Need Info from Readers

Some people in this area have asked me if there is a pamphlet on the teachings of the Church regarding secret societies, such as the Masons, Elks, Grangers, etc. Of course, I have all this info from different sources, but not in a pamphlet form.


If anyone knows of such a publication, please let me know so I can pass on this info.

Chaos and Responsibility

Continuing on from the questions in the last post, the answers follow the questions. I start with the last first.

But, what if someone is not facing his suffering? What if one is in denial of chaos in the soul? Can an entire culture, an entire society be blinded to suffering and disorder?

Many, if not most, people in Western societies may be described as T. S. Eliot did in The Wasteland.

Unreal City,                                                            60
Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,
A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many,
I had not thought death had undone so many.
Sighs, short and infrequent, were exhaled,
And each man fixed his eyes before his feet.
Flowed up the hill and down King William Street,
To where Saint Mary Woolnoth kept the hours
With a dead sound on the final stroke of nine.
There I saw one I knew, and stopped him, crying "Stetson!
"You who were with me in the ships at Mylae!                            70
"That corpse you planted last year in your garden,
"Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year?
"Or has the sudden frost disturbed its bed?

The curse of modern society has been the acceptance of the dulling of the pain of sin. Living death is a result of mortal sin, of sin which denies natural law and the consequences. One of the points of Fr. Ripperger's book is that mental illness can be a result of mortal sin. Why? Because sin denies the end to which all humans were made. We deny our own happiness in eternal life with God when we sin. Therefore, when we choose deliberately to go against why we were created and who we are, that is creatures of a Loving God, a sort of spiritual division occurs in our souls, minds, bodies. Such denial causes chaos in the soul, which is ignored by so many psychologists.

Eliot's cry that death had undone so many is the cry of the modern prophet, who see the sadness, the false happiness, "each man fixed his eyes before his feet", an image of modern isolation.

Mylae was the decisive battle of the Romans over the Carthaginian fleet. Carthage was a horrible society of human sacrifice and war, a society even the Romans hated for its barbarity and violence.  Stetson, the name of the famous cowboy hat, means more than a hat, the "Boss of the Plains". This name is supposed to remind us of false utopias, like those expected in the Gold Rush or through Manifest Destiny.

The buried corpse is the dead soul. Will it bloom in the new year, or will the frost of modern sins keep it dead and buried? No resurrection here.

Yes, an entire society can have false ideals, consumerism, materialism, greed, hatred for the poor, hatred for the rich, and so on. Acceptance of all types of sexual sins is now part of our culture in the West, except for those in the remnant, who still cling to natural law philosophy, Revelation, and the Good New of the Bible.

A person or a people can drug themselves with entertainment, things, sex and so on to curb the niggling doubt that something is not right. And, if the wills are bent towards evil from a lack of religious belief and practice, yes, an entire society can be bent. This is what we are now seeing, not only in America and Europe, but in other countries which have departed, even for centuries, from the only spirituality which can help man become and stay human-Catholicism.

Such were the Five Cities. Can an entire culture, an entire society be blinded to suffering and disorder?

Genesis 19 Douay-Rheims

19 And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of the city. And seeing them, he rose up and went to meet them: and worshipped prostrate to the ground,

² And said: I beseech you, my lords, turn in to the house of your servant, and lodge there: wash your feet, and in the morning you shall go on your way. And they said: No, but we will abide in the street.

³ He pressed them very much to turn in unto him: and when they were come into his house, he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread and they ate:

⁴ But before they went to bed, the men of the city beset the house both young and old, all the people together.

⁵ And they called Lot, and said to him: Where are the men that came in to thee at night? bring them out hither that we may know them:

⁶ Lot went out to them, and shut the door after him, and said:

⁷ Do not so, I beseech you, my brethren, do not commit this evil.

⁸ I have two daughters who as yet have not known man: I will bring them out to you, and abuse you them as it shall please you, so that you do no evil to these men, because they are come in under the shadow of my roof.

⁹ But they said: Get thee back thither. And again: Thou camest in, said they, as a, stranger, was it to be a judge? therefore we will afflict thee more than them. And they pressed very violently upon Lot: and they were even at the point of breaking open the doors.

¹⁰ And behold the men put out their hand, and drew in Lot unto them, and shut the door:

¹¹ And them that were without, they struck with blindness from the least to the greatest, so that they could not find the door.

