Pope Linus

Semidouble (1955 Calendar): September 23

Pope St. Linus was the second pope of the Holy Catholic Church from c. 68 - c. 79 AD. St. Irenaeus says, "After the Holy Apostles founded and set the Church in order (in Rome) they gave over the exercise of the episcopal office to Linus. The same Linus is mentioned by St. Paul in his Epistle to Timothy [II Tim 4:21]. His successor was Anacletus."

Not much is known as certain concerning his life. He was reportedly converted to the faith in Rome after hearing St. Peter preach the Gospel. He renounced his noble origins and to serve Christ more perfectly. St. Peter employed Linus in preaching and administering the Sacraments. St. Linus is remembered for his zeal, learning and prudence. In one instance, St. Linus preached against idol worshiping to a group of idolaters, and following this, part of the temple crumbled causing an idol to fall to the group and break into thousands of pieces. The idolaters drove him away from the city. Per the reading at Matins in the Divine Office, he also decreed that no woman should enter a church with her head uncovered.

Following the martyrdom of St. Peter, St. Linus wrote of the martyrdom of both Sts. Peter and Paul. St. Linus then succeeded St. Peter as the Vicar of Christ, the Pope. He reportedly created fifteen bishops and eighteen priests. He also drove many demons out of possessed persons by his faith and sanctity.

His feastday is September 23rd, and many sources, although not St. Iranaeus, say he was a martyr. The Liber Pontificalis which contains most of our knowledge on the early popes, states that he died a martyr on September 23rd in Rome and was buried on the Vatican Hill. In the 7th century, an inscription was found near the confessional of St Peter that contains the name "Linus".

Prayer:

Look forgivingly on Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Linus, Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church. Through our Lord.

Prayer Sources: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal - Prayers for September 23rd

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Assumption Novena: Day Three

O Mother, Assumed into Heaven, because you shared in all the mysteries of our Redemption here below, Jesus has crowned you not only with glory but with power. With your most glorious and powerful intercession, help us O loving Mother and present to Jesus our request (mention your request). O Queen assumed into Heaven, pray for us. Amen.

Image Source: Jesus Christ Receiving the Virgin Mary in Heaven by Jacques Stella, 17th century

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"On Death" by St. John Vianney

A day will come, perhaps it is not far off, when we must bid adieu to life, adieu to the world, adieu to our relations, adieu to our friends. When shall we return, my children? Never. We appear upon this earth, we disappear, and we return no more; our poor body, that we take such care of, goes away into dust, and our soul, all trembling, goes to appear before the good God. When we quit this world, where we shall appear no more, when our last breath of life escapes, and we say our last adieu, we shall wish to have passed our life in solitude, in the depths of a desert, far from the world and its pleasures. We have these examples of repentance before our eyes every day, my children, and we remain always the same. We pass our life gaily, without ever troubling ourselves about eternity. By our indifference to the service of the good God, one would think we were never going to die.

See, my children, some people pass their whole life without thinking of death. It comes, and behold! they have nothing; faith, hope, and love, all are already dead within them. When death shall come upon us, of what use will three-quarters of our life have been to us? With what are we occupied the greatest part of our time? Are we thinking of the good God, of our salvation, of our soul? O my children! what folly is the world! We come into it, we go out of it, without knowing why. The good God places us in it to serve Him, to try if we will love Him and be faithful to His law; and after this short moment of trial, He promises us a recompense. Is it not just that He should reward the faithful servant and punish the wicked one? Should the Trappist, who has passed his life in lamenting and weeping over his sins, be treated the same as the bad Christian, who has lived in abundance in the midst of all the enjoyments of life? No; certainly not. We are on earth not to enjoy its pleasures, but to labor for our salvation.

Let us prepare ourselves for death; we have not a minute to lose: it will come upon us at the moment when we least expect it; it will take us by surprise. Look at the saints, my children, who were pure; they were always trembling, they pined away with fear; and we, who so often offend the good God--we have no fears. Life is given us that we may learn to die well, and we never think of it. We occupy ourselves with everything else. The idea of it often occurs to us, and we always reject it; we put it off to the last moment. O my children! this last moment, how much it is to be feared! Yet the good God does not wish us to despair; He shows us the good thief, touched with repentance, dying near Him on the cross; but he is the only one; and then see, he dies near the good God. Can we hope to be near Him at our last moment--we who have been far from Him all our life? What have we done to deserve that favour? A great deal of evil, and no good.

