“O eternal Greatness, O fathomless Bounty, You lowered Yourself to ennoble mankind! Wherever I turn, I can see nothing but the abyss and fire of Your charity” . -St Catherine of Sienna
Monday, December 19, 2016
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
DEVOTION to the INFANT JESUS of PRAGUE
"The More You Honor Me, The More I Will Bless You."
DEVOTION to the Infant Jesus of Prague is devotion to the Child Jesus. It
is veneration of the Son of God, who in the form of an infant chose a
stable for a palace, a manger for a cradle, and shepherds for worshipers.
Our Savior grants special graces to all who venerate His sacred Infancy.
The image of the Child Jesus known as the "Infant Jesus of Prague" was in
reality of Spanish origin. In the 17th century, this beautiful statue was
brought by a Spanish princess to Bohemia and presented to a Carmelite
monastery. For many years this statue has been enshrined on a side altar in
the Church of Our Lady of Victory in the city of Prague. It is of wax, and
is about nineteen inches high. It is clothed in a royal mantle, and has a
beautiful jeweled crown on its head. Its right hand is raised in blessing;
its left holds a globe signifying sovereignty.
So many graces have been received by those who invoke the Divine Child
before the original statue that it has been called "The Miraculous Infant
Jesus of Prague." We read the following in an old book printed in Kempt:
"All who approach the miraculous statue and pray there with confidence
receive assistance in danger, consolation in sorrows, aid in poverty,
comfort in anxiety, light in spiritual darkness, streams of grace in
dryness of soul, health in sickness, and hope in despair.
"No colic is so painful, no fever so violent, no malady so dangerous, no
peril so great, no tumor so malignant, no insanity so raving, no complaint
so irritating, no assault of Satan so furious, no pestilence so infectious,
no swelling so serious, as not to be dispelled or cured by this blessed
Child. The Holy Infant puts an end to enmities, frees prisoners, saves
those who are condemned to death, brings obstinate sinners to repentance
and blesses childless parents with offspring. In short, He is become all to
all."
In thanksgiving for the numerous graces and cures received, the miraculous
statue at Prague was solemnly crowned on the Sunday after Easter, in 1655.
What is said of the original statue may be applied also to the images of
the "Little King" which are venerated everywhere, in churches and chapels,
homes and schools, monasteries and convents the world over. From small
beginnings, this devotion has grown to great proportions, so that it is
almost as universal as the Church itself.
The Divine Child attracts an ever-increasing number of clients, who appeal
to Him in every need.
-- From a publication of the Benedictine Convent of Perpetual Adoration
-Clyde, Missouri. 31st edition, February, 1960. Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat
January 20, 1960.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Advent is that solemn time, immediately preceding Christmas, instituted by
the Church in order that we should, in the first place, meditate on the
Incarnation of Christ, the love, patience and humility which He has shown
us, and prove our gratitude to Him, because He came from the bosom of His
heavenly Father into this valley of tears, to redeem us; secondly, that we
may prepare ourselves by sincere repentance, fasting, prayer, alms-deeds,
and other works pleasing to God, for the coming of Christ and His birth in
our hearts, and thus participate in the graces which He has obtained for
us; finally, that He may be merciful to us, when He shall come again as
judge of the world. "Watch ye, for ye know not at what hour your Lord will
come" (Mt. 5:42). "Wherefore be you also ready; because at what hour you
know not, the Son of man will come" (Mt. 24:44).
How was Advent formerly observed?
Very differently from now. It then commenced with the Feast of St. Martin,
and was observed by the faithful like the Forty Days' Fast, with strict
penance and devotional exercises, as even now most of the religious
communities do to the present day. The Church has forbidden all turbulent
amusements, weddings, dancing and concerts, during Advent. Pope Sylverius
ordered that those who seldom receive Holy Communion should, at least, do
so on every Sunday in Advent.
How should this solemn time be spent by Christians?
They should recall, during these four weeks, the four thousand years in
which the just under the Old Law expected and desired the promised
Redeemer, think of those days of darkness in which nearly all nations were
blinded by saran and drawn into the most horrible crimes, then consider
their own sins and evil deeds and purify their souls from them by a worthy
reception of the Sacraments, so that our Lord may come with His grace to
dwell in their hearts and be merciful to them in life and in death.
Further, to awaken in the faithful the feelings of repentance so necessary
for the reception of the Savior in their hearts, the Church orders that
besides the observance of certain fast days, the altar shall be draped in
violet, that Mass shall be celebrated in violet vestments, that the organ
shall be silent and no Gloria sung. Unjust to themselves, disobedient to
the Church and ungrateful, indeed, to God are those Christians who spend
this solemn time of grace in sinful amusements without performing any good
works, with no longing for Christ's Advent into their hearts.
Taken from :
Rev. Fr. Leonard Goffine's
The Church's Year
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Monday, November 7, 2016
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
O Lord Jesus Christ, King of Glory, deliver the souls of all the faithful
departed from the pains of hell and from the deep pit: deliver them from
the mouth of the lion, that hell may not swallow them up, and they may not
fall into darkness: but may the holy standard-bearer, Michael, introduce
them to the holy light: which Thou didst promise of old to Abraham and to
his seed. We offer to Thee, O Lord, sacrifices and prayers: do Thou receive
them in behalf of those souls whom we commemorate this day. Grant them, O
Lord, to pass from death to that life which Thou didst promise of old to
Abraham and to his seed.
Monday, October 31, 2016
FATHER'S SERMON YESTERDAY ON THIS TOPIC WAS EXCELLENT! HERE IS ANOTHER VIEW -
SHOULD A CATHOLIC CELEBRATE MARTIN LUTHER?
As we prepare for Pope Francis' October 31 commemoration of the 5th
centenary of the Lutheran Revolt, we ask: Why would a Catholic celebrate
Martin Luther when his entire revolt was based on hatred of the Catholic
Faith?
