WHAT WILL HELL BE LIKE?
St. Alphonsus Liguori

The Damned Do Not Forget

Let us now consider briefly the condition of the intellect of the
damned in Hell. St. Thomas says that the damned will be able to
remember all the subjects of natural knowledge which they acquired
here on earth, for this acquired knowledge will remain in their souls
after death. This is evident from Sacred Scripture as well, from the
response of Abraham to the rich man buried in Hell: "Son, remember
that thou didst receive good things in thy lifetime." (Lk. 16:25).
This, then, is the conclusion of the Angelic Doctor: Just as in the
elect there will be nothing that is not a subject of happiness to
them, so also in the damned there will be nothing which will not be a
subject of torment to them. Hence, the damned will preserve in their
memories the things which they knew here on earth, not, it is true,
for their consolation, but solely to increase their torment.
Moreover, during this life the soul is frequently prevented from
considering thoughts which would be disagreeable to it, because of
corporeal sufferings and anxieties; but in Hell the soul will no
longer be subject to this influence of the body. Hence, in Hell the
soul will no longer be prevented from considering those things which
can be a cause of torture to it. Likewise, in Hell the soul of a man
will have constantly in its memory of all the divine appeals made to
it during life, as well as the number of sins which he committed,
each of which will procure for him a new Hell.

The Damned Know Nothing About Us

Moreover, says Estius, just as God will procure the satisfaction of
the blessed by making them know what concerns us, and especially that
which concerns them in a special manner, such as our prayers addressed
to them, on the other hand the damned will remain ignorant of all that
concerns us, because they are complete strangers to the Church.

Do the Damned Have Faith?

It might be asked whether those Christians who possessed faith in
this life, and who have not lost it by apostasy or heresy, will
preserve it in Hell. St. Thomas responds in the negative, for in
order to believe with a supernatural and theological faith, one must
hold with a pious affection of the will to God the revealer. This
pious affection, however, is a gift of God, of which He deprives them
as well as the demons. They do, however, believe by a sort of natural
faith, to which they are forced by the evidence of external signs,
though this faith is not supernatural. It is in this sense that St.
James has written that "The devils also believe and tremble" (James
2:19), signifying that their faith is forced and fearful.

Will the damned ever see or behold the glory of the Blessed? St.
Thomas answers that at the Last Judgment the reprobate will see the
blessed in their glory, without being able to distinguish in what it
consists, solely realizing that they are enjoying an inexplicable
glory. This sight will afflict them with great sorrow, either because
of a feeling of envy, or because of regret at having lost that which
they themselves could have acquired. And for their eternal
chastisement, this shadow of the beatific vision which they have
beheld will remain imprinted in their memory forever.

The Will is Set on Evil

Let us now discuss the condition of the will of the damned. St.
Thomas remarks that the will of the damned, insofar as it is a
natural faculty, cannot but be good, since it does not proceed from
themselves but from God, who is the Author of nature; the damned
have, however, vitiated it by their malice. But when we consider the
will of the damned in its use, it cannot but be evil, for it is
completely opposed to the will of God and obstinate in evil.

But whence does this obstinacy in evil proceed? Sylvius, in a very
clear explanation, says that the obstinacy of the damned results from
the nature itself of their state. For, since the damned now find
themselves at the terminus of their existence and deprived of all
divine assistance, God, by a just judgment, abandons them to the evil
which they have voluntarily chosen and in which they have wished to
end their life. It is natural for everything, once it has reached its
terminus, to rest in it, unless it be moved by some external power.
Now, the damned have terminated their lives with the depraved will in
which they have died, and God has resolved to leave them to the evil
which they have chosen. Just as the blessed can never possess an evil
will, because they are always united to God, in like manner the damned
can never turn their will to good, and consequently will always be
unhappy, because they are obstinately and irrevocably opposed to the
divine will.

Do the Damned Wish Evil to Others?

