Sunday Within the Octave of Christmas-Bishop Bonaventure, OFM
Here are the lyrics for the hymn "Salve Regina":

Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiæ,

vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.

ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ,

ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes

in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos

misericordes oculos ad nos converte;

et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,

nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.

O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

Here is a link to St. Alphonsus' Treatise on Prayer

Sunday Within the Octave of Christmas - Fr. Joseph, OFM

Holy Mass from Our Lady of the Rosary - Fr. Bernard, OFM 

Midnight Mass 2012 from Rochester, NY - Bishop Bonaventure OFM DD

Audio Sermon for December 15- Bishop Giles, OFM DD 
Third Sunday in Advent- Bishop Giles, OFM DD 
4th Sunday in Advent - Bishop Giles, OFM DD 
Midnight Mass - Bishop Giles, OFM, DD 
Christmas Morning - Bishop Giles, OFM DD 

4th Sunday in Advent - Fr. Joseph, OFM 
Christmas, 2012 - Fr. Joseph OFM 

4th Sunday in Advent-Fr. Bernard, OFM 
Midnight Mass - Fr. Bernard, OFM 

CHRISTMAS HYMNS BEFORE HOLY MASS 

BEHOLD a new and wondrous mystery.

My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised.

Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed; He had the power; He descended; He redeemed; all things yielded in obedience to God. This day He Who is, is Born; and He Who is, becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassability, remaining unchanged.

And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, nor Dominations, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb.

Since this heavenly birth cannot be described, neither does His coming amongst us in these days permit of too curious scrutiny. Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech.

For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him who works.

What shall I say to you; what shall I tell you? I behold a Mother who has brought forth; I see a Child come to this light by birth. The manner of His conception I cannot comprehend.

Nature here rested, while the Will of God labored. O ineffable grace! The Only Begotten, Who is before all ages, Who cannot be touched or be perceived, Who is simple, without body, has now put on my body, that is visible and liable to corruption. For what reason? That coming amongst us he may teach us, and teaching, lead us by the hand to the things that men cannot see. For since men believe that the eyes are more trustworthy than the ears, they doubt of that which they do not see, and so He has deigned to show Himself in bodily presence, that He may remove all doubt.

Christ, finding the holy body and soul of the Virgin, builds for Himself a living temple, and as He had willed, formed there a man from the Virgin; and, putting Him on, this day came forth; unashamed of the lowliness of our nature.

For it was to Him no lowering to put on what He Himself had made. Let that handiwork be forever glorified, which became the cloak of its own Creator. For as in the first creation of flesh, man could not be made before the clay had come into His hand, so neither could this corruptible body be glorified, until it had first become the garment of its Maker.

What shall I say! And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of days has become an infant. He Who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger. And He Who cannot be touched, Who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject to the hands of men. He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infants bands. But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness.

For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit that He may save me.

Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been Ўin planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels.

Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He became Flesh. He did not become God. He was God. Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things are nourished, may receive an infants food from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; and the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star.

To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the Father, and to the Holy Spirit, we offer all praise, now and forever. Amen.

St. John Chrysostom Nativity Sermon 386 - First known Christmas Sermon

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Christmas 25 December 2012

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

The angels sing and worship God Himself in the new born Christ child. The angels who are far superior to men, appeared to simple humble shepherds to proclaim the birth of Jesus; the angels guided the Magi with a star; and the angels sang. Even to this day the angels stand beside us to encourage us in the love of God. These heavenly beings want us to realize and to appreciate the tremendous gift that God has given to us in becoming one with us. God chose not to become an angel, rather He chose to become man.

In the Old Testament we see that men bowed down before angels, but after Christ was born the angels refuse to allow men to bow before them, reminding men that they (the angels) are creatures just like men and both must bow before God.

The song of the angels on this day is clear “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to men of good will.” Every true Catholic receives the peace of God. The angelic song however has been methodically distorted. Modernists would have us believe that the angels sang and continue to sing of peace for all men. It is illogical to desire that evil should be rewarded. The angels could never sing of, much less desire an injustice where men of evil or perverse will should obtain peace and joy in Heaven or even in the presence of God on earth. We see in the Gospel of St. John for the Third Mass today that Jesus – The Word – is Light, and was born into the darkness of the world. He came to His own, but His own received Him not. There was not to be any peace for those who refused Him. The peace and the light are only for those who welcome Him and thus become sons of God.

