Friday: Still a Day of Penance

O Lord, Our God, have mercy on us sinners!

Today is Friday, the day in which we commemorate Our Lord's passion and death. It was our own sins that condemned our glorious Lord to death on Good Friday - death on a Cross. As Catholics, we are still bound to either abstain from meat or rather to do some act of penance each Friday in the entire year. 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.
Code of Canon Law:

Can. 1249 All Christ's faithful are obliged by divine law, each in his or her own way, to do penance. However, so that all may be joined together in a certain common practice of penance, days of penance are prescribed. On these days the faithful are in a special manner to devote themselves to prayer, to engage in works of piety and charity, and to deny themselves, by fulfilling their obligations more faithfully and especially by observing the fast and abstinence which the following canons prescribe.

Can. 1250 The days and times of penance for the universal Church are each Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.

Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Can. 1252 The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year. The law of fasting binds those who have attained their majority, until the beginning of their sixtieth year. Pastors of souls and parents are to ensure that even those who by reason of their age are not bound by the law of fasting and abstinence, are taught the true meaning of penance.

Can. 1253 The Episcopal Conference can determine more particular ways in which fasting and abstinence are to be observed. In place of abstinence or fasting it can substitute, in whole or in part, other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety.

Today is also a great day to pray the Stations of the Cross. The Stations are a wonderful devotion that can be prayed in Church or at home. Nonetheless, the stations allow us to contemplate the true love of our Redeemer during His bitter Passion. 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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Strong Defense of Pius XII by Cardinal Bertone

I am pleased to see this news coming from the Vatican. Truthfully, most of Rome's 8,000 Jews hid in the Vatican during World War II. Pope Pius XII saved thousands Jewish lives, and he used the assets of the Vatican to ransom Jews from the Nazis. The Chief Rabbi of Rome even converted to Catholicism after the war! According to Pinchas E. Lapide in his book, Three Popes and the Jews, Pope Pius XII saved 860,000 Jews from Nazi death camps (214). For more information, see my post The Church & the Holocaust.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone (bio - news) offered an extended defense of Pope Pius XII on Tuesday evening, June 5, at a conference announcing the publication of a new book on the life of the World War II Pontiff.

The Vatican Secretary of State charged that Pius XII has become the victim of a "black legend," which has "become so firmly established that even to scratch it is an arduous task."

Pope Pius XII has been "falsely portrayed as indulgent toward Nazism and insensitive to the fate of victims" of the Hitler regime, Cardinal Bertone said. That portrait endures, he added, in spite of "documentation and witnesses that have abundantly proven it is nonsense." In light of that evidence, he said, the continuing criticism of the wartime Pope has become "an attack on good sense and on rationality."

The "intense polemics" surrounding the Pope's attitude toward the Holocaust threaten to "reduce his entire pontificate to the question of his supposed silence," Cardinal Bertone said. He pointed out that Pius XII left an impressive record of accomplishments in other fields, including the dramatic progress in Biblical scholarship and in the status of women during the years of his pontificate, from 1939 to 1958.

The Secretary of State acknowledged that Pius XII had been "cautious" in his public statements denouncing the Nazi regime. But he argued that if the Pope had been more outspoken, the Nazi response might have entailed a stepped-up campaign of genocide. In practice, the cardinal observed, Pope Pius worked quietly to save thousands of Jews from the Holocaust.

Source: Catholic World News

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Montana Pharmacy Refuses to Sell Contraceptive

From LifeNews:

The new owners of a pharmacy in Montana have decided to not sell birth control drugs in their store. The decision has angered abortion advocates and brings up questions about whether pharmacies and pharmacists should have the ability to opt out of dispensing drugs that may cause abortions or assisted suicides.
Snyder Pharmacy has been a staple of Great Falls for over four decades but when the Anderson and Depner families purchased the store from its longtime owner, the pro-life Catholic families made a policy change.

They decided not to stock or sell birth control drugs because they believe the pills cause abortions.Stuart Anderson, a pharmacist who co-owns the drug store, wrote about the policy in a letter to customers. "Snyder Drug has decided to no longer carry oral contraceptives," the letter said. "We will be happy to transfer your oral contraceptive prescription to another pharmacy of your choice in a timely manner."

The letter indicated that by the end of May Snyder would no longer stock any birth control drugs. A woman who received the letter complained to Planned Parenthood of Montana and it is launching a petition campaign against the drug store.

"Snyder’s decision is out of line with Montana values and out of line with mainstream America," Stacey Anderson, PPM's director of public affairs, claimed in an email to LifeNews.com. Anderson alleged that the families are lying about the abortifacient nature of the drug and said, "It is dangerous for women and a disservice to our community to spread false information about FDA-approved birth control that is used for both medical reasons and family planning purposes."

The families told the Billings Gazette they are surprised by some of the negative responses they've received. Other people have applauded the decision.

"We're flabbergasted at the attention we've gotten, including some comments by people who aren't our customers that are downright malicious," Kurt Depner said. "We're just a small business making the types of decisions that business owners make every day."

According to the newspaper, the Rev. Jay Peterson, administrator of the Catholic Church's Great Falls-Billings Diocese, applauded the couples "for acting on their moral convictions and standing up for their Catholic beliefs in the sanctity of human life."

