Hmmm a query from the trenches...

Is anyone else in the Iowa-Illinois Quad-City area having Net problems? This is the fourth day of interrupted service.

Mercy vs. Judgement

Many Catholics have been confused by statements in the media attributed to our Pope regarding judgment and sin.

I have been talking with two Catholics who are very confused on the two ideas of Judgment and Mercy.

The problem, again, is the inability to think in terms of objectivity.

As I wrote in the perfection series, the saints learn to be objective.

Objective thinking means, simply, standing back and looking at one's own sins. A person learns mercy through objectivity, not subjectivity.

St. Bernard, in The Steps of Humility and Pride, writes this.

"The Son of God, the Word and Wisdom of the Father, mercifully assumed to himself human reason, the first of our powers. He found it oppressed by the flesh, held captive by sin, blinded by ignorance, distracted by outward things. He raised it by his might, taught it by his wisdom, drew it to things interior. More wonderfully still, he delegated it his own power to Judge. To judge is the proper act of Truth and in this it shared when out of reverence for the Word to which it joined it became accuser, witness and judge against itself. 

Humility had been born from the union of the Word with human reason. Then the Holy Spirit lovingly visited the second power, the will; he found it rotten with the infection of the flesh, but already judged by reason.

Gently he cleansed it, made it burn with affection, made it merciful until, like a skin made pliable with oil it would spread aborad the heavenly oil of love even to its enemies. The union of the Holy Spirit with the human will give birth to charity."

There is more which I shall highlight later. If one is not being objective with one's self and others, one is not pursuing holiness. As long as Catholics are stuck in the subjective, they cannot move into the levels of holiness demanded by God for salvation and in order to avoid purgatory.

We can judge, ourselves and objective actions. Not to do so shows a tendency to self-deceit.

Do not listen to sound bites or the media. Listen to the wisdom of the Church.

To be continued...

Meat vs. Cookies

Those who have followed my blog for years know that I have a "thing" about Catholic thinking. Few Catholics think like Catholics. Just follow the tags and labels.

Also, I have a thing about basing one's faith life on private revelations. Just follow the tags and labels.

Here is the problem I met yesterday.

A very good Catholic lady wanted to make a point about salvation in a conversation we were having. All her references were saints personal and fallible visions. She did not reference the Catechism, the Doctors of the Church, the Encyclicals or any of the doctrines or dogmas of the Faith.

This emphasis on getting knowledge from personal, private revelations reveals an immaturity of spirit and a serious anti-intellectualism, (another theme on this blog), which undermines the new evangelization.

We must evangelize from reason not feeling.

We cannot feed cookies and cake to the starving. They need meat. If we have a constant diet of cookies and cake, we would be anemic and diabetic. We would not be able to think properly about issues which face us daily.

For an adult to just eat cookies instead of meat may possibly be a sin.

Think.

Read.

Study.

Pray.

Act.

Necessary Re-Post

Monday, 16 September 2013

On The False Dichotomy of Head Knowledge and Heart Knowledge And The Heresy of Fideism

Posted by Supertradmum

I have written some posts on this topic of reason and faith before, but I am going to write a few more today. I want to avoid Pascal et co. and the Post-Moderns if I can in this short discussion. But, rather, concentrate on Fideism as it reveals itself in Catholic circles as a direct influence from Calvinism rather than Lutheranism, although there is a connection. I shall also avoid, at this stage, Fénelon & Bossuet.

I have long suspected great Calvinistic influences in both Irish and English Catholicism with regard to this argument about the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge. The errors are rooted in anti-intellectualism, Jansenism (which greatly influence Irish Catholics), and the seeking of experiential religion, or Enthusiasm. I taught several classes on Johnathan Edwards in the past and presented him as a mystical Enthusiast. In one of my boxes in Illinois, I have his fascinating biography which proves this point. George M. Marsden's life of Edwards is worth reading. Marsden also wrote Fundamentalism and American Culture. Another classic book of this ilk is The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop by  Edmund Morgan, which I taught, and other books, such as Ronald Knox's Enthusiam, which, someone in their enthusiasm stole from me....amazing. If some nice reader would like to buy this for me, I would greatly appreciate it. But, read it first....