LUTHER ATTACKS THE PAPACY
A central focus of Luther’s 1517 revolt was a full scale attack on the
papacy established by Christ. Luther did not object to the policies of this
or that Pope, which is something various saints have done. Instead, Luther
raves against the Holy See itself in his book Against the Roman Papacy: An
Institution of the Devil.
He also denounced the papacy when Pope Leo X condemned his doctrine in the
1520 Bull Exurge Domine. Luther responded:
“I maintain that the author of this Bull is Antichrist: I curse it as a
blasphemy against the Son of God… I trust that every person who accepts
this Bull will suffer the torments of hell … where are you emperors,
kings and princes of the earth that you tolerate the hellish voice of
Antichrist? Leo X and you, the Roman Cardinals, I tell you to your faces…
renounce your satanic blasphemy against Jesus Christ.”1
Luther went on to burn the Papal Bull and to boast of it the next day:
“Yesterday I burned the devilish work of the Pope, and I wish that it was
the Pope, that is, the Papal See that was consumed. If you do not separate
from Rome, there is no salvation for your souls.”2
LUTHER ATTACKS THE MASS
Upon the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the most sacred action of the Church,
Luther showered vulgar contempt.
He said that no sin of immorality, nay even of “manslaughter, theft,
murder and adultery is so harmful as this abomination of the Popish
Mass.” He further snarled that he would have “rather kept a bawdy house
or been a robber than to have blasphemed and traduced Christ for fifteen
years by saying the Masses.”3
In his pamphlet The Abrogation of the Mass, aimed at destroying the Mass,
Luther wrote:
“I am convinced that by these three arguments [that he had made
previously] every pious conscience will be persuaded that this priest of
the Mass and the papacy is nothing but a work of satan, and will be
sufficiently warned against imagining that by these priests anything pious
or good is effected. All will now know that these sacrificial Masses have
been proven injurious to Our Lord’s testament and that therefore nothing
in the whole world is to be hated and loathed so much as the hypocritical
shows of this priesthood, its Masses, its worship, its piety, its religion.
It is better to be a public pander or robber than one of these priests.”4
The great St. John Fisher, who lived at the time of Luther, expressed
horror at Luther’s impiety: “My God!” he wrote, “How can one be
calm when one hears such blasphemous lies uttered against the mysteries of
Christ? How can one without resentment listen to such outrageous insults
hurled against God’s priests? Who can read such blasphemies without
weeping from sheer grief if he still retains in his heart even the smallest
spark of Christian piety?”5
PERVERSION OF SCRIPTURE
A key tenet of Luther’s revolution is belief in the “Bible Alone”. In
Luther’s system, there is no Church commissioned with Divine authority to
teach in Christ’s name, but there is only the Bible as the single source
of Divine Revelation. Luther taught this despite the fact that the tenet of
“Bible Alone” is nowhere found in the Bible -- thus promoting a
principle that is non-Biblical.
At the same time, Luther manifested contempt for Scripture by altering
texts to fit his own ideas. Luther rejected good works as a means to
salvation. He had the audacity to change the 28th verse of Chapter III of
St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans to read, “We hold that man is justified
without works by the law of faith alone.” Luther added the word
‘alone’ to the sacred text to bolster his own heretical view. To any
follower who objected to his perversion of the text, Luther thundered,
“If any Papist annoys you with the word ["alone"] tell him straightway:
Dr. Martin Luther will have it so: Papist and ass are one and the same
thing.”6
As is obvious, pride was one of Luther’s chief faults. Boasting of the
infallibility and superiority of his own teaching, Luther barked,
“Whoever teaches differently than I, though it be an angel from Heaven,
let him be anathema.” And further, “I know I am more learned than all
the universities….”7
Luther went on to reject various books of the Bible he found
unsatisfactory. He denounced the Epistle of James as “an epistle of
straw.”
“I do not hold it,” he said, “to be his writings nor can I place it
among the capital books.” He rejected the Epistle of James because it
proclaims the necessity of good works, contrary to his heresy. Luther also
rejected the book of the Apocalypse:
“There are many things objectionable in this book; to my mind it bears
upon no marks of an apostolic or prophetic character . . . Everyone may
form his own judgement of this book; as for myself, I feel an aversion to
it, and to me this is sufficient reason for rejecting it.”8
Luther would go on to deny the binding force of moral law,
“We must remove the Decalogue out of sight and heart”9
And further,
“If Moses should attempt to intimidate you with his stupid Ten
Commandments, tell him right out: ‘Chase yourself to the Jews’.”10
LUTHER PERVERTS MORALITY
Luther, an ordained priest and consecrated Augustinian religious, broke his
vow of celibacy and married a nun, also under the vow of celibacy. Luther
encouraged many other priests and religious to break their vows and marry.
Luther’s approach was ultimately a surrender to sensuality and
worldliness at a time of moral laxity. As Professor Thomas Neil explained,
Luther’s appeal to the clergy of his day was successful: “He offered
them wives and they wanted wives. He withdrew them from the monasteries and
put them in the public square, and they wanted to live in worldly
society.”11
The eminent convert David Goldstein wrote: “Luther’s writings regarding
matters of sex are the opposite of things decent. Only in Socialist
free-love writings have we seen commendation of them. There Luther’s lewd
writings have won for him distinction as the ‘classic exponent’ of
‘healthful sensualism’.12 Too many times through the centuries,
immoralities have disgraced the Christian ministry, but Luther has the
unenviable distinction of having defended sex sins as ‘necessary’.”13
And because Luther taught that man is inherently corrupt, that his sins are
never really forgiven but are simply covered by the Blood of Christ
provided he make an act of “faith” in Christ’s salvation, he urged
his friend Melanchton,
“Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe more boldly still.”14
How contrary this is to the true Catholic doctrine that commands us not
only to avoid sin, but to avoid the occasions of sin.
