Holy Thursday - Bishop Bonaventure, OFM

 

And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; [35] And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed. 

Luke 2:34-35

A prophecy of the passion of Christ. 

 

[1] Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? [2] And he shall grow up as a tender plant before him, and as a root out of a thirsty ground: there is no beauty in him, nor comeliness: and we have seen him, and there was no sightliness, that we should be desirous of him: [3] Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not. [4] Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted. [5] But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed.
[6] All we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned aside into his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. [7] He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth. [8] He was taken away from distress, and from judgment: who shall declare his generation? because he is cut off out of the land of the living: for the wickedness of my people have I struck him. [9] And he shall give the ungodly for his burial, and the rich for his death: because he hath done no iniquity, neither was there deceit in his mouth. [10] And the Lord was pleased to bruise him in infirmity: if he shall lay down his life for sin, he shall see a long-lived seed, and the will of the Lord shall be prosperous in his hand.
[11] Because his soul hath laboured, he shall see and be filled: by his knowledge shall this my just servant justify many, and he shall bear their iniquities. [12] Therefore will I distribute to him very many, and he shall divide the spoils of the strong, because he hath delivered his soul unto death, and was reputed with the wicked: and he hath borne the sins of many, and hath prayed for the transgressors. 
+Isaiah 53: 1-12
 

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals The Resurrection of Our Lord 31 March 2013

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

Once again we are left speechless as we contemplate the greatness of God’s gifts (graces) to us. Jesus Christ, True God and True Man, has suffered and died for us that we might live. He has risen that we might rise.

Since the fall of our father Adam we have been condemned to a dual death – death in sin and death in body. Adam was told when he ate of the forbidden fruit that he would perish. He ate but continued to live in his body. Something did die in him – sanctifying grace. We often speak of sin as the death of the soul, but the soul technically cannot die. The soul lives on forever – either in Heaven or in Hell. The death of the soul refers to the separation of the soul from God and His grace. In much the same way that physical death is the separation of the body and soul, likewise spiritual death is the separation of God and His graces from the soul. As the soul gives life to the body so God gives life to the soul. This separation in either case we call death. The soul that continues forever without God suffers tremendously because it is forever lacking in the one and only thing that can satisfy it, or make it happy and bring it peace.

We each have to die a dual death. We were conceived in sin and therefore in death, and we must die the physical death of the separation of our bodies from our souls. Christ has died once and all for us so that we may be restored to life. Christ has risen from the dead that we might rise twice from the death of the soul and of the body.

In the Sacraments, Jesus has given us all that we need to have life, to preserve life, and to restore life if we ever have the misfortune to lose it again. All of these wondrous gifts are spread out before us as we rejoice in Our Lord’s Resurrection. There is only One Faith, One Baptism, One Lord, etc. We celebrate the physical Resurrection of Jesus as well as what this means for us spiritually – the resurrection of our souls from sin. By His suffering and death, Jesus has merited for us the gift of Sanctifying Grace; and has offered us the opportunity to rise with Him spiritually from the death of sin to the life of grace. Let us not forget that at the end of time our bodies will rise from the dead to be united with our souls forever.

Knowing that Jesus has merited these tremendous gifts (especially the spiritual life) for us, does not yet apply these gifts to us individually. Something else is required on our part for these gifts to be applied to our souls individually. The Protestants and other heretics, would have us think that all that we must do is believe. This is a terrible misrepresentation. It is true if we understand “believe” to include acceptance and conformity with all that Christ has commanded us but, it is utterly false, if they wish us to understand that it does not require any active participation on our part.

Jesus has made it very clear more times that we can say that we must do certain things. A few examples should be enough for us to see and understand.

“He who believes and is baptized, will be saved” (So baptism is necessary.); “Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you will not have life in you.” (So reception of the Holy Eucharist is necessary.) “Take up your cross daily and come follow Me.”; etcetera.

St. Paul also declares that he is bound to preach Christ Crucified. “Woe to me if I do not preach.” St. James will tell us that if we have none of the charity and works of Christ our faith is dead. “Faith without works is dead.”

