Sancutary of Our Lady of Las Lajas, in Ipiales, Narino, Colombia

I had to share this beautiful picture of the Sancutary of Our Lady of Las Lajas, in Ipiales, Narino, Colombia.

From the website:

"Located 7km from Ipiales, on a bridge which spans a spectacular gorge of the Guáitara River, is this gothic church. Legend has it that an image of the Virgin Mary appeared in the mid-18th century on an enormous rock above the river. Interestingly, the church has been constructed in such a way that the rock (and image) is its high altar. Pilgrims from all over Colombia and Ecuador journey here and, unsurprisingly, reports of miracles at the site are not uncommon. Accommodation is suitably ascetic, being provided in a small but cheery convent up the road from the church."

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Traditional Latin Low Mass Introduction

As we celebrate the Lord's Resurrection on this and all Sundays of the year, I would like to share this video that I found posted on Youtube. It is a video entitled "Traditional Latin Low Mass Introduction". We can still learn from the words of the saints referenced in this video.

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Pro-abortion Sen. Hillary Clinton to Speak at Chicago Catholic Charity

I just received this news from LifeSiteNews.com. I wanted to pass it along and encourage my readers to contact the Archdiocese of Chicago and Mercy Home and politely ask them to not allow pro-abortion Clinton to speak at the fundraiser.

Sen. Hillary Clinton has been scheduled to appear as the keynote speaker at a Catholic charity event in Chicago, despite objections from pro-life groups over her vociferous support for abortion and homosexual activism.

The Mercy Home Graduates Luncheon is an annual fundraiser to support the Mercy Home Catholic children's charity. Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is a long-term residential home for young people ages 11 to 21, administered by Catholic priests. Fr. Scott Donahue is the current president of the organization.

According to the Pro-Life Action League, Fr. Donahue was apparently not aware Sen. Clinton had been asked to speak at the event until he was informed of her scheduled appearance by the League.

However, Mercy Home spokesman Mark Schmeltzer told LifeSiteNews.com that Fr. Donohue was approached by Chicago Cardinal Francis George about the upcoming Clinton fundraiser. "The Cardinal had some very understandable misgivings but he just wanted to be assured this was not a political stop," Schmeltzer told LifeSiteNews.com.

...

In 2004, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a policy document calling on Catholic institutions not to have pro-abortion politicians put on a pedestal due to the scandal it would cause. In their document, Catholics in Political Life, the Bishops' Conference states: "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honour those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honours or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

Joseph Scheidler, national director of the Pro-Life Action League has organized a demonstration against Senator Clinton's appearance in Chicago. He told LifeSiteNews.com that her appearance would set a precedent for pro-abortion speakers at other Catholic events.

Source: LifeSiteNews

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Evangelical Theological Society President Becomes Catholic

Here is news of another prominent conversion as Dr. Francis Beckwith, the president of the Evangelical Theological Society, converts to Catholicism. Alleluia! Visit his blog and congratulation him!

"Dr. Francis Beckwith, the president of the Evangelical Theological Society, has become Catholic. Dr. Beckwith was raised Catholic but became an Evangelical Protestant in youth. After a review of Catholic theology and its basis, however, he has been reconciled with the Church."

Francis J. Beckwith is Associate Professor of Church-State Studies (tenured), Baylor University, where he teaches courses in the departments of church-state studies, philosophy, and political science. A 2002-03 James Madison Fellow in the Politics Department at Princeton University, he currently serves as a member of Princeton's James Madison Society. He is a graduate of Fordham University (Ph.D., philosophy) and the Washington University School of Law, St. Louis (Master of Juridical Studies).

On November 17, 2006 Professor Beckwith became the President of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), a position that has a one-year term. He is the 57th president of ETS, an academic society that has over 4,100 members. In July 2005 he began a three-year term as a member of the American Philosophical Association's Committee on Philosophy and Law.

Dr. James R. White, Director of ETS, in his reaction, seems dazed, confused and shocked. However, I salute Dr. Beckwith as a man who has the courage to follow his conscience, convictions, and God's Call. Welcome Home Dr. Beckwith!