As far as I can ascertain, the first person to make the huge mistake of separating knowledge into heart and head was the heretic, Johnathan Edwards. And Fideism, the heresy, existed before Kant.  In fact, the famous Johnathan Edwards in one of his sermons, Divine and Supernatural Light, states clearly that God cannot be found by reason, when he was referring to a specific gift of light, 

This light, and this only, has its fruit in a universal holiness of life. No merely notional or speculative understanding of the doctrines of religion will ever bring to this. But this light, as it reaches the bottom of the heart, and changes the nature, so it will effectually dispose to a universal obedience. It shows God's worthiness to be obeyed and served. It draws forth the heart in a sincere love to God, which is the only principle of a true, gracious, and universal obedience; and it convinces of the reality of those glorious rewards that God has promised to them that obey him.

Edward's faulty thinking, which is what a heresy is, can be seen in this snippet.

But if we take reason strictly -- not for the faculty of mental perception in general, but for ratiocination, or a power of inferring by arguments -- the perceiving of spiritual beauty and excellency no more belongs to reason, than it belongs to the sense of feeling to perceive colours, or to the power of seeing to perceive the sweetness of food. It is out of reason's province to perceive the beauty or loveliness of any thing: such a perception does not belong to that faculty. Reason's work is to perceive truth and not excellency. It is not ratiocination that gives men the perception of the beauty and amiableness of a countenance, though it may be many ways indirectly an advantage to it; yet it is no more reason that immediately perceives it, than it is reason that perceives the sweetness of honey: it depends on the sense of the heart. -- Reason may determine that a countenance is beautiful to others, it may determine that honey is sweet to others; but it will never give me a perception of its sweetness.

The teaching of the Catholic Church is quite different. And, too often, I have heard silly sermons on the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge. Here are some helps from the Catholic Encyclopedia.

The heresy of Fideism denies that "the power of unaided human reason to reach certitude, affirms that the fundamental act of human knowledge consists in an act of faith, and the supreme criterion of certitude is authority." Edwards was a Fideist.  But, so are many, many Catholics. They do not understand that the intellect is involved in Faith.

... "it must be noted that authority, even the authority of God, cannot be the supreme criterion of certitude, and an act of faith cannot be the primary form of human knowledge. This authority, indeed, in order to be a motive of assent, must be previously acknowledged as being certainly valid; before we believe in a proposition as revealed by God, we must first know with certitude that God exists, that He reveals such and such a proposition, and that His teaching is worthy of assent, all of which questions can and must be ultimately decided only by an act of intellectual assent based on objective evidence. Thus, fideism not only denies intellectual knowledge, it logically ruins faith itself."

The strong anti-intellectualism of the charismatics and other groups has led to Fideism. Several popes have condemned this heresy.

In 1348, the Holy See proscribed certain fideistic propositions of Nicholas d'Autrecourt (cf. Denzinger, Enchiridion, 10th ed., nn. 553-570). In his two Encyclicals, one of September, 1832, and the other of July, 1834, Gregory XVI condemned the political and philosophical ideas of Lamenais. On 8 September, 1840, Bautain was required to subscribe to several propositions directly opposed to Fideism, the first and the fifth of which read as follows: "Human reason is able to prove with certitude the existence of God; faith, a heavenly gift, is posterior to revelation, and therefore cannot be properly used against the atheist to prove the existence of God"; and "The use of reason precedes faith and, with the help of revelation and grace, leads to it." The same proposition were subscribed to by Bonnetty on 11 June, 1855 (cf. Denzinger, nn. 1650-1652). In his Letter of 11 December, 1862, to the Archbishop of Munich, Pius IX, while condemning Frohschammer's naturalism, affirms the ability of human reason to reach certitude concerning the fundamental truthsof the moral and religious order (cf. Denzinger, 1666-1676). And, finally, the Vatican Council teaches as a dogma of Catholic faith that "one true God and Lord can be known with certainty by the natural light of human reason by means of the things that are made" (Const., De Fide Catholicâ", Sess. III, can. i, De Revelatione; cf. Granderath, "Constitutiones dogmaticae Conc. Vatic.", Freiburg, 1892, p. 32 cf. Denzinger, n. 1806).

