Excommunications

L'Excommunication de Robert le Pieux (The Excommunication of Robert the Pious), a painting by Jean-Paul Laurens.

What is Excommunication?

Excommunication is defined as "An ecclesiastical censure by which one is more or less excluded from communion with the faithful. It is also called anathema, especially if it is inflicted with formal solemnities on persons notoriously obstinate to reconciliation. Two basic forms of excommunication are legislated by the Code of Canon Law, namely inflicted penalties (ferendae sententiae) and automatic penalties (latae sententiae). In the first type, a penalty does not bind until after it has been imposed on the guilty party. In the second type, the excommunication is incurred by the very commission of the offense, if the law or precept expressly determines this (Canon 1314). Most excommunications are of the second type" (Modern Catholic Dictionary by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.)

Through excommunication, the most serious of all penalties, the excommunicated person is forbidden to "...have any ministerial participation in celebrating the Eucharistic Sacrifice or in any other ceremonies whatsoever of public worship,to celebrate the sacraments and sacramentals and to receive the sacraments, to discharge any ecclesiastical offices, ministries or functions whatsoever, or to place acts of governance (Canon 1331)" Excommunication, aside from those involved in abortion, applies to priests that reveal the sins of penitents (Canon 1388), people that throw away the consecrated bread or wine or keep them for sacrilegious purposes (Canon 1367), or for a heretic, apostate, or schismatic (Canon 1364).

Similar to excommunications are anathemas. See Overheard in the Sacristy for more information. The following is an excerpt from that aforementioned blog:

Ceremony:

While "minor excommunication" could be incurred by associating with an excommunicate, and "major excommunication" could be imposed by any bishop, "anathema" was imposed by the Pope in a specific ceremony described in the Pontificale Romanum. Wearing a purple cope (the liturgical color of penitence) and holding a lighted candle, he, surrounded by twelve priests, also with lighted candles, pronounced the anathema with a formula that concluded with the phrase:

"Wherefore in the name of God the All-powerful, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, of Blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and of all the saints, in virtue of the power which has been given us of binding and loosing in Heaven and on earth, we deprive (Name) himself and all his accomplices and all his abettors of the Communion of the Body and Blood of Our Lord, we separate him from the society of all Christians, we exclude him from the bosom of our Holy Mother the Church in Heaven and on earth, we declare him excommunicated and anathematized and we judge him condemned to eternal fire with Satan and his angels and all the reprobate, so long as he will not burst the fetters of the demon, do penance and satisfy the Church; we deliver him to Satan to mortify his body, that his soul may be saved on the day of judgment."

The priests responded: "Fiat, fiat, fiat" (Let it be done), and all, including the pontiff, cast their lighted candles on the ground. A notice is sent in writing to the priests and neighboring bishops of the name of the one who has been excommunicated and the cause of his excommunication, in order that they may have no communication with him. Although he is delivered to Satan and his angels, he can still, and is even bound to repent. The Pontifical gives the form for absolving him and reconciling him with the Church.

The Formula Rite of Excommunication

“[Name of the person], led by the Devil, having abandoned through apostasy the promise he had made at his Baptism, has not feared to ravage the Church of God, steal Church goods and violently oppress the poor of Christ. In our concern over this, we do not desire that he perish because of any pastoral neglect of our own. For before the dread Judgment seat, we will have to render an account to the Prince of Shepherds, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in accordance with the terrible warning the Lord Himself addresses to us with these words: If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand (Ez 3: 18). Therefore, we have canonically warned him once, twice, a third and yet a fourth time so that he might conquer his malice, inviting him to amend himself, make reparation and penance, and reprehending him with paternal affection. But he – o woe! – despising the salutary admonitions of the Church of God, which he has offended, and led by the spirit of pride, has not wanted to make any reparation 

“The precepts of the Lord and of the Apostles speak clearly about what to do with such prevaricators. For the Lord says: Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offends thee, cut them off and cast them from thee (Mt 8:18). And the Apostle advises: If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or a server of idols, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner: with such a one, do not so much as to eat. (1 Cor 5:11) And John, the favorite disciple of Christ, forbids that one should even greet one who is wicked: If any one come to you and bring not this doctrine, do not receive him into the house, and greet him not (2 Jn 1:10). 