There was once a good Trappist Father, who was trembling all over at perceiving the approach of death. Someone said to him, "Father, of what then are you afraid?" "Of the judgment of God," he said. "Ah! if you dread the judgment--you who have done so much penance, you who love God so much, who have been so long preparing for death--what will become of me?" See, my children, to die well we must live well; to live well, we must seriously examine ourselves: every evening think over what we have done during the day; at the end of each week review what we have done during the week; at the end of each month review what we have done during the month; at the end of the year, what we have done during the year. By this means, my children, we cannot fail to correct ourselves, and to become fervent Christians in a short time. Then, when death comes, we are quite ready; we are happy to go to Heaven.

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Commemoration of St. Sixtus II & Companions

Commemoration (1954 Calendar): August 6

Just days before the great feast of St. Lawrence on August 10, the Church commemorates today Pope Sixtus II (also spelled Xystus II) and Felicissimus and Agapitus, his deacons. They were martyred at Rome on the same day, in the year 258. Pope Sixtus' archdeacon St. Lawrence met his death three days later, as he had prophesied to the younger man.

While today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, these three holy martyrs are commemorated in the Traditional Liturgy today. And we should not forget their powerful example of fidelity to the True Faith.

St. Sixtus II, reigned as the Vicar of Christ from August 30, 257 - August 6, 258 AD, following Pope Stephen I. Even though his reign was short, he restored relations with the African and Eastern churches following strained relations under Pope Stephen I. The issue that caused the dispute was the re-baptism of heretics. Pope St. Sixtus II believed that anyone who was baptised with a desire to be a Christian, even if the Baptism was performed by a heretic, was truly baptised into the faith; the validity of his faith was based on his own desire and actions, not the errors of the person who performed the sacrament. This view has become the dogmatic teachings of the Church. Thankfully, St. Sixtus II restored relations with the churches that disagreed with Rome. Remember, at this time all churches still remained in union with Rome - the Holy Catholic Church.

Yet, not one year after his elevation to the papacy, he was beheaded by order of Emperor Valerian I in 258. Emperor Valerian I had issued a decree shortly before the pontificate of Sixtus II forbidding Christians to gather in cemeteries and demanding them to worship pagan gods. In early August 258, Emperor Valerian ordered the execution of priests, bishops, and deacons. Pope Sixtus II was one of the first victims of the persecutions of Emperor Valerian I. Four deacons, Januarius, Vincentius, Magnus, and Stephanus, were apprehended at the same cemetery as Pope Sixtus II. Pope Sixtus II was beheaded in his chair, which was later enshrined behind his tomb. Two other deacons, Felicissimus and Agapitus, were martyred the same day as the four aforementioned deacons.

Before Pope St. Sixtus II was martyred, his deacon St. Lawrence, came to him. St. Lawrence said: "Father, where are you going without your son? Where are you hastening, O priest, without your deacon? Never before did you offer the holy Sacrifice without assistants. In what way have I displeased you? In what way have you found me unfaithful in my office? Oh, try me again and prove to yourself whether you have chosen an unworthy minister for the service of the Church. So far you have been trusting me with distributing the Blood of the Lord." 

To this Pope Sixtus II replied, "I am not forsaking you, my son; a severer trial is awaiting you for your faith in Christ. The Lord is considerate toward me because I am a weak old man. But for you a most glorious triumph is in store. Cease to weep, for already after three days you will follow me"

Collect:

O God, who has granted us the grace to celebrate the birthday of Your blessed martyrs Sixtus II, Felicissimus, and Agapitus, grant that we may also share their eternal happiness in heaven. Through our Lord . . .

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"Catechism on Confession" by St. John Vianney

My children, as soon as ever you have a little spot upon your soul, you must do like a person who has a fine globe of glass, which he keeps very carefully. If this globe has a little dust on it, he wipes it with a sponge the moment he perceives it, and there is the globe clear and brilliant. In the same way, as soon as you perceive a little stain on your soul, take some holy water with respect, do one of those good works to which the remission of venial sins is attached -an alms, a genuflection to the Blessed Sacrament, hearing a Mass. My children, it is like a person who has a slight illness; he need not go and see a doctor, he may cure himself without. If he has a headache, he need only go to bed; if he is hungry, he has only to eat. But if it is a serious illness, if it is a dangerous wound, he must have the doctor; after the doctor come the remedies. In the same way, when we have fallen into any grievous sin, we must have recourse to the doctor, that is the priest; and to the remedy, that is confession.

