Whit Embertide Reminder: Fast & Abstain

During the Octave of Pentecost, the Church traditionally celebrates the Summer Ember Days. Today is Ember Wednesday. This Friday and Saturday will also be Ember Days. As per the traditional discipline of the Church, Ember Days are days of Fast and Partial Abstinence. (Friday, of course, being a day of complete abstinence). If you wish to read more about the Ember Days, please see my post from last year.

This week serves as an excellent opportunity for all of us to fulfill Heaven's request at Lourdes and Fatima of "Penance, Penance, Penance." (We can also read about the importance of Penance from the very teaching of our Lord and King in the Gospels, for example see Lk 13:3,5 and Mt 4:17, 11:20-21; Mt 12:41)

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CORDAID Funds Planned Parenthood and Dispenses Contraception

CORDAID, which stands for "Catholic Organization for Relief and Development Aid," is a co-founder and current affiliate of Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-run umbrella organization that oversees Catholic charity, aid, and development organizations (like Catholic Relief Services) all over the world.

Caritas constitutes part of the governing body for the international Marxist organization known as the World Social Forum, which is avidly pro-abortion and pro-homosexual. CORDAID is the local Caritas affiliate for the Netherlands.

CORDAID promotes abortion, funds Planned Parenthood and Marie Stopes International, and dispenses contraception of every kind, including abortifacient contraception. CORDAID goes out of its way to make condoms and contraception readily available to the youth at little or no cost. CORDAID indirectly is part of the Vatican's network of charity relief organizations, but CORDAID is passionately anti-Catholic and pro-death.

Source

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Traditional Latin Mass Propers: Vigil of Pentecost

Today is the Vigil of Pentecost (Saturday after the 6th Sunday after Easter).

Today's preparation should not be underestimated.  Catholics should fast and abstain from meat today in order to better conform themselves to celebrate this High Holy Day of Pentecost. See: Vigil of Pentecost: Fast and Abstinence.

As the missal's opening section states before the Propers: "The feast of Whitsun [another name for Pentecost] is as ancient as that of Easter, and First Vespers on the Saturday following begins the liturgical season called Season after Pentecost.  The Ascension of God's Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Heaven did not leave us abandoned and helpless. By the Divine Will, the Third Person of the Trinity is to be the soul and guiding light of Christ's Mystical Body."

For the pre-1955 rubrics for the Vigil of Pentecost, click here. For all of the Mass readings including the prophecies and the for the rubrics for the Solemn Blessing of Water, click here.

INTROIT Ezech. 36:23-24, 25-26

When I shall be sanctified in you, I will gather you together out of all the countries; and I will pour upon you clean water and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will give you a new spirit, alleluia, alleluia! Ps. 33:2. I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall ever be in my mouth. V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

Let the brightness of Your glory shine upon us, Almighty God, so that the Holy Spirit, light of Your light, may strengthen the hearts of those who are reborn in Your grace. Through Our Lord . . .

EPISTLE 
Acts 19:1-8

Now it was while Apollo was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper coasts, came to Ephesus and found certain disciples. And he said to them: "Have you received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" But they said to him: "We have not so much as heard whether there be a Holy Ghost." And he said: "In what then were you baptized?" Who said: "In John's baptism." Then Paul said: "John baptized the people with the baptism of penance saying: That they should believe in him, who was to come after him, that is to say, in Jesus." Having heard these things, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had imposed his hands on them, the Holy Ghost came upon them: and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve. And entering into the synagogue, he spoke boldly for the space of three months, disputing and exhorting concerning the kingdom of God.

Alleluia
Ps. 106:1

Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.

TRACT 
Ps. 116:1-2

Praise the Lord, all you nations; praise Him in unison, all you peoples!
V. For His mercy is steadfast towards us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.