The angels appeared to the shepherds to reveal to them this great joy because the shepherds were humble and receptive of the Light. The proud and worldly were rejected by the angels and God, and so it was not to them that Christ brought peace, nor did the angels sing of peace for these. These poor souls are the darkness that Christ entered among when He came to this earth but St. John informs us that the darkness grasped not the Light. Sin and darkness cannot comprehend the Light. Though Christ came among them they would not receive Him and therefore they made themselves incapable of receiving Him so we can also say that they (the darkness) could not receive the Light. The Modernists have twisted the words and meaning of this angelic song so that everyone (both good and bad) should receive equally a divine grace of peace. This is an idea that is repulsive to reason and justice, as even the smallest of children can see. God’s peace and light is for those who receive Him. The shepherds, the Magi, the poor, the hubmle received Him and His peace and light. The proud and vain rejected Him and continue to this day to reject Him and consequently they reject His peace. We have seen many deliberately false translations of this angelic song, all with the obvious intent to deceive people into denying the justice of God and logically: the punishment of sinners; the eternal damnation of sinners; the very existence of Hell; etc. Many in the world today therefore celebrate the birth not of true God made Man, but rather of a false God made to accommodate the illogical fancies of evil man. They use the name of Jesus but the “Jesus” they worship is not the True One. Their god is not the same Jesus who said: “What God has joined together let not man put asunder;” (Mark 10:9) “He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he that does not believe will be condemned;”(Mark 16:16) “He who does not gather with Me, scatters;” (Luke 11:23) “Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man you shall not have life in you;” (John 6:54) “Unless your justice exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees you will not enter into the Kingdom;” (Matthew 5:20) “Deny yourselves and take up your cross daily and come follow Me;” (Matthew 16:24) etc.

Jesus clearly came to bring a sword and to divide. It is only to a few that His peace comes as we see that it was only a few who came to Him at His birth. Therefore, it is imperative that we make ourselves numbered among these few. In doing this then we may rejoice with the angels, humbly seeking the peace of God in our lives to the extent that we are truly of good will.

Stain Glass Window at Our Lady of the Rosary Waubeka, WI

4th Sunday in Advent - Fr. Joseph, OFM

4th Sunday in Advent-Bishop Bonaventure, OFM DD

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Fourth Sunday of Advent 23 December 2012

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

Once again, this Advent season, our thoughts are directed to St. John the Baptist. Today the approach of Christ is imminent and St. John warns and instructs us in the preparation we must make.

If Jesus is to enter into our hearts and souls we must prepare a way for Him. With the grace of God we must tear down the hills and mountains of pride and vanity; we must fill up the valleys of doubt and unbelief ; we must straighten out the crookedness of evil in our lives; and we must smooth out the rough ways of anger and tempestuousness in our lives. 

When all this is done we will have an appropriate “welcome mat” set out for Christ our King this Christmas Season. The accomplishment of all these things is an impossible task without the grace of God. We must, therefore, do penance, mortifying ourselves; we must pray, begging God’s mercy and assistance; and we must give alms in reparation for our deficiencies. Tobias instructed his son to give alms. “If you have much, give abundantly; if you have little, take care even to bestow willingly a little.” (Tob. 4:9) 

St. Francis of Assisi teaches us that in giving we receive. As much as we open up and offer of ourselves and what we have been given, so much do we make ourselves the beneficiaries of God’s graces and blessings. Pope St. Gregory says: “He who therefore gives temporal aid to those who have spiritual gifts to bestow, is a co-operator in this spiritual giving. For since they are few who possess spiritual gifts, and many abound in temporal things, through this means they who have possessions, partake in the virtue of those who are needy, by relieving, from their own abundance the wants of these sanctified poor.” In St. Matthew we read “He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive the reward of a prophet.” (Mat. 10:41) 

In aiding a prophet we make ourselves participators in his works; and as such we merit the same reward as the prophet. In aiding the poor we make ourselves participators in their prayers, sacrifices, and offerings which they make to God. So the more barren we find ourselves of spiritual goods and the more blessed we find ourselves in material goods, so much the more must we redeem ourselves by almsgiving especially to those who are rich in the spiritual gifts. In this manner we fill up the voids in one another – we complement each other and when we are thus all united as one, we form a whole-single and complete body in Christ. No one is found lacking in anything. Those rich in material things have nothing left over and those poor in these things are not left wanting. The same is true in spiritual works: those who have more share with those who have less. 

We must not forget to also do our part in prayer and penance; we cannot purchase our way into heaven. In prayer we receive the many graces we need to fulfill our other obligations: we express our gratitude for what we have received; we see further what is required of us; and our hearts are opened up with the love of God. In penance we atone for our sins and offences; we are united to Jesus in His Sacrifice on the Cross; we fill up in ourselves that which is lacking on our part for the washing of sins from our souls. With our prayers and penances we come to the aid of one another especially to the aid of the Poor Souls in Purgatory. We build up by all our good works a treasure in Heaven for ourselves and aid and abet others in a similar manner in building up their own treasures. To the extent that others merit a spiritual reward through our efforts, likewise do we gain from their merit – their merit is our merit and our merit becomes their merit. 

When we give to good people we share in their goodness; likewise, if we support or aid evil people in evil we share in their evil deeds. Just as aiding a prophet merits for us a prophet’s reward; so aiding heretics and evil men merits for us the punishment of heretics and evil men. 

Christmas is fast approaching and the time of preparation is running short, let us redeem these last days with an extra effort of prayer, penance, and alms. May we aid and abet one another in every good thing, sharing in one another’s merits and building up the Mystical Body of Christ within ourselves and in each other. In this manner we will open an inviting path for Jesus to enter into our hearts and lives.