My children, we cannot comprehend the goodness of God towards us in instituting this great Sacrament of Penance. If we had had a favour to ask of Our Lord, we should never have thought of asking Him that. But He foresaw our frailty and our inconstancy in well-doing, and His love induced Him to do what we should not have dared to ask. If one said to those poor lost souls that have been so long in Hell, "We are going to place a priest at the gate of Hell: all those who wish to confess have only to go out, " do you think, my children, that a single one would remain? The most guilty would not be afraid of telling their sins, nor even of telling them before all the world. Oh, how soon Hell would be a desert, and how Heaven would be peopled! Well, we have the time and the means, which those poor lost souls have not. And I am quite sure that those wretched ones say in Hell, "O accursed priest! if I had never known you, I should not be so guilty!"

It is a beautiful thought, my children, that we have a Sacrament which heals the wounds of our soul! But we must receive it with good dispositions. Otherwise we make new wounds upon the old ones. What would you say of a man covered with wounds who is advised to go to the hospital to show himself to the surgeon? The surgeon cures him by giving him remedies. But, behold! this man takes his knife, gives himself great blows with it and makes himself worse than he was before. Well, that is what you often do after leaving the confessional.

My children, some people make bad confessions without taking any notice of it. These persons say, "I do not know what is the matter with me:' . . . They are tormented, and they do not know why. They have not that agility which makes one go straight to the good God; they have something heavy and weary about them which fatigues them. My children, that is because of sins that remain, often even venial sins, for which one has some affection. There are some people who, indeed, tell everything, but they have no repentance; and they go at once to Holy Communion. Thus the Blood of Our Lord is profaned! They go to the Holy Table with a sort of weariness. They say, "Yet, I accused myself of all my sins. . . I do not know what is the matter with me. " There is an unworthy Communion, and they were hardly aware of it!

My children, some people again profane the Sacraments in another manner. They have concealed mortal sins for ten years, for twenty years. They are always uneasy; their sin is always present to their mind; they are always thinking of confessing it, and always putting it off; it is a Hell. When these people feel this, they will ask to make a general confession, and they will tell their sins as if they had just committed them: they will not confess that they have hidden them during ten years -- twenty years. That is a bad confession! They ought to say, besides, that they had given up the practice of their religion, that they no longer felt the pleasure they had formerly in serving the good God.

My children, we run the risk again of profaning the Sacrament if we seize the moment when there is a noise round the confessional to tell the sins quickly which give us most pain. We quiet ourselves by saying, "I accused myself properly; so much the worse if the confessor did not hear. " So much the worse for you who acted cunningly! At other times we speak quickly, profiting by the moment when the priest is not very attentive to get over the great sins. Take a house which has been for a long time very dirty and neglected -- it is in vain to sweep out, there will always be a nasty smell. It is the same with our soul after confession; it requires tears to purify it. My children, we must ask earnestly for repentance. After confession, we must plant a thorn in our heart, and never lose sight of our sins. We must do as the angel did to Saint Francis of Assisi; he fixed in him five darts, which never came out again.

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Assumption Novena: Day Two

Mary, Assumed into Heaven, we venerate you as the Queen of Heaven and earth. Your own Son led you to a throne of glory in Heaven next to His own. As you tasted the bitterness of pain and sorrow with Him on earth, you now enjoy eternal bliss with Him in Heaven. As our loving Queen, intercede for us in our needs (mention your request). We thank Jesus for having put a most beautiful crown upon you head, while all the Angels and Saints acclaim you as their Queen. O Queen Assumed into Heaven, pray for us. Amen.

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Pray for Cardinal George

Update 2: On Saturday, August 5, 2006, the Cardinal underwent another surgery - an upper endoscopy and a flexible sigmoidoscopy at 10 a.m.

Send an electronic get-well card to Cardinal George.


Update: Cancer tests show that the surgery succeeded! Tests show no cancer remains in the Cardinal!