Because of this evil will of the damned, the question might be asked:
'Do the damned wish that all men be damned?' St. Thomas responds in
the affirmative, because of the hatred which the reprobate bear to
all men. But here a difficulty presents itself. As the number of the
damned increases, the punishment of each individual is aggravated:
how, then, can they desire an increase of torment for themselves? St.
Thomas says that such is their hatred and envy that they would prefer
to suffer more cruelly with many others than to suffer less alone.
And it matters little to them that among those whose loss they desire
are some whom they loved dearly during life. For the Holy Doctor
remarks that all affection which is not based upon love of God
vanishes easily; other wise, the order of justice and right would be
reversed in Hell.

Do the Damned Repent of Sin?

It might also be asked whether the damned repent of their sins. St.
Thomas answers that a man can repent of his faults in two ways:
directly or indirectly. He can repent directly insofar as he repents
by a sentiment of hatred for the sin committed; in this sense, the
damned cannot repent of his sin, for since he finds himself confirmed
in his perverse will, he loves the malice of his fault. But he can
repent indirectly, insofar as he detests his punishment, of which his
sin is the cause. Thus the damned will their sin, insofar as its
malice is concerned, but detest its punishment, which, nevertheless,
can never cease because their sin endures forever.

Hatred of God

Do the damned hate God? St. Thomas says that God, considered in
Himself, is the Supreme Good, and therefore cannot be an object of
hatred for any reasonable creature. But He can become such to the
damned in two ways: first, as the Author of their punishments, by
which He is bound to afflict them; second, because they are obstinate
in evil, while He is the infinite Good, they would hate God with their
whole heart, even though He punished them but little.

Do the Damned Desire to Be Destroyed

We ask, finally, whether the damned would prefer to be annihilated
and deprived of existence, than to submit to the punishments which
they endure. St. Thomas, considering the question in itself, answers
in the negative for, as he says, a state of non-being is never
desirable, for it implies a deprivation of all good. But if this
annihilation be considered as an end of all punishment, St. Thomas
says that, from this point of view, the state of non-existence
presents itself as a good. It is in this sense that Jesus Christ
spoke this sentence of Judas: "It were better for him, if that man
had not been born." (Mt. 26:24). St. John seems to say the same thing
when speaking of the damned in the Apocalypse: "In those days men
shall seek death and shall not find it: and they shall desire to die,
and death shall fly from them." (Rev. 9:6). This will of the damned,
however, is uncertain, for they wish to continue to exist, that they
might always hate God.

This Punishment Is Not Unjust

Nor can the eternity of the punishments of the damned ever be
qualified as unjust. For anyone who offends God by a mortal sin
merits an infinite punishment for an offense which is infinite.
Hence, however severe or long the punishment may be, it can never be
proportionate to the offense which has been committed. For the
majesty of God is infinite; hence, whoever sins mortally merits an
infinite punishment. It therefore appears just that mortal sin be
punished by an eternal punishment.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Palm Sunday 1 April 2012

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

We begin today on a joyful note, but end on a very sorrowful one. We see Christ entering Jerusalem as King. He is welcomed by the masses of people, then just a short while later we see these same people crying out for Jesus’ blood. Jesus our King is abandoned by everyone except His mother, one apostle and a few women.

God has not changed, it is the attitude and thinking of the men that has changed. We see this same thing repeated over and over again even in our own days. When all is well and good we are ready and eager to sing the praises of God who is the giver of all that is good. As soon as He sends us something that does not appeal to us we are all too ready to forsake Him and look elsewhere for a new god that will serve and obey us better. In our sins we cry out even today “Away with Him. Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

How fickle, cold and callous we men are! At the slightest temptation we are ready to reject Jesus and follow the devils. Whether we wish to admit it or not, it is the truth: if we are not with Jesus we are with the devils. There is not much leeway in-between the two extremes. Jesus has made it very clear, either we are with Him or we are against Him. Each mortal sin is leaving Christ and turning to devils.

The blessed palm that we hold in our hands today is a simple physical reminder of our inconsistency. It is not only the Jews who honored Him as King and then demanded His death, we likewise are guilty of the same rebellion with each and every mortal sin committed.

We have been nothing more than “fair-weather friends.” As soon as there are hardships, or crosses we turn away from Christ. We turn to the devils, the world and our own passions, knowing full well that they are all liars and deceivers; yet, we choose to follow them and believe their lies. We know that God is all good, just and holy, yet we choose to reject Him.