¹² And they said to Lot: Hast thou here any of thine? son in law, or sons, or daughters, all that are thine bring them out of this city:

¹³ For we will destroy this place, because their cry is grown loud before the Lord, who hath sent us to destroy them.

¹⁴ So Lot went out, and spoke to his sons in law that were to have his daughters, and said: Arise: get you out of this place, because the Lord will destroy this city. And he seemed to them to speak as it were in jest.

¹⁵ And when it was morning, the angels pressed him, saying: Arise, take thy wife, and the two daughters which thou hast: lest thou also perish in the wickedness of the city.

¹⁶ And as he lingered, they took his hand, and the hand of his wife, and of his two daughters, because the Lord spared him.

¹⁷ And they brought him forth, and set him without the city: and there they spoke to him, saying: Save thy life: look not back, neither stay thou in all the country about: but save thyself in the mountain, lest thou be also consumed.

¹⁸ And Lot said to them: I beseech thee my Lord,

¹⁹ Because thy servant hath found grace before thee, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewn to me, in saving my life, and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil seize me, and I die:

²⁰ There is this city here at hand, to which I may flee, it is a little one, and I shall be saved in it: is it not a little one, and my soul shall live?

²¹ And he said to him: Behold also in this, I have heard thy prayers, not to destroy the city for which thou hast spoken.

²² Make haste and be saved there, because I cannot do any thing till thou go in thither. Therefore the name of that city was called Segor.

²³ The sun was risen upon the earth, and Lot entered into Segor.

²⁴ And the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.

²⁵ And he destroyed these cities, and all the country about, all the inhabitants of the cities, and all things that spring from the earth.

²⁶ And his wife looking behind her, was turned into a statue of salt.

²⁷ And Abraham got up early in the morning and in the place where he had stood before with the Lord,

²⁸ He looked towards Sodom and Gomorrha, and the whole land of that country: and he saw the ashes rise up from the earth as the smoke of a furnace.

²⁹ Now when God destroyed the cities of that country, remembering Abraham, he delivered Lot out of the destruction of the cities wherein he had dwelt.

to be continued...

Virtue and Suffering

Reason is shown to be so much the more perfect, according as it is able to overcome or endure more easily the weakness of the body and of the lower powers. And therefore human virtue, which is attributed to reason, is said to be "made perfect in infirmity," not of the reason indeed, but of the body and of the lower powers.

Thomas Aquinas....






[16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and to the Greek. [17] For the justice of God is revealed therein, from faith unto faith, as it is written: The just man liveth by faith. [18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of those men that detain the truth of God in injustice: [19] Because that which is known of God is manifest in them. For God hath manifested it unto them. [20] For the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; his eternal power also, and divinity: so that they are inexcusable.
[21] Because that, when they knew God, they have not glorified him as God, or given thanks; but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. [22] For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. [23] And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of a corruptible man, and of birds, and of fourfooted beasts, and of creeping things. [24] Wherefore God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonour their own bodies among themselves. [25] Who changed the truth of God into a lie; and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
[26] For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature. [27] And, in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural use of the women, have burned in their lusts one towards another, men with men working that which is filthy, and receiving in themselves the recompense which was due to their error. [28] And as they liked not to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them up to a reprobate sense, to do those things which are not convenient; [29] Being filled with all iniquity, malice, fornication, avarice, wickedness, full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity, whisperers, [30] Detractors, hateful to God, contumelious, proud, haughty, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 

[26] God delivered them up: Not by being author of their sins, but by withdrawing his grace, and so permitting them, in punishment of their pride, to fall into those shameful sins.

[31] Foolish, dissolute, without affection, without fidelity, without mercy. [32] Who, having known the justice of God, did not understand that they who do such things, are worthy of death; and not only they that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them. 

Now, the underlines bits have to do with suffering in Challoner's notes here in blue. Once sin and, therefore, disorder are chosen, God lets a person literally "go his own way". The Bridegroom stops wooing the bride, that is, the soul.

His grace is withdrawn, which is the meaning of the phrase the "death of the soul" with regard to "mortal sin". Those in mortal sin, those in disorder, have no sanctifying grace.

How does suffering pull one out of disorder? Disorder and suffering are described in Chapter Three, but why is suffering necessary?