Original Post (7/30/2006): My cardinal, Francis Cardinal George (69 years old) of the Archdiocese of Chicago, underwent surgery this past Thursday, July 27, 2006, to treat bladder cancer that was diagnosed two weeks ago. Wednesday, July 26, Cardinal George released this statement:

"Tomorrow morning I will undergo surgery at Loyola University Medical Center to remove cancer discovered very recently in my bladder. I am informed that I can expect to make a full recovery from this cancer and the surgery to remove it. I have asked my doctors and archdiocesan officials to fully brief you after the surgery on the specifics of the operation and my recovery."

Thursday, Cardinal George went into surgery that was to remove his bladder, prostate, some lymph nodes and part of his right ureter. However, Cardinal George was taken back into a second surgery just before midnight Thursday when physicians noticed a drop in George's blood pressure and blood count. Doctors accidentally nicked an artery in the pelvis during the removal of the lymph nodes.

Cardinal George is a much more orthodox cardinal than previous ones. And, he is a very generous and amiable person. Please say a prayer for his recovery.

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Assumption Novena: Day One

Please join me in praying the nine-day Novena that leads up to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15), a holy day of obligation.

Novena Day One:

Immaculate Virgin, Mother of Jesus and our Mother, we believe in your triumphant assumption into heaven where the angels and saints acclaim you as Queen of Heaven and earth. We join them in praising you and bless the Lord who raised you above all creatures. With them we offer you our devotion and love. We are confident that you watch over our daily efforts and we pray that you may intercede for us in our needs (mention your request). We take comfort from the faith in the coming Resurrection and we look to you, our life, our sweetness and our hope. After this earthly life, show us Jesus, the blest fruit of your womb, O kind, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary. O Queen Assumed into Heaven, pray for us. Amen.

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The Feast of the Transfiguration

Feast (1969 Calendar): August 6
Double of the II Class (1955 Calendar): August 6

Today is the celebration of the Feast of the Transfiguration, when we recall Christ's divinity showing forth on Mount Tabor. This event foreshadowed the glorious Resurrection and Ascension of Christ that would occur after His death on the Cross.

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus.Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. Mk 9:2-10

Yet, the greatest mystery in this was not that Christ shone forth in glory. The true mystery is in that Christ kept that light and divinity hidden all during his earthly ministry to save our souls.

Prayers:
 
Novena to Our Lord of Transfiguration

Collect:

O God, Who in the glorious Transfiguration of Thine only-begotten Son didst confirm the mysteries of the faith by the witness of the fathers, and in the voice which came down from the shining cloud, didst wondrously foreshow the perfect adoption of sons: vouchsafe in Thy loving kindness, to make us coheirs with this King of glory, and to grant that we may be made partakers of that same glory. Through the same our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

Image Source: Transfiguration by Giovanni Gerolamo Savoldo, 16th century

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Dedication of St. Mary Major in Rome

Greater Double (1955 Calendar): August 5
Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): August 5

Each year on August 5th the Church celebrates the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. This is one of only three such universally held feastdays. There is a separate feast to celebrate the Dedication of St. John the Lateran (on November 9th) and a third that celebrates the Dedication of both St. Peter’s Basilica and the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls (on November 18th). These four basilicas are the four major basilicas. Many other minor basilicas have been designated as such by the Popes throughout the world, but these four basilicas are held in universal esteem by the faithful. They are the highest-ranking church buildings in the world.

And the story behind St. Mary Major is the story of one of the earliest miracles attributed to our Blessed Lady. 

According to Tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared in a dream to two faithful Catholics, the patrician John and his wife, as well as to Pope Liberius who reigned from 352 – 366 AD, asking them to build a church in her honor where the snow would fall on the night of August 4th into the 5th. On the night announced in 358 AD, snow began to fall on the location where St. Mary Major is presently located. This of course is a miracle considering it fell on that small location in the heat of August, a notoriously warm period in Rome.

Pope Liberius went and traced the outlines of the church in the snow himself, and the first basilica was built on that site. However, it was completed nearly a century later by Pope Sixtus III following the Council of Ephesus in 431 during which Mary was declared to be the Mother of God. The feastday kept by the Church on August 5th is known as both the Feast of the Dedication of St. Mary Major but also as the Feast of Our Lady of the Snows, on account of the miracle attributed to our Lady.