While it is a time for rejoicing in the annual celebration of these wondrous gifts that Jesus has merited and given to us, it is also a time to remind ourselves that we must do our part also. It is a time to examine ourselves and see if we are doing our part to complete these works of Christ in our own souls. Are we “filling up within ourselves that which is lacking in Christ Jesus”? Have we put off the old man (sins confessed and absolved in the Sacrament of Penance) and put on the new man (life of Jesus that we receive in the Holy Eucharist)?

If the resurrected life of Jesus is not within us, but is still somewhere outside of us there can be no real joy and celebration in our hearts on this day. Let us resolve to obtain this joy, and if we have received it this past season of Lent let us resolve never to allow it to depart from us. May we live this day forward and forever in the One life of our Resurrected Jesus Christ.

 

Palm Sunday - Bishop Giles, OFM 

Palm Sunday - Bishop Bonaventure, OFM 

St. Bonaventure (1260): “He who neglects the service of the Blessed Virgin will die in his sins. He who does not invoke thee, O Lady, will never get to heaven. Not only will those from whom Mary turns away her eyes of mercy not be saved, but there will be no hope of their salvation. No one can be saved without the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Palm Sunday 24 March 2013

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

Let us consider today a mystical interpretation of the ass and her colt. Some of the Fathers of the Church inform us that these animals represent to us the different nations. The ass who was accustomed to the harness represents to us the nation of Israel. Her colt that had never been ridden was as yet still wild and unbridled represents to us the gentile nation.

The Israelites have been harnessed by the Law of Moses and was broken to the halter and as such should have been ready to receive Our Lord, but they were not. It is they that rejected Jesus even though He came to them first. The second to be invited supplanted the first. Christ rode upon the colt that had never been ridden before and its mother naturally followed behind. The gentile nations carried Our Lord and left the Israelites to follow.

We see manifest the power of God when the Apostles were sent to bring the animals. The owners were as Christ had predicted willing to let the animals go with the Apostles simply at their word that the Lord needs them. It is a rather unusual situation. Owners of things of this earth usually do not allow their property to depart from them as easily as the owner of these animals did. God was able to inspire these men to freely give these animals for His use. It might be compared to someone coming to take your car and when you ask them what they are doing they tell you that the Lord has need of it and you let them take it away. God can and does change men to accomplish His will. It is therefore already a manifestation of God’s power in predicting and disposing these men as He wishes. He likewise inspires us very often with a detachment from the things of this earth, but sadly most of us refuse to let go of the things of this earth or to allow them to be used for the purposes of God. In clinging to these things we deprive ourselves of a very great reward. We must be certain that the man who gave of these animals to God is even now rejoicing over the good that he was able to help accomplish.

If God is able to inspire men with these things, we might ask, why did He not motivate the Israelites to love Him instead of crying out for His Blood? God can and does inspire and move the hearts of men, but at the same time He always recognizes and considers their free will. When man opposes his will to God’s then God is likewise able to use their evil wills so that good may come from it. The devils inspired the people to hate Jesus and to force His crucifixion, but in doing this they actually were helping to bring about the redemption of the world. So we see that an evil spirit is made to assist and bring about good in spite of itself. All those devils and those who have aligned themselves with the devils reject God and seek the destruction of God and all who would follow Him, but the ones that they harm are only themselves.

Ultimately God is still in Heaven and still in charge and there is nothing that any or all of the demons in Hell can do about it. God’s Divine Will will ultimately be brought to fruition. Those opposed to It, will only be made to conform to It against their own perverted wills, and will only bring death and destruction upon themselves. God will not be harmed in the least nor will His Divine Will. Those of evil dispositions are only harming themselves and causing greater and greater misery for themselves.

