Pope St. Zephyrinus

Next in the continuing series of posts on the History of the Sovereign Pontiffs, we pick up after Pope St. Victor I and come to the 15th Sovereign Pontiff: Pope St. Zephyrinus.

A native of Rome, St. Zephyrinus reigned as Pope from 199 to 217 AD. During part of his rule, the Church endured the bloody persecution of Emperor Septimus Severus. Pope Zephyrinus rejoiced in the triumphs of the martyrs, but he had much to suffer from current heresies and apostasies. It was his glory that the heretics called this holy Pope the principle defender of Christ's divinity.

St. Zephyrinus is remembered especially for his combat against the adoptionist heresies of the followers of Theodotus the Byzantium who were ruled by Theodotus, the Money Changer and Asclepiodotus.  Although not physically martyred, St. Zephyrinus is called a martyr for the suffering he endured.

Thus we see in the first 15 Popes of the Catholic Church covered so far in this series the presence of great afflictions imposed by the enemy, yet these men remained steadfast in serving Christ and furthering the Faith against heresies, schisms, and paganism.  May they continue to pray for the Church Suffering and the Church Militant today.

The following is taken Lives of the Saints by Alban Butler

ZEPHYRINUS, a native of Rome, succeeded Victor in the pontificate, in the year 202, in which Severus raised the fifth most bloody persecution against the Church, which continued not for two years only, but until the death of that emperor in 211. Under this furious storm this holy pastor was the support and comfort of the distressed flock of Christ, and he suffered by charity and compassion what every confessor underwent. 

The triumphs of the martyrs were indeed his joy, but his heart received many deep wounds from the fall of apostates and heretics. Neither did this latter affliction cease when peace was restored to the Church. Our Saint had also the affliction to see the fall of Tertullian, which seems to have been owing partly to his pride. Eusebius tells us that this holy Pope exerted his zeal so strenuously against the blasphemies of the heretics that they treated him in the most contumelious manner; but it was his glory that they called him the principal defender of Christ's divinity. 

St. Zephyrinus filled the pontifical chair seventeen years, dying in 219. He was buried in his own cemetery, on the 26th of August. He is, in some Martyrologies, styled a martyr, which title he might deserve by what he suffered in the persecution, though he perhaps did not die by the executioner.

Reflection: God has always raised up holy pastors zealous to maintain inviolable the faith of His Church, and to watch over the purity of its morals and the sanctity of its discipline. We enjoy the greatest advantages of divine grace through their labors, and owe to God a tribute of perpetual thanksgiving and immortal praise for all the mercies He has accorded His Church.

Collect from his feastday on August 26th:

O Eternal Shepherd, who appointed blessed Zephyrinus shepherd of the whole Church, let the prayers of this martyr and supreme pontiff move You to look with favor upon Your flock and to keep it under Your continual protection. Through our Lord . . .

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Maxim of St. Philip Neri for Conquering Lust

Read A Maxim of St. Philip Neri for Each Day of the Year

• Devotion to the Blessed Virgin is actually necessary, because there is no better means of obtaining God’s graces than through His most holy Mother.

• In order to preserve their purity, young men should frequent the Sacraments, especially confession, go to sermons, and be often reading the Lives of Saints.

• He who conceals a grave sin in confession, is completely in the devil’s hands.

• There is nothing more to the purpose for exciting a spirit of prayer, than the reading of spiritual books.

• We ought to fear and fly temptations of the flesh, even in sickness, and in old age itself, aye, and so long as we can open and shut our eyelids, for the spirit of incontinence gives no truce either to place, time, or person.

• The stench of impurity before God and the angels is so great, that no stench in the world can equal it.

• Humility is the true guardian of chastity.

• We must never trust ourselves, for it is the devil’s way first to get us to feel secure, and then to make us fall.

• If young men would preserve their purity, let them avoid bad company.

• Without mortification nothing can be done.

• Let them also avoid nourishing their bodies delicately.

