Stational Church: Saturday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Today's Stational Church is the Church of St. Nicholas in Carcere.  Dom Gueranger writes, "This Saturday, in the early ages of Christianity, was called Sitientes, from the first word of the Introit of the Mass, in which the Church addresses her catechumens in the words of Isaias, and invites them that thirst after grace, to come and receive it in the holy Sacrament of Baptism. At Rome, the Station was originally in the basilica of Saint Laurence outside the walls; but it was found inconvenient, on account of its great distance from the city; and the church of Saint Nicholas in carcere, which is within the walls, was selected for to-day’s Station."

For information on this devotion, see the Stational Churches of Lent Homepage. I will post on each Stational Church for Lent. Information is from the Canon Regulars of St. John Cantius:

This Station is at a church built on the ruins of three pagan temples and consecrated to St. Nicholas. It is called in carcere because in ancient times it had been a dungeon—a prison devoid of light.

Water, food and light are indispensable for the maintenance and up-building of our natural life. Sacred Water, Sacred Food and Sacred Light are indispensable for the maintenance and up-building of our supernatural life.

1. "Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he can not enter into the Kingdom of heaven."

2. "Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you shall not have life in you."

3. "I am the Light of the world. He that follows Me walks not in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Catechumens and Faithful both were deeply impressed while listening to the Gospel of "The Light of the World" read in today's stational church, which is over a dark dungeon. There criminals were held in confinement, deprived of light, liberty and the joys of life. A man in mortal sin walks in darkness. The light of Christ is not in Him. He sits in darkness and in the shadow of death. With God's help, we must free ourselves during the remaining days from all darkness.

St. Nicholas—lead us today to Him, who by Sacred Water has made us His living branches, to Christ Jesus, our Divine Food and Holy Light.

Let us pray: Mercifully compel our rebellious wills and make them subject to Thee, O Lord. We ask this Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

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Mexico City: Will it allow abortion?

May 29, 2007: The law is going to Mexico's Supreme Court. So far, 180 legal abortions have taken place in Mexico City.

May 9, 2007 Update: Pope would deny communion, not excommunicate Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.

April 29, 2007 Update: Unfortunately, the bill has become law but a group of Catholic attorneys is planning to take the law to court.

April 25, 2007 Update: Pro-life groups prepare to protest when abortions begin in Mexico City.

April 24, 2007 Update: Unfortunately, city lawmakers have voted to support abortion. The bill legalizes abortion within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. The vote was 46-19 with one absentee. Lord, have mercy!

April 6, 2007 Update: Mexico Catholic Bishop says that Lawmakers Who Back Abortion will be Excommunicated.

Original Post: This post will be dedicated to the issue of abortion in Mexico City. I will post updates as they become available.

The local legislature in Mexico City is attempting to legalize all abortions within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy and open the door to the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug. The Catholic Church is strongly opposing and working to defeat this proposal (LifeNews).

Please pray!

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Baptism: New vs. Old Rite

Baptism is the “gateway to the sacraments” and the foundation of Christian life. Through it, the soul is cleansed of original sin, infused with sanctifying grace, and incorporated into the Mystical Body of Christ. For centuries, the Church’s baptismal liturgy developed organically, drawing from Scripture, Apostolic Tradition, and centuries of pastoral experience. The rite was rich in symbolism, theological clarity, and spiritual protection for the newly baptized.

Following the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the baptismal rite was substantially altered in the Ordo Baptismi Parvulorum (1969). While the validity of baptism in the new rite remains — provided the essential matter, form, and intention are present — the differences between the pre-Vatican II and modern rites are not merely cosmetic. They reflect shifts in emphasis that have significant theological and pastoral implications.

Structure of the Pre-Vatican II Baptismal Rite

The Rituale Romanum (1614, revised until 1962) contains the traditional Roman Rite of Baptism, which is notably longer and more elaborate than its modern counterpart. Major features include:

1. Multiple Exorcisms

The traditional rite contains three explicit exorcisms and other minor exorcistic prayers. These call upon God to drive out the devil and protect the soul from his influence. The first exorcism begins: “Depart from him (her), unclean spirit, and give place to the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete.”