As Christ enters Jerusalem upon these beasts of burden, they conform to His will either willingly or unwillingly as the ass and her colt. The colt willingly allows Jesus to ride upon his back, but the ass only follows her colt. One conforms to God’s will directly and the other indirectly. The Israelites follow the Gentiles in the spiritual realm, but only from material reasons. In this world we still find these two peoples: those who willingly seek out to do the will of God and those who ultimately end up following the will of God not for spiritual motives but for worldly ones. The one will be rewarded eternally; and the other that helped to accomplish the Divine Will, even against her own will, will be eternally punished in Hell.

As we carry our blessed palm today may we consider which of the two we are. Do we find ourselves counted among those who rebel against God and in spite of ourselves are forced to accomplish His Divine Will, or are we to be counted among those who willingly seek to do and fulfill the Will of God? May this Holy Week find us welcoming Jesus upon His entry into Jerusalem as well as find us weeping beneath His Cross. And may we also, pray for the enemies of God as Jesus did upon the Cross: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.” In their rebellion and hatred they are fulfilling the Divine Will against their own will, and at the same time they think in following their own will that they will find happiness, when in reality, all they will find is eternal suffering.

WORDS OF ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI

"Since we all must die, we should cherish a special devotion to St.
Joseph, that he may obtain for us a happy death. All Christians
regard him as the advocate of the dying who had honored him during
their life, and that for three reasons:

"First, because Jesus Christ loved him not only as a friend, but as a
father, and on this account his mediation is far more efficacious than
that of any other Saint.

"Second, because St. Joseph has obtained special power against the
evil spirits, who tempt us with redoubled vigor at the hour of death.

"Third, the assistance given St. Joseph at his death by Jesus and
Mary obtained for him the right to secure a holy and peaceful death
for his servants. Hence, if they invoke him at the hour of death he
will not only help them, but he will also obtain for them the
assistance of Jesus and Mary."


ST. TERESA'S PLEA
Words of St. Teresa of Avila

"Would that I could persuade all men to be devoted to this glorious
Saint, for I know by long experience what blessings he can obtain for
us from God. I have never known anyone who was truly devoted to him
and honored him by particular services who did not advance greatly in
virtue: for he helps in a special way those souls who commend
themselves to him. It is now very many years since I began asking him
for something on his feast, and I have always received it. If the
petition was in any way amiss, he rectified it for my greater good .
. . I ask for the love of God that he who does not believe me will
make the trial for himself - then he will find out by experience the
great good that results from commending oneself to this glorious
Patriarch and in being devoted to him . . ."
-Autobiography, VI, 11-12

 Athanasian Creed:


Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all One, the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father Uncreate, the Son Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost Uncreate. The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible. The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal and yet they are not Three Eternals but One Eternal. As also there are not Three Uncreated, nor Three Incomprehensibles, but One Uncreated, and One Uncomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not Three Almighties but One Almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not Three Gods, but One God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not Three Lords but One Lord. For, like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion to say, there be Three Gods or Three Lords. The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
So there is One Father, not Three Fathers; one Son, not Three Sons; One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is afore or after Other, None is greater or less than Another, but the whole Three Persons are Co-eternal together, and Co-equal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, must thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting Salvation, that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.
God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the substance of His mother, born into the world. Perfect God and Perfect Man, of a reasonable Soul and human Flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood. Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but One Christ. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into Flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into God. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by Unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one Man, so God and Man is one Christ. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into Hell, rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into Heaven, He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the Catholic Faith, which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved. 

PASSION SUNDAY - BISHOP BONAVENTURE, OFM 

March 16, 2013- Bishop Giles, OFM 

PASSION SUNDAY-BISHOP GILES, OFM 

PASSION SUNDAY MASS- FR. BERNARD, OFM 

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Passion Sunday 17 March 2013

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

An ageless conflict is presented before us in today’s Gospel; Good versus evil; God versus Satan. Jesus confronts the instruments of the devil, and they are calling light, darkness, and darkness light. Jesus tells them what they are but they will not hear Him, because their pride and vanity has allowed the devils to blind them to the truth. This conflict is so ancient that it predates man himself; it began when the devil first rebelled against God and was cast out of Heaven. It continued with Adam and Eve being seduced and likewise rebelling against God; and it persists even today with the demonic blindness cast over all the heretics and schismatics in the world today. The Modernists, Materialists, Communists, Novus, Ordo, Protestants, Traditionalists, etcetera, all point the finger at the One True Holy Roman Catholic Church and accuse Her of having a devil, when in reality it is they that have the devil. 