• Young men should be very careful to avoid idleness.

• If young men wish to protect themselves from all danger of impurity, let them never retire to their own rooms immediately after dinner, either to read or write, or do anything else; but let them remain in conversation, because at that time the devil is wont to assault us with more than usual vehemence, and this is that demon which is called in Scripture the noonday demon, and from which holy David prayed to be delivered.

• When a man is in an occasion of sin, let him look what he is doing, get out of the occasion, and avoid the sin.

• An excellent method of preserving ourselves from relapsing into serious faults, is to say every evening, “To-morrow I may be dead.”

• Let a man always think that he has God before his eyes.

• Men should often renew their good resolutions, and not lose heart because they are tempted against them.

• One of the most efficacious means of keeping ourselves chaste, is to have compassion for those who fall through their frailty, and never to boast in the least of being free, but with all humility to acknowledge that whatever we have is from the mercy of God.

• To be without pity for other men’s falls, is an evident sign that we shall fall ourselves shortly.

• In the matter of purity there is no greater danger than the not fearing the danger: when a man does not distrust himself, and is without fear, it is all over with him.

• As soon as a man feels that he is tempted, he should fly to God, and devoutly utter that prayer which the fathers of the desert so much esteemed: “O God come to my assistance, Lord make haste to help me” or that verse, “create a clean heart in me, O God.”

• When sensual thoughts come into the mind, we ought immediately to make use of our minds, and fix them instantaneously upon something or other, no matter what.

• In temptations of the flesh, a Christian ought to have immediate recourse to God, make the sign of the cross over his heart three times, and say, “Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”

• In the warfare of the flesh, only cowards gain the victory; that is to say, those who fly.

• We should be less alarmed for one who is tempted in the flesh, and who resists by avoiding the occasions, than for one who is not tempted and is not careful to avoid the occasions.

• When a person puts himself in an occasion of sin, saying, “I shall not fall, I shall not commit it,” it is an almost infallible sign that he will fall, and with all the greater damage to his soul.

• Let us always go to confession with sincerity, and take this as our rule - Never out of human respect to conceal anything from our confessor, however inconsiderable it may be.

• In trying to get rid of bad habits, it is of the greatest importance not to put off going to confession after a fall, and also to keep to the same confessor.

• When we go to confession, we should accuse ourselves of our worst sins first, and of those things which we are most ashamed of, because by this means we put the devil to greater confusion, and reap more fruit from our confession.

• At Communion we ought to ask for the remedy of the vice to which we feel ourselves most inclined.

• In order to begin well, and to finish better, it is quite necessary to hear mass every day, unless there be some lawful hindrance in the way.

• We must not trust in ourselves, but take the advice of our spiritual father, and recommend ourselves to everybody’s prayers.

• Let us strive after purity of heart, for the Holy Ghost dwells in candid and simple minds.

• The Lord grants in a moment what we may have been unable to obtain in dozens of years.

• We must pray incessantly for the gift of perseverance.

• Human language cannot express the beauty of a soul which dies in a state of grace.

• To obtain the protection of our Blessed Lady in our most urgent wants, it is very useful to say sixty-three times, after the fashion of a Rosary, “Virgin Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me.”

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Gabriel Garcia Moreno's Rule of Life

Gabriel Garcia Moreno's Rule of Life

1. Every morning when saying my prayers I will ask specially for the virtue of humility.

2. Every day I will hear Mass, say the Rosary, and read, besides a chapter of the Imitation, this rule and the annexed instructions.

3. I will take care to keep myself as much as possible in the presence of God, especially in conversation, so as not to speak useless words. I will constantly offer my heart to God, and principally before beginning any action.

4. I will say to myself continually: I am worse than a demon and deserve that Hell should be my dwelling place. When I am tempted, I will add: What shall I think of this in the hour of my last agony?

5. In my room, never to pray sitting when I can do so on my knees or standing. Practice daily little acts of humility, like kissing the ground, for example. Desire all kinds of humiliations, while taking care at the same time not to deserve them. To rejoice when my actions or my person are abused and censured.