She is unique, my dove, my perfect one, her mother's chosen, the favorite of her parent. … The daughters saw her and … declared her most blessed. Song of Solomon 6:9 

The look of Mary, the smile of Mary, the sweetness of Mary, the majesty of Mary, Queen of heaven and earth! Mary's beauty stands out among all other beauties, which pale next to hers. Mary is the most beautiful of God's creatures.

Pope Pius XII (1876-1958AD)

Fr. Martin Von Cochem (1900): “Who can portray the despair of the damned, the rage wherewith in the deep and somber abyss of hell they will seek in their fury to tear and lacerate one another. What words can describe the howls and groans that will re-echo through that place of torment?... Reflect upon this, O reader, reflect upon it often, and do not fritter away thy life in idle pleasures, but look to it that thou save thy soul.”

 

26 And as it came to pass in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. 27 They did eat and drink, they married wives, and were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark: and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it came to pass, in the days of Lot: they did eat and drink, they bought and sold, they planted and built. 29 And in the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man shall be revealed.

Luke 17: 26-30

Marian Vow by
St. Leonard of Port Maurice

“O Most Holy Virgin, already I am at hand and about to receive thine and my Jesus. From thy hands, I propose to receive Him. Hold Him forth to me as thou didst to the shepherds, and the holy kings, and to St. Simeon prepare me to receive Him with love. Give Him to me quickly and pray to Him to fill me with His dearest benediction; and do thou accompany it with thine.”

Holy Mass for Third Sunday in Advent-Fr. Bernard, OFM -Our Lady of the Rosary

Third Sunday in Advent - Video Sermon Bishop Bonaventure, OFM 

A LEGEND OF THE HOLY INFANCY

In the early 1900's an ecclesiastical commission was formed by the
Dominican Order to inquire into the life of Bernard of Morlaas, who
has long been called Blessed, The touching episode from his life here related has been handed down as worthy of credence, in a tradition dating back to 1277.

It is related in the chronicles of the Dominican Order that, between
the years 1250 and 1277 A.D, there lived in the monastery of
Santarem, in Portugal, a holy friar called Bernard. He was a native
of Morlaas, a little village of the Lower Pyrenees, near Paul. At the
age of nineteen he entered the Order, and was sent by his superiors to pursue his studies in Portugal. His student life was one of great
simplicity and innocence; and when, having completed his noviceship, he was ordained priest, he still retained a humble position in the monastery; being assigned to the care of the sacristy, and entrusted with the education of two little boys, who were joblates of the Order.

It was his delight, however, to guide those young souls in the paths
of holiness, and to watch their innocent hearts grow in the love of
God and Our Blessed Lady. No wonder that he found joy in his
occupation; for those boys of his seemed more like angels than human beings. His words of wisdom and piety fell like golden seed upon the richest of soils when he spoke to them of God and heaven, of humility and poverty, of obedience and of purity; and their guileless ways, and their simple, confiding affection, well repaid the lessons he taught, making his task a sweet and easy one.

At the noonday hour and at eventide, when their lessons were ended, those two boys were accustomed to eat their modest meals together, kneeling at a little table, placed before an image of Our Lady with the Divine Infant in her arms; and as they ate they talked together of heavenly things, often raising their eyes to the statue above them, and calling on the little Jesus and His Holy Mother to bless and protect them.

One day, while they were at dinner, Bernard, unknown to them, went to the door of the room where they ate (the statue was in a sort of oratory dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, which served as their refectory), and overheard his little disciples, who were talking most earnestly, and with childlike freedom, to the statue before them.

"Come down from Thy Mother's arms, sweet little Lord, and share our dinner with us. O Blessed Lady, let thy dear Son come down and keep us company for a while! We will give Him the best we have, and then let Him go back to thy arms again. Do come, sweet Jesus! We are your little friends, and we have no companions; come down and eat with us."

And, lo! the Mother's arms opened, her hands unclasped; and her
Divine Child, no longer a mere statue of stone, but a living,
breathing, speaking Child of flesh and blood, radiant with smiles and loving condescension, stepped down to the humble table, and shared the dinner of His two little adorers.

Fancy the amazement and delight of Bernard in the presence of such a miracle of love! Those little ones, so dear to his heart, were
chosen, privileged friends of his Lord and Master; but they were too
simple and childlike, too guileless and innocent, to understand the
wonderful favor and grace which their prayers had gained for them.
With joyful lips, they related to Bernard afterward the event which
he himself had witnessed. They repeated to him the words of their
invitation, and told how kindly the little Jesus had consented to
join them. They were eager to obtain some more choice viand for a
future meal, that they might do honor to their Divine Guest.

Fra Bernard not only pondered their story in the secret of his heart,
with thanksgivings to God for having given him such angelic pupils,
but he made it known to his brethren of the monastery, as evidence of the blessings they would bring to the community. The following day he said to his little friends (for he meant to encourage their
miraculous intercourse):
"When the Divine Child comes to dine with you the next time, ask Him to let you eat with Him some day in His Father's house."

