Immediate Prayers Please

Emergency, please pray for a 25 year old girl named Clare who has a blood clot in her brain and might not make it through the night.

Thank you. Let us pray to Fulton J. Sheen together.

UPDATE: I am sorry to report that Clare died at about 2:00 GMT this morning. Pray for her parents, please.

May the souls of the faithful departed, rest in peace. Amen.

Just thinking on a Sunday morning

I am concerned that National Health in the States will be another veiled means of eugenics.

Already, costs and fines will affect Catholics and Evangelicals who follow God's Law and do not use contraceptives or get abortions. Large families will be penalized.

Already, data for those who are overweight or drinking or smoking will be collected, which hits the poor, who are more inclined to be eating fast food and such.

Already, certains immigrant groupings with certain lifestyles in families will be hit with high costs.

Now, some of us knew this in 2009. But, I am concerned about those minority groups who just wanted "free health care" without realizing, or being helped to understand the intrusiveness of this new plan.

Eugenics is behind PP and other groups, as we know, both Margaret Sanger and Marie Stopes being steeped in this philosophy. Check out these links. The same mind-set is behind some national health ideals. One can apply the term race to whomever seems a threat to one's idea of society.

Catholics, Jews, etc. could become undesirables....wait and see. Thanks, Wiki, for the poster.

The Jewel in the Crown

1 Corinthians 13

Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

1 If I speak with the tongues of men, and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

² And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

³ And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

⁴ Charity is patient, is kind: charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up;

⁵ Is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil;

⁶ Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth;

⁷ Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

⁸ Charity never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed.

⁹ For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

¹⁰ But when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child.

¹² We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know I part; but then I shall know even as I am known.

¹³ And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity.

The Charterhouse Martyrs, Two

It is ironic that after falling into the hands of the prominent Protestant North family, the Charterhouse grounds was purchased by the Duke of Norfolk, who was executed in the attempt to get Mary, Queen of Scots crowned Queen of England. When he died, the land and buildings passed to his grandson, St. Philip Howard, who never lived there.

So many saints surround the history of these buildings. It always amazes me at the audacity of Protestants who built houses out of the ruins of monasteries. This happened all over England, including at the Charterhouse.

Passing from hand to hand and from Catholic back to Protestant, the houses became a charity in 1611 and a school. John Wesley was a student there from 1714-1720. Part of the area was damaged in World War II, which, of course, only added to the odd history of the Carthusian foundation, stemming from a burial ground used during the Black Death and holding, perhaps, up to 60,000 dead.

That saints and sinners walked the old, restored, and newer halls seems like a strange procession of persons either going against the tide of pressures threatening their religious freedom, or those who benefited from these harsh and cruel changes.

The present Master is charming and gave me a tour last summer. His sensitivity to the Catholic history is admirable. The charity houses up to 40 "brothers", who are poor old men. They live in the shadows of some of the greatest men to have walked this earth, the Carthusian martyrs, Thomas More, and Philip Howard.

That we all need formation in these hard times is why I highlighted the Charterhouse today.

Are you willing? The Charterhouse Martyrs

 I am reading a history of the London Charterhouse. One of the things which struck me today was the line which referred to St. Thomas More's years here, between 1499 and 1503, when he lived in the same manner as the religious there, the Carthusians.

Years later, he saw these same men dragged on hurdles, "like bridegrooms to their weddings" through his window in the Tower of London.

Now, what came to my mind was the years of preparation these monks had for a holy death, and the years of formation St. Thomas More had for his martyrdom.

Formation has been a topic in my perfection series. Without formation, we cannot advance to the enjoyment of the Love of God.

We cannot build up the Kingdom.

In 1538, the entire order of Carthusians, the entire monastery was suppressed. Here is a list of all the martyrs.