As to the opinion of those who maintain that our supernatural assent is prepared for by motives of credibility merely probable, it is evident that it logically destroys the certitude of such an assent. This opinion was condemned by Innocent XI in the decree of 2 March, 1679 (cf. Denzinger, n. 1171), and by Pius X in the decree "Lamentabili sane" n. 25: "Assensus fidei ultimo innititur in congerie probabilitatum" (The assent of faith is ultimately based on a sum of probabilities). Revelation, indeed, is the supreme motive of faith in supernatural truths, yet, the existence of this motive and its validity has to be established by reason

The Pope Emeritus gave excellent talks on the use of reason. Here are selections from his November 21, 2012 speech on this subject. I highly suggest reading the entire address from here.  One must remember that faith is not the enemy of reason and reason is not the enemy of faith. There should be no antagonism between these two gifts. 

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20121121_en.html


The Catholic faith is therefore reasonable and fosters trust in human reason as well. The First Vatican Council, in the Dogmatic Constitution Dei Filius, said that reason is able to know with certainty that God exists through the Creation, whereas the possibility of knowing “easily, with complete certainty and without error” (DS 3005) the truths that concern God in the light of grace, belongs to faith alone. The knowledge of faith, moreover, is not in opposition to right reason. Blessed Pope John Paul II, in fact, in his Encyclical Fides et Ratio, sums it up in these words: “human reason is neither annulled nor debased in assenting to the contents of faith, which are in any case attained by way of free and informed choice” (n. 43).

In the irresistible desire for truth, only a harmonious relationship between faith and reason is the right road that leads to God and to the person’s complete fulfilment. This doctrine is easily recognizable throughout the New Testament. St Paul, in writing to the Christians of Corinth, maintains, as we have heard: “Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor 1:22-23). God in fact did not save the world with an act of power, but through the humiliation of his Only-Begotten Son. Measured in human parameters, the unusual ways of God clash with the demands of Greek wisdom. And yet, the Cross of Christ has a reason of its own which St Paul calls: ho logos tou staurou “the word of the cross” (1 Cor 1:18). Here the term logos means both the word and reason and, if it alludes to the word, it is because it expresses verbally what reason works out.....

At the same time, God, with His grace, illuminates reason and opens up new horizons, immeasurable and infinite. Therefore, faith is a continuous stimulus to seek, never to cease or acquiesce in the inexhaustible search for truth and reality....Intellect and faith are not foreign or antagonistic to divine Revelation, they are both prerequisites for understanding its meaning, for receiving its authentic message, for approaching the threshold of the mystery. The Catholic faith is therefore rational and also nurtures trust in human reason....Knowledge of faith, furthermore, is not contrary to reason. In the irresistible desire for truth, only a harmonious relationship between faith and reason can show the correct path to God and to self-fulfilment.

Another reason for which it is rational to believe is this: if science is a valuable ally of faith in our understanding of God's plan for the universe, faith also directs scientific progress towards the good and truth of mankind, remaining faithful to that original plan....This is why it is vital for man to open himself to faith, and to know God and His plan for salvation through Jesus Christ. The Gospel establishes a new humanism, an authentic 'grammar' of humankind and reality".

Doing a Fr. Z

Here is what I am reading, and some of this is repetition...

The Steps of Humility and Pride by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Divine Love Made Flesh : The Eucharist As the Sacrament of Charity by Raymond Cardinal Burke

On the Song of Songs I (The Works of Bernard of Clairvaux, Volume One) (Cistercian Fathers Series, Number Four)

The Mystical Theology of St Bernard (Cistercian Studies)

Life of Pi by Martel, Yann

Thanks to the kind readers who purchased these for me. Esp. R., P, K, and L. Ta muchly

I just finished re-reading some P G. Wodehouse, which I have read a gazillion times.

Of course, not a two weeks go by without a dip into the Summa...

Oh my goodness

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/16/nsa-collects-millions-text-messages-daily-untargeted-global-sweep

and ah, the French

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/01/16/Critic-of-Frances-Hollande-says-it-with-dung

Animals Sent by Angels

I do not heal well. My blood does not coagulate properly. Others get over paper cuts in two hours. I have one for three days, bleeding.

Also, I get infections easily. Do not ask me why, as I do not know. I cut my foot badly one summer on a large staple from an Amazon package. I did not see it on the floor. For days, it hurt and bled, then got infected, of course.  That summer, the air was so hot and still at night, one felt like one was in another plane of reality. As I lay in bed, having taken off the bandage to give the wound air, I feel a little scratching tongue on my ankle. My Russian Blue/Norwegian Tree Cat mix, Vladimir, was cleaning my wound. As it was so hot, I feel asleep. The next morning, my foot was completely healed. Son said it had to do with some sort of antiseptic in the cat's mouth. I thought, God sent Vlada to help me.