GOSPEL  
John 14:15-21

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples: "If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father: and He shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever: The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, nor knoweth Him. But you shall know Him; because He shall abide with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you orphans: I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world seeth Me no more. But you see Me: because I live, and you shall live. In that day you shall know that I am in my Father: and you in Me, and I in you. He that hath My commandments and keepeth them; he it is that loveth Me. And he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father: and I will love him and will manifest myself to him."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON  
Ps. 103:30-31

Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the Lord endure forever, alleluia!

SECRET

Bless our offering, O Lord, and cleanse our hearts by the light of the Holy Spirit. Through Our Lord...

COMMUNION ANTIPHON  
John 7:37-39

On the last day of the feast, Jesus said, "He who believes in Me, from within him there shall flow rivers of living water." He said this of the Spirit, whom they who believed in Him were to receive, alleluia, alleluia!

POSTCOMMUNION

May the coming of the Holy Spirit cleanse our hearts, and, as a heavenly dew, water them to bring forth good fruit. Through Our Lord . . .

Full Video of the Pre-1955 Mass for the Vigil of Pentecost:

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Traditional Latin Mass Propers: Ascension of the Lord

I think it is important to recall these prayers throughout all of the traditional Octave of the Ascension.  As I posted about previously, the Ascension was observed as an Octave up until 1954.  These prayers would have been said on both the Ascension of the Lord as well as on the Octave Day of the Ascension.

Click here for more information on Ascensiontide, including the history of the Octaves up until 1954.

DOUBLE OF THE FIRST CLASS / WHITE

INTROIT Acts 1:11

Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up to heaven? Alleluia! He shall come in the same way as you have seen him going up to heaven, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Ps. 46:2. O, clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with the voice of exultation. V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Almighty God, we firmly believe that Your only-begotten Son, our Redeemer, ascended this day into heaven. May our minds dwell always on this heavenly home. Through Our Lord . . .

EPISTLE 
Acts 1:1-11

In the former treatise I made, O Theophilus, of all things which Jesus began to do and to teach, Until the day on which, giving commandments by the Holy Ghost to the apostles whom he had chosen, he was taken up. To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion, by many proofs, for forty days appearing to them, and speaking of the kingdom of God. And eating together with them, he commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the Father, "which you have heard"(saith he) "by my mouth. For John indeed baptized with water: but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, not many days hence."
They therefore who were come together, asked him, saying: "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom of Israel?" But he said to them: "It is not for you to know the time or moments, which the Father hath put in his own power: But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth." And when he had said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they were beholding him going up to heaven, behold two men stood by them in white garments. Who also said: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen him going into heaven."

Alleluia, alleluia!  Ps. 46:6
God ascends His throne amid shouts of joy, the Lord is taken up with the sound of trumpets. Alleluia!
V. Ps. 67:18-19. The Lord is in Sinai, in the holy place; ascending on high, He has led captivity captive. Alleluia!

GOSPEL  
Mark 16:14-20

At that time, Jesus appeared to the eleven as they were at table: and he upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe them who had seen him after he was risen again. And he said to them: "Go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall he condemned. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they shall cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up serpents: and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay their hand upon the sick: and they shall recover."
And the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God. But they going forth preached every where: the Lord working withal, and confirming the word with signs that followed.

After the Gospel is read, the Pascal Candle is extinguished.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON  
Ps. 46:6
God ascends His throne amid shouts of joy, the Lord is taken up with the sound of trumpets, alleluia!

SECRET
Accept, O Lord, the gifts we offer to celebrate the glorious ascension of Your Son. May Your mercy free us from our present dangers and lead us to eternal life. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON  
Ps. 67:33-34
Sing to the Lord, who ascends above the heaven of heavens to the East, alleluia!

POSTCOMMUNION
Almighty and merciful God, grant that this Sacrament, which we have received in this visible sacred Rite, may bring us Your invisible help. Through Our Lord . . .

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Anniversary of the Apparition of our Lady of Fatima

On this anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, Fr Dominic reminds us that the Fatima Message is Heaven's Plan to bring the world back to God. Let us hear and observe Our Lady's message to stay away, hate, and fight sin; mortify ourselves and do penance, and lead lives of prayer and devotion, especially praying the Holy Rosary at least once a day.