6. Never to speak of myself, unless it be to own my defects or faults.

7. To make every effort, by the thought of Jesus and Mary, to restrain my impatience and contradict my natural inclinations. To be patient and amiable even with people who bore me; never to speak evil of my enemies.

8. Every morning, before beginning my work, I will write down what I have to do, being very careful to distribute my time well, to give myself only to useful and necessary business and to continue it with zeal and perseverance. I will scrupulously observe the laws of justice and truth, and have no intention in all my actions save the greater glory of God.

9. I will make a particular examination twice a day on my exercise of different virtues, and a general examination every evening. I will go to confession every week.

10. I will avoid all familiarities, even the most innocent, as prudence requires. I will never pass more than an hour in any amusement, and in general, never before eight o'clock in the evening.

Click here for a printable version in PDF

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4 SSPX Priests Ordained; Total Reaches 613

At Holy Cross Seminary in Goulburn, Australia, Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais ordained three priests on Thursday, December 15, 2016: two Americans and one Australian. 

At Our Lady Co-Redemptrix Seminary in La Reja, Argentina, Bishop Bernard Fellay will ordain a Brazilian priest on Saturday, December 17, 2016. 

In total, 2016 has seen 23 new priests ordained for the SSPX, bringing the total up to 613 who are aided by 117 brothers and 79 oblate sisters. In its six seminaries across the world, 215 young men, as well as 40 pre-seminarians, were registered at the beginning of the academic year.

Source

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St. Eusebius of Vercelli

 The Virgin Mary in Glory with Archangel Gabriel, and Saints Eusebius of Vercelli (seated), Saint Sebastian, and Saint Roch by Sebastiano Ricci.

Semidouble (1954 Calendar): December 16

Today is the Feast of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, who was born in 283 and died in 371.  Despite the many years that have passed since St. Eusebius walked on this earth, there is much we can learn from his holy life.

St Eusebius was the bishop of Vercelli in northern Italy in the middle of the fourth century. St. Ambrose says he was the first in the West to introduce community life among the secular clergy.

No stranger to sufferings at the hands of heretics, St. Eusebius was exiled to Palestine and Cappadocia by Emperor Constantius for his defense of St. Athanasius and his opposition to the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ.

Though greatly mistreated in exile, [he won the title of martyr for his grievous sufferings] the courageous bishop survived the ordeal and, on the death of the Emperor, took up the fight for the Church once more. He won over enemies, however, by urging clemency toward repentant Arian bishops, the very ones who had been a cause of his exile.

St. Eusebius died in peace at Vercelli on August 1, 371.

Traditional Matins Reading

Eusebius, by birth a Sardinian, was a lector in the Church at Rome, and afterwards Bishop of Vercelli. It may well be said that it was God himself who chose him to be the pastor of this Church; for the electors, who had never before seen him, no sooner set their eyes upon him, than they preferred him before all their fellow citizens; and this instantly, and as soon as they first saw him. Eusebius was the first of the bishops in the western Church, who established monks in his Church to exercise the functions of the clergy; he did it in order that he might thus unite, in the same persons, the detachment from riches and the dignity of levites. It was during this time that the impious doctrines of the Arians were devastating the whole of the west; and so vigorously did Eusebius attack them, that Pope Liberius’ greatest consolation was the unflinching faith of this holy man. It was on this account, that the same Pope, knowing that the Spirit of God burned in Eusebius’ soul, commissioned him to go, accompanied by his legates, to the emperor, and plead the cause of the true faith. Eusebius and the legates being come before Constantius, the saint pleaded so powerfully, that the emperor granted what he asked, namely, that a council of the bishops should be convened.