Several months later, I had cancer and was in bed at home for two weeks. The two male cats, Puddy and Vladimir slept at my feet, one on each side of me. But, Miho-chan, my wounded female, who we rescued and who had buckshot in her spine from someone in Missouri shooting her when she it was a kitty, came up to the side of my body where I had the wound. Miho-chan snuggled up to neck, and put it's paw on my shoulder the entire time I convalesced, as if reassuring me everything would be alright. And, it was. 

Then, Vladimir ran away, which he had never done, and as we were moving back up to Iowa for me to start teaching in three days, we had to move. We had to leave, heartbroken, worried,  and came back down to the town where we had lived, and looked for this cat for two days. Our neighbor, who has eight cats, made signs on her computer, and printed them out, peppering the town with notices and phone numbers. This all happened the last weekend of August.

Son and I were sick at the loss of Vladimir, as it was, as we thought, the least intelligent of the three. And, we had lived in coyote and eagle territory, both animals known for eating small cats. Tears, and giving the cat we loved so much to God gave us respite. Time went on. Then, in the first week of December, 2010, we got a phone call from our cat-lady friend. 

Vladimir had been found, or, rather it had found a house. Francis and Larry, a retired couple, were sitting near the patio door of their lovely house, watching the first snowflakes of the year. Up onto the patio came a bedraggled grey and white cat. It stood up it hind legs and scratched at the door. Vladimir wanted in.

He had been, apparently spotted a month before going in and out of a dog door, eating dog food in a nearby basement. But, Vladimir knew he wanted the good life. Frances and Larry adopted him as they had just lost their cat to death.

Yesterday, I spoke with Larry. Frances died last year of cancer. Larry told me that Vladimir has been a great comfort to him in his sorrow over losing his wife. He told me he would not know what to do without Vladimir. I knew, even though I still miss Vlada, that this cat is, indeed, where God wants this creature to be.

Angels send animals to people. Like us, God used His creatures for comfort. Thank you, God, for our pets.

I wish I knew where Miho-chan was, but that cat was living with a friend whose marriage broke up after we had to pass it on. I have no idea of Miho's whereabouts, but I trust God is using that black beauty for His purposes. Still, I have an ache in my heart, as this cat had suffered so much, and I wanted it to have some peace.

Nothing is too small in the Eyes of God to be a servant. Neither are we too small to be used, in small ways. 

Even in large ways, God may use us. 

Is not life both mysterious and wonderful? Let God send you where He wants you to go. Let God open the doors He wants to open.

We are only dust, but the Spirit moves where He will. And our souls need to be purified to follow His lead. I have learned from my pets that nature and the Spirit of God conspire to make us whole, but not without suffering. Angels surround us, and, sometimes, they use cats.

I wonder how Puddy is doing in St. Louis with Grace? I am sure Puddyman brings joy.

And, if you want to make cottage cheese...

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2006/03/la-presure-home-1/

Brunch Eggs

Well, as I am fighting the Net, with it going on and off in seconds, I am posting quickly, a recipe.

This is one of my favorites, which we called Brunch Eggs in the 1970s, but are now called Bacon and Egg Muffin Cups. The entire breakfast takes 20 minutes!

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

Easy, delicious and perfect for any breakfast! Bacon and Egg Muffins Cups are a sure family favorite!

Author: www.dailydishrecipes.com but not really, as we had this in Minneapolis in the '70s

Recipe type: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Serves: 12 Breakfast Cups

Ingredients

• 6 slices of bread
• 12 eggs
• 12 slices of bacon
• shredded cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat a skillet on medium-high heat, cook the bacon and only allow it to cook for about 4-5 minutes. You are looking for flexible but not raw. While the bacon is cooking, cut two circles out of each slice of bread. I used a circle cookie cutter to make it easier.
3. Now take that extra bread and either save it.
4. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Next, lay a circle of bread into the bottom of each muffin cup. Wrap the bacon around the edge of each muffin cup. 
5. Now carefully, crack an egg into each cup. Put the shredded cheese on top of the egg.
6. Bake them for 10-15 minutes or until the whites have set and the yolk is cooked to your liking (less for a runny yolk, more for a cooked yolk)
7. Serve with pancakes and fresh fruit 

On the beach after the storms in Britain

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/guardianwitness-blog/gallery/2014/jan/16/uk-beaches-after-the-storms-in-pictures?CMP=twt_gu

Bad Thinking in Catholic Circles Again

Two problems have cropped up in the past few days which reveal to me some bad, non-Catholic thinking among Catholics. I have written on this theme before, but it needs repeating.

