Friday, August 4, 2006
Comedy Central Re-airs "Bloody Mary"

On December 31, 2005, I was happy to post that Comedy Central promised to not re-run the "Bloody Mary" episode. This blasphemous, insulting, and disgusting episode attacks the Pope and the Blessed Virgin Mary. But, the people that made such a promise are liars!

Comedy Central re-aired the episode on August 2, 2006! If you are tired of seeing our faith insulted, register a protest: tony.fox[at]comedycentral.com

Source: Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
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Pray for Michael's Heart Surgery

A very faithful Catholic that visits my blog under the nickname "St. Michael" is in great need of your prayers. This is from his blog:

Hey all,

I will not be posting much, if any for the next month or two. I am going in this friday the 4th for Open heart Surgery. It will be my 11th! Yes, I am a frequent flyer when it comes to this. Please keep me in your prayers that all will go as God wills.

Pax Christi,

Michael
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St. John Vianney

Memorial (1969 Calendar): August 4
III Class (1962 Calendar): August 8
Double (1955 Calendar): August 9

The Devil told St. John Vianney, "If there were three such priests as you, my kingdom [in France] would be ruined."

St. John Vianney (1786-1859) was born in Dardilly, Lyons, France, and died in Ars, France. He was a farmhand that taught other children their prayers and catechism. St. John Vianney felt the calling to follow Our Lord as a priest, but he was not a very good student. And, with all classes still being taught in Latin, he did poorly because he was horrible at Latin. But, God guided him and St. John Vianney was ordained in 1815.

St. John Vianney was briefly assigned for a while to Ecully as a parish priest, but in 1818 he was assigned to the parish of Ars, a tiny village near Lyons, which suffered from lax attendance. St. John Vianney immediately began visiting his parishioners, especially the sick and poor. St. John Vianney would spend days in prayer and penance for his parishioners.

But, the devil did not want St. John Vianney to continue his ministry; some estimate that St. John Vianney saved 25,000 souls. And for this, the devil frequently tormented St. John Vianney when he tried to get his 2-3 hours of sleep a night.

Because of his priestly zeal, St. John Vianney has been recognized as the patron saint of parish priests. The man that barely completed his education is now the patron saint of parish priests. By 1855 there were 20,000 pilgrims a year to Ars. They came to hear him and receive the Sacrament of Confession from him. St. John Vianney heard confessions for 16 hours each day in a small confessional. St. John Vianney was also gifted with discernment of spirits, prophecy, hidden knowledge, and working miracles.

St. John Vianney died on August 4, 1859, at Ars, France, of natural causes. He was canonized on May 31, 1925. He is known as the Curé of Ars. Pope Pius XI declared him the patron saint of all diocesan priests in 1929. His body remains incorruptible. His feastday was transferred from August 9th to August 8th in 1960 to be closer to the day of his death.

Here is one conservation he had with a penitent because of his gift of discernment:

- Do you remember that you went to a ball on such-and-such occasion?
- Yes, I remember. 
 
- Do you remember that at a certain moment a handsome young man entered the ballroom? He was quite elegant, appeared very upright and danced with several young ladies?
- Yes, I do. 
 
- Do you recall that you had a great desire to dance with him?
- I recall that. 
 
- Do you recollect that you became sad because he didn’t ask you to dance?
- Yes, I do. 
 
- Do you remember that by chance you looked down at his feet and saw a strange blue light coming from them?
- Yes. I remember. 
 
- That young man was none other than the devil who had taken that shape to tempt several of the young women there. He was unable to approach you because you are a Daughter of Mary protected by her, and you were wearing the Miraculous Medal. 
 
From “Saints to Remember from January to December,” by the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