LUTHER'S CRUELTY
Though Luther made use of the peasants of his time to popularize his
revolt, which inadvertently aroused the poor classes to a rebellion that
had long been cankering in their hearts, Luther then sided with the princes
against the peasants. In a display of his inhuman cruelty, Luther advised
the princes that because the peasants
“rob and rave like infuriated dogs . . . dash them to pieces, strangle
them and stab them, just as one is compelled to kill a mad dog.”15
SHATTERING OF CHRISTENDOM
Father Thomas Scott Preston, in his work The Protestant Reformation,
outlines the consequences of Luther’s contention that every man is free
to interpret the Scriptures as he sees fit.
“In theory,” writes Father Preston, “private judgment destroys both
the creed and the possibility of faith. There can be no creed where each
individual is the maker of his own faith. There can be no unity of faith
where all matters of belief are referred to the individual judgement. One
man is as good as another in finding out his own faith and in interpreting
Scripture, or tradition, or history; and more than that, this private
judgment is not simply his privilege but his duty. All are bound, even the
ignorant and unlettered, to decide for themselves when there is no divine
authority and divine witness, and thus you have as many creeds as there are
individuals.”16
Even the non-Catholic writer Friedrich Paulsen rightly observed,
“Revolution is the term by which the Reformation should be described . .
. Luther’s work was no Reformation, no ‘re-forming’ of the existing
Church by means of her own institutions, but the destruction of the old
shape, in fact, the fundamental negation of any Church at all.”17
The end result was the ripping away of millions of souls from the one true
Church established by Christ, and the shattering of the unity of
Christendom.
As Msgr. Joseph Clifford Fenton, the eminent American theologian, observed,
Martin Luther’s alleged Reformation of the Church “consisted in an
effort to have people abandon the Catholic Faith, and relinquish their
membership in the one true Church militant of the New Testament, so as to
follow his teaching and enter into his organization.”18
Despite the sentimental ecumenical posturing of highly-placed churchmen,
there is no papering over Luther’s arrogance and his grave errors against
the Faith. In fact, the present ecumenical collaboration between Catholics
and Lutherans is, in the words of Pope Pius XI, a “counterfeit unity,
quite alien to the one Church of Christ.”19
NOTHING TO CELEBRATE
The errors of Martin Luther -- and of the Protestantism he spawned -- could
not be more contrary to the beautiful Catholic truths reiterated by Our
Lady of Fatima.
At Fatima, Our Lady reaffirmed key Catholic doctrines that Luther denied,
such as the Mass and the Eucharist, the reality of personal sin, the need
for Confession and to make reparation, the reality and centrality of the
papacy established by Christ, the humility of submission to the perennial
doctrine of the Catholic Church, and the charity one must show to others
rather than Luther’s cry to “strangle” and “stab” the peasants if
they get out of hand.
Our Lady of Fatima performed the astonishing Miracle of the Sun before
70,000 people on October 13, 1917, to prove the veracity of Her words.
There is no contest between the beautiful truths uttered by Our Lady and
the heretical venom spewed by Martin Luther.
It is thus impossible to concede that a Catholic should celebrate Luther in
any way whatsoever. Only those of a Protestant and Modernist mindset will
do so. Martin Luther must be neither admired nor imitated. As the Church
consistently taught for four centuries, his doctrine and the movement he
started is only worthy of condemnation.
The 500th Anniversary of Luther’s destructive revolt should be a time for
Catholics to mark the 1917 centenary of Our Lady of Fatima, and to pray and
work for the conversion of Protestants to the one true Church of Christ,
the Catholic Church.
Notes:
1 The Facts Against Luther, Msgr. Patrick O’Hare, p. 89.
2 Ibid., p. 90.
3 Luther, Hartman Grisar, S.J. (English translation, Herder), Vol. 2, p.
166; Vol 4. p. 525.
4 The Defense of the Priesthood, Saint John Fisher, translated by Msgr.
P.E. Hallet, p. 2.
5 Ibid, pp. 2-3.
6 Amic. Discussion, I, 127 -- taken from Campaigners for Christ Handbook,
David Goldstein, pp. 197-198.
7 Facts About Luther, p. 20.
8 Ibid, p. 203.
9 De Wette, IV, p. 188.
10 Works, Wittenberg, ed. V, 1573, taken from Goldstein, pp. 197-198.
11 Makers of the Modern Mind, Thomas P. Neil, Ph.D., p. 24.
12 Bebel, Woman, p. 78, New York, 1910 (from Goldstein).
13 Quoted from Goldstein, p. 198.
14 Facts About Luther, p. 119.
15 Makers of the Modern Mind, p. 25.
16 Facts About Luther, pp.167-168.
17 Ibid., pp. 168-169.
18 “The Council and Father Kung,” Msgr. Joseph Clifford Fenton,
American Ecclesiastical Review, September 1962.
19 Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos, “On Fostering True Christian Unity”
(against ecumenism), January 6, 1928.
(written by JV, originally published as a pamphlet for the Fatima Center -
available online at http://www.cfnews.org/)
SHOULD A CATHOLIC CELEBRATE MARTIN LUTHER?
As we prepare for Pope Francis' October 31 commemoration of the 5th
centenary of the Lutheran Revolt, we ask: Why would a Catholic celebrate
Martin Luther when his entire revolt was based on hatred of the Catholic
Faith?
LUTHER ATTACKS THE PAPACY
A central focus of Luther’s 1517 revolt was a full scale attack on the
papacy established by Christ. Luther did not object to the policies of this
or that Pope, which is something various saints have done. Instead, Luther
raves against the Holy See itself in his book Against the Roman Papacy: An
Institution of the Devil.