These prayers express the Church’s perennial teaching that, until baptism, the soul is under the dominion of original sin and subject to Satan’s claim.

2. Use of Blessed Salt

Before entering the church, the priest places blessed salt — itself exorcised — on the child’s tongue: “Receive the salt of wisdom; let it be to you a token of mercy unto eternal life.”

The salt symbolizes purification, preservation from corruption, and the wisdom of the Gospel. In the modern rite, this ancient practice is optional and rarely used.

3. Sign of the Cross and Laying on of Hands

The priest traces the sign of the cross on the forehead and breast, claiming the child for Christ, and lays hands in prayerful authority. This expresses the spiritual “marking” of the soul, prefiguring the baptismal character.

4. Admission into the Church

In the traditional rite, the priest leads the godparents (holding the child) into the church building after the initial prayers at the door. This liturgical movement from outside to inside symbolizes the soul’s journey from the state of sin into the life of grace and the household of God.

5. The Ephphetha

One of the most striking elements is the Ephphetha rite, in which the priest touches the ears and nostrils of the child with spittle, saying: “Ephphetha, that is to say, Be opened, for an odor of sweetness. But you, devil, be gone, for the judgment of God is at hand.”

This recalls Christ’s healing of the deaf man in Mark 7:34–35 and signifies the opening of the senses to receive God’s Word.

6. Profession of Faith and Renunciation of Satan

The godparents respond on behalf of the child to three renunciations of Satan and three affirmations of the Creed. The repetition underscores the seriousness of rejecting sin and embracing the Catholic Faith without compromise.

7. Triple Immersion or Pouring

The priest pours water three times over the head, saying the essential form: “I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

8. Additional Anointings

The traditional rite contains a pre-baptismal anointing with the Oil of Catechumens (symbolizing strength against evil) and a post-baptismal anointing with Sacred Chrism (signifying the indwelling of the Holy Ghost and consecration to God).

9. White Garment and Baptismal Candle

The newly baptized is clothed in white and given a lit candle, signs of purity and participation in the light of Christ.

The Post-Vatican II Rite (1969)

The modern rite is considerably shorter and rearranged:

• Only one exorcism prayer remains, and it is optional in some regions.
• Blessed salt is omitted entirely or made optional and rarely used.
• The Ephphetha rite is optional and simplified (no exorcistic words against the devil).
• The baptism is performed entirely within the church, without the symbolic procession from outside to inside.
• Language often emphasizes welcome into the “community” rather than deliverance from sin and the devil.
• Many prayers once directly addressed to Satan are removed or softened.
• Who is eligible to serve as a godparent also changed as did the allowance of a non-Catholic Protestant, called a “Christian witness,” to stand alongside the godparent.

Theological Implications of the Changes

1. Diminished Sense of Spiritual Warfare

The traditional rite makes explicit the Church’s teaching on original sin and the devil’s claim over the unbaptized. The repeated exorcisms are not mere ceremony — they are real prayers of deliverance. The modern rite’s omission or softening of these prayers reflects a broader post-conciliar trend to downplay the reality of demonic influence.

2. Weakening of Sacramental Symbolism

The blessed salt, processional entry, and Ephphetha powerfully express theological truths about the journey from sin to grace, the necessity of divine wisdom, and the opening of the soul to God. The removal or optional status of these elements weakens catechesis through liturgy.

3. Shift from Objective Grace to Subjective Welcome

The older rite clearly teaches that baptism cleanses the soul, imparts sanctifying grace, and delivers from the devil. The newer rite often emphasizes incorporation into the community of believers, which can obscure the ontological change baptism effects in the soul.

Why the Traditional Rite Deserves Preservation

While both rites can validly confer baptism, the traditional Roman Rite offers a more complete catechesis, richer symbolism, and a clearer proclamation of the Catholic Faith’s supernatural worldview. It does not presume that the faithful understand baptism’s meaning — it teaches it through the prayers, gestures, and sequence of the rite itself.

