Good News with St. Blogs

St. Blog's Parish Hall recently announced it was closing down, but now someone has come forward and the website is currently in the process of changing webmasters. It looks like it will remain for some time to come and I'm very glad given the great amount of Catholic information there including an excellent list of Catholic websites.

Update: The new address is here

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Image of Pope Pius XII

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St. Francis's Final Words

Do you know what St. Francis's final words were?

Well, St. Francis, now nearly blind, as he lay on the cold ground, sang one verse from the Bible: "Lead me from my prison, that I might give thanks to Your name." (Pslam 142)

I think it's so beautiful that in such horrible conditions St. Francis still praised God. And we too should also praise Him through the greatness of creation and joy of life. Lift up a prayer now to Him and thank Our Heavenly Father for life. It is such a joy to know Our Lord and not just know about Our Lord. At the end of times we won't be given a quiz on theology or a test on IQ but will be asked one thing: how much did we love. Our mind and actions should come after our heart since it is through the love of a heart that Jesus Christ saved us from sin and through the love of a heart that all judgment rests.

Jesus Christ is Lord and worthy of all praise. It is truly amazing that the same Lord we pray to, the same one we hear of in epic stories, the same one that died on the Cross and was raised on the third day is present in the Eucharist...waiting for us.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain, Title Unknown

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What is a "Doctor of the Church"?

The title of "Doctor of the Church" is bestowed on certain individuals not only for their faith but for their skillful defense of it. The first saints given this title on September 20, 1295, by Boniface XIII included Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, Saint Jerome, & Saint Gregory the Great. The next added was St. Thomas Aquinas and since then has grown to include thirty-three saints.

Traditionally, a Doctor of the Church was a male. After Vatican II, some women were added to this list which was a break with Tradition. Those still faithfully praying the pre-Vatican II Divine Office and saying the Traditional Mass do not generally accept these recent additions for good reason.

The Doctors of the Church:

St. Gregory the Great
St. Ambrose
St. Augustine
St. Jerome
St. John Chrysostom
St. Basil
St. Gregory Nazianzus
St. Athanasius
St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Bonaventure
St. Anselm
St. Isidore
St. Peter Chrysologus
St. Leo the Great
St. Peter Damian
St. Bernard
St. Hilary of Poitiers
St. Alphonsus Liguori
St. Francis de Sales
St. Cyril of Alexandria
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
St. John Damascene
St. Bede the Venerable
St. Ephraem
St. Peter Canisius
St. John of the Cross
St. Robert Bellarmine
St. Albertus Magnus
St. Anthony of Padua
St. Lawrence of Brindisi

The following were added after Vatican II:

St. Teresa of Avila
St. Catherine of Siena
St. Thérèse of Lisieux
St. John of Avila
St. Hildegard of Bingen
St. Gregory of Narek

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Grace from Mass

Grace is God's free gift given freely to others from God. One of the main differences between the some Protestants and Catholics is that Catholics know that in the Sacraments like Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation, we receive additional grace from God. St. John Vianney even said that if we knew the true value of the Mass, we would die of joy.

Here are the graces we receive from attending Mass:

1. The Mass is Calvary continued.
2. Every Mass is worth as much as the sacrifice of our Lord's life, sufferings, and death.
3. Holy Mass is the world's most powerful atonement for your sins.
4. At the hour of death, the Masses you have heard will be your greatest consolation.
5. Every Mass will go with you to judgment and plead for pardon.
6. At Mass, you can diminish more or less temporal punishment due to your sins, according to your fervor.
7. Assisting devoutly at Holy Mass, you render to the sacred humanity of Our Lord the greatest homage.
8. He supplies for many of your negligence and omissions.
9. He forgives the venial sins which you have not confessed. The power of Satan over you is diminished.
10. One Mass heard during life will be of more benefit to you than many heard for you after your death.
11. You are preserved from dangers and misfortunes which otherwise might have befallen you. You shorten your Purgatory.
12. Every Mass wins for you a higher degree of glory in Heaven.
13. You receive the priest's blessing which Our Lord ratifies in Heaven.
14. You kneel amidst a multitude of holy angels, who are present at the adorable Sacrifice with reverential awe.
15. You are blessed in your temporal goods and affairs.

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What Does It Mean to Be "Born Again"?

The Following is from the article Are Catholics Born Again? from Catholic Answers:

Catholics and Protestants agree that to be saved, you have to be born again. Jesus said so: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

When a Catholic says that he has been "born again," he refers to the transformation that God’s grace accomplished in him during baptism. Evangelical Protestants typically mean something quite different when they talk about being "born again." 

For an Evangelical, becoming "born again" often happens like this: He goes to a crusade or a revival where a minister delivers a sermon telling him of his need to be "born again.""If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and believe he died for your sins, you’ll be born again!" says the preacher. So the gentleman makes "a decision for Christ" and at the altar call goes forward to be led in "the sinner’s prayer" by the minister. Then the minister tells all who prayed the sinner’s prayer that they have been saved—"born again." But is the minister right? Not according to the Bible.

