Saturday, 29 November 2014
Catholics, Do You Understand?
The First Sunday of Advent reminds us of our deaths and of the Second Coming of Christ.
Do we understand this warning, that God is wanting to prepare us for heaven?
I want Catholics to wake up to the reality of the times....remember all my ostrich posts of the past several years.
Awake! Get ready.
Mark 13:33-37Douay-Rheims
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray. For ye know not when the time is.
34 Even as a man who going into a far country, left his house; and gave authority to his servants over every work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore, (for you know not when the lord of the house cometh: at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning,)
36 Lest coming on a sudden, he find you sleeping.
37 And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch.
The Pestilence in The Church
The great individualism which demolished Christendom during the Protestant Revolt, with sola fide, sola Scriptura, sola gratia, solus Christus and soli Deo Gloriam, reached the pinnacle of usage for individuals of faith in the 20th century.
Authority and guidance from both the Teaching Magisterium and Tradition were replaced by radical theories involving the sole authority for truth as resting with each individual. Sadly, some Catholics misunderstood the entire debate about conscience and fell into the trap of disregarding Rome entirely. Such were those who rejected Humanae Vitae, for example.
The energy for the five solaes comes from anti-intellectualism. Subjective religion needs no laws, no teaching, no guidelines, only one's own good will. Sincerity replaces scholarship, personal belief replaces the heritage of 2,000 years, and a pestilence of anti-intellectualism spreads into prayer groups, publishing houses, chancery offices and seminaries. The fact that a course on Aquinas can be, for example, like Latin, an elective, indicates the depth of the illness in priestly formation in some seminaries.
I call anti-intellectualism an illness because it sickens the soul, which will then shrivel up and die from starvation owing to a lack objectivity. The fact that so many Catholics think, truly believe, that most of the saints did not have an intellectual faith is a delirium of this illness. No one can be holy without objectivity.
Good people forget that St. John of the Cross studied Aquinas, that the great Teresa had scholars to help her in her spiritual life, or that Ignatius insisted that discernment rested on the solid basis of Scriptural studies and exegesis.
To be anti-intellectual indicates that the pestilence has infected the brain as well as the soul. Rationality has, until the last century, been the mark of a good, solid Catholic upbringing, even among those who never went to college. What had been heard from the pulpit carried over to daily life, decision-making, prayer.
The details of whether one favors Augustine and Plato over Aquinas and Aristotle do not matter, But, what matters is that every Catholic adult can reason out the great questions and answers of the Faith and of the life of perfection. Holiness must include a redeemed and trained intellect.
Without a foundation of thought, religion becomes pure sentiment, the emotional response to experience only, and not the great combination of the intellect, will, soul and heart.
God gave us the Greeks to form our rationality, the Romans to form our laws, and the Jews to purify our hearts. How easily it is forgotten that it was the monks who preserved classical education and invented both the primary and university school systems, improved by the Dominicans later, as well as the Jesuits, all returning to classical education.
It was St. Anselm who reintroduced the Trivium and the Quadrivium into the seminaries, for the formation of priests, which led to these curricula moving into the secular universities centuries later.
That there are Catholics who fall into anti-intellectualism indicates a denial of their own heritage and faith formation.
This pestilence seems to be growing instead of abating, and the recent lack of intellectual discipline at the Synod indicates how prevalent this sickness has become. I hear Catholics decrying the Synod as the result of too many intellectuals, when the problem is exactly the opposite-not enough Catholic intellectuals-cardinals who have not learned how to think through problems and are reacting in knee-jerk fashion emotionally took over the discussion because of the lack of intellectual Catholicism.
Until lay people and priests stop pushing the need for emotional conversion instead of real conversion, which begins with metanoia, the changing of the mind, this pestilence will grow.
The dying of the light of the intellect in the Church must be remedied, healed, by new light sparked from the embers of Thomism, Augustinianism, and other disciplines of the mind.
I hope it is not too late for such a Renaissance, no matter how small.
Authority and guidance from both the Teaching Magisterium and Tradition were replaced by radical theories involving the sole authority for truth as resting with each individual. Sadly, some Catholics misunderstood the entire debate about conscience and fell into the trap of disregarding Rome entirely. Such were those who rejected Humanae Vitae, for example.
