Friday, September 9, 2005
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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Thursday, September 8, 2005
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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Wednesday, September 7, 2005
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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Catholic Feast Days


Introduction:

Catholic Feastdays are days set aside to remember important people and events through the course of the Faith from the time of Mary's birth all the way through today honoring the saints. The calendar of saints has been changed throughout Church history to remove some saints in order that others may be celebrated too. One of these changes occurred in 1969, which greatly altered (arguably in a very bad way), the calendar.

Today, some Traditional Catholics like to follow the pre-1955 Calendar, some prefer the 1955 Calendar, and some prefer the 1962 Calendar.  These three calendars are very similar. The exceptions are noted below

The following calendar lists the General Roman Catholic Calendar.  Many saints are not on the General Calendar and some are only on specific calendars of specific orders or for specific areas of the world.  Yet, all saints have a feast day in the year, even if it is not universally celebrated on the General Calendar.

Temporal vs. Sanctoral Cycle:

This page concerns the Proper of Saints, called the Sanctoral Cycle, which is the annual cycle of feasts not necessarily connected with the seasons. We commemorate and ask the intercession of those holy men and women who set a marvelous example that we should all strive to imitate. We also commemorate various events and mysteries of the faith in the Sanctoral Cycle.

There is also the Proper of Seasons, called the Temporal Cycle, traces the earthly life of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It consists mainly of Sundays related to the various liturgical seasons. This maps onto the 7 liturgical seasons contained in the two cycles we previously discussed: the Christmas Cycle and the Easter Cycle. It starts with Advent then goes through Christmas, Epiphany, Septuagesima, Lent, Easter, and Time after Pentecost. For that reason, when you go to Mass on Sundays you likely will not hear the readings for the saints mentioned here. You should refer to the Traditional Sunday Propers for the Sunday readings since in most cases, the temporal cycle takes precedence over the Sanctoral Cycle.

Recommended Volumes of Meditation on the Catholic Liturgical Year:

The Liturgical Year (15 Volume Set) by Father Dom Gueranger (A MUST READ!)

Pre-1954 vs 1962 Calendar:

The following list by month indicates the Liturgical Year according to the General Roman Catholic Calendar as of 1954.  In 1954, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen on May 31, and to make room for it, he moved the feast of St. Angela Merici to June 1. That was the final change before significant changes occurred in 1955. Besides the drastic changes and alterations to the Holy Week Liturgies in 1955 as part of the temporal cycle, there were a few other noteworthy changes. With the advent of the 1955 Calendar, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of "St. Joseph the Worker" on May 1 (moving the feast of "Saints Philip and James" from May 1, where it had been since the sixth century, to May 11th, and suppressing the Patronage of St. Joseph that, since Pope Pius IX's decree of September 10, 1847, had been celebrated on the second Wednesday after the Octave of Easter).  

Additional changes that occurred in 1960 under John XXIII include the removal of most saints who were on the calendar twice. For instance, the Feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross, the 2nd feast of St. Agnes commemorating her apparition to her parents, and the Feast of St. John before the Latin Gate were all removed. These changes were incorporated in the 1962 Missal, however, a priest may still choose to offer a votive Mass for those saints on those traditional feastdays.

Some of the Movable Feasts (Some are part of the Temporal Cycle but included here for easy reference):
Movable Masses in Some Places (Relating more to the temporal cycle but included here for easy reference):
Traditional Calendar (1954)

Differences related to different calendars are noted in italicsSome Masses that were only celebrated in certain places at this time and were not on the Universal Calendar are noted as "Mass in Some Places". In the Month of November, various locations or orders keep special feasts of their own saints. Those are noted as well.

 January:
** Feast of the Holy Name: Sunday between the Circumcision and Epiphany [or January 2, when no such Sunday occurs]

February
Note: In a leap year, the Vigil of St. Matthias is kept on February 24, and any Feasts usually occurring from February 24 through 28 are kept one day later.


March

April
Wednesday after the II Sunday after Easter: Solemnity of St. Joseph, C - Double of the I Class
Wednesday after the III Sunday after Easter: Octave Day of St. Joseph, C - Greater Double


May


June


July


August


September

October


November


December
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How to Pray as a Catholic?

I found a good website by accident with a very good opening quote on how to pray as a Catholic.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
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Tuesday, September 6, 2005
William Rehnquist's Funeral

His funeral is scheduled for tomorrow at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle even though Rehnquist was a lutheran. Let us say a prayer for him and thank the Lord Almighty for allowing such a pro-life man to help America for so long.

President Bush has nominated Justice John Roberts to take his place, and confirmation hearing will begin next week. One pro-life group, the National Pro-life Action Plan, has even posed 5 questions to Justice Roberts. I hope that Justice Roberts will be on the court by the start of the next session, though, in a year already filled with coming pro-life cases such as the parental notification law in New Hampshire, and if he is on the court that will ensure there will be no tie.

Update: See photos in my post on the Funeral
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Catholic Treasure Chest

I found a great site via the Internet Carmelite Community, which is in the sidebar under other Catholic blogs. This site, the Catholic Teasure Chest, is filled with everything Catholic.

Read there article on how to be a good Catholic.
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