This glorious parish priest was born in eastern France, three years before the French Revolution broke out. He was a simple farmer’s boy. He received his first Holy Communion secretly in a barn when he was thirteen years of age. He later began studies or the priesthood. Because of the simple innocence of his mind, he found it very hard to pass the seminary examinations. His great devotions were to the Blessed Sacrament and to Our Blessed Lady. After months of prayer to Our Blessed Lady, he finally obtained the favor of being ordained a priest in 1815. He got encouragement to pursue his vocation to the priesthood at the tomb of Saint John Francis Regis. He was first made an assistant pastor at Ecully, and later a pastor at the little village of Ars. He stayed there for forty-one years, until he died. He is always referred to as the Cur’e of Ars. So great was his sanctity that people from all over Europe came to see him. He used to spend from sixteen to eighteen hours in the confessional every day. Heads of the State, army officers, university professors, bishops and priest, all went to him for direction. Toward the end of his life, nearly 20,000 pilgrims visited him every year. Pope Pius XI proclaimed him the patron of all parish priests. He was one of the most loved priests in the history of the Catholic Church. Everyone remembers him either as siting in the confessional or kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament or before an image of Our Blessed Mother, always with the rosary beads in his hand.
Writing Excerpts from St. John Vianney Available Online:
Highly Recommended Reading:
Collect:

Almighty and merciful God, Who didst make St. John Mary wonderful in his pastoral zeal and constant prayer and penance: grant, we beseech Thee, that by his example and intercession we may be able to win the souls of our brethren for Christ, and together with them attain to everlasting glory. Through the same our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal
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First Friday

Today is the First Friday of August. Because today is the first Friday of the Month, many Catholic parishes will have special Masses today for the First Friday Devotion.

Beginning on December 27, 1673, through 1675, Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque asking her to receive Him in Holy Communion on the first Friday of every month and to meditate on His passion from 11:00 PM to 12:00 midnight each Thursday. He also revealed to her twelve promises for all who are devoted to His Sacred Heart; he asked for a Feast of the Sacred Heart to be instituted in the liturgical calendar of the Church. Our Lord appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque with twelve promises for those devoted to His Most Sacred Heart.

Promises for those devoted to the Sacred Heart:

1. "I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life."
2. "I will establish peace in their homes."
3. "I will comfort them in their afflictions."
4. "I will be their secure refuge during life, and above all in death."
5. "I will bestow a large blessing upon all their undertakings."
6. "Sinners shall find in My Heart the source and the infinite ocean of mercy."
7. "Tepid souls shall grow fervent."
8. "Fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection."
9. "I will bless every place where a picture of My Heart shall be set up and honored."
10. "I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts."
11. "Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be blotted out."
12. "I promise thee in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence; they shall not die in My disgrace nor without receiving the Sacraments; My Divine heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment."

Pro-life Action:

MarchTogether.com has a monthly Call for Life in which pro-lifers are urged to call their elected officials and voice their support for the dignity of life. Today, being the first Friday, is this month's Call for Life.

For more information on the First Friday Devotion, please see The Miracle of the Rosary Mission. Please remember to pray for the unborn today and make an act of reparation to Our Lord. Remember, it was on Friday that Our Lord died and all Fridays in the year are days of penance (Canon 1250 - 1253)

Prayer of Reparation:
O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore thee profoundly. I offer thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of thee the conversion of poor sinners. Amen.
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Morning-after-pill: Contact President Bush now!

August 21 Update: President Bush supports Plan B! Act now!

I received this alert from the American Life League:

CALL UPON PRESIDENT BUSH TO STOP PLAN B!


Following months of intense pressure from Planned Parenthood and the rest of the abortion industry, the Food and Drug Administration is ready to cut a deal with the manufacturer of Plan B -- the "morning-after" pill -- to make the dangerous drug available over the counter to women over the age of 18.

This action would be devastating to women's health and deadly to preborn children!

The President offers the last chance to keep Plan B from being sold at any neighborhood pharmacy without a prescription.

PLAN B DESTROYS PREBORN BABIES


The "morning after" chemical cocktail frequently acts to destroy the life of a newly conceived human being in the days immediately following fertilization.

A Planned Parenthood website even acknowledges this fact by admitting that the "morning-after" pill frequently works by, "changing the lining of the uterus so that a fertilized egg
could not implant in the uterus." As a result, a tiny preborn child is killed.

PLAN B IS DANGEROUS TO THE GIRLS AND WOMEN WHO TAKE IT

There are numerous health risks associated with the drug and the proposed agreement would allow it to be distributed without proper medical supervision.

Also, there's no guarantee that girls under 18 would not be able to get their hands on this drug; there are too many adults willing to bend the rules.

TAKE ACTION --- CALL OR E-MAIL THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY!


The last point of intervention to keep the dangerous "morning-after" pill from being available across the counter at your neighborhood drug store is the White House.

