Archbishop Flynn bars Mass at Gay Symposium

Archbishop Harry Joseph Flynn from March 27, 2009. Photo taken by Gaia Octavia Agrippa

Amazing! I didn't think he would do this! I truly am delighted after reading this news:

People with a homosexual orientation are children of God, not outcasts, Archbishop Harry Flynn explained, and Catholics are called to love gay people unconditionally; but the archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis said he was compelled to bar a national organization that ministers to homosexual Catholics from celebrating the Eucharist during its March 16 to 18 meeting in Minneapolis.

“Although I recognize the sincerity of the efforts made by New Ways Ministry to serve lesbian and gay persons, on many occasions this group has openly contested aspects of the fullness of Catholic teaching in this area,” the archbishop noted in a written statement following the event.

The Catholic Spirit

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Periucundum est Catholicum esse

"Periucundum est Catholicum esse" is Latin for "It's cool to be Catholic". I just recently read about a new non-profit Catholic organization called Catholici Sumus.

Currently Catholici Sumus is selling wristbands embossed with "Periucundum est Catholicum esse". It is the organization's hope that these wristbands will become a way for Catholics to evangelize. Importantly, every time someone inquires about the purple band (the color of penance), it opens the door for dialogue and evangelization. This can be a excellent opportunity to talk about the Catholic faith. Their vision is to distribute thousands of these wristbands, leading to millions of daily opportunities to share/spread the Faith.

The leader of this new organization said that he is outraged by our society mocking Christian values. Furthermore, he states that there are many misinformed Catholics, a ‘lost generation’ from the 60’s and 70’s that was not properly taught the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This band is a small step to help catechise the lost sheep of the Flock of Christ.

For more information, please visit the website of Catholici Sumus.

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Friday: Abstain from Meat

O King of Glory, have mercy on us sinners!

Today is Friday, the day we commemorate Our Lord's passion and death. It was our own sins that condemned Our Glorious Lord to death - death on a Cross. As Catholics, we are bound to abstain from meat today. Willingly ignoring the law of fasting and abstinence is seriously sinful! It was on this day of the week that Our Glorious Redeemer died for us. Please, never forget this, especially at 3 o'clock, the hour that He died. At 3 o'clock attempt to pray the 3 o'clock Mercy Prayer. Please remember Our Lord's love and repent today.

For the rules on fasting and abstinence, please see my post on the topic.

Today is a great day to pray the Stations of the Cross. Please join me in praying the Stations of the Cross. Remember, it was on this day that He gave up His life all for you.

Prayer to the Glorious Cross:

I adore You, O glorious Cross, which was adorned with the Heart and Body of my Savior Jesus Christ, stained and covered with blood. I adore You, O Holy Cross, out of love for Him, Jesus, who is my Savior and my God.

(Pope Pius IX declared that reciting this prayer five times on Friday will free five souls from Purgatory and 33 souls by reciting it on Good Friday. This prayer should be recited before a crucifix with a contrite heart and praying a few minutes for the Pope).

Prayer to Jesus Christ Crucified:

My good and dear Jesus, I kneel before you asking you most earnestly to engrave upon my heart a deep and lively faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins, and a firm resolve to make amends. As I reflect upon your five wounds, and dwell upon them with deep compassion and grief, I recall the words the prophet David spoke long ago concerning yourself: they have pierced my hands and my feet, they have numbered all my bones!

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Stational Church: Thursday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Today's Stational Church is the Church of Sts. Sylvester and Martin. For information on this devotion, see the Stational Churches of Lent Homepage. I will post on each Stational Church for Lent.

Dom Gueranger writes: "The Station is at the church of Saints Sylvester and Martin, which is one of the most venerable in Rome. It was originally built by Pope St. Sylvester, and still bears his name: but in the sixth century, it was consecrated to St. Martin of Tours. In the seventh century, it was enriched with the relics of Pope Saint Martin, which were brought from Chersonesus, where he had died a martyr a few years before. This church was the first Title of St. Charles Borromeo. It was also that of the learned liturgiologist, the Blessed Joseph-Mary Tommasi, whose body is now venerated in this church, and has been miraculously preserved, even to this day, in a state of incorruption."

Information is from the Canon Regulars of St. John Cantius:

Near this church the penitents used to pass through one of the most infamous of places, near the crossroads of Mercury and the Serbian walls, where there was the merulana necropolis (cemetery). That was where pagan Rome left the bodies of slaves and criminals to rot in the open, until the Christians built a chapel with the aim of venerating the Christian martyrs.