The first is the denial of free will. People chose to make bad choices daily. There is a growing number of Catholics on twitter, in blogs and in daily speech who reveal that they do not understand two things about free will. One is that we do make choices, even though these may be knee-jerk reactions which are bad habits. Bad habits grow out of bad choices.

Two, under this misunderstanding of free will, is that too many Catholics think that one cannot stand up to satan. If one is in sanctifying grace, one can and should do so.

The second problem is the faulty idea that some people do not have grace. No, God gives grace to all, but with this parenthesis-not all people are given the same graces and not all people choose to follow grace.

But, God does call us again and again to follow Him, and unless we persist, by choice, in serious sin, in which case He may leave us to our own devices, God will not leave us.

We walk away from God on purpose, not by accident, or chance.

Too many Catholic adults make excuses for their sins and the evil in the world.


Just say "NO".

Poll Alert

In order to plan more posts, I have put a new poll on the side. Readers may answer more than one question.

Thanks for your help in discernment for future writing.

I did not put on the poll a question if you have read the poetry, fairy tales, and novellas, but you may comment on those, if you have read them.

STM

Net Problems

Apologies-Net went down when I way typing out the Third Glorious Mystery and the text was lost-it is now restored.

Pray for my Net connection which has been severely limited this week. I shall not be able to continue to blog in this area if this continues. The signal is literally off and on in minutes and the blog goes down and reloads, losing material.

STM

The Litany of Loreto Rosary Part 16-The Glorious Mysteries-The Fifth Glorious Mystery, The Coronation of The Virgin Mary

The Litany of Loreto Rosary  The Fifth Glorious Mystery  The Coronation of The Virgin Mary

Our Father

Virgin, Mother, Queen, accept this rosary, as it comes to an end, as a finite gift to you.

Hail Mary one

Sirach 1:8-9
There is one most high Creator Almighty, and a powerful king, and greatly to be feared, who sitteth upon his throne, and is the God of dominion. He created her in the Holy Ghost, and saw her, and numbered her, and measured her.

Hail Mary two

Queen of the Holy Rosary
This title indicates that this exercise of prayer bears honor and praise to Our Lady. That such a simple devotion pleases the Queen of the Universe reveals her humility and greatness. Let us never scorn the small ways to become closer to God, for in simple things we learn our true place before God.

Hail Mary three

Mother Mary, accept this humble, imperfectly said prayer of ours. Intercede, gracious Queen, that we all may grow in simplicity of faith even as we grow in knowledge of God. 

Hail Mary four

Sirach 1:22-24
The fear of the Lord is a crown of wisdom, filling up peace and the fruit of salvation:  And it hath seen, and numbered her: but both are the gifts of God. Wisdom shall distribute knowledge, and understanding of prudence: and exalteth the glory of them that hold her.

Hail Mary five

Queen of Peace
Perhaps at this time in history, this title of Mary is most close to our hearts. In order to dispense peace, one must be peaceful. Creative peace has not yet been seen on the earth. By meditating on this title of Mary, may we come to learn how to become truly peaceful, so that we may give peace to others

Hail Mary six

Mary, Queen of Peace, soften our hard hearts, teach us how to forgive, that we may forgive in meekness and, therefore, delight in brotherly love.

Hail Mary seven

Ecclesiasticus 24:3-5
And in the midst of her own people she shall be exalted, and shall be admired in the holy assembly.  And in the multitude of the elect she shall have praise, and among the blessed she shall be blessed, saying: I came out of the mouth of the most High, the firstborn before all creatures...

Hail Mary eight

Queen of Heaven
This title has been one of the most common names for Mary. The author of Ecclesiasticus personifies Wisdom as a great Lady. The Queen of Heaven has been identified with Holy Wisdom. As Queen of Heaven, as Holy Wisdom, Mary receives the highest praise a mortal woman has ever received. She, indeed, is blessed among women.