This is especially important concerning the recent death of Fr. Gruner, the Apostle of Fatima.  If you never read his book "Crucial Truths to Save Your Soul" then you must.  It is a short, inexpensive book that I am highly recommending.

On this Vigil of the Ascension, this Rogation Day, and this anniversary of this apparition, let us pray for Fr. Gruner's soul and for all peoples to convert, do penance, and appease the wrath of God.  Let us say with true and heartfelt devotion:

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.

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Observe the Lesser Rogation Days

Last month we observed on April 25th the annual Major Rogation Day. I have previously posted on the Rogation Days & Ember Days as they occur throughout the year.

We are now beginning the Minor (Lesser) Rogation Days that lead up to Ascension Thursday.  Like the Major Rogation, these are days to perform penance, fast, pray litanies, and petition our Almighty God to spare us from natural disaster, to bless our crops, and to save us from our sins.  These were previously days of fasting before changes to the Roman Liturgy that took place even before Vatican II.

I also previously mentioned a wonderful booklet produced by Fr Christopher Smith, a priest of the Diocese of Charleston.  This guide on the Ember & Rogation Day is a great ready for today. It can be downloaded from dropbox.

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The 2 Feast Days in Honor of St. Michael

Greater Double (1955 Calendar): May 8

Today is the Feast of the Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel.

Traditionally in the Liturgy of the Church prior to the year 1960, there were two feasts in honor of St. Michael.  Those familiar with the Litany of Saints will also recall that his name is mentioned by name in the Litany.  And those who attend the Traditional Latin Mass will be familiar with several references to St. Michael in the course of the Liturgy.

St. Michael is regarded as the special Guardian Angel of Saint Joseph and the Guardian Angel of each one of the Popes and one of the seven great angels who stand before the throne of God.  In the 6th century, the angelic St. Michael appeared in southern Italy on a mountain named Gargano.  In this apparition, St. Michael asked that the cave in which he appeared would become a shrine to the True God in order to make amends for the pagan worship that once occurred there.  The Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo sul Gargano still remains to this day.

St. Michael later appeared with a flaming sword atop the mountain during a storm on the eve of battle for the Lombards.  The Lombards attributed their victory in battle on that day, May 8, 663, to St. Michael.  And the Church then established a Feast in honor of the Apparition of St. Michael on May 8th, the anniversary of the battle.

This feast is still kept by priests who offer the pre-1955 Liturgy. It's quite unfortunate that a decree was issued on July 26, 1960, that dropped this feast from the Universal Calendar. While the feastday is not kept even in the 1962 Missal, priests who offer the 1962 Missal may (and arguably should) say a Votive Mass today for St. Michael. Since in the 1962 Missal May 8th is a feria, a Votive Mass may be offered today (unless today falls on a Sunday or another high ranking day in the sanctoral cycle like Ascension Thursday).

On September 29th the Feast of the Dedication of St. Michael occurs on which we, for the second time in the year, honor the Glorious St. Michael. The blog Carmelite spirituality and the practice of mental prayer further explains:

The first apparitions of the archangel Michael in Western Europe were granted to the Bishop of Sipontum in Apulia. Three times the Archangel appeared, nightly, the last time on September 29, 493. The Archangel indicated the transformation into a Christian church of a grotto sacred to Mithras, on Monte Tumba. Miraculously, when the bishop and companions arrived, they found that a primitive altar had already been erected, covered with a vermilion altar cloth and surmounted by a Cross; moreover, according to the legend, they found the footprint of Saint Michael in the rock. With immense joy the holy bishop offered the first divine Sacrifice. It was 29 September.

The Feast of the Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel is the September 29th Feast often just called: The Feast of St. Michael the Archangel. 