Here is Paul in Chapter Six:

[6] Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, to the end that we may serve sin no longer. [7] For he that is dead is justified from sin. [8] Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall live also together with Christ: [9] Knowing that Christ rising again from the dead, dieth now no more, death shall no more have dominion over him. [10] For in that he died to sin, he died once; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God: 

We must be joined to the suffering of Christ in order to break away from the habits of sin, from the predominant faults. Yes, Christ died for us, but in our bodies we must work out that salvation.

Herein is a huge difference between us and our Protestant brethren, who have destroyed sacramental life in their churches. The sacraments restore us to grace--there is no other way.

And, suffering humble us to seek out the sacraments. Only the proud do not want the sacraments.

Grace frees us to obey, to see justice, to want discipline. As "servants of justice" we also seek mercy, knowing through our suffering that God is Just.

The realization of justice and mercy come only through facing one's sins, in suffering, in humility.

[16] Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are whom you obey, whether it be of sin unto death, or of obedience unto justice. [17] But thanks be to God, that you were the servants of sin, but have obeyed from the heart, unto that form of doctrine, into which you have been delivered. [18] Being then freed from sin, we have been made servants of justice. [19] I speak an human thing, because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as you have yielded your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity, unto iniquity; so now yield your members to serve justice, unto sanctification. [20] For when you were the servants of sin, you were free men to justice. 

Disorder brings pain, brings chaos into one's soul. mind, body, but, as St. Paul states, thanks be to God for His gift of salvation and for the Church's sacramental life of grace.

But, what if someone is not facing his suffering? What if one is in denial of chaos in the soul? Can an entire culture, an entire society be blinded to suffering and disorder?


to be continued...
 

 

Where Virtue Begins

In this day and age, in these troubled times, we see clearly religions which teach and promote virtues and those which do not. I use Thomas Aquinas here.

Here is a reminder of what the virtues actually are: virtues are good use of free will.

"When we say that virtue is the order or ordering of love, we refer to the end to which virtue is ordered: because in us love is set in order by virtue"

Now, read this again from Aquinas. 

Virtue, from the very nature of the word, implies some perfection of power, as we have said above (Article 1). Wherefore, since power [The one Latin word 'potentia' is rendered 'potentiality' in the first case, and 'power' in the second] is of two kinds, namely, power in reference to being, and power in reference to act; the perfection of each of these is called virtue. But power in reference to being is on the part of matter, which is potential being, whereas power in reference to act, is on the part of the form, which is the principle of action, since everything acts in so far as it is in act.
Now man is so constituted that the body holds the place of matter, the soul that of form. The body, indeed, man has in common with other animals; and the same is to be said of the forces which are common to the soul and body: and only those forces which are proper to the soul, namely, the rational forces, belong to man alone. And therefore, human virtue, of which we are speaking now, cannot belong to the body, but belongs only to that which is proper to the soul. Wherefore human virtue does not imply reference to being, but rather to act. Consequently it is essential to human virtue to be an operative habit.
Reply to Objection 1. Mode of action follows on the disposition of the agent: for such as a thing is, such is its act. And therefore, since virtue is the principle of some kind of operation, there must needs pre-exist in the operator in respect of virtue some corresponding disposition. Now virtue causes an ordered operation. Therefore virtue itself is an ordered disposition of the soul, in so far as, to wit, the powers of the soul are in some way ordered to one another, and to that which is outside. Hence virtue, inasmuch as it is a suitable disposition of the soul, is like health and beauty, which are suitable dispositions of the body. But this does not hinder virtue from being a principle of operation.
Reply to Objection 2. Virtue which is referred to being is not proper to man; but only that virtue which is referred to works of reason, which are proper to man.
Reply to Objection 3. As God's substance is His act, the highest likeness of man to God is in respect of some operation. Wherefore, as we have said above (Question 3, Article 2), happiness or bliss by which man is made most perfectly conformed to God, and which is the end of human life, consists in an operation. 

The fact that virtues are habits means these can be trained, as I have noted in my long series from last summer on virtue training.

A virtue, as Aquinas notes in the above passage, "is an ordered disposition of the soul, in so far as, to wit, the powers of the soul are in some way ordered to one another, and to that which is outside."