The Importance of the Basilica of St. Mary Major:

St. Mary Major is important to Christendom for three reasons: 

(a) It stands as a venerable monument to the Council of Ephesus (431), at which the dogma of Mary's divine Motherhood was solemnly defined; the definition of the Council occasioned a most notable increase in the veneration paid to Mary. 

(b) The basilica is Rome's "church of the crib," a kind of Bethlehem within the Eternal City; it also is a celebrated station church, serving, for instance, as the center for Rome's liturgy for the first Mass on Christmas. In some measure, every picture of Mary with the divine Child is traceable to this church.

(c) St. Mary Major is Christendom's first Marian shrine for pilgrims. It set the precedent for the countless shrines where pilgrims gather to honor our Blessed Mother throughout the world. Here was introduced an authentic expression of popular piety that has been the source of untold blessings and graces for Christianity in the past as in the present.

 Source: The Church's Year of Grace by Pius Parsch via Catholic Culture

Prayer:

Grant to us Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, that we may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body: and through the intercession of blessed Mary ever Virgin may be delivered from present sorrow and possess eternal joy. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Comedy Central Re-airs "Bloody Mary"

On December 31, 2005, I was happy to post that Comedy Central promised to not re-run the "Bloody Mary" episode. This blasphemous, insulting, and disgusting episode attacks the Pope and the Blessed Virgin Mary. But, the people that made such a promise are liars!

Comedy Central re-aired the episode on August 2, 2006! If you are tired of seeing our faith insulted, register a protest: tony.fox[at]comedycentral.com

Source: Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

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Pray for Michael's Heart Surgery

A very faithful Catholic that visits my blog under the nickname "St. Michael" is in great need of your prayers. This is from his blog:

Hey all,

I will not be posting much, if any for the next month or two. I am going in this friday the 4th for Open heart Surgery. It will be my 11th! Yes, I am a frequent flyer when it comes to this. Please keep me in your prayers that all will go as God wills.

Pax Christi,

Michael

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St. John Vianney

Memorial (1969 Calendar): August 4
III Class (1962 Calendar): August 8

Double (1955 Calendar): August 9

The Devil told St. John Vianney, "If there were three such priests as you, my kingdom [in France] would be ruined."

St. John Vianney (1786-1859) was born in Dardilly, Lyons, France, and died in Ars, France. He was a farmhand that taught other children their prayers and catechism. St. John Vianney felt the calling to follow Our Lord as a priest, but he was not a very good student. And, with all classes still being taught in Latin, he did poorly because he was horrible at Latin. But, God guided him and St. John Vianney was ordained in 1815.

St. John Vianney was briefly assigned for a while to Ecully as a parish priest, but in 1818 he was assigned to the parish of Ars, a tiny village near Lyons, which suffered from lax attendance. St. John Vianney immediately began visiting his parishioners, especially the sick and poor. St. John Vianney would spend days in prayer and penance for his parishioners.

But, the devil did not want St. John Vianney to continue his ministry; some estimate that St. John Vianney saved 25,000 souls. And for this, the devil frequently tormented St. John Vianney when he tried to get his 2-3 hours of sleep a night.

Because of his priestly zeal, St. John Vianney has been recognized as the patron saint of parish priests. The man that barely completed his education is now the patron saint of parish priests. By 1855 there were 20,000 pilgrims a year to Ars. They came to hear him and receive the Sacrament of Confession from him. St. John Vianney heard confessions for 16 hours each day in a small confessional. St. John Vianney was also gifted with discernment of spirits, prophecy, hidden knowledge, and working miracles.

St. John Vianney died on August 4, 1859, at Ars, France, of natural causes. He was canonized on May 31, 1925. He is known as the Curé of Ars. Pope Pius XI declared him the patron saint of all diocesan priests in 1929. His body remains incorruptible. His feastday was transferred from August 9th to August 8th in 1960 to be closer to the day of his death.

Here is one conservation he had with a penitent because of his gift of discernment:

- Do you remember that you went to a ball on such-and-such occasion?
- Yes, I remember. 

 

- Do you remember that at a certain moment a handsome young man entered the ballroom? He was quite elegant, appeared very upright and danced with several young ladies?
- Yes, I do. 

 

- Do you recall that you had a great desire to dance with him?
- I recall that. 

 

- Do you recollect that you became sad because he didn’t ask you to dance?
- Yes, I do. 

 

- Do you remember that by chance you looked down at his feet and saw a strange blue light coming from them?
- Yes. I remember. 