Collect:

O God, Who hast ordained and constituted the services of angels and men in a wonderful order, mercifully grant that as thy holy angels always do thee service in heaven, so, by thy appointment, they may succor and defend us on earth. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R. Amen.

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Are Priests Allowed to Wear Blue Vestments?

Yes but only in rare situations. 

The blue chasuble may only be worn by Spain and its dominions beyond the sea. It was a privilege originally given by Pope Pius VII to the Church in Spain in 1817 and later reaffirmed by Pope Pius IX in 1864, in recognition of the centuries-old Hispanic defense of Mary's Immaculate Conception. It spread to other places formerly under the Spanish Crown as well as seen in the indult granted by Pope St. Pius X to the First Provincial Council of Manila for their use in the Philippine Islands. 

No other nation is authorized to use it, and doing so constitutes a liturgical abuse. The exception is a rare dispensation that was given temporarily to Marian shrines on special occasions.

As Father Edward McNamara clarifies in an EWTN article on this topic, "By blue vestments we mean those manufactured from cerulean fabric. White vestments with blue motifs or trimmings are not subject to any restriction."

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Monks of Norcia Launch CD: Benedicta

Theirs have always been hours of study, industry, prayer, service - and song. Monastic chant echoed off the walls of the Monastero di San Benedetto di Norcia for more than 800 years before Napoleonic laws suppressed this branch of the Benedictine order in 1810, causing a break in the continuity of music in Norcia for nearly 200 years. But when a Benedictine Community founded in 1998 by Father Cassian Folsom sought a monastery, the town of Norcia welcomed the monks back to the birthplace of St. Benedict, and the music began again.  

This is the story of The Monks of Norcia. Their alluring chant has been masterfully captured by 11x Grammy Award winning producer Christopher Alder. De Montfort Music has teamed with Universal Music Classics and Decca Records to bring this transcendent debut to you directly from within the monastery walls of Norcia.

Benedicta consists of songs dedicated to the life of Mary, Our Lady, including previously unrecorded chant versions of responsories and an original piece composed by the monks,      "Nos Qui Christi Iugum".

Benedicta will be available on  June 2nd, 2015.

Order now on Amazon.com by clicking here.

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A Relic of St. Jude the Apostle Preserved in Chicago, IL

While often unknown even by local Catholics, the Shrine of St. Jude, a Dominican run Shrine, in Chicago, Illinois houses one of the few relics of an apostle in America.  The Shrine of St. Jude is housed physically inside of St. Pius V Catholic Church at 1919 S Ashland Avenue (and not in the Dominican House which is at 1909 S Ashland), Chicago, Illinois.  Inside of this Church, you will find a relic of the forearm of St. Jude the Apostle.  St. Jude is the author of a short Epistle in the New Testament.

While the sanctuary in this Church has been virutally destroyed in the aftermath of Vatican II, there are a number of small and beautiful shrines inside of St. Pius V Catholic Church.  There is one in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one to the Infant Christ (which I have photographed below) and the one to St. Jude the Apostle.

If you are near Chicago or pass by, spend some time - even just 10 minutes - in prayer before this powerful relic of the holy Apostle St. Jude.  The Church offers a small but gated parking lot across the street.  And for those in the area, there are buses, Divy bikes, and other forms of public transportation that run right by the Shrine.

St. Jude, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

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Donate Your Old Rosary to the African Missions

#RosariesforAfrica is a movement that I am starting to bring awareness to the Rosary Project for Africa.  This project, mentioned in the America Needs Fatima publication in 2015, is looking for Rosaries for the African Missions.  Take part in a global effort to catechize the souls in Africa who do not know Christ.  Let us entrust their conversion to the Faith to Our Lady of the Rosary.

For information on how to donate your #RosariesforAfrica please read the following article:

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Feast of St. Paul of the Cross

"When you feel the assaults of passion and anger, then is the time to be silent as Jesus was silent in the midst of His ignominies and sufferings" (St. Paul of the Cross)

Double (1955 Calendar): April 28

St. Paul of the Cross is the renowned Founder of the Passionists.  Born in 1694 to a merchant in Italy, Paul spent his youth in the spirit of Christian piety.  His parents were devout and holy parents. At the age of 15, St. Paul began to engage in severe penitential practices in reparation for sin.