“Therefore, carrying out the precepts of the Lord and of the Apostles, let us take from the body of the Church with the iron tongs of excommunication this putrid and incurable member who refuses to accept the remedy, so that the rest of the members of the body may not be poisoned by such a pestiferous disease. He has despised our admonitions and our repeated exhortations; having been warned three times, according to the precept of the Lord, he would not amend himself and do penance; he has not reflected upon his guilt, nor has he confessed it; neither has he presented any excuse through a third party, nor did he ask for pardon. But, with his heart hardened by the Devil, he continues to persevere in the same evil as before, according to the words of the Apostle: The impenitent heart stores up to itself wrath for the day of wrath (Rom 2:5). 

“Wherefore by the judgment of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost, of the St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and of all the Saints, and by virtue of the power which has been given us of binding and loosing in Heaven and on earth that which was divinely entrusted to us, we deprive him [the person is named] with all his accomplices and all his abettors of the Communion of the Body and Blood of Our Lord; we separate him from the society of all Christians; we exclude him from the bosom of our Holy Mother the Church in Heaven and on earth; and we declare him excommunicated and anathematized, as well as judge him condemned to eternal fire with Satan and his angels and all the reprobates. So long as he will not burst the fetters of the Devil, amend himself and do penance and make reparation to the Church which he has offended, we deliver him to Satan for the perdition of his flesh, so that his soul may be saved on the day of judgment."

To this, all the assistants answer: "Fiat, fiat, fiat" [so be it, so be it, so be it]. 

“The Bishop and the assisting priests then cast to the ground the lighted candles they have been carrying. Notice is sent in writing to all the priests in the neighboring parishes, as well as to the Bishops, of the name of the one who has been excommunicated and the cause of his excommunication in order that they may have no communication with him, thus removing them from any occasion of excommunication.” 

Source: Roman Pontifical apud Catolicismo, December 1952

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Susan Tassone is Alive

This morning I received an email concerning this post of mine: Susan Tassone on Purgatory. I received my information for this post from an email from the Yahoo Group that prays for the Holy Souls.

I wrote in that post: "Before she died, an interview was conducted with her about her work to help the souls of those in purgatory. I highly recommend this interview." Today I received an email entitled "Susan Tassone is very much alive!" It was from someone that attends Mass with her. Right now, Susan Tassone is working hard to get donations for poor third world parishes who in turn offer up Masses for your intentions (family members who may be in purgatory).

Please say a prayer for Susan's wonderful work for Christ and for her health!

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Words of Inspiration: June 28, 2006

Blessed Mother Teresa:

"I serve Jesus twenty-four hours a day. Whatever I do is for Him. And He gives me strength."

Padre Pio:

"Each holy Mass heard with devotion, produces marvelous effects in our souls, spiritual and material graces, that we ourselves do not know. For such purposes do not spend your money uselessly, make a sacrifice of it and come here to hear holy Mass."

"It would be easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the holy sacrifice of the Mass."

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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St. Irenaeus of Lyons

Double (1955 Calendar): June 28
III Class (1962 Calendar): July 3
Memorial (1969 Calendar): June 28

St Irenaeus of Lyons, martyr, was born around c. 130 AD in Asia Minor and raised as a Christian. He was a student of St. Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. In 177 AD, St. Irenaeus became a priest and eventually became the second Bishop of Lyons following the martyrdom of Saint Pothinus.

St. Irenaeus worked intensely to counter to claims of Gnosticism by basing his arguments on the Gospel of St. John. He also emphasized the unity of the Old and New Testaments, and of Christ's human and divine nature. His most well-known work is "Against Heresies". For his work, St. Irenaeus was murdered for the faith in 202 AD in Lyons, France. In 1562, Calvinists destroyed his relics and tomb. He is a Father of the Church.

Prayer by St. Irenaeus:

Father, give perfection to beginners, understanding to the little ones, and help to those who are running their course. Give sorrow to the negligent, fervor to the lukewarm, and a good consummation to the perfect.

Writing:

"For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God."

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Protestant numbers are down; Catholics steady

For the first time since the foundation of our country, the United States may have less than 50% of its population as Protestants. From 1993 to 2002, Protestants dropped from 63% of the population to 52% of the population. According to the researchers, it will drop below 50% in the next two years. Catholics remained steady at 25% of the population.