With all simplicity, they did as Bernard told them; and related to
him afterward that the Child Jesus had given them an invitation to
dine in His Father's house on the next great feast day that should be
celebrated in the monastery.

"But," said Bernard, "one thing has been forgotten: you must tell the Divine Child that you cannot dine out of the community without your preceptor's permission; and that you would like to have Fra Bernard included in the invitation."

Great, therefore, was his joy when his pupils told him that he also
was to share in this wonderful favor.

Three days later was the Feast of the Ascension. Bernard said Mass,
and the little fellows served it as usual, and received Holy
Communion. When Mass was ended the three devoted friends, master and pupils, knelt together at the foot of the altar to make their thanksgiving. They were so rapt in holy joy that they did not observe how long they prayed-at least so the brethren of the community thought; but when more than an hour had passed, and they still showed no disposition to leave the chapel, the superior sent a friar to tell them that they had prayed long enough: it was now time for them to breakfast and go to daily duties.

They did not answer the call; when it was repeated, they still
remained silent, absorbed, apparently, in their devotions. The friar
touched Bernard on the shoulder, but he did not move; nor did the
children stir when he pulled them by the sleeves. Could they be
asleep kneeling at their prayers? Finally, looking into their faces,
he found that their gaze was fixed upon the altar; but it was the
gaze of death: they had gone together to banquet with the Infant
Jesus in the heavenly home of His Eternal Father.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Third Sunday of Advent 16 December 2012

The Sunday Sermon

Fourth Sunday in Advent Christmas

Dear Friends,

The same St. John the Baptist that we heard Christ exalt in last week’s Gospel, we hear profoundly humbling himself in today’s Gospel. He says of himself that he is but a voice crying in the wilderness. The voice precedes the Word (in time, but not in eternity) and is nothing without the Word. Just as sound comes before meaningful words, so St. John precedes Jesus. Likewise, St. John is nothing without Jesus. St. John also says of himself that he is not even worthy to perform the humblest of tasks for Our Lord, i.e. not even worthy to loosen the strap of His shoes.

Jesus has made it clear what we are to learn from Him: “Learn of Me because I am meek and humble of heart” (Matt 11:29) This St. John already knew and understood. The Jews esteemed St. John and were ready to accept him as the prophet, or Elias, or even as the Christ. St. John led a very exact and perfect life in the eyes of all men; there were none that would find fault with him. He was of royal and priestly ancestry yet, he set all that at naught to live a life of mortification and penance in the wilderness, eating locusts and honey; and clothed in coarse garments girdled by a leather belt.

Christ by comparison was born from humble ancestry. His foster father was a poor humble carpenter. Christ ate and drank publicly and fed multitudes. It was in part because of these differences that the Jews esteemed St. John but rejected Christ. St. John rightly rejected the esteem of men and the world and whole heartily embraced humility. We see clearly in this that the esteem of the world and men is not to be sought after or even considered; it is as Solomon tells us: “vanity of vanity and all is vanity,” (Ecc 1:2). It is not the judgment of the world that we have to please, or even our own self judgment, but it is God who judges and it is Him that we must please.

St. Gregory admonishes us: “… we should note and ponder with careful thought, how holy men of God, in order to safeguard themselves in humility, when they know many things well, endeavor to keep before their minds that which they do not know, so that on the one hand, they remind themselves of their own limitations, and on the other, they are not raised above themselves because of those things in which their mind is accomplished. Knowledge indeed is virtue, but humility is the guardian of virtue. For the future then, let you be humble in your minds with regard to whatever you may know, lest what the virtue of knowledge has stored the wind of vanity may carry off. When therefore, Dearest Brethren, you do any good, ever recall to memory the sins you may have committed, so that while you are discreetly mindful of the evil you may have done, your mind will never indiscreetly rejoice over the good you do. Let each esteem his neighbor as better than himself, especially those who are strange to you, even those whom you see do that which is wrong, because you know not the good that may be hidden in them. Let each one seek to be worthy of esteem, yet let him be as if he knew not that he was, lest haughtily claiming esteem, he lose it.

Hence was it also said by the prophet: ‘Woe to you that are wise in your own eyes, and prudent in your own conceits’ (Is. 5:21). Hence likewise St. Paul says: ‘be not wise in your own conceits’ (Rom 12:16). Against Saul who had grown proud, was it said; ‘when thou wast a little one in thine own eyes, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel’ (I Kings 15:17); as if it were openly said: when you looked upon yourself as but a youth, I raised you above others, but because you now look upon yourself as a great man, by Me you are regarded as a child.

David on the contrary, holding as nothing the dignity of his kingship, danced before the ark of the covenant, saying: ‘I will both play and make myself meaner than I have done: and I will be little in my own eyes’ (II Kings 6:22). Whom it hath not exalted to break the jaws of lions, to overcome the strength of bears, to be chosen while his elder brothers are set aside, to be anointed in the place of the rejected king, to lay low with one stone the warrior dreaded by all, to bring back the number of foreskins desired by the king, having avenged the kings enemies, to receive a kingdom by promise, to possess the whole Israelite people without challenge (I Kings 17:37; II Kings 12:7; I Kings 17:25,28,49; II Kings 7: 12,16) yet with all this he despised himself, and confessed that he was but little in his own eyes.