That Council was held the following year, at Milan; Eusebius was invited by Constantius to be present at it, which was what the legates of Liberius had desired and begged. So far was he from being duped by the synagogue of the malicious Arians to side with them against St. Athanasius, that he openly declared from the first that several of those present were known to him to be heretics, and he therefore proposed that they should subscribe to the Nicene Creed before proceeding any further. This the Arians, infuriated with anger, refused to do; whereupon, he not only refused to subscribe to what was drawn up against Athanasius, but he also, by a most ingenious device, succeeded in having the name of St. Denis the martyr blotted out from the decree, which the craft of the Arians had induced him to sign. Wherefore, they being exceedingly angry against Eusebius, loaded him with injuries, and had him sent into banishment. The holy man, on his side, shaking off the dust from his feet, caring little either for the threats of the emperor, or the sword which was held over him, submitted to banishment as to something which belonged to his episcopal office. Being sent to Scythopolis, he there endured hunger, thirst, blows, and sundry other punishments; he generously despised his life for the true faith, feared not death, and gave up his body to the executioners.

How much he had to put up with from the cruelty and insolence of the Arians, we learn from the admirable letters, full of energy, piety, and religion, which he addressed, from Scythopolis, to the clergy and people of Vercelli, and to other persons of the neighbouring country. It is evident from these letters that the heretics were unable, either by their threats or by their inhuman treatment, to shake his constancy, or to induce him by the craft of their flattery or arguments to join their party. Thence he was taken into Cappadocia, and lastly into Thebais of Upper Egypt, in punishment of his refusing to yield. Thus did he suffer the hardships of exile until the death of Constantius: after which he was allowed to return to his flock; but this he would not do, until he had assisted at the Council which was being held at Alexandria for the purpose of repairing the injuries done by heresy. This done, he travelled through the provinces of the east, endeavouring, like a clever physician, to restore to perfect health such as were weak in the faith, by instructing them in the doctrine of the Church. Animated by the like zeal for the salvation of souls, he passed over into Illyricum; and having at length returned to Italy, that country put off its mourning. He there published the commentaries of Origen and Eusebius of Cæsarea on the Psalms, which two works he translated from the Greek into Latin, with such corrections as were needed. At length, having rendered himself celebrated by a life spent in such actions as these, he died at Vercelli, in the reign of Valentinian and Valens, and went to receive the immortal crown of glory which his so many and great sufferings had merited for him.

Collect:

O God, who gladdens us each year by the feast of Your blessed martyr bishop Eusebius, mercifully grant that we who celebrate his birthday may also enjoy his protection. Through Our Lord . . .

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Catholic Motor Chapels

In keeping with the idea of restoring the sacred, I present here some very interesting photos of Catholic motor chapels.  These chapels were beautifully set up and designed to allow priests to offer Mass in remote mission regions.  Notice the great reverence and holiness in these photos (which is unfortunately lacking in most Novus Ordo churches today!) You will notice that even Solemn High Masses were said using these motor chapels.

Let's take a few minutes to pray for our missionaries:

O glorious virgin St. Theresa, whom the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth hath chosen to be the heavenly Patroness of the Missions, for which cause all missionaries confess thee to be their Patroness and call upon thy name; we fly to thee with heartfelt affection, beseeching thee that thou wouldst take under thy special protection these generous souls who are filled with the Spirit of God and whose hearts are on fire with the love of Jesus Christ and of their neighbor; they have freely foresaken their families and native land; with great courage, they make light of every manner of sacrifice, painful toil, countless dangers, and even death itself which may perchance overtake them, and their only joy is the thought that they are able to suffer and die for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Hence they go forth gladly into distant and barbarous places in order to declare to the peoples that dwell therein the work of redemption which was accomplished for their souls also be the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this valley of tears thou didst follow these athletes of the faith, these heroic souls, with special affection, thus opening to them thy virgin heart; thou didst offer for their salvation thy fervent prayers to God; thou didst endure bitter sorrow and cruel penance that God, the Saviour of the world, might be pleased to sustain them in their sacred and difficult ministry.

