Very Cool Saint of The Day for Monday

For all my friends in Ireland...happy feast of St. Tassach

St. Tassach

Irish saint, born in the first decade of the fifth century; died about 497. He was one ofSt. Patrick's artificers. When St. Patrick founded the Church of Raholp he placed St. Tassach over it as a couple of miles northeast of Saul, County Down, ultimately merged into the Diocese of Down. Tassach's rule is forever memorable for the fact that he was selected by the national Apostle to be with him in his last moments and to administer the Holy Viaticum to him. This event is thus chronicled in "The Martyrology of Donegall"; "Tassach of Raholp gave the Body of Christ to Saint Patrick before his death in the monastery of Saul". His feast is on 14 April.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14463a.htm

And, here is an interesting site on him....I would love to go to Donegal, wouldn't you?

http://www.welovedonegal.com/st-asicus.html

Will post later

When I get over this virus....sorry, Dear Readers.

hello world

I cannot access my old email account. I shall have to get some help. Please pray about this.

Thanks and will try and get some posts up. Am also ill with a virus, and there was a bat in my room last night.

sigh....so goes the life of a member of the Church Militant.

STM

WOW! A certain sem helped me get out of this sticky wicket before going on his retreat.

Praise God...now, pray I feel better.

Well, serious problems

My password has been messed with and I cannot access my account after I close my computer. Please pray I can get this sorted out somehow.

STM

Question? I know the answer, do you?

What happened to our independent State Militias? These no longer exist, except maybe in one or two states.

For Palm Sunday

Pueri Hebraeorum - Tomás Luis de Victoria

If any readers feel like praying for me

Here is a litany for private use:

Litany of St. Bernard

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, have mercy on us.
God the Holy ghost, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.*
Queen, conceived without sin,*
St. Bernard,*
St. Bernard, who, in giving thyself to God, drew many souls to him,*
St. Bernard, prodigy of the eleventh age,*
St. Bernard, ornament of the clergy,*
St. Bernard, terror of heretics,*
St. Bernard, oracle of the Church,*
St. Bernard, light of bishops,*
St. Bernard, most humble,*
St. Bernard, burning with zeal for the glory of God,*
St. Bernard, most ardent for the honor of Mary,*
St. Bernard, most beloved son of the queen of angels,*
St. Bernard, most pure in body and mind,*
St. Bernard, perfect model of poverty and mortification,*
St. Bernard, most ardent in charity to all,*
St. Bernard, who feared God and not earthly powers,*
St. Bernard, whose whole exterior breathed holiness,*
St. Bernard, whose very look spoke of God,*
St. Bernard, flower of religious,*
St. Bernard, who never lost sight of the presence of God,*
St. Bernard, angel of Claravallis,*
St. Bernard, always absorbed in God,*

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.


Let us pray:

O great saint! who, from the very dawn of life, turned all the powers of thy soul, and the noble affections of thy pure and loving heart, towards thy creator; angel clothed in mortal flesh, who appeared in this valley of tears as a bright lily of purity, to shed around thee the good odor of Christ, to show to all the beauty of virtue, and to point out to thousands the way to heaven--O pray for us, that, truly despising all terrene objects, we may live to God alone. Amen

I guess there are still some "protectors" around...

http://abcnews.go.com/US/nevada-cattle-rancher-wins-range-war-federal-government/story?id=23302610

Miserliness is not love

Three charities in this parish have asked for money for Holy Week. All three tend to the homeless in the area where I am staying. These three charities only received to date this year, from this wealthy parish, the price of airfare to France from Chicago.

I cannot understand the blindness of the People of God. If I were in charge of formation in seminaries, I would make every seminarian stay three nights in a homeless shelter, or outside with the homeless.

Why are we ignoring those who are the most vulnerable.

Here is Bernard of Clairvaux on how self-love interferes with virtue. We should give when it hurts us to give.

It is said correctly that it was by holy Fathers that this way of life was organized; they 
did not abrogate the Rule, they merely moderated its severity on account of the weak, so that 
more men might be saved. At the same time, I would hate to think that these holy Fathers would 
have commanded or allowed the many foolish excesses I have noticed in several monasteries. I 
am astonished that monks could be so lacking in moderation in matters of food and drink, and 
with respect to clothing and bedding, carriages and buildings. Things have come to such a pass 
that right order and religion are thought to be promoted, the more concern and pleasure and 
enthusiasm there is regarding such things. Abstemiousness is accounted miserliness, sobriety 
strictness, silence gloom. On the other hand, laxity is labeled discretion, extravagance generosity, 
talkativeness sociability, and laughter joy. Fine clothes and costly caparisons are regarded as 
mere respectability, and being fussy about bedding is hygiene. When we lavish these things on 
one another, we call it love. Such love undermines true love. Such discretion disgraces real 
discretion. This sort of kindness is full of cruelty, for it so looks after the body that the soul is 
strangled. How can love pamper the flesh and neglect the spirit ? What sort of discretion is it to 
give everything to the body and nothing to the soul? Is it kindness to entertain the maid and 
murder the mistress? For this kind of mercy let no one hope to receive the mercy the Gospel 
promises through the mouth of Truth, to those who show mercy: "Blessed are the merciful, for 
they shall receive mercy." Rather, he can expect that penalty called down by holy Job on those 
who are cruelly kind. Speaking in prophecy, rather than merely giving vent to his feelings, he 
said: "May he go unremembered; let him come to grief like a sterile tree." He then shows how 
such a punishment was deserved by adding: "He feeds the barren childless woman, and does no 
good to the widow."

EXCERPTS FROM THE APOLOGIA TO ABBOTT  WILLIAM OF ST.-THIERRY

By St. Bernard of Clairvaux: A Palm Sunday Hymn

O Sacred Heart now wounded...

1.            O sacred Head, now wounded,

                with grief and shame weighed down,

                now scornfully surrounded

                with thorns, thine only crown:

                how pale thou art with anguish,

                with sore abuse and scorn!

                How does that visage languish

                which once was bright as morn!

2.            What thou, my Lord, has suffered

                was all for sinners' gain;

                mine, mine was the transgression,

                but thine the deadly pain.

                Lo, here I fall, my Savior!

                'Tis I deserve thy place;

                look on me with thy favor,

                vouchsafe to me thy grace.

3.            What language shall I borrow

                to thank thee, dearest friend,

                for this thy dying sorrow,

                thy pity without end?

                O make me thine forever;

                and should I fainting be,

                Lord, let me never, never

                outlive my love for thee.

On Training the Laity for Holy Week

I have just come back from an NO Mass for Palm Sunday. The liturgical music was fine, including Latin singing of the Sanctus and Agnus Dei.

However, the reading of the Passion was the worst I have ever heard. The two women who took part as narrator and various parts obviously could not read what was on the text in front of them. They skipped words and used colloquial phrases instead of what was in the Scripture.

The rushed through the text, ruining the solemn mood of the day. I cannot understand why they were chosen, or why they are lectors.

If the laity must be involved in the reading of the Passion in Holy Week, these people must be trained and literate. They represent the Church on the altar of God during the most holy of all weeks.

To have women reading is another problem and twomen's voices sound so inappropriate. I shall not venture into their dress, except to say that one was in jeans.

We have lost the sense of worship and solemnity. God forgive us. At least one of Christ's nails must be caused by the liturgical sloppiness and disrespect of our times.

Laity must be trained if they are taking part in this great week.