Unfortunately, the number of people claiming no religion has climbed from 9% to 14%. We desperately need to pray that these people see Jesus Christ and see the full truth of the Catholic faith! The number of people adhering to Islam, Orthodox Christians, interdenominational Christians and native-American faiths rose from 3% to 7%. The number of people claiming the Jewish faith remains just below 2%.

Note: Protestants are defined as "all post-Reformation Christian churches, such as Baptist, Methodist and Episcopalian, including Mormons and New Age Spirituality adherents."

Source: NORC at the University of Chicago
Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Update on "The Collar"

I have posted before about the new book, The Collar, which is about several men in the seminary. Well, I received this message from the author yesterday:

Hi everyone:

The Collar book tour continued this past weekend with an excellent event in Colorado hosted by one of the five main characters in the book, Father Don Malin.

Today's Washington D.C reading at the C.I.C. (1501 K Street, NW - 202-783-2062) has been postponed by the heavy rains that have deluged the capitol and will be rescheduled for mid-July. I will keep you posted as to the new date.

As always, please keep me posted with any comments you may have about the book especially thoughts about getting the word out there. If you have enjoyed The Collar and think that it's a book others should read --please tell people about it and the website!

Thanks so much!

Jonathan

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Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Memorial (1969 Calendar): June 27
(1955 Calendar): June 27

Today is June 27 and on this day the Church honors Mary under the title of "Our Lady of Perpetual Help". Catholic Fire posted this to describe the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help:

The child Jesus has just seen the angels who have shown him the instruments of his passion. St. Michael the Archangel holds the lance and gall-sop. St. Gabriel the Archangel holds the Cross and the nails. Frightened by the sight, Jesus has run to his mother’s arms so quickly that he almost lost one of His tiny sandals. It dangles from his foot. Mary holds Him lovingly but her eyes look at us - pleading with us to avoid sin and love Her Son.

His hands are in hers to show that, as a child, Jesus placed Himself in Mary’s hands for protection and to remind us that He now has placed into Her hands all graces, to be given to those who turn to His mother and ask.

The star on Mary’s veil shows her to be the one who brought the light of Christ to the darkened world - the beacon that leads the way to Heaven.

The falling sandal symbolizes a soul clinging to Christ by one last thread--devotion to Mary.

The golden background is symbolic of Heaven and shines to show the heavenly joy Jesus and His mother can bring to tired human hearts.

Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Almighty and merciful God, Who hast given us a picture of Thy most blessed Mother to venerate under the special title of Perpetual Succor, mercifully grant us to be so fortified, among all the vicissitudes of this wayfaring life, by the protection of the same immaculate, ever-virgin Mary, that we may deserve to attain the rewards of Thine everlasting redemption. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever. R.Amen.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Microsoft, Warren Buffet, and Gates Foundation on Abortion

According to today's LifeNews Report, Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and the second richest man in the world, will donate 80% of his fortune to the pro-abortion foundation set up by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife. Buffett plans to give them 12,050,000 in Class B shares of Berkshire Hathaway. One share sells for $3,000, and this would give the Gates foundation another $37 billion.

The Gates Foundation has given the Planned Parenthood Federation of America almost $12.5 million since 1998. These funds are used to persuade teenagers to support abortion as well as advance abortion in the United Nations. The International Planned Parenthood abortion business has received almost $21 million from the Gates foundation over the last seven years. These funds were used to kill unborn babies in third world countries.

This is horrible, horrible news. I ask you to contact the Gates Foundation and urge it to stop supporting Planned Parenthood and abortion.

Contact:

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
PO Box 23350
Seattle, WA 98102
(206) 709-3140
info@gatesfoundation.org

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The end of trouble at Northern Kentucky University by Sally Jacobsen

Earlier this year, Sally Jacobsen, a British literature professor at Northern Kentucky University, led a group of students in destroying 400 crosses set up on campus to be a memorial for the 43 million unborn children that have been murdered from abortion. She was charged with theft, criminal mischief and criminal solicitation. However, the charges have been dropped!

She has just apologized for her actions and plans to make a donation to a local maternity home that helps pregnant women. Jacobsen is also paying the Northern Right to Life, the student pro-life group, for the costs of the Cross display that was destroyed.