The energy for the five solaes comes from anti-intellectualism. Subjective religion needs no laws, no teaching, no guidelines, only one's own good will. Sincerity replaces scholarship, personal belief replaces the heritage of 2,000 years, and a pestilence of anti-intellectualism spreads into prayer groups, publishing houses, chancery offices and seminaries. The fact that a course on Aquinas can be, for example, like Latin, an elective, indicates the depth of the illness in priestly formation in some seminaries.
I call anti-intellectualism an illness because it sickens the soul, which will then shrivel up and die from starvation owing to a lack objectivity. The fact that so many Catholics think, truly believe, that most of the saints did not have an intellectual faith is a delirium of this illness. No one can be holy without objectivity.
Good people forget that St. John of the Cross studied Aquinas, that the great Teresa had scholars to help her in her spiritual life, or that Ignatius insisted that discernment rested on the solid basis of Scriptural studies and exegesis.
To be anti-intellectual indicates that the pestilence has infected the brain as well as the soul. Rationality has, until the last century, been the mark of a good, solid Catholic upbringing, even among those who never went to college. What had been heard from the pulpit carried over to daily life, decision-making, prayer.
The details of whether one favors Augustine and Plato over Aquinas and Aristotle do not matter, But, what matters is that every Catholic adult can reason out the great questions and answers of the Faith and of the life of perfection. Holiness must include a redeemed and trained intellect.
Without a foundation of thought, religion becomes pure sentiment, the emotional response to experience only, and not the great combination of the intellect, will, soul and heart.
God gave us the Greeks to form our rationality, the Romans to form our laws, and the Jews to purify our hearts. How easily it is forgotten that it was the monks who preserved classical education and invented both the primary and university school systems, improved by the Dominicans later, as well as the Jesuits, all returning to classical education.
It was St. Anselm who reintroduced the Trivium and the Quadrivium into the seminaries, for the formation of priests, which led to these curricula moving into the secular universities centuries later.
That there are Catholics who fall into anti-intellectualism indicates a denial of their own heritage and faith formation.
This pestilence seems to be growing instead of abating, and the recent lack of intellectual discipline at the Synod indicates how prevalent this sickness has become. I hear Catholics decrying the Synod as the result of too many intellectuals, when the problem is exactly the opposite-not enough Catholic intellectuals-cardinals who have not learned how to think through problems and are reacting in knee-jerk fashion emotionally took over the discussion because of the lack of intellectual Catholicism.
Until lay people and priests stop pushing the need for emotional conversion instead of real conversion, which begins with metanoia, the changing of the mind, this pestilence will grow.
The dying of the light of the intellect in the Church must be remedied, healed, by new light sparked from the embers of Thomism, Augustinianism, and other disciplines of the mind.
I hope it is not too late for such a Renaissance, no matter how small.
Sorry for the skimpy blog day
I have been ill for three days with either food poisoning (again) or the flu.
I simply do not have the energy to write today.
Bless you all and pray for me.
STM
I simply do not have the energy to write today.
Bless you all and pray for me.
STM
The Poinsettia Problem
I have known about this since 2006...does anyone know if this issue has been resolved?
The irony of raising flowers to honor Christ's birth and funding the murder of millions of babies....
Updates from readers needed.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Poinsettias from ECKE RANCH fund Planned Parenthood's abortions
When Christian churches flooded their facilities with poinsettias to celebrate the Christmas season, odds are that at least some of the money they paid for the blooms will be dedicated to paying for abortions, a new report reveals.
According to the Corporate Funding Project assembled and released by Life Decisions International, the Paul Ecke Ranch business of Ecinitas, Calif., has been added to its Boycott List because of its support for Planned Parenthood, the biggest abortion advocacy organization in the world and the largest U.S. provider in the abortion industry.
.........
Officials at Paul Ecke Ranch declined to return multiple WND messages requesting comment. But on their website, they boast "approximately 70 percent of all the flowering poinsettias in the USA and more than 50 percent worldwide get their start at the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, California."
.........
However, the LDI list, developed with years of experience, and updated regularly, is recognized "by virtually all pro-life/pro-family organizations" as the source of information regarding support for Planned Parenthood.