Even as so many sinners contemplate Jesus suffering on the cross, they still reject Him. We foolish mortals are looking for heaven here and now and when Jesus only offers us eternal happiness in Heaven we reject Him. The devils, the world, and our passions promise us heaven here and now and an eternity in Hell. This seems more appealing to us because of our foolish self-centered childishness. What is amazing is that every sinner knows from his own personal experience that the devils, the world, and his passions are all liars. Every time they promised happiness here and now they only delivered misery, shame, and suffering here and now. Our faith likewise tells us that following these deceivers here on earth will eventually lead us to an eternal suffering in Hell. Our sins far from bringing us happiness rather cause us suffering now and in eternity.

God on the other hand, offers us a cross and suffering here and now: “Take up your cross daily and come follow Me” and promises that if we do this we will find eternal happiness later in heaven.

We know that God is truthful, yet we do not believe and trust because we keep returning to sin as the dog returns to its vomit.

With this blessed palm in our hands let us consider our own fickleness. Let us take it home and place it in a most prominent location in our homes that we may always look upon it and be reminded that we have acclaimed Jesus to be our one and only true King. We have professed to follow only Him. Each time that we have the misfortune to sin, let us look upon this palm again and with shame and true regret remind ourselves that we too have betrayed our King and our God. Let us not put off any longer our repentance but seek to amend our lives immediately let us return to Jesus (He is always eager to receive us.) truly repentant in the sacrament of Penance and die to ourselves with Him as He dies for us. In this manner we can truly hope to be raised up with Him on the last day.

WHAT WILL HELL BE LIKE?
St. Alphonsus Liguori
Punishment by Cold

In this same fire, St. Thomas remarks, the bodies of the damned, in
addition to the intense heat, will endure bitter cold, passing from
one to the other, without knowing a moment of relief. Thus do
Scripture scholars explain the passage of the book of Job: "Let him
pass from the snow water to excessive heat, and his sin even to
hell." (Job 24:19). Hence, St. Jerome says, the damned in Hell endure
all their torments in this one fire.

Remorse of Conscience

In addition to their sufferings from the heat and the cold of the
fire of Hell, Sacred Scripture enumerates a number of other torments
which will afflict the damned. One of these is the "worm," to which
the Scriptures refer frequently. Some commentators have explained
this "worm" as a material thing, which will feed upon, without
consuming, the flesh of the damned. But most theologians explain it
metaphorically as the remorse of conscience which will afflict the
damned in the fire and darkness of Hell. Forever will they have
imprinted on their memories the results of their sins; forever will
they repeat the words ascribed to them in the book of Wisdom: "We
have erred from the way of truth, we wearied ourselves in the way of
iniquity and destruction and have walked through hard ways. What hath
pride profited us? or what advantage hath the boasting of riches
brought us? . . . Such things as these the sinners said in hell."
(Wis. 5:6-14).

Teaching of St. Thomas

St. Thomas describes for us perfectly in what will consist the
happiness of the elect and the torment of the reprobate. Insofar as
his intellect is concerned, the Saint remarks, man will find complete
joy in the vision of God; but, insofar as his affections are
concerned, he will find complete satisfaction in the permanent union
of his will with the infinite goodness of God. On the other hand, the
torment of the damned will consist in being deprived of all divine
light in his intellect, and in finding his affections obstinately
turned away from the Divine Goodness. Elsewhere the saintly Doctor
teaches that, though the punishment of the fire will be more
terrifying, this separation from God is, however, a greater torment
that that of the fire.

God Makes Heaven

In short, it is God who will be our paradise, for He embraces all
goods in Himself, as He Himself once declared to Moses: "I will show
thee all good." (Ex. 33:19). Such was also the promise which He made
to Abraham because of his merits: "Fear not, Abram, I am thy
protector, and thy reward exceedingly great." (Gen. 15:1). And what
greater reward can He promise than Himself, who is the one good
embracing all other goods?