ACTION: Send your comments to Snyder Drug, 2515 6th Ave N, Great Falls, MT 59401

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Novena of Confidence to the Sacred Heart

In prepartion for the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart on June 15, the following Novena is prayed from June 6 - 14. Please join me today and pray this novena for each of the following days until June 15.

Novena:

O Lord, Jesus Christ, To Thy Most Sacred Heart I confide this intention...(mention your request) Only look upon me, then do what Thy Heart inspires. . . Let Thy Sacred Heart decide. . . I count on It. . . I trust in It. . . I throw myself on Its mercy. . . Lord Jesus! Thou wilt not fail me. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I believe in Thy love for me. Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy Kingdom Come.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I have asked for many favors, but I earnestly implore this one. Take it, place it in Thy Sacred Heart. When the Eternal Father sees it covered with Thy Precious Blood, He will not refuse it. It will be no longer my prayer but Thine, O Jesus. O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee. Let me never be confounded. Amen.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be)

Artist Source: Adolfo Simeone

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St. Norbert

Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): June 6

Double (1955 Calendar): June 6

Today, the Holy Catholic Church remembers the life of St. Norbert (c. 1080 - June 6, 1134). Born in Xanten, Germany, into nobility, St. Norbert served as an almoner for Emperor Henry V. Living a worldly life, St. Norbert decided to receive Holy Orders only as part of a career move. St. Nobert joined the Benedictines at Siegburg and, after a narrow escape from death, took his vows seriously and experienced an interior conversion.

Ordained a priest in 1115 AD, St. Norbert accepted the duty of preaching, particularly in France and Germany. St. Norbert founded a religious community of Augustinian canons at Premontre, France, who became known as the Norbertines or Premonstratensians. St. Norbert was also a friend of Blessed Godfrey of Cappenberg.

Elected Archbishop of Magdeburg in 1126, he reformed clergy in his area and used force when necessary. St. Norbert worked with St. Bernard and St. Hugh of Grenoble to heal the schism caused by the death of Pope Honorius II. St. Norbert also opposed heresy in Cambrai with the help of St. Waltmann. Because of his work, the Faith was spread to nearby pagan nations. St. Norbert died in 1134 AD at Magdeburg, Germany. His relics are in Prague. St. Norbert was canonized in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. A principal feast was approved for his Premonstratensian Order for July 11 by Pope Urban VIII in 1625, which was celebrated as a "triple of the first class" with a Common Octave in the traditional Premonstratensian Rite, which is a distinct Rite of Mass that, due to its venerable age, was allowed to continue after the changes imposed by Pope St. Pius V in Quo Primum.

Reading:

Norbert established a clergy dedicated to the ideals of the Gospel and the apostolic Church. They were chaste and poor. They wore the clothing and the symbols of the new man; that is to say, they wore "the religious habit and exhibited the dignity proper to the priesthood." Norbert asked them "to live according to the norms of the Scriptures with Christ as their model.

The priests lived in community, where they continued the work of the apostles.

When Norbert was appointed as archbishop, he urged his brothers to carry the faith to the lands of the Wends.

Faith was the outstanding virtue of Norbert's life, as charity had been the hallmark of Bernard of Clairvaux. Affable and charming, amiable to one and all, he was at ease in the company of the humble and the great alike. Finally, he was a most eloquent preacher; after long meditation he would preach the word of God and with his fiery eloquence purged vices, refined virtues and filled souls of good will with the warmth of wisdom.

Source: The Life of Saint Norbert

Collect:

O God, Who didst make blessed Norbert, Thy Confessor and Bishop, an illustrious preacher of Thy word, and through him dist bestow new offspring on Thy Church: grant, we beseech Thee, that through his merits and prayers we may be able to practice by Thine aid what he taught both by word and deed. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone on the Tridentine Mass

I can only pray that this news from the Secretary of State for the Vatican is true. I sincerely hope that the motu propio will be released this month. From CNS:

A leading Vatican official said two important documents from Pope Benedict XVI -- a letter to Chinese Catholics and a decree liberalizing use of the Tridentine Mass -- were coming soon.

...

As for the document granting wider latitude for celebration of the Tridentine rite, Cardinal Bertone said that "one shouldn't have to wait long to see it published."

The cardinal said the pope was "personally interested in making this happen" and that the pontiff had prepared an accompanying letter explaining the move and expressing the hope for a serene reception by the church.

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St. Boniface

Today is the feastday of St. Boniface, the Apostle of Germany, bishop and martyr. Please see my post from last year and join me in praying a special Litany to St. Boniface.

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Updating "To Those that Don't Believe"

I am updating my article To Those that Don't Believe. I would like to include more information about other miracles and link to information about the miracles. I already have the Miracle of Lanciano, the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, and the miracle at the spot of Jesus's Ascension mentioned in the article. What other miracles do you recommend I add to the list?

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Trinity Sunday

Today is the great celebration of Trinity Sunday. Last week we celebrated Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit, and today we proclaim that the Lord God is One God present in three Divine Persons. Today is a great Solemnity.

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The Month of June Dedicated to the Sacred Heart

The Month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Therefore, I recommend the following articles for the month of June. 

• Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Consecration to the Sacred Heart
• Daily Offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the dying

"Let us remember that the Heart of Jesus has called us not only for our own sanctification but also for that of other souls. He wants to be helped in the salvation of souls" (St. Padre Pio)

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