"Many good pro-life people are unknowingly participating in abortion by their daily purchases," a supporter, Ruth Enero, wrote the company. "Luckily, LDI's research provides an effective vehicle for countering the massive corporate funding of the abortion industry. Because the widespread use of the LDI Boycott List can bring an end to abortion, I talk up this organization at every opportunity. …"
PRO-LIFE WISCONSIN SENDS THIS MESSAGE:
It has become tradition in the United States for most churches and many homes to use poinsettia plants to create a beautiful festive atmosphere.
Before you purchase your poinsettias this year, you should be aware that the largest distributor of these plants, Paul Ecke Ranch, is a major supporter of Planned Parenthood.
The Ecke family members have, for years, been honored by Planned Parenthood of San Diego as one of their biggest abortion supporters.
Those opposed to Planned Parenthood have been getting the word out about the Ecke–Planned Parenthood connection and it has impacted the Ecke Ranch to the point where it cut back on its production of poinsettias last year and is licensing its name to other growers.
We ask everyone who loves life to be sure to check the source of your poinsettia plants before you buy them. If they carry the name of Ecke Ranch, pass them up and look for another brand.
According to the Corporate Funding Project assembled and released by Life Decisions International, the Paul Ecke Ranch business of Ecinitas, Calif., has been added to its Boycott List because of its support for Planned Parenthood, the biggest abortion advocacy organization in the world and the largest U.S. provider in the abortion industry.
.........
Officials at Paul Ecke Ranch declined to return multiple WND messages requesting comment. But on their website, they boast "approximately 70 percent of all the flowering poinsettias in the USA and more than 50 percent worldwide get their start at the Paul Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, California."
.........
However, the LDI list, developed with years of experience, and updated regularly, is recognized "by virtually all pro-life/pro-family organizations" as the source of information regarding support for Planned Parenthood.
"Many good pro-life people are unknowingly participating in abortion by their daily purchases," a supporter, Ruth Enero, wrote the company. "Luckily, LDI's research provides an effective vehicle for countering the massive corporate funding of the abortion industry. Because the widespread use of the LDI Boycott List can bring an end to abortion, I talk up this organization at every opportunity. …"
PRO-LIFE WISCONSIN SENDS THIS MESSAGE:
It has become tradition in the United States for most churches and many homes to use poinsettia plants to create a beautiful festive atmosphere.
Before you purchase your poinsettias this year, you should be aware that the largest distributor of these plants, Paul Ecke Ranch, is a major supporter of Planned Parenthood.
The Ecke family members have, for years, been honored by Planned Parenthood of San Diego as one of their biggest abortion supporters.
Those opposed to Planned Parenthood have been getting the word out about the Ecke–Planned Parenthood connection and it has impacted the Ecke Ranch to the point where it cut back on its production of poinsettias last year and is licensing its name to other growers.
We ask everyone who loves life to be sure to check the source of your poinsettia plants before you buy them. If they carry the name of Ecke Ranch, pass them up and look for another brand.
US Largest Poinsettia Farmers among Planned Parenthood's Biggest Donors
LifeSiteNews ^ | 1/16/06 | Hilary White
Posted on 1/16/2006, 9:17:21 PM by wagglebee
ENCINITAS, January 16, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Many pro-life organizations use Christmas season sales of poinsettias to raise funds, but according to a US-based researcher, so do Planned Parenthood and other abortionists in the US. James Hartline, a Christian activist in California wrote to LifeSiteNews.com warning that the poinsettias decorating the churches and homes of Christians in the US could easily originate from a family-owned business that has been supporting abortion for decades.
The Ecke Ranch in Encinitas, California, supplies 70% of all of the poinsettias sold in the United States and the Ecke family is among the most generous supporters of Planned Parenthood and long-time political activists for the abortion movement. The Ecke family features prominently in the major donors list in the fall 2005 edition of the San Diego/Riverside County Planned Parenthood Newsletter.
In November 2005, the Ecke family were present at the dedication of the new Carlsbad California Planned Parenthood facility renovation for which they had donated $250,000. In gratitude for their life-long support, the facility’s directors gave the Ecke family a catered dinner to honour them for their support of abortion.