God Makes Hell

It is also God who will make Hell, for, as St. Bernard remarks, He
Himself will be the chastisement of the damned. For just as the elect
will be supremely happy because God is for him, and he is for God, so
also will the reprobate be unhappy, because God is no longer for him,
and he is no longer for God. Let us listen to the threat which God
made against those who refused to belong to Him during this life:
"Call his name, Not my people'; for you are not my people, and I will
not be yours." (Osee 1:9). It is in this, then, that the torment of
the damned will consist; it consists in the first sentence which
Jesus Christ will pronounce over His enemies; "Depart from me into
everlasting fire." This eternal separation will constitute Hell for
the damned.

Eternal Choice is Made During Life

For the present, sinners, blinded by the apparent goods of this
earth, choose to live far from God and to turn their backs upon Him.
And should God, who cannot dwell with sin, wish to enter into their
hearts by expelling sin from them, they are not ashamed to repel Him,
exclaiming: "Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways."
(Job 21:14). Depart from us, we do not wish to follow Your ways, but
our own, our passions, our pleasures. The great multitude of those,
says Sacred Scripture, "who sleep in the dust of the earth, shall
awake, some unto life everlasting, and others unto reproach, to see
it always?' (Dan. 12:2). Yes, these unfortunates now sleep in the
dust of their blindness; but, in the other life, unfortunately for
them, they will awaken and realize the immense good which they have
lost in voluntarily losing God.

Greatest Pain of Hell

The sword which shall pierce them with the greatest sorrow will be
the thought of having lost God, and of having lost Him through their
own fault. Unfortunates that they are! They now seek to lose sight of
God, but once fallen into Hell, they will no longer be able to cease
thinking of Him, and in this will their chastisement consist.

St. Augustine says that in Hell, the damned will be forced to think
of nothing but God, and that will cause them terrible torment. And
St. Bonaventure, expressing the same sentiments, says that no thought
will torment the damned more than the thought of God. The Lord will
grant to them such a vivid knowledge of their offended God, His
goodness so unworthily spurned, and consequently, of the chastisement
which their crimes have merited, that this knowledge will cause them a
suffering greater than that of all the other punishments of Hell.

We read in the book of Ezechiel: "Over the heads of the living
creatures was the likeness of the firmament, as the appearance of
crystal terrible to behold, and stretch out over their heads above."
(1:22). Explaining these words, one author says that the damned will
have continually before their eyes a terrible crystal or mirror: with
the assistance of some fatal light, they will behold, on one hand, the
immense good which they have lost in voluntarily losing divine grace,
and, on the other, they will view the justly wrathful face of God;
and this torment will surpass by a million times all the other
punishments of Hell.

On this same subject, the author Cajetan makes the following
reflection upon the works of David: "The wicked shall be turned into
hell, all the nations that forget God." (Ps. 9:18). The Prophet, says
this author, does not here speak of a change of heart, or conversion,
but of the spirit of sinners. For just as sinners do not wish to
think of God during this life, that they might not be forced --
despite themselves and by a just chastisement -- to think
continuously of God in Hell. They would wish to shut out all
remembrance of God from their minds, but they will be forced to think
always of Him, thus recalling all the benefits which they have
received from Him, as well as the offenses which they have committed
against Him and by which they have been separated from Him for all
eternity.

Holy Week schedule

Holy Week schedule

As mentioned in the previous post, we hope to be broadcasting all of the Holy Week services. Here is the tentative schedule for the week: Holy Mass on Palm Sunday will be at its normal time of 9:30am CST. 

For Holy Thursday, Holy Mass will be at 7:00pm CST.

 There will be two broadcasts on Good Friday starting at 2:15pm CST for Stations of the Cross. Services will then start at again 5:30pm CST. 

Holy Saturday services will start at 8:00pm CST, with Holy Mass following.

 Holy Mass on Easter Sunday will be at its normal time of 9:30am CST. 