Hail Mary nine

Queen of Heaven, teach us to act like the sons and daughter of the great King which we are through baptism. Help us to be wise, holy, prudent, temperate, just, full of courage. Teach us to treat each other with dignity and respect, as future inhabitants of heaven. 

Hail Mary ten

Glory be

Fatima Prayer

Hail Holy Queen

Rosary Prayer

St. Michael the Archangel Prayer

(Note: as I wrote this between 1979 and 1984, giving it to my mother in 1984, I did not write meditations on the Luminous Mysteries, as these did not then exist. I may write thoughts on these later, if readers want me to so so. I am surprised myself as to how "contemporary" the words of this text, at the latest, a full 30 years old and at the earliest, 35 years old. God is good and He never changes in His words to us.)

The end for now.

The Litany of Loreto Rosary Part 15-The Glorious Mysteries-The Fourth Glorious Mystery, The Assumption

The Litany of Loreto Rosary  The Fourth Glorious Mystery  The Assumption

Our Father

Glorious Virgin, stir up the virtue of faith in us, that we may see beyond the decay and dust of the grave to life in Christ forever and ever.

Hail Mary one

1 Corinthians 12:4-6
Now there are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit; And there are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord; And there are diversities of operations, but the same God, who worketh all in all.

Hail Mary two

Queen of all saints
The Blessed Mother reveals all the varieties of the gifts of the Spirit. A saint, such as Joan of Arc or Elizabeth Ann Seton, may be famous for a particular, outstanding virtue or charism. The poet, Dante, places Mary at the center of the celestial dance of all the saints, as she is the perfection of all virtues, all charisms.  She is the firstborn of the Church of all the saints. She is their Queen.

Hail Mary three

St. Mary, Queen of all saints, give us the single-mindedness necessary to become saints, that someday, with you, we may praise God for all eternity, in our bodies with our souls.

Hail Mary four

1 Corinthians 15:21-22
For by a man came death, and by a man the resurrection of the dead. And as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.

Hail Mary five

Queen conceived without Original Sin
Wonderful interference, wonderful prevenient grace. God, through one female embryo, halted the chain of sin and death which we all inherit from our mothers and fathers. Mary, the Immaculate Conception, was born free of all fault, either physical, psychological, or spiritual, so that she would be the perfect Mother for the perfect Son of God. Free from death's corruption, a result of the Original Sin she did not have, Mary "naturally" was assumed into heaven.

Hail Mary six

The New Eve, Immaculate Mary, Queen without sin, pray for us, the children of Eve.

Hail Mary seven

1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall all indeed rise again: but we shall not all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall rise again incorruptible: and we shall be changed.

Hail Mary eight

Queen assumed into heaven
Mary's fate is a prophecy of our fate. With our physical bodies, we shall be with God. We cannot deny the animal part of ourselves. Body and soul, we are saved, purified, perfected through grace.

Hail Mary nine

Lady assumed into heaven, we gratefully thank God for the Incarnational event of your assumption into heaven body and soul. With hope, we celebrate this honoring of your flesh as well as your spirit. With joy, we celebrate this recognition of your position in heaven.

Hail Mary ten

Glory be

Fatima Prayer

To be continued...

The Litany of Loreto Rosary Part 14-The Glorious Mysteries-The Third Glorious Mystery, The Descent of The Holy Spirit

The Litany of Loreto Rosary The Third Glorious Mystery The Descent of The Holy Spirit

Acts 2:1-3

Our Father

Come, Holy Spirit Come

Hail Mary one

Philippians 1:14

And the greater number of the brethren in the Lord, gaining courage from my chains, have dared to speak the word of God more freely and without fear.

Hail Mary two

Queen of Martyrs

Mary, in the fullness of grace, demonstrated the great courage of the martyrs at the foot of the Cross. She was filled with the Indwelling of the Holy Trinity, and the Holy Spirit worked through her to give courage to others. The Queen of Martyrs leads us to victory, through Christ, over all difficulties. She witnessed to Christ at the foot of the Cross. She, as witness and sharer in the Passion, is the Queen of Martyrs.  She leads the company of martyrs in glory.

Hail Mary three

Queen Mary, intercede that the Holy Spirit may stir up the gifts we have received in Confirmation, mostly fortitude and courage. Let us be ready, like you, to give our entire lives for the sake of Jesus Christ, you Son, by laying down our lives daily in little ways.