As Pope Pius XII taught in Mediator Dei (1947): “The liturgy is the public worship which our Redeemer, the Head of the Church, offers to the heavenly Father, as well as the worship which the community of the faithful renders to its Founder… It is also a most powerful means of instruction.”

In the traditional rite, every action and word is a lesson in the Faith — for godparents, family, and the faithful present. Its recovery is not an exercise in nostalgia but a restoration of a profound theological and pastoral treasure.

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Sancta Maria

As we progress through Lent, let us not forget to pray the Rosary each day like Mary requested of all peoples when she appeared in Fatima.

Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis!

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Lenten Prayer

O Jesus, it is not the heavenly reward you have promised which impels me to love you; neither is it the threat of hell that keep me from offending you. It is you, O Lord, it is the sight of you affixed to the Cross and suffering insults; it is the sight of your broken body, as well as your pains and your death. There is nothing you can give me to make me love you. For even if there were no heaven and no hell I would still love you as I do. Amen.

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Stational Church: Friday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Today's Stational Church is the Church of St. Eusebius. His feast day is kept on the Vigil of the Assumption on August 14th. For information on this devotion, see the Stational Churches of Lent Homepage. I will post on each Stational Church for Lent. Information is from the Canon Regulars of St. John Cantius:

The Roman Martyr-Priest, Eusebius, whom the Arian Emperor Constantius II had imprisoned for seven months in the priest's own home so that he might slowly starve to death, is today our leader to the blessed Christ for whose Divinity Eusebius died and won eternal life.

Two weeks from today, we shall celebrate the Lord's life-giving death—the source of our resurrection and life. Christ's death is the Sacrament of all sacraments. All the Christian mysteries flow from this main-spring: "the mystery of new life" "out of water and the Holy Spirit"; restoring or healing life in the tribunal of God's mercy; the reception of the Bread of Life at the Lord's Table; as well as the great "come forth" on the last day (from our tombs as Lazarus was called from his tomb). These and all other mysteries of our Faith are rooted in the death of the Lamb of God.

Let us pray: O God, who renews the world by Thine ineffable sacraments, grant, we beseech Thee, that Thy Church may profit by Thy eternal institutions, and not be lacking in temporal help. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

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Daniel C. Maguire

Daniel C. Maguire hopefully will now stop teaching his heretical assertions. Finally, Roman Catholic bishops in the United States have declared two pamphlets by the "Catholic" theologian as “false teaching” because he argues that abortion, contraception and same-sex marriage are morally permissible. The pamphlets, “The Moderate Roman Catholic Position on Contraception and Abortion” and “A Catholic Defense of Same-Sex Marriage”, are simply heresy.

Let us pray for an end to all heresy! O Lord, through thy passion, thou hast redeemed the world. Misere Nobis!

Source: New York Times

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Archbishop Flynn bars Mass at Gay Symposium

Archbishop Harry Joseph Flynn from March 27, 2009. Photo taken by Gaia Octavia Agrippa

Amazing! I didn't think he would do this! I truly am delighted after reading this news:

People with a homosexual orientation are children of God, not outcasts, Archbishop Harry Flynn explained, and Catholics are called to love gay people unconditionally; but the archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis said he was compelled to bar a national organization that ministers to homosexual Catholics from celebrating the Eucharist during its March 16 to 18 meeting in Minneapolis.

“Although I recognize the sincerity of the efforts made by New Ways Ministry to serve lesbian and gay persons, on many occasions this group has openly contested aspects of the fullness of Catholic teaching in this area,” the archbishop noted in a written statement following the event.

The Catholic Spirit

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Periucundum est Catholicum esse

"Periucundum est Catholicum esse" is Latin for "It's cool to be Catholic". I just recently read about a new non-profit Catholic organization called Catholici Sumus.

Currently Catholici Sumus is selling wristbands embossed with "Periucundum est Catholicum esse". It is the organization's hope that these wristbands will become a way for Catholics to evangelize. Importantly, every time someone inquires about the purple band (the color of penance), it opens the door for dialogue and evangelization. This can be a excellent opportunity to talk about the Catholic faith. Their vision is to distribute thousands of these wristbands, leading to millions of daily opportunities to share/spread the Faith.