If therefore holy men, even when they do mighty things, think themselves worthless, what must be said of those who, without fruit of virtue, are yet swollen with pride? But any works, although they be good, are as nothing unless seasoned with humility. A great deed done boastfully, lowers rather than uplifts a man. He who would gather virtue without humility, carries dust in the wind; and where he seems to possess something, from the same is he blinded and made worse.

In all things whatsoever, Dearest Brethren, that you do, hold fast to humility, as to the root of every good work. Pay not heed to the things in which you are better than others, but to those in which you are worse; so that while you keep before you the example of those that are better than yourself, you may, through humility, be enabled to ascend to greater things, by the bountiful mercy of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

IN HONOR OF OUR NEW GRANDCHILD LUCY ANNE SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE ON FEBRUARY 4, 2013.  WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PATRON YOU WILL HAVE LITTLE GIRL!

Saint Lucy (283–304), also known as Saint Lucia or Santa Lucia, was a wealthy young Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican, Lutheran, and Orthodox Christians. Her feast day in the West is 13 December; with a name derived from Lux, Lucis meaning "Light", as she is the patron saint of those who are blind. Saint Lucy is one of the few saints celebrated by members of the Lutheran Church among the Scandinavian peoples, who take part in Saint Lucy's Day celebrations that retain many elements of Germanic paganism.
Saint Lucy is one of seven women, aside from the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. Hagiography states that Lucy was a Christian martyr during the Diocletian persecution. She consecrated her virginity to God through pious works^[3] refused to marry a pagan betrothed, and had her wedding dowry distributed to the poor. Her betrothed pagan groom denounced her as a Christian to the governor of Syracuse, Sicily. Miraculously unable to move her or burn her, the guards took out her eyes with a fork. In another version, Lucy's betrothed admired her eyes, so she tore them out and gave them to him, saying, "Now let me live to God".

The oldest record of her story comes from the fifth-century accounts of saints' lives.^[3] By the 6th century, her story was widespread, so that she appears in the Sacramentary of Pope Gregory I.^[4] At the opening of the 8th century Aldhelm included a brief account of her life among the virgins praised in De laude virginitatis, and in the following century the Venerable Bede included her in his Martyrology.^[5] In medieval accounts, Saint Lucy's eyes are gouged out prior to her execution. In art, her eyes sometimes appear on a tray that she is holding.
Until 1861 relics of Saint Lucy were venerated in a church dedicated to her in Venice; after its demolition, they were transferred to the church of San Geremia.
The Roman Catholic calendar of saints formerly had a commemoration of Saints Lucy and Geminianus on 16 September. This was removed in 1969, as a duplication of the feast of her dies natalis on 13 December and because the Geminianus in question, mentioned in the Passio of Saint Lucy, seems to be a merely fictitious figure,^[2] unrelated to the Geminianus whose feast is on 31 January.

The original tilma worn by Juan Diego still hangs above the altar in the Basílica.  Venerated by millions of pilgrams, the maguey cactus fiber tilma shows no wear after 477 years.

CONFIRMATION ON THE FEAST OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE - BISHOP BONAVENTURE, OFM FROM OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY PARISH

Ignatius of Antioch:

Follow your bishop, every one of you, as obediently as Jesus Christ followed the Father. Obey your clergy too as you would the apostles; give your deacons the same reverence that you would to a command of God. Make sure that no step affecting the Church is ever taken by anyone without the bishop’s sanction. The sole Eucharist you should consider valid is one that is celebrated by the bishop himself, or by some person authorized by him. Where the bishop is to be seen, there let all his people be; just as, wherever Jesus Christ is present, there is the Catholic Church (Letter to the Smyrneans 8:2 [A.D. 110]).

In like manner let everyone respect the deacons as they would respect Jesus Christ, and just as they respect the bishop as a type of the Father, and the presbyters as the council of God and college of the apostles. Without these, it cannot be called a Church. I am confident that you accept this, for I have received the exemplar of your love and have it with me in the person of your bishop. His very demeanor is a great lesson and his meekness is his strength. I believe that even the godless do respect him (Letter to the Trallians 3:1-2 [A. D. 110]).

2nd Sunday in Advent - Bishop Giles, OFM

2nd Sunday in Advent - Bishop Bonaventure, OFM 

Holy Mass - 2nd Sunday in Advent - Fr. Bernard, OFM



  

Audio Sermon for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception - Fr. Joseph OFM

Feast of the Immaculate Conception - Video Sermon Bishop Bonaventure, OFM 

Feast of the Immaculate Conception - Bishop Giles, OFM 

Holy Mass - Feast of the Immaculate Conception-Fr. Bernard OFM 

 

Read this article but think about the Blessed Mother and Our Lord while reading it. Here is a case where science definitely proves dogma!