Continue Reading...

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God Bless, Rehnquist

I want to salute William Rehnquist, an excellent Court Justice who stood for the good of all people from conception to natural death. God Bless you, Rehnquist. May you enjoy the delight of the angels and the saints in Paradise.

On September 7, 2006, funeral services were performed for William Rehnquist at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington D.C. Although Rehnquist was not Catholic, his family has gotten permission to use the Cathedral (1). He received Lutheran funeral services. I do not support Catholic buildings being used by other denominations; however, I will not argue about that. Justice William Rehnquist will be missed. May God bless him.

Photos:



Photo Sources: Arlington National Cemetery

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Mysteries of the Rosary

 Our Lady of the Rosary by A. Ciampelli

The following Rosary Mysteries correspond to a specific virtue.  As you pray the mystery, beseech our Lord through our Lady to grant you that virtue.

Joyful (Monday, Thursday, and Saturday):

• The Annunciation: Humility 
• The Visitation: Charity 
• The Birth of Our Lord: Poverty, or detachment from the world 
• The Presentation of Our Lord: Purity of heart, obedience 
• The Finding of Our Lord in the Temple: Piety 

Sorrowful (Tuesday and Friday):

• The Agony in the Garden: Contrition for our sins 
• The Scourging at the Pillar: Mortification of our senses 
• The Crowning with Thorns: Interior mortification 
• The Carrying of the Cross: Patience under crosses 
• The Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord: That we may die to ourselves 

Glorious (Wednesday and Sunday):

• The Resurrection: Conversion of heart 
• The Ascension: A desire for heaven 
• The Coming of the Holy Ghost: The Gifts of the Holy Ghost 
• The Assumption of our Blessed Mother into Heaven: Devotion to Mary 
• The Coronation of our Blessed Mother: Eternal happiness

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Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Feast (1969): September 8

Double of the II Class (1955 Calendar): September 8

Today we recall a very important day in the life of Mary – her birth. Unlike the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary, today is not a Holy Day of Obligation where we as Catholics must attend Mass. However, the birth of Mary is certainly an important part of our faith since Mary was the one who consented to become the Mother of God and bring our Savior into the world. 

A Prayer for Today's Remembrance of Mary’s birth written by St. Ambrose:

Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O sacred Virgin; give me strength against thine enemies, and against the enemy of the whole human race. Give me strength humbly to pray to thee. Give me strength to praise thee in prayer with all my powers, through the merits of thy most sacred nativity, which for the entire Christian world was a birth of joy, the hope and solace of its life. When thou wast born, O most holy Virgin, then was the world made light. Happy is thy stock, holy thy root, and blessed thy fruit, for thou alone as a virgin, filled with the Holy Spirit, didst merit to conceive thy God, as a virgin to bear Thy God, as a virgin to bring Him forth, and after His birth to remain a virgin. Have mercy therefore upon me a sinner, and give me aid, O Lady, so that just as thy nativity, glorious from the seed of Abraham, sprung from the tribe of Juda, illustrious from the stock of David, didst announce joy to the entire world, so may it fill me with true joy and cleanse me from every sin. Pray for me, O Virgin most prudent, that the gladsome joys of thy most helpful nativity may put a cloak over all my sins. O holy Mother of God, flowering as the lily, pray to thy sweet Son for me, a wretched sinner. Amen.

Collect:

Bestow upon Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of Thy heavenly grace: that as the childbearing of the Blessed Virgin was the beginning of our salvation, so the solemn feast of her Nativity may bring us an increase of peace. Through our Lord.

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Gay Marriage in California?

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California just recently announced this Wednesday night that he will veto a bill that would have made California the first state to legalize same-sex marriage through its elected lawmakers 

Update: He has thankfully vetoed the bill!

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Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows

Please start the Novena today up until the 15th of September for the Feast of our Lady of sorrows. (Novenas are prayers said for nine days in a row like Mary and the apostles prayed for nine days for the Holy Spirit)

Image found at Recta Ratio.

The Novena:

Most holy and afflicted Virgin, Queen of Martyrs, you stood beneath the cross, witnessing the agony of your dying Son. Look with a mother's tenderness and pity on men, who kneel before you. I venerate your sorrows and I place my requests with filial confidence in the sanctuary of your wounded heart.

Present them, I beseech you, on my behalf to Jesus Christ, though the merits of his own most sacred Passion and death, together with your sufferings at the foot of the cross. Through the united efficacy of both, obtain the granting of my petition. To whom shall I have recourse if my wants and miseries if not to you, Mother of Mercy? You have drunk so deeply of the chalice of your Son, you can compassionate our sorrows.

Holy Mary, your soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow at the sight of the passion of your divine Son. Intercede for me and obtain from Jesus (mention your request) if it be for his honor and glory and for my good Amen.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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