The leader of this new organization said that he is outraged by our society mocking Christian values. Furthermore, he states that there are many misinformed Catholics, a ‘lost generation’ from the 60’s and 70’s that was not properly taught the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This band is a small step to help catechise the lost sheep of the Flock of Christ.

For more information, please visit the website of Catholici Sumus.

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Friday: Abstain from Meat

O King of Glory, have mercy on us sinners!

Today is Friday, the day we commemorate Our Lord's passion and death. It was our own sins that condemned Our Glorious Lord to death - death on a Cross. As Catholics, we are bound to abstain from meat today. Willingly ignoring the law of fasting and abstinence is seriously sinful! It was on this day of the week that Our Glorious Redeemer died for us. Please, never forget this, especially at 3 o'clock, the hour that He died. At 3 o'clock attempt to pray the 3 o'clock Mercy Prayer. Please remember Our Lord's love and repent today.

For the rules on fasting and abstinence, please see my post on the topic.

Today is a great day to pray the Stations of the Cross. Please join me in praying the Stations of the Cross. Remember, it was on this day that He gave up His life all for you.

Prayer to the Glorious Cross:

I adore You, O glorious Cross, which was adorned with the Heart and Body of my Savior Jesus Christ, stained and covered with blood. I adore You, O Holy Cross, out of love for Him, Jesus, who is my Savior and my God.

(Pope Pius IX declared that reciting this prayer five times on Friday will free five souls from Purgatory and 33 souls by reciting it on Good Friday. This prayer should be recited before a crucifix with a contrite heart and praying a few minutes for the Pope).

Prayer to Jesus Christ Crucified:

My good and dear Jesus, I kneel before you asking you most earnestly to engrave upon my heart a deep and lively faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins, and a firm resolve to make amends. As I reflect upon your five wounds, and dwell upon them with deep compassion and grief, I recall the words the prophet David spoke long ago concerning yourself: they have pierced my hands and my feet, they have numbered all my bones!

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Stational Church: Thursday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Today's Stational Church is the Church of Sts. Sylvester and Martin. For information on this devotion, see the Stational Churches of Lent Homepage. I will post on each Stational Church for Lent.

Dom Gueranger writes: "The Station is at the church of Saints Sylvester and Martin, which is one of the most venerable in Rome. It was originally built by Pope St. Sylvester, and still bears his name: but in the sixth century, it was consecrated to St. Martin of Tours. In the seventh century, it was enriched with the relics of Pope Saint Martin, which were brought from Chersonesus, where he had died a martyr a few years before. This church was the first Title of St. Charles Borromeo. It was also that of the learned liturgiologist, the Blessed Joseph-Mary Tommasi, whose body is now venerated in this church, and has been miraculously preserved, even to this day, in a state of incorruption."

Information is from the Canon Regulars of St. John Cantius:

Near this church the penitents used to pass through one of the most infamous of places, near the crossroads of Mercury and the Serbian walls, where there was the merulana necropolis (cemetery). That was where pagan Rome left the bodies of slaves and criminals to rot in the open, until the Christians built a chapel with the aim of venerating the Christian martyrs.

Two weeks from today, the Church will celebrate the mystery of the living and life-giving Bread, the first source of life and health. "For he that eats this Bread shall have life everlasting." "And unless you eat this Bread you shall not have life in you."

Preceded by two stational saints, the first Confessors, who were given public veneration in the Church — St. Sylvester and St. Martin — we will go to God's altar, to the Mystery of Life, to Him who will say also to us:" I say to thee, arise!"

Let us pray: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who are chastised by fasting, may rejoice with holy devotion, and that our earthly affections being weakened, we may, more easily understand the things of heaven. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

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Irreverence To Jesus in the Eucharist

As readers will remember, I am currently reading "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ" according to the visions by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. I recently came into contact without another Traditional Catholic, who sent me an excerpt from a different book containing some of her visions. I feel that while the following excerpt is graphic and horrifying, it illustrates the need to immediately stop irreverence wherever it exists.