• Saint John Houghton, prior of the London Charterhouse, executed at Tyburn, London, on May 4, 1535.
• Saint Robert Lawrence, prior of Beauvale Charterhouse, executed at Tyburn, London, on May 4, 1535.
• Saint Augustine Webster, prior of Axholme Charterhouse, executed at Tyburn, London, on May 4, 1535.
• Blessed Humphrey Middlemore, vicar of the London Charterhouse, executed at Tyburn, London, on June 19, 1535.
• Blessed William Exmew, procurator of the London Charterhouse, executed at Tyburn, London, on June 19, 1535.
• Blessed Sebastian Newdigate, choir monk of the London Charterhouse, executed at Tyburn, London, on June 19, 1535.
• Blessed John Rochester, choir monk of the London Charterhouse, exiled by the government to the Charterhouse of St Michael at Hull in Yorkshire, executed at York on May 11, 1537, by being hanged in chains from the city battlements until dead.
• Blessed James Walworth, choir monk of the London Charterhouse, exiled by the government to the Charterhouse of St Michael at Hull in Yorkshire, executed at York on May 11, 1537, by being hanged in chains from the city battlements until dead.
• Blessed William Greenwood, laybrother of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on June 6, 1537
• Blessed John Davy, deacon, choir monk of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison on June 8. 1537
• Blessed Robert Salt, laybrother of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on June 9, 1537
• Blessed Walter Pierson, laybrother of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on June 10, 1537
• Blessed Thomas Green (perhaps alias Thomas Greenwood), choir monk of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on June 10, 1537
• 
  






• Blessed Thomas Scryven, laybrother of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on June 15, 1537
• Blessed Thomas Redyng, laybrother of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on June 16, 1537
• Blessed Richard Bere, choir monk of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on August 9, 1537
• Blessed Thomas Johnson, choir monk of the London Charterhouse, died of starvation in Newgate Prison, London on September 20, 1537
• Blessed William Horne, laybrother of the London Charterhouse, hanged, disembowelled, and quartered at Tyburn, London on August 4, 1540. from Wiki and thanks

What these men had in common with St. Thomas More was preparation. Are you willing to be prepared for the hard times which are coming? Are you willing?

The Michael Voris Generation

There are times...when I wonder how many reflective people are there in the world? This week, I have been surrounded by thoughtful, intelligent Catholics, who not only pray and go to Mass frequently, if not daily, but also read and reflect on their adult appropriation of the Faith.

These types of Catholics whom I have met are usually under the age of thirty. They are young marrieds, or career types, or still in the educational process, becoming what they are called to be. I am calling these Millennials the Michael Voris Generation, taking over from the John Paul II Catholics.

A mark of these young people is that they want two things: the first is to love God and neighbour; the second is to grow in holiness. They want the real deal and will seek out the truth.

These are William, John, Ed, David, Alexander, Zak, Margaret, Claz, Slawomir, and many others who have decided they are active members of the Church Militant. These young people have decided to live for Christ and not for themselves. They are strong Catholics both spiritually and intellectually and they are getting stronger daily.

The difference between them and the previous generation is a toughness and confidence in God in hard times and a thirst for the details of the Faith. No resting for these men and women....They are not confused about doctrine. They are obedient to the Church in all things. They are focussed.

They pray, they go to adoration, they support the Church, they love the TLM or are beginning to do so.  They look for the best books and they study the Scriptures. They understand that their baptismal promises are real. Most of them, not all, are converts to Catholicism. They are Americans, Scots, English, Polish, Spanish, Filipino, Latino, Asian. None are Irish. The movement of the Holy Spirit has called them out of darkness into light.

In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI gave a talk on what it means to be a saint and how to become a saint.

In part of  his talk, he said this and to summarize, the Pope reminded us that holiness is a call from God.

That only through Christ are we made holy....

That the graces of baptism and our cooperation make us holy...

That we need to reach high, to the standard set by God Himself in the Person of Christ....

That we need to be open to the movements of the Holy Spirit...

That the love of Christ leads us to holiness..

Here are some of the Pope's ideas taken from a much longer speech.