Stop whatever you're doing and take 30 seconds right now to tell President Bush to use his executive authority to overrule the Food and Drug Administration. Tell him to stop Plan B!
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Thursday, August 3, 2006
Prayer for Faith in the Risen Lord



Father, in Your love You have brought me from evil to good and from misery to happiness. Through Your blessings give me the help I need to continue in virtue. Make my faith strong and my hope sure. May I never doubt that You will fulfill the promises You have made. May I who am redeemed by the suffering and death of Christ always rejoice in His Resurrection. As I honor His glorious Resurrection, renew Your gift of Divine life within me.
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Can Non-Catholics Be Saved?


The Church has always taught that there is no salvation outside of the Church (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus). We are called to bring all people into the One Church of salvation, the Catholic Church.

Some Papal Documents:

Pope Innocent III: "There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved." (Fourth Lateran Council, 1215)

Pope Boniface VIII: "We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff." (Unam Sanctam, 1302)

Pope Eugene IV: "The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church." (Cantate Domino, 1441.)

Pope Pius IX: "It is to be held of faith that none can be saved outside the Apostolic Roman Church . . . but nevertheless it is equally certain that those who are ignorant of the true religion, if that ignorance is invincible, will not be held guilty in the matter in the eyes of the Lord" (Solemn Allocution Singulari Quadam, December 9, 1854). "We all know that those who are invincibly ignorant of our religion and who nevertheless lead an honest and upright life, can, under the influence of divine light and divine grace, attain to eternal life; for God who knows and sees the mind, the heart, the thoughts, and the dispositions of every man, cannot in His infinite bounty and clemency permit any one to suffer eternal punishment who is not guilty through his own fault" (QUANTO CONFICIAMUR, August 10, 1863).


Saints' Statements:

St. Augustine: "When we speak of within and without in relation to the Church, it is the position of the heart that we must consider, not that of the body" (Treatise on Baptism). "All who are within in heart are saved in the unity of the ark."

St. Augustine: No one can find salvation except in the Catholic Church. Outside the Church, you can find everything except salvation. You can have dignities, you can have Sacraments, you can sing "Alleluia," answer "Amen," have the Gospels, have faith in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and preach it, too. But never can you find salvation except in the Catholic Church. St. Augustine

St. Thomas Aquinas: "... a man receives the effect of Baptism by the power of the Holy Ghost, not only without Baptism of Water, but also without Baptism of Blood: forasmuch as his heart is moved by the Holy Ghost to believe in and love God and to repent of his sins: wherefore this is also called Baptism of Repentance" (Summa Theologica Part II. Question 66. Article 11). "The other two Baptisms are included in the Baptism of Water, which derives its efficacy, both from Christ's Passion and from the Holy Ghost. Consequently, for this reason, the unity of Baptism is not destroyed."

My Conclusion:

I appeal to all Protestants to not put their salvation at risk at all. Enter the Church of Jesus Christ - the Catholic Church, which only has the four marks of the Church of Jesus. I appeal to you to come to the authentic Sacraments because Protestant Sacraments (usually except Baptism and Marriage) are invalid.

What though of those who have died? We entrust them all to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but He Himself is not bound by His sacraments. Pray for all departed souls.
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Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Prayer to Follow the Good Shepherd


My God and Father, give me new strength from the courage of Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. He is our Good Shepherd. Let me hear the sound of His voice, lead my steps in the path He has shown, that I may receive His help and enjoy the light of Your presence forever. Strengthened by the Eucharist, may I feel its saving power in my daily life till I reach eternal life with You. Lead me to join the Saints in heaven. Amen
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Eucharistic Miracle of Betania, Venezula



I found and was utterly amazed at this video! In this Eucharistic miracle, the Sacred Host is literally beating like a human heart and it is engulfed with flames! It is a living representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! Praised be to God!

If you doubt the Eucharist is truly the Real Presence of Jesus, watch this video! Pass this along so others might see the Truth!

Here is information from the Monks of Adoration:
As if one miracle wasn't enough, the same Sacred Host that bled on December 8, 1991 during the celebration of midnight Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception now is captured on video seemingly engulfed in fire, bleeding and beating like a human heart!

