. These prelates thought that there was an incongruity in the ancient practice of celebrating the feast of the Annunciation on the twenty-fifth of March, inasmuch as the joyful solemnity frequently occurs at the time when the Church is intent upon the Passion of our Lord, so that it is sometimes obliged to be transferred into Easter time, with which it is out of harmony for another reason; they therefore decreed that, henceforth, in the Church of Spain there should be kept, eight days before Christmas, a solemn feast with an octave, in honour of the Annunciation, and as a preparation for the great solemnity of our Lord's Nativity. In course of time, however, the Church of Spain saw the necessity of returning to the practice of the Church of Rome, and of those of the whole world, which solemnize the twenty-fifth of March as the day of our Lady's Annunciation and the Incarnation of the Son of God. But such had been, for ages, the devotion of the people for the feast of the eighteenth of December, that it was considered requisite to maintain some vestige of it. They discontinued, therefore, to celebrate the Annunciation on this day; but the faithful were requested to consider, with devotion, what must have been the sentiments of the holy Mother of God during the days immediately preceding her giving Him birth. A new feast was instituted, under the name of 'the Expectation of the blessed Virgin's delivery.'"

"This feast, which sometimes goes under the name of Our Lady of O, or the feast of O, on account of the great antiphons which are sung during these days, and, in a special manner, of that which begins O Virgo virginum (which is still used in the Vespers of the Expectation, together with the O Adonai, the antiphon of the Advent Office), is kept with great devotion in Spain. A High mass is sung at a very early hour each morning during the octave, at which all who are with child, whether rich or poor, consider it a duty to assist, that they may thus honour our Lady's Maternity, and beg her blessing upon themselves. It is not to be wondered at that the holy See has approved of this pious practice being introduced into almost every other country. We find that the Church of Milan, long before Rome conceded this feast to the various dioceses of Christendom, celebrated the Office of our Lady's Annunciation on the six and last Sunday of Advent [there are six Sundays of Advent in the Ambrosian rite traditionally celebrate in Milan], and called the whole week following the Hebdomada de Exceptato (for thus the popular expression had corrupted the word Expectato). But these details belong strictly to the archaeology of liturgy, and enter not into the plan of our present work; let us, then, return to the feast of our Lady's Expectation, which the Church has established and sanctioned as a new means of exciting the attention of the faithful during these last days of Advent."

"Most just indeed it is, O holy Mother of God, that we should unite in that ardent desire thou hadst to see Him, who had been concealed for nine months in thy chaste womb; to know the features of this Son of the heavenly Father, who is also thine; to come to that blissful hour of His birth, which will give glory to God in the highest, and, on earth, peace to men of good-will. Yes, dear Mother, the time is fast approaching, though not fast enough to satisfy thy desires and ours. Make us redouble our attention to great mystery; complete our preparation by thy powerful prayers for us, that when the solemn hour has come, our Jesus may find no obstacle to His entrance into our hearts."

The Great Antiphon to Our Lady
O Virgo virginum, quomodo fiet istud? quia nec primam similem visa es, nec habere sequentem. Filiae Jerusalem, quid me admiramini? Divinum est mysterium hoc quod cenitis.

"O Virgin of virgins! how shall this be? for never was there one like thee, nor will there ever be. Ye daughters of Jerusalem, why look ye wondering at me? What ye behold, is a divine mystery."

St. Andrew, Apostle

2010-11-30T22:37:00.005-05:00

Image of Saint Andrew, taken from Secret Harbor blog
(The following is excerpted from the 30 November entry in Volume I of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of Dom Prosper Guéranger's 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook. It includes the legend of the saint from the Roman breviary.)

"We should remember that Saint Andrew is the apostle of the cross. To Peter, Jesus has given firmness of faith; to John, warmth of love; the mission of Andrew is to represent the cross of his divine Master. Now it is by these three, faith, love, and the cross, that the Church renders herself worthy of her Spouse. Everything she has or is, bears this three-fold character. Hence it is that after the two apostles just named, there is none who holds such a prominent place in the universal liturgy as Saint Andrew."

"But let us read the life of this glorious fisherman of the lake of Genesareth, who was afterwards to be the successor of Christ Himself, and the companion of Peter, on the tree of the cross. The Church has compiled it from the ancient Acts of the martyrdom of the holy apostle, drawn up by the priests of the Church of Patras, which was founded by the saint. The authenticity of this venerable piece has been contested by Protestants, inasmuch as it makes mention of several things which would militate against them. Their sentiment has been adopted by several critics of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries....The Churches...of both east and west, which have inserted these Acts in their respective Offices of St. Andrew, are of some authority, as is also St. Bernard, who has made them the groundwork of his three admirable sermons on St. Andrew."

Andrew, the apostle, born at Bethsaida, a town of Galilee, was brother of Peter, and disciple of John the Baptist. Having heard his master say, speaking of Christ: Behold the Lamb of God! he followed Jesus, and brought [H]im his brother also. When, afterwards, he was fishing with his brother in the sea of Galilee, they were both called, before any of the other apostles, by our Lord, who, passing by, said to them: Come after me; I will make you to be fishers of men. Without delay, they left their nets and followed him.

After the Passion and the Resurrection, Andrew went to spread the faith of Christ in Scythia in Europe, which was the province assigned to him; then he traveled through Epirus and Thrace, and by his teaching and miracles converted innumerable souls to Christ. Afterwards, having reached Patras in Achaia, he persuaded many in that city to embrace the truth of the Gospel. Finding that the proconsul Aegeas resisted the preaching of the Gospel, he most freely upbraided him for that he, who desired to be considered as a judge of men, should be so far deceived by devils as not acknowledge Christ to be God, the Judge of all.

Then Aegeas being angry, said: Cease to boast of this Christ, whom such words as these kept not from being crucified by the Jews. But finding that Andrew continued boldly preaching that Christ had offered [H]imself to be crucified for the salvation of mankind, he interrupts him by an impious speech, and at length exhorts him to look to his own interest and sacrifice to the gods. Andrew answered him: I offer up every day to almighty God, who is one and true, not the flesh of oxen, nor the blood of goats, but the spotless Lamb upon the altar; of whose flesh the whole multitude of the faithful eat, and the Lamb that is sacrificed, remains whole and living. Whereupon Aegeas being exceedingly angry, orders him to be thrust into prison, whence the people would easily have freed Andrew, had he not himself appeased the multitude, begging of them, with most earnest entreaty, that they would not keep him from the long-desired crown of martyrdom, to which he was hastening.

Not long after this, he was brought before the tribunal; where he began to extol the mystery of the cross, and rebuke the judge for his impiety. Aegeas, no longer able to contain himself on hearing these words, ordered him to be hoisted on a cross, and so to die like Christ. Andrew, having been brought to the place of execution, seeing the cross at some distance, began to cry out: O good cross, made beautiful by the body of my Lord! so long desired, so anxiously loved, so unceasingly sought after, and now at last ready for my soul to enjoy! take me from amidst men, and restore me to my Master; that by thee he may receive me, who by thee redeemed me. He was therefore fastened to the cross, on which he hung alive two days, preaching without cessation the faith of Christ: after which he passed to him, whose death he had so coveted. The priests and deacons of Achaia, who wrote his passion, attest that all the things which they have recorded were heard and seen by them. His relics were first translated to Constantinople under the emperor Constantius, and afterwards to Amalfi. During the pontificate of Pius II, the head was taken to Rome, and placed in the basilica of St. Peter.

The Restoration of the Reign of Christ the King

2010-10-31T10:00:00.000-04:00

[Image of Christ the King, taken from Pius XI: The Kingship of Christ]
[The following is excerpted from "The Reign of Christ the King in Both Public and Private Life," by Michael Davies; published by Tan Books. According to the publisher, it was "slightly adapted [from] a talk given by Davies at the VNI Conference in the Chicago area in November of 1991. VNI - Voice Network International - is an organization based in the Chicago area and run by Catholic laymen to promote solid Catholic restoration in the Church."]

"We must make the social reign of Christ the King possible today. If we do not do all that is in our power to restore the Social Kingship of Our Lord, we are not worthy of our Baptism, we are not worthy of our Confirmation, we are not worthy of the glorious name of Catholic. There is only one solution to the problems of mankind, and that is to establish the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ - Pax Christi in regno Christi. There is no other solution to what Professor [Dietrich] von Hildebrand rightly termed the dehumanization of mankind."

"Hilaire Belloc explained that the two alternatives for our civilization are Catholicism and chaos. Anything less than Catholicism - even if it calls itself "Christianity" - will not stand up in the long run against the encroaching barbarism. So it is we Catholics who actually hold the key both to the social reign of Christ and to the saving of our civilization. We must therefore all work toward the day when the governments of our nations (as well as all individual men) publicly recognize Christ, His Catholic Church, and His holy law - and regulate themselves accordingly."

"Do not say that this cannot be done. It has been done with the fight for the Tridentine Mass, which is now being celebrated throughout the world to an extent that few of us would have deemed possible a few years ago. It has been done with the pro-life movement...."

"We can fight for the Social Kingship of Our Lord without the need of approval or leadership from our bishops. We can and must mobilize all citizens of good will, whether they are Catholic or not. There were Protestants and even Jews who fought the "Gay Rights Bill" in Connecticut, and they were undermined by our bishop."

"If anyone reading this honestly believes that society cannot be changed, I can only reply, 'Tell that to to the homosexuals, tell that to the abortionists.' They have changed society, they have corrupted it, dehumanized it, but they knew what they wanted and they were prepared to fight for it, and they are still prepared to fight for it. Shall the children of the light show less zeal than the children of darkness?"

"...This is a providential moment to begin this crusade. There is a definite revulsion among basically decent people at what they see happening to society, and, as Catholics, we can mobilize them to campaign against so-called "rights," which...are not rights at all, and cannot be rights, because they are contrary to the law of Christ the King."

"Let us begin the campaign to restore our King to His rightful throne by working to overthrow the diabolic trinity of abortion, pro-homosexual legislation, and pornography. These are evils that cry to Heaven for vengeance. They...can be made illegal once again."

"'Impossible,' you may say. Why impossible? Impossible because we, as the children of light, are not as prepared to commit ourselves to the fight for what is good as the children of darkness are to commit themselves to the fight for what is evil?"

"Because all men are subject to the law of Christ the King, particularly in what concerns the natural law, which is engraved in the heart of every human being, we must, as I have just suggested, do all in our power to enlist the support of both Catholic and non-Catholic people in the fight for those basic decencies which are absolutely essential to the social reign of Christ and without which society will disintegrate. As Professor von Hildebrand has warned us, we shall even become dehumanized...."

"...Von Hildebrand taught correctly that in a state consisting principally of non-Catholics it is the vocation of Catholics to act as a leaven, but how can they do this when their commitment to the Kingdom of Christ the King is, in most cases, so manifestly inferior to that of so many devout Protestants?"

"This means that, in re-establishing the reign of Christ the King, our first task must be to re-evangelize the Catholic community. We must fight for orthodox religious instruction in our schools, and above all, for a liturgy in which Our Lord is recognized clearly as our King, and this must be [for Latin rite Catholics] the traditional Mass...the Tridentine Mass. The liturgy of the traditional Mass is focused upon God, that in the New Mass is focused upon the community. The reign of Christ the King cannot be established until He becomes once more the center of our lives."

"...I would like to conclude on a note of optimism. Our Lady has promised [at Fatima] that, in the end, her Immaculate Heart will triumph. She has promised this, and she will fulfill what she has promised. This means that, without a doubt, her Son will reign - He must reign!"

The Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2010-10-11T22:28:00.003-04:00

Image of Our Lady of Good Counsel, taken from
Transalpine Redemptorists
[The following is excerpted from Pope Pius XI's 1931 encyclical Lux Veritatis.]

"...[I]f the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary is God, assuredly she who bore him is rightly and deservedly to be called the Mother of God. If there is only one person in Christ, and this is Divine, without any doubt Mary ought to be called, by all, not the mother of Christ the man only, but Theotokos, or God-bearer. Let us all, therefore, venerate the tender Mother of God, whom her cousin Elizabeth saluted as "the Mother of my Lord" (Luke i. 43), who, in the words of Ignatius Martyr, brought forth God (Ad Ephes. vii. 18-20); and from whom, as Tertullian professes, God was born; whom the Eternal Godhead has gifted with the fullness of grace and endowed with such great dignity."

"Nor can anyone reject this truth, handed down from the first age of the Church, on the pretext that the Blessed Virgin Mary did, indeed, supply the body of Jesus Christ, but did not produce the Word of the Heavenly Father; since, as Cyril already rightly and lucidly answered in his time, even as those in whose womb our earthly nature, not our soul is procreated, are rightly and truly called our mothers; so did she, from the unity of her Son's person, attain to divine maternity."

"Wherefore, the impious opinion of Nestorius, which the Roman Pontiff, led by the Holy Spirit, had condemned in the preceding year, was deservedly and solemnly condemned again by the Synod of Ephesus. And the populace of Ephesus were drawn to the Virgin Mother of God with such great piety, and burning with such ardent love, that when they understood the judgment passed by the Fathers of the Council, they hailed them with overflowing gladness of heart, and gathering round them in a body, bearing lighted torches in their hands, accompanied them home. And assuredly, the same great Mother of God looked down from heaven on this spectacle, and smiling sweetly on these her children of Ephesus, and on all the faithful Christians throughout the Catholic world, who had been disturbed by the snares of the Nestorian heresy, embraced them with her most present aid and her motherly affection."

"From this dogma of the divine maternity, as from the outpouring of a hidden spring, flow forth the singular grace of Mary and her dignity, which is the highest after God. Nay more, as Aquinas says admirably: 'The Blessed Virgin, from this that she is the Mother of God, has a certain infinite dignity, from the infinite good which is God.' (Summ. Theo., III. a.6.) Cornelius a Lapide unfolds this and explains it more fully, in these words: 'The Blessed Virgin is the Mother of God; therefore she is far more excellent than all the Angels, even the Seraphim and Cherubim. She is the Mother of God; therefore she is most pure and most holy, so that under God no greater purity can be imagined. She is the Mother of God; therefore whatever privilege (in the order of sanctifying grace) has been granted to any one of the Saints, she obtains it more than all' (In Matt. i. 6)."

"Why, therefore, do the Reformers (Novatores) and not a few non-Catholics bitterly condemn our piety towards the Virgin Mother of God, as though we were withdrawing the worship due to God alone? Do they not know, or do they not attentively consider that nothing can be more pleasing to Jesus Christ, who certainly has an ardent love for his own Mother, than that we should venerate her as she deserves, that we should return her love, and that imitating her most holy example we should seek to gain her powerful patronage?"

"Here, however, We would not omit to mention a matter which has given Us no little consolation, namely that in the present time, even among the Reformers, some understand the dignity of the Virgin Mother of God better, and are led and moved to reverence her duly, and hold her in honour. This, when it comes from the inward and sincere conscience, and is not as sometimes happens effected to conciliate the minds of Catholics, bids Us hope that by the prayers and efforts of all the good, and by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, who cherishes a mother's love for her erring children, they may at length be brought back to the one true flock of Jesus Christ, and therefore to Us who, though unworthily, hold His place and His authority on earth."

"But there is another matter, Venerable Brethren, which We think We should recall in regard to Mary's office of Maternity, something which is sweeter and more pleasing; namely that she, because she brought forth the Redeemer of mankind, is also in a manner the most tender mother of us all, whom Christ our Lord deigned to have as His brothers (Romans viii. 29). As Our predecessor of happy memory, Leo XIII, says: 'Such a one God has given as one to whom by the very fact that He chose her as the Mother of His only begotten Son, He clearly gave the feelings of a mother, breathing nothing but love and pardon—such did Jesus Christ show her to be, by His own action, when He spontaneously chose to be under her, and submit to her as a son to a mother; such did He declare her to be, when, from the Cross, He committed all mankind, in the person of His disciple John, to her care and protection; and as such, lastly, she gave herself, when embracing with a great heart, this heritage of immense labour from her dying Son, she began at once to fulfil all a mother's duties to us all.' (Encyclical Letter Octobri mense adveniente. September 21, 1892.) From this it comes that we are all drawn to her by a powerful attraction, that we may confidently entrust to her all things that are ours—namely our joys, if we are gladdened; our troubles, if we are in anguish; our hopes, if we are striving to reach at length to better things. From this it comes that if more difficult times fall upon the Church; if faith fail, if charity have grown cold, if private and public morals take a turn for the worse; if any danger be hanging over the Catholic name and civil society, we all take refuge with her, imploring heavenly aid. From this it comes lastly that in the supreme crisis of death, when no other hope is given, no other help, we lift up to her our tearful eyes and our trembling hands, praying through her for pardon from her Son, and for eternal happiness in heaven...."

"But in a more special manner it is fitting that those mothers of this our age, who being weary, whether of offspring or of the marriage bond, have the office they have undertaken degraded and neglected, may look up to Mary and meditate intently on her who has raised this grave duty of motherhood to such high nobility. For in this way there is hope that they may be led, by the help of grace of the heavenly Queen, to feel shame for the dishonour done to the great sacrament of matrimony, and may happily be stirred up to follow after the wondrous praise of her virtues, by every effort in their power...."

"We will not close this Encyclical Letter, Venerable Brethren, without mentioning a matter which will surely be pleasing to you all. Desiring that there may be a liturgical monument of this commemoration, which may help to nourish the piety of clergy and people towards the great Mother of God, We have commanded Our supreme council presiding over Sacred Rites to publish an Office and Mass of the Divine Maternity, which is to be celebrated by the universal Church...."

Pope Pius XI
"Given at Rome, at St. Peter's, 25 December the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the year 1931, the tenth of Our Pontificate."

St. Gemma Galgani and Her Guardian Angel

2010-10-02T22:52:00.003-04:00

Photograph of St. Gemma Galgani, taken from Tonus Peregrinus blog
[The following is excerpted from the St. Gemma Galgani blog. 2 October is the Feast of the Guardian Angels.]

"Father Germano [Venerable Fr. Germanus Ruoppolo, C.P., a priest of the Passionist Order who was St. Gemma's spiritual director and biographer] continues '...He let her see him sometimes raised in the air with outspread wings, with his hands extended over her, or else hands joined in an attitude of prayer. At other times he would kneel beside her. If they were reciting vocal prayers or the Psalms, they did so alternately; if aspirations or prayers from the heart, "they rivaled one another" [these are Gemma's words] that is, they had a holy rivalry as to whom would say them with more fervor saying "Viva Gesu" or "Benedetto di Dio" and other such beautiful invocations. When it was time for meditation, the angel inspired her with sublimest ideas, and moved her affections so that the result of this holy exercise may be more perfect. The subject of these meditations was, for the most part, the Passion of Our Lord, the angel like a good master, laid open its profound mysteries to her soul. "Look" he would exclaim, "at what Jesus suffered for men. Consider each of these wounds. It is love that has opened them all. See how horrible sin is, since to expiate it, so much pain and so much love have been necessary." These and other such reflections went straight to the heart of the fervent Gemma.'"

"On another occasion she writes:

'I was in bed suffering greatly, when on a sudden I became absorbed in prayer. I joined my hands and, moved with heartfelt sorrow for my countless sins, I made an act of deep contrition. My mind was wholly plunged in this abyss of my crime against my God, when I beheld my Angel standing by my bed. I felt ashamed of being in his presence. He instead was more than courteous with me, and said, kindly: "Jesus loves thee greatly. Love Him greatly in return." Then he added: "Are you fond of Jesus' Mother? Salute Her very often, for She values such attention very much, and unfailingly returns the salutations offered to Her; and if you do not sense this, know that She makes a proof of your unfailing trust." He blessed me and disappeared.'"

Te Splendor et Virtus Patris (Hymn to Holy Michael the Archangel)

2010-09-29T23:38:00.003-04:00

Sculpture of Holy Michael the Archangel,
taken from "Dutch Harbor Dirt" blog

[Taken from the 1957 edition of the Raccolta; translated by E. Caswell]

O Jesus! life-spring of the soul!
The Father's power, and glory bright!
Thee with the Angels we extol;
From Thee they draw their life and light.

Thy thousand, thousand hosts are spread
Embattled o'er the azure sky;
But Michael bears Thy standard dread,
And lifts the mighty Cross on high.

He in that sign the rebel powers
Did with their dragon prince expel;
And hurled them from the heaven's high towers
Down like a thunderbolt to hell.

Grant us with Michael still, O Lord,
Against the Prince of Pride to fight;
So may a crown be our reward,
Before the Lamb's pure throne of light.

To God the Father and the Son
And Holy Paraclete to Thee,
As evermore hath been before,
Be glory through eternity. Amen.

Ant. Most glorious Prince, Michael the Archangel, be ever mindful of us; here and everywhere pray always for us to the Son of God.

V. Before the Angels will I sing praise unto Thee, O my God;
R. I will worship at Thy holy temple, and praise thy name.

Let us pray.
O God, who in wondrous order dost ordain and constitute the services of men and Angels; mercifully grant that our life may be defended on earth by them that stand near Thee, evermore ministering to Thee in heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

King Saint Louis IX of France

2010-08-25T22:48:00.003-04:00

Image of King St. Louis, taken from Recta Ratio
(The following is the legend of the breviary for King St. Louis IX of France, as quoted in Dom Prosper Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for 25 August, in Volume XIV of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"Louis IX, king of France, having lost his father when he was only twelve years old, was educated in a most holy manner by his mother Blanche. When he had reigned for twenty years, he fell ill and it was then he conceived the idea of regaining possession of Jerusalem. On his recovery therefore, he received the great standard from the bishop of Paris and crossed the sea with a large army. In a first engagement, he repulsed the Saracens; but a great number of his men being struck down by pestilence, he was conquered and made prisoner."

"A treaty was then made with the Saracens, and the king and his army were set at liberty. Louis spent five years in the east. He delivered many Christian captives, converted many of the infidels to the faith of Christ, and also rebuilt several Christian towns out of his own resources. Meanwhile, his mother died, and on this account, he was obliged to return home, where he devoted himself entirely to good works."

"He built many monasteries and hospitals for the poor; he assisted those in need and frequently visited the sick, supplying all their necessities at his own expense and even serving them with his own hands. He dressed in a simple manner and subdued his body by continual fasting and wearing a hair-cloth. He crossed over to Africa a second time to fight with the Saracens, and had pitched his camp in sight of them when he was stuck down by a pestilence and died while saying this prayer: 'I will come into thy house; I will worship towards thy holy temple and I will confess to thy name.' His body was afterwards translated to Paris and is honourably preserved in the celebrated church of St. Denis; but the head is in the Saint-Chapelle. He was celebrated for miracles, and Pope Boniface VIII enrolled his name among the saints."

King St. Louis, pray for us!

Pope Pius XI's Homily at the Canonization of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More

2010-07-09T22:54:00.002-04:00

[Posted 15 July 2010 - taken from The Center for Thomas More Studies]

On the occasion of the Papal Mass in St. Peter's, for the canonization, the Holy Father delivered a homily on St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, of which the following is a translation:

"As Jesus Christ, according to the words of St. Paul, is eternal and immutable, 'yesterday and today, and the same forever,' so the Church founded by Him is destined never to perish. Generations follow and succeed each other with their perennial vicissitudes. But whereas human institutions give way and disappear before the levelling tide of time, and human sciences, reflecting inconstant light, undergo repeated transformations, the Cross of Christ, reared steadfast above the engulfing billows, never ceases to illumine mankind with the beneficent splendour of Eternal Truth."

"From time to time new heresies make their appearance and, under the guise of truth, gain strength and popularity; but the seamless garment of Christ can never be rent in twain. Unbelievers and enemies of the Catholic faith, blinded by presumption, may indeed constantly renew their violent attacks against the Christian name, but in wresting from the bosom of the militant Church those whom they put to death, they become the instruments of their martyrdom and of their heavenly glory. No less beautiful than true are the words of St. Leo the Great: 'The religion of Christ, founded on the mystery of the Cross, cannot be destroyed by any sort of cruelty; persecutions do not weaken, they strengthen the Church. The field of the Lord is ever ripening with new harvests, while the grains shaken loose by the tempest take root and are multiplied.'"