The “ecumenism” of today welcomes all religions as long as they refrain from condemning one another’s errors. The True Church however, cannot refrain from these condemnations, just as Jesus could not refrain. The Church is commanded by God to admonish and condemn all these demonic influences, but it is also out of true charity that She points out the errors of these demonically seduced souls. She sees their grave errors and wishes to save them from themselves, but also it is a love for Her own children that She speaks out and condemns so that the faithful will be warned and therefore forearmed against these seductive traps of the demons. 

It is not a pleasant task but it is a vitally necessary one. It is truly impossible for The Church and Her Bishops and Priests to remain silent, as those promoting “ecumenism” would have us do. Their idea of “ecumenism” is one where God and the Truth are sacrificed on the altar of man. Human respect is what they wish to take the place of love for God and the Truth. In all these demonically inspired religions the people speak from a purely humanistic perspective or more accurately a demonic perspective. Even though they may claim to serve and love God; it is an illusion because they do not love Jesus Christ’s living presence in the world today (the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church – The Mystical Body of Christ). 

The condemnation of them makes them think that the Church is “intolerant” and “uncharitable.” The Church is and must be intolerant of all errors because She is guided and moved by the Holy Ghost Who is Truth Itself. And far from being “uncharitable” it is just the opposite. She is most charitable and it is this love for Her fellow men that fill Her with such ardor and zeal in condemning every error no matter how small. 

We must continue this fight as stated above because we are commanded to and because we love, but also because it is the Holy Ghost working within us. It is not men that speak for the Church but it is God speaking through men. Let us recall our Lord’s instruction to the Apostles not to worry what they are to say, but rather trust in God and it will be given them what to say. There is no salvation in any other religion because there is only one Baptism, One Lord, One Truth, One Church by which we must be saved. All the other “religions” of the world are demonic religions that have ultimately the devil as their father. Only the True Catholic Church has God for Her Father. 

May we be inspired by Christ in today’s Gospel to never flinch out of fear or human respect to boldly declare the truth and condemn all the errors and false religions in the world today. If we are ashamed of God and His Church and deny Them before men then, Jesus will deny us before His Heavenly Father. Yet, with all this let us remember that we are men also and we likewise have sinned and therefore have had the misfortune to have fallen under the influence of the devils. We must remain humble and charitable to one another. Not condoning sin, errors, or evils; but, resisting and rebuking them within ourselves as well as in others. 

This season of Lent has been given to us to repent and do penance for our transgressions and to renounce the devils once again and make ourselves truly children of God rather than children of the devil. The days are growing shorter for us and our time is slipping quickly away from us. We must not allow ourselves to grow complacent or to remain complacent, but rather rally ourselves to rise from our lethargy and fight off the evil in ourselves as well as in others and rise to defense of the Truth, the Church and God.Let us always strive to be true children of God always recognizing the true Church through which God feeds our souls. To accomplish this it is necessary that we have true Charity (an uncompromising love for God and the Truth). To obtain this true Charity we must humble ourselves in prayer and penance so that we may not be deceived by false teachers. This prayer and penance is done with joy by all the true sons of freedom. May we always be cheerful givers to the Lord and thus be found worthy to be called children rather than slaves.

This is what Bishop Giles found in his inbox today. Can anyone say "ONE WORLD RELIGION?"

