The Our Father and the Hail Mary which we have said devoutly over and over again and to which we have added good penitential acts, will never wilt or die and they will be just as exquisite thousands of years from now as they are today.”

St. Louis De Montfort

“He shall sit in the Temple of God as if he were Christ, and leading astray those who worship him For when he is come, and of his own accord concentrates in his own person the apostasy, and accomplishes whatever he shall do according to his own will and choice, sitting also in the Temple of God so that his dupes may adore him as the Christ...” “By means of the events which shall occur in the time of Antichrist it is shown that he, being an apostate and a robber, is anxious to be adored as God; and that although a mere slave. he wishes to be proclaimed as a king. For he being endued with all the power of the devil, shall come, not as a righteous king, not as a legitimate king obedient to God but as an impious, unjust, and lawless one; as an iniquitous and murderous apostate; as a robber, concentrating in himself a satanic apostasy, and setting aside idols to persuade men that he himself is God .

The antichrist will deceive the Jews to such an extent that they will accept him as the messiah and worship him .

The disciples of the apostles say (from oral tradition) that they (Elias and Henoch) whose living bodies were taken up from this world have been placed in an earthly paradise where they will remain until the end of the world .
At the time of his reign antichrist will command that Jerusalem be rebuilt in its splendour and will make it a great and populous city, second to none in the world and will order his palace to be built there.

 Prophesy of St. Irenaeus

TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST - BISHOP LOUIS, OFM FROM ROCHESTER

FIRST FRIDAY IN AUGUST-BISHOP GILES, OFM

FIRST SATURDAY IN AUGUST - BISHOP GILES, OFM

TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST - BISHOP GILES, OFM

CATHOLIC FAITH RADIO PROGRAM - FRIDAY AUGUST 1 WITH FR. BONAVENTURE, OFM

FR. JOSEPH, OFM - TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

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

Novena for the Assumption:

O glorious Queen of all the heavenly host!  Whose sacred body, the immaculate temple of the divinity, is now assumed into heaven, we unite our voices to the choirs of angels who celebrate thy triumph.  Winter is now past for thee, O Fervent follower of thy crucified Son.  In this world, like Him, thou hadst not any parts in its perishable possessions, but now all the treasures of heaven are thine;  they are thine to enjoy, and thine to distribute; for thy intercession is now an infinite treasure to man, by which they that use it become the friends of God.  Thou wert buried in obscurity in this valley of tears, but now thou art elevated, O Mother of God to the highest pinnacle of glory!  Should not thy triumphant exaltation encourage us to despise this world, and aspire after the next?  For, O amiable Virgin!  How short were thy sufferings on earth, yet for all eternity thou shalt be admired in the holy assembly; among the elect thou shalt have praise, and among the blessed thou shalt be blessed.   Look down then with compassion on us poor banished children of Eve;  draw our hearts exertions, to imitate thy virtues;  above all, obtain for us true humility, which neither seeks nor values any earthly distinction;  poverty of spirit - purity of heart - that thirst after the strong and living God, which can never be satisfied until His glory appears - and such ardent love of our Divine Spouse, as may cause us to despise the whole world, and incessantly sigh after those eternal joys, of which it is written:  "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him."  (Cor 2:9)

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Tenth Sunday after Pentecost 5 August 2012

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

We have heard how necessary it is for us to pray and to persevere in prayer, so today our Holy Mother Church has chosen a gospel text that will teach us how to pray. God hates and detests the proud and He loves the humble. All who exalt themselves He will humble and those who humble themselves He will exalt.

The Pharisee went to pray, but prayed with himself and not with God. Even though this man had many works of justice to his credit he failed to pray to God, and only prayed to himself. It is kind of like he has forgotten God in his own prayers. Emboldened with his own works he does not stop to realize that these works were made possible by God and so attributes them to himself. He sees himself as not in any need of anything from God. There are many in the world today who are very much like this Pharisee and think that they need nothing more from God. Therefore they do not bother to pray at all. These poor souls think that they have made their own lives and God had no part in it. Perhaps even worse, they forget God and live and think as if there were no God at all. Even when they pray and go to the church their prayers are with themselves or as a show to all the others who may see them. Like the Pharisee their “good works” are now, in prayer united with the vice of pride. It is this one vice that tears down and destroys all the other good and renders it worthless in the eyes of God. It is therefore, necessary that we fight against this vice of pride at all times, but especially when we pray.

On the other side we see the prayers of the Publican. This man either has no good works to bring to his prayers or chooses not to bring them. All that this man has to lay before God is his sins. His prayer is simply: “O God be merciful to me a sinner.” The only good work that he has is humility. This humility is more pleasing to God than all the other virtues. He compares himself with no one else, he places himself before God all alone and sees what he is as he considers God and what God wants from him. Too often even today we judge ourselves by way of comparison with our neighbors. It is easy to see the faults of our neighbors and conclude that we are better because we do not have their particular faults, never stopping to consider that God’s graces are different for each of us and perhaps our faults are worse than the ones that our neighbor possesses. If our neighbors had received the graces that we have received perhaps they would be better than us.

We do need a standard to measure or compare ourselves with and that is why Christ came to this earth. Let us look to Him and see how miserably we have failed in this comparison. Our goal as Christ tells us is to be perfect because Our Heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt 5:48) As we place our lives next to God we see a stark difference; no matter how many virtues we may have, we are never as good or perfect as we should be; we could always have done better. With this before our eyes it is not hard to put on the virtue of humility. This virtue is more pleasing to God than all the others.