"These thoughts, full of hope and comfort, spring up in Our mind as We, in this majestic Vatican Basilica, are about to proclaim briefly the praises of our two new Saints after having raised them to the honours of the altar. They, the bright champions and the glory of their nation, were given to the Christian people, in the words of the prophet Jeremias, 'as a fortified city, and a pillar of iron, and a wall of brass.' Therefore they could not be shaken by the fallacies of heretics, nor frightened by the threats of the powerful. They were, so to speak, the leaders and chieftains of that illustrious band of men who, from all classes of the people and from every part of Great Britain, resisted the new errors with unflinching spirit, and in shedding their blood, testified their loyal devotedness to the Holy See."

"John Fisher, gifted by nature with a most gentle disposition, thoroughly versed in both sacred and profane lore, so distinguished himself among his contemporaries by his wisdom and his virtue that under the patronage of the King of England himself, he was elected Bishop of Rochester. In the fulfilment of this high office so ardent was he in his piety towards God, and in charity towards his neighbour, and so zealous in defending the integrity of Catholic doctrine, that his episcopal residence seemed rather a Church and a University for studies than a private dwelling."

"He was wont to afflict his delicate body with fastings, scourges, and hair cloth; nothing was dearer to him than to be able to visit the poor, in order to comfort them in their miseries and to succour them in their needs. When he found someone frightened at the thought of his faults and terrified by chastisements to come, he brought comfort to the erring soul by restoring confidence in God's mercy. Often when celebrating the Eucharistic Sacrifice, he was seen shedding abundant tears, while his eyes were raised to heaven in an ecstatic expression of love. When he preached to the multitudes of the faithful that crowded round to hear him, he seemed neither a man nor a herald of men, but an angel of God clothed in human flesh."

"Nevertheless, whilst he was meek and affable towards the afflicted and the suffering, whenever there was question of defending the integrity of faith and morals, like a second Precursor of the Lord, in whose name he gloried, he was not afraid to proclaim the truth openly, and to defend by every means in his power the divine teachings of the Church. You are well aware, Venerable Brethren and Beloved Sons, of the reason why John Fisher was called in judgment and obliged to undergo the supreme test of martyrdom. It was because of his courageous determination to defend the sacred bond of Christian marriage—a bond indissoluble for all, even for those who wear the royal diadem—and to vindicate the Primacy with which the Roman Pontiffs are invested by divine command. That is why he was imprisoned and afterwards led to death. Serenely he advanced toward the scaffold and with the words of the Te Deum on his lips, he rendered thanks to God for being granted the grace of having his mortal life crowned with the glory of martyrdom, and he raised up to the Divine Throne a fervent prayer of supplication for himself, for his people and for his King. Thus did he give another clear proof that the Catholic Religion does not weaken, but increases the love of one's country. When finally he mounted the scaffold, whilst a ray of sunlight cast a halo of splendour about his venerable grey hairs, he exclaimed with a smile: 'Come ye to Him and be enlightened, and your faces shall not be confounded.' (Ps. xxxiii, 6.) Most assuredly the heavenly hosts of angels and saints hastened in joy to meet his holy soul, freed at last from the fetters of the body and winging flight toward eternal joys."

"The other star of sanctity that traced a luminous path across that dark period of history was Thomas More, Lord Chancellor of the King of England. Endowed with the keenest of minds and supreme versatility in every kind of knowledge, he enjoyed such esteem and favour among his fellow-citizens that he was soon able to reach the highest grades of public office. But he was no less distinguished for his desire of Christian perfection and his zeal for the salvation of souls. Of this we have testimony in the ardour of his prayer, in the fervour with which he recited, whenever he could, even the Canonical Hours, in the practice of those penances by which he kept his body in subjection, and finally in the numerous and renowned accomplishments of both the spoken and the written word which he achieved for the defence of the Catholic faith and for the safeguarding of Christian morality."

"A strong and courageous spirit, like John Fisher, when he saw that the doctrines of the Church were gravely endangered, he knew how to despise resolutely the flattery of human respect, how to resist, in accordance with his duty, the supreme head of the State when there was question of things commanded by God and the Church, and how to renounce with dignity the high office with which he was invested. It was for these motives that he too was imprisoned, nor could the tears of his wife and children make him swerve from the path of truth and virtue. In that terrible hour of trial he raised his eyes to heaven, and proved himself a bright example of Christian fortitude. Thus it was that he who not many years before had written a work emphasizing the duty of Catholics to defend their faith even at the cost of their lives, was seen to walk cheerful and confident from his prison to death, and thence to take his flight to the joys of eternal beatitude."

"Here, Venerable Brethren and Beloved Sons, we may justly repeat the well-known saying of St. Cyprian, Martyr: 'O blessed prison which conveys men to heaven! O blessed enchained feet which with salutary steps are directed towards paradise!'"

"It was supremely fitting that these holy martyrs who shed their blood for the Christian faith and for the defence of the sacred rights of the Roman Pontiff should receive, together with the aureole of sanctity, their due glorification here in the very centre of the Catholic world, close to the glorious sepulchre of the Prince of the Apostles, through the instrumentality of Us who are the heir and successor of St. Peter."

"And now it only remains for Us to exhort, with paternal heart, all of you who filled with veneration are grouped around Us, as well as those who, wherever they may be, profess themselves Our sons in Christ. We exhort you to imitate with all diligence the great virtues of these holy martyrs, and to implore for yourselves and for the Church militant their powerful protection. If all of us are not called to shed our blood for the defence of the holy laws of God, all none the less, according to the expression of St. Basil, with evangelical abnegation, with Christian mortification of their bodies, with energetic striving after virtue, 'must be martyrs of desire, in order to share with the martyrs their celestial reward.'"

"We desire moreover that with your ardent prayers, invoking the patronage of the new Saints, you ask of the Lord that which is so dear to Our heart, namely that England, in the words of St. Paul, 'meditating the happy consummation which crowned the life' of those two martyrs, may 'follow them in their faith,' and return to the Father's house 'in the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.'"

"Let those who are still separated from Us consider attentively the ancient glories of their Church which were at once a reflection and an increment of the glories of the Church of Rome. Let them consider, moreover, and remember that this Apostolic See has been waiting for them so long and so anxiously, not as coming to a strange dwelling place, but as finally returning to their paternal home. In conclusion, let us repeat the divine prayer of Our Lord Jesus Christ: 'Holy Father, keep them in Thy name whom Thou hast given me; that they may be one as we also are.' Amen."

The Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help: Decades in Obscurity

2010-06-27T23:06:00.004-04:00

Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, taken from Fisheaters
(The following is excerpted from Our Lady of Perpetual Help: The Icon, Favors and Shrines, published by the Redemptorist Missionaries)

"A young altar boy named Michael Marchi often visited the Church of Sancta Maria in Posterula [in Rome, where the icon was taken after the original church it was enshrined in, St. Matthew's, was destroyed by Napoleon's barbaric armies in 1798] and became friends with Brother Augustine [Orsetti, an Augustinian]. Much later, as Father Michael [after he became a Redemptorist as an adult], he would write

"This good brother used to tell me with a certain air of mystery and anxiety, especially during the years 1850 and 1851, these precise words: 'Make sure you know, my son, that the image of the Virgin of St. Matthew is upstairs in the chapel: don't ever forget it... do you understand? It is a miraculous picture.' At that time the brother was almost totally blind. What I can say about the venerable picture of the 'Virgin of St. Matthew,' also called 'Perpetual Help,' is that from my childhood until I entered the Congregation (of the Redemptorists) I had always seen above the altar of the house chapel of the Augustinian Fathers of the Irish Province at St. Mary in Posterula [...], there was no devotion to it, no decorations, not even a lamp to acknowledge its presence... it remained covered with dust and practically abandoned. Many were the times, when I served Mass there, that I would stare at it with great attention."

(Father Michael Marchi would tell his brother Redemptorists of the miraculous icon after they built the church of St. Alphonsus on the old site of St. Matthew's, which lies between the major basilicas of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran. The Redemptorists petitioned Blessed Pius IX for the Augustinians to grant them the icon so it could be venerated again at its old location. On April 26, 1866, the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help was revealed again in the church of St. Alphonsus for public veneration, and remains there to this day.)

Last TLM at Georgetown for 2009-10 Academic Year

2010-05-31T22:40:00.002-04:00

I must apologize to the Traditional Latin Mass devotees at Georgetown University for my extreme delay in getting this up. They concluded their 2009-10 academic year with a Low Mass on 4 May 2010. Father Stephen Fields, SJ offered the Mass in St. William's Chapel for the feast day of St. Monica. It was the first TLM in the chapel since probably the 1960s.

Orate fratres...

The elevation of the chalice containing the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Ecce Agnus Dei!

The final blessing

A close-up of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima at Georgetown University. It's nice to see evidence that devotion to Our Lady is still alive there.

Auxilium Christianorum, Ora Pro Nobis!

2010-05-24T23:50:00.003-04:00

(The following is the "legend" for the feast day of Our Lady, Help of Christians, quoted by Dom Prosper Guéranger in his entry for 24 May in Volume VIII of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of his 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

Basilica of Our Lady, Help of Christians, Turin, Italy, taken from
From the Eastern Front blog
"The faithful have frequently witnessed miraculous interventions which prove that the Mother of God is ever ready with her help to repel the enemies of religion. It was on this account that, after the signal victory gained by the Christians over the Turks in the Gulf of Lepanto, through the intercession of the most blessed Virgin, the holy Pope [Saint] Pius the Fifth ordered that to the other titles given to the Queen of Heaven in the Litany of Loreto, there should be added this of Help of Christians [Auxilium Christianorum]. But one of the most memorable proofs of this her protection, and one which may be regarded as an incontestable miracle, is that which happened during the Pontificate of [Pope] Pius the Seventh."

"By the intrigues and armed violence of certain impious men [Napoleon chief among them], the Pontiff had been driven from the Apostolic See of Peter, and was kept in close confinement, mainly at Savona, for upwards of five years. During this period, by a persecution unheard of in any previous age, every possible means was resorted to in order to prevent his governing the Church of God. When lo! suddenly and to the surprise of men, he was restored to the Pontifical Throne, to the great joy, and it might be almost said with the concurrence, of the whole world."

"The same thing happened also a second time, when a fresh disturbance arose and compelled him to leave Rome, and go, with the Sacred College of Cardinals, into Liguria. Here again, the storm that threatened great destruction was appeased by a most prompt interference of God's providence, and the Pontiff's return to Rome filled Christendom with new joy. Before returning, however, he would carry out an intention which his captivity had hitherto prevented him from doing: with his own hand he solemnly placed a golden crown on the celebrated statue of the Mother of God that was venerated at Savona under the title of Mother of Mercy."

Statue of Our Lady of Mercy in Savona, taken from
Feast of Mary, Help of Christians
"The same Sovereign Pontiff, Pius the Seventh, who was thoroughly acquainted with every circumstance of these events, rightly attributed their happy issue to the intercession of the most holy Mother of God, whose powerful help he himself had earnestly besought, besides urging all the faithful to obtain it by their prayers. He therefore instituted a solemn feast in honour of the same Virgin-Mother, under the title of Help of Christians. It was to be kept every year on the twenty-fourth of May, the anniversary of his own most happy return to Rome. He also sanctioned a proper Office for this feast, in order that the remembrance of so great a favour might ever be vividly on the minds of the faithful, and secure the thanksgiving it deserved."

Masses the Day After the Pontifical High Mass

2010-04-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

I served as a torchbearer at the momentous and glorious Pontifical Solemn High Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC on 24 April 2010. Because of this, I wasn't able to take any pictures. I gave my camera to a friend of mine and asked him to take pictures, but since he wasn't used to it, most of the pictures turned out blurry.

The following morning, I attended the Sunday 9 am Low Mass for the 4th Sunday of the month at St. Mary, Mother of God, also in Washington, DC, as Bishop Slattery, the celebrant for the Pontifical Solemn High Mass, was going to offer a Pontifical Low Mass. However, he came down with a throat ailment, and could hardly speak, so he couldn't offer the Mass. The pastor at St. Mary's, Father Harris, stepped in and said the Mass. However, the bishop did sit in choir during the Mass.

Bishop Slattery and two priests in choir before the Low Mass.

Father Jay Harris, pastor of St. Mary's, reading the Last Gospel.

Bishop Slattery said a few words after the Mass and before the prayers for the conversion of Russia, despite almost losing his voice.

Later that day, Father John Zuhlsdorf, of What Does That Prayer Really Say fame, and who helped narrate EWTN's broadcast of the Pontifical High Mass, offered the 7:30 pm Novus Ordo Mass at St. Mary's. It was an honor to have "Father Z" there, and he offered the Mass ad orientem. He also (unsurprisingly) wore a maniple.

Father Zuhlsdorf during the Penitential Rite.

Father Zuhlsdorf as he gave his homily.

The elevation of the Precious Blood by Father Zuhlsdorf.

St. John Damascene on Devotion to Our Lady

2010-04-23T23:54:00.002-04:00

Mosaic of Our Lady from the Hagia Sophia, taken from The Religion Network
[The following is taken from St. John Damascene's St. John Damascene's Second Sermon on the Dormition of the Theotokos, 8th century A.D.]

O people of Christ, let us acclaim her to-day in sacred song, acknowledge our own good fortune and proclaim it. Let us honour her in nocturnal vigil; let us delight in her purity of soul and body, for she next to God surpasses all in purity. It is natural for similar things to glory in each other. Let us show our love for her by compassion and kindness towards the poor. For if mercy is the best worship of God, who will refuse to show His Mother devotion in the same way? She opened to us the unspeakable abyss of God's love for us. Through her the old enmity against the Creator is destroyed. Through her our reconciliation with Him is strengthened, peace and grace are given to us, men are the companions of angels, and we, who were in dishonour, are made the children of God. From her we have plucked the fruit of 1ife. From her we have received the seed of immortality. She is the channel of all our goods. In her God was man and man was God. What more marvellous or more blessed? I approach the subject in fear and trembling. With Mary, the prophetess, O youthful souls, let us sound our musical instruments, mortifying our members on earth, for this is spiritual music. Let our souls rejoice in the Ark of God, and the walls of Jericho will yield, I mean the fortresses of the enemy. Let us dance in spirit with David; to-day the Ark of God is at rest. With Gabriel, the great archangel, let us exclaim, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Hail, inexhaustible ocean of grace. Hail, sole refuge in grief. Hail, cure of hearts. Hail, through whom death is expelled and life is installed."

And you I will speak to as if living, most sacred of tombs, after the life-giving tomb of our Lord which is the source of the resurrection. Where is the pure gold which apostolic hands confided to you? Where is the inexhaustible treasure ? Where the precious receptacle of God? Where is the living table? Where the new book in which the incomprehensible Word of God is written without hands? Where is the abyss of grace and the ocean of healing? Where is the life-giving fountain? Where is the sweet and loved body of God's Mother?

Why do you seek in the tomb one who has been assumed to the heavenly courts? Why do you make me responsible for not keeping her? I was powerless to go against the divine commands. That sacred and holy body, leaving the winding-sheet behind, filled me full of sweet fragrance, sanctified me by its contact, and fulfilled the divine scheme, and was then assumed, angels and archangels and all the heavenly powers escorting it. Now angels surround me, and divine grace abounds in me. I am the physician of the sick. I am a perpetual source of health, and the terror of demons. I am a city of refuge for fugitives. Approach with faith and you will receive a sea of graces. Come, you of weak faith. All you that thirst, come to the waters in obedience to Isaias' commands, and you who have no money, come and buy for nothing. I call upon all with the Gospel invitation. Let him who longs for bodily or spiritual cure, forgiveness of sins, deliverance from misfortune, the possession of heaven, approach me with faith, and draw hence a strong and rich stream of grace. Just as the action of one and the same water acts differently on the earth, air, and sun, according to the nature of each, producing wine in the vine and oil in the olive-tree, so does one and the same grace profit each person according to his needs. I do not possess grace on my own account. A tomb given up to corruption, an object of sorrow and dejection, I receive a precious ointment, and am impregnated with it, and this sweet fragrance alters my condition whilst it lasts. Truly, divine graces flow where they will. I have sheltered the source of joy, and I have become rich in its perennial fountain.

St.John Damascene
What shall we answer the tomb? You have indeed rich and abiding grace, but divine power is not restricted by place, neither is the Mother of God's working. If it were confined to the tomb alone, few would be the richer. Now it is freely distributed in all parts of the world. Let us then make our memory serve as a storehouse of God's Mother. How shall this be? She is a virgin and a lover of virginity. She is pure and a lover of purity. If we purify our mind with the body, we shall possess her grace. She shuns all impurity and impure passions. She has a horror of intemperance, and a special hatred for fornication. She turns from its allurements as from the progeny of serpents . . . She looks upon all sin as death-inflicting rejoicing in all good. Contraries are cured by contraries. She delights in fasting and continence and spiritual canticles, in purity, virginity, and wisdom. With these she is ever at peace, and takes them to her heart. She embraces peace and a meek spirit, and love, mercy, and humility as her children. In a word, she grieves over every sin, and is glad at all goodness as if it were her own. If we turn away from our former sins in all earnestness and love goodness with all our hearts, and make it our constant companion, she will frequently visit her servants, bringing all blessings with her, Christ her Son, the King and Lord who reigns in our hearts. To Him be glory, praise, honour, power, and magnificence, with the eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.

St. Alphonsus Liguori on St. Joseph

2010-03-19T17:39:00.002-04:00

[The following is excerpted from "The Glories of St. Joseph," compiled by the Monks of St. Joseph's Abbey in Flavigny, France.]

"Who can doubt that it is our duty to honor St. Joseph, when the Son of God Himself honored him with the name of father?"

"And indeed the Evangelists do not hesitate to give him that name. His father and mother were wondering, says St. Luke, at those things which were spoken concerning him [Luke 2: 33]. It is also the name the Divine [in the sense that her Son is divine, not that she herself is a goddess] Mother gave him: Thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing [Luke 2: 48]."

"If then the King of Kings wished to elevate Joseph to so high an honor, it is right and just that we try to honor him as much as we can."

"'Which angel or saint,' says St. Basil, 'has ever deserved to be called father of the Son of God?' Joseph was more honored by God than all the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, and Pontiffs. They have the name of servants; Joseph has the name of father."

"So St. Joseph as father is placed at the head of this little family, small in number, but great by the two personages it contains: the Mother of God and the only Son of God made man. In this household, Joseph commands, and the Son of God obeys. 'This subjection of the Son of God,' says Gerson, 'while proving to us the humility of the Saviour, shows us the high dignity of Joseph. And what greater dignity, what higher elevation could there be than to command the One who commands all the Kings?'"

Sanctuary Renovation: St. Mary's in Alexandria, Virginia

2010-03-17T18:42:00.002-04:00

St. Mary's in Alexandria is the oldest Catholic parish in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was established in 1795, and the current church dates from 1826 (with an enlargement in 1856).

Exterior of St. Mary's
In January 2010, St. Mary's began a construction project to beautify the sanctuary. The contractor for the project was the Gardiner Hall International architectural firm, which has a very interesting introduction to their ecclesiastical portfolio page on their website (I encourage you to read it).

The firm also gave an overview of project (including a photo of how the sanctuary looked before construction began, and a sketch of the approved design)): ...The inspiration for this project is taken from early Maryland Jesuit Churches -- a typical Jesuit Baroque treatment above the church's original neoclassical altar and tabernacle hearkens back to the parish's establishment by Jesuits..."

The project was completed in time for Laetare Sunday, and the confirmation of children from the parish the following evening. The end result is, in my opinion, glorious.

Before pictures:

A view of the sanctuary, taken 17 March 2007

Taken 13 March 2008

A close-up on the then-Lady Chapel, taken 17 March 2007

After pictures:

The new sanctuary, taken 16 March 2010.

The sanctuary and the side chapel, now dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

A close-up of the tabernacle and the "altar of repose," which features a bas-relief of the Sacred Heart.

A close-up of the crucifix and the new backing reredo, with a pediment that contains the IHS Christogram.

The new Sacred Heart side chapel.
Besides the sanctuary, St. Mary's installed new carpeting in the side aisles and transept walkways and marble paving down the center aisle. On Friday 19 March, the feast day of St. Joseph, the parish will offer its first Traditional Latin Mass since the completion of the project. If you're in the Washington, DC area, I encourage you to attend this Mass. Even if you can't attend, do visit St. Mary's when you can and see the work they did for the greater glory of God. Their website is: St. Mary's Catholic Church.

Traditional Latin Mass Returns to Georgetown University

2010-02-28T23:49:00.002-05:00

On 11 February 2010, the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Traditional Latin Mass returned to Georgetown University's Copley Crypt Chapel after an absence of many months (according to an article in Georgetown's student newspaper The Hoya about the return of the TLM, the last was offered in May 2008).

On 25 February, the second such Mass, a Low Mass, was offered, on the Thursday of the First Week of Lent. Father Stephen Fields, SJ offered the Mass for the repose of the soul of a relative of one of those in attendance.

Please pray for the students involved with the cause of the TLM on the Georgetown campus, and pray also that the traditional Mass has a more permanent presence at this institution.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
Our Lady, Help of Christians, pray for us!
Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for us!
St. Joseph, pray for us!
St. Ignatius Loyola, pray for us!

Father Fields during some point during the Offertory.

The elevation of the chalice containing the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

[For an account of a previous Traditional Latin Mass at Georgetown, see Easter Sunday at Georgetown University (Traditional Latin Mass).]

St. Maximilian Kolbe on Our Lady's Apparition at Lourdes

2010-02-11T23:26:00.002-05:00

Our Lady of Lourdes, taken from Immaculate Conception Solemn High Mass at Mount St. Mary's

[The following is excerpted from an article written by St. Maximilian Kolbe for the first issue of Miles Immaculatae ("Militia of the Immaculate"), an international quarterly publication for priests, printed in January 1938. The original article was published in Latin. A translation of the full article can be found at Mary Personifies Man's Perfect Union with God.]

"At Lourdes the Immaculate Holy Virgin responded to Bernadette who was repeatedly asking who she was: 'I am the Immaculate Conception.' With these clear words she expressed the fact that she was not only the Woman Immaculately Conceived, but that she is, yes, Immaculate Conception Itself, in the same way as it is one thing to be something white, and another thing to be its whiteness; as it is one thing to be something perfect and another thing to be the perfection of that thing."

"In giving his own name God spoke thus to Moses: 'I am who am' (Ex. 3: 14). That is, it belongs to my essence that by my nature I always exist of myself: without any principle. The Immaculate Virgin, however, has her origin from God; she is a creature, she is a conception; still, she is the Immaculate Conception."

"What a profound mystery lies hidden in these words."

St. Maximilian Kolbe, taken from Belinda's Brain blog

The Mass and the Intercession of the Saints.

2010-01-31T23:21:00.004-05:00

"Celebrating Mass" line art image from The Catholic Library
"We beseech Thee, O Lord, defend us from all dangers of soul and body; and through the intercession of the blessed and glorious Mary ever Virgin, Mother of God, with blessed Joseph, Thy blessed Apostles Peter and Paul...and all the Saints, grant us in Thy mercy safety and peace, that all adversities and errors being destroyed, Thy Church may serve Thee with secure freedom. Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen."

-Collect from the "To Implore the Intercession of the Saints" votive commemoration in the 1962 Roman Missal.

Three TLMs Within an Hour at St. Mary, Mother of God in Washington, DC

2010-01-28T19:32:00.003-05:00

Three low Traditional Latin Masses were offered at St. Mary Mother of God Catholic Church in Washington, DC within an hour from 7:30 am onward on 22 January 2010. Two of the Masses were offered by priests of the Franciscans of the Immaculate, who had come down from Connecticut for the March for Life. The third was offered by Father Dan D'Alliessi of the Archdiocese of New York. A fourth low TLM was offered by another priest of the Franciscans of the Immaculate later in the morning.