Here I turn to you for a moment, dear Jesus, to complain lovingly to your divine Majesty that the majority of Christians, and even some of the most learned among them, do not recognize the necessary bond that unites you and your Blessed Mother. Lord, you are always with Mary and Mary is always with you. She can never be without you because then she would cease to be what she is. She is so completely transformed into you by grace that she no longer lives, she no longer exists, because you alone, dear Jesus, live and reign in her more perfectly than in all the angels and saints. If we only knew the glory and the love given to you by this wonderful creature, our feelings for you and for her would be far different from those we have now. So intimately is she united to you that it would be easier to separate light from the sun, and heat from the fire. I go further, it would even be easier to separate all the angels and saints from you than Mary; for she loves you ardently, and glorifies you more perfectly than all your other creatures put together.  True Devotion to Mary

First Sunday in Advent - Video Sermon Bishop Bonaventure, OFM

First Sunday in Advent - Audio Sermon Bishop Giles, OFM
All Souls of the Seraphic Order - Bishop Giles, OFM

First Sunday in Advent - Fr. Joseph, OFM

Day of wrath and doom impending, David’s word with Sibyl’s blending, Heaven and earth in ashes ending!

Oh, what fear man's bosom rendeth, When from heaven the Judge descendeth, On whose sentence all dependeth.

Wondrous sound the trumpet flingeth; Through earth's sepulchres it ringeth; All before the throne it bringeth.

Death is struck, and nature quaking, All creation is awaking, To its Judge an answer making.

Lo! the book, exactly worded, Wherein all hath been recorded: Thence shall judgment be awarded.

When the Judge his seat attaineth, And each hidden deed arraigneth, Nothing unavenged remaineth.

What shall I, frail man, be pleading? Who for me be interceding, When the just are mercy needing?

King of Majesty tremendous, Who dost free salvation send us, Fount of pity, then befriend us!

Think, kind Jesu! -my salvation Caused thy wondrous Incarnation; Leave me not to reprobation!

Faint and weary, thou hast sought me, On the Cross of suffering bought me. Shall such grace be vainly brought me?

Righteous Judge! for sin's pollution Grant Thy gift of absolution, Ere the day of retribution.

Guilty, now I pour my moaning, All my shame with anguish owning; Spare, O God, thy suppliant groaning!

Through the sinful woman shriven, Through the dying thief forgiven, Thou to me a hope hast given.

Worthless are my prayers and sighing, Yet, good Lord, in grace complying, Rescue me from fires undying!

With Thy sheep a place provide me, From the goats afar divide me, To Thy right hand do thou guide me.

While the wicked are confounded, Doomed to flames of woe unbounded Call me with thy saints surrounded.

Low I kneel, with heart submission, See, like ashes, my contrition; Help me in my last condition.

Ah! that day of tears and mourning! From the dust of earth returning Man for judgment must prepare him; Spare, O God, in mercy spare him!

Lord, all-pitying, Jesus blest, Grant them thine eternal rest. Amen.

CHAPTER VII
HOW ST FRANCIS PASSED THE TIME OF LENT IN AN ISLAND, ON THE LAKE OF PERUGIA, WHERE HE FASTED FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS, EATING NO MORE THAN HALF OF ONE LOAF
The true servant of Christ, St Francis, was in certain things like unto a second Christ given to the world for the salvation of souls. Wherefore God the Father willed that in many points he should be conformed to his Son, Jesus Christ, as we have already explained in the calling of his twelve companions, as also in the mystery of the holy stigmata, and in a fast of forty days which he made in the manner following:
St Francis, one day of the Carnival, was near the Lake of Perugia, in the house of one of his devout children, with whom he had spent the night, when he was inspired by God to go and pass the time of Lent in an island on the lake. Wherefore St Francis begged his friend, for the love of God, to convey him in his boat to an island uninhabited by man: the which he should do during the night of Ash-Wednesday, so that none might know where he was; and the friend, because of the great devotion he bore to St Francis, agreed to his request, and conveyed him to the said island, St Francis taking with him naught but two small loaves. When they had reached the island, his friend left him and returned home; the saint earnestly entreating him to reveal to no one where he was, and not to come and fetch him before Holy Thursday; to which he consented. St Francis being left alone, and there being no dwelling in the island in which he could take shelter, entered into a thick part of the wood all overgrown with brambles and other creeping plants, and forming as it were a kind of hut, there he began to pray and enter into the contemplation of divine things. And there he passed the whole of Lent without drinking or eating save half of one of the small loaves he had taken with him, as we learned from his friend who, going to fetch him on Holy Thursday, found one of the loaves untouched and the other only half consumed. It is believed that St Francis ate this half out of reverence for our Blessed Lord, who fasted forty days and forty nights without taking any material food; for by eating this bit of bread he put aside the temptation to vainglory, and yet fasted forty days and forty nights in imitation of the Saviour. In later times God worked many miracles, through the merits of the saint, on the spot where St Francis had fasted so wonderfully, on which account people began to build houses and dwell there, and little by little a town rose up, with a convent called the Convent of the Isle; and to this day the inhabitants of that town hold in great respect and great devotion the spot in which St Francis passed the time of Lent.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals First Sunday of Advent 2 December 2012