"I apologize to [the group and its members] for dismantling [the display]," Jacobsen wrote. "I did not realize I was interfering with Northern Right to Life's freedom of speech and I deeply regret having done so."

Source: LifeNews

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Join in Prayers for the Elections!

Fr. Frank Pavone is asking people all around the country to join him in prayer. He is asking voters to pray the Rosary from July 4th all the way to Election Day in November. We must pray for the successful election of pro-life candidates.

Please read more about it here: http://www.prayercampaign.org/

Image Source: Fish Eaters Website

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Confession by Phone? by Internet?

I've heard a question asked recently whether or not Confession by telephone or Internet is permitted. The answer is of course no. As we see in the Gospels, it is about a personal encounter with Jesus Christ that matters. In Confession we not only confess our sins but we humble ourselves by kneeling down and begging for mercy. The Prodigal Son did not call from across the field: "Forgive me." Rather, the Gospel says, the Son got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him (Luke 15:20).

In Confession Jesus Christ runs back to us and pours grace into our souls. It is this personal encounter that matters.

The Catholic Church has also condemned Confession through the Internet:

The Pontifical Council on Social Communications on the Church and the Internet published a document in 2002 that states, “virtual reality cannot substitute for the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, nor the sacramental reality of the other sacraments, nor the worship shared in a human community of flesh and bones....Sacraments on the internet do not exist....Even religious experiences that are possible there through the grace of God are insufficient if they are separated from interaction in the real world with other persons of faith.”

Image Source: Unknown

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Philippines Abolishes the Death Penalty

Photo: Pope Benedict XVI blesses her personal Rosary. Source: REUTERS/Max Rossi (VATICAN) 

Update (June 24, 2006): President Gloria Arroyo of the Philippines has signed the bill into law! She met with Pope Benedict XVI on June 26, 2006.

Original Post:

The Philippines Government decided to abolish the death penalty last Wednesday. AsiaNews reported Bishop Pedro Arrigo, chairman of the Episcopal Commission of Prison and Pastoral Care, said: "It is very important that both the Senate and the House of Representatives approved separate bills to abolish the imposition of the 1994 death penalty law." According to the International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care, around 124 countries have stopped executions. Though, it is not a mortal sin to excommunicate a criminal, nor even a sin at all.

Reflection:

"Even in the case of the death penalty, the State does not dispose of the individual’s right to life. Rather public authority limits itself to depriving the offender of the good of life in expiation for his guilt, after he, through his crime, deprived himself of his own right to life" (Pope Pius XII, Address to the First International Congress of Histopathology of the Nervous System, 14 September 1952, XIV, 328)

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Prayer for the Holy Souls

Immortal God, holy Lord, Father and Protector of all You have created, we raise our hearts to You today for those who have passed out of this mortal life.

In Your loving mercy, Father, be pleased to receive them in Your heavenly company, and forgive the failings and faults they may have done from human frailty.

Your only Son, Christ, our Savior, suffered so cruelly that He might deliver them from the second death. By His merits may they share in the glory of His victory over sin and death.

For all the faithful who have died we pray, but in particular for those dear to us, parents, relatives, and friends. Nor do we forget all who did good to us while on earth, who helped us by their prayers, sacrifices, and example. We pray also for any who may have done us harm, and stand in special need of Your forgiveness.

May the merits and prayers of our Virgin Mother, Mary, and those of all Your angels and saints, speak for us and assist them now. We ask this in Christ's name. Amen.

Another Prayer:

MOST LOVING Jesus, I humbly beseech Thee that Thou wouldst Thyself offer to Thine eternal Father, on behalf of the Holy Souls in Purgatory, Thy Most Precious Blood, which poured forth from the Sacred Wounds of Thine adorable Body, together with Thine agony and death.

And do thou likewise, O sorrowful Virgin Mary, present unto the Heavenly Father, together with the dolorous passion of thy dear Son, thine own sighs and tears, and all the sorrows thou didst suffer in His suffering, in order that, through the merits of the same, refreshment may be granted to the souls now suffering in the fiery torments of Purgatory, so that, being delivered from that painful prison, they may be clothed with glory in Heaven, there to sing the mercies of God for ever and ever. Amen.

Absolve, O Lord, the souls of all the faithful departed from every bond of sin, that by Thy gracious assistance they may deserve to escape the judgement of vengeance and enjoy the blessedness of everlasting light. Amen.