The Franciscans, from their choice of red vestments, are likely offering the Mass for the feast of Sts.Vincent and Anastasius, martyrs. Fr. D'Alliessi offered the Mass for Peace, and commemorated the martyr saints as well.

The older priest at the high altar is reciting the Confiteor, while the priest on the right, who started slightly later, is reciting the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar with the server.

Now, the priest on the main altar is probably reciting the Gloria, while the priest at the side altar is praying the the Collect.

The priest at the main altar has moved on to the Offertory, while the priest on the side altar reads the Gospel.

The elevation of the Precious Blood at the main altar, while the priest at the side altar is earlier in the Canon.

The elevation of the Precious Blood at the side altar.

A shot centered on the Mass at the side altar.

The ablutions are taking place at the main altar, while the priest at the side altar is probably about to or is receiving the Blessed Sacrament. The priest at the side altar then distributed the Sacrament to those in attendance.

Fr. D'Alliessi has started has Mass at the main altar, while the Franciscan priest makes his ablutions at the side altar.

St. John Neumann Confronts the Protestants

2010-01-05T23:45:00.002-05:00

Stained glass window of St. John Neumann in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Milwaukee, WI, taken from Flickr

(The following is excerpted from "A Bishop, A Saint: The Life of Saint John Neumann," by Father James J. Galvin, C.SS.R, published by The Neumann Press. 5 January is the feast day of St. John Neumann.)

"[St. John] Neumann [then a priest in upstate New York] had actually gone to the [Protestant] meeting houses with Deacon John Reist....Once inside, the zealous Mennonite brethren had done their best to convince the 'little priest' of the folly of his Catholic way. He had politely listened. They quoted the Scriptures at some length; Neumann heard them out. Finally, Father Neumann began asking seemingly innocent questions, probing under the roots of their belief. Suddenly the whole meeting was in uproar. The 'little priest' was more canny than he seemed. How should they know that this Romish priest had the Bible so well, whole chapters of the book by heart?...Would the 'little priest' be willing, they wheedled, to meet some of their elders in public debate? Neumann had accepted...."

"News of the debate spread fast....More than the expected handful of Mennonites came...that Thursday afternoon. The back room hummed impatience, awaiting the arrival of the 'little priest' But at the moment, Father Neumann was a half hour away -- kneeling in Martin Demmer's farm kitchen with a group of neighbors, reciting the rosary for the usual intention: 'the preservation of the Faith in his parish.'"

"...All told, there were some forty people in the crowded room and as many more in the yard outside when Father Neumann, with an escort of four parishoners, ambled through the picket gate....The four might not have the book learning to argue the fine points of doctrine; but each of them could fell a tree and, if needs be, a man."

"...One of the Mennonite elders took the floor, launching into a sharp attack on the Romish Church: its superstitions, its idolatries, its despotic hold on free men in a free country. The crowd buzzed approval....Now the 'little priest' rose to his feet... [and] smiled at the gathering. Rapidly, he gave a brief account of his visit to the Mennonite meeting house."

"'Gentlemen, I said it last Sunday and I repeat it now. I am open to honest conviction. I will join your church -- if you can prove...here that your creed is worthy of belief.'"

"Phil Hoffmann's [one of the Catholic parishoners] eyes fairly popped from their sockets. But the priest knew what he was about. He had so set the stage that the burden of proof now rested squarely on the Mennonite divines. It would be up to them to adduce convincing evidence of what they believed and taught."

"When they had finished, Neumann stood up again and began to cross-examine. 'May I invite you to tell on what authority you believe what you hold to be true?'"

"'On the authority of the Word of God.' Mr. Enoch Long held up his dog-eared bible."

"'You believe, then that God is author of the Bible?'"

"'Yes: God the Holy Spirit.'"

"'Did God write the Bible in English as well as German?'"

"'Of course. He is its Author in every language and edition.'"

"'Very well.'" Neumann's voice rang clear and confident through the stuffy back room. 'Since the Bible has God, the Holy Spirit, for Author, what he says in your bible, he must likewise say in each and every bible in this room. God cannot contradict himself.'"

"Neumann invited the gathering to open their books to a certain chapter, a certain verse. He invited Mr. Enoch Long to read the passage aloud. He had the Baptist exhorter read the same verses from his own bible. Then, the circuit reader."

"Old Jonathan Eggert [a Protestant], cupping palm to ear, leaned forward. He put on his spectacles, asked for the three books. One by one, he read the chapter and verse; read them again. He shook his head. One version plainly contradicted the other."

"'If your neighbor's version does not agree with your own,' asked Father Neumann, 'how can you be so certain that God is the author? How can you know that your bible is right?' Quietly, the priest sat down."

"In the rear of the room, Mike Deasey [another Catholic parishoner] proudly folded two massive arms on his bottle-green shirt, grinning from ear to ear. But elder Enoch Long had an answer."

"'The mere printed word is not so important. What matters is that one have the Holy Spirit to guide his eye as he reads, to point out the true meaning of Scripture, and show what one must believe.'"

"Father Neumann again stood up. 'You are personally guided by the Holy Spirit?'"

"'His light and his truth are ever within us.'"

"...Is there some way you can prove that for me: that you have the Holy Spirit as your personal guide?' asked Neumann. 'After all, I am open to conviction; but you must furnish proof.'"

"'Why, sir, my whole life is proof!' The elder drew himself up tall, looked round the gathering for approval. 'There was a time, some fifteen years ago, when I was a sinner. I stole my neighbor's cattle....I cheated in many ways. But down at Bavaria, one summer's night, I attended a revival and was converted....I've been a changed man ever since.'"

"Mischief twinkled in Neumann's eye. 'You have just heard your elder admit to several transgressions. Openly he admits to cheating and theft. I wonder did he give back what he robbed, or its value, to the rightful owners.'"

"'No,' came a chorus of voices. 'He never did.'"

"'So you could hardly call his conversion genuine?'"

"'No,' roared a voice from the yard, a vaguely familiar voice. 'He's the same two-faced rogue he ever was.' Filling the open window, there stood Hans Fleischer, the cattle drover."

"Elder Long glared at the window. Mike Deasey slapped his neighbor's shoulder, rocking the room with an impolite guffaw. Abruptly, the debate was over. If the gathering had brought no wholesale conversions to the Catholic Church, it at least put a stop to Catholic leakage in Father Neumann's parish. Catholic farmers were no longer nagged by zealots peddling unwanted tracts and free bibles at the cabin doors."

St. Francis de Sales on the Most Holy Name of Jesus II

2010-01-03T23:15:00.004-05:00

Image above taken from In the Sight of Angels blog

(The following is excerpted from St. Francis de Sales's sermon for the Feast of the Circumcision, 1 January 1622, as printed in "The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales For Advent and Christmas," published by TAN Books.)

"Now, how are we to pronounce the sacred name of Jesus so that it may be beneficial and profitable to us?...This name certainly ought not be pronounced carelessly or thoughtlessly. It is not enough to be aware that is is a two-syllable word, nor even less to speak it merely with the mouth. Parrots can do that! Infidels and Mohammedans name Him perfectly well, as far as that goes, but they are not saved thereby. Our Lord showed us how we are to say it. He shed His blood in receiving His name. In that, He indicated His willingness to do what this holy name signifies: to save. It is not enough to say it with your lips; it must be engraved upon your heart...."

"How happy we will be if, at the hour of our death, as well as during the whole of our lives, we pronounce the sacred name of the Saviour with due respect. It will be like a password by which we will freely enter Heaven, for it is the name of our redemption. In our last hour, if God gives us the grace not to die suddenly, we will have a priest near us who will hold a blessed candle in his hands and will call out to us: 'Remember our Redeemer; say Jesus, say Jesus.' Blessed will they be who pronounce it reverently and with a most profound appreciation of our Saviour having ransomed us with His blood and by His Passion. Those who call upon the name well at the time of death will be saved. The opposite will be the fate of those who do not speak it well and who pronounce it tepidly and without fervor. We ought most certainly to repeat it often during our lifetime, for it was given to His Son by the Eternal Father. It is a name which is above every other name, wholly divine, gentle and full of goodness. It is an oil poured out [Cant. 1: 2 (3)] to heal all the wounds of our souls. At this sacred name every knee bends [Phil. 2: 9-10]. It is the name which gives joy to the angels, saves men, and causes demons to tremble. This is why it should be deeply engraved upon our hearts and our spirits so that, blessing it and honoring it in this life, we maybe worthy of singing with the blessed: Live Jesus! Live Jesus!"

(For another excerpt from St. Francis de Sales on the Most Holy Name of Jesus, go to St. Francis de Sales on the Most Holy Name of Jesus )

The Traditional Feast of St. Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr

2009-11-14T23:50:00.002-05:00

Icon of St. Josaphat, taken from St. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic Church
(The following is taken from the "legend" for St. Josaphat from the traditional Roman Breviary, as excerpted in the 14 November entry in Volume XV of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of Dom Prosper Guéranger's 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"Josaphat Kuncewicz was born of noble Catholic parents at Vladimir in Volhynia [part of present-day western Ukraine]. When a child, as he was listening to his mother telling him about the Passion of Christ, a dart issued from the image of Jesus crucified and wounded him in the heart. Set on fire with the love of God, he began to devote himself with such zeal to prayer and other works of piety, that he was the admiration and the model of his older companions. At the age of twenty he became a monk under the Rule of St. Basil, and made wonderful progress in evangelical progression....The flower of his chastity, which he had vowed in early youth to the Virgin Mother of God, he preserved unspotted. He soon became so renowned for virtue and learning, that in spite of his youth he was made superior of the monastery of Byten; soon afterwards he became archimandrite of Vilna; and lastly, much against his will, but to the great joy of Catholics, he was chosen archbishop of Polotsk [in present-day Belarus]"

"...He energetically defended Catholic faith and unity, and laboured to the utmost of his power to bring back schismatics and heretics to communion with the See of blessed Peter. The Sovereign Pontiff and the plenitude of his power he never ceased to defend, both by preaching and by writings full of piety and learning, against the most shameless calumnies and errors of the wicked....Incredible was the number of heretics he won back to the bosom of mother Church; and the words of the Popes bear witness how greatly he promoted the union of the Greek and Latin churches...."

"The great progress made by the Catholic faith so stirred up the hatred of wicked men against the soldier of Christ, that they determined to put him to death. He knew what was threatening him; and foretold it when preaching to the people. As he was making his pastoral visitation at Vitebsk [in present-day Belarus], the murderers broke into his house, striking and wounding all whom they wound. Josaphat meekly went to meet them, and accosted them kindly, saying: My little children, why do you strike my servants? If you have any complaint against me, here I am. Hereupon they rushed on him, overwhelmed him with blows, pierced him with their spears, and at length dispatched him with an axe and threw his body into the river. This took place on the twelfth of November, 1623, in his forty-third year of his age. His body, surrounded with miraculous light, was rescued from the waters. The martyr's blood won a blessing first of all for his murderers; for being condemned to death, they nearly all abjured their schism and repented of their crime. As the death of this great bishop was followed by many miracles, Pope Urban VIII granted him the honours of beatification...[In July 1867, now Blessed] Pius IX in the Vatican basilica, in [the] presence of the College of Cardinals, and of about five hundred patriarchs, metropolitans, and bishops of every rite, assembled from all parts of the world, solemnly enrolled among the saints this great defender of the Church's unity, who was the first Oriental to be thus honoured. Pope Leo XIII extended his Mass and Office to the universal Church."

St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady as Theotokos

2009-10-11T22:31:00.004-04:00

Mosaic of Our Lady from the Hagia Sophia, taken from The Religion Network
[The following is excerpted from St. Francis de Sales' sermon on Our Lady's Nativity, given on 10 September 1620, and translated by the Nuns of the Visitation in Frederick, Maryland, USA in "The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady," published by TAN Books. 11 October is the feast of Our Lady's Maternity on the traditional sanctoral calendar.]

"The great Apostle St. Paul, who is certainly admirable in all that he said, offered an argument by which we can understand how great is the dignity of the Mother of God: Is there an angel, even a seraphim, to whom the Eternal Father has said: 'This one is My Son'? (Heb. 1:5). Oh no, that applied only to our dear Savior and Master, who was His true and natural Son. And we can add: Is there any creature to whom the Son of God has said, 'My Mother'? No, certainly, that was due to this Virgin [Mary] alone, who had carried him for nine months in her sacred womb. Let us conclude, then following this great saint, that the greatest title that can be given to the Holy Virgin is to name her Mother of God."

One Way to Remember Your Guardian Angel

2009-10-02T00:41:00.002-04:00

The Church in the West's feast day for our guardian angels is on 2 October. Here's one prayer from the Christian East that I recently found that really struck me.

Russian Icon of a Guardian Angel, taken from St. George Books
Byzantine Prayer to the Guardian Angel
Holy Angel, overseer of my wretched soul and miserable life, do not abandon me a sinner, do not desert me because of my inconstancy; leave no place for the evil demon to obtain dominion over me by gaining control of this mortal body; strengthen my wretched and feeble hand, and guide me into the way of salvation. Yea, O Holy Angel of God, guardian and protector of my wretched soul and body, pardon me all things whereby I have saddened thee all the days of my life, and whatever sins I have committed this day; shelter me in the coming night and protect me from every abuse of the adversary, that I may not anger my God by any sin; and intercede for me to the Lord, to strengthen me in His fear, and show me to be a worthy servant of His goodness. Amen.

[Taken from Free Republic Religion Forum: The 12 most important things to know about angels.]

Walsingham and The Dowry of Mary (on the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham)

2009-09-24T23:37:00.003-04:00

The Wilton Diptych
(The following from a pamphlet titled "Walsingham: The Shrine of Our Lady - Spiritual Guide," which I obtained on a trip to the shrine of Our Lady in Walsingham, England in September 2004).

"On the Sunday after Corpus Christi 1381 in Westminster Abbey, King Richard II knelt amidst a great throng of his subjects to re-dedicate England to Mary, as her dowry. Westminster was the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor, traditionally held to have been the first to make this dedication and in whose reign Walsingham had been founded. Richard made at least two pilgrimages at this time to Our Lady's Shrine in Walsingham and to that of St. Edmund at Bury. The saintly Edmund, king of East Anglia, where Walsingham was situated, had been martyred for the faith by the Vikings in the 9th century. In the [Wilton] diptych (above) the three "dowry kings," as they are known, are depicted with St. John the Baptist, Richard's special patron. At the end of the Richard's reign Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote: 'The contemplation of the great mystery of the Incarnation has brought all Christian nations to venerate her from whom came the beginnings of Redemption. But we, as the humble servants of her own inheritance and liegemen of her special dower, as we are approved by common parlance, ought to excel all others in favour of our praises and devotion to her.' A hundred years later, the Pynson Ballad centres the spirituality of Walsingham on this same great mystery, seeing the Shrine as the very reason for the title 'dowry of Mary.'"

Statue of Our Lady of Walsingham, in the "Slipper Chapel"
"O England, great cause have you to be glad
Compared to the Promised Land
For you are graced to stand in that degree,
Through this glorious lady's intercession;
To be called in every realm and region
The Holy Land, Our Lady's Dowry
Thus are you called from all antiquity.
And this is the cause, as appears by comparison.
In you is built New Nazareth, a house
To the honour of the Heavenly Empress
And of her glorious Salutation.
First principle and ground of our Salvation,
When Gabriel said at old Nazareth: Ave!
This joy shall be remembered here each day."
(Ballad of Walsingham, c. 1490)

St. Thecla, Protomartyr for Women

2009-09-23T23:02:00.002-04:00

Maronite image of Saint Thecla, taken from Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church

(The following is excerpted from the 23 September entry in Volume XIV of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of Dom Prosper Guéranger's 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"While honouring the first successor of St. Peter [St. Linus], Rome commemorates the protomartyr of the female sex. Together with holy Church, then, let us unite in the concert of praise unanimously lavished upon [Saint] Thecla by the fathers of east and west. When the martyr pontiff Methodius [Saint Methodius of Olympus] gave his 'Banquet of virgins' to the Church, about the end of the third century, it is on the brow of the virgin of Iconium that he placed the fairest of crowns distributed at the banquet of the Spouse. And justly so; for had not Thecla been trained by [Saint] Paul, who had made her more learned in the Gospel than she was before in philosophy and every science? Heroism in her kept pace with knowledge; her magnanimity of purpose was equaled by her courage; while, strong in the virginal purity of her soul and body, she triumphed over fire, wild beasts, and sea monsters, and won the glory of a triple martyrdom."

"A fresh triumph is hers at the mysterious banquet. Wisdom has taken possession of her, and, like a divine harp, makes music in her soul, which is echoed on her lips in words of wondrous eloquence and sublime poetry. When the feast is over, and the virgins rise to give thanks to the Lord, Thecla leads the chorus, singing: 'For thee, O Bridegroom, I keep myself pure; and with burning lamp I come to meet thee.'"

"'I have fled from the bitter pleasures of mortals, and luxurious delights of life and its love; under Thy life-giving arms I desire to be protected, and to gaze for ever on Thy beauty, O blessed One.'"

"'For Thee, O Bridegroom, I keep myself pure; and with burning lamp I come to meet thee.'"

"'I have contemned union with mortal man; I have left my golden home for Thee, O King; I have come in undefiled robes, that I may enter with Thee into Thy happy bridal chamber.'"

"'For Thee, O Bridegroom, I keep myself pure; and with burning lamp I come to meet thee.'"

"'Having escaped the enchanting wiles of the serpent, and triumphed over the flaming fire and the attacks of wild beasts, I await Thee from heaven.'"

"'For Thee, O Bridegroom, I keep myself pure; and with burning lamp I come to meet thee.'"

"'Through love of Thee, O Word, I have forgotten the land of my birth; I have forgotten the virgins my companions, and even the desire of mother and of kindred; for Thou, O Christ, art all things to me.'"

"'For Thee, O Bridegroom, I keep myself pure; and with burning lamp I come to meet thee.'"

"PRAYER: Grant, we beseech [T]hee, almighty God, that we, who celebrate the festival of blessed Thecla, [T]hy virgin and martyr, may rejoice in her annual solemnity, and make progress by the example of such great faith. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen."

Act of Consecration to Our Lady (150th Post)

2009-08-22T22:51:00.003-04:00

How appropriate that the 150th post on Dignare Me Laudare Te, Virgo Sacrata is devoted to Our Lady (on this day which is dedicated to her, as it being a Saturday, the feast of the Queenship of Our Lady on the "new" sanctoral calendar, and the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on the traditional one). The following is an act of consecration to Our Lady written by my favorite doctor of the Church, St. Francis de Sales. I found it in a reprint of Father Lasance's "My Prayer Book."

Image of Our Lady of Fatima, taken from The Two Hearts Ablaze blog
Act of Consecration
By St. Francis de Sales
"Most Holy Mary, virgin Mother of God, I (full name), most unworthy though I am to be thy servant, yet touched by thy motherly care for me and longing to serve thee, do, in the presence of my guardian angel and all the court of heaven, choose thee this day to be my queen, my advocate, and my mother, and I firmly purpose to serve thee evermore myself and to do what I can that all may render faithful service to thee."

"Therefore, most devoted Mother, through the precious blood thy Son poured out for me, I beg thee, deign to take me among thy clients and receive me as thy servant forever."

"Aid me in my every action, and beg for me the grace never, by word or deed or thought, to be displeasing in thy sight and that of thy most holy Son."

"Think of me, my dearest Mother, and desert me not at the hour of my death. Amen."

Saint Maximilian Kolbe's 'Secret' Weapon

2009-08-14T09:00:00.001-04:00

Cover of the January 1922 issue of St. Maximilian's 'The Knight of the Immaculate' periodical, depicting Our Lady 'flanked by two swords impaling the serpents and propaganda of heresy and Masonry' [taken from Fr. Angelo Mary Geiger's Mary Victrix blog]
[The following is excerpted from "Kolbe: Saint of the Immaculata," edited by Brother Francis M. Kalvelage, FI.]

"Maximilian's secret weapon...is a medal of Mary that is really no secret. It just seems though it is, as it isn't being used and propagated as St. Maximilian would have us use it in bringing souls to Christ."

"The Medal of the Immaculate Conception (popularly known as the Miraculous Medal) figured very prominently from the very beginning of the Militia Immaculatae, in St. Maximilian's mind and actions. In his own words, 'Because...conversion and sanctification are divine graces, the Miraculous Medal will be a first class means for attaining our purpose. For that reason it is a preeminent weapons of the Militia; it is the bullet with which a faithful soldier hits the enemy, that is evil [sin] and thus rescues souls.'"

"The story of the miraculous conversion of the [agnostic] Jew, Alphonse Ratisbonne, related in his seminary days, convinced St. Maximilian of the power of Mary Immaculate working through this sacramental....It seems he never left 'the City of the Immaculate' without being well armed with his 'bullets.' Kolbe, a truly apostolic man, would never consciously let an opportunity go by to win a soul the grace of conversion."

"In Kolbe's mind the Medals were even more than a great aid in bringing about conversions. Besides being a proof of the unwavering trust in Our Lady's powerful role in bringing about a change of heart, members of the Militia were to wear the Medal as a sign of their total consecration to Mary, and to recite daily the invocation circling the image of the Immaculate on the medal, 'Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.' To the last sentence he added, 'especially the Masons and the enemies of the Church.'"

"The [M]edal honors Mary in her great prerogative of the Immaculate Conception, and also depicts Mary as the Mediatrix of all graces....On the opposite side we are reminded by the two Hearts, the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that the whole purpose of the Militia Immaculatae which...is to establish, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus throughout the whole world in every soul living and to the end of time- and that 'as soon as possible, as soon as possible!'"

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

2009-07-16T23:44:00.005-04:00

(Image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, from Women for Faith & Family)

(The following is the legend of the breviary for Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as quoted in Dom Prosper Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for 16 July, in Volume XIII of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.]

Earlier in the entry, he related how during "the night between the 15th and 16th of July of the year 1251, the gracious Queen of Carmel...conferred upon them [the Carmelites] with her queenly hands the [Brown] scapular, hitherto the distinctive garb of the greatest and most ancient religious family of the West. On giving St. Simon Stock this badge, ennobled by contact with her sacred fingers, the Mother of God said to him: 'Whosoever shall die in this habit shall not suffer eternal flames.'")

"When on the holy day of Pentecost the apostles, through heavenly inspiration, spoke divers[e] tongues and worked many miracles by the invocation of the most holy name of Jesus, it is said that many men who were walking in the footsteps of the holy prophets Elias and Eliseus [Elijah and Elisha], and had been prepared for the coming of Christ by the preaching of [Saint] John the Baptist, saw and acknowledged the truth, and at once embraced the faith of the Gospel. These new Christians were so happy as to be able to enjoy the familiar...[company and conversation] with the Blessed Virgin, and venerated her with so special an affection, that they, before all others, built a chapel to the purest of Virgins on that very spot of Mount Carmel where Elias of old had seen the cloud, a remarkable type of the Virgin ascending [3 Kings (1 Kings) 18: 42-44]."

"Many times each day they came together to the new oratory, and with pious ceremonies, prayers, and praises, honoured the most Blessed Virgin as the special protectress of their Order [the Carmelites]. For this reason, people from all parts began to call them the Brethren of the Blessed Mary of Mount Carmel; and the Sovereign Pontiffs not only confirmed this title, but also granted special indulgences to whoever called either the whole Order or individual Brothers by that name. But the most noble Virgin not only gave them her name and protection, she also bestowed upon blessed Simon the Englishman [Saint Simon Stock] the holy scapular [the Brown Scapular] as a token, wishing the holy Order to be distinguished by that heavenly garment and to be protected by it from the evils that were assailing it. Moreover, as formerly the Order was unknown in Europe, and on this account many were importuning [Pope] Honorius III for its abolition, the loving Virgin Mary appeared by night to Honorius and clearly bade him receive both the Order and its members with kindness."