Source: Ave Maria Online

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First Friday Devotion

Today is the First Friday of May. 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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A Prayer for the Month of May

From The Glories Of Mary, by Saint Alphonsus Liguori:

O Lady, O ravished of hearts! ("O Domina, quae rapis corda.") I will exclaim with St. Bonaventure: "Lady, who with the love and favor thou showest thy servants dost ravish their hearts, ravish also my miserable heart, which desires ardently to love thee. Thou, my Mother, hast enamoured a God with thy beauty, and drawn him from heaven into thy chaste womb; and shall I live without loving thee? "No, I will say to thee with one of thy most loving sons, John Berchmans of the Society of Jesus, I will never rest until I am certain of having obtained thy love; but a constant and tender love towards thee, my Mother, who hast loved me with so much tenderness" ("Nunquam quiescam, donec habuero tenerum amorem erga Matrem meam, Mariam"), even when I was ungrateful towards thee.

And what should I now be, O Mary, if thou hadst not obtained so many mercies for me? Since, then, thou didst love me so much when I loved thee not, how much more may I not now hope from thee, now that I love thee? I love thee, O my Mother, and I would that I had a heart to love thee in place of all those unfortunate creatures who love thee not. I would that I could speak with a thousand tongues, that all might know thy greatness, thy holiness, thy mercy, and the love with which thou lovest all who love thee. Had I riches, I would employ them all for thy honor. Had I subjects, I would make them all thy lovers. In fine, if the occasion presented itself I would lay down my life for thy glory. I love thee, then, O my Mother; but at the same time I fear that I do not love thee as I ought; for I hear that love makes lovers like the person loved. If, then, I see myself so unlike thee, it is a mark that I do not love thee. Thou art so pure, and I defiled with many sins; thou so humble, and I so proud; thou so holy, and I so wicked. This, then, is what thou hast to do, O Mary; since thou lovest me, make me like thee. Thou hast all power to change hearts; take, then, mine and change it. Show the world what thou canst, do for those who love thee. Make me a saint; make me thy worthy child. This is my hope.

Amen.

Source: Recta Ratio

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The Errors of Centering Prayer

Over the past three decades, thousands of Catholics have fallen into the commonly misunderstood New Age practice known as "Centering Prayer". Centering Prayer actually is not a prayer and it is not even Christian. Originating with Abbot Thomas Keating in St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, centering prayer has spread across the country and attacked the faith of many good-hearted Catholics who unknowingly embrace a pagan practice. Authentic prayer and meditation stem from contact with God. Prayer does not center in one's being as advocates of centering prayer claim but rather prayer is a conversation with God from the center of our souls.

As stated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Edition), "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God" (CCC 2559). To understand centering prayer, we must first understand what centering prayer is not. Centering prayer is not the raising of one's mind and heart to God principally because the practice seeks participants to look within themselves. Such practices should not be confused with meditation, contemplation, or even Lectio Divina. Similarly, centering prayer is not an examination of conscience where we look upon our faults through the lens of the Church and seek to remain in the state of sanctifying grace.

On the topic of centering prayer, an article on Our Lady's Warrior states, "Typical of New Age meditative practice, [in centering prayer] the soul becomes the "center", energy replaces grace, God actually becomes a pantheistic energy, and the unleashing of this 'energy' leads to chaos." The article continues, "...And then, mysteriously, an evolution of consciousness." Such statements are based entirely off of the words of Fr. M. Basil Pennington from March 9, 2000, when he states, "When we go to the center of our being and pass through that center into the very center of God we get in immediate touch with this divine energy..."

Both Keating and Pennington are advocates of centering prayer, which is a pagan practice that achieves hypnosis. As confirmed by a psychology professor interviewed in the article "The Danger of Centering Prayer" by Fr. John D. Dreher: "Your question is, is [centering prayer] hypnosis? Sure it is." Centering prayer is a technique where participants repeat a "mantra", a word that is repeated over and over again in order to focus one's will. In true prayer, participants will seek to develop inner peace only through the sanctification of mind, body, and soul, which is achieved by living in a state of grace. In meditation and contemplation, individuals reflect upon the lives of Jesus, Mary, the saints, or other holy things. Above all, we seek to remain in grace and grow in love of God. Centering prayer replaces God with energy.