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Reparation for Those Who Do Not Believe in God

"I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)

Dear Lord:

On the night before your passion you were taken from us, beaten and mocked and condemned to death. Bound and beaten on your precious head, the very head that lay in a beautiful manager in Bethlehem. Your back was ripped open in the Scourging, and on the road to Calvary so many hated you; you almost died on the way. Your precious face was disfigured - your body beaten and ripped apart. O Lord, your precious hands which worked so many wonders, were pierced. On that day Lord, you liberated me. May your blessings be upon me and transform me on my pilgrimage to Life Everlasting. May the grace and joy of Christmas and Easter enkindle an eternal flame in my heart for love of you and neighbor that shall never abate. And, permit me O Lord, to die in love of Thee for Thou hast died for love of me.

O Lord, so many hate you. So many call you false and a liar. So many pretend as if you ascended to Heaven and left us here - alone. So many pretend the Eucharist is not truly YOU. So many hate the good of your Church and deny your eternal word of scripture; so many utter lies against your faithful. Lord, so many ignore you. They refuse to acknowledge you, and they practice political correctness instead of acknowledging You as the only God to have worked wonders. But, You, O Lord, are the only truth. You are the only light on our journey. If I died today, would I be no more? No! For the miracles you worked are forever recorded in scripture, the miracle of the Eucharist is ever before us. May your light shine upon those that hate you Lord. For, O Lord, your skin was ripped open for them. Your blood poured forth from your heart for them. It was by your Cross alone we are saved. The God of all Creation truly took flesh and mounted a tree to redeem our disfigured race. What love! And what greater love is there than truly giving yourself to me in the Holy Eucharist each and every Mass!

Lord, you need nothing as You alone are perfect. Please, permit me, if you will, to offer up the sacrifices in my life to you in reparation for those that hate you, my best friend, my Love, my All. O Lord, you let your apostles help you in the miracles of the loaves, permit me to offer my small sacrifices in union with Your perfect gift on the Cross. May my sufferings offered for you bring one soul to the truth of your Church. O Lord, grant that my work may produce much fruit and at the end, when I leave this world, you may say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." Lord, I love you. Forgive us all, my Crucified Lord. Forgive us, for you are the Savior of the World.

Amen

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Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony of Padua

Unfailing Prayer to St. Anthony:

"Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints" O Holy St. Anthony, gentlest of Saints, your love for God and Charity for His creatures, made you worthy, when on earth, to possess miraculous powers. Encouraged by this thought, I implore you to obtain for me (request). O gentle and loving St. Anthony, whose heart was ever full of human sympathy, whisper my petition into the ears of the sweet Infant Jesus, who loved to be folded in your arms; and the gratitude of my heart will ever be yours. Amen.

Image Source: Unknown

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US Catholic Population to Increase

The US Catholic population is going to take a significant jump by 2025, in large part due to immigrants from Latinos. It remains to be seen if immigration reform will affect this to a large degree. Similarly, these statistics do not reveal the devoutness of adherents.

"Catholic Latinos will likely increase to 40 million in 2025, more than triple the 13 million in 1990. Total growth in the U.S. Catholic population will amount to 29 million by 2025. Virtually all of the growth (26 million) will be due to the Hispanic population. Proportionally, their share of the Catholic population will double, to 48%, over the 35-year period."

Source: Zenit

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Scripture Quotations from RCIA

When I was in RCIA over two years ago before joining the Traditional Catholic Movement, I made a list of different parts of scripture that I thought were really important to me. Here is a brief list that I wanted to share with my readers:

Matthew 5:3-11- Beatitudes!!

Matthew 5:28- "But I say to you, everyone that looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Matthew 8:11- "I say to you, many will come from the east and west and will recline with Abraham, Issac and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 8:12- "...but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

Matthew 10:22- "You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved."

Matthew 19:24- "Again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

John 3:16- "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that all who believe in him might not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:17- "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him."

John 6:35- "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.'"

John 8:12- "Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"

John 21:29- "Jesus said to him, 'Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.'"

James 3:26- "For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."

1 John 1:5- "...God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all."

1 John 2:4-5- "Whoever says, 'I know him,' but does not keep his commandments is a lair, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him."