"The Blessed Virgin has enriched the Order so dear to her with many privileges, not only in this world, but also in the next (for everywhere she is most powerful and merciful). For it is piously believed that those of her children who, having been enrolled in the Confraternity of the [Brown] Scapular, have fulfilled the small abstinence and said the few prayers prescribed, and have observed chastity as far as their state of life demands, will be consoled by our Lady while they are being purified in the fire of purgatory, and will through her intercession be taken thence as soon as possible to the heavenly country. The Order, thus laden with so many graces, has ordained that this solemn commemoration of the Blessed Virgin should be yearly observed for ever, to her greater glory."

(Dom Guéranger also related earlier that it was Pope Benedict XIII in the 18th century that extended the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to the Universal Church.)

St. Maximilian Kolbe's Prayer of Total Consecration to Jesus Through Mary

2009-06-27T23:45:00.003-04:00

Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, along with diverse images/statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, taken during the National Annual Filipino Pilgrimage on 27 June 2009 in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC, USA.
[Taken from Explanation of the Prayer of Total Consecration.]

"Immaculata, Queen of heaven and earth, refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother, God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you. I, N..., a repentant sinner, cast myself at your feet humbly imploring you to take me with all that I am and have, wholly to yourself as your possession and property. Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body, of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases you."

"If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve, wholly to accomplish what was said of you: 'She will crush your head,' and, 'You alone have destroyed all heresies in the world.' Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands for introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum in all the many strayed and indifferent souls, and thus help extend as far as possible the blessed kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For wherever you enter you obtain the grace of conversion and growth in holiness, since it is through your hands that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus."

V. Allow me to praise you, O sacred Virgin.
R. Give me strength against your enemies.

Memento Mori...

2009-06-26T09:00:00.001-04:00

This is probably my favorite Gregorian chant of all time. This is taken from the Requiem Mass.

Translation: Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord
And let perpetual light shine upon them
A hymn, O God, becometh Thee in Zion
And a vow shall be paid to thee in Jerusalem
Hear my prayer
All flesh shall come before you

Eternal rest give unto the dead, O Lord
And let perpetual light shine upon them

Italian Festival's Procession of the Saints

2009-06-21T23:45:00.002-04:00

I attended the Procession of the Saints which caps St. Anthony of Padua parish's annual Italian Festival in Wilmington, Delaware, USA on 14 June 2009. The festival always coincides with the week on which the feast of St. Anthony falls. The annual Procession was something that I always enjoyed watching when I was a child, and I got to attend for the first time in a very long time. It's a very Catholic event.

The St. Anthony fountain and the front of the church.

The statue of St. Francis de Paola. If you have a dollar, people like the gentleman in red will give you a holy card of the saint they're accompanying.

I think that kid was having the best day of his life.

Statue of St. Francis de Sales, my favorite Doctor of the Church.

The statue of Pope Saint Pius X appears to blessing the crowds.

Three great bishop saints of the Church.

The St. Anthony float signals the end of the procession.

Close-up of the statue of St. Anthony on his float.

The gorgeous baptistry of St. Anthony's, with statues of St. John the Baptist, the Child Jesus, and St. Ann.

Consecration and Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

2009-06-19T21:32:00.005-04:00

Sacred Heart Image, taken from The Crescat blog
[Taken from Pope Pius XI's 1928 encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor]

"...[I]s not the sum of all religion and therefore the pattern of more perfect life, contained in that most auspicious sign and in the form of piety that follows from it inasmuch as it more readily leads the minds of men to an intimate knowledge of Christ Our Lord, and more efficaciously moves their hearts to love Him more vehemently and to imitate Him more closely? It is no wonder, therefore, that Our Predecessors have constantly defended this most approved form of devotion from the censures of calumniators, and have extolled it with high praise and promoted it very zealously, as the needs of time and circumstance demanded. Moreover, by the inspiration of God's grace, it has come to pass that the pious devotion of the faithful towards the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus has made great increase in the course of time; hence pious confraternities to promote the worship of the Divine Heart are everywhere erected, hence too the custom of receiving Holy Communion on the first Friday of every month at the desire of Christ Jesus, a custom which now prevails everywhere."

"But assuredly among those things which properly pertain to the worship of the Most Sacred Heart, a special place must be given to that Consecration, whereby we devote ourselves and all things that are ours to the Divine Heart of Jesus, acknowledging that we have received all things from the everlasting love of God. When Our Savior had taught [Saint] Margaret Mary [Alacoque], the most innocent disciple of His Heart, how much He desired that this duty of devotion should be rendered to him by men, moved in this not so much by His own right as by His immense charity for us; she herself, with her spiritual father, [Saint] Claude de la Colombiere, rendered it the first of all. Thereafter followed, in the course of time, individual men, then private families and associations, and lastly civil magistrates, cities and kingdoms. But since in the last century , and in this present century [and since the writing of this encyclical], things have come to such a pass, that by the machinations of wicked men the sovereignty of Christ Our Lord has been denied and war is publicly waged against the Church, by passing laws and promoting plebiscites repugnant to Divine and natural law, nay more by holding assemblies of them that cry out, 'We will not have this man to reign over us' (Luke xix, 14): from the aforesaid Consecration there burst forth over against them in keenest opposition the voice of all the clients of the Most Sacred Heart, as it were one voice, to vindicate His glory and to assert His rights: 'Christ must reign' (1 Corinthians xv, 25); Thy kingdom come' (Matth. vi, 10)."

"...[S]omething else must needs be added, and it is concerning this that it is our pleasure to speak with you more at length, Venerable Brethren, on the present occasion: we mean that duty of honorable satisfaction or reparation which must be rendered to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. For if the first and foremost thing in Consecration is this, that the creature's love should be given in return for the love of the Creator, another thing follows from this at once, namely that to the same uncreated Love, if so be it has been neglected by forgetfulness or violated by offense, some sort of compensation must be rendered for the injury, and this debt is commonly called by the name of reparation."

"...[W]e are holden to the duty of reparation and expiation by a certain more valid title of justice and of love, of justice indeed, in order that the offense offered to God by our sins may be expiated and that the violated order may be repaired by penance: and of love too so that we may suffer together with Christ suffering and 'filled with reproaches' (Lam. iii, 30), and for all our poverty may offer Him some little solace. For since we are all sinners and laden with many faults, our God must be honored by us not only by that worship wherewith we adore His infinite Majesty with due homage, or acknowledge His supreme dominion by praying, or praise His boundless bounty by thanksgiving; but besides this we must need make satisfaction to God the just avenger, 'for our numberless sins and offenses and negligences.' To Consecration, therefore, whereby we are devoted to God and are called holy to God, by that holiness and stability which, as the Angelic Doctor [St. Thomas Aquinas] teaches, is proper to consecration (2a. 2ae. qu. 81, a. 8. c.), there must be added expiation, whereby sins are wholly blotted out, lest the holiness of the supreme justice may punish our shameless unworthiness, and reject our offering as hateful rather than accept it as pleasing."

"Moreover this duty of expiation is laid upon the whole race of men since, as we are taught by the Christian faith, after Adam's miserable fall, infected by hereditary stain, subject to concupiscences and most wretchedly depraved, it would have been thrust down into eternal destruction. This indeed is denied by the wise men of this age of ours, who following the ancient error of Pelagius, ascribe to human nature a certain native virtue by which of its own force it can go onward to higher things; but the Apostle rejects these false opinions of human pride, admonishing us that we 'were by nature children of wrath' (Ephesians ii, 3). And indeed, even from the beginning, men in a manner acknowledged this common debt of expiation and, led by a certain natural instinct, they endeavored to appease God by public sacrifices."

Taken from The St. Bede Studio blog
"But no created power was sufficient to expiate the sins of men, if the Son of God had not assumed man's nature in order to redeem it....Yet, though the copious redemption of Christ has abundantly forgiven us all offenses (Cf. Colossians ii, 13), nevertheless, because of that wondrous divine dispensation whereby those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ are to be filled up in our flesh for His body which is the Church (Cf. Colossians i, 24), to the praises and satisfactions, 'which Christ in the name of sinners rendered unto God' we can also add our praises and satisfactions, and indeed it behoves us so to do. But we must ever remember that the whole virtue of the expiation depends on the one bloody sacrifice of Christ, which without intermission of time is renewed on our altars in an unbloody manner, 'For the victim is one and the same, the same now offering by the ministry of priests, who then offered Himself on the cross, the manner alone of offering being different' (Council of Trent, Session XXIII, Chapter 2). Wherefore with this most august Eucharistic Sacrifice there ought to be joined an oblation both of the ministers and of all the faithful, so that they also may 'present themselves living sacrifices, holy, pleasing unto God' (Romans xii, 1). Nay more, St. Cyprian does not hesitate to affirm that 'the Lord's sacrifice is not celebrated with legitimate sanctification, unless our oblation and sacrifice correspond to His passion' (Ephesians 63). For this reason, the Apostle admonishes us that 'bearing about in our body the mortification of Jesus' (2 Corinthians iv, 10), and buried together with Christ, and planted together in the likeness of His death (Cf. Romans vi, 4-5), we must not only crucify our flesh with the vices and concupiscences (Cf. Galatians v, 24), 'flying the corruption of that concupiscence which is in the world' (2 Peter i, 4), but 'that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodies' (2 Corinthians iv, 10) and being made partakers of His eternal priesthood we are to offer up 'gifts and sacrifices for sins' (Hebrews v, 1). Nor do those only enjoy a participation in this mystic priesthood and in the office of satisfying and sacrificing, whom our Pontiff Christ Jesus uses as His ministers to offer up the clean oblation to God's Name in every place from the rising of the sun to the going down (Malachias i, 11), but the whole Christian people rightly called by the Prince of the Apostles 'a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood' (1 Peter ii, 9), ought to offer for sins both for itself and for all mankind (Cf. Hebrews v, 3), in much the same manner as every priest and pontiff 'taken from among men, is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God' (Hebrews v, 1)...."

"And truly the spirit of expiation or reparation has always had the first and foremost place in the worship given to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, and nothing is more in keeping with the origin, the character, the power, and the distinctive practices of this form of devotion, as appears from the record of history and custom, as well as from the sacred liturgy and the acts of the Sovereign Pontiffs. For when Christ manifested Himself to Margaret Mary, and declared to her the infinitude of His love, at the same time, in the manner of a mourner, He complained that so many and such great injuries were done to Him by ungrateful men -- and we would that these words in which He made this complaint were fixed in the minds of the faithful, and were never blotted out by oblivion: 'Behold this Heart' -- He said -- 'which has loved men so much and has loaded them with all benefits, and for this boundless love has had no return but neglect, and contumely, and this often from those who were bound by a debt and duty of a more special love.' In order that these faults might be washed away, He then recommended several things to be done, and in particular the following as most pleasing to Himself, namely that men should approach the Altar with this purpose of expiating sin, making what is called a Communion of Reparation, -- and that they should likewise make expiatory supplications and prayers, prolonged for a whole hour, --which is rightly called the 'Holy Hour.' These pious exercises have been approved by the Church and have also been enriched with copious indulgences...."

"Now, how great is the necessity of this expiation or reparation, more especially in this our age, will be manifest to every one who, as we said at the outset, will examine the world, 'seated in wickedness (1 John v, 19), with his eyes and with his mind. For from all sides the cry of the peoples who are mourning comes up to us, and their princes or rulers have indeed stood up and met together in one against the Lord and against His Church (Cf. Psalm ii, 2). Throughout those regions indeed, we see that all rights both human and Divine are confounded. Churches are thrown down and overturned, religious men and sacred virgins are torn from their homes and are afflicted with abuse, with barbarities, with hunger and imprisonment; bands of boys and girls are snatched from the bosom of their mother the Church, and are induced to renounce Christ, to blaspheme and to attempt the worst crimes of lust; the whole Christian people, sadly disheartened and disrupted, are continually in danger of falling away from the faith, or of suffering the most cruel death. These things in truth are so sad that you might say that such events foreshadow and portend the 'beginning of sorrows,' that is to say of those that shall be brought by the man of sin, 'who is lifted up above all that is called God or is worshipped' (2 Thessalonians ii, 4)."

"But it is yet more to be lamented, Venerable Brethren, that among the faithful themselves, washed in Baptism with the blood of the immaculate Lamb, and enriched with grace, there are found so many men of every class, who laboring under an incredible ignorance of Divine things and infected with false doctrines, far from their Father's home, lead a life involved in vices, a life which is not brightened by the light of true faith, nor gladdened by the hope of future beatitude, nor refreshed and cherished by the fire of charity; so that they truly seem to sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Moreover, among the faithful there is a greatly increasing carelessness of ecclesiastical discipline, and of those ancient institutions on which all Christian life rests, by which domestic society is governed, and the sanctity of marriage is safeguarded; the education of children is altogether neglected, or else it is depraved by too indulgent blandishments, and the Church is even robbed of the power of giving the young a Christian education; there is a sad forgetfulness of Christian modesty especially in the life and the dress of women; there is an unbridled cupidity of transitory things, a want of moderation in civic affairs, an unbounded ambition of popular favor, a depreciation of legitimate authority, and lastly a contempt for the word of God, whereby faith itself is injured, or is brought into proximate peril."

"But all these evils as it were culminate in the cowardice and the sloth of those who, after the manner of the sleeping and fleeing disciples, wavering in their faith, miserably forsake Christ when He is oppressed by anguish or surrounded by the satellites of Satan, and in the perfidy of those others who following the example of the traitor Judas, either partake of the holy table rashly and sacrilegiously, or go over to the camp of the enemy. And thus, even against our will, the thought rises in the mind that now those days draw near of which Our Lord prophesied: 'And because iniquity hath abounded, the charity of many shall grow cold' (Matth. xxiv, 12)."

"Now, whosoever of the faithful have piously pondered on all these things must need be inflamed with the charity of Christ in His agony and make a more vehement endeavor to expiate their own faults and those of others, to repair the honor of Christ, and to promote the eternal salvation of souls. And indeed that saying of the Apostle: "Where sin abounded, grace did more abound" (Romans v, 20) may be used in a manner to describe this present age; for while the wickedness of men has been greatly increased, at the same time, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, a marvelous increase has been made in the number of the faithful of both sexes who with eager mind endeavor to make satisfaction for the many injuries offered to the Divine Heart, nay more they do not hesitate to offer themselves to Christ as victims. For indeed if any one will lovingly dwell on those things of which we have been speaking, and will have them deeply fixed in his mind, it cannot be but he will shrink with horror from all sin as from the greatest evil, and more than this he will yield himself wholly to the will of God, and will strive to repair the injured honor of the Divine Majesty, as well by constantly praying, as by voluntary mortifications, by patiently bearing the afflictions that befall him, and lastly by spending his whole life in this exercise of expiation...."

"There is surely no reason for doubting, Venerable Brethren, that from this devotion piously established and commanded to the whole Church, many excellent benefits will flow forth not only to individual men but also to society, sacred, civil, and domestic, seeing that our Redeemer Himself promised to Margaret Mary that 'all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces.'...And this indeed we more especially and vehemently desire and confidently expect, that the just and merciful God who would have spared Sodom for the sake of ten just men, will much more be ready to spare the whole race of men, when He is moved by the humble petitions and happily appeased by the prayers of the community of the faithful praying together in union with Christ their Mediator and Head, in the name of all. And now lastly may the most benign Virgin Mother of God smile on this purpose and on these desires of ours; for since she brought forth for us Jesus our Redeemer, and nourished Him, and offered Him as a victim by the Cross, by her mystic union with Christ and His very special grace she likewise became and is piously called a reparatress. Trusting in her intercession with Christ, who whereas He is the 'one mediator of God and men' (1 Timothy ii, 5), chose to make His Mother the advocate of sinners, and the minister and mediatress of grace, as an earnest of heavenly gifts..."

2009 Solemn High Mass in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

2009-06-08T08:00:00.002-04:00

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) concluded their annual pilgrimage of reparation with a Solemn High Mass in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC on 6 June 2009. Father James Buckley offered the shorter form of the Pentecost Ember Saturday Mass according to the 1962 Missal, and was assisted by clerics and seminarians of the Priestly Fraternity, along with a Gregorian chant schola of local Catholics, mainly from St. Mary Mother of God parish in DC.

The Confiteor of the deacon, subdeacon, and servers.

Father Buckley is incensed as the Kyrie is chanted.

The deacon chants the Gospel.

The burning of incense during the Offertory.

The elevation of the chalice containing the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ite Missa est.

A Scripture Passage on the Sacred Heart of Jesus

2009-06-05T10:00:00.003-04:00

Image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, taken from America Needs Fatima blog
(The following is excerpted from Chapter LI of the Second Part of "A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture," by Bishop Frederick Justus Knecht, D.D., published by TAN Books.)

Ten Memorable Sayings of Our Lord

X. "Come to Me all you that labour and are burdened[14], and I will refresh you[15]. Take up My yoke upon you and learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart, [emphasis mine] and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke[16] is sweet, and My burden is light" [Matthew 11: 28-30].

Notes:

14. Burdened. Either with grief or with the weight of sin.
15. Refresh you. With consolations and peace.
16. My yoke. My law of love.

Commentary

"The law of Jesus is sweet and easy 1. because the purport of it is love, and loves makes all duties light and pleasant; 2. because Jesus does not merely impose duties on us, but helps us by His grace to fulfil[l] them; 3. because Jesus has gone before us, showing us an example. He Himself has done everything which He requires us to do, and that in the most perfect manner, as, for example, showing love to our enemies. His law is sweet and easy. 4. because an exceeding great reward is promised to us if we obey it, name, peace and joy of heart on earth, and inconceivable glory and happiness in heaven."

"Gentleness and humility are especially taught us by the example of our Lord Jesus. The sins contrary to these virtues are the two capital sins of anger and pride."

"Devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Our Lord Himself directs us to His Sacred Heart and invites us to imitate its virtues of love, mercy, gentleness, humility, obedience, patience, fortitude &c. The Heart of Jesus is the model of all virtues and the fountain of all grace, and must therefore be loved and adored by all who love Jesus. The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is kept on the Friday [in some places, on the Sunday] after the Octave of Corpus Christi."

Application. "Examine your conscience on the subject of gentleness; makes acts of contrition, and good resolutions."

"Happiness can only be found with Jesus. As long as you follow Him, and are obedient and innocent, you will have peace and joy of heart. But if you do what is wrong, you will feel discontented, restless and troubled. Keep, therefore, away from sin; it will make you very unhappy."

May the Heart of Jesus be praised, adored, and loved, with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, now, and until the end of time. Amen.

Our Lady, Help of Christians [Dom Guéranger]

2009-05-24T14:46:00.004-04:00

Statue of Our Lady, Help of Christians, with rhododendron blossoms, Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, USA, as posted on America Needs Fatima blog
(The following is excerpted from the 24 May entry in Volume VIII of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of Dom Prosper Guéranger's 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"...Ever since our entrance upon the joys of the Pascal season....there has not been a single feast our blessed Lady to gladden our hearts by telling us of some mystery or glory of this august Queen....It would seem as though Holy Church wished to honour, by a respectful silence, the forty days during which Mary enjoyed the company of Jesus, after [H]is Resurrection. We, therefore, should never separate the Mother and the Son, if we would have our Easter meditations be in strict accordance with truth -- and that we surely must wish...."

"To-day, however, we have a feast in honour of Mary. True, it is not one of those feasts which are entered on the general Calendar of the Church; yet is it so widely spread, with the consent of the Holy See, that our Liturgical Year would have been incomplete without it. Its object is to honour the Mother of God as the Help of Christians -- a title she has justly merited by the innumerable favours she has conferred upon Christendom. Dating from that day whose anniversary we are soon to celebrate, when the Holy Ghost descended upon Mary in the Cenacle, in order that she might begin to exercise over the Church Militant her power as Queen -- who could tell the number of times that she has aided, by her protection, the kingdom of her Son on earth?"

"Heresies have risen one after the other; they were violent; they were frequently supported by the great ones of this world; each of them was resolved on the destruction of the true faith; and yet, one after the other, they have dwindled away, or fallen into impotency; those of the present day are gradually sinking by internal discord; and Holy Church tells us that it is Mary who 'alone destroys all heresies throughout the whole world' [from the Matins of the Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary]. If public scandals or persecutions, or the tyranny of secular interference, have at times threatened to stay the progress of the Church, Mary has stretched forth her arm, the obstacles were removed, and the Spouse of Jesus continued her onward march, leaving her foes and her fetters behind. All this was vividly brought before the mind of the saintly Pontiff, [Pope St.] Pius V, by the victory of Lepanto, gained by Mary's intercession, over the Turkish fleet, and he resolved to add one more title to the glorious list given to our Lady in the Litany: it was Auxilium Christianorum, Help of Christians."

"...On May 24, in the year 1814, there was witnessed in Rome the most magnificent triumph that has yet been recorded in the annals of the Church....Pius VII re-entered Rome amidst the acclamations of the holy City....He had been a captive for five years, during which the spiritual government of the Christian world suffered a total suspension....What a day was that 24th of May, which witnessed the triumphant return of the Pontiff into the holy City, whence he had been dragged during the night by the soldiers of an ambitious tyrant [Napoleon I]! He made the journey in short stages, meeting, on his way, the allied armies of Europe, who recognized his right as King. This right is superior, both in antiquity and dignity, to that of all other monarchs; and all, no matter whether they be heretics, schismatics, or Catholics, must admit it, were it only on the strength of its being an historical fact."

"But what we have said so far is not sufficient to give an adequate idea of the greatness of the prodigy thus achieved by our Lady Help of Christians. In order to have a just appreciation of it, we must remember that the miracle was not wrought in the age of Sylvester and Constantine, or of St. Leo III and Charlemagne, or of the great prophetess [St.] Catharine of Siena, who made known the commands of God to the people of Italy and to the Popes of Avignon. The century that witnessed this wondrous event was the nineteenth. Europe was under the degrading influence of Voltairism, and there were still living the authors and abettors of the crimes and impieties that resulted from the principles taught in the eighteenth century. Everything was adverse to such a glorious and unexpected triumph; Catholic feeling was far from being roused...the action of God's providence had to show itself in a direct and visible manner; and to let the Christian world know that such was the case, Rome instituted the annual feast of May 24, as an offering of acknowledgment to Mary, Help of Christians."

"Let us now weigh the importance of the twofold restoration which wrought on this day by the intercession of the holy Mother of God. Pius VII had been forcibly taken from Rome and dethroned; on this May 24 he was reinstated in Rome, both as Pope and as temporal sovereign. On the Feasts of St. Peter's Chair at Rome and at Antioch, we gave our readers the doctrine of the Church, which teaches us that the succession to the rights conferred by Christ upon St. Peter belongs to the Bishop of Rome. From this it follows that residence in the city of Rome is both the right and the duty of the successor of St. Peter, save in the case of his deeming a temporary absence to be demanded by circumstances. Whosoever, therefore, by means of physical force, keeps the Sovereign Pontiff out of Rome, or prevents him from residing there, is acting in opposition to the Divine Will; for the pastor ought to be in the midst of his flock...."

"The second is her having reinstated the Pontiff in possession of his temporal power, the surest guarantee of his being independent in the exercise of his spiritual power. We have but to consult history, and we shall learn what miseries and dangers have followed from the Popes being the subjects of any earthly monarch. The experience of the past shows us that the city of Rome, if under any other government than that of the papacy, excites the mistrust of Christendom as to the liberty necessary for the due election of the supreme Pontiff....Whosoever dares to invade it, attacks the liberty of the entire Church; and we know, as St. Anselm says, that 'there is nothing in this world more loved by God than the liberty of [H]is Church;' hence the severe punishments that have ever followed such as offered violence to it."

"...Let us then give thanks to the blessed Mother of God, on this feast of the twenty-fourth day of May...."

"I have lifted up mine eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me; my help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth [Psalm 120: 1, 2]. Thus prayed the Israelites of old; thus also prays the Church: though for her the help is nigher and comes more speedily. The Psalmist's petition has been granted: the heavens have bowed down, and the divine help is now close by our side. This help is Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary....But this King of kings has given us a Queen, and this Queen is Mary, [H]is Mother. Out of love for her [H]e has given her a throne on [H]is right hand, as Solomon did for his mother Bethsabee; and [H]e would have her also be the Help of Christians. The Church teaches us this, by inserting this beautiful title in the Litany; and Rome invites us, on this day, to unite with her in giving thanks to out blessed Lady of Help for one of the most signal of her favours...."