Centering prayer is not Christian - period. Rather, centering prayer utilizes characteristics from Hinduism such as the medium of Transcendental Meditation (TM). Again quoting from Fr. John D. Dreher's article: "Fr. Pennigton approves a Christian's participation in TM, despite the fact that the introductory ceremony to TM, the Puja, involves worship of a dead Hindu guru and that the mantras given those being initiated are in fact the names of Hindu gods." Thus, praying centering prayer is praying to false gods! Fr. Dreher simply writes, "The rapid spread of centering prayer in the past decade into so many areas which are at the very heart of the Catholic faith is, I believe, part of the Devil's strategy against the Church."

Susan Beckworth in "Centering Prayer and Enneagram are Pagan" states the following as the characteristics of authentic meditation:

1) It is Christ-centered and Trinitarian
2) It will acknowledge the cross of Christ and suffering
3) It will encourage an awareness of sin, a turning away from it, and trust in God's mercy
4) It encourages a sacramental life, especially the Eucharist
5) It encourages a disposition of obedience to Church teaching
6) It is Marian
7) It looks beyond this world to eternity

Since centering prayer fails to meet any of the above criteria, Catholics should simply refuse to participate in centering prayer. In Some Aspects of Christian Meditation by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith led by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican warns against certain practices that are common in centering prayer without using the actual term "centering prayer".

Even if the "mantra" used in centering prayer sounds Christian, its focus is to draw the person within and see God as nothing more than energy. Rather, such repetitive prayer like the Rosary or the Jesus Prayer used in many Eastern Churches is attempting to quiet our soul and empty all that is sinful and fill ourselves with Jesus Christ. Centering prayer is not contemplation or meditation like what is achieved by the Rosary or the Jesus Prayer.

Centering prayer is simply pagan. Fr. Keating, the founder of the Centering Prayer Movement, states in his books that the goal of centering prayer is to find the "True Self". Fr. Keating further claims that the True Self is the human soul and that the True Self is also God. We know that the soul is created by God and tainted with sin. Various catechisms including the Catechism of the Catholic Church state thus. Claiming that our soul is God is blasphemy!

However, centering prayer teaches something that is Hindu and not Christian. Fr. Keating even endorsed the book Meditations on the Tarot: Journey into Christian Hermeticisim, which promotes Tarot Cards, which are mortally sinful to use. He even advocates the usage of the Enneagram, which is nothing more than a demonic device.

Another flaw in centering prayer is the promotion of universalism, the belief that all people have salvation. At Holy Spirit Monastery in Conyers, Georgia, a place where centering prayer is offered, Fr. James Behrens states, "Salvation is a given... no one is left out... all the Bibles could be destroyed tomorrow and it would not make a difference." Again, this is blasphemy. And at the very root of centering prayer is the belief in universalism.

Consequently, I appeal not only to my readers to reject centering prayer but to discuss it with other Catholics and encourage all Catholics to abandon this practice.

Sources:

Centering Prayer Catholic Meditation or Occult Meditation?
Some Aspects of Christian Meditation
The New Age Mystic: Different Path, Same God?

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May 1st

Today is May 1st, the Feast of St. Joseph the Workman (1962). See my post from last year for more information. Also, May is the Month of Mary. Let us begin praying the daily Rosary this month if that has not been a daily devotion already. Similarly, let us remember to especially participate in Marian Devotions this month.

Remember: Let us go to Jesus through Mary.

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church on Family Ties

Family ties are important but not absolute. Just as the child grows to maturity and human and spiritual autonomy, so his unique vocation which comes from God asserts itself more clearly and forcefully. Parents should respect this call and encourage their children to follow it. They must be convinced that the first vocation of the Christian is to follow Jesus: "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." (CCC 2232)

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Problems with Forums

I have been a member of the Phatmass Forum for several months. However, I have decided to remove them from my sidebar permanently after they suspended my account this afternoon. My account was suspended because I stated that I generally find the Tridentine Latin Mass to be more reverent and mystical than the typical Novus Ordo Mass. This is my personal opinion based upon the few Tridentine and Novus Ordo parishes that I have visited. I also stated that some Novus Ordo Masses are wonderful such as those from Assumption Grotto.

Because I stated thus, my account has been suspended. In no way was I advocating dissent, sedevacantism, etc. I was simply stating my opinion, and I was punished for that. Thankfully there are better forums more accepting to those that love the Tridentine Mass like the Fish Eaters and Angel Queen. I certainly do not support everything on those websites, but I do feel they are a better place to learn and talk about the Tridentine Mass without being insulted.

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