He also denounced the papacy when Pope Leo X condemned his doctrine in the
1520 Bull Exurge Domine. Luther responded:
“I maintain that the author of this Bull is Antichrist: I curse it as a
blasphemy against the Son of God… I trust that every person who accepts
this Bull will suffer the torments of hell … where are you emperors,
kings and princes of the earth that you tolerate the hellish voice of
Antichrist? Leo X and you, the Roman Cardinals, I tell you to your faces…
renounce your satanic blasphemy against Jesus Christ.”1
Luther went on to burn the Papal Bull and to boast of it the next day:
“Yesterday I burned the devilish work of the Pope, and I wish that it was
the Pope, that is, the Papal See that was consumed. If you do not separate
from Rome, there is no salvation for your souls.”2
LUTHER ATTACKS THE MASS
Upon the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the most sacred action of the Church,
Luther showered vulgar contempt.
He said that no sin of immorality, nay even of “manslaughter, theft,
murder and adultery is so harmful as this abomination of the Popish
Mass.” He further snarled that he would have “rather kept a bawdy house
or been a robber than to have blasphemed and traduced Christ for fifteen
years by saying the Masses.”3
In his pamphlet The Abrogation of the Mass, aimed at destroying the Mass,
Luther wrote:
“I am convinced that by these three arguments [that he had made
previously] every pious conscience will be persuaded that this priest of
the Mass and the papacy is nothing but a work of satan, and will be
sufficiently warned against imagining that by these priests anything pious
or good is effected. All will now know that these sacrificial Masses have
been proven injurious to Our Lord’s testament and that therefore nothing
in the whole world is to be hated and loathed so much as the hypocritical
shows of this priesthood, its Masses, its worship, its piety, its religion.
It is better to be a public pander or robber than one of these priests.”4
The great St. John Fisher, who lived at the time of Luther, expressed
horror at Luther’s impiety: “My God!” he wrote, “How can one be
calm when one hears such blasphemous lies uttered against the mysteries of
Christ? How can one without resentment listen to such outrageous insults
hurled against God’s priests? Who can read such blasphemies without
weeping from sheer grief if he still retains in his heart even the smallest
spark of Christian piety?”5
PERVERSION OF SCRIPTURE
A key tenet of Luther’s revolution is belief in the “Bible Alone”. In
Luther’s system, there is no Church commissioned with Divine authority to
teach in Christ’s name, but there is only the Bible as the single source
of Divine Revelation. Luther taught this despite the fact that the tenet of
“Bible Alone” is nowhere found in the Bible -- thus promoting a
principle that is non-Biblical.
At the same time, Luther manifested contempt for Scripture by altering
texts to fit his own ideas. Luther rejected good works as a means to
salvation. He had the audacity to change the 28th verse of Chapter III of
St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans to read, “We hold that man is justified
without works by the law of faith alone.” Luther added the word
‘alone’ to the sacred text to bolster his own heretical view. To any
follower who objected to his perversion of the text, Luther thundered,
“If any Papist annoys you with the word ["alone"] tell him straightway:
Dr. Martin Luther will have it so: Papist and ass are one and the same
thing.”6
As is obvious, pride was one of Luther’s chief faults. Boasting of the
infallibility and superiority of his own teaching, Luther barked,
“Whoever teaches differently than I, though it be an angel from Heaven,
let him be anathema.” And further, “I know I am more learned than all
the universities….”7
Luther went on to reject various books of the Bible he found
unsatisfactory. He denounced the Epistle of James as “an epistle of
straw.”
“I do not hold it,” he said, “to be his writings nor can I place it
among the capital books.” He rejected the Epistle of James because it
proclaims the necessity of good works, contrary to his heresy. Luther also
rejected the book of the Apocalypse:
“There are many things objectionable in this book; to my mind it bears
upon no marks of an apostolic or prophetic character . . . Everyone may
form his own judgement of this book; as for myself, I feel an aversion to
it, and to me this is sufficient reason for rejecting it.”8
Luther would go on to deny the binding force of moral law,
“We must remove the Decalogue out of sight and heart”9
And further,
“If Moses should attempt to intimidate you with his stupid Ten
Commandments, tell him right out: ‘Chase yourself to the Jews’.”10
LUTHER PERVERTS MORALITY
Luther, an ordained priest and consecrated Augustinian religious, broke his
vow of celibacy and married a nun, also under the vow of celibacy. Luther
encouraged many other priests and religious to break their vows and marry.
Luther’s approach was ultimately a surrender to sensuality and
worldliness at a time of moral laxity. As Professor Thomas Neil explained,
Luther’s appeal to the clergy of his day was successful: “He offered
them wives and they wanted wives. He withdrew them from the monasteries and
put them in the public square, and they wanted to live in worldly
society.”11
The eminent convert David Goldstein wrote: “Luther’s writings regarding
matters of sex are the opposite of things decent. Only in Socialist
free-love writings have we seen commendation of them. There Luther’s lewd
writings have won for him distinction as the ‘classic exponent’ of
‘healthful sensualism’.12 Too many times through the centuries,
immoralities have disgraced the Christian ministry, but Luther has the
unenviable distinction of having defended sex sins as ‘necessary’.”13
And because Luther taught that man is inherently corrupt, that his sins are
never really forgiven but are simply covered by the Blood of Christ
provided he make an act of “faith” in Christ’s salvation, he urged
his friend Melanchton,
“Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe more boldly still.”14
How contrary this is to the true Catholic doctrine that commands us not
only to avoid sin, but to avoid the occasions of sin.
LUTHER'S CRUELTY
Though Luther made use of the peasants of his time to popularize his
revolt, which inadvertently aroused the poor classes to a rebellion that
had long been cankering in their hearts, Luther then sided with the princes
against the peasants. In a display of his inhuman cruelty, Luther advised
the princes that because the peasants
“rob and rave like infuriated dogs . . . dash them to pieces, strangle
them and stab them, just as one is compelled to kill a mad dog.”15
SHATTERING OF CHRISTENDOM
Father Thomas Scott Preston, in his work The Protestant Reformation,
outlines the consequences of Luther’s contention that every man is free
to interpret the Scriptures as he sees fit.