Action follows disposition. Without virtue active in the soul, action cannot be "good" or even "neutral".  And reason is needed for the practice of virtues.

We daily choose what we think is the good, the true, the beautiful, but these choices are rooted in our disposition. If our minds, souls, hearts are conformed to God, then we shall exhibit virtue.

So, when people compare religions, one question they may ask is this, "Which religion leads to the formation of a correct disposition which will choose the good, the good which involves love of self, love of neighbor, as coming from love of God?"

To be continued...

More from Fr. Chad Ripperger

One of the great blessings given to the world through the ages has been education. One thinks of the many Benedictine schools beginning in the so-called Dark Ages, the universities, the copying of classical texts, and so on.

One of the reasons why real Catholics have valued education has to do with the formation of the will. Without being over-simplistic, I want to parse out a few ideas from Fr. Ripperger's book from his long section on the will. One of the reasons in our day and age we see people floundering with either the idea of free will, or using the will is that they have not had formation in thinking, in the intellect, which informs the will.

Here is a snippet and then a comment:

The "possible intellect is the only immaterial knowing power in the soul, it is that which moves the will, i. e. the will is moved by the apprehension of reason or the possible intellect. Since the will is moved by the intellect, the good as grasped by the intellect, i.e. the understood good, moves the will. Since the will is moved by a universal power, i.e. the possible intellect grasps universals, the object it presents to the will is the end or good in general."

The greatest problem youth in our Western culture experiences is that of the lack of knowledge to use when making decisions. How many times have I heard parents say that, for example, they will let their children decide on what religion these children want when they are old enough to decide.

This approach and another approach, which is not to give any rational training to the intellect, allow the will to be weakened because the very power which could inform the will is missing.

Many discussions I have had in the past with young people revolve around a denial of free will. The decadence of the education systems in the West, with the downgrading of true liberal education, which taught youth how to think, has led to the lack of discipline of the passions, which can no longer be ruled by the will, which is missing the intellectual necessaries to choose between good and evil.

"If it feels good, it is right", is, of course the relativist's claim.

I honestly believe that the only people who are training the will at this time in the West are parents who home school in the Catholic tradition, or those teachers who are teaching in classical education, schools such as NAPCIS schools.

The training of the intellect forms the soul, and creates sanity, that is, a mind which can apprehend reality, the reality of sin and virtue.

I have picked out this bit for today as so many people blame circumstances, environment, nurture and nature for weak wills, when the main cause is rather simple--the loss of liberal education, which teaches humans how to think.

One may also comment on the idea of  "universals", but that is another post.

to be continued...

Hello to Readers in Greece

Churchs of New York

St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Syracuse.

Note

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2014/09/action-item-book-from-5-cardinals-in-defense-of-marriage-and-tradition/

Would someone like to order this for a seminarian and a deacon? Let me know, please.

From SPUC

9 September 2014: The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) www.spuc.org.uk has been banned on spurious grounds by Dundee University Students' Association (DUSA) from its Freshers' Fayre.
DUSA claims that SPUC's campaigns are contrary to DUSA's Constitution, and that SPUC has engaged in extreme behaviour at past Freshers' Fayres. DUSA has, however, failed to provide any evidence to back up their claims.
Rachel Kidd of SPUC Scotland http://spucscotland.org/ said: "DUSA has quoted several sections of its Constitution against SPUC, but none of those sections contains anything opposed by SPUC. Also, DUSA has been asked to back up with evidence its claim of extreme behaviour by SPUC at Freshers' Fayres, but has failed to provide any evidence.
"From 2005 onwards, SPUC held a stall at Freshers’ Fayre for eight consecutive years without any problems. The stall simply offered factual information on the development of the unborn child and real help to women who may find themselves in a crisis pregnancy situation.
Miss Kidd concluded: "DUSA makes a great deal of noise about being fair and unprejudiced towards groups with differing views. SPUC's effectiveness in communicating the pro-life message on campus seems to have provoked DUSA to treat SPUC in an unfair and biased way."
SPUC Scotland can be contacted on:

• landline: 0141 221 2094
• email: info@spucscotland.org
• Twitter: @spucscotland

The communications department at SPUC's UK headquarters can be contacted on:

• mobile 07939 177683
• direct dial landline 020 7820 3129
• email news@spuc.org.uk
• Twitter @spucprolife

To receive this news regularly, visit http://www.spuc.org.uk/em-signup.