We apologize for not being able to broadcast the Stations of the Cross on Fridays as we have previously posted. The parishioner who handles the broadcasting, wasn't able to attend as he hoped. We ask again, as always, for your prayers for our efforts that we may be able to broadcast what we post here. Thank you again, and may God bless you. 
http://www.sermon.net/OurLadyoftheRosary 
http://www.ourladyoftherosarywaubekawi.blogspot.com

Thank you Kurt for all of your hard work and dedication in bringing the broadcasts to the people who are unable to attend Mass in Waubeka and to those that love Holy Mass so much that they will watch it again!  You will be rewarded for your hard work !

 

WHAT WILL HELL BE LIKE?
St. Alphonsus Liguori

Where Is Hell Located?

The question as to the place where Hell is situated has been a matter
of conjecture among the Fathers of the Church and theologians. St.
John Chrysostom, for instance, was of the opinion that it is situated
outside the bounds of this universe. More commonly and with more
reason, other theologians think that Hell is situated within the
earth itself. Some have even gone so far as to declare that it is
near the furgace of the globe, basing their opinion, rather quaintly,
upon the existence of many volcanic mountains such as Vesuvius, the
Volcanic Isles, Mt. Etna and others.

Catholic Teaching

Aside from these debatable opinions, a group of heretics known as the
Ubiquitists maintained that Hell is not restricted to any determined
place, but is to be found everywhere, since God has not destined any
special place for the damned. This opinion, however, is evidently
false, and contrary to the common belief of the Catholic Church which
teaches us that God has established a definite place for the demons
and the reprobate, as is evident from several texts of Sacred
Scripture. St. Jerome deduces this specifically from a passage in the
book of Numbers (Num. 16:31-33). Here is described the fate of Dathan
and Abiron who were precipitated into Hell, falling into a chasm
which opened under their very feet. At the same time a great flame
burst from the earth and killed two hundred and fifty men who were
accomplices in their sin. Moreover, in many passages of Sacred
Scripture, the word "descend" is used in reference to Hell,
indicating that Hell is situated in the bowels of the earth.

Hell Is a Definite Place

This assertion is confirmed by a passage of St. Luke (16:22): "But
the rich man also died and was buried in hell." The sacred text
employs the word "buried," because burials are made within the earth.
Moreover, the rich man himself describes Hell as a "place of torment"
(Lk. 16:28), confirming the opinion that Hell is a determined and
definite place. In another place it is called a "lake"; "Thou hast
saved me from those descending into the lake" (Ps. 29:3); and
elsewhere, a pool: "And the devil who deceived them was cast into the
pool of fire and brimstone." (Apoc. 20:9). It is evident, therefore,
that Hell is a determined place, and most probably situated within
the earth. But as to where, precisely, it is situated, whether at the
very center of the earth or nearer to the surface, cannot be
determined from any revealed document. St. Thomas also declared that
the dimensions of Hell, which will be the dwelling place of the
damned after the resurrection, cannot be determined.

Pains of Hell

Let us now treat of the pains of Hell, and first of all, of that of
sense. St. Thomas proves that the fire of Hell is a corporeal and
material fire, though for the most part he does not write of the fire
which torments the souls separated from their bodies, but of that
which the damned are to endure after their corporeal resurrection.
Many heretics have maintained that the fire of Hell is not material,
but only metaphorical or imaginary fire. There are numerous texts in
Sacred Scripture, however, which demonstrate that the fire of Hell is
a true, material and corporeal fire. We read, for instance, in the
book of Deuteronomy: "A fire is kindled in my wrath, and shall burn
even to the lowest hell." (Deut. 32:22). And in the book of Job: "A
fire that is not kindled shall devour him" (Job 20:26), revealing
that this fire of Hell needs not to be nourished, but, once enkindled
by God, burns eternally. There are a number of passages in the book of
Isaias referring to this fire of Hell: "Which of you can dwell with
devouring fire? which of you shall dwell with everlasting burnings?"
(33:14); "Their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be
quenched, and they shall be a loathsome sight to all flesh." (66:24).
"He will give fire, and worms into their flesh, that they may burn,
and may feel forever." (Judith 16:21).