Paul Ecke, the heir to the three-generation poinsettia empire, said of his siblings' upbringing as political abortion activists, "As children, we licked a lot of envelopes, we made a lot of phone calls, we walked door-to-door to encourage people to vote.” Among those causes, he said was promoting Planned Parenthood.
In an interview today, Hartline called for a boycott of the Ecke family’s poinsettias. Hartline told LifeSiteNews.com that acting on this information could “take millions of dollars away” from Planned Parenthood in short order.
St. Andrew, First-Called
The second reason I like him so much is that he brought the boy with the loaves and fishes to Christ, which indicates he was a pro-active and helpful sort of person. He must have expected deep down inside Christ to do something!
St. Andrew is patron of many places, but today, please pray to him for two special places-the Ukraine and Luqa, Malta, for whom he is patron. Andrew was killed on the saltire form of the cross, now called St. Andrew's cross, the X form.
Preti, the great painter of Malta, who executed the great St. Catherine painting I put on the blog earlier this past week, did the St. Andrew found in the old chapel in Luqa. I have not been there yet.
When you think of him, especially tomorrow, pray for me, as I am living in St. Andrew's at this time. It amazes me to think that the chapel in Luqa was built six years after Columbus found America.
Malta churches glorify God, but also honor the faith of the people in the past.
A beautiful Mass to contemplate
Votive Mass of the Holy Cross
(in Eastertide)
Red
INTROIT: Gal. 6:14
Nos autem gloriari oportet in cruce Domini
nostri Jesu Christi, in quo est salus, vita et
resurrectio nostra : per quem salvati et liberati
sumus, alleluia, alleluia. Ps. 66:2: Deus misereatur
nostri, et benedicat nobis : illuminet vultum
suum super nos, et misereatur nostri. Gloria.
But it behoves us to glory in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ : in whom is our salvation, life, and
resurrection : by whom we are saved and delivered,
alleluia, alleluia. Ps. 66:2: May God have mercy on
us, and bless us : may he cause the light of his
countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy
on us. Glory.
COLLECT
Deus, qui pro nobis Filium tuum crucis patibulum
subire voluisti, ut inimici a nobis expelleres
potestatem : concede nobis famulis tuis, ut resurrectionis
gratiam consequamur. Per eundem
Dominum.
O God, who didst will that thy Son should undergo
for us the ignominy of the cross to deliver us from the
power of the enemy : grant to us thy servants that we
may obtain the grace of his resurrection. Through the
same Lord.
EPISTLE: Phil. 2:8-11
Lectio Epistolæ beati Pauli Apostoli ad
Philippenses.
Fratres : Christus factus est pro nobis obediens
usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis. Propter
quod et Deus exaltavit illum, et donavit illi
nomen, quod est super omne nomen : (hic
genuflectitur) ut in nomine Jesu omne genu
flectatur cælestium, terrestrium, et infernorum,
et omnis lingua confiteatur, quia Dominus
Jesus Christus in gloria est Dei Patris.
A lesson from the Epistle of St Paul the Apostle to
the Philippians.
Brethren: Christ became for us obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath
exalted him, and hath given him a name, which is
above every name : (here all kneel), that in the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that
are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth; and
that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus
Christ is in the glory of God the Father.
ALLELUIA: Ps. 95:10
Dicite in gentibus, quia Dominus regnavit a
ligno.
Say ye among the gentiles, that the Lord hath reigned
from the wood.
ALLELUIA
Dulce lignum, dulces clavos, dulcia ferens
pondera : quæ sola fuisti digna sustinere Regem
cælorum et Dominum.
Sweet wood, sweet nails, bearing a sweet weight :
which alone wert worthy to bear the King of heaven,
and the Lord.
GOSPEL: Mt. 20:17-19
Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum
Matthæum.
In illo tempore : Assumpsit Jesus duodecim
discipulos secreto, et ait illis : Ecce, ascendimus
Jerosolymam, et Filius hominis tradetur principibus
sacerdotum et scribis, et condemnabunt
eum morte; et tradent eum gentibus ad illudendum,
et flagellandum, et crucifigendum, et
tertia die resurget.
Continuation of the holy Gospel according to
St Matthew.
At that time: Jesus took the twelve disciples apart
and said to them: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and
the Son of man shall be betrayed to the chief priests
and the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death.
And shall deliver him to the gentiles to be mocked
and scourged and crucified, and the third day he shall
rise again.