A quiet down day and early mornings....

I need a quiet down day which will consist of reading more of Fr. Chad Ripperger's great book and trying to get some needed rest.


But, before I leave off blogging for the day, I want to mention that several friends of mine have been awakened, since 2011, early in the morning to pray. I mean early, like four or four-thirty.  These good people have been asked to pray more. I now know six or more people who get up at fourish and pray for others, saying extra rosaries, and some of these people are still working, not retired.

This has happened to me since November of 2011. When I am well, and not fighting asthma all night, I get up and pray early. God is moving some of us to do this. Pay attention. If you are waking up and do not know why, it could be that God is calling you to extra prayer.

We need extra prayer for reparation for the sins of ourselves and others, for the Church, which is assaulted on various fronts. We need to pray for those who may be facing great trials in the middle of the night, such as despair or loneliness.

As Catholics, we have the great Theotokos, Mary, the Mother of God, as our greatest intercessor.

Pray, and do not stint in prayer.

See you all tomorrow, a bit later in the day.

Are You A Believer?

http://www.churchmilitant.tv/daily/?today=2014-09-09

Wiki Is Sometimes Surprisingly Interesting

Do you all know about this? Do any readers have more reliable info on this group? I have not studied this group and came across it quite by accident.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_of_Rome

http://www.clubofrome.org/

The book which set this group into play is Limits to Growth. One can see the influences which are contrary to Catholic teaching in this article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Limits_to_Growth

Just look at the list of books on the last entry.

I admire Pope Paul VI more and more, as his encyclical Humanae Vitae was written in the ambience of these types of groups. 

Thankfully, I missed the rise of these ideas, converted in 1971 from stupidity and ideologies which could have led to this type of thinking. But, God protected me and renewed my excellent Catholic Classical education in my soul, heart and mind.

I am sure those university students right behind me read some of this stuff. Of course, we studied Malthus, the evil genius of abortion and contraception as necessaries, an Anglican buried in Bath Abbey. The fact that Maltus visited Germany and Switzerland, which have connections to the Club of Rome seems more than coincidental.

His bio is linked to Limits to Growth on wiki.

Again, A Warning to Catholic Parents

Do not let or encourage your sons and daughters to have any college debt. It would be better for them to go to the local community college, (some of which have superb teachers), than get into debt.

This is a repeat of something I put on the blog a long time ago, a long time ago. Those debts will be the direct cause of enforced labor or military work for the government when the economy collapses.

I have heard people say that they do not care if they get into debt as there will be a collapse anyway. This is a deceitful and non-Christian view of good stewardship.

One should live within one's means. I learned this the hard way and God corrected me years ago. I had to sell my beloved house rather than not pay the mortgage when I lost a job. I had to throw away and not use credit cards. This is a good discipline. I left the madness of debt. Simple living is possible and one can do it with God's help.

But, for the youth, this situation of debt may be used as a sword over their heads. Do this....or pay up...

Debtor's prisons may not be seen again, but governments have other ways of making people pay debt. Although, people could go to jail for contempt of court for not paying loans, credit cards and so on.

America had debtor's prison, which although federally abolished in 1832, lasted in some states until 1849.

Debt is slavery.

I distinctly remember a speech by Obama when he was running for president the first time in which he said he supported a draft. It was in September of 2008 when he gave a speech referring to this.

I wish I had kept the transcript. What if any president said that a youth's college debt would be forgiven for so many years of military service?

Wake up, Catholic parents, please.

And, I thank those readers who helped a poor seminarian get out of a small debt. He is debt free.

A Good Pastor

Interview with Bishop Philip Egan found here.

http://spuc-director.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/interview-with-bishop-philip-egan-on.html

God bless good leaders, good pastors

St, Mary of Egypt

In my youth, especially my twenties, I was addicted to the music of Mahler. In his Eighth Symphony, in that monumental work, he refers to St. Mary of Egypt. Mahler was taken by the story of this famous saint of the Jordan area.

Apparently, as early as the age of twelve, she was driven by lust, until she had a conversion in Jerusalem.