 

"...the great movement of apostasy being organized in every country for the establishment of a One-World Church which shall have neither dogmas, nor hierarchy, neither discipline for the mind, nor curb for the passions, and which, under the pretext of freedom and human dignity, would bring back to the world (if such a Church could overcome) the reign of legalized cunning and force, and the oppression of the weak, and of all those who toil and suffer. [...] Indeed, the true friends of the people are neither revolutionaries, nor innovators: they are traditionalists."
--Pope Saint Pius X, Letter "Our Apostolic Mandate" to the French Episcopate, 1910

 

"Tell me, I ask you, where will we get by all these labors of ours? What are we seeking for? To what purpose do we serve in office? What higher ambition can we have at court than to become friends of the emperor? In such a position what is there that is not fragile and full of peril? By how many perils do we arrive at a greater peril? When will we get there? But to become God's friend, if I wish it, see, I become one here and now." (St. Augustine)   
Bishop Giles

Today’s Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians …

We are either children of the slave girl or children of the free woman. The choice is ours and has nothing to do with who physically gave birth to us. If we belong to the True Church we are children of the Free Woman, if we belong to any other church we are children of the slave girl. The children of the Church are fewer than the children of the slave girls. But, the children of the slave girls are cast out and only the children of the Church have the inheritance.

May we rejoice in having been given the grace of children and not of slaves. May we never falter from the Church (our mother) or from God (our Father). This will entail that we receive our crosses, corrections and punishments: willingly, cheerfully, and gratefully with the loving hearts of true children and not of slaves.
Bishop Giles, OFM Sermon for Laetare Sunday 

Feast of St. Catherine of Bologna-Bishop Bonaventure, OFM 
Laetare Sunday - Bishop Bonaventure, OFM 

Laetare Sunday - Fr. Joseph OFM 

Holy Sacrifice of the Mass - Fr. Bernard, OFM-Laetare Sunday 

CHAPTER X
HOW BROTHER MASSEO TOLD ST FRANCIS, AS IN JEST, THAT THE WORLD WAS GONE AFTER HIM; AND HOW ST FRANCIS ANSWERED THAT IT WAS INDEED SO, TO THE CONFUSION OF THE WORLD AND THROUGH THE GRACE OF GOD
St Francis once was living at the Convent of the Portiuncula, with Brother Masseo of Marignano, a man of great sanctity and great discernment, who held frequent converse with God; for which reason St Francis loved him much. One day, as St Francis was returning from the forest, where he had been in prayer, the said Brother Masseo, wishing to test the humility of the saint, went forth to meet him exclaiming: "Why after thee? Why after thee?" To which St Francis made answer: "What is this? What meanest thou?" Brother Masseo answered: "I mean, why is it that all the world goeth after thee; why do all men wish to see thee, to hear thee, and to obey thy word? For thou art neither comely nor learned, nor art thou of noble birth. How is it, then, that all the world goeth after thee?" St Francis, hearing these words, rejoiced greatly in spirit, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, remained for a long space with his mind rapt in God; then, coming to himself, he knelt down, returning thanks to God with great fervour of spirit, and addressing Brother Masseo, said to him: "Wouldst thou know why all men come after me? Know that it is because the Lord, who is in heaven, who sees the evil and the good in all places - because, I say, his holy eyes have found among men no one more wicked, more imperfect, or a greater sinner than I am; and to accomplish the wonderful work which he intends to do, he has found no creature more vile than I am on earth; for which reason he has chosen me, to confound all strength, beauty, greatness, noble birth, and all the science of the world, that men may learn that every virtue and every good gift cometh from him, and not from any creature, that none may glory before him; but if any one glory, let him glory in the Lord, to whom belongeth all glory in eternity." Then Brother Masseo, at such a humble answer, given with so much fervour, was greatly impressed, and learned of a certainty that St Francis was well grounded in humility.