Fire of Hell

In the parable of the Gospel, the rich man buried in Hell cries out
to Lazarus, "I am tormented in this flame." (Lk. 16:24). He says, "in
this flame," to show that the fire of Hell is a fire of a particular
type, a fire prepared expressly to avenge the injuries which sin has
done to God by carnal pleasures. For, as the book of Ecclesiasticus
remarks, "the vengeance on the flesh of the ungodly is fire and
worms." (Eccl. 7:19). Hence, St. Thomas argues that this fire will be
the instrument of the avenging justice of Almighty God.

Passion Sunday 3-25-12 Bishop Vezelis OFM

Among many other poignant reflections, false brethren and their toxicity come to light.

http://youtu.be/Gte2wEHcOr8

G

Grace Lynn Strandt - a new member of the Mystical Body of Christ and dedicated to God.  Thanks be to God for this great blessing on our family!

AUDIO SERMON PASSION SUNDAY BISHOP GILES, OFM
AUDIO SERMON MARCH 24 GIVEN BY BISHOP GILES, OFM


AUDIO SERMON PASSION SUNDAY AT ST. JOSEPH THE WORKMAN FILLMORE NY GIVEN BY FR. BONAVENTURE, OFM


VIDEO MASS FR. JOSEPH, OFM LUBBOCK, TX


HOLY MASS FROM OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY WAUBEKA, WI FR. BERNARD, OFM

SAINT JOSEPH
Patron of the Universal Church
[Feast day: March 19]
From "Lives of the Saints for Every Day of the Year"
Edited by Rev. Hugo Hoever, S.O.Cist., Ph.D.

St. Joseph, the pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster
father of our Blessed Lord, was descended from the royal house of
David. He is the "just man" of the New Testament, the lowly village
carpenter of Nazareth, who among all men of the world was the one
chosen by God to be the husband and protector of the Virgin Mother of
Jesus Christ, God Incarnate. To his faithful, loving care was
entrusted the childhood and youth of the Redeemer of the world.

After the Mother of God, not one of the children of men was ever so
gifted and adorned with natural and supernatural virtues as was St.
Joseph, her spouse. In purity of heart, in gentleness and manliness
of character, he reveals to us the perfect type and model of the true
Christian.

Poor and obscure in this world's possessions and honors, he was rich
in grace and merit, and eminent before God in the nobility and beauty
of holiness. Because St. Joseph was the representative of the Eternal
Father on earth, the divinely appointed head of the Holy Family,
which was the beginning of the great Family of God, the Church of
Christ, on December 8, 1870, the Vicar of Jesus Christ, Pope Pius IX
solemnly proclaimed the foster father of Jesus, Patron of the
Universal Church, and from that time his feast has been celebrated on
March 19th as a feast of high rank. In some places it is observed as a
holy day of obligation.

Devotion to St. Joseph, fervent in the East from the early ages, has
in later times spread and increased in such a marvelous way that in
our day the Catholics of all nations vie with one another in honoring
him. Besides the feast of March 19th there is another feast, that of
St. Joseph the Workman, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor
(May 1st). Promulgated in 1955, it replaced the older "Solemnity of
St. Joseph" which had been celebrated since 1847 -- first as the
"Patronage of St. Joseph" on the third Sunday after Easter and after
1913 as the "Solemnity of St. Joseph" on the Wednesday before the
third Sunday after Easter.

From his throne of glory in heaven, St. Joseph watches over and
protects the Church militant, and no one calls on him in need ever
calls in vain. He is the model of perfect Christian life and the
patron of a happy death. His patronage extends over the Mystical Body
of Christ, over the Christian family, the Christian school, and all
individuals who in their need appeal to his charity and powerful
intercession, especially in the hour of death; for he who, when
dying, received the affectionate ministry of his foster Son, Jesus,
and his Virgin spouse, Mary, may well be invoked and trusted to
obtain for us poor sinners the mercy of God and the grace of a
peaceful and holy death.