OFFERTORY
Protege, Domine, plebem tuam per signum
sanctæ crucis ab insidiis inimicorum omnium :
*ut tibi gratam exhibeamus servitutem, et
acceptabile fiat sacrificium nostrum, **alleluia.
Te, sancta Dei crux, humiliter obsecramus,
ut tua virtute nostrum pectus munias, animas
custodias, cogitationes sanctifices per Christum
Jesum, qui pependit in te. Qui pro mundi
salute in ligno crucis innocens pependisti,
miserere populo, quem redemisti : ut sacro
signaculo insignitus a periculis omnibus sit
securus. **Alleluia. Salvator mundi, salva nos
omnes et omnia, quæ adjuvant, benignus nobis
impende : et cuncta nocentia a nobis procul
repelle : atque protegendum nos dexteram tuæ
majestatis extende. *Ut tibi.
Protect thy people, O Lord, by the sign of the holy
cross, from the wiles of all their enemies : *that we
may render a service pleasing unto thee, and that our
sacrifice may be acceptable in thy sight, **alleluia.
Humbly we beg thee, holy cross of God, that
through thy power thou mightest strengthen our
hearts, guard our souls, hallow our thoughts through
Christ Jesu, who hung from thee. Thou, who wert
innocent hanging on the cross for the salvation of the
world, have mercy on the people whom thou hast
redeemed : that it, signed with the holy sign, may be
save from all perils. **Alleluia. Saviour of the
world, save all of us and graciously grant us whatever
helps us : and remove far from us everything harmful
: and stretch out the right hand of thy majesty to
protect us. *That we.
SECRET
Hæc oblatio, Domine, quæsumus, ab omnibus
nos purget offensis : quæ in ara crucis etiam
totius mundi tulit offensam. Per eundem
Dominum.
May this oblation, we beseech thee, O Lord, cleanse
us from all sins : even as on the altar of the cross it
took away the sins of the whole world. Through the
same Lord.
PREFACE
Of the Holy Cross
Vere dignum et justum est, æquum et salutare,
nos tibi semper, et ubique gratias agere : Domine
sancte, Pater omnipotens, æterne Deus.
Qui salutem humani generis in ligno crucis
constituisti : ut unde mors oriebatur, inde vita
resurgeret : et qui in ligno vincebat, in ligno
quoque vinceretur : per Christum Dominum
nostrum. Per quem majestatem tuam laudant
Angeli, adorant Dominationes, tremunt
Potestates. Cæli, cælorumque Virtutes, ac beata
Seraphim, socia exsultatione concelebrant.
It is truly meet and just, right and salutary, that we
should always, and in all places, give thanks to thee,
O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God. Who
didst set the salvation of mankind upon the tree of
the cross, so that whence came death, thence also life
might rise again : and he that overcame by the tree,
on the tree also might be overcome. Through Christ
our Lord : through whom the Angels praise thy majesty,
the Dominions adore, the Powers tremble. The
Heavens, and the Virtues of the heavens, and the
blessed Seraphim, do celebrate with united joy. In union with whom,
we beseech thee, that thou wouldst
command our voices also to be admitted, with suppliant
confession, saying:
Cum quibus et nostras voces, ut admitti jubeas,
deprecamur, supplici confessione dicentes :
COMMUNION
Per signum crucis de inimicis nostris libera nos,
Deus noster, alleluia.
By the sign of the cross deliver us from our enemies,
O thou who art our God, alleluia.
POST-COMMUNION
Adesto nobis, Domine Deus noster : et quos
sanctæ crucis lætari facis honore, ejus quoque
perpetuis defende subsidiis. Per Dominum.
Be nigh unto us, O Lord our God; and defend those
by the perpetual defence of the cross whom thou
makest to rejoice in its honour. Through our Lord
(in Eastertide)
Red
INTROIT: Gal. 6:14
Nos autem gloriari oportet in cruce Domini
nostri Jesu Christi, in quo est salus, vita et
resurrectio nostra : per quem salvati et liberati
sumus, alleluia, alleluia. Ps. 66:2: Deus misereatur
nostri, et benedicat nobis : illuminet vultum
suum super nos, et misereatur nostri. Gloria.