"But Rome is not the only spot on earth that needs thy powerful help, O Mary! The vineyard of thy Son is everywhere being laid waste by the wild beast. Vice and error and seduction are everywhere. There is not a country where the Church is not persecuted, and her liberty trampled upon. Society has lost its Christian traditions; it is at the mercy of revolutions against which it has no power. O thou that are the Help of Christians, aid the world in these its perils! Thou has the power to save it from danger! Wilt thou permit the people to be lost who were redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and whom [H]e from [H]is Cross entrusted to thy care?"

"Thou, O Mary, art the Help of each Christian soul, as well as of the entire world. That same enemy, who is bent on the destruction of the whole human race, is seeking to drag each one of us into perdition. He hates the image of thy Son, which he sees reflected in our human nature. Oh! come to our assistance; save us from this roaring lion of hell. He knows thy power, and that thou canst procure our deliverance, so long as we are left in this present life. Thou hast gained the most stupendous victories for the salvation of thy clients; tire not, we beseech thee, in aiding poor sinners to return to their God. When Jesus spoke of them that were invited to the marriage feast, and told us how the king said to his servants: Compel them to come in [Luke 14: 23], it was thee that [H]e had mainly in view. Lead us then to our King!"

"Our supplications to thee, O Help of Christians, are thus earnest, because our wants are great; but we are not on that account the less mindful of the special honour that we owe thee at this holy season of Easter, when the Church contemplates the joy thou hadst in the presence of thy Risen Jesus. She congratulates thee on the immense happiness that thus repaid thee for thine anguish on Calvary and at the Sepulchre. It is to the Mother consoled by and exulting in her Son's triumphant Resurrection that we offer this sweet month, whose loveliness is so in keeping with her own incomparable beauty. In return for this homage of our devotion, pray for us, dear Mother, that our souls may persevere in the beauty of grace given to them by this year's union with our Jesus! and that we may be so well prepared for the Feast of Pentecost as to merit to receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost, [W]ho comes that [H]e may perfect the work of our Paschal regeneration."

St. Rita of Cascia, Widow

2009-05-22T23:29:00.002-04:00

Statue of St. Rita of Cascia in St. Rita's Catholic Church, Alexandria, Virginia, USA

"O God, Who didst vouchsafe to confer on St. Rita so great grace that she loved her enemies and bore in her heart and on her brow the stigmata of Thy love and passion, grant us, we beseech Thee, by her intercession and merits, so to spare our enemies and to meditate on the pains of Thy passion that we may obtain the rewards promised to the meek and to them that mourn. Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen."

-Traditional collect of the feast of St. Rita of Cascia, Widow, 22 May.

[Posted in the early morning hours of 23 May 2009, and back-dated to 22 May 2009.]

Fr. Thomas Euteneuer on the Church Militant

2009-05-16T15:46:00.004-04:00

"...Only a fully battle-equipped Church will be capable of meeting the challenges of the aggressive pagan culture that imbues every aspect of social and political life nowadays. The prevailing pagan culture is not only demon-worshipping but it is resolute in its determination to destroy all vestiges of the social kingship of Jesus Christ and is rapidly executing hostile takeovers of our families. Militant faith, in the grand traditions of the exorcist-like priest saints (Saint Francis Xavier, Saint John Vianney, Saint Edmund Campion, etc.), will save the culture and the Church. Nothing less."

"Lest we lose hope for a restoration of the Church Militant, let us remember that we are the Church Militant and that Christ is still charge of His Church. Our part is to live heroically our Baptismal promises to "reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises" and then to throw ourselves headlong into the work of evangelizing culture with militant confidence that Christ, the High Priest of exorcists, will save us from all the works of the devil and his minions."

-Excerpt from the conclusion of Father Thomas Euteneuer's The 1999 Revision of the Rite of Exorcism: The Devil is in the Details, Advent/Christmas 2006 issue of The Latin Mass. Father Euteneuer has a book forthcoming titled Exorcism and the Church Militant. You can watch a recent interview of Father at Gloria.tv.

Solemn High Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Virginia

2009-04-19T20:20:00.002-04:00

Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Gainesville, Virginia held its second Solemn High Mass on 19 April 2009 for Low Sunday. Father Thompson of the Arlington Diocese offered the Mass; Fathers Beres and Fritz served as deacon and subdeacon; and seminarians of the FSSP and the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest assisted.

Fr. Thompson makes his Confiteor.

The elevation of the Chalice containing the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Video and Photos from the Easter Vigil at St. Alphonsus Parish in Baltimore

2009-04-12T23:09:00.002-04:00

This following video and photos were taken at the Easter Vigil according to the 1962 Roman Missal at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Baltimore, Maryland USA on 11 April 2009.

Msgr. Bastress distributes Communion.

The incensation of the Paschal Candle during the Lauds of Easter.

The "tomb" of Our Lord erected in front of the altar of St. Joseph.

The sanctuary of St. Alphonsus is splendly decorated for the solemnity of solemnities.

The Traditional Feast Day of St. John Damscene, Doctor of the Church

2009-03-27T18:47:00.006-04:00

(The following is excerpted from the 27 March entry in Volume V of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation of 'The Liturgical Year' by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"The feast of today was added by Pope Leo XIII in 1892, and now [Saint] John Damascene, the quondam vizier, the protégé of Our Lady, the monk, whose excellent doctrine won for him the name of 'Golden stream,' commemorates in the Western cycle the heroic struggle [against iconoclasm] in which the East rendered such glorious services to the Church and to the world."

"The account given by the Liturgy of the life of this holy Doctor is so complete that we need add nothing further. But it will be well to give a short summary of the definitions by which in the eighth and sixteenth centuries the Church has avenged the holy Images from the attacks made on them by hell. The second Council of Nicaea declares that: 'It is lawful to place in churches, in frescoes, in pictures, on vestments and the sacred vessels, on the walls of houses and in public streets, images, whether painted or mosaic or of other suitable material, representing Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our most pure Lady, the holy Mother of God, the angels and the saints; and it is equally lawful to burn incense before them and surround them with lights' [Second Council of Nicaea, Session VII.]. 'Not that we must believe that these images have any divinity or virtue of their own,' says the Council of Trent against the Protestants, 'or that we must put our confidence in them as the pagans did in their idols. But the honour which given to the images is referred to Christ the prototype, to whom through them all our veneration is addressed, and to the saints whom we venerate in their portraits' [Council of Trent, Session XXV.]."

John, who received the name of Damascene from his native place, was of noble birth, and studied sacred and profane letters at Constantinople under the monk Cosmas [St. Cosmas of Maiuma]. When the emperor Leo the Isaurian made a wicked attack upon the cult [the veneration] of the holy Images, John, at the desire of Pope [Saint] Gregory III., earnestly defended the holiness of this cult both by words and writings. By this he enkindled so great a hatred in the heart of Leo that the Emperor accused him, by means of forged letters, of treachery to the Caliph of Damascus, whom he was serving as councilor and minister. John denied the charge, but the Caliph was deceived by it and ordered his right hand to be cut off. John implored most earnestly the help of the blessed Virgin, and she manifested the innocence of her servant by reuniting the hand and arm as though they had never been severed. This miracle moved John to carry out a design which he had long had in mind. He obtained, though not without difficulty, the Caliph's permission to leave him, distributed all his goods to the poor and freed all his slaves. He then made a pilgrimage to the holy places in Palestine, and at length withdrew with his teacher Cosmos to the monastery of St. Sabbas near Jerusalem, where he was ordained a priest."

"...[H]e never ceased earnestly to defend the Catholic doctrine as to the honouring of holy Images. Thus he drew upon himself the hatred and persecution of the Emperor Constantine Copronymus, as he had once done that of Leo the Isaurian, and this all the more because he freely rebuked the arrogance of these Emperors, who meddled with matters concerning the faith, and pronounced sentence on them according to their own judgment."

"It is a marvel how much John wrote both in prose and verse for the protection of the faith and the encouragement of devotion. He was worth of the high praise which given him by the second Council of Nicaea. He was surnamed Chrysorrhoas on account of the golden streams of his eloquence. It was not only against the enemies of the holy Images that he defended the orthodox faith, for he also stoutly opposed the Acephali, the Monothelites and the Theopaschites. He maintained the laws and the power of the Church. He asserted the primacy of the Prince of the Apostles in eloquent words, and often called him the pillar of the Churches, the unbroken rock and the teacher and ruler of the world. His writings are not only distinguished for doctrine and learning, but have a savour of simple piety, especially when he praised the Mother of God whom he honoured with a singular love and devotion. But the greatest praise of John is that he was the first to arrange in order a complete course of theology, thus preparing the way in which St. Thomas Aquinas has so clearly dealt with the whole body of sacred doctrine. This holy man, full of days and good works, fell asleep in the peace of Christ about the year 754. Pope Leo XII. declared him to be a Doctor of the Church, and ordered his office and mass to be said throughout the world."

O champion of the holy Images, obtain for us as the Church asks of thee, that we may imitate the virtues and experience the aid of those whom we see thus represented. The image directs our veneration and our prayers to those to whom they are due, to Christ the King and to the saints, who are the princes of His army and the most valiant of His soldiers, for is right that the King should share with His army the honours of His triumph. The image is the book of those who cannot read, and even the learned may gain more from an instant's gazing at an eloquent picture than from the prolonged study of many volumes. The world of the Christian artist is not only an act of religion but also an apostolate; thus it is easy to understand the opposition raised by hell....We unite ourselves with thee, O glorious saint, in thy warfare against the devil, and cry: 'Get thee behind us, Satan, with that envy which will not suffer us to look upon the image of Our Lord and thus be sanctified. Thou wilt not permit us to contemplate those sufferings which were the source of our salvation, to admire the gracious condescension of our God, to recognize and praise the power displayed in His miracles. Thou art envious of the saints and of the glory they have received from God, and wilt not have us contemplate this glory, lest the sight inspire us to imitate their courage and their faith. Thou canst not endure the thought that our confidence in them will profit us both in soul and body. We will not follow thee, O jealous demon, thou enemy of mankind' [St. John Damascene, On Holy Images, iii.3.]...."

"...Lead us from the feasts of our exile -- the Pasch of time -- through the Red Sea and the desert to the eternal feast where all images of earth will vanish before the realities of heaven, where all knowledge will pass into vision, where reigns in glory the queen who inspired thy song, Mary, the mother of us all."

St. Joseph, Our Confidence, by St. Alphonsus Liguori

2009-03-19T14:31:00.004-04:00

Statue of St. Joseph and the Christ Child, taken from Rorate Caeli

[The following is taken from "The Glories of St. Joseph," compiled by the Monks of St. Joseph's Abbey in Flavigny, France.]

"St. Bernardine of Siena used to say: 'There is not doubt about it; in Heaven, Jesus Christ not only continues to show St. Joseph every sign of the familiarity and respect which He showed him during His life on earth, as Son to father, but adds to them with fresh honors.' Notice these two words: familiarity and respect. The Lord, who on earth honored St. Joseph as a father, will certainly not refuse him anything he asks in Heaven."

"At this point we ought to add that St. Joseph had on earth no authority over the humanity of Jesus Christ as a natural father would have, though he did, in a certain sense, have authority over Him as husband of Mary, who had authority over Him as His natural Mother. Whoever has the right to a tree, also has the right to the fruit it bears. Consequently, on earth, Jesus Christ used to respect Joseph and obey him as His superior, and it follows that St. Joseph's prayers in Heaven are treated as orders by Jesus Christ. This is Gerson's thought: 'When a father prays to his son,' he says, 'his prayers truly are commands.'"

"Now let us listen to what St. Bernard has to say about St. Joseph's intercessory power on behalf of his supplicants: 'There are some saints who have the power of protecting in certain specific circumstances; but St. Joseph has been granted the power to help us in every kind of need, and to defend all who have recourse to him with pious dispositions.'"

"That was how St. Bernard put it; St. Teresa [of Avila] confirms his opinion from her own experience and tells us: 'It would seem that God has only granted the other saints power to help us in one kind of necessity; but experience shows that St. Joseph can help in every kind of need.'"

"There is no doubt about it; just as Jesus Christ wanted to be subject to Joseph on earth, so He does everything the saint asks of Him in Heaven. When Egypt was laid waste by the great famine, Pharaoh told his people, Ite ad Joseph! -- Go to Joseph! So if we are in trouble, let us listen to the word of the Lord and take Pharaoh's advice; let us go to Joseph if we wish to be consoled."

"It is quite certain that those who invoke him most frequently and with greater trust will receive more graces. So we should let no day pass without recommending ourselves several times to St. Joseph, who, after Our Lady, is among the saints the one who has the greatest influence with God. We should ask favors of him, for he will obtain them all for us, provided they benefit our souls. Above all, I most strongly urge you to ask him for three special graces: forgiveness for sins, love of Jesus Christ, and a happy death."

Go, then to Joseph, and do all that he shall say to you;
Go to Joseph, and obey him as Jesus and Mary obeyed him;
Go to Joseph, and speak to him as They spoke to him;
Go to Joseph, and consult him as They consulted him;
Go to Joseph, and honor him as They honored him;
Go to Joseph, and be grateful to him as They were grateful to him;
Go to Joseph, and love him, as They love him still.

Rosary Vigil at Georgetown University

2009-03-08T19:50:00.002-04:00

Sometime late in the week of 15 February 2009, a statue of Our Lady of Fatima at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, which was a gift of the class of 1950, was vandalized. Black paint was applied to its face during the overnight hours (see a picture of the vandalism here). As soon as the damage was discovered, the university took steps to immediately repair the damage.

Several Georgetown student groups (including the Georgetown Catholic Daughters, Georgetown Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Student Association of Georgetown ) responded to the sacrilegious vandalism by holding a 24-hour Rosary Vigil from the evening of 26 February to the evening of 27 February. At least five decades of the Rosary were prayed every hour for the 24 hours, with an hour dedicated to a different mystery of the Rosary. Other Marian prayers and devotions also took place, as well as silent time for meditation.

I traveled to Georgetown on the evening of the 26th. It was only the second time in my life that I had been on the campus. After parking my car nearby, I walked to the Copley Lawn, where the statue is located. A group of undergraduate women were praying in front of the statue when I got there. People had lit numerous candles in front of the statue. There was also a bouquet of roses that had been place at the foot of the pedestal of the statue. It was a sight to behold, between the exterior beauty of the candlelight shining on the statue and the interior beauty of the students praying.

I ended up spending over an hour there, leading a Rosary, and standing by as students and other people came and went. I also lead a Marian devotion known as the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which I had just learned. A young Jesuit priest from nearby Holy Trinity parish came by and prayed with us. His devotion to the Blessed Mother was quite apparent.

It was really good to see that the statue had been more or less cleaned up by the time of the vigil. According to the Georgetown University website, they held an official rededication of the statue on 4 March.

The student groups had set up a table nearby on the lawn, which had assorted snacks for those taking part in the vigil, as well as materials about Our Lady from the Knights of Columbus, as well as free Rosaries. They also had additional candles that people could bring over and light in front of the statue.

It was an honor to participate in the vigil, and in my personal opinion, the vigil was a sign that Georgetown's Catholic identity is far from dead.

St. Louis de Montfort on the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2009-02-26T19:05:00.003-05:00

[The following is excerpted from St. Louis de Montfort's "True Devotion to Mary," paragraphs 234 and 235.]

"They may [or should] recite every day of their lives - without, however, making a burden of it - the Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin, composed of three Our Fathers and twelve Hail Marys, in honour of Our Lady's twelve privileges and grandeurs. This is a very ancient practice and it has its foundation in Holy Scripture. St. John saw a woman crowned with twelve stars, clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet (Apoc. 12:1); and this woman, according to the interpreters, was the most Holy Virgin."

"There are many ways of saying this Crown well, but it would take too long to enter upon them. The Holy Ghost will teach them to those who are most faithful to this devotion. Nevertheless, to say it quite simply, we should begin by saying: [the Dignare Me] 'Grant that I may praise thee, holy Virgin; give me strength against thy enemies.' After that, we should say the Apostles' Creed, then one Our Father with four Hail Marys and then one Glory Be to the Father, and so on with the rest; and at the end we should say the Sub Tuum Praesidium ('We fly to they patronage...')."

St. Joseph as Head of the Holy Family

2009-02-18T23:11:00.003-05:00

Painting of the Holy Family from an exhibit of art in the Cusco School style in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC, August 2008
[The following is excerpted from the book "The Divine Favors Granted to St. Joseph," by Pere Binet, S.J., reprinted by TAN Books, pgs. 59-60, 86-87.]

"Let us consider...how, as father and spouse, this incomparable Saint [Joseph] has a right to be honoured by Jesus and Mary, since it is a precept, both natural and divine, that every son must honour his father, every wife her husband. Here Gerson expresses a sweet and loving thought; in the same way, he says, as Sara, according to the Holy Scriptures, called Abraham her lord, so also the Blessed Virgin, penetrated with respectful love for her spouse, gave him no other name than that of lord and master. And what is still more, Joseph was such in very deed, having absolute command and disposal of her, and of her Son. The very love which I bear to Our Lady, makes me long to have Joseph for my good master also, since he is hers; I desire to honour Joseph, because Mary honours him. Yes, I will praise and honour Joseph, because, according to a pious author, whoever praises and honours Joseph, praises and honours the Blessed Virgin also. For, as they are one in heart, in love, and in soul, the honours paid to the one are equally accepted by the other. Indeed, one feels inclined to believe the humility of Our Lady is so extreme, her love so disinterested and so pure, that it pleases her more to see her beloved spouse honoured, than to be honoured herself. I know, at least, that she once deigned to thank St. Teresa [of Avila] for the honour that her zeal had procured to St. Joseph throughout the world."

"But whilst Mary addresses her holy spouse by the name of lord, listen to the divine voice of the Infant Jesus calling him, "My father, My father.' And this not once, but a hundred times a day. It seems to me, that, were the Seraphim capable of jealousy, they would feel a holy envy of this blessed Patriarch; since it is their highest glory to be the servants of Jesus and of Mary, whose lord and father Joseph is...."

"Consider the matter in which he governed the Holy Family. Assuredly, there never was a man at the head of such an empire, since he had for his subjects the King of kings, and the Queen of heaven and earth. But how could he, who was so modest, command Jesus and Mary; he who esteemed himself unworthy to be under their feet, or to look them in the face? He commanded by requesting; he governed by beseeching, or rather, he himself did all, for I am convinced that he much preferred doing to commanding. But, on the other side, we may also suppose that Jesus and Mary, the Master and the Mistress of humility, use gentle violence to overcome the modesty of Joseph, and constrain him to submit to the order of God the Father, Who had established him as His representative upon earth. O empire, like to none other! All three are superiors, all three are inferiors, all three masters, all three subjects. No one wishes to command, each one perfectly fulfills what he has got to do, while the most entire subordination is observed, and the most admirable obedience is practised."

St. Francis de Sales on the Most Holy Name of Jesus

2009-01-29T23:23:00.003-05:00

Statue of St. Francis de Sales in the parish of the same name in New York City, taken from Catholic Churches of Manhattan
"O my Jesus! fill our hears with the sacred balm of thy Holy Name, that so the sweetness of its fragrance may penetrate our senses, and perfume our every action. But that our hearts may be capable of receiving this sweetness, they must be circumcised: take, therefore, from them whatever could displease thy divine sight. O glorious Name! named by the heavenly Father from all eternity, be thou for ever written on our souls; that as thou, Jesus, art our Saviour, so may our souls be eternally saved. And thou, O Holy Virgin! that was the first among mortals to pronounce this saving Name, teach us to pronounce it as it behoveth us, that so we may merit the Salvation which thou didst bring into this world!"

"My dear Daughter! [St. Jane Frances de Chantal] it was but right that my first letter of this year should be to Jesus and Mary: my second is to you, to wish you a Happy New Year, and exhort you to give your whole heart to God. May we so spend this year, that it may secure to us the years of eternity! My first word on waking this morning was Jesus! and I felt as though I would gladly pour out on the face of the whole earth the oil of this sweet Name."

"As long as balm is shut up in a well-sealed vase, no one knows its sweetness, save him who put it there: but as soon as the vase is opened, and a few drops are sprinkled around, all who are present say: 'What sweet Balm!' Thus it was, my dear Daughter, with our Jesus. He contained within himself the balm of salvation; but no one knew it until [H]is divine Flesh was laid open by the fortunate wound of that cruel knife [at His Circumcision, as St. Francis de Sales was writing around the time of this feast day]; and then people knew [H]im to be the Balm of the world's Salvation, and first Joseph and Mary, then the whole neighbourhood, began to cry out: Jesus! which means Saviour."

-St. Francis de Sales, in a letter to St. Jane Frances de Chantal, as quoted in Dom Prosper Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, in Volume III of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook. January 29 is the date of his feast day on the traditional sanctoral calendar.

St. John Neumann and the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception

2009-01-05T11:00:00.001-05:00

(The following is excerpted from the book "A Bishop, A Saint: The Life of Saint John Neumann," by Father James J, Galvin, CSsR, published by The Neumann Press.)

"...St. Peter's [Basilica] was intensely quiet....Now, except for the sputter of candle-flames high in the arches, the only sound was one human voice reading in the singsong Latin. While Pio Nono [Blessed Pius IX] read, the basilica listened with a rapt excitement, waiting to hear expressed what all Christendom in its heart believed: that the Mother of the Redeemer has, by unique exception, entered time unbesmirched by Original Fault."

"Not since Trent has so many mitres assembled under one roof. Under the great cupola, two hundred members of the hierarchy clustered about Pio Nono. And still they came!...There were more bishops present than had assembled as Ephesus for the Council in the year 431."

"The voice had now trailed off to almost a whisper. Even the little prelate, holding the open book before the Pontiff's gaze, could hardly catch the words. Was Pio Nono so overcome with joy, the book-bearer wondered, that he could read on to the end? But gathering new strength, the feeble voice now rang clear again, reaching the far ends of the great church, soaring up into the very dome."

'We declare, we pronounce, we define that the doctrine that blessed Mary was, in the first instant of her Conception preserved...from all stain of original guilt has been revealed by God and therefore, must be firmly and constantly believed by all the faithful....'

"There. It had been infallibly spoken!"

"...Through one of the round windows high in Michelangelo's dome, a long shaft of sunlight had found the precious mitre, the tear-wet face of the Pope, flooding the ornately lettered document held open by one whose task that morning any cardinal present would gladly have performed. For this, Pio Nono had chosen not the oldest of his bishops, nor even the youngest but --- and who could say why -- the smallest. The five-foot-two Bishop of America's largest see [at that time], [Saint] John Neumann of Philadelphia.

St. Bernard on the Most Holy Name of Jesus

2009-01-04T22:43:00.005-05:00

(The following is a sermon of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, as quoted in Dom Prosper Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for the Feast of the Holy Name, in Volume II of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"The Name of Jesus is Light, and Food, and Medicine. It is Light, when it is preached to us; it is Food, when we think upon it; it is the Medicine that soothes our pains when we invoke it. Let us say a word on each of these. Tell me, whence came there, into the whole world, so bright and sudden a light, if not from the preaching of the Name of Jesus? Was it not by the light of this Name that God called us unto [H]is admirable Light? Wherewith being enlightened, and in this light, seeing the Light, we take these words of Paul as truly addressed to ourselves; Heretofore, you were darkness; but now, light in the Lord."

"Nor is the Name of Jesus Light only; it is also Food. Art thou not strengthened, as often as thou thinkest of this Name? What is there that so feeds the mind of him that meditates upon this Name? What is there that so restores the wearied faculties, strengthens virtue, gives vigour to good and holy habits, and fosters chastity? Every food of the soul is dry, that is not steeped in this unction; it is insipid, if it be not seasoned with this salt. If thou write, I relish not thy writing, unless I read there the Name of Jesus. If thou teach me, or converse with me, I relish not thy words, unless I hear thee say the name of Jesus. JESUS is honey to the mouth, and music to the ear, and gladness to the heart."