 

- That young man was none other than the devil who had taken that shape to tempt several of the young women there. He was unable to approach you because you are a Daughter of Mary protected by her, and you were wearing the Miraculous Medal. 

 

From “Saints to Remember from January to December,” by the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary:

This glorious parish priest was born in eastern France, three years before the French Revolution broke out. He was a simple farmer’s boy. He received his first Holy Communion secretly in a barn when he was thirteen years of age. He later began studies or the priesthood. Because of the simple innocence of his mind, he found it very hard to pass the seminary examinations. His great devotions were to the Blessed Sacrament and to Our Blessed Lady. After months of prayer to Our Blessed Lady, he finally obtained the favor of being ordained a priest in 1815. He got encouragement to pursue his vocation to the priesthood at the tomb of Saint John Francis Regis. He was first made an assistant pastor at Ecully, and later a pastor at the little village of Ars. He stayed there for forty-one years, until he died. He is always referred to as the Cur’e of Ars. So great was his sanctity that people from all over Europe came to see him. He used to spend from sixteen to eighteen hours in the confessional every day. Heads of the State, army officers, university professors, bishops and priest, all went to him for direction. Toward the end of his life, nearly 20,000 pilgrims visited him every year. Pope Pius XI proclaimed him the patron of all parish priests. He was one of the most loved priests in the history of the Catholic Church. Everyone remembers him either as siting in the confessional or kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament or before an image of Our Blessed Mother, always with the rosary beads in his hand.

Writing Excerpts from St. John Vianney Available Online:

• Catechism on Communion
• Catechism on Confession
• Catechism on Frequent Communion
• Catechism on Hope
• Catechism on Impurity
• Catechism on Prayer
• Catechism on Pride
• Catechism on Salvation
• Catechism on Sin
• Catechism on Suffering
• Catechism on the Blessed Virgin
• Catechism on the Cardinal Virtues
• Catechism on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
• Catechism on the Holy Spirit
• Catechism on the Love of God
• Catechism on the Prerogatives of the Pure Soul
• Catechism on the Priesthood
• Catechism on the Real Presence
• Catechism on the Sanctification of Sunday
• Catechism on the Word of God
• On Anger
• On Avarice
• On Death
• On Envy
• On Gluttony
• On Grace
• On Lust
• On Paradise
• On Prayer
• On Pride
• On Salvation
• On Sin
• On Sloth
• On Temptations
• On the Last Judgment
• On the Love of God
• Sermon on Purgatory

Highly Recommended Reading:

• The Little Catechism of the Cure of Ars
• The Sermons of the Cure d'Ars: For the Sundays and Feasts of the Year

Collect:

Almighty and merciful God, Who didst make St. John Mary wonderful in his pastoral zeal and constant prayer and penance: grant, we beseech Thee, that by his example and intercession we may be able to win the souls of our brethren for Christ, and together with them attain to everlasting glory. Through the same our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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First Friday

Today is the First Friday of August. 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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Morning-after-pill: Contact President Bush now!

August 21 Update: President Bush supports Plan B! Act now!

I received this alert from the American Life League:

CALL UPON PRESIDENT BUSH TO STOP PLAN B!


Following months of intense pressure from Planned Parenthood and the rest of the abortion industry, the Food and Drug Administration is ready to cut a deal with the manufacturer of Plan B -- the "morning-after" pill -- to make the dangerous drug available over the counter to women over the age of 18.

This action would be devastating to women's health and deadly to preborn children!

The President offers the last chance to keep Plan B from being sold at any neighborhood pharmacy without a prescription.

PLAN B DESTROYS PREBORN BABIES


The "morning after" chemical cocktail frequently acts to destroy the life of a newly conceived human being in the days immediately following fertilization.

A Planned Parenthood website even acknowledges this fact by admitting that the "morning-after" pill frequently works by, "changing the lining of the uterus so that a fertilized egg
could not implant in the uterus." As a result, a tiny preborn child is killed.

PLAN B IS DANGEROUS TO THE GIRLS AND WOMEN WHO TAKE IT

There are numerous health risks associated with the drug and the proposed agreement would allow it to be distributed without proper medical supervision.

Also, there's no guarantee that girls under 18 would not be able to get their hands on this drug; there are too many adults willing to bend the rules.