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Fourth Sunday in Lent 10 March 2013

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

Jesus is the turning point in all of history. We read how St. Paul reminds us, in today’s epistle to the Galatians, that there are two sons, or two different paths; and we see in today’s Gospel how our Lord is symbolically teaching us the same thing. St. Paul speaks of sons of slavery and sons of freedom. In the Old Testament they were slaves to the Law and obeyed through coercion or servile fear, whereas in the New Testament we are free men who obey through love or filial fear. There is truly a vast difference between the two even though outwardly they may appear the same. One type of obedience gains no merit and is unpleasant the other is filled with merit as well as pleasure and contentment. We all must obey; the only question is how we will obey. Everyone eventually complies in obedience to the will of God. The good are rewarded in heaven for their faithful and loving obedience. The evil obey God’s will of justice when they are punished and must suffer. Even in this life they are already miserable because of their servile attitude. It is God’s will that because they do not love they make their own misery.

Christ came down from the mountain of the Old Testament of servility and the harshness of the Law and entered into the desert that was devoid of the Law. He is inviting and instituting a new Law – the Law of Charity. A law that is open to everyone regardless of heredity, wealth, or position. The Gentiles as well as the Israelites are all invited. The Old Law is represented in the five loaves as there were five books to the Old Law. The two fishes represent the Old and the New Testaments together. The twelve baskets left over represent the twelve tribes of Israel as well as the twelve Apostles.

Before Christ came, the Law was a burden and heavy weight upon the people, because they were acting as slaves in their obedience to the Law; and so it is that many rejected God and turned away to false Gods. These are the children of the slave girl born into bondage.

Jesus put the five loaves (the Old Law) into the hands of His Apostles to distribute and, lo and behold, there is enough for everyone with plenty left to spare. In the New Law where we become children rather than slaves and we take the Laws of God with love and filial devotion of children, we find enjoyment and satisfaction in the Law. We are filled and still there is much left over. We can see with eyes now open how the Law prepared and pointed out the way for Christ. The Law is now not given to us from a single tribe or family, but is distributed to us from various families that God has chosen specifically for this task. The Apostles are elevated not to a worldly priesthood because of their birth and ancestry, but rather they are elevated to an eternal priesthood according to the order of Melchizedek. They are to offer an unbloody sacrifice of bread and wine – a sacrifice that is clean and beautiful, and brings love and joy to all who worthily receive It.

This season of Lent is a penitential season imposed upon us by a law of the Church. We have the option of being children of the slave girl or children of the free woman. In other words, we can enter into penance unwillingly and begrudgingly as the people of the Old Testament (the slaves) did and find nothing in it to feed our souls, not profiting in the least by it, because we only obey servilely; or we can enter into the penance willingly and cheerfully as sons eager to do anything and everything that their Father desires because they love Him, and thus find joy and contentment in our penances. The slaves understand nothing and obey mechanically and without merit. The sons obey with understanding, and love. The Law, given to and obeyed by the slaves, they did not understand because the meaning was hidden. The meaning was hidden because they did not love. The Law that is given to sons is explained and understood because there is charity in the hearts of sons that is not present in the hearts of slaves.

The freedom of the sons is not license as so many mistakenly think. The true sons love their Father (God) and their Mother (the Church); they obey not from compulsion but from love. Those who have true Charity and are therefore true sons are free and they recognize God and the Church, rejecting false gods (idols) as well as false churches. The true Church (the bishops who are true successors of the Apostles) is the only place that we may feed our souls with this miraculous life giving bread that is never depleted but is always more than sufficient.

Let us always strive to be true children of God always recognizing the true Church through which God feeds our souls. To accomplish this it is necessary that we have true Charity (an uncompromising love for God and the Truth). To obtain this true Charity we must humble ourselves in prayer and penance so that we may not be deceived by false teachers. This prayer and penance is done with joy by all the true sons of freedom. May we always be cheerful givers to the Lord and thus be found worthy to be called children rather than slaves.