Taken from "The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary", Chapter 1: Our Lady's Ancestors; the Vision of the Feast of Our Lady's Conception, page 68

"My heavenly Bridegroom said to me, pointing round me as He spoke; 'See far more evil that befalls Me every day at the hands of many throughout the world.' And as I looked about me into the distance, many things came before my soul which were indeed still more dreadful than that sacrifice of children; for I saw Jesus Himself cruelly sacrificed on the Altar by unworthy and sinful celebrations of the Holy Mysteries. I saw how the blessed Host lay on the altar before unworthy degenerate priests like a living Child Jesus, whom they cut and terribly mutilated with the paten. Their sacrifice, though an efficacious celebration of the Holy Mysteries, appeared like a cruel murder."

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Words of Inspiration: March 22

"Today bring to Me the souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice" (Paragraph 1226, Our Lord to St Faustina).

"Keep strongly and constantly united to God, consecrating all your affections, torments, and your entire self to Him, patiently awaiting the return of that beautiful sun, whenever the Spouse is pleased to visit you through trials of aridity, desolation and darkness of spirit" (St. Padre Pio, Letters III, p. 674.)

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Midterms

This week I am taking my midterms, and I would greatly appreciate any prayers offered on my behalf.

God Bless!

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Stational Church: Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Photo (c) A Catholic Life Blog 2016

Today's Stational Church is the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Today is the Feria of the Great Scrutiny.  Information is from the Canon Regulars of St. John Cantius:

At one time, a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Paul in this Lenten penitential procession took on an exceptional character in view of the riches of doctrinal teaching, which has come down to us from the Apostle to the Gentiles. For this reason, it used to happen, that in this particular Lenten Station, the Pope carried out a "third scrutiny" for the baptismal candidates—that is, for those catechumens, who wanted to be baptized in water.

In this church, at the tomb of this great convert-exemplar, the catechumens, turning westward—towards darkness—renounced Satan, his pomps and his works. Then, turning eastward—towards the light—they pledged their loyalty to Christ and His Church.

Here at the tomb of the Apostle, who was "the salt of the earth," the catechumens received a morsel of salt. Accipe sal sapientiae—Receive the salt of wisdom! Receive the taste for the doctrine of God. Hereafter, speak no longer the language of the flesh, but let your conversation be heavenly.

Let us pray: O God, who grantest to the just the reward of their merits, and to sinners pardon through their fasts, have mercy on Thy suppliant people, that the confession of our guilt may enable us to obtain the forgiveness of our sins. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

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My Great Grandmother May be Dying

Update in late 2007: She has died.  Unfortunately she was never baptized and never rejected our atheistic ways.

Update: Today she was given a life expectancy of three more days by her doctor. Please pray for her soul.

Original Post: Her name is Lucille, and she is very ill and currently at a hospital. I would appreciate any prayers for her health, so that, if it be God's will, she will improve. But, most of all, I ask you to pray for her soul. She has held atheistic views all of her life. Please pray for her soul so that she might repent and believe like the Good Thief while she bears her final cross.

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Into the Great Silence

If you are a reader of The New Liturgical Movement blog, you would have undoubtedly read about the opportunity to order a copy of "Into the Great Silence" as well as been able to see a few truly amazing pictures from the film.

However, if you have not done so, I would like to post about "Into the Great Silence". The movie is a documentary of a Carthusian monastery in France produced by filmmaker Philip Gronin. "Into the Great Silence" reveals the austere life that the monks like.

In the 169-minute film, talking does not appear until roughly 20 minutes into the movie. The film does contain the chanting of the monks, which they do daily, and viewers can watch the lives of one of the strictest Christian, monastic orders. Contemplative silence governs the life of the monks.

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Charity by Pope St. Leo the Great

This excerpt is especially important to read during the penitential days of Lent:

On Charity

~by Pope St. Leo the Great

In John’s gospel the Lord says: By this love you have for one another, everyone will know you are my disciples. In a letter by John we read: My dear people, let us love one another since love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Anyone who fails to love can never have known God, because God is love.