TAKE ACTION --- CALL OR E-MAIL THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY!


The last point of intervention to keep the dangerous "morning-after" pill from being available across the counter at your neighborhood drug store is the White House.

Stop whatever you're doing and take 30 seconds right now to tell President Bush to use his executive authority to overrule the Food and Drug Administration. Tell him to stop Plan B!

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Prayer for Faith in the Risen Lord

Father, in Your love You have brought me from evil to good and from misery to happiness. Through Your blessings give me the help I need to continue in virtue. Make my faith strong and my hope sure. May I never doubt that You will fulfill the promises You have made. May I who am redeemed by the suffering and death of Christ always rejoice in His Resurrection. As I honor His glorious Resurrection, renew Your gift of Divine life within me.

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Can Non-Catholics Be Saved?

The Church has always taught that there is no salvation outside of the Church (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus). We are called to bring all people into the One Church of salvation, the Catholic Church.

Some Papal Documents:

Pope Innocent III: "There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved." (Fourth Lateran Council, 1215)

Pope Boniface VIII: "We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff." (Unam Sanctam, 1302)

Pope Eugene IV: "The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church." (Cantate Domino, 1441.)

Pope Pius IX: "It is to be held of faith that none can be saved outside the Apostolic Roman Church . . . but nevertheless it is equally certain that those who are ignorant of the true religion, if that ignorance is invincible, will not be held guilty in the matter in the eyes of the Lord" (Solemn Allocution Singulari Quadam, December 9, 1854). "We all know that those who are invincibly ignorant of our religion and who nevertheless lead an honest and upright life, can, under the influence of divine light and divine grace, attain to eternal life; for God who knows and sees the mind, the heart, the thoughts, and the dispositions of every man, cannot in His infinite bounty and clemency permit any one to suffer eternal punishment who is not guilty through his own fault" (QUANTO CONFICIAMUR, August 10, 1863).

Saints' Statements:

St. Augustine: "When we speak of within and without in relation to the Church, it is the position of the heart that we must consider, not that of the body" (Treatise on Baptism). "All who are within in heart are saved in the unity of the ark."

St. Augustine: No one can find salvation except in the Catholic Church. Outside the Church, you can find everything except salvation. You can have dignities, you can have Sacraments, you can sing "Alleluia," answer "Amen," have the Gospels, have faith in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and preach it, too. But never can you find salvation except in the Catholic Church. St. Augustine

St. Thomas Aquinas: "... a man receives the effect of Baptism by the power of the Holy Ghost, not only without Baptism of Water, but also without Baptism of Blood: forasmuch as his heart is moved by the Holy Ghost to believe in and love God and to repent of his sins: wherefore this is also called Baptism of Repentance" (Summa Theologica Part II. Question 66. Article 11). "The other two Baptisms are included in the Baptism of Water, which derives its efficacy, both from Christ's Passion and from the Holy Ghost. Consequently, for this reason, the unity of Baptism is not destroyed."

My Conclusion:

I appeal to all Protestants to not put their salvation at risk at all. Enter the Church of Jesus Christ - the Catholic Church, which only has the four marks of the Church of Jesus. I appeal to you to come to the authentic Sacraments because Protestant Sacraments (usually except Baptism and Marriage) are invalid.

What though of those who have died? We entrust them all to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but He Himself is not bound by His sacraments. Pray for all departed souls.

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Prayer to Follow the Good Shepherd

My God and Father, give me new strength from the courage of Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. He is our Good Shepherd. Let me hear the sound of His voice, lead my steps in the path He has shown, that I may receive His help and enjoy the light of Your presence forever. Strengthened by the Eucharist, may I feel its saving power in my daily life till I reach eternal life with You. Lead me to join the Saints in heaven. Amen

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Eucharistic Miracle of Betania, Venezula

I found and was utterly amazed at this video! In this Eucharistic miracle, the Sacred Host is literally beating like a human heart and it is engulfed with flames! It is a living representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! Praised be to God!

If you doubt the Eucharist is truly the Real Presence of Jesus, watch this video! Pass this along so others might see the Truth!

Here is information from the Monks of Adoration:

As if one miracle wasn't enough, the same Sacred Host that bled on December 8, 1991 during the celebration of midnight Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception now is captured on video seemingly engulfed in fire, bleeding and beating like a human heart!