"It is also Medicine. Is any one among you sad? Let but Jesus come into his heart, and the mouth echo him, saying Jesus! and lo! the light of that Name disperses every cloud, and brings sunshine back again. Have any of you committed sin? and is despair driving you into the snare of death? Invoke the Name of life, and life will come back to the soul. Was there ever a man, that, hearing this saving Name, could keep up that common fault of hardness of heart, or drowsiness of sluggishness, or rancour of soul, or languor of sloth? If any one, perchance, felt that the fountain of his tears was dry, did it not gush forth more plentifully than ever, and flow more sweetly than ever, as soon as he invoked the Name of Jesus? If any of us were ever in danger, and our heart beat with fear, did not this Name of power bring us confidence and courage the moment we pronounced it? When we were tossed to and fro by perplexing doubts, did not the evidence of what was right burst on us as we called upon the Name of light? When we were discouraged, and well nigh crushed, by adversity, did not our heart take courage, when our tongue uttered the Name of help? All this is most true; for all these miseries are the sicknesses and faintings of our soul, and the Name of Jesus is our Medicine."

"But, let us see how all this comes to pass. Call upon me in the day of trouble, says the Lord; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me [Psalm 49: 15]. There is nothing which so restrains the impulse of anger, calms the swelling of pride, heals the wound of envy, represses the insatiability of luxury, smothers the flame of lust, quenches the thirst of avarice, and dispels the fever of uncleanliness -- as the Name of Jesus. For when I pronounce this Name, I bring before my mind the Man, who, by excellence, is meek and humble of heart, benign, sober, chaste, merciful, and filled with everything this is good and holy, nay, who is the very God Almighty -- whose example heals me, and whose assistance strengthens me. I say all this, when I say Jesus. Here have I my model, for [H]e is Man; and my help, for [H]e is God; the one provides me with precious drugs, the other gives them efficacy; and from the two I make potion such as no physician knows how to make."

"Here is the electuary, my soul, hid in the casket of this Name, Jesus; believe me, it is wholesome, and good for every ailment thou canst possibly have. Ever have it with thee, in thy bosom and in thy hand; so that all thy affections and action may be directed to JESUS" [taken from his Fifteenth Sermon on the Canticle of Canticles].

Coventry Carol (In Honor of the Holy Innocents, the First Martyrs for Christ)

2008-12-29T23:49:00.004-05:00

"The Slaughter of the Holy Innocents," by Duccio di Buoninsegna, 14th century, taken from Even before they learn to speak, they proclaim Christ
The feast of the Holy Innocents, who died as martyrs for Christ at the hand of wicked King Herod's men [see Matthew 2: 16-18], fell on a Sunday this year, so they weren't commemorated during Mass this year. However, the memory of these blessed souls in Heaven came to mind as I listened to a favorite Christmas carol of mine, "Coventry Carol."

An entry on the BBC's website about the carol related the following:

The carol probably dates from the 15th Century, though the earliest known written version of the words dates from 1534 and was taken down by Robert Croo. The oldest written version of the tune we sing the carol to today was written in 1591....The song was originally written for the Pageant of the Guild of the Shearmen and Tailors for the Coventry Mystery Plays, and was sung by the mothers of the infants in the play to hush the babies' crying, in the hope they would not be heard by Herod's soldiers. Alas their efforts are in vain and the soldiers burst in and slay the babes.

Since "Coventry Carol" is about Herod's massacre of these infants, the BBC entry went on to describe it as "not...as cheerful as our other carols, but echoing from the doors of church, into the moonlit air of a Christmas Eve, it has a beauty and resonance that can send a shiver down your spine."

I couldn't better describe it myself. But do see for yourself why these words were written about this carol. Play the below YouTube video (an audio presentation, with the sheet music and words for the carol; the peformers are the Cambridge Singers, from their wonderful Christmas album, Christmas with the Cambridge Singers, which unfortunately, appears to be out of print):

Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child,
By, by, lully, lullay.
thy little tiny child,
by, by, lully, lullay.

O sisters too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we do sing
By, by, lully, lullay.

Herod, the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might, in his own sight,
All children young to slay.

That woe is me, poor child for thee!
And every mourn and sigh,
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
By, by, lully, lullay.

Immaculate Conception Solemn High Mass at Mount St. Mary's

2008-12-09T00:29:00.003-05:00

[Update, 12:35 pm, 9 December 2008: Per reader comments below, the subdeacon was Father John C. Fritz of the Diocese of Rockford, Illinois, who is a Mount St. Mary's alumnus. Also, I left out my reaction to the homily given by Fr. Fred Miller, a professor at the university. He gave one of the best homilies I've heard in quite some time. The general theme was on the longstanding opposition between "the woman and her seed" (the Blessed Virgin Mary and her children) and the serpent and his seed (the Devil and those who chose to cooperate with his evil works). If the audio of this homily is ever made available, I would love to have a copy of it. It was that good.]

Mount Saint Mary's University offered its first Solemn High Mass according to the "extraordinary" form of the Latin liturgy for the first time since the 1960s in its university chapel on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, 8 December 2008. I had the blessing to serve as an acolyte at this Mass. Musicians and servers from Washington, DC area came to assist at the Mass, which was well attended by seminarians and lay students alike. The first two pictures were taken by me, and those from during the Mass were taken by an acquaintance (special thanks to him).

Msgr. Charles Pope, the celebrant; Fr. Paul Scalia, who served as deacon; and the priest who served as subdeacon (whose name escapes me) rehearse before Mass at the chapel's main altar.

"Que soy era Immaculada Councepcion."

Taken during the Introit, I believe.

The subdeacon is incensed as Msgr. Pope recites the Lavabo.

Msgr. Pope distributes Communion to the acolytes.

A view of the entire nave and sanctuary from the back of the church. It really is a beautiful place.

The Immaculate Conception: The Bulwark Against Secularism

2008-12-08T10:13:00.002-05:00

The Immaculate Conception, by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, taken from Hermitage : The Masterpiece 2
[The following is excerpted from A First Milestone in the Rise of the Counter-Revolution, by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. As the American TFP explained before another article by this author, "he uses the words 'Revolution' and 'Counter-Revolution' as he defined them in his book Revolution and Counter-Revolution. In this sense, the Revolution is a centuries-old process, motivated by pride and sensuality, and therefore egalitarianism and liberalism, that dominates the modern world and seeks to destroy Christian civilization."]

"Pope Pius IX’s definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception had varied but profound repercussions from all over the civilized world."

"It caused great enthusiasm in the faithful at large. They delighted in seeing a Vicar of Jesus Christ proclaim this dogma using the fullness and majesty of his power. It was an admirably gallant and bold challenge to the triumphant skepticism already gnawing at the entrails of Western civilization."

"They delighted yet more by the fact that it was a Marian dogma. This attacked liberalism which by its very nature gave rise to yet another nineteenth century scourge – interconfessionalism. This scourge highlights everything religions have in common (usually a vague deism) and underrates, if not outright rejects, everything that separates them. Thus, the open or secret interconfessionalists of 1854 saw this proclamation of a new Marian dogma (like the definition of the Assumption much later) as a serious and unexpected barrier towards achieving their goals."

"The new dogma also deeply shocked the essentially egalitarian mentality of the French Revolution, which since 1789 had despotically held sway in the West. To see a mere creature elevated so far above all others, enjoying an inestimable privilege from the very first instance of her conception is something that could not and cannot fail to hurt the children of a Revolution which proclaimed absolute equality among men as the basis of all order, justice and goodness. It was painful for both non-Catholics and Catholics, more or less infected with this spirit, to accept the fact that God established in creation and highlighted such outstanding inequality."

"Finally, liberals dislike the nature of that privilege as such. Indeed, anyone who admits the existence of Original Sin, with all the spiritual disorders and miseries of the body that it entails, must accept that man needs an authority that he must obey. The definition of the Immaculate Conception was an implicit reaffirmation of Church teaching in this matter."

"However important all these points may be, there is yet another that we would dare call the very 'salt' of the dogma's glorious definition. It is impossible to think about the Immaculate Virgin Mary without recalling how she triumphantly and definitively crushed the serpent’s head under her heel. The Revolutionary mentality is the mentality of the devil himself. A person of faith cannot fail to recognize the role the devil has played in the rise and propagation of the errors of the Revolution, from the religious disasters of the sixteenth century to the political debacle of the eighteenth century and all that followed."
"For the devil to see such a triumphal affirmation of his longstanding and inflexible enemy was his most horrible humiliation. Hence, the proclamation must have given rise to an uproar of human voices and satanic howls like an immense and thunderous storm all over the world. For true Catholics, watching the intrepid and majestic figure of the Vicar of Christ standing alone against that tempest of unruly passions, threatening hatreds and furious despair, armed only with heavenly assistance, caused a jubilation like the one the Apostles felt during the storm on the Sea of Genesareth when the Savior commanded the winds and the sea to be calm: 'venti et mare oboediunt ei' (Mt. 8:27)...."

[Statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, at the very spot she appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, taken from Lourdes Gallery]
"At the time of Lourdes [in 1858], Catholic circles in Europe and the Americas had long suffered from a real religious leprosy, Jansenism. This heresy sought to weaken the Church by undermining devotion to the Holy Eucharist under the pretext of a false respect. Its proponents imposed so many conditions for a person to go to Communion that unfortunately a large number of people under its influence practically stopped receiving Our Lord. On the other hand, Jansenists carried out a relentless campaign against devotion to Our Lady, which they said deviated people from Jesus Christ rather than leading them to Him. Finally, the heresy promoted an incessant campaign against the Papacy and especially papal infallibility."

"The definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was the first of the great setbacks suffered by this internal enemy. Indeed, it gave rise to a huge wave of Marian piety, which has been increasingly growing."

"To prove that everything comes to us through Mary, Divine Providence willed that its first great triumph be Our Lady’s triumph...."

"One could ask: what effect did Lourdes, the dogma proclamations and these other victories have on the struggle of the Church against her external adversaries? It would seem that the enemy is stronger than ever and that we are drawing near the era envisaged by Enlightenment thinkers centuries ago. This would be a time of crude scientific naturalism dominated by materialist technology and a one-world government with a more or less philanthropic and humanitarian orientation sweeping the last vestiges of supernatural religion from earth. Who can deny that there is not a dangerous slide of Western society toward the realization of this 'ideal' today?"

"This slide is even closer than most people believe. However, no one seems to notice a development of primordial importance. While the world is being fashioned to fit this sinister design, it is also experiencing a profound, immense and indescribable uneasiness."

"This uneasiness is an unconscious and vague malaise that remains undefined even in those aware of it. However, few would contest the reality of this discontent. One would say all humanity is suffering from a kind of violence against its nature. In response, all its wholesome fibers twist and turn as they resist. There is a longing for something else, which people still cannot define. Perhaps for the first time since the decline of Christian civilization beginning in the fifteenth century, the whole world moans in darkness and pain like the prodigal son when he reached the last degree of shame and misery away from his father’s house. At the very moment when iniquity seems to triumph, that victory seems flawed and frustrated."

"Experience shows this kind of discontent often gives rise to the great surprises of history. As the twisting and turning increases, so does discontent. It is hard to tell what magnificent reactions can appear."

"The hour of Divine mercy for a sinner often comes amid extreme sin and sorrow..."

"From our perspective, we might conclude that this promising uneasiness could well be the fruit of a resurrection of Catholic souls worked through the great events mentioned above. This resurrection has the capacity to reinvigorate all the remnants of life and sanity in all cultural areas of the world...."

The Real and Only True Hope We Have

2008-11-05T10:59:00.003-05:00

[Thanks to Ed, my acquaintance on the Left Coast, for posting this on his Facebook, where I first saw it.]

Promote the Pro-Life Cause By Visiting JustOneJudge.com and Signing the Petition!

2008-11-02T14:26:00.006-05:00

I rarely depart from the subjects of Catholic liturgy, saints, and art, but at this point in Western civilization, serious Catholics must be bold and stand up for the sanctity of life from conception until natural death. Four such Catholics -- Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court, who converted to the pro-life cause and to the Catholic Church; pro-life activist and fellow Catholic convert Jason Jones; actor Eduardo Verastegui of Bella fame; and Miss America 2001 Angela Perez Baraquio; have acted in such a bold manner with their video presentations on the new website JustOneJudge.com. The aim of this website is to get Catholics to vote for pro-life candidates on Election Day [November 4] "who will support the nomination and confirmation of Supreme Court judges who value Life" (taken from their petition, which people can sign).

In his encyclical Evangelium Vitae, the late Pope John Paul II stated, "Faced with the progressive weakening in individual consciences and in society of the sense of the absolute and grave moral illicitness of the direct taking of all innocent human life, especially at its beginning and at its end, the Church's Magisterium has spoken out with increasing frequency in defence of the sacredness and inviolability of human life."

Devout Catholics must emulate our Popes and Bishops and speak out "with increasing frequency in defence of the sacredness and inviolability of human life." One such way we can do this is to sign the petition on JustOneJudge.com.

Later in the encylical, Pope John Paul II made three statements can be seen as infallible, according to the ordinary and universal Magisterium. The statement on the issue of abortion is below, along with some of the context from the encyclical:

61. The texts of Sacred Scripture never address the question of deliberate abortion and so do not directly and specifically condemn it. But they show such great respect for the human being in the mother's womb that they require as a logical consequence that God's commandment "You shall not kill" be extended to the unborn child as well.

Human life is sacred and inviolable at every moment of existence, including the initial phase which precedes birth. All human beings, from their mothers' womb, belong to God who searches them and knows them, who forms them and knits them together with his own hands, who gazes on them when they are tiny shapeless embryos and already sees in them the adults of tomorrow whose days are numbered and whose vocation is even now written in the "book of life" (cf. Ps 139: 1, 13-16)....Throughout Christianity's two thousand year history, this same doctrine has been constantly taught by the Fathers of the Church and by her Pastors and Doctors. Even scientific and philosophical discussions about the precise moment of the infusion of the spiritual soul have never given rise to any hesitation about the moral condemnation of abortion.

62. The more recent Papal Magisterium has vigorously reaffirmed this common doctrine. Pius XI in particular, in his Encyclical Casti Connubii, rejected the specious justifications of abortion. Pius XII excluded all direct abortion, i.e., every act tending directly to destroy human life in the womb "whether such destruction is intended as an end or only as a means to an end" [Address to the Biomedical Association "San Luca" (12 November 1944)]. John XXIII reaffirmed that human life is sacred because "from its very beginning it directly involves God's creative activity" [quote from his encylical Mater et Magistra]. The Second Vatican Council, as mentioned earlier, sternly condemned abortion: "From the moment of its conception life must be guarded with the greatest care, while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes" [Vatican II's Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 51.]....

Given such unanimity in the doctrinal and disciplinary tradition of the Church, Paul VI was able to declare that this tradition is unchanged and unchangeable [ in his encyclical Humanae Vitae, 14.]. Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, in communion with the Bishops-who on various occasions have condemned abortion and who in the aforementioned consultation, albeit dispersed throughout the world, have shown unanimous agreement concerning this doctrine-I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written Word of God, is transmitted by the Church's Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium.

No circumstance, no purpose, no law whatsoever can ever make licit an act which is intrinsically illicit, since it is contrary to the Law of God which is written in every human heart, knowable by reason itself, and proclaimed by the Church.

It cannot be more clear than that. We must work with all due effort to end the scourge of abortion and stand up for the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life. If the wrong candidate becomes president of the United States and a stronger pro-abortion majority is elected to the Congress, all the work that pro-lifers have performed to increase the protections on unborn human life could be rolled back.

Cor Jesu sacratissimum, miserere nobis!

Excerpts from Pope Pius XI's 'Quas Primas'

2008-10-26T21:41:00.005-04:00

[Image of Christ the King, taken from Pius XI: The Kingship of Christ]

[Taken from QUAS PRIMAS (On the Feast of Christ the King)]

In the first Encyclical Letter which We addressed at the beginning of Our Pontificate to the Bishops of the universal Church, We referred to the chief causes of the difficulties under which mankind was laboring. And We remember saying that these manifold evils in the world were due to the fact that the majority of men had thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives; that these had no place either in private affairs or in politics: and we said further, that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of our Savior, there would be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations. Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ; and that We promised to do as far as lay in Our power. In the Kingdom of Christ, that is, it seemed to Us that peace could not be more effectually restored nor fixed upon a firmer basis than through the restoration of the Empire of Our Lord. We were led in the meantime to indulge the hope of a brighter future at the sight of a more widespread and keener interest evinced in Christ and his Church, the one Source of Salvation, a sign that men who had formerly spurned the rule of our Redeemer and had exiled themselves from his kingdom were preparing, and even hastening, to return to the duty of obedience...."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

St. Teresa de Avila's Devotion to St. Joseph

2008-10-15T15:00:00.003-04:00

St. Teresa de Avila (courtesy of Treasures of Grace)

[The following quotes from St. Teresa de Avila about her devotion to St. Joseph are taken from her autobiography, and were quoted on St. Teresa of Avila's devotion to St. Joseph.]

"I took for my advocate and lord the glorious Saint Joseph and commended myself earnestly to him; and I found that this my father and lord delivered me both from this trouble [a temporary paralysis] and also from other and greater troubles concerning my honor and the loss of my soul, and that he gave me greater blessings than I could ask of him. I do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of him which he has failed to grant. I am astonished at the great favors which God has bestowed on me through this blessed saint, and at the perils from which He has freed me, both in body and in soul. To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succor us in some of our necessities but of this glorious saint my experience is that he succors us in them all and that the Lord wishes to teach us that as He was Himself subject to him on earth (for, being His guardian and being called His father, he could command Him) just so in Heaven He still does all that he asks. This has also been the experience of other persons whom I have advised to commend themselves to him; and even to-day there are many who have great devotion to him through having newly experienced this truth."

"I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to this glorious saint, for I have great experience of the blessings which he can obtain from God. I have never known anyone to be truly devoted to him and render him particular services who did not notably advance in virtue, for he gives very real help to souls who commend themselves to him. For some years now, I think, I have made some request of him every year on his festival and I have always had it granted. If my petition is in any way ill directed, he directs it aright for my greater good."

St. Joseph as 'Protector of the Church,' Assumption Basilica, Kevelaer, Germany, from St. Joseph in Art
"I only beg, for the love of God, that anyone who does not believe me will put what I say to the test, and he will see by experience what great advantages come from his commending himself to this glorious patriarch and having devotion to him. Those who practice prayer should have a special affection for him always. I do not know how anyone can think of the Queen of the Angels, during the time that she suffered so much with the Child Jesus, without giving thanks to Saint Joseph for the way he helped them. If anyone cannot find a master to teach him how to pray, let him take this glorious saint as his master and he will not go astray."

Commentaries on Psalm 129, for the Fourth Anniversary of Dignare Me

2008-10-14T11:00:00.014-04:00

[Dignare Me Laudare Te, Virgo Sacrata began four years ago on 4 October 2004. This post is therefore 10 days late, but I still want to mark this occasion by posting a commentary on Psalm 129, my favorite psalm, from the 1948 reprint of a 1914 edition of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, printed by E.J. Dwyer, from which I found a commentary on the Ave Maris Stella.]

Psalm 129
De profúndis clamávi ad te, Dómine: Dómine, exáudi vocem meam.
Fiant aures tuae intendéntes: in vocem deprecationes meae.
Si iniquitátes observaveris, Dómine: Dómine, quis sustinébit.
Quia apud te propitiátio est, et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Dómine.
Sustinuit ánima mea in verbo ejus: sperávit ánima mea in Dómino.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, specret Israel in Dómino.
Quia apud Dóminum misericordia: et copiósa apud eum redémptio.
Et ipse redimet Israel, ex ómnibus iniquitátibus ejus.

"Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my voice.
O let Thine ears consider well: the voice of my supplication.
If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord who shall abide it?
For with Thee there is merciful forgiveness: and because of Thy Law have I waited for Thee, O Lord.
My soul hath waited on His word: my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night: let Israel hope in the Lord.
For with the Lord there is mercy: and with Him there is plenteous redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel, from all his iniquities."

"Besides being the eleventh of the Gradual Psalms, this is also the best known of the Penitential Psalms."

"'This psalm is generally regarded as a prayer of the Israelite captives in Babylon, imploring of God deliverance from their bitter tribulations. It is par excellence the psalm for the dead, not that it contains more mournful or penitential ideas than some of the other psalms, but it describes more exactly the sad state of the suffering souls in whose behalf the Church recites it' (Fillon).'"

"The psalm is thus summarized by Cardinal Tomasi, the Theatine [died 1713]: 'That Christ may grant us forgiveness of our sins without marking our iniquities. The voice of Christ and of the Church. This psalm is to be read with the prophet Jonas. Wherefore this eleventh step denotes the voice of St. Peter weeping bitterly after his fall, hence it is that of repenting sinners."

"SUMMARY. -- The Psalmist calls upon God in great distress of mind (1, 2). He encourages himself in the belief in His mercy (3, 4). Determines to wait for it (5, 6). Desires all Israel to do the same (7, 8)."

1. De profundis (Out of the depths) of water or mire -- that is, of the deepest affliction. It is the cry of the Jews from the depths of their captivity, and seemingly without hope.
Domine (Lord), Adonai, Sovereign Owner.
clamavi (I have cried). "Note," says St. Gregory the Great, "it is not written 'I am calling,' but I have called, showing us thereby not to end our prayer until by perseverance it has been granted. God loves to be asked, to be constrained, to be overcome, as it were, by importunity, for the loving repetition of His name makes the affection and confidence of His client."

Remark the six conditions of this prayer:

(1) Humble, Out of the depths.
(2) Fervent, I have cried.
(3) Direct to God, Unto Thee.
(4) Reverent, O Lord.
(5) Awed, Lord repeated.
(6) One's very own, hear my prayer.

"If from the depths of our misery into which our sins have brought us, we cry for help through Mary's intercession, we are sure to be heard. Therefore in accordance with the wish of the Church, we place the words of the psalm in the mouth of Mary, and asker her to say it for us. As a Mother she is always ready to pray for her children" (Dr. Schäfer)."

2. Angriani, the Carmelite [the General of the Carmelites and author of a very complete and learned Commentary on the Psalms; died 1416.]: "God is said to bow down His ear, that is, His readiness and mercy, to us. But we, on the other hand, are to lift ours to Him."
"When Mary says: 'Let Thine ears consider well the voice of my supplication,' her Divine Son will remember the joy it was to Him to hear this sweet voice on earth; and therefore He will be unable to refuse to listen to it now in heaven. She reminds Him of His infinite mercy, which moved Him to die on the Cross" (Dr. Schäfer).

3. observaveris (mark) -- strictly watch, and keep in mind in order to punish.
sustinebit (abide), endure, or stand in judgment in Thy presence.
When the Lord opens the Book of Doom, wherein are set down all our sins, Who shall abide it? -- that is, endure the shame and guilt. Therefore we beseech Him not to act as a Judge, but as the King of Mercy, and to exert His blessed prerogatives on our behalf.

4. If punishment swiftly followed sin, we would be tempted to cast off all fear of God and to sin in despair. But because with Thee there is merciful forgiveness, the sinner resolves not to offend again.
apud te (with Thee) there is hope and forgiveness, not despair.
propter legem tuam (because of Thy Law). God's law is NOW mercy and love.
"The Psalmist says: I have waited patiently, bearing my chastisement because of Thy law, knowing that in Thee there is an exhuastless fountain of compassion and mercy. And what causes me to hope in Thee is, that Thou makest it a law to have pity on every sinner who in humility seeks Thy pardon" (St. Alphonsus [Liguori]).

5. Sustinuit (relied). "My soul awaits the mercy of God relying on His promise. Thus having hoped in the Lord, it will not be confounded" (St. Alphonsus).
in verbo ejus (in His Word). "God has promised mercy through the Incarnation and Sacrifice of the Word, His only-begotten Son; and the Psalmist declares that he is relying upon a promise which can never fail" (Taunton).