While still a layman, he received a vision and founded the Congregation of Discalced Clerks of the Most Holy Cross and Passion (called the Passionists) in 1721 to preach about Jesus Crucified.  Their mission: Preach Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.  Beforehand, he had intended to fight in the army for Venice against the Turks. But after his vision, he refused the honor as well as a large inheritance and honorable marriage to devote himself to Jesus Crucified. He began to preach of the Passion of Our Lord even before he became a cleric. In 1727, he was ordained a priest by Pope Benedict XIII.

St. Paul is remembered for preaching with such power that hardened sinners and murderous robbers wept at his preaching.  At one point in his life, in a true example for us to persevere in our good works, all of his brothers in the order abandoned him.  Yet, by the will of God, his rule was approved by Pope Benedict XIV in 1741 and the order began to grow anew. He surmounted incredible difficulties due to his humility and dedication.

St. Paul died on October 18, 1775, at a time when his order had over 180 fathers and brothers.  Before his death, he had also founded a monastery of contemplative sisters in Corneto. He was beatified and canonized by Pope Pius IX.

Taken from a letter written by St. Paul of the Cross: "It is an excellent and holy practice to call to mind and meditate on our Lord's Passion since it is by this path that we shall arrive at union with God. In this, the holiest of all schools, true wisdom is learned, for it was there that all the saints became wise"

Prayer:

O Lord Jesus Christ, You endowed blessed Paul with a special love to preach the mystery of Your cross and raised up a new community in the Church through him. May his intercession make us always mindful of Your passion so that we may share in its reward in heaven; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

"Christ Triumphed Over the Devil on the Cross"

(St. Paul of the Cross)

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The Primary 2 Moral Errors of Our Time by Pope Benedict XV

 Now there are two passions today dominant in the profound lawlessness of morals - an unlimited desire of riches and an insatiable thirst for pleasures. It is this which marks with a shameful stigma our epoch; whilst it goes ceaselessly from progress to progress in the order of all which touches the well-being and convenience of life, it seems that in the superior order of honesty and of moral rectitude a lamentable retrogression leads it back to the ignominies of ancient paganism. In that measure, in truth, wherein men lose sight of eternal goods which Heaven reserved for them, they permit themselves to be more taken in by the deceitful mirage of the ephemeral goods here below, and once their souls are turned down towards the earth, an easy descent leads them insensibly to relax themselves in virtue, to experience repugnance for spiritual things, and to relish nothing outside the seductions of pleasure. Hence the general situation which we note: with some the desire to acquire riches or to increase their patrimony knows no bounds; others no longer know, as formerly, how to bear the trials which are the usual result of want or poverty; and at the very hour in which the rivalries We have pointed out set by the ears the rich and the proletariat a great number seem to wish to further excite the hatred of the poor by an unbridled luxury which accompanies the most revolting corruption.


19. From this point of view one cannot sufficiently deplore the blindness of so many women of every age and condition; made foolish by desire to please, they do not see to what a degree the in decency of their clothing shocks every honest man, and offends God. Most of them would formerly have blushed for those toilettes as for a grave fault against Christian modesty; now it does not suffice for them to exhibit them on the public thoroughfares; they do not fear to cross the threshold of the churches, to assist at the Holy sacrifice of the Mass, and even to bear the seducing food of shameful passions to the Eucharistic Table where one receives the heavenly Author of purity. And We speak not of those exotic and barbarous dances recently imported into fashionable circles, one more shocking than the other; one cannot imagine anything more suitable for banishing all the remains of modesty.

Taken from Sacra Propediem of Pope Benedict XV on Januar y6, 1921, the Feast of the Epiphany.