“In theory,” writes Father Preston, “private judgment destroys both
the creed and the possibility of faith. There can be no creed where each
individual is the maker of his own faith. There can be no unity of faith
where all matters of belief are referred to the individual judgement. One
man is as good as another in finding out his own faith and in interpreting
Scripture, or tradition, or history; and more than that, this private
judgment is not simply his privilege but his duty. All are bound, even the
ignorant and unlettered, to decide for themselves when there is no divine
authority and divine witness, and thus you have as many creeds as there are
individuals.”16
Even the non-Catholic writer Friedrich Paulsen rightly observed,
“Revolution is the term by which the Reformation should be described . .
. Luther’s work was no Reformation, no ‘re-forming’ of the existing
Church by means of her own institutions, but the destruction of the old
shape, in fact, the fundamental negation of any Church at all.”17
The end result was the ripping away of millions of souls from the one true
Church established by Christ, and the shattering of the unity of
Christendom.
As Msgr. Joseph Clifford Fenton, the eminent American theologian, observed,
Martin Luther’s alleged Reformation of the Church “consisted in an
effort to have people abandon the Catholic Faith, and relinquish their
membership in the one true Church militant of the New Testament, so as to
follow his teaching and enter into his organization.”18
Despite the sentimental ecumenical posturing of highly-placed churchmen,
there is no papering over Luther’s arrogance and his grave errors against
the Faith. In fact, the present ecumenical collaboration between Catholics
and Lutherans is, in the words of Pope Pius XI, a “counterfeit unity,
quite alien to the one Church of Christ.”19
NOTHING TO CELEBRATE
The errors of Martin Luther -- and of the Protestantism he spawned -- could
not be more contrary to the beautiful Catholic truths reiterated by Our
Lady of Fatima.
At Fatima, Our Lady reaffirmed key Catholic doctrines that Luther denied,
such as the Mass and the Eucharist, the reality of personal sin, the need
for Confession and to make reparation, the reality and centrality of the
papacy established by Christ, the humility of submission to the perennial
doctrine of the Catholic Church, and the charity one must show to others
rather than Luther’s cry to “strangle” and “stab” the peasants if
they get out of hand.
Our Lady of Fatima performed the astonishing Miracle of the Sun before
70,000 people on October 13, 1917, to prove the veracity of Her words.
There is no contest between the beautiful truths uttered by Our Lady and
the heretical venom spewed by Martin Luther.
It is thus impossible to concede that a Catholic should celebrate Luther in
any way whatsoever. Only those of a Protestant and Modernist mindset will
do so. Martin Luther must be neither admired nor imitated. As the Church
consistently taught for four centuries, his doctrine and the movement he
started is only worthy of condemnation.
The 500th Anniversary of Luther’s destructive revolt should be a time for
Catholics to mark the 1917 centenary of Our Lady of Fatima, and to pray and
work for the conversion of Protestants to the one true Church of Christ,
the Catholic Church.
Notes:
1 The Facts Against Luther, Msgr. Patrick O’Hare, p. 89.
2 Ibid., p. 90.
3 Luther, Hartman Grisar, S.J. (English translation, Herder), Vol. 2, p.
166; Vol 4. p. 525.
4 The Defense of the Priesthood, Saint John Fisher, translated by Msgr.
P.E. Hallet, p. 2.
5 Ibid, pp. 2-3.
6 Amic. Discussion, I, 127 -- taken from Campaigners for Christ Handbook,
David Goldstein, pp. 197-198.
7 Facts About Luther, p. 20.
8 Ibid, p. 203.
9 De Wette, IV, p. 188.
10 Works, Wittenberg, ed. V, 1573, taken from Goldstein, pp. 197-198.
11 Makers of the Modern Mind, Thomas P. Neil, Ph.D., p. 24.
12 Bebel, Woman, p. 78, New York, 1910 (from Goldstein).
13 Quoted from Goldstein, p. 198.
14 Facts About Luther, p. 119.
15 Makers of the Modern Mind, p. 25.
16 Facts About Luther, pp.167-168.
17 Ibid., pp. 168-169.
18 “The Council and Father Kung,” Msgr. Joseph Clifford Fenton,
American Ecclesiastical Review, September 1962.
19 Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos, “On Fostering True Christian Unity”
(against ecumenism), January 6, 1928.
(written by JV, originally published as a pamphlet for the Fatima Center -
available online at http://www.cfnews.org/)
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX
We have a striking example in our own days of a canonized saint who was actually given to us as an example of how to become holy, by what she herself tells us is the easy, the “little way” to Heaven.
St. Therese of Lisieux never worked a miracle, never enjoyed heavenly visions, never did anything extraordinary, but she did well all that she did.
She tells us that she went to Heaven in an elevator (a lift).
In the Carmelite convent in which she lived, none of the sisters remarked anything wonderful in her conduct. She was sweet and joyful and was the sunshine of the community. Possibly some of the other sisters prayed longer and did more rigorous penances than she did.
An incident which took place before her death shows how simple and unpretentious was her life.
It was the custom in the convent for the prioress to write a short account of the life of each sister after that sister’s death.
During the illness of St. Therese, two sisters were heard speaking of this. One said to the other, “Poor Mother Prioress, whatever will she find to write about poor little Sister Therese?”
Yet this dear little saint began to work so many wonders after her death and obtain so many favors for those who had recourse to her that the whole world rang with her praises. She was solemnly canonized after a remarkably short time.
What a consolation she offers to those who wish to be holy! Hers was the little, the easy way, the elevator (lift) by which we, too, no matter how weak we are, can go to Heaven.
From "An Easy Way to Become a Saint" by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan
We have a striking example in our own days of a canonized saint who was actually given to us as an example of how to become holy, by what she herself tells us is the easy, the “little way” to Heaven.