But it behoves us to glory in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ : in whom is our salvation, life, and
resurrection : by whom we are saved and delivered,
alleluia, alleluia. Ps. 66:2: May God have mercy on
us, and bless us : may he cause the light of his
countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy
on us. Glory.
COLLECT
Deus, qui pro nobis Filium tuum crucis patibulum
subire voluisti, ut inimici a nobis expelleres
potestatem : concede nobis famulis tuis, ut resurrectionis
gratiam consequamur. Per eundem
Dominum.
O God, who didst will that thy Son should undergo
for us the ignominy of the cross to deliver us from the
power of the enemy : grant to us thy servants that we
may obtain the grace of his resurrection. Through the
same Lord.
EPISTLE: Phil. 2:8-11
Lectio Epistolæ beati Pauli Apostoli ad
Philippenses.
Fratres : Christus factus est pro nobis obediens
usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis. Propter
quod et Deus exaltavit illum, et donavit illi
nomen, quod est super omne nomen : (hic
genuflectitur) ut in nomine Jesu omne genu
flectatur cælestium, terrestrium, et infernorum,
et omnis lingua confiteatur, quia Dominus
Jesus Christus in gloria est Dei Patris.
A lesson from the Epistle of St Paul the Apostle to
the Philippians.
Brethren: Christ became for us obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath
exalted him, and hath given him a name, which is
above every name : (here all kneel), that in the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that
are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth; and
that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus
Christ is in the glory of God the Father.
ALLELUIA: Ps. 95:10
Dicite in gentibus, quia Dominus regnavit a
ligno.
Say ye among the gentiles, that the Lord hath reigned
from the wood.
ALLELUIA
Dulce lignum, dulces clavos, dulcia ferens
pondera : quæ sola fuisti digna sustinere Regem
cælorum et Dominum.
Sweet wood, sweet nails, bearing a sweet weight :
which alone wert worthy to bear the King of heaven,
and the Lord.
GOSPEL: Mt. 20:17-19
Sequentia Sancti Evangelii secundum
Matthæum.
In illo tempore : Assumpsit Jesus duodecim
discipulos secreto, et ait illis : Ecce, ascendimus
Jerosolymam, et Filius hominis tradetur principibus
sacerdotum et scribis, et condemnabunt
eum morte; et tradent eum gentibus ad illudendum,
et flagellandum, et crucifigendum, et
tertia die resurget.
Continuation of the holy Gospel according to
St Matthew.
At that time: Jesus took the twelve disciples apart
and said to them: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and
the Son of man shall be betrayed to the chief priests
and the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death.
And shall deliver him to the gentiles to be mocked
and scourged and crucified, and the third day he shall
rise again.
OFFERTORY
Protege, Domine, plebem tuam per signum
sanctæ crucis ab insidiis inimicorum omnium :
*ut tibi gratam exhibeamus servitutem, et
acceptabile fiat sacrificium nostrum, **alleluia.
Te, sancta Dei crux, humiliter obsecramus,
ut tua virtute nostrum pectus munias, animas
custodias, cogitationes sanctifices per Christum
Jesum, qui pependit in te. Qui pro mundi
salute in ligno crucis innocens pependisti,
miserere populo, quem redemisti : ut sacro
signaculo insignitus a periculis omnibus sit
securus. **Alleluia. Salvator mundi, salva nos
omnes et omnia, quæ adjuvant, benignus nobis
impende : et cuncta nocentia a nobis procul
repelle : atque protegendum nos dexteram tuæ
majestatis extende. *Ut tibi.
Protect thy people, O Lord, by the sign of the holy
cross, from the wiles of all their enemies : *that we
may render a service pleasing unto thee, and that our
sacrifice may be acceptable in thy sight, **alleluia.
Humbly we beg thee, holy cross of God, that
through thy power thou mightest strengthen our
hearts, guard our souls, hallow our thoughts through
Christ Jesu, who hung from thee. Thou, who wert
innocent hanging on the cross for the salvation of the
world, have mercy on the people whom thou hast
redeemed : that it, signed with the holy sign, may be
save from all perils. **Alleluia. Saviour of the
world, save all of us and graciously grant us whatever
helps us : and remove far from us everything harmful
: and stretch out the right hand of thy majesty to
protect us. *That we.