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Mourning Drapes Over Catholic Churches

With the death of Francis Cardinal George last week, some of the more traditional Catholic Churches in the Archdiocese put the customary purple mourning drapes over the front doors.  A few nice examples of this tradition are shared here:

Shrine of Christ the King

St. John Cantius Catholic Church

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Spend This Saturday Praying Outside for the Major Rogation

This Saturday, April 25th, is the Major Rogation. 

Traditionally, fasting and penance were required on this day, and the faithful would especially pray Litanies on this day.

Rogation Days are the four days set apart to bless the fields, and invoke God's mercy on all of creation. The 4 days are April 25, which is called the Major Rogation (and is only coincidentally the same day as the Feast of St. Mark); and the three days preceding Ascension Thursday, which are called the Minor Rogations. Traditionally, on these days, the congregation marches the boundaries of the parish, blessing every tree and stone, while chanting or reciting a Litany of Mercy, usually a Litany of the Saints.

Spend the day outside on Saturday.  Pray for a good harvest.  Sprinkle the fields and grasses with holy water.  Let us call down God's blessings on our land in an era when even the mainstream Catholic Church has all but forgotten and neglected the Rogation Days.

See here for a Rogation Day Prayer.  

Fr Christopher Smith, a priest of the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina has put together a truly beautiful and excellent illustrated guide explaining both the Rogations and Ember Days, with a number of very useful quotes from various liturgical sources. It can be downloaded from dropbox.

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SSPX Re-Dedicates St. James Church in Pittsburgh

The following is taken from the website of DICI.  “On Saturday, March 28, 2015, the Society of St. Pius X triumphantly re-dedicated the church of St. James in Pittsburgh, PA, Fr. Niklaus Pfluger, the First Assistant of the SSPX, was on hand to lead the solemn ceremonies.”  Some of the photos are as follows:

To help this apostolate of the Society, please consider sending in a donation of any size:

St. James Catholic Church
326 South Main Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15220

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Who Are the "Sheep Not of This Fold"?

In the Gospels, Jesus spoke of "sheep not of this fold."  In our times there has been a pernicious error arise that Jesus was speaking of the Mormons with this line.  As a result of this error, it's essential that we understand what Jesus was saying when He spoke of "sheep not of this fold."

As the Scriptures state:

I am the good shepherd; and I know mine, and mine know me. As the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father: and I lay down my life for my sheep. And other sheep I have, that are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. Therefore doth the Father love me: because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No man taketh it away from me: but I lay it down of myself, and I have power to lay it down: and I have power to take it up again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (John 10:14-18)

Before we can understand any passage of Scripture we have to put it in context.  To start, who was Jesus speaking to?  He certainly was speaking to the Jews.  In particular, He was speaking to the Pharisees when He spoke of Himself as the Good Shepherd.  And at this time the Jews did not understand or even fathom that salvation was possible for non-Jews. These non-Jews, the Gentiles, would be saved by Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross.  And in this way, the Good Shepherd would draw all men to Himself - the Jews (those of the fold) and the Gentiles (the sheep not of this fold).  And together they would form one sheepfold with Christ as the One Shepherd.

Unfortunately, the Mormons have twisted Scripture around and sought to apply words spoken by Jesus thousands of years before their founding to them.  The Mormons emphasize that Jesus was calling them to be of a different sheepfold.  But this is also wrong.  The emphasis of Jesus in the passage is not that there are different groups of followers of His; rather, the Lord was making clear that He would bring all peoples together into one sheepfold.  It is only in that one sheepfold (the Church) that we can all come together and truly follow the Lord.

The Staff of Catholic Answers explains:

Most Catholic biblical scholars, following the teaching of the early Church Fathers, agree that the "other sheep" are the Gentiles, to whom the gospel was sent after the Jews rejected Christ (Rom 11:11-12). 