St. Therese of Lisieux never worked a miracle, never enjoyed heavenly visions, never did anything extraordinary, but she did well all that she did.
She tells us that she went to Heaven in an elevator (a lift).
In the Carmelite convent in which she lived, none of the sisters remarked anything wonderful in her conduct. She was sweet and joyful and was the sunshine of the community. Possibly some of the other sisters prayed longer and did more rigorous penances than she did.
An incident which took place before her death shows how simple and unpretentious was her life.
It was the custom in the convent for the prioress to write a short account of the life of each sister after that sister’s death.
During the illness of St. Therese, two sisters were heard speaking of this. One said to the other, “Poor Mother Prioress, whatever will she find to write about poor little Sister Therese?”
Yet this dear little saint began to work so many wonders after her death and obtain so many favors for those who had recourse to her that the whole world rang with her praises. She was solemnly canonized after a remarkably short time.
What a consolation she offers to those who wish to be holy! Hers was the little, the easy way, the elevator (lift) by which we, too, no matter how weak we are, can go to Heaven.
From "An Easy Way to Become a Saint" by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Monday, October 17, 2016
Saint Teresa of Avila
“It is not so essential to think much as to love much.”
“It is certain that the love of God does
not consist in experiencing sweetness or tenderness of heart but in
truly serving God in Justice, strength and humility.”
“Look for Christ Our Lord in everyone and you will then have respect and reverence for all.”
“So dearly does His Majesty love us that
He will reward our love for our neighbor by increasing the love which
we bear to Himself, and that in a thousand ways.”
“Let nothing disturb thee;
Let nothing
dismay thee;
All thing pass;
God never changes.
Patience attains All
that it strives for.
He who has God
Finds he lacks nothing:
God alone
suffices.”
St. Teresa was one of Bishop Louis' favorite saints!
Saturday, October 15, 2016
“Living to please others is a very real form of bondage. It enslaves and destroys. The only way to be liberated is to carry our crosses and submit to the shame of pleasing God over men. We must learn to love our Savior more than praise and approval, for only then will we be truly free.” – The Catholic Gentleman
Monday, October 10, 2016
We must remember that if all the manifestly good men were on one side and all the manifestly bad men on the other, there would be no danger of anyone, least of all the elect, being deceived by lying wonders. It is the good men, good once, we must hope good still, who are to do the work of Anti-Christ and so sadly to crucify the Lord afresh…. Bear in mind this feature of the last days, that this deceitfulness arises from good men being on the wrong side.
(Fr. Frederick Faber, Sermon for Pentecost Sunday, 1861; qtd. in Fr. Denis Fahey, The Mystical Body of Christ in the Modern World
Monday, October 3, 2016
Many years ago, I read in a booklet about the "Tuesdays with St. Therese" prayer. It's so simple and really isn't that what her "Little Way" was all about?
All you do is say 3 Hail Marys on Tuesday in her honor. I promise she will "gift" you during the day. Sometimes it's something little like a phone call from an old friend or finding something that you lost. But sometimes it's something really big and wonderful like a lost soul returning to the faith or a huge debt taken away from you. Also, beware that it can be something "devastating" but those were few and far between. The reason for the quotes around devastating is that those times were very hard but ended up being for the best.
So on this feast day of one of my favorite saints, I'd like to leave you with that - try it and you will see what a really wonderful, fun saint she is!!
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Today, Father Bernard had another stellar sermon - this time on the feast of the Holy Rosary (which is our parish's feast day) and how the Muslims today are still trying to do what they have done throughout history - wipe out Christianity! I found this list on another website and thought it was interesting and very timely. Please note that especially #5 was defeated through the recitation of the rosary:
Even many Catholics are unaware that Mohammendans have tried to stamp out Western Civilization and the Catholic Church on six major occasions:
- In 846 the Mohammedans raided Rome.
- In 711 the Mohammedans took city after city in Spain, which they retained until King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella retook the Alhambra in 1492.
- In 732 the Mohammedans would have conquered Western Europe, had not the Franks under Charles Martel "The Hammer" (Carolus Martellus) beaten their immense army in the battle of Tours.
- In 1565 the Mohammedans tried to conquer Malta, but were defeated by the Catholic forces.
- On October 7, 1571, Pope St. Pius V's admiral defeated a far larger contingent of Mohammedans in the Battle of Lepanto.
- On September 11, 1683, Poland's great military leader, and later king, John III (Sobieski), commanding a woefully outnumbered Christian army mustered by Pope Innocent XI, stormed the enemy camp of the Mohammedans and miraculously routed the Muslim invaders in Vienna.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
The great St. Antony, the abbot who had spent long years in the desert, passing whole nights in prayer and performing severe penances, aware of how important the virtue of humility is in the spiritual life, asked God to make him profoundly humble.
In answer to his prayer, the Almighty directed him to visit two ladies in the neighboring city, who though simple and unpretentious in their manner of life, were, so God told Antony, holier than he who had spent long years in the practice of rigorous penance and unceasing prayer.
On entering their home, the Saint sought to discover the secret of such remarkable holiness; he asked them many questions as to the fasts they made, the length of their prayers, their austerities and the like, so that he might imitate them.
He was not a little surprised to learn that they did nothing exceptional. They observed the fasts of the Church; they said their prayers devoutly; they gave what little alms they could afford; they frequented the Sacraments, heard daily Mass and practiced the ordinary Christian virtues.
What impressed the Saint most was that they loved God very simply but very sincerely. God was the great reality in their lives. They did all their actions for love of Him. They performed their daily duties, seeing God in all they did.
They accepted what happened to them, joys as well as sorrows, as coming directly from His hand.
That was all, but it sufficed to explain to the Saint the secret of their wonderful sanctity, viz., they performed their duties well and they loved God. There are thousands of such hidden, ordinary saints in the Church now, as there have been at all times.