"Compromise with those not of the Faith is at all times the deadliest of errors. Here precisely is the danger of religious indifferentism. Here is the danger of socialism. Here is the danger of mixed marriages. Here is the danger of seeking to keep at all costs the golden opinion of the world and fearing its contempt. Here is the danger of education in non-Catholic schools, no matter how innocent they may seem to be."--Fr. Joseph Husslein, The Catholic's Work in the World (Imprimatur 1917), pp. 93-94

First Friday in March - Bishop Giles, OFM
First Saturday in March - Bishop Giles, OFM
Third Sunday in Lent - Bishop Giles, OFM

Third Sunday in Lent - Bishop Bonaventure, OFM 

Third Sunday in Lent-Holy Sacrifice of the Mass-Fr. Bernard, OFM 

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Third Sunday in Lent 3 March 2013

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

“Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep It.” We often forget that it is not enough for us to have been associated with Jesus in this life. To have carried and nurtured Jesus is not what entitles Mary to be called blessed. Too often we are led to believe that once a place has been consecrated to God that it will be forever His. Our once Catholic buildings have been desecrated and God has been driven out. These houses are no longer blessed. Christ has left these places not only physically but also spiritually. 

When physical things are dedicated to God the Church begins with an exorcism. The consecration of Churches is in this manner much like the baptism of a person. The devil is first driven out. Then that which was once profane is made sacred. The Church buildings were preserved from any source of profanation or desecration, and any that had the misfortune to have been desecrated in some manner had to be cleansed again. 

As the Modernists took over once Catholic Churches they began by first gradually watering down the doctrines and then the form (words) of the Sacraments, so that eventually transubstantiation and sacrifice no longer took place in these once Sacred Places. The Word of God was corrupted in the moral and doctrinal teachings and the Physical Christ was driven out of the Sacrament. At this moment the devils that were exorcised when the building was consecrated re-entered; and brought along seven others that were worse. The sad state of these buildings much like the sad state of human souls was worse than before. 

The blasphemy is that now they allege to have and speak of Jesus Christ, but the spirit within them is not the Spirit of God (the Holy Ghost) but is rather the spirit of anti-christs (the devils). Because the kingdom of Hell is not divided in the attack against God and the Church we see that the devils are not cast out any longer by this Modernist church. The office of exorcist has been thrown out with the other minor orders. The Modernist baptisms have been robbed of exorcisms. 

The houses that are swept clean are not clean in the sense that they are free from sin or corruption. What the Scriptures refer to can be best understood when we understand some simple yet profound philosophical concepts. Evil and sin are not something positive. They are the absence of some good that should be there. In speech we speak of these negations as if they were something positive or tangible. We speak of sins that we have committed as if they were positive, but in reality they are the negations of what we should have done. For example, darkness is not a positive thing, but is rather the absence of light; and a hole is not a positive thing but rather the absence of something that would normally be in that place. All sin is the absence of some virtue or grace and ultimately the absence of the most important virtue of charity. So when we read that the houses were empty and swept clean, we are to understand that all virtue and grace have been removed. There is now a void of darkness or emptiness; and into this void the devils enter readily, quickly and easily. 

It is foolishness for us to look upon these houses as blessed now just because God once physically resided there in the Holy Eucharist or He was once there spiritually when the true doctrines of Jesus Christ were preached there. Houses are only blessed if they receive and keep both Jesus and His Word. The same is true with human souls. It is not enough that we have been baptized and once received Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist, we must keep Him and His Word with us at all times. If we fail to hold on to Him, our house becomes empty and swept clean of all grace and virtue. Any semblance of grace and virtue is only that, a semblance, and therefore it is an illusion and deception of the devils, because without the Holy Ghost living within we are empty shells.

We can readily see the emptiness of the Modernist churches that have been stolen from the Catholic Church, and if we are astute we can see the works and effects of the eight devils that now dwell therein. What we must be even more concerned about is our own souls. Our souls are much more important to God than these physical structures. God wants our hearts not the inanimate buildings.

The end of creation and time is drawing nearer to us each day, and just as Noah warned the people of his day but was ignored by the majority so today the True Church through Her True Bishops warn us again and are similarly ignored by the majority. Let us not be among that majority when Jesus returns, but rather let us already have Him living within us and find our souls not empty and swept clean but rather decorated and filled with His graces and virtues.