Now that thou art in heaven, adorned with greater glory, and seeing Jesus, face to face, whom thou didn't love so much and from whom thou didst receive assurance of mutual love, do thou pray and make intercession for them.  May they be enabled, through thy singular assistance, to bring many souls to Jesus, souls who were redeemed by His Precious Blood but who still sit in the darkness and shadow of detah under the domination of the evil spirit.

This in truth is likewise their own earnest desire; in order that they may see it fulfilled, do thou obtain for them that increase of grace and holiness which is so necessary for the fruitful exercise of this apostolic ministry.  Sustain them in theri many labors, comfort them in their sorrows, help them in their grievous privations and ask of God a special blessing in their behalf, which shall raise them up and reward with abundant fruit the task which they are to accomplish in spreading the Kingdom of Christ on earth with such heartfelt love and self-sacrificing devotion.

O glorious virgin Saint Theresa, heavenly Patroness of the missions, hear and answer us.

Prayer Source : Raccolta, An Indulgence of 300 days, once a day.

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Nicea to Now: A History of the Councils of the Church

Please share news of this book as it is one of the best books I have ever read on explaining the Theology and Spirituality of the Councils - all from a Traditional Catholic perspective. You can order a copy here.

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The Heel of Our Lady of Guadalupe upon the Global Serpent

 Our Lady of Guadalupe being carried by St Francis while being glorified by the Holy Trinity

Guest Post by David Martin

The first and perhaps greatest prophecy given after the fall of our first parents is contained in Genesis 3:15, where God speaks to the serpent: "She shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel." This verse of scripture references the Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception and the great power she would exert over the devil, especially in the latter times.

The Virgin's appearance at Guadalupe is certainly no exception to this. The word "Guadalupe," derived from the Aztecan word quatlasupe, providentially means "to crush the head of the serpent," which was precisely the work of the Blessed Virgin in her apparition to St. Juan Diego on December 9, 1531. She appeared on the hill called Tepeyac outside of Mexico City, which formerly was the site of the Aztec temple dedicated to the idol Tonotzin. Her mission was to dispel the magic and indigenous practice that had bewitched that part of the world, and bring the One True Universal Faith to the people. Some 9,000,000 Mexican Indians were converted to the Catholic Faith through her intercession, assisted by the clergy of Mexico. She truly stood upon the hill and conquered the serpent!

The clergy of our time are also called to assist Our Lady in this mission to convert the masses and put down the dark forces that presently bewitch the faithful. Unfortunately, these dark forces today are operating under the guises of reform and renewal, evidenced especially by today's ecumenical escapades and the so-called Charismatic Renewal. As with the ancient sorcerers, these false prophets boast of their work in the spirit, but their spirit is the devil, and what they bring is a new religion not connected with the religion of the Apostles. (so-called renewal)

The problem today is that this false spirit is being promoted through the channels of the Church, which gives it credibility in the eyes of the people, so Our Lady's intercession is needed all the more to squelch this revolt and revive the Church in a true renewal where the faithful can glory in their Catholicity, and not in things indigenous or pseudo.

Yea, the Church stands in dire need of a universal renewal of the Traditional Latin Mass, of which Mary is Queen. She is the Mother of the Church and Tabernacle of the Most High!  The rays of eternity streaming from her sacred hands are needed to dispel the darkness of the global serpent, which today is tempting the faithful with a new-found ecological precept that we cleave to "our common home," and not to things eternal.

The argument that it is the clergy and not Our Lady who have the key role in Christianizing the people holds little water when we consider that it was Our Lady who had the key role in converting Mexico, and this being at a time when the Church was in good shape. How much more should this "Queen of Christians" take the lead when the Church is in the worst crisis of its history! The ancient serpent is paganizing the faithful anew, so the same Virgin Mary who nursed the early Church in its infancy is ready to revive the Church in its final battle. Her day has truly come for the final crushing of the serpent's head.