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

St. Ambrose, speaking on today’s Gospel tells us that there will be many apostatizing from Christianity: “the brightness of the faith will be dimmed by this cloud of apostasy . . . And as in the monthly eclipse the moon, by reason of the earth coming between it and the sun, disappears from view, so likewise the Holy Church, when the vices of the flesh stand in the way of the celestial light, can no longer borrow the splendor of His divine light from the Sun of Christ. And in the persecution it was invariably the love of this life that stood in the path of the Divine Sun. And also the stars, that is, men surrounded by the praise of their fellow Christians, shall fall, as the bitterness of persecution mounts up; which must however come to pass, until the number of the faithful is made up; for so the good are proved and the weak made known.” Jesus came the first time to save our souls this second coming that we are awaiting will be for our bodies. Those who have not allowed the darkness of this earth to block out the light of faith in their souls will find their bodies raised into a glorious state at the return of Christ. This earth and all the things of this earth were all created good and are good. It is because of the disorder in our souls that we take these good things and find them to be an evil for us. Food and drink are good things, but when the disorder of gluttony and drunkenness reign in us, they very easily turn into evils for us. Property and money are good in themselves, but when the disorder of greed and avarice reign in a soul they become evil for that soul. Marriage and physical reproduction are good things but when the disorders of lust or perversity reign in a soul they become evil.

As long as we allow the light of God to shine upon us and this world everything is good for us. We see and use everything in its proper place and measure. All of creation draws us toward our Creator. We are not bound or overcome by things; we use them without becoming attached to them; or as St. Paul advises us: we use them as if we used them not.

The problem is when we look at these good creatures and hold on to or pursue them for themselves and not as a means to God. This earth and everything earthly is only a means to an end. The end is God, the means are the physical world. The destination is Heaven and the highway is this earth. This earth is not our home so it is a disorder to stop our pursuit or travels towards our Heavenly home, seeking to find our home and happiness where it is not. It is like a man who would work and build himself a nice home in the best of locations and adorn it with the best of furnishings, but then decide he preferred living in the backyard exposed to the elements without ever enjoying the house and furnishings.

Many never enter into our heavenly home because they become so distracted by the beauty of the landscape of this earth. It is beautiful and very pleasant, but it is not home. The beauty and joy of the back yard can never compare to the beauty, comfort, and joy of the Heavenly Mansions. Those who make a god out of “nature” or this earth or seek their happiness from anything else in this earth are very short sighted. Focused upon the material things their eyes have grown dark to the spiritual ones that are right in front of them and all around them.

In this disorder of ours, God shows us His mercy. He places difficulties and inconveniences in all these things. We always find these things incomplete or lacking in something. We see all these things deteriorating right in our hands before our very eyes. While many complain of this, we should actually be grateful to God for all these “problems” as they are meant to lift our eyes and hearts higher to better things.

The cross of this earth, causes us suffering and pain, but this earth is also pleasant and beautiful. It is this mixed state of being both a joy and comfort while still being a burden and pain that leads us step by step towards a greater world in eternity. If we focus our hearts and eyes only upon creatures, they become dark and clouded to God and things eternal. The creatures are seen in a splendid light and God is seen as cloudy darkness. The opposite is true if we focus our hearts and eyes upon God, for then all the things of this earth lose their brightness and attraction.

This Advent we are to look forward and prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ. As we focus our eyes upon Christ’s second coming we necessarily must lose relish for the things of this earth, we sacrifice these lesser things in this attempt to fill up what we sacrifice with a yearning desire for eternal things. Instead of accumulating things of this earth and looking for our happiness in them, we begin or continue to build up treasures in Heaven.

St. Gregory tells us: “They therefore, who love God, are bidden to be glad, and to rejoice, because of the end of the world; since soon they will meet Him Whom they love, and that is passing away which they have never loved. Far be it then from any of the faithful who desire to see God that they should grieve over the stricken world. which we must know will end in these catastrophes. For it is written: ‘Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becometh an enemy of God.’ (Jn 4:4) Who therefore does not rejoice at the approaching end of this world, testifies that he is its friend, and by this he is revealed as an enemy of God.”

 From Father Bernard's sermon last Sunday-it bears repeating:

  If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not?  1 John 4:20

TADDEO DI BARTOLO
(b. 1362/63, Siena, d. 1422, Siena)
The painting depicts the Virgin Mary, St. John the Baptist and St. Andrew

BEGIN YOUR CHRISTMAS NOVENA TODAY!