SECRET
Hæc oblatio, Domine, quæsumus, ab omnibus
nos purget offensis : quæ in ara crucis etiam
totius mundi tulit offensam. Per eundem
Dominum.
May this oblation, we beseech thee, O Lord, cleanse
us from all sins : even as on the altar of the cross it
took away the sins of the whole world. Through the
same Lord.
PREFACE
Of the Holy Cross
Vere dignum et justum est, æquum et salutare,
nos tibi semper, et ubique gratias agere : Domine
sancte, Pater omnipotens, æterne Deus.
Qui salutem humani generis in ligno crucis
constituisti : ut unde mors oriebatur, inde vita
resurgeret : et qui in ligno vincebat, in ligno
quoque vinceretur : per Christum Dominum
nostrum. Per quem majestatem tuam laudant
Angeli, adorant Dominationes, tremunt
Potestates. Cæli, cælorumque Virtutes, ac beata
Seraphim, socia exsultatione concelebrant.
It is truly meet and just, right and salutary, that we
should always, and in all places, give thanks to thee,
O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God. Who
didst set the salvation of mankind upon the tree of
the cross, so that whence came death, thence also life
might rise again : and he that overcame by the tree,
on the tree also might be overcome. Through Christ
our Lord : through whom the Angels praise thy majesty,
the Dominions adore, the Powers tremble. The
Heavens, and the Virtues of the heavens, and the
blessed Seraphim, do celebrate with united joy. In union with whom,
we beseech thee, that thou wouldst
command our voices also to be admitted, with suppliant
confession, saying:
Cum quibus et nostras voces, ut admitti jubeas,
deprecamur, supplici confessione dicentes :
COMMUNION
Per signum crucis de inimicis nostris libera nos,
Deus noster, alleluia.
By the sign of the cross deliver us from our enemies,
O thou who art our God, alleluia.
POST-COMMUNION
Adesto nobis, Domine Deus noster : et quos
sanctæ crucis lætari facis honore, ejus quoque
perpetuis defende subsidiis. Per Dominum.
Be nigh unto us, O Lord our God; and defend those
by the perpetual defence of the cross whom thou
makest to rejoice in its honour. Through our Lord
Friday, 28 November 2014
Let slip the dogs of war....
Revelation 20:1:4 NRSCV
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.
God is allowing the evil one to be let out for a "little while". This is obvious. From today's Mass reading above...
Are you ready? From Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1, line 273...Ate is the goddess of strife and chaos. Antony sees the consequences of Caesar's murder. We shall see the consequences of sin.
And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice
Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.
God is allowing the evil one to be let out for a "little while". This is obvious. From today's Mass reading above...
Are you ready? From Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1, line 273...Ate is the goddess of strife and chaos. Antony sees the consequences of Caesar's murder. We shall see the consequences of sin.
And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice
Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war;
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial
News from SPUC
28 November 2014
Top story:
Abortion industry calls for law to create "access zones" against pro-life vigils outside abortion centres
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), one of the UK's largest abortion providers, has called for a law to create "access zones" against pro-life vigils outside abortion centres. BPAS made the call in response to the rise of pro-life vigils in the UK, such as those by 40 Days For Life and Abort67. The campaign, called Back Off, is also supported by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives, and other organisations. [BBC, 28 November]
Related stories:
- Mother thanks pro-life campaigners for helping her keep her baby [BBC, 28 November]
- Southwark’s top cop quizzed about anti-abortion protests [London SE1, 26 November]
Others stories:
Abortion:
- Marie Stopes to open abortion centre in Huddersfield [Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 26 November]
- Pro-abortion journalist calls for SPUC guest speaker to be banned from entering UK [Stand True, 25 November]
- Students at Cardiff University say freedom of speech threatened by pro-abortion motion [Catholic Herald, 14 November]
Disability:
- Disabled child abandoned by parents doing well [LifeNews.com, 26 November]
Family issues:
- Only half of British 11-year-olds have married parents, suggests study [Telegraph, 28 November]
- Same-sex marriage proposals introduced on Jersey [Jersey Evening Post, 26 November]
- UN pressures Kyrgyzstan to drop bill against homosexual propaganda [Pink News, 26 November]
- Finnish parliament to vote on same-sex marriage [Pink News, 26 November]
- Ottawa archbishop says: Misleading people on sexual morals is not loving [LifeSiteNews.com, 26 November]
- Most British graduates aspire to marriage, suggests survey [Mail, 24 November]
To receive this news regularly, visit http://www.spuc.org.uk/em-
The Day of The Wrath of The Bus Drivers
This morning, I asked a bus driver for directions. He literally slammed the door in my face without answering my question.