Hail Mary four

Philippians 2:13

For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will.

Hail Mary five

Queen of Apostles

St. Paul wrote the words we have just prayed. He, also, called an “Apostle”, knew discouragement, trials, even shipwreck. He knew that the Holy Spirit brings to the fore the gifts received in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Mary, holy from the moment of her existence, brings us all to Christ, with love, fortitude, courage. She was an apostle, ending the chain of death and sin from her first being in her mother’s womb. She brought Christ to Elizabeth, the work of an apostle. She brought Christ into the world at Bethlehem, the work of an apostle. She brought Christ into the public eye at Cana, the work of an apostle.  Mary is Queen of those today who are followers of the apostles, the disciples of Christ, who go into the world to preach the Good News.

Hail Mary six

Virgin Mary, Queen, pray that we may always respond to the movement of the Holy Spirit within us to spread the Gospel to all nations.

Hail Mary seven

Philippians 3:7-8

But the things that were gain to me, the same I have counted loss for Christ.

Furthermore I count all things to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ... 

Hail Mary eight

Queen of Virgins

Virginity is both a physical fact and an interior disposition. One’s heart, mind and soul must be centered on Christ to be virginal. Purity and detachment, as well as purity of the body, are marks of the virgin. Paul’s words indicate that he, through the Spirit, achieved purity of heart, mind and soul he lost through sin, but gained through grace. But, there is one person who is all pure, always virginal and that is Mary. No other creature has the perfection of virginity, in mind, heart, soul, and body than does Mary. She is the clearest vessel of purity and love. She was pure from the first moment of her existence, as a tiny creature in her mother’s womb, free from an concupiscence, from all impurities, from Original Sin. Indeed, she is the pure Bride, the Queen of Virgins.

Hail Mary nine

St. Mary, through the Holy Spirit, may we regain a simplicity and purity of heart lost through sin. May we become detached from the many threads of impurity which pull us away from God. May we become pure so that we may witness Christ in a world trapped in confusion, complexity and sin.

Hail Mary ten

Glory be

Fatima Prayer

To be continued…

The Litany of Loreto Rosary- Part 13-The Glorious Mysteries-The Second Glorious Mystery, The Ascension

The Litany of Loreto-The Second Glorious Mystery The Ascension  Acts 1:1-14

Our Father

Mary Mother, pray that we may be bold and zealous for the sake of the Kingdom.

Hail Mary one

Deuteronomy 30:14
But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in they heart, that thou mayest do it.

Hail Mary two

Queen of Confessors
Many saints are named "Confessor": St Edward, King of England, St. Maximus the Confessor, and others. A confessor is one who is willing to publicly witness to the truth of the Gospel. At the Ascension, Christ commissioned His followers to witness to Himself. Mary, the Queen of Confessors, receives honor for witnessing, and gives honor to those who "go public" for Jesus Christ, her Son.

Hail Mary three

St. Mary, you gave witness to Christ your entire life. Pray that we may have courage to confess the Lord's rule over all the earth.

Hail Mary four

Deuteronomy 1:8
Behold, said he, I have delivered it to you: go in and posses it, concerning which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he would give it to them, and their seed after them.

Hail Mary five

Queen of Patriarchs
What a magnificent title to be given to the Little Maid of Nazareth. Queen of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Mary is elevated above the men who carried on the covenant and who waited for the promise of that covenant faithfully. Mary has initiated the New Covenant with her fiat. Now, she sees it ratified with the Blood of the Lamb daily on the altars of the world at Mass. She reigns as a sign of this new era, the covenant of the New Law, the New Contract between God and Man, which resides in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Word of God. So, the patriarchs praise her.

Hail Mary six

Thank you, Queen of Patriarchs, for your fidelity. Continue to bless our patriarchal Church established by your Son before He ascended into heaven.

Hail Mary seven

Deuteronomy 10:12
And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but that thou fear the Lord thy God, and walk in His ways, and love Him, and serve the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul...

Hail Mary eight

Queen of Prophets
To be a Catholic in the modern world is to be a prophet. Mary, Queen of Moses, David, Daniel, Isaias, Jeremias, and John the Baptist is our Queen. She brought the Word of God into the world, the fulfillment of all prophecies. She is a prophet to us today and understands our need for the graces of courage and commitment.