During his public ministry Jesus confined his proclamation of the gospel to the Jews (Mt 10:5-6, 15:24), and initially this remained the focus of the apostles' preaching, although Jesus had foretold that the gospel would eventually be carried to "all nations" (Mt 28:19, Acts 1:8). This opening up of God's blessing even to Gentiles was foretold in the Old Testament (Ps 2:7; Is 2:2-6). 

Paul explained this to Gentile Christians: 

"Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands--remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ." (Eph 2:11-13; cf. Rom 3:22; Gal 3:27-28)

Another member of Catholic Answers further states:

In reality, the "other sheep" Jesus mentions are the righteous Gentiles, who did not belong to the "fold" of God’s chosen people, Israel, but who would respond to the gospel when preached to them. While Christ’s earthly ministry served the Jewish people almost exclusively, his great commission to the apostles before his ascension sent them into all the world to preach, baptize and thus unite his believers in one fold (Mt 27:19). Because "he that heareth you heareth me" (Lk 10:16), to hear the gospel from the lips of his disciples is to hear Jesus himself 

The understanding of the "other sheep" as the Gentiles who would come to believe in Christ is the natural understanding of the passage. Mormons sometimes ask Christians, "If the ‘other sheep’ weren’t in the New World then who were they?" 

A Christian often will be perplexed at the fact the question was asked at all and respond, "Well, they’re the Gentile Christians, of course. How could anyone think the text suggests otherwise?" The New Testament has a running theme of how salvation comes from the Jews to the Gentiles. It appears across multiple books, in all of the gospels and most of the epistles. Jesus’ statement about gathering other sheep in the future is simply one more instance of the gospels dealing with this theme. 

The fact that Mormons often do not spot the obvious, face-value interpretation of the text reveals how little Mormons have been exposed to the historic understanding of the passage and how little they have been encouraged to think through its rationale. They have not tried to understand the New Testament as a whole, integrating and understanding its individual passages with other passages and with the general historical backdrop. Instead, they have had the interpretations of certain alleged proof texts force-fed to them in a way that keeps them from knowing of the existence of other, more plausible interpretations.

Above all, the sheep "not of this fold" are the Gentiles.  Together with the original Jews who accepted Christ, the Church was to include all men.  This false teaching of the Mormons has distorted the understanding of Christ's beautiful role as the Good Shepherd.  Like other cults (Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Scientists), the writings of the Mormons are to be burned and condemned.  And like these groups, the Mormons do not accept the Trinity and therefore are not Christians at all; rather, they are a pernicious form of paganism.

Those looking for an honest understanding of Mormonism, please see the articles of Patrick Madrid.

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St. Ignatius on Sin

 

"To have prevented one single sin is reward enough for the labors and efforts of a whole lifetime." St. Ignatius

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Francis Cardinal George of Chicago Has Died

May his soul rest in peace.  Requiem Aeternam.

De Profundis

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice.

Let Your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication.

If You, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?

But with You is forgiveness, that You may be revered.

I trust in the Lord; my soul trusts in His word.

My soul waits for the Lord more than sentinels wait for the dawn.

More than sentinels wait for the dawn, let Israel wait for the Lord,

For with the Lord is kindness and with Him is plenteous redemption;

And He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities.

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Seminary Chapel of St. Turibius Destroyed by Blase Cupich

While this may be a little dated, the full effect of what will come out of Archbishop Cupich in Chicago has not yet been felt.  Here is what this man did previously.

From the Blog of CathCon:

The seminary chapel of St. Turibius at the Pontifical Josephinum in Ohio, before Archbishop Cupich became Rector-President and after......he obliterated Christ the King, yet the Pope made him Archbishop of Chicago. 

Before and After Cupich. Believe it or not...this is the same building....the seminary chapel of St. Turibius at the Pontifical Josephinum in Ohio. The photo on the left is what the chapel used to look like BEFORE Cupich became the president-rector of the seminary. The photo on the right is Cupich's horrible wreckovation that destroyed the same chapel. The beautiful mural was painted over, under Cupich's orders, detailed the steps of becoming an ordained priest. 

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