6. A custodia matutina (From the morning watch).
Imagine the tired watchman or sentinel, weary on his night vigil of the lofty tower, eagerly scanning the Eastern horizon to catch the first gleam of morning dawn.
Like this Eastern watchman, we have to wait and hope in the Lord through the long stretch of this earthly life and through the night-watches of death and purgatory, until that day (so long hoped for) dawn[s], and the Sun of Justice illuminates[s] us with the light of glory.
St. Hilary [of Poitiers]: "These words refer to the breaking of the light of faith upon the soul till the close of life, working through all the burden and heat of the day until we receive the reward we know is awaiting us."

7. St. Alphonsus thus translates this glorious verse: "Here the Psalmist points out the foundation of all our hopes -- the Blood of Jesus Christ, by which He was to redeem the human race. He says: Let Israel hope in the Lord, for His mercy is infinite; and He is well able to redeem us from all our evils."
Cassiodorus [Roman writer, statesman, and monk; spent several years on a Commentary on the Psalms; died 583]: "Here is the reason for Israel to hope in the Lord; because in His hand is mercy, which can make the sinner righteous, the weak strong, and give to the carnal the purity of the angels. There is also the plentiful redemption which is the Precious Blood stored up for us in the Church, and ready to do its healing work at every turn of our life. Daily and hourly, It is being offered in the Sacrifice of the Mass on our behalf to the Eternal Father; daily, It is washing away original sin and actual sin."

8. And HE. On this word the emphasis lies.
To a Hebrew no restoration to God's favour could be complete without deliverance also from temporal captivity.
Iniquities -- not from temporal captivity only, or from suffering, which our appointed lot here, but from the bondage of sin. Even the purgatorial fires begin already to redeem our time, ransoming us in our temporal captivity, ridding us of every hindrance that keeps us from The Presence.
Mary encourages us to wait patiently from the morning watch till night, trusting in the abundant Redemption and infinite mercy of her Son; and she assures us of a gracious pardon, for He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

St. John Fisher

[The following an excerpt is from another commentary on Psalm 129 written by St. John Fisher, "translated" into modern English by Anne Barbeau Gardiner in Exposition of the Seven Penitential Psalms, published by Ignatius Press.]

"It is therefore very necessary for every sinner to be diligent and take heed, calling to remembrance the perilous and private jeopardies he lies in, wisely and circumspectly looking on the dangers that can befall him, and that done, lifting up the eyes of his soul to our most merciful Lord God, saying de profundis clamavi ad te, Domine; Domine, exaudi vocem mean, blessed Lord, I a sinful creature call to you for help: I beseech you, hear my voice. It is profitable for good and righteous people also to repeat this verse often so they can avoid the great perils of this wretched world. For no creature living is so steadfast sure not to fall into these deep dangers of sin; for this reason, Saint Paul admonishes us all, saying, qui state videat, ne cadat, he who stands, or he who is in the right way of good living, let him take care not to fall or go out of it (1 Cor. 10: 12). For this reason, let every righteous person say, de profundis clamavi ad te, Domine; Domine, exaudi vocem mean, good Lord, I, being in trouble and in fear of my enemies -- the world, the flesh, and the devil -- cry to you for help; hear my voice, deliver me from their dangers. Thirdly, let us often repeat this verse for those who are in purgatory, for whom Christ's Church has especially ordained this psalm to be said. The souls who are in these great pains await, ever looking for the great mercy of God, for one drop of it to assuage their pains by the help of our prayers. Therefore, as heartily as we can, let us all say this for their comfort: de profundis clamavi ad te, Domine; Domine, exaudi vocem mean...."

"O great merciful deed of our Lord shown upon his creatures! O inestimable meekness! O mercy so great, which no tongue can express! No matter how ungentle, merciless, and wicked creatures are, he is still sorry to see them perish. If, after their great offenses, they will look upon almighty God again by true and hearty penance, he will gladly admit them to forgiveness, will mercifully take them to him, and make them partakers of the noble redemption which was performed with the treasure of the precious blood of [H]is Son Jesus Christ. Accordingly, our prophet says thus et ipse redimet Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus eius, [H]e shall make every penitent person partaker of [H]is redemption once done whenever the sinner will direct penitent eyes to [H]im. For then the sinner can well be called Israel, a man seeing God, whereas before, by sin, he had turned himself away from that most merciful Lord."

"Now let us conclude this sermon with a short summary of it. All you who have heard what we have spoken, I pray you, remember yourselves by how many degrees and how perilously every sinner descends, slips down suddenly, unless he takes heed, toward the deep pit of hell. Therefore, do penance in this life as soon as you can, and beseech almighty God to accept your penance. Trust indeed (if you do so) that neither your sins, nor the righteousness of God, nor the ordinance of his holy law can prevent your being assured ever to have forgiveness: first, by [H]is promise; secondly, by [H]is great power whereby [H]e can observe it; and lastly, because [H]e is so ready to forgive at every hour and every moment. Without doubt every sinner, no matter how wicked, by these great benefits of almighty God can trust indeed to have forgiveness if he does penance and holds himself up by the grace of God from falling into the deep dungeon of despair, which our Lord Jesus Christ grant us, Amen."

G.K. Chesterton's "Lepanto"

2008-10-07T12:00:00.001-04:00

[This post, dated 7 October 2008, was actually put up on 13 October 2008. It is a mirror of a post on BruceLewis.com. I would only add to this post that there are a lot of literary and historical references in the Chesterton's poem that aren't well known. See the notes here from a book on the poem by Dale Ahlquist of the American Chesterton Society for explanations of these references.]

WHITE founts falling in the Courts of the sun,

And the Soldan of Byzantium is smiling as they run;

There is laughter like the fountains in that face of all men feared,

It stirs the forest darkness, the darkness of his beard;

It curls the blood-red crescent, the crescent of his lips;         5

For the inmost sea of all the earth is shaken with his ships.

They have dared the white republics up the capes of Italy,

They have dashed the Adriatic round the Lion of the Sea,

And the Pope has cast his arms abroad for agony and loss,

And called the kings of Christendom for swords about the Cross.  10

The cold queen of England is looking in the glass;

The shadow of the Valois is yawning at the Mass;

From evening isles fantastical rings faint the Spanish gun,

And the Lord upon the Golden Horn is laughing in the sun.



Dim drums throbbing, in the hills half heard,  15

Where only on a nameless throne a crownless prince has stirred,

Where, risen from a doubtful seat and half attainted stall,

The last knight of Europe takes weapons from the wall,

The last and lingering troubadour to whom the bird has sung,

That once went singing southward when all the world was young.  20

In that enormous silence, tiny and unafraid,

Comes up along a winding road the noise of the Crusade.

Strong gongs groaning as the guns boom far,

Don John of Austria is going to the war,

Stiff flags straining in the night-blasts cold  25

In the gloom black-purple, in the glint old-gold,

Torchlight crimson on the copper kettle-drums,

Then the tuckets, then the trumpets, then the cannon, and he comes.

Don John laughing in the brave beard curled,

Spurning of his stirrups like the thrones of all the world,  30

Holding his head up for a flag of all the free.

Love-light of Spain—hurrah!

Death-light of Africa!

Don John of Austria

Is riding to the sea.  35



Mahound is in his paradise above the evening star,

(Don John of Austria is going to the war.)

He moves a mighty turban on the timeless houri's knees,

His turban that is woven of the sunsets and the seas.

He shakes the peacock gardens as he rises from his ease,  40

And he strides among the tree-tops and is taller than the trees;

And his voice through all the garden is a thunder sent to bring

Black Azrael and Ariel and Ammon on the wing.

Giants and the Genii,

Multiplex of wing and eye,  45

Whose strong obedience broke the sky

When Solomon was king.



They rush in red and purple from the red clouds of the morn,

From the temples where the yellow gods shut up their eyes in scorn;

They rise in green robes roaring from the green hells of the sea  50

Where fallen skies and evil hues and eyeless creatures be,

On them the sea-valves cluster and the grey sea-forests curl,

Splashed with a splendid sickness, the sickness of the pearl;

They swell in sapphire smoke out of the blue cracks of the ground,—

They gather and they wonder and give worship to Mahound.  55

And he saith, "Break up the mountains where the hermit-folk can hide,

And sift the red and silver sands lest bone of saint abide,

And chase the Giaours flying night and day, not giving rest,

For that which was our trouble comes again out of the west.

We have set the seal of Solomon on all things under sun,  60

Of knowledge and of sorrow and endurance of things done.

But a noise is in the mountains, in the mountains, and I know

The voice that shook our palaces—four hundred years ago:

It is he that saith not 'Kismet'; it is he that knows not Fate;

It is Richard, it is Raymond, it is Godfrey at the gate!  65

It is he whose loss is laughter when he counts the wager worth,

Put down your feet upon him, that our peace be on the earth."

For he heard drums groaning and he heard guns jar,

(Don John of Austria is going to the war.)

Sudden and still—hurrah!  70

Bolt from Iberia!

Don John of Austria

Is gone by Alcalar.



St. Michaels on his Mountain in the sea-roads of the north

(Don John of Austria is girt and going forth.)  75

Where the grey seas glitter and the sharp tides shift

And the sea-folk labour and the red sails lift.

He shakes his lance of iron and he claps his wings of stone;

The noise is gone through Normandy; the noise is gone alone;

The North is full of tangled things and texts and aching eyes,  80

And dead is all the innocence of anger and surprise,

And Christian killeth Christian in a narrow dusty room,

And Christian dreadeth Christ that hath a newer face of doom,

And Christian hateth Mary that God kissed in Galilee,—

But Don John of Austria is riding to the sea.  85

Don John calling through the blast and the eclipse

Crying with the trumpet, with the trumpet of his lips,

Trumpet that sayeth ha!

    Domino gloria!

Don John of Austria  90

Is shouting to the ships.



King Philip's in his closet with the Fleece about his neck

(Don John of Austria is armed upon the deck.)

The walls are hung with velvet that is black and soft as sin,

And little dwarfs creep out of it and little dwarfs creep in.  95

He holds a crystal phial that has colours like the moon,

He touches, and it tingles, and he trembles very soon,

And his face is as a fungus of a leprous white and grey

Like plants in the high houses that are shuttered from the day,

And death is in the phial and the end of noble work, 100

But Don John of Austria has fired upon the Turk.

Don John's hunting, and his hounds have bayed—

Booms away past Italy the rumour of his raid.

Gun upon gun, ha! ha!

Gun upon gun, hurrah! 105

Don John of Austria

Has loosed the cannonade.



The Pope was in his chapel before day or battle broke,

(Don John of Austria is hidden in the smoke.)

The hidden room in man's house where God sits all the year, 110

The secret window whence the world looks small and very dear.

He sees as in a mirror on the monstrous twilight sea

The crescent of his cruel ships whose name is mystery;

They fling great shadows foe-wards, making Cross and Castle dark,

They veil the plumèd lions on the galleys of St. Mark; 115

And above the ships are palaces of brown, black-bearded chiefs,

And below the ships are prisons, where with multitudinous griefs,

Christian captives sick and sunless, all a labouring race repines

Like a race in sunken cities, like a nation in the mines.

They are lost like slaves that sweat, and in the skies of morning hung 120

The stair-ways of the tallest gods when tyranny was young.

They are countless, voiceless, hopeless as those fallen or fleeing on

Before the high Kings' horses in the granite of Babylon.

And many a one grows witless in his quiet room in hell

Where a yellow face looks inward through the lattice of his cell, 125

And he finds his God forgotten, and he seeks no more a sign—

(But Don John of Austria has burst the battle-line!)

Don John pounding from the slaughter-painted poop,

Purpling all the ocean like a bloody pirate's sloop,

Scarlet running over on the silvers and the golds, 130

Breaking of the hatches up and bursting of the holds,

Thronging of the thousands up that labour under sea

White for bliss and blind for sun and stunned for liberty.



Vivat Hispania!

Domino Gloria! 135

Don John of Austria

Has set his people free!



Cervantes on his galley sets the sword back in the sheath

(Don John of Austria rides homeward with a wreath.)

And he sees across a weary land a straggling road in Spain, 140

Up which a lean and foolish knight for ever rides in vain,

And he smiles, but not as Sultans smile, and settles back the blade....

(But Don John of Austria rides home from the Crusade.)

—G.K. Chesterton

St. Bruno, Founder of the Carthusian Order

2008-10-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

(The following is the legend of the breviary for St. Bruno, as quoted in Dom Prosper Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for October 6, in Volume XIV of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"Bruno, the founder of the Carthusian Order, was born at Cologne [Germany], and from his very cradle gave great promise of future sanctity. Favoured by divine grace, the gravity of his character made him shun all childishness; so that, even at that age, one might have foreseen in him the future father of monks and restorer of the anachoretical life [life of a hermit]. His parents, who were distinguished for virtue and nobility, sent him to Paris, where he made great progress in philosophy and theology, and took the degrees of doctor and master in both faculties. Soon after this, he was, for his remarkable virtue, appointed to a canonry in the church of Rheims [France]."

"After some years, Bruno, with six of his friends, renounced the world, and betook himself to [St.] Hugh [of Châteauneuf], bishop of Grenoble [France]. On learning the cause of their coming, the bishop understood that they had been signified by the seven stars he had seen falling at his feet in his dream of the previous night. He therefore made over to them some wild mountains called the Chartreuse, belonging to his diocese, and himself conducted them thither. After having there led an eremitical life for several years, Bruno was summoned to Rome by [Pope] Urban II who had been his disciple. In the great trials through which the Church was then passing, the Pontiff gladly availed himself of the saint's prudence and knowledge for some years, until Bruno, refusing the archbishopric of Reggio [Italy, probably the town on the tip opposite of Sicily], obtained leave to retire."

"Attracted by the love of solitude he went to a desert place near Squillace in Calabria. Count Roger of Calabria was one day hunting, when his dogs began to bark round the saint's cave. The Count entered and found Bruno at his prayers, and was so struck by his holiness, that thenceforward he greatly honoured him and his companions and supplied their wants. His generosity met with its reward. A little later, when this same Count Roger was besieging Capua, and Sergius, an officer of his guard, had determined to betray him, Bruno, who was still living in the desert [place], appeared to the Count in sleep, revealed the whole treason to him, and thus saved him from imminent peril. At length, full of virtues and merits, and as renowned for holiness as for learning, Bruno fell asleep in our Lord [on 6 October 1101], and was buried in the monastery of St. Stephen built by Count Roger, where he is greatly honour to this day."

[St. Bruno's community of Carthusians in the Chartreuse Mountains is still there, after 900+ years. German filmmaker Philip Gröning made a documentary, released in 2005, called "Into Great Silence," which I highly recommend. Below is the official U.S. trailer for the movie.]

Holy Michael the Archangel

2008-09-29T16:21:00.003-04:00

Holy Michael the Archangel statue in Kiev, courtesy of The Roving Medievalist blog
(The following is excerpted from Dom Prosper Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for May 8, The Apparition of Saint Michael, in Volume VIII of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"The very name of Michael urges us to honour this glorious spirit; it is a cry of enthusiasm and fidelity, for it signifies: 'Who is like unto God?' Satan trembles at hearing this name, for it reminds him of the noble protest wherewith the bright Archangel answered the call of the rebel angels. Michael proved his strength and prowess when he fought the great battle in heaven. On that account, he was made the guardian and protector of God's people; first of the Jews, and afterwards of the Christan Church, for the Synagogue has forfeited all her honours. Michael now watches over Jesus' Spouse, our mother; he supports her in her trials and she wins no triumph in which he has not had some part."

"But we are not to supposed that the holy Archangel is so engaged in attending to the general interests of Christ's kingdom on earth that he cannot listen to the prayers of each individual member of the Church. God has given him a compassionate love for men; and there is not a single soul that escapes his notice. He wields the sword in defence of the Spouse of Christ; he wars with the dragon, who is ever lying in wait for the Woman and her child [Apoc. xii 13]; but, at the same time, he is attentive to each one of us; for after having confessed our sins to Almighty God, and to the Blessed Mary ever a Virgin, we acknowledge them likewise to Blessed Michael the Archangel and beseech him to pray for us to the Lord our God [the Confiteor]."

"He assists at every death-bed, for his special office is to receive the souls of the elect on their quitting the flesh. With loving solicitude and princely bearing, he presents them to the Light Eternal and introduces them into the House of God's glory. It is Holy Church herself that tells us, in the words of her Liturgy, of these prerogatives of the great Archangel. She teaches us that he has been set over Paradise, and that God has given him the charge of leading to heaven the souls of them that are to be received there. On the last day, when our Risen Jesus is to appear on the clouds of heaven to judge mankind, all of whom will then have resumed their bodies in the general resurrection, Michael with the rest of the angels will have to fulfil a ministry of awful import -- that of separating the good from the bad. Our Catholic forefathers, in the Middle Ages, were fond of representing the holy Archangel engaged in this dread function, standing at the foot of Jesus' judgement-seat, and holding a scale, in which he is weighing the souls of men and their works...."

"Guardian angel of Holy Church! now is the time for thee to exert all the might of thine arm. Satan is furious in his efforts against the noble Spouse of thy Master; brandish thy bright sword, and give battle to this implacable enemy. The kingdom of Christ is shaken to its very foundations. Is it that the reign of the Man of Sin is about to be proclaimed on the earth? Are we near that last day when, this guilty world is to be destroyed by fire, and thou art to exercise, in the name of the Sovereign Judge, the terrible office of separating the goats from the sheep? If this earth is still to exist; if the mission of the Church is not yet completed; is it not time for thee, O Michael! to show the dragon of hell that he may not, with impunity, insult on this earth the God who created it, who redeemed it, and whose name is King of kings and Lord of lords? The forces of error and crime and unceasingly dragging the world to the brink of the precipice; save it, O glorious Archangel, by confounding the dark plots which are laid for its destruction!"

Hymn From The Traditional Lauds of the Feasts of St. Michael
[Quoted in the above entry from Dom Guéranger]
"O Christ! the glory of the angels, the Creator and Redeemer of mankind! grant that we may ascend to the happy thrones of the heavenly citizens."

"May Michael, the angel of peace, come from heaven into this our temple, bring us sweet peace, and drive dismal war back again to hell."

"May Gabriel, the angel of strength, come and rout our ancient foe; may he often visit the heaven-loved temples which the triumphant Jesus has places throughout the world."

"May Raphael, our heavenly physician, descend and visit us, that he may heal all that are infirm and direct our faltering steps in the path of life."

"May the Virgin Queen of peace, the Mother of light; may the holy choir of angels; may the bright court of heaven ever assist and protect us."

"May the Godhead ever blessed of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, whose glory is proclaimed through the whole world, grant us this prayer. Amen."

The Beauty of the Solemn High Mass, as Portrayed by Hollywood

2008-09-25T22:43:00.005-04:00

Just under 4 years ago, I started this blog after meeting several devout Christendom College students after a Sunday Traditional Latin Mass at St. Mary, Mother of God Catholic Church in Washington, DC. The previous month, I had traveled to England and visited several Catholic sites, including the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, and had seen Catholic art in the National Gallery in London. I was inspired, by the events of that time and by those students, to blog about Catholic subjects, especially Catholic art, feast days, and devotions; and also, write about Traditional Latin Masses in the Washington, DC metro area which I had attended and taken pictures.

With this post, I continue in this vein, but instead of focusing on the beauty of still visual arts, the feature is a video clip of the opening scene of a movie titled True Confessions, which was released in 1981. This scene is set in the 1940s, and features a Solemn High Nuptial Mass.

As far as I can tell, it is a faithful reproduction of the Solemn liturgy. It does cut frequently to different parts of the Mass, and the offering priest, portrayed by actor Robert De Niro, for one reason or another, doesn't chant the Ite Missa Est at the end. But that is a very small matter.

Witness the beauty of this production:

A priest friend of mine, who is a regular celebrant of the Traditional Latin Mass, told me about this scene before a pro-life rally. He sent me the following description before giving me the link to the video:

Many years ago, back in college (1981), I took a girl-friend to see a movie called 'True Confessions.'

It was about an ambitious priest who discovered what it really meant to be a priest.

Anyway, the opening scene was of a [S]olemn [H]igh [N]uptial [M]ass. I was just a college kid and had never seen what the old [M]ass looked like. I remember being amazed at the beauty of the Mass as displayed in the movie and wondered how and why the Church had ever discarded something so beautiful. I remember being angry that I had been deprived of my birthright. Somehow, also, that night the seeds of my own vocation were nurtured and I longed to see the day when this beautiful form of the [M]ass would one day shine forth again. Here is an excerpt from that movie, the [S]olemn [H]igh [N]uptial [M]ass scene I saw. Enjoy this beautiful clip:

I can definitely identify with this kind parish priest's train of thought: "I had been deprived of my birthright." I had such a sentiment after I discovered the Traditional Mass during the summer of 2003. But praise be to the most high God in Heaven that he has given the gift of the Traditional Latin Mass, the highest prayer we can offer to Him, back to us, through His Divine Providence and kindness. May more and more people come to see the true beauty of this liturgy.

Deo gratias!

The Feast of Our Lady of Ransom

2008-09-24T23:40:00.004-04:00

(The feast of Our Lady of Ransom on the traditional sanctoral calendar, which is commemorated on 24 September, is the date on which the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham is also celebrated, particularly in the English-speaking world. According to an article by Raven Wenner, a parishioner of Our Lady of Walsingham Anglican-Use Catholic parish in Houston, Texas (and posted on the Pro Ecclesia, Pro Familia, Pro Civitate blog): "[The feast of] Our Lady of Walsingham was formerly celebrated on March 25th, "Lady Day" (Feast of the Annunciation), but for ecumenical considerations was moved to September 24th. (September 24 in England had been the feast of Our Lady of Ransom, who was entreated for the re-conversion of England, 'Our Lady's Dowry.')." The Guild of Our Lady of Ransom, founded in 1887, helped restore the Slipper Chapel shrine in Walsingham.

The following is excerpted from Dom Prosper Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for Our Lady of Ransom, in Volume XIV of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"Finding their power crushed in Spain, and in the east checked by the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem, the Saracens [Mohammadans], in the twelfth century, became wholesale pirates, and scoured the seas to obtain slaves for the African markets. We shudder to think of the numberless victims, of every age, sex, and condition, suddenly carried off from the coasts of Christian lands, or captured on the high seas, and condemned to the disgrace of the harem or the miseries of the bagnio. Here, nevertheless, in many an obscure prison, were enacted scenes of heroism worthy to compare with those witnessed in the early persecutions; here was a new field for Christian charity; new horizons opened out for heroic self-devotion. Is not the spiritual good thence arising a sufficient reason for the permission of temporal aids? Without this permission, heaven would have for ever lacked a portion of its beauty."

"When, in 1696, [Pope] Innocent XII extended this feast to the whole Church, he afforded the world an opportunity of expressing its gratitude by a testimony as universal as the benefit received."

"Differing from the Order of the [H]oly Trinity [Trinitarians], which had been already twenty years in existence, the Order of Mercy [Mercedarians] was founded as it were in the very face of the Moors; and hence it originally numbered more knights than clerks among its members. It was called the royal, military, and religious Order of [O]ur Lady of Mercy for the ransom of captives. The clerics were charged with the celebration of the Divine Office in the commandaries; the knights guarded the coasts, and undertook the perilous enterprise of ransoming Christian captives. St. Peter Nolasco was the first Commander or Grand Master of the Order; when his relics were discovered, he was found armed with sword and cuirass...."

[A reading from the Office for the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom then follows.]