CONSECRATION TO ST. JOSEPH
O, my beloved St. Joseph, adopt me as thy child, take care of my
salvation, watch over me day and night, preserve me from the occasion
of sin, obtain for me purity of soul and body! Through thy
intercession with Jesus grant me a spirit of sacrifice, of humility
and self-denial, a burning love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,
and a sweet tender love for Mary, my Mother. St. Joseph, be with me
living, be with me dying and obtain for me a favorable judgment from
Jesus, my merciful Savior. Amen

Wednesday in the Fourth Week

Summary of Todays Meditation

We will meditate today upon confession, and we shall see that it ought to be: first, humble; second, sincere; third, entire. We will then make the resolution to impart these three conditions to all our confessions, and we will retain as our spiritual nosegay the counsel of the Holy Spirit: Be not ashamed to confess thy sins. (Eccles. 4:31)

Meditation for the Morning

Let us adore Our Lord Jesus Christ instituting, in His love for us, the Sacrament of Penance; let us thank Him for so precious an institution. It is like a sacred bath which washes away all our stains, like a divine channel through which grace flows upon us; it is a school of wise counsels and encouragements to good; it is, lastly, the most efficacious means for correcting our defects and making us advance in the practice of virtues. May we always rightly use this marvelous invention of divine love.

FIRST POINT

Our Confessions ought to be Humble

We ought to present ourselves before the priest filled with respect and confusion, like a sinner before an angel of God, before another Jesus Christ; like a sick man covered with hideous wounds before a doctor who can cure us if we show them to him such as they are; like a criminal who has committed high treason against the Divine Majesty, who deserves to be cast into the dungeons of hell, before the supreme Judge who holds in His hands the sentence giving us life or condemning us to eternal death. Not being able to obtain anything in the name of justice, but solely in the name of clemency and mercy, we ought to present ourselves with profound exterior and interior humility, humbly confessing our sins, and declaring them, not with the indifference of a person reciting a history, but with the shame and grief of a soul which understands its wrong-doing; not in accusing ourselves in order to avoid the confusion of appearing guilty, but in accusing ourselves without the contrivances which tend to induce the belief that our sins are less than they really are in the sight of God; not with pride and arrogance, as if we had performed some beautiful action, but with modesty and sighs over our wretchedness and as fearing the judgment of God more than that of man. Is it thus that we make our confessions?

SECOND POINT

Our Confessions ought to be Sincere

Sincerity in confession consists in confessing with entire candor and simplicity all we remember, without troubling ourselves about what we may possibly forget, since a defect of memory is not a sin in the sight of God. It is not right to exaggerate our sins, under the pretext that it is better to say more than less; the sick man is not wise who exaggerates what he suffers when he speaks to his doctor. It is still worse to veil our faults by artificially enveloping them with other accusations which are less painful, and gliding rapidly over what costs us the most, in the hope that the confessor will not observe it. A sincere penitent desires only to be known for what he is, and he holds cunning and artifice in horror. It is equally wrong to excuse our faults, whilst at the same time saying what they are, or to endeavor to make them seem less by laying the blame of them on others, as Adam and Eve did, for to do so is a want of candor. But the supreme degree of evil is to hide our faults through false shame. Then the sacrament of mercy is changed into an anathema, the work of salvation into a work of reprobation, and the sentence of life into a sentence of death. Better a thousand times not to confess. We may deceive man, but we cannot deceive God, who knows the secrets of all hearts; for one sin hidden from the priest all those which we have committed will, at the judgment day, be brought to light in the face of the whole universe; and for a little shame that we try to avoid in this life we shall be covered in the next with eternal confusion. Let us here examine our confessions. Have we declared them without disguise, without excuse, without ingeniously presenting them in colors which disguise their deformity? Have we confessed certain sins as certain, doubtful ones as doubtful, and have we avoided superfluous and useless words, terms which are vague, obscure, and equivocal, and which prevent our confessor from rightly seeing the truth?