Let us call upon her then and pray that the Americas be united, not under a godless North American Union, but under her protective mantle, that the people of this hemisphere might cut the pagan dancing and Marxist theology, and learn to be truly Christian in the Apostolic sense, fearing God, and reverencing the Queen in the spirit of St. Juan Diego. What the Blessed Virgin wants is consecrated soldiers who can dismiss the pettiness of ethnicity and culture and embrace that which is universal, so that they can rise above themselves and assist the Queen in dispelling the present-day "operation of error to believe lying" (2 Thess 2:10), as it is being advanced by today's Vatican hierarchy.

Yes, the Blessed Virgin is all about restoration, and returning the Church to its former position of honor as it stood before Vatican II. She calls upon the inhabitants of the Americas to assist her in vanquishing the head of the global serpent, that globalism might finally die, and the true Apostolic Faith may persevere.

Note: The Aztec Nahuatl word of coatlaxopeuh which is pronounced "quatlasupe" sounds remarkably like the Spanish word Guadalupe. Coa meaning serpent, tla being the noun ending which can be interpreted as "the", while xopeuh means to crush or stamp out. It is believed Our Lady wanted to be called the one "who crushes the serpent."

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Advent Ember Fast Begins Tomorrow

Ember Days are set aside to pray and/or offer thanksgiving for a good harvest and God's blessings. If you are in good health, please at least fast during these three days and pray additional prayers. Remember the words from the Gospel: "Unless you do penance, you shall likewise perish" (Luke 13:5).  Ember Days are days of fasting and abstinence.

Please click here for a special Ember Day Manual, including reflections for the Advent Ember Days.  It is free.

Ember Days this December: 14, 16, and 17

From New Advent:

Ember days (corruption from Lat. Quatuor Tempora, four times) are the days at the beginning of the seasons ordered by the Church as days of fast and abstinence. They were definitely arranged and prescribed for the entire Church by Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) for the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after 13 December (S. Lucia), after Ash Wednesday, after Whitsunday, and after 14 September (Exaltation of the Cross). The purpose of their introduction, besides the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist the needy. The immediate occasion was the practice of the heathens of Rome. The Romans were originally given to agriculture, and their native gods belonged to the same class.

At the beginning of the time for seeding and harvesting religious ceremonies were performed to implore the help of their deities: in June for a bountiful harvest, in September for a rich vintage, and in December for the seeding; hence their feriae sementivae, feriae messis, and feri vindimiales. The Church, when converting heathen nations, has always tried to sanctify any practices which could be utilized for a good purpose. At first the Church in Rome had fasts in June, September, and December; the exact days were not fixed but were announced by the priests. The "Liber Pontificalis" ascribes to Pope Callistus (217-222) a law ordering: the fast, but probably it is older. Leo the Great (440-461) considers it an Apostolic institution. When the fourth season was added cannot be ascertained, but Gelasius (492-496) speaks of all four. This pope also permitted the conferring of priesthood and deaconship on the Saturdays of ember week--these were formerly given only at Easter.

Before Gelasius the ember days were known only in Rome, but after his time their observance spread. They were brought into England by St. Augustine; into Gaul and Germany by the Carlovingians. Spain adopted them with the Roman Liturgy in the eleventh century. They were introduced by St. Charles Borromeo into Milan. The Eastern Church does not know them. The present Roman Missal, in the formulary for the Ember days, retains in part the old practice of lessons from Scripture in addition to the ordinary two: for the Wednesdays three, for the Saturdays six, and seven for the Saturday in December. Some of these lessons contain promises of a bountiful harvest for those that serve God.

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Holy Love Ministries - Cleveland

As a reminder and for the benefit of your souls, the "Holy Love Ministries" in Cleveland, Ohio and the associated "Missionary Servants of Holy Love" have been condemned by the local diocese.  The alleged apparitions have been deemed not of supernatural origin and the Faithful may not participate in their works or encourage them in any way or risk excommunication. 

If you see mention of this group online, share this decree by the Diocese of Cleveland.

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