1 John 2:9-11- "Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

1 John 2:15-17- "Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pertentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world. Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever."

1 John 2:18- "Chidren, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the anitchrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour."

1 John 2:22- "Who is the lair? Whoever denies Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist."

Image Source: Jesus Before Pilate, 16th Century

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Immaculate Heart of Mary

Memorial (1969 Calendar): Saturday following the Second Sunday after Pentecost
Double of the II Class (1955 Calendar): August 22

May our Lady guard us while bringing us closer to the Heart of her Son. The image of the Immaculate Heart goes back to Luke 2:35, as we recall the sword of sorrow that pierced Mary's heart.

It was our sins that crucified Our Savior, which tore a sword of sorrow through his Mother Mary.
As Mary revealed at Fatima in 1917, the thorns surrounding her heart are a symbol of sins. Each time we offend our Lord and crucify Him, we further increase the pain His Mother felt beneath the Cross. At Fatima Mary said: "Jesus wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world. I promise salvation to those who embrace it. Tell everybody that God grants graces through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and that they must ask them of her. Tell them that the Heart of Jesus wishes that by His side should be venerated the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Tell them to ask peace through the Immaculate Heart of Mary; God has placed it in her hands."

The history of the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary as taken from the Traditional Breviary:

The liturgical worship, through which due honor is given to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, and for which many holy men and women have prepared the way, the Apostolic See itself first approved in the beginning of the nineteenth century, when Pope Pius VII instituted the feast of the Most Pure Heart of the Virgin Mary, to be piously and reverently celebrated by all the dioceses and religious families who had asked for it. Afterwards Pope Pius IX added an Office and a proper Mass to it. But an ardent desire and longing, which had arisen in the seventeenth century, grew day by day, that namely, the same Feast, given greater solemnity, might be spread to the entire Church. In 1942, Pope Pius XII, graciously acceding to this wish, and during the terrible war then ravaging almost the entire world, pitying the infinite hardships of men, and because of his devotion and confidence in our heavenly Mother, in solemn supplication earnestly entrusted the entire human race to her most generous Heart, and in honor of the same Immaculate Heart he ordered a Feast to be kept forever with its proper Office and Mass.

Today is the Octave Day of the Assumption in the pre-1955 Calendar.

Act of Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

O Most Holy Virgin Mother, we listen with grief to the complaints of your Immaculate Heart surrounded with the thorns placed therein at every moment by the blasphemies and ingratitude of ungrateful humanity. We are moved by the ardent desire of loving you as Our Mother and of promoting a true devotion to your Immaculate Heart.

We, therefore, kneel before you to manifest the sorrow we feel for the grievances that people cause you, and to atone by our prayers and sacrifices for the offenses with which they return your love. Obtain for them and for us the pardon of so many sins. Hasten the conversion of sinners that they may love Jesus and cease to offend the Lord, already so much offended. Turn your eyes of mercy toward us, that we may love God with all our heart on earth and enjoy Him forever in heaven.

Amen.

Prayer:

Almighty everlasting God, Who in the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary didst prepare a dwelling worthy of the Holy Ghost: grant in Thy mercy, that we who with devout minds celebrate the festival of that immaculate heart, may be able to live according to Thine own heart. Through our Lord...in the unity of the same Holy Ghost.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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The Community of the Monks of Adoration need donations

June 30, 2007 Update: The Monks of Adoration in the Venice diocese have been suppressed due to lack of vocations

While I was searching the Internet for the best site to find a copy of the Liturgy of Hours, I found the website for the Community of the Monks of Adoration. It is a contemplative order following the Rule of St. Augustine. They wear a gray tunic and scapular with a hood, a black rosary worn on the belt, and a medallion with the symbol of their community (the photo to the left).

While on the site, I read that the Monks of Adoration are in need of money for a new monastery building. They desperately need the money, so they are asking that everyone that visits their website to participate in the BUCK A BRICK program. They are asking readers to send them one dollar. That's all they ask for! Please, visit their website and send a dollar to them today. A dollar isn't worth much, but if everyone of their millions of visitors sends a dollar, they will have a new monastery.

Please send contributions to this address:

The Community of The Monks of Adoration
Saint Joseph the Worker Monastery Fund
2241 Englewood Road
Englewood, FL 34223.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be."

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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).

Image Source: Photo Bucket

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