*******************************************************************
Thursday, September 22, 2016
"Let us ask God every day and in every prayer we ever say to make us love Him. Let us offer every good act we do that He may give us this, the greatest of all graces, His blessed love. In our morning prayers and evening prayers, in our Rosary, at Mass, in our Communions, let it be our first, our most earnest petition, that we may love God. Let us never say any prayer in which this is not our outstanding wish and intention." - Rev. Fr. Paul O'Sullivan. An Easy Way To Become A Saint, 1943
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
In keeping with Father Bernard's excellent sermon on Sunday about the coming persecution, here is a story about some real martyrs. May God grant all of us the grace to persevere no matter what may come our way!!
Les Martyrs du Viêt-Nam
From 1625 to 1886 between 130,000 and 300,000 Catholic men, women, and children died during the persecutions in Tonkin, Cochinchina and Annam in modern-day Vietnam. The tortures these individuals underwent were among the worst in the history of Christian martyrdom. The means included cutting off limbs joint by joint, ripping living bodies with red hot tongs, and use of drugs to enslave the minds of the victims. Christians at the time were branded on the face with the words ta dao (false religion) and families and villages which subscribed to Christianity were obliterated.
Les Martyrs du Viêt-Nam
From 1625 to 1886 between 130,000 and 300,000 Catholic men, women, and children died during the persecutions in Tonkin, Cochinchina and Annam in modern-day Vietnam. The tortures these individuals underwent were among the worst in the history of Christian martyrdom. The means included cutting off limbs joint by joint, ripping living bodies with red hot tongs, and use of drugs to enslave the minds of the victims. Christians at the time were branded on the face with the words ta dao (false religion) and families and villages which subscribed to Christianity were obliterated.
Among the 117
were 96 Vietnamese and 21 foreign missionaries. Of the Vietnamese group
were 37 priests and 59 lay people, among whom were catechists and
tertiaries. One of them was a woman, mother of six. Of the missionaries
was 11 Spaniards; 6 bishops and 5 priests, all Dominicans, and 10 were
French; 2 bishops and 8 priests from Société des Missions Etrangères in
Paris. 76 were beheaded, 21 suffocated, 6 burnt alive, 5 mutilated and 9
died in prison as a result of torture.
The 117 martyrs were beatified in four groups, the first of them on 27 May 1900 (Pope Leo XIII), the second (all Dominicans) on 20 May 1906, a third on 2 May 1909 (both by Pope Pius X) and the last (including two Spanish bishops) on 29 April 1951 (Pope Pius XII).
The 117 martyrs were beatified in four groups, the first of them on 27 May 1900 (Pope Leo XIII), the second (all Dominicans) on 20 May 1906, a third on 2 May 1909 (both by Pope Pius X) and the last (including two Spanish bishops) on 29 April 1951 (Pope Pius XII).
Monday, September 19, 2016
ST. JANUARIUS AND COMPANIONS
At Pozzuoli in Campania, the holy martyrs Januarius, bishop of Benevento; Festus, his deacon, and Desiderius, a lector, together with Sosius, a deacon of the Church of Miseno; Proculus, deacon of Pozzuoli; Eutychius, and Acutius, who were bound and imprisoned and then beheaded during the reign of Diocletian. The body of St. Januarius was brought to Naples and buried in the church with due honours, where even now the blood of the blessed martyr is kept in a vial, and when placed close to his head is seen to become liquid and bubble up as if it were just taken from his veins.
In Palestine, the holy martyrs Peleus, Nilus, and Elias, bishops in Egypt, with many others of the clergy, who were consumed by fire for the sake of Christ during the persecution of Diocletian.
At Nocera, the birthday of the holy martyrs Felix and Constantia, who suffered under Nero.
Also, the holy martyrs Trophimus, Sabbatius, and Dorymedon, senator, under Emperor Probus. By command of the governor Atticus at Antioch, Sabbatius was scourged until he expired. Trophimus was sent to the governor Perennius at Synnada, where he and the senator Dorymedon completed their martyrdom by being beheaded after enduring many torments.
At Eleutheropolis in Palestine, St. Susanna, virgin and martyr. She was the daughter of Arthemius, a pagan priest, and of Martha, a Jewish woman, and after the death of her parents she was converted to the Christian faith. For this she was tortured in various ways, and cast in prison by the prefect Alexander, and there gave up her spirit while at prayer.
At Cordova in Spain, St. Pomposa, virgin and martyr. Because of her fearless witness to Christ she was beheaded in the Arab persecution, and thus obtained the palm of martyrdom.
At Canterbury, the holy bishop Theodore, who was sent to England by Pope Vitalian, and who was renowned for learning and holiness.
At Tours in France, St. Eustochius, bishop, a man of great virtue.
In the diocese of Langres, St. Sequanus, priest and confessor.
At Barcelona in Spain, blessed Mary de Cervellione, virgin, of the Order of Our Lady of Ransom. She is commonly called Mary of Help on account of the prompt assistance she renders to those who invoke her.
In the village of Druelle, in the diocese of Rodez in France, St. Marie Guillemette Emilie de Rodat, virgin, and foundress of the Congregation of Sisters of the Holy Family, which was established to teach poor and orphaned girls. Pius XII added her name to the number of holy virgins.
And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
R. Thanks be to God.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
The Mother of Mercy
Devotion to the sorrows of Mary should be practiced especially by souls
who wish to rid themselves of sinful habits. This devotion nourishes the
spirit of compunction, affords great consolation, strengthens confidence in
God's mercy, draws down the special protection of the Blessed Mother in the
hour of temptation, and preserves the converted sinner from relapsing into
sin.