Last Sunday after Pentecost: Bishop Bonaventure, OFM

Last Sunday after Pentecost: Bishop Giles, OFM

Last Sunday after Pentecost: Fr. Joseph, OFM

Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: Fr. Bernard, OFM 

St. John of the Cross  -  Spanish mystic, Carmelite friar and priest

Source: Wikipedia

Born in Spain in 1542, John learned the importance of self-sacrificing love from his parents. His father gave up wealth, status, and comfort when he married a weaver's daughter and was disowned by his noble family. After his father died, his mother kept the destitute family together as they wandered homeless in search of work. These were the examples of sacrifice that John followed with his own great love -- God. 

When the family finally found work, John still went hungry in the middle of the wealthiest city in Spain. At fourteen, John took a job caring for hospital patients who suffered from incurable diseases and madness. It was out of this poverty and suffering, that John learned to search for beauty and happiness not in the world, but in God. 

After John joined the Carmelite order, Saint Teresa of Avila asked him to help her reform movement. John supported her belief that the order should return to its life of prayer. But many Carmelites felt threatened by this reform, and some members of John's own order kidnapped him. He was locked in a cell six feet by ten feet and beaten three times a week by the monks. There was only one tiny window high up near the ceiling. Yet in that unbearable dark, cold, and desolation, his love and faith were like fire and light. He had nothing left but God -- and God brought John his greatest joys in that tiny cell. 

After nine months, John escaped by unscrewing the lock on his door and creeping past the guard. Taking only the mystical poetry he had written in his cell, he climbed out a window using a rope made of strips of blankets. With no idea where he was, he followed a dog to civilization. He hid from pursuers in a convent infirmary where he read his poetry to the nuns. From then on his life was devoted to sharing and explaining his experience of God's love.

His life of poverty and persecution could have produced a bitter cynic. Instead it gave birth to a compassionate mystic, who lived by the beliefs that "Who has ever seen people persuaded to love God by harshness?" and "Where there is no love, put love -- and you will find love." 

John left us many books of practical advice on spiritual growth and prayer that are just as relevant today as they were then. These books include: Ascent of Mount Carmel , Dark Night of the Soul and A Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and the Bridegroom Christ .

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Twenty-Sixth (Last) Sunday after Pentecost 25 November 2012

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

Today we consider our end. What is presented in today’s Gospel refers both to the destruction of Jerusalem that has already taken place and prophetically to the end of time. Let us today consider the prophetic side and how it applies to us. We may consider the end of this world or our own mortal end. In either case time will cease for us at that moment. Christ will come for us individually in the Particular Judgment or collectively in the General Judgment. 

When He comes we need not search Him out, He will appear without doubt. For the good, those who love Him, it will be a time of great joy; for the evil, those who have loved something else, it will be a time of great fear.

This prophetic side of the Gospel tells us how we should behave. Only a fool would see all the signs and then pretend that these are not the signs. We see such foolishness all around today in so many “traditionalists” that see the “abomination of desolation standing in the Holy Place,” (The Novus Ordo religion that has invaded and usurped the property and position of the Roman Catholic Church.) but still refuse to flee from this impostor who practices ecumenical harlotry with all the other false religions and “gods” in the world today. 

If we have left this house of evil, we must never turn back to retrieve anything from her. Whatever we have left there is lost to us. It matters not whether we are on the roof top or in the field, we must flee from this house unconcerned for anything that is left behind: loved ones, family, friends, pleasant experiences etc. Even if there are people as dear to us as an infant at the mother’s breast, we must not allow them to hold us back from racing forward to God. God will have it that we must not allow anyone or anything to be placed in between Him and us. Let us read St. Augustine’s admonition and take heed that we run faithfully and without hesitation: 

“Let us run in love and charity; forgetting the things of time. This way calls for the strong; it will not have the slothful. The robbers of temptation abound. At every turn the devil lies in wait; everywhere he tries to enter in and take possession; and whoever he possesses, he recalls from the way, or impedes him. He recalls him, and then ensures that he does not go forward; or that he turns aside from the way, caught in the snares of false beliefs or in the heresies of schism, or led into some form or other of superstition.” 

“He tempts him through fear or through desire. But first through desire; through promises and pledges or through the allure of pleasures. When he finds a man who despises these things, and has as it were closed the door to desire, he begins to tempt him through the door of fear. If you now wish to gain no more in this world, and so have closed the door; should you still fear to lose what you have, you have not closed the door to fear. So, be strong in faith. Take heed that no man seduce you to evil through some promise; and let no one force you into deception by any threat. Whatever the world may promise you, the kingdom of heaven is greater; whatever the world threatens, the punishment of Hell is worse. And so if you wish to rise above all human fears, fear the eternal punishments that God threatens. And do you wish to crush the impulses of concupiscence? Desire the eternal life that God promises us. By this you close the door to the devil; by this you open it to Christ.” 

“Turning then to the Lord our God, let us earnestly beseech Him that the power of His mercy may strengthen our hearts in His truth, that it may strengthen and give peace to our souls. May His grace abound in us, and may He have mercy on us, and remove all scandals from before us, and from before His Church, and from before all those we love and may He by His power and through the abundance of His mercy enable us to please Him forever; Through Jesus Christ His Son our Lord, Who with Him and with the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth forever and ever. Amen.”