THIRD POINT

Our Confessions ought to be Entire

In order that they may have the necessary integrity, it is not enough to accuse ourselves of mortal sins, we must also, First, say how many times we have fallen into them, declare the aggravating circumstances of them, or such as change their character, the results or grievous consequences of them for example, if there has been scandal, if the calumny has been serious in its nature, uttered before several persons, against a superior, or a priest; if it has been inspired by hatred, by resentment, or vengeance, and, when we accuse ourselves of disobedience, whether the disobedience was accompanied by arrogance, contempt, or bad temper. Without that, the confessor is not sufficiently acquainted with the state of his penitent to pronounce a prudent judgment upon him. We must, second, accuse ourselves of venial faults. Although this is not a rigorous precept, it is at the same time very important to do it: first, because not to accuse ourselves of a sin of which we have a doubt whether it be mortal or venial would be sacrilege, and there is often a reason for such a doubt. Second, because the confessor, knowing the penitent only imperfectly, cannot direct him with surety either as to the communions to be permitted to him, or in regard to the other acts of Christian life, or in the reform of his faults, or the acquisition of virtues. Second, because the accusation of venial sins makes the penitent take greater care to avoid them, and he is helped therein by the grace of the sacrament, by the advice of the confessor, and the shame of the accusation. Let us examine ourselves as to whether such have been our confessions.

Resolutions and spiritual nosegay as above.

Today I should be getting our computer back all cleaned out and protected so hopefully this doesn't happen any more.  But I just had to vent a little bit about an incident last night.  It actually ties in very closely with the latest Seraph article by Bishop Louis about the situation in Fillmore NY and ecumenism.

I have a cousin who lives down south and rather than type for hours about her background, let us suffice to say - in her own words mind you - that she is a "Liberal Catholic".  Now that should say it all.

She called me last night and told me that her son got married earlier this year and that her brother wouldn't attend the wedding because he was being married "outside the church".  Now you and I know that they aren't really "in the church" but for the sake of argument, lets pretend they are.  She of course was very miffed about it.  I told her that I agreed with him and in fact may be facing the same situation this summer.  I told her that I was not attending the wedding for the same reason.  She was flabbergasted and just proceeded to tell me that "her priest" said that because the "church" recognizes marriages between two protestants as valid that it was just dandy for her to attend it.  What kind of convoluted thinking is that!!! Her son is a so-called Catholic being married before a Methodist "minister"!

She then told me - actually begged me - not to do this.  She said that Jesus would not want me to do this.  I asked her about the martyrs - did Jesus approve of their actions?  She let that one slide but I can tell you that she was really fumbling for answers.  The beauty part is that my brother and sister-in-law are going to be visiting her today and this should make fine dinner conversation.

Here is the bottom line for her and for all :  Catholicism is not a smorgasbord - you cannot pick and choose.  You either ARE or you ARE NOT.  Just that simple.  It does not matter what you think - IT ONLY MATTERS WHAT GOD THINKS.  
We must pray for these poor deluded souls that are being led to the slaughter without even realizing it. We must stay strong and remember good saints like St. Thomas More who forsook his family for God.  We also must pray for perseverance so we don't give up before the end.

THE GOOD NEWS IS:  I'm back.   THE BAD NEWS IS...we have a nasty virus in our computer.  THE GOOD NEWS IS:  we have a backup computer.  THE BAD NEWS IS:  its as slow as dial up or even slower.  THE GOOD NEWS IS:  I can post things again.  THE BAD NEWS IS:  I need a LOT of patience which I seem to be in short supply of when it comes to computers. 

You get the picture!

I probably wont post a lot until we get our regular computer back but at least I CAN post and catch your comments!

Second Sunday in Lent

Bishop Louis Vezelis OFM, Second Sunday in Lent:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfa8kc-XBiw&feature=share

Bishop Giles Butler OFM:

http://friarsminor.org/audio/12lent2.wma 

http://friarsminor.org/audio/12fSaturdayMarch.wma 

http://friarsminor.org/audio/12fFridayMarch.wma 

Fr Bonaventure OFM:

http://www.songweetrains.com/sermons/2Lent12Fillmore.wma

Holy Mass - Fr Bernard OFM:
http://sermon.net/OurLadyoftheRosary/sermonid/119847114

Fr Joseph OFM:
http://catholichour.org/wp-content/audio_ser/2012/Sun_Ser_03.04.12.mp3
Holy Mass, Father Joseph OFM

I want to tell everyone that I'm having issues with my computer.  I'm unable to access the blogger site and until this get this resolved there will be no new posts.  Please pray that we figure this problem out and get back on line.
Thanks - God bless you!
Sister Bridget TOSF