Deciding to repent and become a hermit, and being under the care and direction of Mary, Mother of God, St. Mary of Egypt left all with only three loaves of bread, after receiving forgiveness in Confession. St. Zosimas met her and gave her Communion on the day she died, after she spent fifty years or so in the desert making reparation for her early life of serious sin. A lion helped St. Zosimas bury her body. She is a saint who overcame her predominant faults in the isolation of prayer and fasting.


Her life was written down by St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jersusalem. For those struggling with inordinate passions, St. Mary is an excellent patron.

Her dates are disputed, but her death in 522 seems reasonable to most scholars.

Here are the prayers from her feast day, April 3.


Troparion (Tone 8) [1]

The image of God was truly preserved in you, O mother,

For you took up the Cross and followed Christ.

By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away;

But to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal.

Therefore your spirit, O holy Mother Mary, rejoices with the Angels.

Kontakion (Tone 3)

Having been a sinful woman,

You became through repentance a Bride of Christ.

Having attained angelic life,

You defeated demons with the weapon of the Cross;

Therefore, O most glorious Mary you are a Bride of the Kingdom

St. Paul on Perfection

The Apostle of the Gentiles calls the leaders of the Church to perfect the flock. If the leaders of the Church are not doing so, we must follow Christ and move towards holiness anyway.

Time to form community is fast flying away. Do so today. Support each other, closely. Move, if you must, to pod and surround yourselves with holy people

 

EPHESIANS 

CHAPTER 4.

Therefore, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called, 2 With all humility and mildness, with patience, supporting one another in charity. 3 Careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 One body and one Spirit; as you are called in one hope of your calling. 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism. 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in us all. 7 But to every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the giving of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith: Ascending on high, he led captivity captive; he gave gifts to men. 9 Now that he ascended, what is it, but because he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. 11 And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors, 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13Until we all meet into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ; 13 Until we all meet into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ; 14 That henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive 15 But doing the truth in charity, we may in all things grow up in him who is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body, being compacted and fitly joined together, by what every joint supplieth, according to the operation in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in charity. 17 This then I say and testify in the Lord: That henceforward you walk not as also the Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts. 19 Who despairing, have given themselves up to lasciviousness, unto the working of all uncleanness, unto the working of all uncleanness, unto covetousness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ; 21 If so be that you have heard him, and have been taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 To put off, according to former conversation, the old man, who is corrupted according to the desire of error. 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind: 24 And put on the new man, who according to God is created in justice and holiness of truth. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak; ye the truth every man with his neighbour; for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry, and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your anger. 27 Give not place to the devil. 28 He that stole, let him now steal no more; but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need. 29 Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth; but that which is good, to the edification of faith, that it may administer grace to the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God: whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and anger, and indignation, and clamour, and blasphemy, be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be ye kind one to another; merciful, forgiving one another, even as God hath forgiven you in Christ.

Like A Thief in The Night

1 Thessalonians 5

1 But of the times and moments, brethren, you need not, that we should write to you; 2 For yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord shall so come, as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, peace and security; then shall sudden destruction come upon them, as the pains upon her that is with child, and they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 For all you are the children of light, and children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore, let us not sleep, as others do; but let us watch, and be sober. 7 For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that are drunk, are drunk in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, having on the breastplate of faith and charity, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God hath not appointed us unto wrath, but unto the purchasing of salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 Who died for us; that, whether we watch or sleep, we may live together with him. 11 For which cause comfort one another; and edify one another, as you also do.  

Holy Mother Church in her wisdom has warned Catholics not to look to the signs of the times as signs of the Second Coming. We can see signs which show us we are heading for great persecution, but that is not the same as jumping to a conclusion that then Christ will come.

As usual, St. Thomas Aquinas has some wisdom for us on this subject. Here are a few quotations: ST, Supplement, q 73.