Two weeks from today, the Church will celebrate the mystery of the living and life-giving Bread, the first source of life and health. "For he that eats this Bread shall have life everlasting." "And unless you eat this Bread you shall not have life in you."

Preceded by two stational saints, the first Confessors, who were given public veneration in the Church — St. Sylvester and St. Martin — we will go to God's altar, to the Mystery of Life, to Him who will say also to us:" I say to thee, arise!"

Let us pray: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who are chastised by fasting, may rejoice with holy devotion, and that our earthly affections being weakened, we may, more easily understand the things of heaven. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

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Irreverence To Jesus in the Eucharist

As readers will remember, I am currently reading "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ" according to the visions by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. I recently came into contact without another Traditional Catholic, who sent me an excerpt from a different book containing some of her visions. I feel that while the following excerpt is graphic and horrifying, it illustrates the need to immediately stop irreverence wherever it exists.

Taken from "The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary", Chapter 1: Our Lady's Ancestors; the Vision of the Feast of Our Lady's Conception, page 68

"My heavenly Bridegroom said to me, pointing round me as He spoke; 'See far more evil that befalls Me every day at the hands of many throughout the world.' And as I looked about me into the distance, many things came before my soul which were indeed still more dreadful than that sacrifice of children; for I saw Jesus Himself cruelly sacrificed on the Altar by unworthy and sinful celebrations of the Holy Mysteries. I saw how the blessed Host lay on the altar before unworthy degenerate priests like a living Child Jesus, whom they cut and terribly mutilated with the paten. Their sacrifice, though an efficacious celebration of the Holy Mysteries, appeared like a cruel murder."

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Words of Inspiration: March 22

"Today bring to Me the souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice" (Paragraph 1226, Our Lord to St Faustina).

"Keep strongly and constantly united to God, consecrating all your affections, torments, and your entire self to Him, patiently awaiting the return of that beautiful sun, whenever the Spouse is pleased to visit you through trials of aridity, desolation and darkness of spirit" (St. Padre Pio, Letters III, p. 674.)

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Midterms

This week I am taking my midterms, and I would greatly appreciate any prayers offered on my behalf.

God Bless!

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Stational Church: Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Photo (c) A Catholic Life Blog 2016

Today's Stational Church is the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Today is the Feria of the Great Scrutiny.  Information is from the Canon Regulars of St. John Cantius:

At one time, a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Paul in this Lenten penitential procession took on an exceptional character in view of the riches of doctrinal teaching, which has come down to us from the Apostle to the Gentiles. For this reason, it used to happen, that in this particular Lenten Station, the Pope carried out a "third scrutiny" for the baptismal candidates—that is, for those catechumens, who wanted to be baptized in water.

In this church, at the tomb of this great convert-exemplar, the catechumens, turning westward—towards darkness—renounced Satan, his pomps and his works. Then, turning eastward—towards the light—they pledged their loyalty to Christ and His Church.

Here at the tomb of the Apostle, who was "the salt of the earth," the catechumens received a morsel of salt. Accipe sal sapientiae—Receive the salt of wisdom! Receive the taste for the doctrine of God. Hereafter, speak no longer the language of the flesh, but let your conversation be heavenly.

Let us pray: O God, who grantest to the just the reward of their merits, and to sinners pardon through their fasts, have mercy on Thy suppliant people, that the confession of our guilt may enable us to obtain the forgiveness of our sins. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

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My Great Grandmother May be Dying

Update in late 2007: She has died.  Unfortunately she was never baptized and never rejected our atheistic ways.

Update: Today she was given a life expectancy of three more days by her doctor. Please pray for her soul.

Original Post: Her name is Lucille, and she is very ill and currently at a hospital. I would appreciate any prayers for her health, so that, if it be God's will, she will improve. But, most of all, I ask you to pray for her soul. She has held atheistic views all of her life. Please pray for her soul so that she might repent and believe like the Good Thief while she bears her final cross.

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Into the Great Silence

If you are a reader of The New Liturgical Movement blog, you would have undoubtedly read about the opportunity to order a copy of "Into the Great Silence" as well as been able to see a few truly amazing pictures from the film.

However, if you have not done so, I would like to post about "Into the Great Silence". The movie is a documentary of a Carthusian monastery in France produced by filmmaker Philip Gronin. "Into the Great Silence" reveals the austere life that the monks like.

In the 169-minute film, talking does not appear until roughly 20 minutes into the movie. The film does contain the chanting of the monks, which they do daily, and viewers can watch the lives of one of the strictest Christian, monastic orders. Contemplative silence governs the life of the monks.

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