The miraculous bleeding Sacred Host is reserved in the Augustinian Nuns Chapel, Los Teques for all to see. Dan Sanford was with a pilgrim group on November 13, 1998 when he captured this footage. Due to the limitations of showing video on the Internet, you will not be able to see very well the Sacred Host beating nor the surrounding flames of fire as in the original.

Bishop Emeritus of Los Teques Pio Bello S.J. had this to say to Dan, "Continue evangelizing about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist with the help of this impressive tape."
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Portiuncula Indulgence is Today!

Today the chapel of Portiuncula is situated inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, roughly 5 km from Assisi, Italy.

What is Portiuncula? The following is an excerpt from Major Life of St. Francis by St. Bonaventure.
" The Portiuncula was an old church dedicated to the Virgin Mother of God which was abandoned . Francis had great devotion to the Queen of the world and when he saw that the church was deserted, he began to live there constantly in order to repair it. He heard that the Angels often visited it, so that it was called Saint Mary of the Angels, and he decided to stay there permanently out of reverence for the angels and love for the Mother of Christ.

He loved this spot more than any other in the world. It was here he began his religious life in a very small way; it is here he came to a happy end. When he was dying, he commended this spot above all others to the friars, because it was most dear to the Blessed Virgin.

This was the place where Saint Francis founded his Order by divine inspiration and it was divine providence which led him to repair three churches before he founded the Order and began to preach the Gospel.

This meant that he progressed from material things to more spiritual achievements, from lesser to greater, in due order, and it gave a prophetic indication of what he would accomplish later.

As he was living there by the church of Our Lady, Francis prayed to her who had conceived the Word, full of grace and truth, begging her insistently and with tears to become his advocate. Then he was granted the true spirit of the Gospel by the intercession of the Mother of mercy and he brought it to fruition.

He embraced the Mother of Our Lord Jesus with indescribable love because, as he said, it was she who made the Lord of majesty our brother, and through her we found mercy. After Christ, he put all his trust in her and took her as his patroness for himself and his friars.
The Indulgence:

"The Portiuncula indulgence is the first plenary indulgence that was ever granted in the Church. There were indeed indulgences at all times, but they were only partial, and only a partial remission of the temporal punishments could be obtained by them. But, as already remarked, he who gains the Portiuncula indulgence is freed from all temporal punishments and becomes as pure as after holy baptism. This was also the reason why Pope Honorius was astonished when St. Francis petitioned for the confirmation of this indulgence, for such an indulgence, up to that time, had been entirely unknown. It was only after he had come to the conviction that Jesus Christ himself wished it, that he granted the petition of the saint and confirmed the indulgence" (Source)

Please tell every Catholic person you know that remission of the punishment for all sins committed from the day of baptism to the reception of the indulgence is available.

May the Merciful Jesus fill your heart with His gentle peace!

The Specified Works to Gain this Indulgence:

1. Receive sacramental confession (8 days before or after)
2. Receive the Holy Eucharist at Holy Mass on August 2nd
3. Enter a parish church on August 2nd and, with a contrite heart, pray the Our Father, Apostles Creed, as well as a prayer for the intentions of the Pope.

Plenary Indulgence Requirement: You must also meet all the general requirements for a plenary indulgence or the indulgence gained would be partial. Plenary indulgences require that one is free from all attachments to sin as well.

And you must meet the general requirements that apply to all indulgences of any kind: The person must be in the state of grace at the time of the completion of the indulged work and the person must also want to gain the indulgence.

Allowance for the Work to Be Performed on the Sunday following August 2nd:

Per the Catholic Encyclopedia: On 9 July, 1910, Pius X (only, however, for that year) granted the privilege that bishops could appoint any public churches whatsoever for the gaining of the Portiuncula Indulgence, whether on 2 Aug. or the Sunday following (Acta Apostolicae Sedis, II, 1910, 443 sq.; Acta Ord. Frat. Min., XXIX, 1910, 226). This privilege has been renewed for an indefinite time by a decree of the S. Cong. of Indul., 26 March, 1911 (Acta Apostolicae Sedis, III, 1911, 233-4). The Indulgence is toties-quoties, that is, it may be gained as often as one wishes (i.e. visits the church); it is also applicable to the souls in purgatory.

Note: An indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment due to sin. More information can be found at Indulgences.
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