Then, later, a female bus driver got into a fight with one of the passengers, and a shouting match of twenty minutes occurred. Of course, I did not understand a word, but anger filled the air in both cases.
The horrible treatment of tourists, who come here and spend lots of money, is getting worse. An American this morning told me he is sick of the rudeness from the Maltese shopkeepers, bus drivers, waiters, and so on.
There seems to be anger and frustration in the air, as if the demons of the air were wafting through the streets of Valletta and St. Julian's tripping people's anger levers.
So many people here are unhappy, but prosperous. Most of the real Maltese live very comfortable lives. My new American colleague said they seemed spoiled, like contentious children.
The anger wears one down. Thank God, I feel peace and as I cannot understand Maltese, find situations odd, and slightly amusing. But, the rudeness is "getting old".
And, the rudeness is getting to some tourists, who are complaining that sweet Malta is changing.
Of course there is one big reason why there is anger and that is that the people here have left the Kingdom of God for the Kingdom of Mammon.
Malta is no longer Catholic, as my American friend said, and he knows, as he has lived here for awhile.
So sad--the ending of a great civilization.....in anger and greed.
A Good Blog To Read And A Great Article
http://www.onepeterfive.com/groveling-before-the-world-self-respect-and-the-new-evangelization/
If you remember, Jonathan was a guest writer on this blog a few years ago.
If you remember, Jonathan was a guest writer on this blog a few years ago.
Saw this yesterday- journalist Giles Dilnot is ... pleased
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/nov/27/-sp-ukip-mistakes-westminster-cathedral-for-mosque
Things that are not mosques hashtag is hilarious.
Things that are not mosques hashtag is hilarious.
Thursday, 27 November 2014
A Daring Suggestion To Fight Idolatry
Black Friday is the feast day of the god of Mammon. Millions of people go to worship at his temples where one finds the altars and the gifts of this god, for a price. All the idolaters get up early to worship at the small altars of the registers, fighting over the gifts of this god.
There is a real god of Mammon, and he is a demon. He grabs the imagination of men, women, and children on this day and forces them to buy useless things while meditating on money and the stuff of consumerism.
This demon is the same one worshiped in the Bible as Beelzebub, the god, the demon who demanded child sacrifice, according to at least one ancient father, Gregory of Nyssa. The name, Mammon, in the Hebrew, literally means "riches" and "the one in which one trusts". Horrid. He is mentioned in both the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of Matthew as Mammon.
This god brings many people to hell with this preoccupation of buying and selling. In ancient times, perhaps he was like Moloch, personified as a furnace, with a long shaft like a sliding board, on which the small urns with the live first-born sons would be put and rolled into the fire of Moloch's mouth or stomach.
Does this sound familiar? Both Mammon and Moloch are gods of abortion, demanding the sacrifice of children for wealth and things. Prosperity instead of offspring.....
Can you imagine if all those people lined up outside of Walmart or any other store were lining up to go to Mass? Can you imagine them loving the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost?
Here is my daring suggestion. Never shop on Black Friday. Instead, go to Mass as a family, as an individual, and go out of your way to visit the sick, the housebound, the needy instead.
Do something opposite of the worship of Mammon. Show Mammon that you do not worship him, and that you have no intention of doing so.
Say the rosary with others on this day. Find Adoration somewhere and go. Be quiet and read the Scriptures.
Read the Divine Office. Praise the God of Life. Sing hymns of joy and love. Be simple.
I challenge you to do the opposite of Mammon's followers and praise the One True God in deeds, in your heart, mind, soul.
Can you do this? The god Mammon needs to be ignored, not fed.
Go to Jesus and ask Him for the grace not to worship at the temples of Mammon on Black Friday. Go worship the Trinity at a Catholic church, and ask for strength and courage to fight the idolatry of Mammon.
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