The miraculous bleeding Sacred Host is reserved in the Augustinian Nuns Chapel, Los Teques for all to see. Dan Sanford was with a pilgrim group on November 13, 1998 when he captured this footage. Due to the limitations of showing video on the Internet, you will not be able to see very well the Sacred Host beating nor the surrounding flames of fire as in the original.

Bishop Emeritus of Los Teques Pio Bello S.J. had this to say to Dan, "Continue evangelizing about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist with the help of this impressive tape."

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Portiuncula Indulgence is Today!

Today the chapel of Portiuncula is situated inside the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, roughly 5 km from Assisi, Italy.

What is Portiuncula? The following is an excerpt from Major Life of St. Francis by St. Bonaventure.

" The Portiuncula was an old church dedicated to the Virgin Mother of God which was abandoned . Francis had great devotion to the Queen of the world and when he saw that the church was deserted, he began to live there constantly in order to repair it. He heard that the Angels often visited it, so that it was called Saint Mary of the Angels, and he decided to stay there permanently out of reverence for the angels and love for the Mother of Christ.

He loved this spot more than any other in the world. It was here he began his religious life in a very small way; it is here he came to a happy end. When he was dying, he commended this spot above all others to the friars, because it was most dear to the Blessed Virgin.

This was the place where Saint Francis founded his Order by divine inspiration and it was divine providence which led him to repair three churches before he founded the Order and began to preach the Gospel.

This meant that he progressed from material things to more spiritual achievements, from lesser to greater, in due order, and it gave a prophetic indication of what he would accomplish later.

As he was living there by the church of Our Lady, Francis prayed to her who had conceived the Word, full of grace and truth, begging her insistently and with tears to become his advocate. Then he was granted the true spirit of the Gospel by the intercession of the Mother of mercy and he brought it to fruition.

He embraced the Mother of Our Lord Jesus with indescribable love because, as he said, it was she who made the Lord of majesty our brother, and through her we found mercy. After Christ, he put all his trust in her and took her as his patroness for himself and his friars.

The Indulgence:

"The Portiuncula indulgence is the first plenary indulgence that was ever granted in the Church. There were indeed indulgences at all times, but they were only partial, and only a partial remission of the temporal punishments could be obtained by them. But, as already remarked, he who gains the Portiuncula indulgence is freed from all temporal punishments and becomes as pure as after holy baptism. This was also the reason why Pope Honorius was astonished when St. Francis petitioned for the confirmation of this indulgence, for such an indulgence, up to that time, had been entirely unknown. It was only after he had come to the conviction that Jesus Christ himself wished it, that he granted the petition of the saint and confirmed the indulgence" (Source)

Please tell every Catholic person you know that remission of the punishment for all sins committed from the day of baptism to the reception of the indulgence is available.

May the Merciful Jesus fill your heart with His gentle peace!

The Specified Works to Gain this Indulgence:

1. Receive sacramental confession (8 days before or after)
2. Receive the Holy Eucharist at Holy Mass on August 2nd
3. Enter a parish church on August 2nd and, with a contrite heart, pray the Our Father, Apostles Creed, as well as a prayer for the intentions of the Pope.

Plenary Indulgence Requirement: You must also meet all the general requirements for a plenary indulgence or the indulgence gained would be partial. Plenary indulgences require that one is free from all attachments to sin as well.

And you must meet the general requirements that apply to all indulgences of any kind: The person must be in the state of grace at the time of the completion of the indulged work and the person must also want to gain the indulgence.

Allowance for the Work to Be Performed on the Sunday following August 2nd:

Per the Catholic Encyclopedia: On 9 July, 1910, Pius X (only, however, for that year) granted the privilege that bishops could appoint any public churches whatsoever for the gaining of the Portiuncula Indulgence, whether on 2 Aug. or the Sunday following (Acta Apostolicae Sedis, II, 1910, 443 sq.; Acta Ord. Frat. Min., XXIX, 1910, 226). This privilege has been renewed for an indefinite time by a decree of the S. Cong. of Indul., 26 March, 1911 (Acta Apostolicae Sedis, III, 1911, 233-4). The Indulgence is toties-quoties, that is, it may be gained as often as one wishes (i.e. visits the church); it is also applicable to the souls in purgatory.

Note: An indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment due to sin. More information can be found at Indulgences.

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