So the faithful should look into themselves and carefully examine their minds and the impulses of their hearts. If they find some of the fruits of love stored in their hearts then they must not doubt God’s presence within them, but to make themselves more and more able to receive so great a guest they should do more and more works of durable mercy and kindness. After all, if God is love, charity should know no limit, for God himself cannot be confined within limits.

What is the appropriate time for performing works of charity? My beloved children, any time is the right time, but these days of Lent provide a special encouragement. Those who want to be present at the Lord’s Passover in holiness of mind and body should seek above all to win this grace. Charity contains all other virtues and covers a multitude of sins.

As we prepare to celebrate that greatest of all mysteries, by which the blood of Jesus Christ destroyed our sins, let us first of all make ready the sacrificial offerings — that is, our works of mercy. What God in his goodness has already given to us, let us give it to those who have sinned against us.

And to the poor also, and to those who are afflicted in various ways, let us show a more open-handed generosity so that God may be thanked through many voices and the needy may be fed as a result of our fasting. No act of devotion on the part of the faithful gives God more pleasure than the support that is lavished on his poor. Where God finds charity with its loving concern, there he recognises the reflection of his own fatherly care.

Do not be put off giving by a lack of resources. A generous spirit is itself great wealth, and there can be no shortage of material for generosity where it is Christ who feeds and Christ who is fed. His hand is present in all this activity: his hand, which multiplies the bread by breaking it and increases it by giving it away.

When you give alms, do not be anxious but full of happiness. The greatest treasure will go to the one who has kept the least for himself. The holy apostle Paul tells us: He who provides seed for the sower will give bread for food, provide you with more seed, and increase the harvest of your goodness, in Christ Jesus our Lord, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.

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Stational Church: Tuesday in the Fourth Week of Lent

Today's Stational Church is the Basilica of St. Lawrence the Deacon. Dom Gueranger writes, "The Station is in the church of Saint Laurence in Damaso; so called, because it was built, in the fourth century, in honour of the glorious archdeacon of Rome, by Pope St. Damasus, whose body rests here." For information on this devotion, see the Stational Churches of Lent Homepage. I will post on each Stational Church for Lent. Information is from the Canon Regulars of St. John Cantius:

We celebrate the holy mysteries in spirit in the church of St. Lawrence in Damaso, built by the "poet-Pope" and "lover of the catacombs," St. Damasus, whose remains rest in this venerable edifice.

Mother Church points today to two leaders: Moses and Christ — figure and fulfillment. Both of them were unappreciated by their flock. Both of them were unmoved in their consecration to God and their holy calling. Their people were superficial, proud and selfish, while they, the leaders, were filled with the spirit of prayer, humility and the love of God.

In the spirit of our prayerful, humble and God-loving leader, St. Lawrence, let us make a sincere oblation of ourselves. Then the Divine Victim, through the prayers of this holy deacon, will increase in our souls what is so strikingly expressed in today's Mass:

1. Humility— "With expectation I have waited for the Lord and he was attentive to me."

2. Prayerfulness— "And He heard my prayer."

3. Love— "And He put a new canticle in my mouth, a song to our God."

Let us pray: Hear, O God, my prayer and despise not my supplication. Be attentive to me and hear me. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

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Words of Inspiration: March 20

Blessed Mother Teresa:

"Am I convinced of Christ's love for me and mine for Him? This conviction is like sunlight which makes the sap of life rise and the buds of sanctity bloom. This conviction is the rock on which sanctity is built. What must we do to get this conviction? We must know Jesus, love Jesus, serve Jesus. I must not attempt to control God's actions; I must not count the stages in the journey He would have me make. I ask Him to make a saint of me, yet I must leave to Him the choice of that saintliness itself and still more the choice of the means which lead to it."

St. Padre Pio:

"If you suffer with resignation in doing His will, you do not offend Him but love Him. And your heart will find great comfort in remembering that in your hour of pain Jesus Himself suffers in you and for you. He did not abandon you when you fled from Him; why should He abandon you now that you are proving your love for Him by the martyrdom of your soul?" (GF, 174).

Let us remember to continue practicing prayer, almsgiving, and fasting (voluntarily throughout the week not just on Fridays) as we continue our Lenten journey.

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