What does it mean to be saints? Who is called to be a saint? Often it is thought that holiness is a goal reserved for a few chosen ones. St. Paul, however, speaks of God's great plan and affirms: "[God] chose us in him [Christ], before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us" (Ephesians 1:4). And he speaks of all of us. At the center of the divine design is Christ, in whom God shows his Face: the Mystery hidden in the centuries has been revealed in the fullness of the Word made flesh. And Paul says afterward: "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1:19). In Christ the living God has made himself close, visible, audible, tangible so that all can obtain his fullness of grace and truth (cf. John 1:14-16). 

Because of this, the whole of Christian existence knows only one supreme law, the one St. Paul expresses in a formula that appears in all his writings: in Christ Jesus. Holiness, the fullness of Christian life does not consist of realizing extraordinary enterprises, but in union with Christ, in living his mysteries, in making our own his attitudes, his thoughts, his conduct. The measure of holiness is given by the height of holiness that Christ attains in us, of how much, with the strength of the Holy Spirit, we mold all our life to his. It is our conforming ourselves to Jesus, as St. Paul affirms: "For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29). And St. Augustine exclaimed: "My life will be alive full of You" (Confessions, 10, 28). In the Constitution on the Church, the Second Vatican Council spoke with clarity of the universal call to holiness, affirming that no one is excluded: "The classes and duties of life are many, but holiness is one -- that sanctity which is cultivated by all who are moved by the Spirit of God, and who ... follow the poor Christ, the humble and cross-bearing Christ in order to be worthy of being sharers in His glory" (No. 41).

However, the question remains: How can we journey on the path of holiness, how can we respond to this call? Can I do so with my own strength? The answer is clear: A holy life is not primarily the fruit of our own effort, of our actions, because it is God, the thrice Holy (cf. Isaiah 6:3), who makes us saints, and the action of the Holy Spirit who encourages us from within; it is the life itself of the Risen Christ, which has been communicated to us and which transforms us. To say it again according to Vatican Council II: "The followers of Christ are called by God, not because of their works, but according to His own purpose and grace. They are justified in the Lord Jesus, because in the baptism of faith they truly become sons of God and sharers in the divine nature. In this way they are really made holy. Then too, by God's gift, they must hold on to and complete in their lives this holiness they have received" (ibid., 40). 

Hence, holiness has its main root in baptismal grace, in being introduced into the paschal mystery of Christ, with which his Spirit is communicated to us, his life as the Risen One. St. Paul points out the transformation wrought in man by baptismal grace and even coins a new terminology, forged with the preposition "with": "We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). However, God always respects our liberty and asks that we accept this gift and that we live the demands it entails. He asks that we allow ourselves to be transformed by the action of the Holy Spirit, conforming our will to the will of God.

...... and here is more

Perhaps we might ask ourselves: Can we, with our limitations, our weakness, reach so high? During the liturgical year, the Church invites us to recall a line-up of saints, who have lived charity fully, have been able to love and to follow Christ in their daily lives. In all the periods of the history of the Church, in every latitude of the geography of the world, the saints belong to all the ages and to all states of life; they are the concrete faces of all peoples, languages and nations. And they are very different among themselves. In reality, I must say that also, according to my personal faith, many saints, not all, are true stars in the firmament of history. And I would like to add that for me not only the great saints that I love and know well are "road signs," but also the simple saints, that is, the good persons that I see in my life, who will never be canonized. They are ordinary people, to say it somehow, without a visible heroism, but in their everyday goodness I see the truth of the faith. This goodness, which they have matured in the faith of the Church, is for me a sure defense of Christianity and the sign of where the truth is.

In the communion with saints, canonized or not canonized, which the Church lives thanks to Christ in all her members, we enjoy their presence and company and cultivate the firm hope of being able to imitate their way and share one day the same blessed life, eternal life.

http://www.zenit.org/article-32316?l=english

These people will be saints, because that is what they want to be.