I answer that, When Christ shall come to judge He will appear in the form of glory, on account of the authority becoming a judge. Now it pertains to the dignity of judicial power to have certain signs that induce people to reverence and subjection: and consequently many signs will precede the advent of Christ when He shall come to judgment, in order that the hearts of men be brought to subjection to the coming judge, and be prepared for the judgment, being forewarned by those signs. But it is not easy to know what these signs may be: for the signs of which we read in the gospels, as Augustine says, writing to Hesychius about the end of the world (Ep. lxxx), refer not only to Christ's coming to judgment, but also to the time of the sack of Jerusalem, and to the coming of Christ in ceaselessly visiting His Church So that, perhaps, if we consider them carefully, we shall find that none of them refers to the coming advent, as he remarks: because these signs that are mentioned in the gospels, such as wars, fears, and so forth, have been from the beginning of the human race: unless perhaps we say that at that time they will be more prevalent: although it is uncertain in what degree this increase will foretell the imminence of the advent. The signs mentioned by Jerome are not asserted by him; he merely says that he found them written in the annals of the Hebrews: and, indeed, they contain very little likelihood.
Reply to Objection 1. According to Augustine (Ad Hesych., Ep. lxxx) towards the end of the world there will be a general persecution of the good by the wicked: so that at the same time some will fear, namely the good, and some will be secure, namely the wicked. The words: "When they shall say: Peace and security," refer to the wicked, who will pay little heed to the signs of the coming judgment: while the words of Luke 21:26, "men withering away," etc., should be referred to the good.
We may also reply that all these signs that will happen about the time of the judgment are reckoned to occur within the time occupied by the judgment, so that the judgment day contains them all. Wherefore although men be terrified by the signs appearing about the judgment day, yet before those signs begin to appear the wicked will think themselves to be in peace and security, after the death of Antichrist and before the coming of Christ, seeing that the world is not at once destroyed, as they thought hitherto.
Reply to Objection 2. The day of the Lord is said to come as a thief, because the exact time is not known, since it will not be possible to know it from those signs: although, as we have already said, all these most manifest sings which will precede the judgment immediately may be comprised under the judgment day.
Reply to Objection 3. At His first advent Christ came secretly, although the appointed time was known beforehand by the prophets. Hence there was no need for such signs to appear at His first coming, as will appear at His second advent, when He will come openly, although the appointed time is hidden.

I think most of us should be more concerned about our particular judgment than the final one. Too much theorizing about the End Times can be a distraction, taking us away from considering our own souls and our state of sinfulness or holiness at the time of our deaths. 

Life Site News-Great Articles This Week

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/criticism-mounts-against-notre-dames-decision-to-cover-students-abortifacie

More on Indulgences for the Holy Souls

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Do not forget to make prayers for all the dead in your families. I go to cemeteries and pray for the dead when I can. Recently, a friend of mine reminded me that many veterans have no one to pray for them. You may do that.

I also remind people to pray for children over the age of reason, as children can and do sin as well.

One can get into the habit of daily praying for souls in purgatory. For example, unless I am praying a rosary novena for someone or something, I use the fifth decade on my daily rosary for the holy souls in purgatory.

On Proper Love for The Dead

The cremation rosary so creeped me out that I need to write about proper honor and love for the dead ones in our families.

Holy Mother Church has been clear on the correct manner of praying for the dead and not to the dead, unless these dead are saints.

A little preposition makes a huge difference...

Here is a quotation from St. Augustine's Confessions to begin the conversation:

from "Book VI":
When, therefore, my mother had at one time— as was her custom in Africa— brought to the oratories built in the memory of the saints certain cakes, and bread, and wine, and was forbidden by the door-keeper, so soon as she learned that it was the bishop who had forbidden it, she so piously and obediently acceded to it, that I myself marvelled how readily she could bring herself to accuse her own custom, rather than question his prohibition. … because these, so to say, festivals in honour of the dead were very like the superstition of the Gentiles, she most willingly abstained from it. And in lieu of a basket filled with fruits of the earth, she had learned to bring to the oratories of the martyrs a heart full of more purified petitions, and to give all that she could to the poor; that so the communion of the Lord’s body might be rightly celebrated there, where, after the example of His passion, the martyrs had been sacrificed and crowned. 



Some modern. secular customs do not follow older Catholic ones.

A reminder:

Waking, which is a European custom, is approved and frequently done in connection with Catholic funeral parlors.

Three days are usually set aside, although in some cultures, it is a week, to pray the rosary daily for the soul in purgatory. Sometimes, if a priest can make the evening rosaries, he might join the family and friends
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A funeral Requiem Mass with the remains present is the time not for celebrating the person's life, or for eulogies, but for sincere prayers for the dead. Most people who were practicing Catholics would need such prayers to be released from the pains of purgatory.