"At the time when the Saracen yoke oppressed the larger and more fertile part of Spain, and great numbers of the faithful were detained in cruel servitude, at the great risk of denying the Christian faith and losing their eternal salvation, the most blessed Queen of heaven graciously came to remedy all these great evils, and showed her exceeding charity in redeeming her children. She appeared with beaming countenance to [St.] Peter Nolasco, a man conspicuous for wealth and piety, who in his holy meditations was ever striving to devise some means of helping the innumerable Christians living in misery as captives of the Moors. She told him it would be very pleasing to her and her only-begotten Son, if a religious Order were instituted in her honour, whose members should devote themselves to delivering captives from Turkish tyranny. Animated by this heavenly vision, the man of God was inflamed with burning love, having but one desire at heart, viz: that both he and the Order he was to found, might be devoted to the exercise of that highest charity, the laying down of life for one's friends and neighbours."

"The same night, the most holy Virgin appeared also to blessed Raymond of Pegnafort, and to James king of Aragon, telling them of her wish to have the Order instituted, and exhorting them to lend their aid to so great an undertaking. Meanwhile Peter hastened to relate the whole matter to Raymund, who was his confessor; and finding it had been already revealed to him from heaven, submitted humbly to his direction. King James next arrived, fully resolved to carry out the instructions he also had received from the blessed Virgin. Having therefore taken counsel together and being all of one mind, they set about instituting an Order in honour of the Virgin Mother, under the invocation of [O]ur Lady of Mercy for the ransom of captives."

"On the tenth of August, in the year of [O]ur Lord one thousand two hundred and eighteen, king James out into execution what the two holy men had planned. The members of the Order bound themselves by a fourth vow to remain, when necessary, as securities in the power of the pagans, in order to deliver Christians. The king granted them license to bear his royal arms upon their breast, and obtained from [Pope] Gregory IX the confirmation of this religious institute distinguished by such eminent brotherly charity. God [H]imself gave increase to the work, through [H]is Virgin Mother; so that the Order spread rapidly and prosperously over the whole world. It soon reckoned many holy men remarkable for their charity and piety who collected alms from Christ's faithful, to be spent in redeeming their brethren; and sometimes gave themselves up as ransom for many others. In order that due thanks might be rendered to God and [H]is Virgin Mother for the benefit of such an institution, the apostolic See allowed this special feast and Office to be celebrated, and also granted innumerable other privileges to the Order."

Blessed be thou, O Mary, the honour and the joy of thy people! On the day of thy glorious Assumption, thou didst take possession of thy queenly dignity for our sake; and the annals of the human race are a record of thy merciful interventions. The captives whose chains thou hast broken, and whom thou hast set free from the degrading yoke of the Saracens, may be reckoned by millions. We are still rejoicing in the recollection of thy dear birthday; and thy smile is sufficient to dry our tears and chase away the clouds of grief. And yet, what sorrows there still upon the earth, where thou thyself didst drink such long draughts from the cup of suffering! Sorrows are sanctifying and beneficial to some; but there are other and unprofitable griefs, springing from social injustice: the drudgery of the factory, or the tyranny of the strong over the weak, may be worse than slavery in Algiers or Tunis. Thou alone, O Mary, canst break the inextricable chains, in which the cunning prince of darkness entangles the dupes he has deceived by the high-sounding names of equality and liberty. Show thyself a Queen, by coming to the rescue. The whole earth, the entire human race, cries out to thee, in the words of Mardochai: 'Speak to the king for us, and deliver us from death!' [Esther xv. 3.]."

[For more on Our Lady of Ransom, visit CatholicCulture.org's page: Our Lady of Ransom.]

Our Lady of Ransom, pray for us!

Solemn High Mass at Holy Comforter/St. Cyprian's in DC

2008-09-16T23:45:00.003-04:00

On 16 September 2008, in comemmoration of the feast day of their patron St. Cyprian, Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Catholic Church in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, DC offered a Solemn High Traditional Latin Mass. Msgr. Charles Pope, pastor of St. Cyprian's, offered the Mass. The parish choir assisted by singing some motets, along with a Gregorian chant schola from St. Mary, Mother of God parish, also in DC, where the Traditional Latin Mass is offered every Sunday and holy day. Another musical ensemble sang polyphany. It was the first Solemn High Traditional Latin Mass at the parish since the 1960s.

Msgr. Pope giving the homily.

St. Cyprian's parishoners are predominantly black, though for this Mass, there were people from many different races present. The statue of the Infant of Prague is near the center of the photograph.

Taken right before or during the Preface of the Mass.

The elevation of the Sacred Host.

The distribution of Communion -- there were nuns in attendance from the Institute of the Incarnate Word, some of whom are visible in this shot.

The sanctuary of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian's.

The columnade and the ceiling over the nave of the church.

Brass plaque the prayer in Latin said by priests as they wash their hands before Mass. It translates as, "Give strength to my hands, Lord, to wipe away all stain, so that I may be able to serve Thee in purity of mind and body."

St. Gabriel Possenti's Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows

2008-09-15T23:14:00.003-04:00

[The following is excerpted from pgs. 24-26 of TAN Books and Publishers "Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother," originally published in 1958 under the title "Devotion to the Mother of Sorrows."]

"The life of St. Gabriel Possenti, who died February 27, 1862 at the age of twenty-four, manifests how quickly the Sorrowful Mother guides her clients to sanctity. The early life of the Saint gave no presage of his future holiness. In fact, for some time he resisted the grace of a religious vocation. However, having been called in a special manner by Our Lady to enter the Passionist Order, the hitherto rather worldly and pleasure-loving youth was changed to the humble, mortified Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows."

"It has been asserted that one of the chief sources of his sanctity was his tender, fervent devotion to the Sorrowful Mother. A particular love for her prompted him to choose this title for his name in religion. His devotion was concentrated on the Dolorous Mother. His meditations were made in her pierced heart; his constant desire was to meet her approval. Devotion to her clothed all his virtues and led him in a short time to the height of religious perfection. He spoke of her sorrows very often. She was his predominant thought, his heart, his all. 'My heaven is the dolorous Heart of my dear Mother!' he would often say."

Statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, Most Likely In/From the Philippines
"St. Gabriel sought every means to promote this devotion among his companions. 'When we have a few minutes left over from our office,' he would say to them, 'we can use them to no better advantage than in compassionating our dear Mother.' If he had a little free time during the day, he always employed it in this exercise. 'Let us not forget her anguish, and at the hour of death, she will console and assist us,' he would say. Nor was his hope confounded. During his last illness, which he bore with heroic patience, he manifested most touching marks of affection for his sorrowing Mother. Often he would press her picture to his parched and burning lips. His dying act was to place an image of the Sorrowful Virgin upon his heart; then raising his eyes to Heaven, he cried with indescribable confidence and love: 'O my Mother, make haste!'"

"'He became a saint in so short a time and has had such a beautiful death!' exclaimed a brother religious at the edifying death of this angelic youth. Truly, Mary Sorrowful was his guide; she led him quickly up the mount of perfection and, at his peaceful death, enclosed him securely in the sanctuary of her wounded heart."

"Contary to custom, this youthful Saint was beatified less than fifty years after his death. His canonization took place on May 13, 1920."

St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!

Mater Dolorosa, ora pro nobis!

The Holy Name of Mary (Dom Guéranger)

2008-09-12T23:47:00.004-04:00

(The following is excerpted from Dom Prosper Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for the Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in Volume XIV of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"'And the Virgin's name was Mary [St. Luke i. 27.]. Let us speak a little about this name, which signifies star of the sea, and which so well befits the Virgin Mother. Rightly is she likened to a star: for as a star emits its ray without being dimmed so the Virgin brought forth her Son without receiving any injury; the ray takes nought from the brightness of the star, nor the Son from His Mother's integrity. This is the noble star risen out of Jacob, whose ray illumines the world world, whose splendour shines in the heavens, penetrates the abyss, and, traversing the whole earth, gives warmth rather to souls than to bodies, cherishing virtues, withering vices. Mary, I say, is that bright and incomparable star, whom we need to see raised above this vast sea, shining by her merits, and giving us light by her example."

"Oh! whosoever thou art that seest thyself, amid the tides of this world, tossed about storms and tempests rather than walking on the land, turn not thine eyes away from the shining of this star if thou wouldst not be overwhelmed by the hurricane. If squalls of temptations arise, or thou fall upon the rocks of tribulation, look to the star, call upon Mary. If thou art tossed by the waves of pride or ambition, detraction or envy, look to the star, call upon Mary. If anger or avarice or the desires of the flesh dash against the ship of thy soul, turn thine eyes towards Mary. If, trouble by the enormity of thy crimes, ashamed of thy guilty conscience, terrified by dread of the judgment, thou beginnest to sink into sink into the gulf of sadness or the abyss of despair, think of Mary. In dangers, in anguish, in doubt, think of Mary, call upon Mary. Let her be ever on thy lips, ever in thy heart; and the better to obtain the help of her prayers, imitate the example of her life. Following her, thou strayest not; invoking her, thou despairest not; thinking of her, thou wanderest not; upheld by her, thou fallest not; shielded by her, thou fearest not; guided by her, thou growest not weary; favoured by her, thou reachest the goal. And thus dost thou experience in thyself how good is that saying: And the Virgin's name was Mary' [from a homily of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, cites in the Lesson of the 2nd nocturn of the Office of the feast].

"Thus speaks the devout St. Bernard, in the name of the Church. But his pious explanation does not exhaust the meanings of this blessed name of Mary. St. Peter Chrysologus adds in this same night Office: 'Mary in Hebrew signifies lady or sovereign; and truly the authority of her Son, who is the Lord of the world, constituted her Queen, both in fact and in name, from her very birth' [from a sermon of his on the Annunciation]."

"OUR LADY: such is the title which befits her in every way, as that of OUR LORD beseems her Son; it is the doctrinal basis of that worship [meaning veneration, not adoration] of hyperdulia which belongs to her alone. She is below her Son, whom she adores as we do; but above all God's servants, both angels and men, inasmuch as she is His Mother; At the name of Jesus every knee is bent; at the name of Mary every head is bowed. And although the former is the only name whereby we may be saved; yet, as the Son can never be separated from His Mother, heaven unites their two names in its hymns of praise, earth in its confidence, hell in its fear and hatred."

"It was therefore in the order of divine Providence that devotion to the most holy name of Mary should spread simultaneously with the cultus of the adorable names of Jesus, of which St. Bernadin[e] of Siena was the apostle in the fifteenth century. In 1513 the Church of Cuenca in Spain was the first to celebrate, with the approbation of the holy See, a special feast in honour of the name of Mary, while the Franciscan Order had not yet succeeded in obtaining a like privilege for the adorable name of Jesus. The reason of this is that the memory of that sacred name included in the feast of the Circumcision, seemed to the prudence of the Pontiffs to suffice. From the same motive we find the feast of the most holy name of Mary extended to universal Church in the year 1683, and that of the most holy name of Jesus not yet until 1721."

"Our Lady justifies her beautiful title by partaking in the warlike exploits of the King of kings her Son. The city of Vienna having been delivered by her, contrary to all hope, from the power of the Crescent, the venerable Innocent XI made this feast the memorial of universal gratitude to the liberatrix of the west...."

Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland, displayed in the Monastery of Jasna Gora in Poland, which was visited by King Jan Sobieski before leaving with his army to fight the Turks.
(The following is excerpted from Dom Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for September 12, in the same volume of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"'Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array? [Cant. vi.9.]' Such is thy growth , O Mary! Not the holiest life, were it even of patriarchal duration, will ever attain the degree of progress made under the influence of divine power by the soul of the most pure Virgin, in these few days elapsed since her coming on earth. First, there is the progress of her intellect: not subject to the obscurity which envelops the minds of all men at their entrance into the world, it is a faithful mirror, into which the Word of God pours floods of that light which is also life. Then the progress of love in that heart of the Virgin and the Mother, wherein the holy Spirit already delights to awake such ineffable harmonies, and to dig still deeper depths. Lastly, the progress of that victorious power, which made satan tremble at the moment of the Immaculate Conception, and which has constituted Mary the incomparable Queen of the hosts of the Lord."

"Two glorious triumphs, two victories won under the protection of our Lady, have rendered this present day illustrious in the annals of the Church and of history."

"Manicheism, revived under a variety of names, had established itself in the south of France, whence it hoped to spread its reign of shameless excess. But [Saint] Dominic appeared with Mary's [R]osary for the defence of the people. On September 12, 1213, Simon de Montfort and the crusaders of the faith, one against forty, crushed the Albigensian army at Muret. This was in the pontificate of Innocent III."

"Nearly five centuries late, the Turks, who had more than once caused the west to tremble, again poured down upon Christendom. Vienna, worn out and dismantled, abandoned by its emperor, was surrounded by 300,000 infidels. But another great Pope, Innocent XI, again confided to Mary the defence of the baptized nations. [King] Sobieski, mounting his charger on the feast of our Lady's Assumption, hastened from Poland by forced marches. On the Sunday within the octave of the Nativity [of the Blessed Virgin Mary], September 12, 1683, Vienna was delivered; and then began for the Osmanlis that series of defeats which ended in the treaties of Carlowitz and Passarowitz, and the dismemberment of the Ottoman empire. The feast of the most holy name of Mary inscribed on the calendar of the universal Church, was the homage of the world's gratitude to Mary, our Lady and Queen."

Why is Mary 'Star of the Sea'? (Excerpt from a Sermon for the Feast of the Nativity of the BVM)

2008-09-08T07:00:00.004-04:00

[Image of Our Lady, Star of the Sea, at Mary Star of the Sea High School in San Pedro, California]

[Taken from the liner notes for "Gregorian Melodies - Popular Chants, Volume I," a music album by the Monastic Choir of St. Peter's Abbey, Solesmes]

"'Maris stella' : 'Star of the sea'. This title is one of the given etymologies of 'Mary,' in Hebrew. Fulbert de Charters (†1028) wrote the following for a sermon on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady:

"Navigators on the high seas need to fix the star shining well above the sky's horizon, so as to know their position and the course they are on; thus do they hope to attain their port of destination. In the same way, brothers, all the faithful of Christ, as they struggle amidst the waves of this world, gaze steadily at the star of the sea -- by which I mean, Mary -- who, because she is placed so high above the horizon of earthly realites, is close to God. They imitate her example in order to determne the course of their lives, so as not to be shaken by the winds of vain glory, nor broken upon the rocks of adversity. In this way, they will happily arrive at the port of their eternal repose."

[A short history of the hymn, from Ave Maris Stella:]

"Ave Maris Stella is a popular liturgical hymn of unknown origin. It can be dated back to at least the 9th century for it is preserved in the Codex Sangallensis, a 9th century manuscript now in the Swiss Monastery of St. Gallen. Its appearance in the Codex points to a composition in possibly the 8th century. The hymn is frequently attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) and sometimes has been attributed to King Robert (1031), both of whom are too late to have authored it. It has also been attributed to [St.] Venantius Fortunatus (d 609) and Paul the Deacon (d 787). It is found in ancient codices of the Divine Office for Vespers on Marian feasts. Today it is still in use in the Divine Office and in the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin."

[See previous post for further commentary and information about this beautiful hymn.]

"The Blessed Virgin Mary is called the Star of the Sea. Those who sail the ocean seas are guided to the port they seek by carefully observing the stars. In the same way, Christians are guided to heavenly glory by keeping their eyes on Mary."
-St. Thomas Aquinas

Commentary on the "Ave Maris Stella"

2008-09-06T23:30:00.006-04:00

[A true friend of mine, whom I've known for just over a year, gave me a present, in true Hobbit form, at her birthday party this month. The present, a sixty-year-old book, is a 1948 reprint of a 1914 edition of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, printed by E.J. Dwyer, an Australian publisher. Not only does it have the all the prayers of the Little Office, it contains something I had never seen before, a commentary on the prayers themselves. She knew that I would greatly appreciate this book, and I am truly grateful that she gave me this book. The commentary below is on the ancient and beautiful hymn to Our Lady (and one of my personal favorites), the Ave Maris Stella, and it is taken from the Mirror of Our Lady, a 15th century commentary on the Office written by Dr. Thomas Gascoigne of Oxford University for the Sisters of Sion, who belonged to the Brigittine Order.]

Ave, maris stella,
Dei Mater alma.
Atque semper Virgo,
Felix caeli porta.

"I. 'Ave, Star of ocean. This hymn hath seven verses. In the first verse ye praise our Lady of four things. One is that she is called the Star of the Sea; for as that is comfortable to shipman, so is our Lady comfort to all that are in bitterness of tribulation or temptation in the sea of this world; and therefore her name Maria is as much to say as Star of the sea; and so Ave Maria and Ave Maris stella is all one. The second is that she is Mother of God. The third is that she is Ever-Virgin. The fourth is that she is the Gate of heaven. Her Son calleth Himself in His Gospel the Door, for as a man may not well come into a house but by the door, nor to the door but by the gate, so may none come into heaven but by our Lord Jesus Christ, that is, the Door, nor to our Lord Jesus Christ but by our Lady, that is, the Gate.'"

Sumens illud Ave,
Gabrielis ore,
Funda nos in pace,
Mutans Hevae nomen.

"2. 'In the second verse ye praise our Lady for two things, and one ye ask of her. First ye thank her for that she assented to the greeting of Gabriel; for thereby began our health, as our perdition began by the assent of Eve to the fiend. The second, because she hath turned the woe that Eva brought us into joy; and so she hath change her name Eva into Ave, for Eva spelled backwards maketh Ave, and Eva is as much to say as woe, and Ave is a word of joy. Then ye ask of her stability of peace.'"

Solve vincla reis,
Profer lumen caecis,
Mala nostra pelle,
Bona cuncta posce.

"3. 'In the third verse ye ask of her four things that man needeth to have help in after he is fallen to sin, for by sin he falleth in to four great mischiefs. One is that he is so bound therein that he may not of himself come out thereof; and as a man may yield himself bound to a lord, but he may not be free again after when he will, right so is it of man that maketh himself thrall to the fiend by deadly sin; and therefore ye pray our Lady that she will loose the bonds of sinners and make them free. Another mischief is, that when a man is fallen into deadly sin, the fiend blindeth him so in his sin that he can neither see the peril that he standeth in, nor how to get him help of deliverance; and therefore in this ye ask our Lady's help. The third mischief is the great vengeance that man deserveth by sin, both temporal and everlasting; and the fourth is the loss of all goods of grace and glory. And therefore against all these four mischiefs ye pray to our Lady, and say: Break the captive's fetters, for the first; Light to blind restoring, for the second; All our ill expelling, for the third; Every bliss impore, for the fourth.'"

Monstra te esse Matrem,
Sumat per te preces,
Qui pro nobis natus,
Tulit esse tuus.

"4. 'In the fourth ye pray her to show herself a Mother to our Lord and to the wretched. As a mother tendereth her child in all manner of peril and disease that he is in, so she vouchsafes to show motherly tenderness to us in all our needs, bodily and ghostly. And as a mother may get from her son what she will reasonably desire of him, so she vouchsafes to speed our errands before our Lord, that it may appear well that she is His Mother.'"

Virgo singularis,
Inter omnes mitis,
Nos culpis solutos
Mites fac et castos.

"5. 'In the fifth verse ye praise her in two virtues that is, in maidenhood and mildness; and ye ask of her these virtues according to the same -- that is, deliverance from sin; mildness; and chastity.'"

Vitam presta puram,
Iter para tutum,
Ut videntes Jesum,
Semper collaetemur.

"6. 'In the sixth verse ye ask of her three things. The first is clean life; the second is true continuance therein unto the end, that ye may then have true passage; and the third is endless joy in the sight and beholding of God.'"

Sit laus Deo Patri,
Summo Christo decus,
Spiritui Sancto,
Tribus honor unus. Amen.

"7. 'In the seventh verse ye praise the Blessed Trinity.'"

[Listen to the Gregorian chant of this hymn at Ave Maris Stella, as sung by two soloists from the choir of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. I couldn't find a satisfactory version of it done by a men's schola, so this version suffices. For the English translation, see Latin words and English translation of the words of Ave Maris Stella]

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The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Michel Sittow, Assumption of the Virgin Mary

"It is right and just, O Almighty God, that we duly give Thee great thanks... on this most venerable day... whereon the Virgin Mother of God passed from this world to Christ. She knew no corruption in life, no dissolution in the tomb; for she was free from all stain of sin, glorious by her divine Offspring; and being set free by her Assumption, she was made Queen of Paradise for her dower. Ever a spotless Virgin, she was filled with joy by the fruit of her womb. She knew no pain in childbirth, no sorrow in death. Her life and her death were above the laws of nature. She was the loveliest of bridal chambers whence came forth the the noblest of bridegrooms, He who is the light of the nations.... She was a vessel of light, a tabernacle of glory, a heavenly temple...."

- Prayer from the ancient Gallican Missal, as quoted by Dom Prosper Guéranger in his entry in The Liturgical Year for 15 August in Volume XIII of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook

August 1 -Commemoration of the Holy Machabees (Dom Guéranger)

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(The following is excerpted from Dom Prosper Guéranger's entry in The Liturgical Year for 26 July in Volume XIII of the 1983 Marian House edition of the English translation by the Benedictines of Stanbrook.)

"While the Church on earth inaugurates these days by adorning herself with Peter's chains [August 1 is also the Feast of St. Peter's Chains] as with a precious jewel, a constellation of seven stars appears for the third time in the heavens. The seven brothers Machabees preceded the sons of [St.] Symphorosa and Felicitas in the bloodstained arena; they followed divine Wisdom even before she had manifested her beauty in the flesh. The sacred cause of which they were the champions, their strength of soul under the tortures, their sublime answers to the executioners were so evidently the type reproduced by the later martyrs, that the Fathers of the first centuries with one accord claimed for the Christian Church these heroes of the synagogue, who could have gained such courage from no other source than their faith in the Christ to come. For this reason they alone of all the holy persons of the ancient covenant have found a place on the Christian cycle; all the martyrologies and calendars of East and West attest the universality of their cultus, while its antiquity is such as to rival that of St. Peter's chains in that same basilica of Eudoxia where their precious relics lie."

"At the time when in the hope of a better resurrection they refused under cruel torments to redeem their lives, other heroes of the same blood, inspired by the same faith, flew to arms and delivered their country from a terrible crisis. Several children of Israel, forgetting the traditions of their nation, had wished it to follow the customs of strange peoples; and the Lord, in punishment, had allowed Judea to feel the whole weight of a profane rule to which it had guiltily submitted. But when King Antiochus, taking advantage of the treason of a few and the carelessness of the majority, endeavoured by his ordinances to blot out the divine law which alone gives power to man over man, Israel, suddenly awakened, met the tyrant with the double opposition of revolt and martyrdom. Judas Machabeus in immortal battles reclaim for God the land of his inheritance, while by the virtue of their generous confession, the seven brothers also, his rivals in glory, recovered, as the Scripture says, the law out of the hands of the nations, and out of the hands of the kings [1 Mach. ii. 48]. Soon afterwards, craving mercy under the hand of God and not finding it, Antiochus died, devoured by worms, just as later on were to die the first and last persecutors of the Christians, Herod Agrippa and Galerius Maximian."

"The Holy Ghost, who would Himself hand down to posterity the acts of the protomartyr of the New Law, did the same with regard to the passion of [St.] Stephen's glorious predecessors in the ages of expectation. Indeed, it was [H]e who then, as under the law of love, inspired with both words and courage these valiant brothers, and their still more admirable mother, who, seeing her seven sons one after other suffering the most horrible tortures, uttered nothing but burning exhortations to die. Surrounded by their mutilated bodies, she mocked the tyrant who, in false pity, wished her to persuade at least the youngest to save his life; she bent over the last child of her tender love and said to him: My son, have pity upon me, that bore thee nine months in my womb, and gave thee suck three years, and nourished thee, and brought thee up unto this age. I beseech thee, my son, look upon heaven and earth, and all that is in them: and consider that God made them out of nothing, and mankind also: so thou shalt not fear this tormentor, but being made a worthy partner with thy brethren, receive death, that in that mercy I may receive thee again with thy brethren [2 Mach. vii. 27, 28, 29]. And the intrepid youth ran in his innocence to the tortures; and the incomparable mother followed her sons.

Holy Maccabean Martyrs, pray for us!

[Please read Fr. Z's excellent blog post on these saints, as well as the Scripture passage concerning their martyrdom.]