The Mother of God once said to her faithful servant St. Bridget: "No
matter how numerous a person's sins may be, if he turns to me with a
sincere purpose of amendment I am prepared forthwith to receive him
graciously, for I do not regard the number of sins he has committed, but
look only upon the dispositions with which he comes to me; for I feel no
aversion in healing his wounds, because I am called and am in truth the
Mother of Mercy."
"Poor abandoned sinners," exclaims St. Alphonsus Liguori, "do not
despair! Raise your eyes to Mary and be comforted, trusting in the clemency
of this good Mother. For she will rescue you from the shipwreck you have
suffered and conduct you to the haven of salvation."
The Mother of Sorrows likewise lends her gracious assistance in
bringing back to the True Fold those who, unhappily, have been separated
from the household of the Faith.
The great apostleship of prayer which was organized in England for the
conversion of that country invoked Mary as the Mother of Sorrows. The
fruits of that society were formerly so great that annually ten thousand or
more Protestants returned to the True Fold. Anyone who will but try this
devotion will experience that the Blessed Virgin will not leave a single
Hail Mary unrewarded.
Those who implore her aid in virtue of her sufferings may confidently
expect her assistance. It seems that this devotion is destined by Heaven to
avert God's punishment from sinful mankind, or at least to mitigate it.
Devotion to the sorrows of Mary should be practiced especially by souls
who wish to rid themselves of sinful habits. This devotion nourishes the
spirit of compunction, affords great consolation, strengthens confidence in
God's mercy, draws down the special protection of the Blessed Mother in the
hour of temptation, and preserves the converted sinner from relapsing into
sin.
The Mother of God once said to her faithful servant St. Bridget: "No
matter how numerous a person's sins may be, if he turns to me with a
sincere purpose of amendment I am prepared forthwith to receive him
graciously, for I do not regard the number of sins he has committed, but
look only upon the dispositions with which he comes to me; for I feel no
aversion in healing his wounds, because I am called and am in truth the
Mother of Mercy."
"Poor abandoned sinners," exclaims St. Alphonsus Liguori, "do not
despair! Raise your eyes to Mary and be comforted, trusting in the clemency
of this good Mother. For she will rescue you from the shipwreck you have
suffered and conduct you to the haven of salvation."
The Mother of Sorrows likewise lends her gracious assistance in
bringing back to the True Fold those who, unhappily, have been separated
from the household of the Faith.
The great apostleship of prayer which was organized in England for the
conversion of that country invoked Mary as the Mother of Sorrows. The
fruits of that society were formerly so great that annually ten thousand or
more Protestants returned to the True Fold. Anyone who will but try this
devotion will experience that the Blessed Virgin will not leave a single
Hail Mary unrewarded.
Those who implore her aid in virtue of her sufferings may confidently
expect her assistance. It seems that this devotion is destined by Heaven to
avert God's punishment from sinful mankind, or at least to mitigate it.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
The Consoler of the Suffering Souls
Dominica Clara of the Holy Cross, who died in the reputation of
sanctity in 1897, was often favored with apparitions of the souls in
Purgatory. One of these souls told the servant of God that she (the soul)
owed her salvation solely to her devotion to the sorrows of Mary. Her life
had been so wicked that without a special grace from God she could not
possibly have been saved, but Mary leaves nothing unrewarded that is done
in her honor.
During life this person had felt a tender compassion for the Mother of
Sorrows, and whenever she beheld an image representing the Dolorous Mother,
she prayed the Hail Mary seven times in her honor. She admitted, however,
that often she had practiced this devotion more from custom than from
interior devotion; for her pious mother had implanted it so deeply in her
heart that, despite her wayward life, she had always remained faithful to
it. As a reward for this slight veneration, the Mother of God showed
special maternal solicitude for her at the hour of death, recalling to her
mind the image of her Seven Sorrows in so vivid a manner that in her last
moments the penitent was seized with most profound contrition for her
sinful life. For this reason she obtained the remission of all her sins.
According to the information imparted by this soul, the sorrow she felt
for her sins, through the intercession of the Mother of Sorrows, was so
great that it expiated not only her sins but also a great part of the
temporal punishment due to them. In addition to this incomparably great
grace, the soul, while in Purgatory, was consoled by frequent visits of the
Mother of God, each of which mitigated her sufferings. Her torments ceased
entirely during the time the Blessed Virgin was personally present.
Thousands and thousands of souls, she asserted, who had not committed
one twentieth as much evil as she, were eternally lost. "Ah," she
exclaimed, "how lively are my sentiments of gratitude when I consider what
our dear Heavenly Mother did for me in the last moments of my life! Had it
not been for Mary, I too should have shared the fate of the reprobates. For
all eternity shall my tongue proclaim the love, the goodness, the
solicitude of this sweet Virgin; unceasingly shall my voice glorify her
with canticles of praise and thanksgiving."
Dominica Clara of the Holy Cross writes further that many who are
especially devoted to the Sorrowful Mother are scarcely detained in
Purgatory at all, and are deprived only for a short time of the vision of
God.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
"Once as St Teresa of Avila was traveling to one of her convents she was knocked off her donkey and fell into the mud, injuring her leg.
"Lord," she said, "You couldn't have picked a worse time for this to happen. Why would You let this happen?"
A voice from heaven replied, "That is how I treat My friends."
She answered, "If this is the way You treat Your friends, it's no wonder why You have so few!"
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
The woman in this story was a 3rd Order Franciscan Tertiary. This happened in Pestigo, Wisconsin at the same time as the Great Chicago Fire.
Her name was Adele Brise and according to the story, she started a chapter of Third Order Franciscans but she never took vows as a religious. Everyone called her "Sister" and her life story is very fascinating. Here is another story about her .
This fire was devastating to this small town but was completely ignored by the media because of the Chicago Fire. The Blessed Mother actually appeared to her as a young girl and told her to teach the young children about the Catholic faith. So she actually went from home to home teaching the children. This is a story that we should look at very carefully today since we should be doing the same thing with the children in our parishes and our families!
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