Hail Mary nine

Queen of Prophets, intercede that we may always speak life-giving, true words to all people, including our own families. Help us to fulfill the mission given by Christ at His Ascension to preach the Gospel to all people and baptize them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary ten

Glory be

Fatima Prayer

To be continued....

The Litany of Loreto Rosary-Part 12-The Glorious Mysteries-The First Glorious Mystery, The Resurrection

The Litany of Loreto Rosary The First Glorious Mystery The Resurrection John 20:1-18

Our Father

Virgin Mother Mary,  as you died with Christ by enduring Calvary, so have you been raised by Him into glory. Pray that we may be always willing to die and then to rise with Christ.

Hail Mary one

Mark 14:24
This is my blood of the new covenant, which is being shed for many.

Hail Mary two

Comfort of the Afflicted
Simone Weil, the Jewish philosopher and mystic, wrote that affliction by definition is physical, emotional and mental pain inflicted on the innocent. It is in the nature of affliction that it attacks the pure of heart. Mary was afflicted with Christ and is the most afflicted woman in history. Mary experienced spiritually, emotionally, mentally all her Son's agony, which was the entire, whole agony of the human race. Weil's idea of malheur fits Mary perfectly. All women who  have suffered, the woman who has lost her husband in war, the mother who has seen her child die because of the concentration camp horrors, the woman whose lover has been mocked by enemies, all are the Mater Dolorosa. Yet, in Mary alone is our comfort, for in her is found endurance, faith, hope, peace and the way to the empty tomb, to the victory of Christ's Resurrection, which is Mary's victory and ours.

Hail Mary three

Comfort us, Mother, with the hope of new life, won by your Son, through affliction.

Hail Mary four

Mark 16:2-3
And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb, when the sun had just risen. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll the stone back from the entrance of the tomb for us?"

Hail Mary five

Help of Christians
The women at the tomb questioned who would help them remove the barrier to their Beloved Jesus. How often do we perceive barriers, keeping us from Christ, from love? Mary is our help to remove the wall keeping love and Christ away. Her name, Help of Christians, resounds like a battle-cry. The spiritual journey is a personal battle, a war against confusion, laziness, sin, despair.

Hail Mary six

Mary, the Lord, Victor, is with you. Help of Christians, aid us in facing our inner darkness of sin and imperfections, that we may be raised to new life in Christ.  Amen.

Hail Mary seven

Mark 16:5
But on entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were amazed.

Hail Mary eight

Queen of Angels
Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord, left a messenger in the tomb. The concepts of angels and queens are lost to many modern minds. And yet, we have eye-witness accounts as to the presence of this angel in the tomb. The Lord employed His servant-spirits to bear the news of His Incarnation and His Resurrection-the two events so tied in history. Mary is the leader, the sovereign, over all these spiritual beings who praise and serve God constantly. She, who said "yes" readily to the Will of God for just this moment in history, the Resurrection of Christ, the victory over Death and damnation, is now Queen of Angels. Like the angels, the Queen is worthy of reigning over those whose entire existence is saying yes constantly in joy to God. The family of God includes a variety of creatures who serve and love God, angels and men. Mary is Queen of all.

Hail Mary nine

Pray for us, Queen of Angels, that someday we may each join the angels in heaven praising the Risen Lord.

Hail Mary ten

Glory be

Fatima Prayer

Misleading Report on EWTN, IMHO

I just heard John M. Haas is the President of The National Catholic Bioethics Center give what I thought was a misleading interview on brain death on EWTN. I was surprised at his facile dismissal of two cases. And, I felt that he misquoted Blessed John Paul II on what constitutes death.

Simply put, rigor mortis is the only sign of real death. There seems to be confusion at very high levels on this issue, because of the liberal push for harvesting organs.

I suggest you listen to Fr. Chad Ripperger on this. The Church absolutely has a say as to when death occurs if only after the fact.  The entire industry of organ harvesting and the push of people out of hospitals has lead to some Catholics being cavalier about death.

We must always err on the side of life and I publicly challenge EWTN to have a spokesperson from the American Life League, who disagrees with Haas to show the sides and complications of this argument.

Big Brother Britain

http://dailycaller.com/2014/01/15/british-parents-face-prison-for-taking-kids-out-of-school-for-one-week-family-vacation/