Later, one can have Memorial Masses for the dead. In earlier years, these were sung and black vestments were used. I remember, as I sang in the choir for these types of liturgies for years.
One can have Masses said, and one can do plenary indulgences for the dead and the rules for obtaining those are at the bottom of this post.

One should visit the grave out of respect, but not over-indulging in grief. Our family would go once a year, using on Memorial Day, or November 2nd, weather permitting. Remember, purgatory is purgation for not dealing with even venial sins and imperfections, for not facing and being purged of one's predominant fault.

Remember, only the Church through apostolic succession can forgive sins in Confession, and only the Church through the Pope can grant plenary and partial indulgences for the dead (in this post, I am not referring to one's ability to gain an indulgence for one's self). Here is the Canon Law on this point. Only practicing Catholics, in other words, those in sanctifying grace, can gain indulgences as well. (I am not, also, referring to the great indulgence of Divine Mercy Sunday). Here, also, is a clarifying statement from St. John Paul II. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/audiences/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_aud_29091999_en.html

Canon Law--CHAPTER IV.

INDULGENCES

Can.  992 An indulgence is the remission before God of temporal punishment for sins whose guilt is already forgiven, which a properly disposed member of the Christian faithful gains under certain and defined conditions by the assistance of the Church which as minister of redemption dispenses and applies authoritatively the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.

Can.  993 An indulgence is partial or plenary insofar as it partially or totally frees from the temporal punishment due to sins.

Can.  994 Any member of the faithful can gain partial or plenary indulgences for oneself or apply them to the dead by way of suffrage.

Can.  995 §1. In addition to the supreme authority of the Church, only those to whom this power is acknowledged in the law or granted by the Roman Pontiff can bestow indulgences.

§2. No authority below the Roman Pontiff can entrust the power of granting indulgences to others unless the Apostolic See has given this expressly to the person.

Can.  996 §1. To be capable of gaining indulgences, a person must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the end of the prescribed works.

§2. To gain indulgences, however, a capable subject must have at least the general intention of acquiring them and must fulfill the enjoined works in the established time and the proper method, according to the tenor of the grant.

Can.  997 As regards the granting and use of indulgences, the other prescripts contained in the special laws of the Church must also be observed.
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First, here is the CCC on indulgences in general:
 
X. INDULGENCES
1471 The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of Penance.
What is an indulgence?
"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints."⁸¹
"An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin."⁸² The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.⁸³
The punishments of sin
1472 To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the "eternal punishment" of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the "temporal punishment" of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.⁸⁴
1473 The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of sin remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the "old man" and to put on the "new man."⁸⁵
In the Communion of Saints
1474 The Christian who seeks to purify himself of his sin and to become holy with the help of God's grace is not alone. "The life of each of God's children is joined in Christ and through Christ in a wonderful way to the life of all the other Christian brethren in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, as in a single mystical person."⁸⁶
1475 In the communion of saints, "a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things."⁸⁷ In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus recourse to the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishments for sin.
1476 We also call these spiritual goods of the communion of saints the Church's treasury, which is "not the sum total of the material goods which have accumulated during the course of the centuries. On the contrary the 'treasury of the Church' is the infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ's merits have before God. They were offered so that the whole of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. In Christ, the Redeemer himself, the satisfactions and merits of his Redemption exist and find their efficacy."⁸⁸
1477 "This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission the Father entrusted to them. In this way they attained their own salvation and at the same time cooperated in saving their brothers in the unity of the Mystical Body."⁸⁹
Obtaining indulgence from God through the Church
1478 An indulgence is obtained through the Church who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ Jesus, intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishments due for their sins. Thus the Church does not want simply to come to the aid of these Christians, but also to spur them to works of devotion, penance, and charity.⁹⁰
1479 Since the faithful departed now being purified are also members of the same communion of saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments due for their sins may be remitted.
1498 Through indulgences the faithful can obtain the remission of temporal punishment resulting from sin for themselves and also for the souls in Purgatory. 

Rules current for obtaining a plenary indulgence for someone in purgatory (or one's self).

 A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day. In order to obtain it, the faithful Catholic must, in addition to being in the state of sanctifying grace:

 —have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;

—have sacramentally confessed sins within three weeks (20 days);

—receive the Holy Eucharist on the same day as praying for the soul.

—pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.
 One Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be are sufficient, although many Catholics do three.

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