The proud man boasting of his good works in a sense challenges God to find fault with himself which God can easily do; while the humble man only shows God his faults and this encourages God to find that which is good. We therefore have no need to keep a tally of our good works because God already does that. When we do good therefore let us not dwell upon it and swell ourselves with pride, but rather forget it or even consider that we have even failed in this because we have not done it as well as we could have. This is the obvious truth and it is this that will keep us humble. It is this humility that pleases God to lift us up and exalt us; as opposed to pride that pleases God to humble. We must, therefore, never exalt ourselves but always humble ourselves, leaving it to God to exalt us if He finds anything good in us.

When good works are coupled with pride all is ruined and made worthless before God. When our many sins are coupled with humility, God readily washes away the sins and puts goodness in its place. How much more wondrous must it be if we unite good works with humility! In combining these two virtues we are guaranteed to find ourselves pleasing to God.

 Another installment from "Little Flowers of St. Francis " from our 3rd Order Meeting today:

CHAPTER III

HOW ST FRANCIS, HAVING ALLOWED AN EVIL THOUGHT TO ARISE IN HIS MIND AGAINST BROTHER BERNARD, ORDERED HIM TO PLACE HIS FOOT THREE TIMES UPON HIS NECK AND HIS MOUTH.

St Francis, the devoted servant of the crucified Jesus, through constant weeping and penance, had become nearly blind, so that he could scarcely see. Wishing one day to speak with Brother Bernard on things divine, he left the place where he was and went to join him. Being told, upon arrival, that he was in the forest praying, St Francis proceeded thither, and, calling out, said; "Come, O Brother Bernard, and speak with this blind man." But Brother Bernard did not make answer; for, his soul being rapt in divine contemplation, he did not hear him call; one of the special graces of Brother Bernard being that of holding converse with God Almighty, of which St Francis had often been a witness. The saint, therefore, since he wished specially to speak with him at that hour, called him again a second time and a third. Brother Bernard, not having heard him, neither answered nor went to him; at which St Francis went away somewhat saddened, and wondering in himself how it was that, having called him three times, Brother Bernard had not come to him. With this thought on his mind, when he had proceeded a little way, he bade his companion wait for him, and retiring to a solitary spot, fell on his knees, praying that God would reveal to him why Brother Bernard had not answered his call. As he prayed, a voice came from God, which said, "O poor little man, why art thou troubled? Is it meet for man to leave God for the creature? When thou didst call Brother Bernard he was with me, and could neither hear thee, nor go to thee; be not then surprised if he answered thee not, for he was rapt out of himself, nor did he hear aught of all thou saidst." St Francis, having received this answer from God, went back with great haste to Brother Bernard, to accuse himself humbly of the thought he had allowed to enter his mind against him. Brother Bernard, seeing St Francis coming towards him, went to meet him, and threw himself at his feet. Then St Francis bade him rise, confessing most humbly what his thoughts has been and the answer which God had made him; and with these words he concluded: "I command thee, by virtue of holy obedience, to do whatsoever I shall order thee." Brother Bernard, fearing St Francis would oblige him to inflict upon him some great punishment, as was his custom, would most willingly have avoided obeying him. "I am ready," he answered, "to obey thee, father, if thou also wilt promise me to do whatsoever I shall command thee." To this St Francis consented; and Brother Bernard then asked him what he wished him to do. "I command thee," said St Francis, "under holy obedience, in order to punish my presumption and the evil thought of my heart, when I lie down on the ground to place one of thy feet on my neck, and the other on my mouth. And this shalt thou do thee! Be humbled, thou son of Peter Bernardoni, for thou art but a vile wretch; how camest thou to be so proud, thou miserable servant of sin!" On hearing this Brother Bernard was much grieved, but out of holy obedience he did what St Francis had ordered him, striving withal to acquit himself thereof as lightly as possible. Then St Francis, having promised obedience to Brother Bernard, asked what he wished him to do, whereto the latter answered: "I command thee, in virtue of holy obedience, that whenever we are together thou reprove and correct with great severity all my defects." This order much surprised St Francis, for Brother Bernard was so holy that he held him in great reverence, and did not believe it possible to find in him any fault. From that time, therefore, the saint avoided being much with Brother Bernard, fearing lest, out of holy obedience, he might be obliged to reprove him; and when he was obliged to see or to speak with him, he parted from him as soon as possible. Most edifying it was to hear with what charity, what admiration and humility, St Francis, who was his superior, spoke of Brother Bernard, who was his first son in God - to the praise and glory of Jesus Christ and his poor servant Francis. Amen.

But Mary's power over the evil spirits will especially shine forth in the latter times, when Satan will lie in wait for her heel, that is, for her humble servants and her poor children whom she will rouse to fight against him. In the eyes of the world they will be little and poor and, like the heel, lowly in the eyes of all, down-trodden and crushed as is the heel by the other parts of the body. But in compensation for this they will be rich in God's graces, which will be abundantly bestowed on them by Mary. They will be great and exalted before God in holiness. They will be superior to all creatures by their great zeal and so strongly will they be supported by divine assistance that, in union with Mary, they will crush the head of Satan with their heel, that is, their humility, and bring victory to Jesus Christ. 

St. Louis de Montfort - "True Devotion to Mary"